Face - the new credit card

Your face is the new credit card

No more swiping cards! A new technology that allows customers to use their facial features instead of swiping a credit card to purchase goods has been developed by a Finnish company. 
The technology provided by Uniqul, works by recognizing the customer's face and then linking it to the individual's bank account . So instead of swiping a credit card to purchase goods, the customer gazes into a camera. 
Uniqul claims its service is secured with military-grade algorithms , 'The Australian' reported . Uniqul's Ruslan Pisarenko said the technology — which is due to roll out next month — has the ability for transactions to be completed instantly and can even distinguish between identical twins, 'News Limited Network' reported. According to Pisarenko, "the face is a PIN and it's more like a complete way to identify a person.

But in some cases where the system is not 100% accurate, it will ask a person to input their PIN as security," he said. There is no payment card involved, nor is a mobile or wallet needed. Customers sign up to the technology by registering their identification and bank details. Once the items are scanned through the customers' details will flash up on a screen and they click "OK" to confirm the transaction. 
The new tech is similar to facial recognition identification which is used by international travellers at airports in Australia. The company is getting ready for deployment of the system in Helsinki, news website goodnewsfinland.com reported. 
The company said its patent pending technology allows to reduce time spent on transactions close to zero seconds.

Applying passport through smartphones

Apply for passport through your smartphones

Applicants will soon be able to apply for passports through their smart phones, a senior official said. 

"Applicants can fill details on passport applications through mPassport Seva App. We are working on this and are hopeful it will be launched in next few months," Joint Secretary (Passport Seva Project) and Chief Passport Officer Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi told reporters. 

The "mPassport Seva"--an android App, developed by the Ministry of External Affairs was earlier launched in March. 

The App which can be downloaded at www.passportindia.gov.in, as of now is providing smart phone and tablet users with a variety of services including passport application status, tracking, locating the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) and general information on various steps involved in obtaining a passport. 

Speaking after inaugurating the passport office CCTV control room at Regional Passport Office at Secunderabad, Pardeshi said the Ministry of External Affairs is likely to issue over 85 lakh passports by the end of this year as compared to 74 lakh issued during last year. 

"Between January to June 2013, 37 lakh passports were issued and by this year end. We hope to issue over 75 lakh passports through Passport Offices in India while another 11-12 lakh passports through missions/embassys abroad," he said. 

The passport seva project has been declared as winner for e-India public choice award 2013 under government to citizen service category, he said.

Touchscreens to identify fingerprints

Touchscreens to identify fingerprints-coming soon:

A new touchscreen display, which is capable of identifying fingerprints, is closer to reality. 

Not only will the display redefine online security but could revolutionise the way in which humans and computers interact in the public sphere. 

Current touchscreens emit light but are not able to sense it, which makes it impossible to identify fingerprints unless a supplemental sensor is added. 

Researchers Christian Holz of the Hasso PlattnerInstitute in Germany told New Scientist that these touchscreens cannot scan fingerprints and fingerprint sensors are not able to show images. 

Holz and fellow researcher Patrick Baudisch's prototype uses a glass screen, made up of millions of 3-millimetre-long optical fibres that have been bunched together vertically. 

From an image projector that is mounted below the glass, each fibre is able to pipe out visible light rays. 

Meanwhile, from a source adjacent to the projector, an infrared light bounces off the fingerprints and back down to an infrared camera.

Apple -- big-screen iPhone

Apple testing big-screen iPhone, 13-inch iPad: WSJ

Apple's iPhone 5 has the smallest screen among all flagship smartphones, even though it is the biggest amongst iPhones. However, that may change soon, as the company reportedly is testing larger screens for both iPhones and iPads. This has been reported in The Wall Street Journal, which cites officials at Apple suppliers involved in the process.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Apple has asked suppliers for prototype iPhones with screens measuring over 4-inch. The report, which cites officials at Apple suppliers as sources, also says that Apple has called for iPad display designs that measure just under 13-inch.

iPhone 5, the biggest smartphone in Apple's line-up, has a 4-inch screen, while the full-sized iPad has a 9.7-inch display.
"The tests with suppliers seem to suggest that Apple is exploring ways to capture diversifying customer needs at a time when many mobile device makers offer smartphones and tablets in various sizes," says the report. However, it also adds that it remains unclear if the iPhonemaker will actually bring these devices to the market, as it often tests different designs for its products.

Apple suppliers reportedly began manufacturing the next-generation iPhone last month. WSJ says that the company has told Hon Hai Precision Industry to start shipping the model in late August. It is also said to be working on a cheaper iPhone that will come in multiple colour options and have a starting price tag of $349.

It is rumoured that Apple will begin manufacturing the fifth-generation iPad by the end of this month. The refreshed tablet is said to have the same 9.7-inch screen size as its predecessor, but a thinner display and slimmer profile.

'Lighter‘ Facebook - India, Brazil

'Lighter‘ Facebook coming soon for India, Brazil

 Facebook has been quietly working for more than two years on a project that is vital to expanding its base of 1.1 billion users: getting the social network onto the billions of cheap, simple "feature phones" that have largely disappeared in America and Europe but are still the norm in developing countries like India and Brazil.

Facebook soon plans to announce the first results of the initiative, which it calls Facebook for Every Phone: More than 100 million people, or roughly 1 out of 8 of its mobile users worldwide, now regularly access the social network from more than 3,000 different models of feature phones, some costing as little as $20.

Many of those users, who rank among the world's poorest people, pay little or nothing to download their Facebook news feeds and photos, with the data usage subsidized by phone carriers and manufacturers. Facebook has only just begun to sell ads to these customers, so it isn't making money from them yet.

But the countries in which the simple phone software is doing the best - India, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil and Vietnam - are among the fastest-growing markets for use of the Internet and social networks, according to the research firm eMarketer.

Like many other giants of the technology industry, Facebook is struggling with the seismic shift of its customers away from computers to mobile devices and erosion of profits that can bring.

Last year, the company overhauled its apps for Apple iPhones and Android-based smartphones to improve mobile access and introduced new types of ads that nudge users to install a new game or other apps on their phones. But customer growth in developed markets like the United States has still slowed dramatically because just about everyone who wants to be on Facebook has already joined the network.

Analysts say that Facebook has a powerful opportunity to win the long-term loyalty of millions of new global users by giving them their first taste of internet through Facebook on a simple cellphone.

"In a lot of foreign markets, people think that the Internet is Facebook," said Clark Fredricksen, a vice president at eMarketer.

Those users, the company hopes, will become more attractive to advertisers as their incomes grow and they gain broader access to the Web.

The feature phone project was driven by a small group of people who joined Facebook in 2011, when it purchased a startup called Snaptu. The team had to re-engineer Facebook's software to drastically shrink the amount of data sent over slow cellular networks. They also had to find a way to quickly display familiar Facebook features like chat and photos on phones with very basic computing power and low-resolution screens.

"We actually run the apps on our servers," said Ran Makavy, who was chief executive of Snaptuand now runs Facebook's feature phone project. "The result was something that looks almost like a smartphone app."

The software has features that are common in more advanced versions of Facebook, including sticker-size emoticons in chat and Instagram-style filters to dress up photos. (Facebook for Every Phone can be used by feature phone customers anywhere, including those in the United States. It can be downloaded from Facebook using the phone's mobile browser or obtained from app stores operated by the phone maker or independent companies like Getjar.)

Brian Blau, who studies consumer technologies at the research firm Gartner, said that given Facebook's mission of linking the entire globe through its service, it needed to reach out to the least tech-savvy customers.

"They talk about socially connecting the world together," he said. "They can't do that until they connect people who don't have smartphones or computers."

To understand how far Facebook has come in its approach to mobile devices, consider this: until two years ago, the only way to sign up for the service was through a Web browser, which is much slower to use than an app. Facebook originally viewed phones as mostly useful for posting status updates, not as a primary way to access the service, said Javier Olivan, who heads Facebook's growth team.

Eventually, the company realized that tens of millions of people in developing countries were eager to try Facebook but had no access to a computer, nor could they afford the $600 iPhones or $40-a-month data plans common in the developed world.

"It became very obvious that the next wave of users would come on mobile only," Olivan said in an interview last week.

To go after those customers, Facebook spent a reported $70 million to buy Snaptu, an Israeli company that had begun to offer primitive versions of Facebook and other apps on simple cellphones.

The acquisition "unlocked an opportunity for us," Olivan said.

From virtually no users on feature phones a couple of years ago, the company has grown to 100 million active users. Facebook declined to offer any specific predictions about the growth of its service on either smartphones or feature phones.

The immediate prospects are modest of making money from feature phone users. During the first quarter of this year, Facebook got only 24 percent of its $1.5 billion in revenue from outside of the United States, Canada and Europe. It is just beginning to ramp up its mobile advertising revenue, which was 30 percent of its overall global ad revenue in the first quarter. Those mobile ads are not as profitable as desktop ads, whose growth is flat.

The company will report its second-quarter earnings on Wednesday, but analysts expect that developed markets will be the biggest source of Facebook's revenue and profit for a long time.

Still, there is a longer-term business opportunity, for both Facebook and its phone industry partners, as mobile usage grows in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Latest Tech News: 5G technology

Huawei working on 5G technology:

As people across the world get used to the fourth generation (4G) mobile technology, Chinese equipment maker Huawei Technologies  has said it is working on the fifth generation (5G), which is likely to be available for use by 2020. 

The company said presently 200 people are working on the project and it has earmarked a specified amount for the research and development of the technology. It, however, refused to share details about the amount to be spent for the development of the technology. 

Huawei Technologies official Wen Tong said that by 2020, there will be billions of connections and 5G can provide massive connectivity. The technology will enable people to have a fibre network like user experience on a wireless connection. 

It can provide speed of 10GBps, which is 100 times faster than the mobile technology used these days, Tong added. 

South Korean giant Samsung has also announced that it has successfully tested 5G technology and it will be ready for commercial roll-out by 2020. 

Mobile operators across the world have started moving towards the high-speed long term evolution (LTE) or 4G networks and Huawei provides equipment to 85 such networks. 

The company is also undertaking a trial run to test the speed on its 4G technology on high speed MagLev train in Shanghai. 

Huawei has deployed an LTE network to support wireless connectivity on the train, which runs between the centre of the Shanghai district to the International Airport. The total length of the track is 31km and the train achieves a speed of up to 431km per hour. 

The company said on that speed, its 4G technology can provide a download speed of up to 50MBps.

Launching of Moto X phone on August 1

Google to launch Moto X phone on August 1

Google's Motorola division appears set to unveil its much anticipated Moto X phone on August 1 at an event in New York City.


Email invitations sent to the media displayed the Moto X name in bold letters. The invitation depicted several youths holding the Moto X, the first smartphone Motorola has developed since its 2012 acquisition by Google.

Motorola, which Google bought for $12.5 billion, has steadily ceded market share to Apple and Samsung Electronics, with most of its latest phones garnering relatively lukewarm receptions.

The Motorola business has been a drag on Google's profit margins, with Motorola's second-quarter losses totaling $342 million.

A Web page to respond to the invitation said, "Come experience the new Motorola. No Stage. No crowds." The page asks guests to select one of several "sessions" to attend at different times at an address in mid-town Manhattan.

In May, Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside said at the AllThingsD technology conference that the new Moto X phones would be built in the United State.

ZTE launches 6 smartphones @5k to @15k

ZTE launches 6 smartphones between Rs 5-15k

Chinese manufacturer ZTE today launched six smartphones and four data cards in India. The fourth largest mobile maker in the world, in partnership with Pune-based Calyx Communications, also introduced the At Your Doorstep service model in select cities of the country. Under this initiative, it will resolve issues with users' handsets at their homes.

The new Android phones, launched under the company's Grand, Blade and Kis series, have been priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000. ZTE Grand X has a 5-inch HD screen, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM and costs Rs 14,999. ZTE Blade L, priced at Rs 12,599, has a 5-inch screen, 1GHz dual-core CPU and 512MB RAM. Another new mid-range Android phone in the company's India portfolio is ZTE Blade E, with 4.5-inch screen, 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, 512MB RAM and a price tag of Rs 11,999.

Apart from these mid-range smartphones, ZTE introduced two budget Android handsets with dual-sim functionality. ZTE Blade C has a 4-inch screen, 1GHz dual-core CPU, 512MB and costs Rs 7,599. Below it is positioned the ZTEKis Flex, priced at Rs 5,799 and having features like 3.5-inch display, 1GHz processor and 256MB RAM.

Along with the phones, ZTE launched four 3G-enabled data cards under the Swift range. The Swift data card offers 7.2Mbps download speed, supports voice calls and costs Rs 1,799. Swift Plus and Swift WPlus (Wi-Fi) offer download speed of 14.4Mbps and cost Rs 1,999 and Rs 2,250, respectively. Swift Speed, available at Rs 2,499, provides download speed of 21.6Mbps and supports voice calling.

Xu Dejun, CEO, ZTE India, said, "Today ZTE enjoys a customer base of over 32 million Indian handset users. With the initial launch of six devices priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000, we will build further on our handset portfolio in the months to come. By the year end, we aim to have our pan India presence with the smartphones and data cards."

Talking about the company's sales channel and marketing strategy in India, Dejun said, "We are optimistic on our marketing and channel spends and looking at strengthening the brand from all fronts. Our distribution and sales structure is backed by a strong network of 214 service centers across the country. We are replicating the same pedigree of our global innovation leadership in the Indian market and aim to emerge as the third largest smartphone vendor in the country within three years."

Aircel Offer-Aircel launches Fuccha Pack

Aircel launches Fuccha Pack for students in Delhi

Aircel has launched Fuccha Pack, an exciting product for the college students in Delhi. This product will benefit students with discounted voice calls, data and text services.

The Fuccha Pack is available for Rs 149 and it will offer 333 local & STD calls, Aircel to Aircel (Local) at 10p/min, Aircel to Other (Local and STD calls) at 50p/min, free 1500 local and national SMS, 1GB of 2G data and full talktime in the next recharge of Rs 51 and above.

Anil Gupta, Regional Manager - North, Aircel, said, "The new sessions at colleges in Delhi are beginning and we are targeting the students to offer this exciting product. Aircel's 'Fuccha Pack' will enable the college students to savour the benefits of voice, text and data services at affordable prices."

Recently, Aircel launched STD pack at 25p/min in Delhi and full talktime on a recharge of Rs 100 and above.

Canvas 4 review: Best Micromax smartphone yet

The phone market in India is in the middle of a transition. People are moving from feature phones to smartphones. This means a great opportunity for smartphone makers like Micromax, which were nobody in the old market but have potential to be a major player in the new one.

In fact, Micromax is already a big smartphone company in India, at least in terms of volumes. IDC says that with a share of little over 18%, it is the second biggest company in the Indian smartphone market behind Samsung.

One of the primary reasons behind the recent success of Micromax has been Canvas HD. The device had decent internal hardware, a nice big screen and a killer price.

Now, Micromax is opening the next chapter in the Canvas story. The company has launched Canvas 4, aka A210, which is an update to the Canvas HD. There are a lot of expectations from the device. Can it take on Samsung's Galaxy devices? Is it going to be the best value for money phone? Is it a worthy successor to Canvas HD?

We have been using the device for over a week now. Before we talk in detail, let's reveal this much: Canvas 4 is an evolution of Canvas HD. It's not the revolution that many were hoping for.

Glossy plastic with a hint of aluminium

The build quality of Canvas 4 is a notch above Canvas HD. Even though both devices use glossy plastic shells, the quality of material used in Canvas 4 is better. The back cover, which can be removed to access SIM, microSD card slots and battery, is glossy and smooth. But it has a fine pattern - similar to the one seen on some sea shells - which makes the device look premium and polished.

Another highlight of the design is the aluminium strip around the device, which not only adds to the looks of the device but also make more sturdy. The power button located on the right side and the volume rocker on the left have also been made of aluminium. It is a nice touch and a pleasant change from the plastic buttons found on most of the phones.

The screen - and three touch-sensitive buttons under it - are covered with tough Gorilla glass. This high-quality glass cover puts Canvas 4 ahead of other mainstream phones as far as look and feel is concerned.

Overall, Canvas 4 is one of the better looking mainstream phones. It is quite slim at 8.9mm and feels good in hand due to rounded edges, despite having a large 5-inch screen.

Our only complaint as far as design and build quality is concerned is the less than perfect finish. The power and volume buttons do not fit snugly and feel loose and wobbly. Similarly, there is very tiny gap between the strip of aluminium and the phone's body. The aluminum strip has The attention to details sets the big boys from pretenders and while Canvas 4 looks and feels quite good, we feel it can be better. Though to be fair to Micromax, Canvas 4 also costs less than the phones with impeccable build quality.

In terms of hardware, camera and screen deserve mention.

First the screen. For a budget phone, Canvas 4 has a fantastic screen. The resolution is still 720P (1280 x 720 pixels) but the quality of picture is much better. It can show punchy and saturated colours and brightness is higher compared to the screen on Canvas HD. The good resolution means the screen is sharp and text looks clear on it. The touch sensitivity and refresh rate too seem to be slightly better. Of course, there is still room for improvement. Black could have been a bit more darker and users may notice colour gradients if they are looking for it using a single colour image. But considering the screen on other mainstream Android devices, Canvas 4 scores high here.

The camera is the other highlight because it carries the 13MP tag. Yes, Canvas 4 can shoot images that are 13 mega pixels in size. Unfortunately, quality of the pixels that make up these images is not good. The camera captures nice colours but it seems the way the phone processes the images rob them of details. The result is that images suffer from noise as well as lack of detail. In daylight, it is possible to get usable images with Canvas HD. But in low light conditions or if you are shooting close ups, the camera performance is poor. Images that we shot in low light not only had the over-smooth effect and grain but also visible colour noise.

The camera in Canvas 4 also suffers from focus issues. If you are shooting macro or close photos of your friends, the auto focus is slow and inaccurate, especially in low light.

On videos, performance is better. The device can record decent FullHD videos and keeps subjects in focus. We would have liked to see videos recoded in MP4 format instead of 3GP that Canvas 4 uses, but for shooting clear and usable 3 or 4 minutes long clips during family picnic is possible with the device.

(Don't) Blow to unlock

Canvas 4 is powered by Android 4.2.1 aka Jelly Bean. Unlike on the previous Canvas phones, Micromax hasn't made any significant visible changes to the user interface. This means barring a few icons here and there, users get almost a stock version of Android. The default user interface of Android looks good and works well compared to some of the customized interface that phone makers love to put on their devices.

Canvas 4 performs well. There is no noticeable lag when you open the app drawer or switch between tasks. Games like Temple Run 2 can be played without any lag, web browsing is smooth even when you have five or six tabs open in the browser and FullHD videos can be watched. The speaker in the device sounds a bit low but fortunately it doesn't distort the audio the way some mainstream Android phones do. Voice quality during calls is average and we did not have any noticeable signal strength issues.

The only area of concern as far performance is concerned is GPS. Just like other Android phones sold by local manufacturers, Canvas 4 takes its own sweet time while connecting to satellites. Instead of seconds, GPS connects in minutes . This affects user experience in apps like Google Navigation.

In a bid to differentiate its phone, Micromax has equipped Canvas 4 with several gesture-based features. For example, it comes with a new video player that can pause the video if you look away from the phone. It also has features like 'blow (or shake) to unlock' which allow a user to unlock the phone by blowing air on its screen or by shaking it.

In our use, we found these features to be gimmicks. Worse, they adversely affect the experience. For example, the video pause feature is so sensitive that even if you tilt your head or move the phone a bit while watching a movie, playback is paused. The blow or shake to unlock, meanwhile, are not intuitive and user friendly. Fortunately, you can turn off these features. Disabling M! Unlock restores the swipe-to-unlock screen.

Battery life of the device is average. When used with a 3G connection, the battery in the device lasts for over 12 hours.

Should you buy it?

Barring the camera performance, Canvas 4 is a very good mainstream Android phone. In terms of looks and feel it is better than others in its category. Screen is fantastic, performance is fast and overall experience is pleasant. Unfortunately, at an MRP of Rs 17,999 it is pricey for what it offers.

Unlike Canvas HD, which brought a significantly better smartphone experience below Rs 15,000, Canvas 4 doesn't succeed in setting any new benchmarks. Yes, it is nice but then it also costs significantly more compared to Phones like Lava Iris 504Q, Zen Ultrafone 701HD and Canvas HD, which have similar hardware and performance. And unlike Samsung's Galaxy Grand phones it doesn't offer enough in terms of brand image and unique software to command a premium.

If you care for premium looks and design, you can get Canvas 4. It is a really good mainstream Android phones. But it is not the best value for money.

Specs

*5-inch capacitive touchscreen (1280 x720 pixels resolution)

*1.2GHz MediaTek 6589 quad-core processor

*PowerVR SGX 544 graphics chip

*1GB RAM

*16GB internal storage with support for up to 32GB MicroSD card

*13-megapixel camera, 1080P video recording

*5MP front-facing camera

*3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS

*Dual-sim support

*2,000mAh battery

*Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean

*158gms

After the latest Android 4.3 leak

After the latest Android 4.3 leak, here's what we know

Leaks about the upcoming Android 4.3 release don’t seem to bother Google, given that one of its employees just sold a Nexus 4 phone with the unreleased operating system installed.

San Francisco Bay Area resident Jeff Williams, who supposedly bought the phone from a Googler on Craigslist, was kind enough to share the system files with the world. It seems like a sign that an official release of Android 4.3 is imminent, especially with a Google event scheduled for next week.

What do we actually know about Android 4.3? Not much, at least in terms of major features. Going only by what we’ve seen, Android 4.3 looks like a minor update focused on under-the-hood improvements and subtle interface tweaks. Here’s a rundown of what the leaks shown so far:

The camera app gets some small interface tweaks in Android 4.3.

Location-based battery improvements: 

As Android Police has noted, Android 4.3 may contain new power settings that keep Wi-Fi scanning turned on at all times, even when Wi-Fi is off. While this sounds like a potential battery killer, it could help save power for location-based apps, because they’ll be able to rely on Wi-Fi triangulation instead of the more power-hungry GPS to figure out where you are. This could be a big part of Google’s plan to offer more power-efficient location tools to app developers.

Bluetooth LE and AVRCP 1.3:

Bluetooth Low Energy is a way for phones to connect with other devices, such as fitness bands and smartwatches, without sapping lots of power. Although some Android phones support Bluetooth LE already, support in stock Android will be important for Google’s Nexus devices—especially if Google plans to build its own smartwatch. As for AVRCP 1.3, it’s a way for connected audio devices, such as car speakers, to display song information when connected via Bluetooth
.

Improved camera app:

The Google Play Edition HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 both include a new camera app, with controls that are closer to the bottom of the screen instead of dead-center in the focus area. It’s a minor tweak, but one that should help people who snap photos with just one hand. The photo editor includes some new filters as well. It’s no surprise that this improved camera app is on the way to Android 4.3.

Notification mystery features: 

Another bit of detective work by Android Policeturned up signs of new notification features in Android 4.3. You might be able to view your entire notification history from within third-party apps, or you could potentially customize the notification bar in the same way you can install a custom home screen in Android. At the moment, however, this is all just speculation.

Minor tweaks:

Right now, the hackers at XDA-Developers are digging through the leak in a hunt for other changes. The stuff they’ve discovered so far includesnature-themed emojis, auto-complete in the dialer (a feature already found on many non-stock Android phones), and lots of bug fixes. There’s talk of new widgets and a modified Roboto font, but no specifics.

All in all, these are small changes, but they still make for an important update that will help Android become a cleaner operating system. And there’s always a chance Google has more in store. We’ll probably find out all the details on July 24, when Google is expected to announce a new Nexus 7 tablet.

Read More: http://technonewsgroup.blogspot.in/2013/07/new-nexus-7.html

New Nexus 7

New Nexus 7 all but confirmed

The tablet looks like a much more refined version of the current Nexus 7, with sharper corners and a less rounded back. It includes both a front- and rear-facing camera, which will obviously make all of those people who use tablets as cameras very happy. Android Central isn't all that confident about the specs list that accompanies the slate, but is quick to point out that an S4-powered tablet recently made its way through the FCC so it's possible Google ditched NVIDIA in favor of Qualcomm to power its next tablet.

Unfortunately the damn thing has a PIN lock on it so the Android Central guys weren't able to play much with the software. It appears to run at least Android 4.2.2, judging from the lock screen widgets, but it's entirely possible that the new Nexus 7 will be the first tablet to run Android 4.3. Either way, we have a few days before Google's announcement and you can be sure that I'll be hanging around bars in Mountain View in the hopes of finding some forgotten treasure.

Lenovo ThinkPad L430 biz laptop @42,000

Lenovo ThinkPad L430 biz laptop launched @ Rs 42,000

Chinese personal computer maker Lenovo today said its newly available ThinkPad L430 laptop is aimed at catering to Indian enterprise market. 

Lenovo's ThinkPad L430 laptop with third generation Intel core i3, i5, and i7 processors has been newly made available at retail market with an intent to cater to enterprise and SMB market, the company said. 

L430 is equipped with third generation ThinkPad docking, and has a range of built-in of ports for extensive usability coupled with a long battery life, it added. Lenovo said the laptop is priced starting at Rs 42,000 (taxes extra) and comes with 3-year onsite warranty.

Samsung launches Galaxy Tab 3 range in India

South Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung today launched three tablets in India today. While two of the new tablets have 8-inch screens, the other one has a 7-inch screen. The company is offering My Education Service on the three tablets, giving buyers access to 2,000 e-books and 1,000 learning videos as well as content. 

The new Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 features a TFT screen with 1024x600p resolution and 169ppi pixel density and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). This device is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, offers 1GB RAM and offers microSD card support. Connectivity options include 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and microUSB 2.0. On the back is a 3MP camera, while a 1.3MP unit is used in the front. This tablet measures 9.9mm along the waistline, has a 4,000mAh battery and costs Rs 17,745. 

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has an 8-inch TFT screen with 1280x800p resolution and 189ppi pixel density. It is powered by Android 4.2 and packs a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU under the hood, backed by 1.5GB RAM. On the back it has a 5MP camera, while a 1.3MP unit is located in the front. Powered by a 4,450mAh battery, the tablet has connectivity features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0. It is priced at Rs 21,945 in the Indian market. 

The last model in Samsung's new tablet range shares all features with Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, but also features 3G connectivity. It will cost Rs 25,725 in the country.

TrueCaller hacked, 1 million Indians’ data at risk

Global phone directory app TrueCaller has been hacked by hacktivist group Syrian Electronic Army (SEA). The hacking group announced this in a post on Twitter, along with an image that showed details of some users of the app.

Syrian Electronic Army broke the news via a tweet saying, "Sorry @TrueCaller, we needed your database, thank you for it." The hackers openly released TrueCaller's database host ID, username and password via another tweet.

TrueCaller app is available on Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Symbianplatforms. The app's databases have access codes to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Gmail accounts of millions of users globally. Reports say that TrueCaller website went down for a while but is now back online. In June this year, TrueCaller announced that its user base has touched the 20-million mark, representing growth of 100% in a period of five months. It said that it has 1 million users in India in March.

The Syrian hacking collective revealed that it exploited the TrueCallerwebsite as it is based on outdated Wordpress platform, which gave them access to the admin panel. Speaking to E Hacking News, the SEA hackers said that they have hacked into the phone directory's servers and downloaded more than seven databases. The biggest database has data worth 450GB.

Nokia Lumia 1020 with 41MP camera in india

Nokia Lumia 1020 with 41MP camera appears on India site:

Nokia has listed its Lumia 1020 smartphone, which has a 41MP rear camera, on its India website. This handset was unveiled just a week ago at an even in London and is said to have the best camera among all smartphones.

Nokia India's official website has listed Lumia 1020 in 'Coming Soon' section. However, the company has not given any details on its pricing or launch date. A listing on e-commerce website eBay India shows that the handset has been unofficially priced at Rs 51,450, with launch date of September-October 2013.

The 41MP camera of Lumia 1020 records more details than other camera phones and even tops many point-and-shoot cameras, Nokia says. More pixels mean more sensors for capturing the light that forms an image.

Lumia 1020 smartphone features a technology called Dual Capture, which takes two shots at the same time, one at 38MP resolution and the other at 5MP. The former is meant for photo editing, while the latter is ideal for social media uploads, said Nokia. The 41MP Zeiss camera has six lenses and features Nokia's PureView imaging technology, along with two types flash - one LED and the other Xenon.

Other hardware specs of the Lumia 1020 include 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ Amoled display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 2GB RAM, 2,000mAh battery and 32GB internal storage. The company said the smartphone will arrive in US on July 26 on AT&T, priced at $299. After the US launch, Lumia 1020 will be headed to China and key European markets.

Nokia listed its Lumia 925 smartphone on its India website in May this year, but is yet to launch the device or give any word on its price. The company also slashed the price of Lumia 920 from Rs 38,199 to Rs 31,999. It has also started EMI and insurance schemes for its smartphones in the Indian market.