Online Information Blog - The News

Bitcoin-Demanding Ransomware Petya Asks $250,000 For Decryption Keys

2017-07-06T19:27:00.001+05:30

Bitcoin-Demanding Ransomware Petya Asks $250,000 For Decryption Keys

Sophisticated bitcoin-demanding ransomware Petya, which launched a successful large-scale global attack earlier in June, has started to take a different approach to extort ransom in bitcoin from victims.

Instead of providing unique decryption keys for $300 individual bitcoin ransom payments, the hacking group behind Petya revealed it is offering a unified decryption key which can decrypt any files encrypted or infected by the Petya ransomware.

Petya’s announcement on the Tor-based platform DeepPaste first discovered by Motherboard read:

“Send me 100 bitcoins and you will get my private key to decrypt any harddisk (except boot disks). See the attached file signed with the key.”

Analysts explained that the file attached by the developers of Petya which was signed with Petya’s private key proves that the message is legitimate and is from the developers behind Petya. More importantly, analysts noted that the attachment of Petya’s private key provided strong evidence that whoever made the announcement on DeepPaste has the unified decryption key that can be utilized to recover any ransomware-infected files.

On June 27, Petya launched its global ransomware attack, encrypting and infecting devices concentrated in Europe. Sources including Business Insider revealed that the Petya ransomware attack affected the Ukrainian government, major oil companies, banks and large-scale conglomerates.

A photograph of a device infected by the Petya ransomware showed that Petya was demanding a single payment of $300 to receive decryption keys and to recover their files.

“If you see this text, then your files are no longer accessible, because they have been encrypted. We guarantee that you can recover all your files safely and easily, all you need to do is submit the payment and purchase the decryption key. Send $300 worth of bitcoin to the following address,” read the message from Petya.

However, victims that paid the $300 payment to recover their files weren’t provided with the decryption key because the email service provider of the Petya developers already suspended and terminated the email addresses associated with the Petya ransomware.

Email service provider Posteo announced:

“Our legal team checked this immediately - and the mailbox was immediately blocked. We do not tolerate any misuse of our platform: The immediate termination of abused mailboxes is a usual procedure of providers in such cases. At the time of the blocking, there was no reporting on the ransomware.”

Posteo’s immediate response to the Petya ransomware attack made it virtually impossible for victims to receive their decryption keys because the developers behind Petya could no longer confirm who sent the $300 bitcoin payment. More importantly, Posteo’s termination of Petya’s email addresses led to the discontinuation of the Petya ransomware attack, as the hacking group could not monetize its attacks.

In essence, Petya’s $250,000 offer for a unified decryption key is an ultimatum. The developers behind Petya is willing to end its ransomware attack and terminate its operations with a single payment of $250,000 made in bitcoin.

Source: Bitconnect

Two New York Preschools Integrate Bitcoin, Instead of Credit Card Payment

2017-07-01T15:46:00.001+05:30

Marco Ciocca, the co-founder and chairman of the Montessori preschools in Flatiron and Soho in New York, officially integrated bitcoin to allow parents to pay the tuition fee of students in bitcoin.

In an interview with BBC, Ciocca revealed that the organization decided to integrate bitcoin after discovering an increase in demand and inquiries from parents in the region toward bitcoin. In consideration of the implementation of bitcoin by prestigious educational institutions in London and Greece, Ciocca and the two Montessori preschools in New York decided to offer bitcoin as a payment option for parents.

According to Ciocca, 10 parents of roughly 300 students have already started to pay in bitcoin and expects the number to increase significantly in the upcoming years.

"If we talk about just the sort of transactional ease... I think this form of payment will continue to grow," Ciocca said.

Throughout this month, the global bitcoin industry has seen an explosive growth in the number of merchants adopting the cryptocurrency as digital currency and a mean of payment. On June 29, Russian publications revealed that Valenok, a fine dining restaurant that is a part of the Novikov group, which operates more than 50 restaurants, have decided to accept bitcoin in Moscow.

Mikhail Petukhov, spokesman for the restaurant, told RIA Novosti:

"We want to keep pace with the time. If there is a demand from guests for payment with bitcoin, we will even install special ATMs to exchange bitcoins for providing the proper level of service to our guests. The restaurant generates a QR code containing the desired amount and address of his purse. Then, the client scans this QR code using his bitcoin application on a smartphone and makes payment."

Despite the supposed high transaction fee of bitcoin, an increasing number of companies and merchants are beginning to accept bitcoin due to its decentralized nature that eliminates the necessity for intermediaries and mediators when processing transactions.

More importantly, as Ciocca emphasized, users have started to utilize bitcoin mostly because of its simple process of settling transactions. At most schools and educational institutions, parents are requested to either visit a physical location to settle the tuition in cash or via bank transfer. With bitcoin, it is as easy as using a mobile phone to send a single transaction to a single bitcoin address.

Recently, as Bitconnect also reported, the bitcoin mempool, the holding area for all transactions waiting to be picked up and confirmed by bitcoin miners, significantly decreased by around 90 percent. Such large decline in the size of the mempool led to a decrease in bitcoin fees.

Charlie Shrem, bitcoin pioneer and the COO at cryptocurrency wallet platform operator Jaxx, revealed that he was able to settle a $2,000 transaction with a $0.25 fee, which was confirmed within 6 minutes.

Parents of students at the two Montessori preschools will be able to transact large sums of money with relatively lower fees as Shrem did, which is substantially cheaper in comparison to bank transfer fees that could cost upwards to $50.

Source: Bitconnect.co

Mahindra ’s aircraft receives Australia, US safety certifications

2017-06-24T19:57:00.003+05:30

Airvan 10 is a 10-seater, single-engine turboprop

Mahindra Aerospace has received important safety certifications for its Airvan 10, a 10-seater, single-engine turboprop aircraft, from Australian and American authorities.

The move opens up a bigger market for the small plane, especially in India, with the government looking to bring 200 smaller airports into the aviation network.

Conglomerate Mahindra and Mahindra’s general aviation aircraft unit produces Airvan 8 and Airvan 10 aircraft. Mahindra’s Australia-based aircraft manufacturer, formerly GippsAero, has been working on the 10-seat version of Airvan 8 utility aircraft since 2011, with its first flight completed in 2012.

On Monday, the company announced that Airvan 10 bagged its FAR 23 Type Certificate from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority, followed by the US Type Certificate issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

The certification endorses airworthiness standards of smaller airplanes, and relates to structural loads, airframe, performance, stability, controllability and safety mechanisms.

SP Shukla, Chairman, Mahindra Aerospace, and Group President - Aerospace and Defence, Mahindra Group, termed the certification a cornerstone for civil aviation. “This certification, under stringent safety standards in place today, aligns with Mahindra Group’s focus on introducing world-class products in the fast-changing general aviation world, which will be dominated significantly by turboprops in this class of

aircraft,” he said.

He added that it enhanced the company’s global reach, with a specific focus on large markets for regional connectivity such as India, the US and Africa.

Airvan has not yet received approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. However, the aircraft is certified in over 42 countries, and over 220 Airvan 8s are in service.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

Visa to Hire Ethereum & Bitcoin Blockchain Specialists, Development Plans Ahead?

2017-06-24T19:26:00.001+05:30

Visa to Hire Ethereum & Bitcoin Blockchain Specialists, Development Plans Ahead?

American financial services company Visa, which has expressed its enthusiasm towards bitcoin, Ethereum and blockchain technology over the past few years, is looking to hire blockchain talents to build blockchain-based financial applications to improve existing infrastructures.

Earlier this week, Visa released its job offering for blockchain engineers that have had built applications on top of the Ethereum, Ripple and bitcoin blockchain networks suitable for financial service providers and large-scale commercial companies such as Visa.

In its official channel, Visa wrote:

“We're seeking a strong developer experienced with Ethereum and blockchain architecture to be a part of team tasked with building distributed application. Our ideal candidate has built and released distributed applications, has worked with the Ripple, R3, Ethereum and/or Bitcoin blockchain, and has experience with Solidity.”

In October of 2016, Visa revealed the launch of its first blockchain-based application through its partnership with blockchain infrastructure provider Chain. The development team behind Visa announced that the financial conglomerate aims to utilize a business-to-business (B2B) payment solution built on top of the Chain blockchain infrastructure at a commercial scale, to facilitate transactions and the transfer of data using various private blockchains.

“The time has never been better for the global business community to take advantage of new payment technologies and improve some of the most fundamental processes needed to run their businesses. We are developing our new solution to give our financial institution partners an efficient, transparent way for payments to be made across the world,” Jim McCarthy, executive vice president of innovation and strategic partnerships at Visa, said at the time.

Since then, developers and researchers at Visa focused on improving its existing infrastructure that is used to transact trillions of dollars on an annual basis. Specifically, the official Visa statistical overview released earlier this year revealed that Visa settled 141 billion transactions totaling $8.9 trillion throughout 2016.

The collaborative blockchain project between Visa and Chain solely aims to implement private blockchains to settle transactions. In theory, Visa will be able to utilize Chain’s blockchain infrastructure and various private blockchains to settle transactions that are separated from the primary or official Visa network.

According to the official job description released by Visa, the financial conglomerate is seeking to establish a team of blockchain engineers to create a major blockchain-based platform that can serve as an internal infrastructure for settling transactions and data.

Because Chain and the Visa development team are already co-developing private blockchains that are customized for Visa’s requirements, with the new blockchain development team, Visa is likely aiming the development of decentralized, transparent and secure blockchain-based systems deployed on top of public blockchain networks such as Ethereum and Bitcoin.

It is also likely that the newly established Visa blockchain development team will run various tests on the four abovementioned blockchain networks--Ethereum, bitcoin, R3 and Ripple--and come to a consensus as to which blockchain network is the most efficient for handling Visa transactions.

As an increasing number of financial service providers such as Visa experiment with blockchain technology, the cryptocurrency market will continue to grow at an exponential rate in a wide range of measures such as user base, market value and demand.

Source: Bitconnect

HTC to Release iPhone-Inspired Smartphones Soon

2016-09-01T08:53:00.000+05:30

New York: Taiwanese consumer electronics company HTC is planning to unveil a new version of iPhone-inspired One A9 smartphones at this year's IFA's consumer electronics and home appliances trade show in Berlin in September.

The device is expected to retain a similar design to the original One A9, with a few changes to the rear and front camera placements, tech website The Verge reported on Tuesday. The company might also name the smartphone as One A9s, which is a similar naming convention that Apple uses for its 'S' year variants of its iPhones.

It is still unclear as to what kind of processor will be equipped with One A9 and what improvements are coming to the camera department. While the main camera remain unchanged at 13 megapixel, the front camera will now have 5-megapixel sensor as compared to a 4-megapixel sensor used in the earlier version.

Source: NEWS18

Payza Local Bank Transfer Withdrawals Now Available in India!

2016-05-12T10:13:00.001+05:30

Add caption

Payza is excited to announce that localized bank transfer withdrawals are now available for our members in India! This new features gives our more than 700,000 members in India a convenient way to withdraw Indian Rupees directly to their bank accounts.

Although Indian Rupees cannot be held in your Payza e-wallet, when you set up a Bank Transfer Withdrawal in India, your foreign currency funds will be converted to Rupees before they are sent to your bank account. This will save you any conversion fees your bank would normally charge.

The Bank Transfer Withdrawal fee is just 60 INR, plus a 2.5% conversion fee for any funds converted within your Payza Account.

How do Indian Bank Transfer Withdrawals work?

Before you can set up a Bank Transfer Withdrawal in India, your Payza account must be Verified, and your PAN card must be on file and approved by our team. If you previously verified your account without submitting a copy of your PAN card, you will be asked to submit it before you can use this feature.

You must also connect your bank account, and ensure that it is set up for local currency withdrawals. You can do so within your account by clicking on “Wallet” and then “Bank Accounts”. On the Add a Bank Account page, complete the form with the information of the bank account you wish to use.

Now you’re ready to withdraw!

To set up a Bank Transfer Withdrawal using an Indian bank account, simply follow these steps:

Log into your Payza account
Click on the “Withdraw Funds” tab
Select the “Bank Transfer” option
Choose the currency balance you would like to withdraw from
Select your bank account
Indicate the reason for your withdrawal
Enter the amount to transfer as well as any additional details and click on “Next”
Review details and confirm your withdrawal

This video will also help you set up a withdrawal:

Source: Payza Blog

Apple's iOS 9 Update Comes With a Dedicated Folder for Selfies

2015-09-21T19:20:00.001+05:30

There is some great new for the selfie lovers. Now, with iOS 9 they would not have to bother themselves with sifting the self-portraits out of all other pictures as the new operating system comes with a dedicated folder for selfies.

The addition of the selfie is one of many new features in iOS 9, which neatly collects all pictures snapped with the front-facing camera, mirror.co.uk reported.The new folder is embedded in the Photos app and will contain every snap taken with the front camera.

Apple enthusiasts are already rushing to download the new operating system.

This could allow you to peruse all your pictures at once, or delete them all in a moment of explosive self pity.

The selfies and screenshots folders are compulsory and cannot be removed, just like the apps which come pre-installed on iPhones and iPads.

However, Tim Cook has recently hinted at allowing users to remove unwanted apps.

The new feature is likely meant to make things more organised, especially when the images are set to be uploaded to the iCloud.

However, this folder is also a potential minefield, because the screenshot function is often used to store Snapchat sexts, which are meant to be temporary but can be stored using a simple button command.

Source: IBN Live

Top 10 Richest Kids in the World

2015-08-22T12:29:00.001+05:30

There are only two kinds of people existing in the world and they are people who are rich and people who are not. Some one works day and night to become rich and for some others it comes as inheritance, compiles MyFirstClassLife.

Shockingly everyone strives only on one thing and that is how to make money. There are no limits to earn money neither age nor gender. If someone has the source of earning it, the court is all theirs.

As said before there is no disparity to be rich or to become rich. Take a look at these 10 kids who are millionaires by birth and some by the work they do.

10 Jaylen Bledsoe ($3.5 Million)

Jaylen Bledsoe is 13 when he started his own IT Company Bledsoe Technologies. His company specializes in both information technology and graphic designing, which hired its first 100 employees within two years, making him a millionaire.

Besides, his company also invests in other businesses; he tours all around the country giving motivational speeches for kids of his age.

9 Rico Rodriguez ($4 Million)

Rico Rodriguez got his fame and millions from the ABC’s comedy TV show ‘Modern Family’, which is a huge hit in U.S.A. He started his career doing short roles in movies but the character Manny Delgado in Modern Family turned up his career and later this year he is going to star in the movie ‘El Americano’, which could double his bank balance.

8 Elle Fanning ($5 Million)

Elle Fanning and her elder sister Dakota Fanning are both in the film industry. Elle started her career in the movie ‘I am Sam’, where she plays the young toddler. She established herself as an actress in the movies ‘Babel’, ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, and ‘Maleficent’.

Almost 20 of her projects are in post production process that may be released later this year and the start of next year.

7 Jaden Smith ($8 Million)

Jaden Smith, 16 is both the child actor, a rapper and born to actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Jaden started his career staring next to his father in ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ and it’s been a decade since his entry in the film industry.

He got famous from the film ‘The Karate Kid’ and done lead role in ‘After Earth’ and ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’.

6 Abigail Breslin ($12 Million)

Abigail Breslin is a teen actress in Hollywood, starting her career in ads and then took her shot in the film ‘Signs’ and from then she got herself busy in the film industry. Her fame came after she was nominated for her role in ‘Little Miss Sunshine’.

She recently played the starring roles in the films ‘Maggie’ and ‘Final Girl’, both of which will soon be released later this year.

5 Valentina Paloma Pinault ($12 Million)

Valentina Paloma Pinault is the pretty daughter of famous actress Salma Hayek and corporate executive, Francois Henri Pinault. The small girl might have only 12 millions right now but later down the lane she is to inherit a lot of wealth from her parents who each of them have billions in their vaults.

4 Nick D’aloisio ($30 Million)

Nick D’aloisio is one of the youngest self-made millionaires of all time. In 2012 he created an app called Summly that summarizes news articles and condenses them down into much smaller reads, which he sold it to Yahoo! for USD 30 million where he continues to work for as a manager while continuing his education.

3 Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead ($59 Million)

Dannielynn is the daughter of the late model and actress Anna Nicole Smith who had USD10 million in net worth when she passed away. She became the heir of all her mother’s wealth and in another lawsuit on her mother’s behalf she got nearly USD 49 million. So in total Dannielynn inherits USD 59 million now.

2 Knox & Vivienne Jolie Pitt ($67.5 Million)

Knox and Vivienne are the twins of star actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who are the highest paid actors in the Hollywood industry. Paying millions for baby pictures sounds strange but the couple sold pictures of the twins to People Magazine, which brought in a lot of money that Angelina and Brad put aside for the twins future.

1 Prince George Alexander Louis ($1 Billion)

Prince George Alexander Louis was born with silver spoon in the British Royal family. George is born to Prince William and Kate Middleton, which makes this two year old prince to stand third in line to the throne in the United Kingdom. Along with the USD 5 billion property assets he will also receive USD 400 million per year in other assets.

3D print soft toys soon

2015-04-21T10:14:00.004+05:30

A team from Disney Research and Carnegie Mellon University has devised a 3D printer that layers together laser-cut sheets of fabric to form soft, squeezable objects such as bunnies, doll clothing and phone cases.

These objects can have complex geometries and incorporate circuitry that makes them interactive.

The new fabric printer is similar to laminated object manufacturing, which takes sheets of paper or metal which have each been cut into a 2D shape and then bonds them together to form a 3D object.

“Today’s 3D printers can easily create custom metal, plastic, and rubber objects,” said Jim McCann, associate research scientist at Disney Research Pittsburgh.

“But soft fabric objects, like plush toys, are still fabricated by hand. Layered fabric printing is one possible method to automate the production of this class of objects,” McCann added.

The team demonstrated this technique to create a two-inch bunny. The process took about two-and-half hours.

During the process, the laser cuts a rectangular piece out of the fabric roll and then cuts the layer’s desired 2D shape within that rectangle.

Once the process is complete, the bonding platform is raised up to the fabric and the vacuum is shut off to release the fabric.

The fabric is coated with a heat-sensitive adhesive and non-stitched fabric ornamentation is applied onto a costume or banner.

Once the process is complete, the surrounding support fabric is torn away by hand to reveal the 3D object.

The layered-fabric printer will be unveiled at the Association for Computing Machinery’s annual Conference in Seoul from April 18 to 23.

Source : Prothom Alo

India's Most Favorite Airlines

2014-05-23T11:57:00.001+05:30

India being one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, now has various options for the passengers to choose. Besides the government owned full service airlines, there are three privately owned full service airlines, and five privately owned low cost carriers. India is expected to be third largest aviation market by 2020. The countries airports would be handling 336 million domestic by 2020. Estimated domestic passenger segment growth is at 12 percent per annum. Here we provide most favorite domestic airlines based on latest Indian air traffic data.

IndiGo: With over 30 percent market share, IndiGo still retains as the best airlines in India. It is one of India's largest airlines and the country's largest, low-fare carrier. Indigo Airlines started operations on August 4, 2006 and main base is situated in Gurgaon at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The airline has earned accolades in the field of performance in time management and is also preferred for the really low fares it offers. Indigo Airlines doesn't offer Business class or First class air travel, however, with for some additional fare in-flight complimentary meal is offered to passengers. Agartala, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Srinagar, Trivandrum and Vadodara are the major domestic destination points in India. In 2014 itself, this low cost airline carried the maximum number of 16.8 lakh passengers as compared to other airlines in India.

Jet Airways: Commenced operations on May 5, 1993, Jet Airways and its group are at the second spot of India's best airlines. Within India, Jet Airways operates Economy and Premiere which used to be market leader for many years together with subsidiary Jet Konnect, was second at 22.6 percent by the end of 2013.

Jet Airways and its group which reported a market share of 21.8 percent in initial months of 2014, has already ferried a total passengers of 206.99 lakh between January-April as against 202.90 lakh during the same period last year.
Comfort, efficiency in service and delicious meals are the 3 ingredients that make up the Jet Airways Premiere experience. Its main station hub is situated in Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai in Maharashtra. One of their most popular programs is the JetPrivilege card. Jet Airways online booking is also available at 54 destinations that cover most metros and other cities in India. The airline has forayed into the domestic sector with budget carriers like JetLite and Jet Airways Konnect.

Air India: India's oldest carrier, Air India has a worldwide network of passenger and cargo service. Headquartered in Mumbai, the airline has bases in New Delhi and Chennai. The AI airlines not only connect to metropolitans and state capitals but also to smaller cities. Companion Schemes, Airport Upgrades and Corporate House Benefits, are some of the unique benefit of Air India.

Air India's frequent flyer program known as 'Flying Returns' is one among the attractive facility by Air India. Air India has its share of inefficiencies. Flights are often delayed, flight attendants and in-flight service leave a lot to be desired, and the airline has been involved in as many as 12 fatal accidents in its history. As per the latest Indian air traffic data, this airlines with 18.3 percent has bagged the third position and so far till April 2014 had carried 9.74 lakh passengers.

SpiceJet: Operated since May 2005, SpiceJet is considered one of the second largest domestic airlines in India. It is owned by the Sun Group of India and situated in Gurgaon even though registered office is located in Chennai. SpiceJet has been unleashing massive discounts from initial months of 2014. Together SpiceJet and IndiGo make up for nearly 48 percent of the domestic aviation market of India. SpiceJet Infants Policy is most attractive among domestic travelers. With 9.5 lakh passengers and 17.9 percent market share, SpiceJet comes up in the fourth place.

GoAir: One among the low-cost domestic airline in India, GoAir commenced operations in November 2005.It is considered as the 5th best domestic airways based on market share with 9.5 percent of the market share and carried 5.07 lakh travellers in April this year.

GoAir fleet includes 7 Airbus A320-200s.Though still a low cost airline, Go Airways also has a premium service known as Go Business in which the passengers, at a higher fare, gets seats in the first two rows of the aircraft. GoAir already covers airports at Ahmedabad, Bagdogra, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Patna, Port Blair, Pune, Ranchi and Srinagar, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Leh and Lucknow. Being a low cost domestic airline Go Air focuses on the value conscious passenger. It is owned by Bombay Dyeing and Britannia Industries.

AirCosta: India's newest airline, AirCosta is a Vijayawada-based regional airline. It started its flight operation from October 2013 using two Embraer E-170 aircraft. It is part of LEPL Group and has 300. It has started its operation with a pair of Embraer E-170 jets leased from ECC. Another two E-190 jets are to be added to the fleet and aims to have five E-170s and E-190s by the end of 2013, 10 by 2014 and a total of 25 aircraft by 2018. The airline initially planned to start operations with a fleet of Q400 aircraft. It received its Air Operators’ Permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in September 2013. It has announced operations to Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Jaipur and also in Vijayawada. This newest entry into the aviation industry in India didn’t fail to prove itself.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Gets Android 4.4 Kit Kat Update.

2014-03-05T11:11:00.001+05:30

Samsung has kept their promise by rolling out the Android 4.4 KitKat update for Samsung Galaxy S4 phones in India. The Korean maker had assured the latest upgrade for the Android operating system and has successfully accomplished it, reports androidgeek.

The rollout will give an update prompt and in case of any trouble one can do it manually as well. To manually update you should go to the about option under the settings tab and click on update. It is highly recommended to do the download over the Wi-Fi as it may involve data charges if done over the normal cellular connection.

The new update is 353.59MB heavy and comes with a boat load of features like status bar notification icons and full screen album art. A quick access option to launch the camera has been added on the lock screen and the keyboard and typing features have been improved for better user experience. The upgrade also provides a facility to toggle between the default Android messaging app and Google Hangouts.

Other features of the new KitKat upgrade include a power saving mode and an option to turn on all the sensors of the gadget while using apps for navigation to get the best result. The wireless printing option and the tap to pay feature of the new release makes it worth installing.

Samsung has done all the very best to impress their customers by coiling an easy to use manual guide on how to upgrade their Samsung Galaxy S4.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Biggest U.S. 2013 Giver.

2014-02-11T16:52:00.002+05:30

Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were the most generous American philanthropists in 2013, with a donation of 18 million shares of Facebook stock, valued at more than $ 970 million, to a Silicon Valley nonprofit in December.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported today that Zuckerberg's donation was the largest charitable gift on the public record in 2013 and put the young couple at the top of the magazine's annual list of 50 most generous Americans in 2013.

The top 50 contributors made donations last year totalling $ 7.7 billion, plus pledges of $ 2.9 billion.

The Chronicle's editor says the most significant fact from the list was the amount of money coming from living donors, which totalled about the same amount as the two previous years combined.

"It's a sure sign that the economy is getting better and people are getting a lot less cautious," said Stacy Palmer, Chronicle editor.

Some of the nation's biggest givers do not appear on the 2013 list, not because they stopped being generous, but because their donations in 2013 were counted as pledges in previous years.

For example, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, gave their foundation slightly more than $ 181.3 million last year, but they were paying off a pledge of about $ 3.3 billion they made in 2004. CNN-founder Ted Turner and Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett also made large gifts toward previous pledges.

It took gifts totalling at least $ 37.5 million to make the list this year. Forty-two of the top 50 made gifts of $ 50 million or more.

Thirty made big gifts to colleges and universities, but Palmer noted most college gifts went to science and research this year, not to buildings, as in previous years.

Ten of the 50 made the list because of bequests after their deaths, including the second biggest giver in 2013, George Mitchell, a Galveston, Texas, man who made his fortune in energy and real estate.

At No 3 were Nike chairman Philip Knight and his wife, Penelope, of Portland, Oregon, who made a $ 500 million challenge grant to Oregon Health & Science University Foundation for cancer research. The Knight pledge requires the university match it within the next two years.

No 4 was philanthropist and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who made gifts totalling $ 452 million in 2013 to arts, education, environment, public health and other causes.

Nineteen people or couples on the list have signed the Giving Pledge, started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010. More than 120 of the world's wealthiest individuals and families have pledged to give at least half their wealth to charity since the movement began.

Although most people on the list were prominent wealthy people who have given generously in the past, Palmer said a few were surprises, including Jack MacDonald, a Seattle lawyer, who gave $ 139 million to three nonprofits upon his death.

Christmas Shopping Online

2013-11-27T09:33:00.001+05:30

Christmas Shopping Online

Posted: 25 Nov 2013 10:17 PM PST

When most of us think of Christmas shopping we picture crowded malls and shopping areas, difficulty parking and sales racks in complete disarray. For some people this hectic chaos is what Christmas shopping is all about and they would never consider avoiding the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season for anything. For these individual this is a very important part of the Christmas season. However, for shoppers who find this scene to be too frustrating and stressful there is an excellent alternative. Christmas shopping online is a relatively new concept but each year more and more people are turning to online shopping to complete all, or even just part of, their Christmas shopping. This article will offer useful tips for completing your Christmas shopping online.

One of the most useful tips for Christmas shopping online is to do your Christmas shopping early but not too early. It is important to complete your online Christmas early enough to have the item shipped to the recipient in time to arrive before Christmas without incurring charges for rushed shipping. This is important because you want your friend or family member to receive the gift on time but you don't wan to pay a great deal of extra money for shipping. Standard shipping rates are typically quite reasonable but express shipping rates can be rather expensive. While it is important to complete your online Christmas shopping early enough to get the gift to your friend or family member before Christmas, you do not want the gift to arrive early. While there is technically nothing wrong with this, it may be result in the gift being opened early or the recipient putting the gift in safe spot until Christmas and then forgetting it was ever received.

One problem which can occur when you do your Christmas shopping online is that the item you purchase may look better online than it does in reality. To avoid this problem it is best to only purchase items online if you are absolutely sure what the item actually looks like. For example you may have seen a particular model of a coffee maker in stores. When purchasing the item online you should compare the model number to ensure you are purchasing the item you really want. If you do this you, and the recipient of the gift, will likely be pleased with the purchase. If you have never seen the item in person it is important to view the item carefully. You should study all of the given information including the measurements to ensure the item you are envisioning as you view the online advertisement is the item you friend or family member will receive in the mail.

Finally when Christmas shopping online, it is important to only make purchases from reputable retailers. You may be tempted to purchase items which appear to be an incredible bargain but if the retailer has a bad reputation or you cannot verify the reputation of the retailer it might be a better idea to purchase the item from another retailer who has a more well established reputation of providing excellent products and services to their clients. You may wind up paying slightly more in this case but you will gain the security of knowing you are dealing with a reputable retailer and you will not have to worry about the quality of the item you select or the shipping practices of the retailer.

The post Christmas Shopping Online appeared first on Online Information Blog - The News.

Yoga Applications in Cancer Treatment

2013-11-03T10:03:00.001+05:30

Yoga Applications in Cancer Treatment

Posted: 02 Nov 2013 02:52 AM PDT

A cure for cancer exists through the use of yoga, a San Antonio, Texas, cancer specialist said during a seminar in Oklahoma City in the 1980s.

But physicians refused to acknowledge the cure, said Col. Hansa Raval, M.D., a pathologist with the United States Army. Dr. Raval said her work in cytotechnology _ a diagnostic branch of medicine designed to pinpoint early stages of cancer _ was fruitless until she began researching the use of non-conventional methods of treatment.

The specialist said she witnessed the use of Raja yoga and meditation cure crippling arthritis, headaches and even cancer.

And even though Raval offers proof, which she said was collected during two years of study at the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University in India, she has been dismissed by other members of the medical profession as a kook.

Yoga’s success as a treatment method is due to another hypothesis Raval proposes that 98 percent of all cancer is psychosomatic.

This is not chanting or mantra reciting, the physician said. It’s not based on scriptures. It’s not a cult. It’s not biofeedback. It’s deeper than that. This is a full-proof method of meditation, a detailed understanding of what the soul is.

Raval maintains that medical schools belittle the study of non-conventional methods of cancer treatment in favor of conventional methods such as radiation, chemotherapy, and treatment through machines.’

Medical schools teach students that the human being is only a body. But the mind has the power to cure the body. By definition, psychosomatic means a combination of mind, or soul and body.

The soul creates the disease, but the body suffers. If the psyche creates the disease, the only way to cure it is through the psyche. It’s a very simple formula: treating the seed of the problem.

Further, studies in parapsychology all point to the treatment of illness through treatment of the soul.

The World Spiritual University, which has branches in 30 countries, teaches peace and perfection for health and happiness through the use of Raja yoga. The university gained status as a non-governmental member of the United Nations and has offices at the U.N. building in New York.

Raja yoga teaches students to search their soul world for answers on where they came from and why the cancer entered their body. They learn what role religion, stress, family and lifestyle played in the cancer.

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eSimply Office Release An Android App “Simply Office”

2013-10-22T10:39:00.001+05:30

eSimply Office Release An Android App “Simply Office”

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 03:42 AM PDT

eSimply Office, a Startup in the enterprise mobility space has released an Android App that provides enterprise users a productive environment for their smart devices with an intuitive and simple user interface. It is available on Google Play for free.

Imagine a person reaching office with his android based consumer mobile or tablet. He just clicks a button on his mobile and the mobile completely changes the profile to provide the enterprise functionality that he would have normally expected on his laptop. The user does not even have to buy an expensive new tablet like Surface to get enterprise features. When he reaches home again after a day's work, he just clicks on the "Home" button to get back to his consumer profile. This is the vision of "Simply office" app that allows users the complete connectivity to the enterprise on their preferred gadget.

Consumer tablet and smart phones have seen lot of innovation over the last couple of years. We have seen tablets of all form factors and from different companies. In addition, the app ecosystem is quite well developed for android and apple. We can see lot of apps in the app store which people can consume and use in their day to day life

Enterprise space has not seen breakthrough innovation in the mobility space. In addition, there is no tablet or smartphone specifically catering to the enterprise users. In addition, a new trend that is emerging is "Bring your own devices to office (BYOD)". This trend is important because consumers just love their consumer mobile gadgets and would like to use them in their office to improve productivity.

Simply office is a breakthrough innovation in the world of Mobile apps. It offers seamless mobility of apps across various tablet Profiles; enables BYOD – Enables employees to carry their own mobile devices to office; enforces Security Policies- allows enterprises to control apps that can be installed on the user's enterprise profile which allows greater control for the enterprises. Simply office is also working to allow employees to connect better with their colleagues in the day to day work by providing social network connectivity.

Simply Office is co-founded by seasoned industry expert – Ms. Kusum Shukla. She has developed this application by working closely with a bunch of technologists. She was surprised to find close to 100 installs in a day in the same week of launch. She says "There are few players in the enterprise mobility space and market has lot of scope for expansion and growth for an innovative application like Simply Office that eases the pain points of an enterprise users".

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Samsung Launches Galaxy Trend & Galaxy Star Pro With 9 Indian Languages Support

2013-10-21T15:09:00.000+05:30

Samsung Electronics recently launched two new Smartphones, the Galaxy Trend (GT-S7392) and the Galaxy Star Pro (GT-S7262). These Android-based devices offer the unique Smartphone experience in 9 Indian regional languages including Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil. Not only can consumers browse the web, send SMS, and enjoy the phone interface in any of the 9 languages, but also use exciting applications in any of these languages. Popular applications in various categories like business, entertainment, news, astrology, games, etc, can be conveniently downloaded from Samsung Apps. Also widely used applications such as Facebook and ChatON take consumer experience to a new level by utilizing the language capability of Galaxy Star Pro & Galaxy Trend. Furthermore, consumers get a multi-lingual input option where users can toggle the keyboard with a single swipe, switching easily between multiple languages.

Speaking about the launch, Vineet Taneja, Country Head, Samsung Mobiles & IT, said, “At Samsung, we are committed to listening to our consumers and providing innovative, yet affordable technology to them. Galaxy Trend and Galaxy Star Pro will provide our consumers an exceptionally rich mobile experience in regional languages with the ability to access an array of apps in their preferred language. We believe these new devices coupled with the innovative language capability will help us address a larger set of consumers."

Galaxy Trend

Samsung Galaxy Trend comes with a 4.0-inch WVGA display with 480×800 pixels resolution making it ideal for better productivity, web browsing, gaming, and viewing of videos and photos. Powered by a 1GHz Single Core processor coupled with 512MB RAM, the Galaxy Trend provides exceptional performance, smoother transitions and faster web browsing. It also offers 4GB internal memory that is expandable via microSD card to 32 GB and is equipped with a 3MP rear camera.

On the connectivity front, the Galaxy Trend offers 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS/AGPS in addition to Dual SIM support. It also comes with a 1500mAh battery that delivers 350 hrs of standby time and 8 hours of talk-time on 3G. The Galaxy Trend will be available in black, red, and white colors at an attractive price of 8,290.

Galaxy Star Pro

Smooth, smart and stylish - the Samsung Galaxy Star Pro is a Dual SIM handset powered by a 1GHz Single Core processor that makes it easier for multi-tasking. It has 512MB RAM along with 4GB internal storage which can be supplemented with a 32GB microSD card. A 4-inch WVGA touch screen makes typing effortless, as it is facilitated with multi-touch function. For photography enthusiasts, it is easy to capture great pictures on the go with the 2MP rear camera (with video recording capability) fitted in the Smartphone.

With Intelligent Motion UI, you can access smart features all instantly for the most responsive, intuitive user experience. For example, just by shaking the phone you can refresh and get updates, mute volumes with a mere flip of the device and more. It also comes with some preloaded apps like Samsung Apps, ChatON, mFluent IM and ActiveSync. The Samsung Galaxy Star Pro supports connectivity options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB that helps consumers to share files with other devices.

The powerful 1500mAh Li-ion battery can deliver up to 15 hours of talk time and up to 370 hours of standby time and easily capable of handling the integrated music player and video player of the Samsung Galaxy Star Pro. The power packed Galaxy Star Pro would be available for 6,750.

Both Samsung Galaxy Trend and Galaxy Star Pro are equipped with Android’s 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system to enable faster multitasking, easier applications management and easy wireless access. The enhanced Notification Panel gives a convenient overview without opening applications; while the flexible widget lets you customize your home screen with convenient auto resizing.

The beginnings of Aikido

2013-10-13T10:00:00.000+05:30

The beginnings of Aikido

Posted: 12 Oct 2013 05:38 AM PDT

The name aikido is formed by the combination of three characters in the Japanese language. Ai, which means joining; ki, which means spirit and do, which means way. These three words actually summarize the essence of aikido as a form of martial art— the joining of the spirit to find the way. It was only in the period from 1930s to the 40s that the name aikido was officially accepted as the name of the martial arts form.

Aikido uses techniques that do not damage or kill unlike other forms of martial arts. The movements and skills being taught are just meant to divert attention or immobilize people. This is perhaps the reason why most people prefer aikido, because of it's focus on peace and harmony as opposed to aggression and conflict. In fact, aikido developer Morihei Ueshiba believes that to control aggression without causing any injury is the art of peace.

Ueshiba, who is also called Osensei, which means Great Teacher, created aikido from the principles of Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu. He incorporated the techniques of the yari, the spear; the juken, which is a bayonet; and the jo, which is a short quarterstaff). But what ultimately separates aikido from other forms of martial arts is the fact that its practitioners can attack while empty-handed. Practitioners need no weapons for protection.

As a young child, he was much into physical fitness and conditioning. This is because of his vow to avenge his father's death. Eventually, his studies and activities brought him to the discipline of the different martial arts. He studied all. He even has certificates, fencing, fighting with spears, etc. He has learned it all. This is perhaps the reason why aikido is such a diverse and multi-disciplinary form of martial arts.

Yet despite his know how, he remains dissatisfied. He felt that there is still something missing. It was then that he turned to the religions. He studied under a spiritual leader, Onisaburo Deguchiof the sect Omoto-kyo in Ayabe. Deguchiof taught him to take care of his spiritual growth. He then combined his spiritual beliefs and his mastery of the different martial arts. Aikido was born.

His association with this charismatic spiritual leader Deguchiof also paved the way for his introduction to the elite political and military people as a martial artist. Because of this connection, he was able to establish aikido and even transferred the teachings to students, who have in turn developed their own styles of movement in aikido.

Aikido is a combination of the different styles of jujitsu as well as some of the techniques of sword and spear fighting, of which Ueshiba is an expert. To get an overall picture, aikido combines the joint locks and throws techniques of jujitsu and the movements of the body when fighting with sword and spears.

Oriental in origin, it was brought to the west by Minoru Mochizuki when he visited France in 1951. He introduced the aikido techniques to students who are learning judo. In 1952, Tadashi Abe came to France as the official Aikikai Honbu representative. Then in 1953, Kenji Tomiki toured through the United States while Koichi Tohei stayed in Hawaii for a full year where he set up a dojo. Aikido then spread its influence in United Kingdom two years after and in 1965, it reached Germany and Australia. At present, aikido has centers all over the world.

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Christmas in African Nations

2013-10-03T09:50:00.001+05:30

Christmas in African Nations

Posted: 01 Oct 2013 09:04 PM PDT

Christmas celebrations in African nations is characterized by much outdoor activity because the season often occurs during a time when the weather is pleasant. Using palm trees and participating in processions are also characteristic features of activities related to Christmas in many parts of Africa.

In South Africa, activities that occur outside during Christmas include the usual caroling, but also the unusual ones of swimming and camping. The beach and mountains play an important role during Christmas in South Africa because the season occurs during the hottest time of the year – summer.

Given the pleasant nature of the weather during Christmas, families also take advantage of it by often going sightseeing in the countryside on a relaxing drive in the late evening of Christmas Day. A rich and sumptuous menu that includes a suckling pig or roast beef, turkey, mince pies, yellow rice, vegetables and puddings usually makes up the traditional South African Christmas dinner.

To create a festive environment, decorated pine branches and fir, sparkling cotton wool and tinsel are used in homes and businesses as decorations.

A similar decorative pattern of using evergreen, palm trees and lighted candles are also seen in countries such as Ghana and Liberia. While these are used in homes and businesses, they are also often carried in processions and during caroling activities.

While South Africans gather at the beach during Christmas time to enjoy the warm summer waters, people in other African nations often gather outside at in town squares and in the streets to march, sing and enjoy an overall feeling of merriment.

Despite the seemingly general similarity in activities, however, countries have their own individual style that makes Christmas celebrations unique.

Of all the celebrations in African nations, Christmas activities in Ethiopia stand out for their difference in when they are celebrated and how it is done. One of the features that make Ethiopian Christmas different is that the main celebratory event occurs on Jan. 7, around the time known as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day in North and South America.

Given the general modest economic financial situations of a significant number of the population in many African countries, Christmas celebrations also tend to occur over a shorter period of time, compared to activities in more wealthier countries.

Another difference in celebrations of Christmas in Ethiopia is the participation of various people who take part in a pilgrimage and converge on the capital city during Christmas Eve. These wanderers fill the night air with a din of praying and chanting and create a multicolor spectacle when they gather on Christmas morning to have a religious service.

But retaining a similarity with other African nations, Ethiopians enjoy a Christmas dinner that includes a meat stew. Stews, rice, root vegetables such as yams, breads and soups often are part of the menu of traditional Christmas day dinners in African nations.

Christmas dinners are likely enjoyed by families outside, where everyone shares the meal while sitting in a circular pattern outside under the shade of a sprawling tree, instead of sitting in a formal setting at a table.

As is the practice in every household during Christmas, Africans also exchange gifts. Popular items that are exchanged as Christmas gifts include cotton cloth, soaps, sweets, pencils and books, all very practical items that can be readily used. Again, this may be related to the modest financial resources of up to half the population in many African countries, as well as to cultural norms.

Individuals aren’t able to afford extravagant gifts but they still want to surprise children, family and friends at Christmas with an unexpected gift. The generally pervasive cultural norm of humility and modesty that exists among traditional African peoples, also plays an important role in not having overreaching extravagance at Christmas.

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Different Types of Christmas Trees

2013-09-27T09:57:00.001+05:30

Different Types of Christmas Trees

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 03:31 AM PDT

The tradition of Christmas trees in America came from German immigrants who had settled in Pennsylvania. It is believed that the tradition of Christmas trees started in Germany from as early as 700 A.D and was practiced by many Germans in the 1800s. It’s also since that period that Christmas trees have also been available for sale in the United States. While artificial Christmas trees are popular, many people like to have a fresh Christmas tree in their homes, or outside on their lawns. And similar to all other trees, Christmas trees also have different shapes and qualities that make some types more popular than others.

Along with other decorative Christmas items such as wreaths and garlands, having a Christmas tree in your home is very essential in creating a special atmosphere for the season. It is believed that Christmas trees have been available for sale in America since the 1800s, which is about the same time that the former Woolworth’s department store started sellingready-made ornaments for Christmas trees.

Choosing the right type of Christmas tree is important because Christmas trees are often a focal point for many family activities and traditions. Given the many types of Christmas trees that are available, it is important to think about how the tree will be used. While a tall tree may look very elegant, it may not be suitable if there aren’t many adults around who can reach the tree’s heights. And a very short tree may be dwarfed by other furniture in the room. It’s therefore very important to carefully consider and get a tree that has a suitable height and also one that has sturdy branches to hold heavy ornaments.

Artificial and real Christmas trees can often be bought from the same retail stores these days as local businesses and retail chain stores often sell both types of trees. The best place to get a real and fresh Christmas tree, and also to see a wide variety, is likely a Christmas tree farm however. Using modern technology, both types of trees can also be obtained through online transactions, via telephone as well as by mail-order through catalogs.

Among Christmas trees there are certain types that are always favorites and which are bestsellers. These include: Douglas,Fraser, Noble and Balsam firs, and Scotch, Virginia and white pine trees.

These evergreen trees all have all have one or more excellent features related to shape, color or sheen and fragrance, which makes them favorites for Christmas trees.

The most favorite Christmas trees basically have a pyramid or cone shape. A pyramid-shaped tree is likely taller and has somewhat of an elegant look. Douglas Fir, which ranks first among Christmas tree favorites, is an example of a pyramid-shaped tree. Other examples are Fraser, Balsam and Noble firs.A cone shape tree tends to be short with dense branches, which makes them excellent for holding many ornaments and other decorations. Families that have a strong tradition of making their own ornaments, or putting mememtos on Christmas trees may consider a cone-shaped tree.Virginia and Scotch Pines, Norway Spruce and the Eastern White Pine all have cone shapes.

Another feature that makes Christmas trees appealing is their color. While all trees have a green appearance, a closer look at their needles will reveal differences such as a bright or dark-green, blue-green or yellowish-green hue. The needles may also emit a silvery sheen with the right lighting. Fraser and Noble firs both have needles with a silvery sheen, and the branches of both trees are also used for garlands and wreaths.

Most people choose a fresh Christmas tree for its fragrance, which can be fairly strong or just subtle, giving off just enough of a whiff of scent. Douglas Fir, which is the most popular Christmas tree in homes and public places, is a very fragrant tree. The Balsam fir is also fairly fragrant. The Eastern White Pine is however, a tree that doesn’t have much fragrance.

Whether you have a favorite type of Christmas tree or will choose one from its appearance, there are many choices to satisfy the desire to have a fragrant and well-decorated tree for Christmas.

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Microsoft Launches New Surface Tablet to Challenge Apple’s iPad

2013-09-26T09:37:00.001+05:30

Microsoft Launches New Surface Tablet to Challenge Apple’s iPad

Posted: 25 Sep 2013 09:20 AM PDT

Microsoft has launched its next version Surface Tablets; Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. While Surface 2 starts at $449, Surface Pro 2 starts at $899. These tablets have the same screen size as their former version, measuring 10.6-inches diagonally. Both offer 200GB of free online storage through SkyDrive for two years along with a yearlong free calls and Wi-Fi hot-spots through Skype. The sale begins on October 22.

Microsoft's previous venture in the Tablet market failed to make any dents because of the tough competition posed by its nemesis Apple which sold 34 million iPads last year while Microsoft Surface sales racked up only $853 million in sales while generating a $900 million charge for unsold inventory.
Thus the company has re-launched the revamped version of the tablet series with hopes to gain strong foothold in the coming year's tablet market.

Here are the key features of the two tablets.

Surface 2
Surface 2 is a remake of the previous Surface RT tablets and it runs on the updated version of Windows 8.1 which is a down-sized version of Windows 8 for ARM-based chips. IT is powered by Nvidia Tegra 4 (T40) quad-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz. It has 2GB RAM and 32GB or 64GB of storage space. The HD screen supports 1080 pixel resolution and the device is built with a 3.5 MP front camera and 5MP rear camera which can capture 1080p video. The device has a full-sized USB port that supports USB 3.0. It also supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microHDMI port and provides up to 10 hours of battery life.
Surface Pro 2
Surface Pro 2 is powered a Fourth-generation Intel Core i5-4200U processor clocked at 1.6 GHz, with Intel Turbo Boost up to 2.6 GHz. It has Intel HD Graphics 4400 chip and comes in 64GB and 128GB configurations with 4 GB RAM, as well as 256GB and 512GB configurations with 8 GB RAM. It runs on Windows 8.1 Pro and the device comes with a Stylus called Surface Pen. On the camera front, Pro has 720p HD front and rear-facing cameras. Other features include a Full-size USB 3.0 port, MicroSD card slot, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

Keyboard covers
Keyboard covers for both the devices will come at an additional price. Touch Cover 2 costs $120, which has working, printed keyboard on the inside surface and the keys don't move when pushed. Type Cover 2 costs $130, which has keys that move. Early next year, Microsoft will also be launching a new Power Cover with a built-in spare battery that will cost about $200. Additionally, a $200 docking station will also be launched and will work only with Pro models, including the older one already out.

The one thing that Microsoft's tablet still doesn't support is 3G and 4G connectivity which is looked upon as a major drawback as these devices are aimed at enterprise users.

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Unbreakable Smartphones Come Closer To Reality

2013-09-26T09:30:00.003+05:30

Unbreakable rubber-like Smartphones, rollable tablets and functional clothing have come closer to reality, thanks to new breakthrough research by scientists including one of Indian-origin.

Researchers from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) RMIT University have developed a new method to transfer electronics with versatile functionality, which are usually made on rigid silicon, onto a flexible surface.

The ability of micro and nano-electronic devices to sense, insulate or generate energy is controlled by thin, transparent nanolayers of oxide materials, often much thinner than 1/100th of a human hair.

These oxide materials are brittle and their high processing temperatures - often in excess of 300 degrees Celsius - have until now prevented their incorporation in flexible electronic devices.

Lead author, Philipp Gutruf, said the new process could unleash the potential of fully functional flexible electronics, while providing a new way for the materials to mesh together.

"We have discovered a micro-tectonic effect, where microscale plates of oxide materials slide over each other, like geological plates, to relieve stress and retain electrical conductivity," he said.

"The novel method we have developed overcomes the challenges of incorporating oxide materials in bendable electronic devices, paving the way for bendable consumer electronics and other exciting applications," said Gutruf.

Supervisor and co-leader of the research group, Dr Madhu Bhaskaran, said the new approach used two popular materials - transparent conductive indium tin oxide and rubber-like silicone which is also biocompatible.

"The ability to combine any functional oxide with this biocompatible material creates the potential for biomedical devices to monitor or stimulate nerve cells and organs. This is in addition to the immediate potential for consumer electronics applications in flexible displays, solar cells, and energy harvesters," said Bhaskaran.

The study was published in the journal Asia Materials.

Apple Sells 9 Million iPhones In First 3 Days

2013-09-26T09:19:00.004+05:30

Apple on Monday said that it sold about 9 million units of its new iPhone 5S and 5C in their first three days on market; cruising well beyond the analysts’ expectations of 6-7 million sales. The company also broke the previous record of selling five million iPhone 5 models on its opening weekend a year ago.

The company's stock jumped $23.23, or 5 percent, to close at $490.64 on the Nasdaq following the news.

Apple also said that more than 200 million of its devices are now running iOS 7, as a result of the free overhaul released last week for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices.

However when it comes to the magnificent sales record, there are caveats with the Apple figures, since 11 countries are involved this year, compared to nine for the iPhone 5 release last year. And China, in particular, is a huge Smartphone market, reports Wall Street Journal.

Besides accounting sales of devices to consumers from its own stores and website, Apple also included sales to other retailers. While Apple appears to have exhausted inventory of the iPhone 5S, the nine million units include unsold iPhone 5C models at non-Apple retailers, analysts said.

Apple didn't break down its sales other than saying that demand for the iPhone 5S exceeded supply. "Thanks to all our amazing customers for the fantastic weekend," Chief Executive Tim Cook, a new Twitter user, tweeted Monday.

Nokia Lumia 1020 Reaching India On Sept 26

2013-09-26T09:12:00.003+05:30

Nokia’s top niche camera phone is designed to thrill photographic freaks and will be unveiled in Delhi, reports Gizbot. With Nokia loosing the market share, this can be forecasted as a plan to fasten their hold over the Indian market.

Lumia 1020 is a huge upgrade when compared to its predecessors. The main catch of the gadget is its 41MP camera with optical image stabilizer technology and a resolution of 7712 X 5360 pixels. The makers also boast about the PureView 808 sensor of the camera, added to provide real life effect to the clicked images. The Xenon flash helps while shooting still images and the LED flash assists during video shooting. The phone spots an HD 1.2MP wide angle camera that provides high quality to video calls.

The model was already launched in the U.S. market in July 2013 and Nokia India’s official website has already tagged the phone under the ‘coming soon’ list. Certain e-commerce sites have opened the facility for pre-order for the device by now. This window 8 OS phone is powered by a Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.2GHz with 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal memory. Nokia Lumia 1020 can certainly be expected to be the next flagship from the maker.

The Art of Aikido

2013-09-25T09:45:00.001+05:30

The Art of Aikido

Posted: 24 Sep 2013 07:51 AM PDT

Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs.

Martial Arts is one of the contributions of Asia to the world. Who can forget Bruce Lee and the fact that he was first and foremost a martial arts athlete before being a movie star? Even until now martial arts is still a big hit with the increasing popularity of Asian movies like crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and more recently the House of the Flying Daggers.

The Chinese are the first people that come to mind when it comes to these things but the Japanese are just as athletic with a rich heritage of body contact sports that can be found in their history. The modern Japan still gives honor to these things by holding tournaments and promoting such sports abroad,

One of these is Aikido. It is interesting to note that the word comes from three Japanese words from which one can derive the meaning of the one word. Ai means joining, Ki means spirit and Do means way. From this we can understand why Aikido is beyond just the physical skills of it students especially sin its proponent Ueshiba focused more on the spiritual and philosophical development of his students.

In Aikido, one is not taught violence instead one is taught to be in harmony with the opponent to be able to defeat. This might seem odd but it actually works. In approaching an opponent, the aim of the Aikido practitioner is to be one with the opponent to be able to attack him where he is weakest and in doing so diver or immobilize him but never to kill.

This is where Aikido becomes an art. Art is something beautiful to watch and something positive and Aikido is all that. At least one of the people involved in the fighting strives for harmony and harmony can only be achieved if there is grace in the movements. The moves maybe calculated but there is an air of finesse in doing these movements, not a womanly finesse but just a finesse that emanates peace. The art of peace as what they call in Aikido is one of the most positive influences of Aikido to its students and to everyone who choose to know about this Japanese martial art.

Some of the techniques in Aikido include the following. Ikkyo is the first technique. Using this technique you control an opponent by using one hand in holding the elbow and one near the wrist, this action is supposed to make you pin your opponent down in the ground. Nikyo the second technique is when you do an adductive wristlock that enables you to twist the arm of your opponent that will in turn cause enough nerve pressure.

The third technique is Sankyo which is a pronating technique that directs upward-spiraling tension throughout the arm, elbow and shoulder. There are many other techniques but the first three should get you started.

In studying Aikido, it is important to remember that along with building physical strength to be able to defeat your opponent the mental capacity should also be developed. Just like in any art, it takes a lot of practice and discipline to perfect the art of Aikido. The important thing is the one who wants to get into the art should have determination to give honor to the art by performing it in the best way possible.

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Samsung Prepping Massive A 12.2 Inch Tablet

2013-09-24T10:45:00.000+05:30

There have been wide spread rumors of a massive 12.2 inch tablet getting ready in the design house of Samsung. Unconfirmed reports by The Korean Times said that the ever-largest tablet will be unveiled by end of October.

The device is believed to have an LCD display measuring 12.2 inch diagonally and with resolution of 2560 X 1600, same as Nexus 10. The unannounced model is thought to have an octa-core processor and may be added to the Galaxy Note family. The gadget would possibly feature Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and is supposed to come in three models including one with the latest 4G LTE connectivity. The expected gadget is also supposed to spot a S-pen and 3GB of RAM even though the detailed features are not available.