Satyam verdict on December 23

HYDERABAD: BVLN Chakravarthy , the 21st additional chief metropolitan magistrate of Hyderabad, who heard the Satyam scam case for nearly six years, finally declared on Thursday that he would pronounce his judgment in the sensational corporate fraud case on December 23.

However the judge added a rider saying that if he is unable to complete the task by that day , he may take a few more days to pronounce the verdict in view of the voluminous records involved.

With the court reserving its judgment, the trial in the case, billed as the biggest corporate fraud in the country , can be said to have been completed despite some last minute submissions by the accused, urging the court to obtain authentication certificates from authorities for all electronic documents filed by CBI.

In response, special public prosecutor K Surender told the court that the probe agency took all precautions and has already filed such certificates in the court wherever it relied on electronic documents.

B Ramalinga Raju, the disgraced chairman of Satyam Computer Services Private Ltd (SCSL); his brother and MD of the company B Rama Raju; another brother Suryanarayana Raju; company CFO Vadlamani Srinivas; debarred PriceWaterHouseCoopers auditors S Gopalak rishnan and Talluri Srinivas; Satyam finance wing employees G Ramakrishna, D Venkatpathi Raju and Ch Srisailam and the company's former internal auditor V S Prabhakar Gupta were present in the court when the judge reserved his orders. All of them were directed to be present in the court on December 23.

The scam became public on January 7, 2009, with the alleged confession of Ramalin ga Raju about falsification of company accounts to present a rosy picture to the world. Raju was arrested by the Crime Investigation Department of Andhra Pradesh police two days later along with his brother Rama Raju.

Though initially the CID registered a case and arrested the accused, the case was transferred to CBI within days thereafter. After completing its probe, the CBI made out a case that Raju cheated investors to an extent of Rs 14, 000 crore and personally profited by more than Rs 2,000 crore through his kin and certain front companies by selling his shares through certain deceitful means. In its chargesheet, the investigating agency said Raju's business turnover and profits were all fictitious.

The trial in the Satyam fraud case had concluded in June this year with the trial court examining 216 witnesses during the course of the hearing. In all, the CBI filed three chargesheets (on April 7, 2009, November 24, 2009 and January 7, 2010), which were later clubbed into one.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=V S Prabhakar Gupta,Suryanarayana Raju,Satyam Computer Services Private Ltd,Judicial Event,B Rama Raju

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

New law may help you sue e-tailers from your city

To help customers, the government is planning to revamp the Consumer Protection Act in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament to allow 'territory free' legal action against any goods or service provider.

Under the current rules, a consumer can initiate legal action against a seller only in the place where transaction takes place. "The current restriction of jurisdiction cannot work in an e-commerce environment....We are looking at changes in the consumer protection act to ensure it addresses these issues," a senior government official privy to the deliberations on the issue told ET.

The ministry of consumer affairs is working on this revamp to safeguard interest of consumers in a world where shopping is not constrained by geography. The existing law, which came into being in 1986, cannot effectively deal with challenges posed by new economic, business and technological developments.

"Technology has erased geographic boundaries... For effective consumer protection it is essential that new law addresses these challenges," the official said. The new provisions will cover both goods and service providers but only those that operate physically from the Indian soil.

The new law would cover not just vendors in online space but also marketplace providers such as Amazon and Flipkart.

A significant chunk of India's $10 billion and rapidly growing e-commerce business comes from outside the big cities. Snapdeal says 60% of its business comes from outside the top 15 cities and Flipkart gets half its orders from non-metros. The government aims to ensure the new law empowers consumers to take on errant e-tailers.

But e-tailers fear it may be abused. "Online shoppers are already a pampered lot," a senior executive at a top ecommerce firm said. "Most complaints are in any case settled in the customer's favour. Such rules are prone to get misused."

"This is a welcome order for consumers, as they can file for damages or a compensatory suit in their local jurisdiction saving time and money," says Sanjay Ashar, senior partner of Crawford Bailey & Co. "However, it will be difficult for e-commerce companies to fight at several courts. When a company has many cases related to similar products or services, it can go to High Court and transfer those cases to one place. Also, if two courts in different places pass contradicting orders, it will be difficult for the company to know which one to follow, until they get clarity from higher courts. This will certainly increase the legal cost of the e-commerce industry."

Once the revamped law is in place, consumers will be able to approach their local consumer court against a service or a goods provider who may be situated anywhere in the country. Any "unfair trade practices" including a false claim could be challenged under the new law.

The department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) had taken up the issue of regulation of e-commerce retailers with consumer affairs ministry. Brick-andmortar retailers associations had represented to the DIPP after leading online sellers including Flipkart and Amazon offered deep discounts to promote sales.

A new inter-ministerial group has also been formed by the government chaired by consumer affairs secretary to deal with new issues in the consumer space.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=e-commerce India,Online shopping,e-tailers,e-commerce

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Xiaomi working on 9.2-inch tablet, specs leaked

NEW DELHI: Xiaomi has so far been selling only one tablet — Xiaomi MiPad 7.9 that took the tech world by storm. It was the first tablet to have Nvidia's Tegra K1 chipset. And now, the smartphone maker seems to be mounting its tablet lineup too.

GFXBenchmark test data has disclosed the details of the upcoming tablet, whose codename is Xiaomi 201481. According to the data, the tablet will sport a 9.2-inch screen with 1280x720p display resolution. Considering that Xiaomi MiPad 7.9 has 1536x2048p resolution, it is likely that the new tablet is a low-cost device.

The benchmark results also say that the device is powered by the 64-bit Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor, clocked at 1.2 GHz. It will have 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage, of which 5.8GB will be available to users.

The connectivity suite includes sim card slot, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi. The device will come pre-loaded with Android 4.4.4 (KitKat). The results, however, do not reveal anything about the front and back cameras of the tablet.

Popularly known as the 'Apple of China', Xiaomi has been the top seller in its home market and accounts for 6% of the global smartphone market share, which makes it the third-largest brand after Samsung and Apple.

The company currently only sells its Redmi 1S smartphone in India, after stopping the sale of its Mi 3. Xiaomi vice president Hugo Barra recently said that it will soon launch Mi 4 phablet in the country, but there is no official word on the launch of MiPad 7.9 yet.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Xiaomi MiPad 7.9,Xiaomi,nVidia,GFXBenchmark test

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lenovo No. 3 in India after Motorola acquisition

China's Lenovo has completed its $2.9-billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility, making the Lenovo-Motorola combine the third largest smartphone entity in India, one of the fastest growing smartphone markets in the world.

"Motorola and Lenovo together would be No. 3 in the market (India) which would be the case in many markets that both brands operate," spokespeople from both companies said in a conference late Thursday evening.

Lenovo and Motorola together form the third-largest smartphone player worldwide, according to data from research firm IDC pushing rival Xiaomi from the No. 3 position down to No 4.

IDC worldwide smartphone data showed Samsung leading with 23.8%, followed by Apple with 12%, Xiaomi with 5.3% and Lenovo following closely with 5.2%, and LG at No. 5 with 5.1%.

"Lenovo has a very good smartphone business in India through the offline channel. Motorola is present only on line. It's a good combination," Liu Jun, Lenovo executive vice president and president of Lenovo's Mobile Business Group said.

"Lenovo will continue with the same market plan in India, which is an important target market," he added.

In India, Motorola is the fifth largest smartphone maker in India with 5% share of the segment as of June data from research firm IDC. Since its resurrection early this year, Motorola has sold more than two million smartphones, including the Moto G, Moto X and Moto E, at competitive prices.

The brand trails the trio of home-bred handset makers — Lava, Karbonn and Micromax — in that order with Samsung leading the country with a 29% share.

Having closed the deal, Motorola and Lenovo will continue to remain separate entities. The Motorola-Lenovo combine intends to sell about 100 million smartphones and tablets globally by the end of March next year, while Lenovo aims to bring Motorola back to profitability within four to six quarters.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Lenovo India,Lenovo,Motorola Mobility,Motorola,India smartphone market

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Red Hat to focus on govt for growth in India; add jobs

MUMBAI: Open source software company Red Hat expects big business in India as the government kick-starts its investment in IT and number of startups in the country grows and also expects to grow its shared-services base in India.

Open-source software is freely available, so Red Hat's business model depends on customers paying for the support and service it offers and not on licence fees, making the company's offerings typically cheaper than proprietary software.

"The government has an interest in keeping costs low and next generation companies are built on open-source architecture. So, open source is where the future is moving," James Whitehurst, global CEO of Red Hat, told ET.

He added the company expects to do better in India helped by the Narendra Modi government's focus on IT and technology. Red Hat-supported software is already being used by the Indian government's biometric programme — Aadhaar.

Revenue in Asia-Pacific, which includes India, Australia, China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea, grew close to 20% in the past quarter. Red Hat does not break out geography specific details.

Further, growth will also come as Red Hat educates larger corporates about the benefits of open source.

"It's a process. Large companies have already typically invested in proprietary software, so for them it has to be change. As they say, nobody ever got fired for buying HP. So for us, we have to get them to switch," Whitehurst said. The company has already seen large government and public sector organisations such as the Centre for Railway Information Systems, the Life Insurance Corporation of India and SBI Insurance. While India is a large market for Red Hat, it is also a large support and shared services base.

"We're looking to expand the shared services centre here. Any new opening in the shared services division will be in India. We'd like to never need to hire a finance & accounting in another country. We'd also like to hire developers to build more products out of here," Whitehurst said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Red Hat,Open source government,Open Source Software,Centre for Railway Information Systems

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Retailers step on e-tail bandwagon with aplomb

CHENNAI: Brick-and-mortar stores and online portals are no longer different avenues to reach the same consumer. They are two different worlds, with different clientele.

Traditional Indian retailers who have taken their business online to be part of the e-shopping frenzy say that their online presence has opened up a new set of customers with just a fifth of the business coming from existing customers, a trend that indicates a polarisation of sorts in the retail world.

With online shopping catching on like wild fire, several brands like consumer durables retailer Viveks, clothing companies Basics Life and Arvind Ltd, jewellery retailers Kirtilalas and saree retailers like Nalli or Palam Silks that have been selling in traditional brick-and-mortar stores, have stepped on to the e-shopping world to secure their share of the growing market. And a study of demographics show that most of their customer who shop online are new ones who earlier had no engagement with the brand and no access to its products earlier.

"We see that there is just a 20% overlap of customers who earlier shopped in our stores and are now shopping on our online portal, opening up a new customer base for us. From the data we have, we see that a lot of our new clients come from tier-2 and tier-3 towns and based on the products ordered, we see that the customer base is predominantly the youth segment," Suhail Sattar, co-founder and director of Hasbro Clothing which owns the Basics Life brand, said. Ditto with Arvind Brands, which recently started its e-commerce arm Creyate has also seen scores of new customers. "We have had thousands of new customers registering on our online portal. The familiarity of the Arvind brand helps but we also see many new clients coming online and shopping for products costing over Rs 1.5 lakhs," Tejinder Singh, COO of Arvind Internet Ltd which owns creyate.com, said.

A customer who has lived in a metro city and is familiar with the lifestyles of people in larger towns, but has now moved to a small town is a typical buyer on online portals of traditional brands.

This results not just in the market size widening, but also the need for specialized marketing by companies to their new customers who don't have access to the stores and products except on e-commerce portals. While brands like Basics Life are investing heavily on digital marketing, spending about 40% of their ad spends for digital engagements with the new customer base, other brands like saree retailer Palam Silk Sarees are exploring new ways to reach out to the customers.

"I have a completely new client base for my online portal, and they are those who have no access to my products in any other way. For my products, what matters most is the fabric, and if I can take my sarees to them once by organizing an exhibition at their place, and show them the fabric, it will win their confidence and they can then start ordering different colours or designs from the online portal," Jayashree Ravi, proprietor of Palam said.

Industry experts say that another fall out of this would be a correction of prices.

"Now, with many companies, prices online differ from store prices. For instance, a book at Crossword store costs Rs 499 while the same costs Rs 374 online. This kind of discounting online will settle down with the growth in the customer base. Online portals will reduce discounts and offline stores will cut prices to meet demands of a larger customer base," Ashish Jalani, CEO of eTailing India, an e-commerce consultant, said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Online market in India,e-commerce India,eTailing India,E-commerce Industry,e-commerce

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Court: UK spies get bulk access to NSA data

LONDON: The British government's insistence that its spies don't use the vast espionage powers of the US National Security Agency to sidestep UK restrictions on domestic eavesdropping was called into question by a court document published Wednesday.

The two-page memorandum challenges that official line, carrying an acknowledgement by Britain's electronic eavesdropping agency GCHQ that it scoops up an undisclosed amount of "unanalyzed intercepted communications content" from its foreign intelligence partners without a warrant.

For human rights groups challenging UK surveillance, the document shows that GCHQ can use its allies to engage in mass spying without proper oversight.

"The British public had been consistently persuaded by government over the last year that GCHQ are not using the NSA as a backdoor to sidestep protection in the law," said Eric King, whose group, Privacy International, has joined London-based rights group Liberty and Amnesty International in suing the spy agency.

King, whose group obtained the memo as part of its suit, said it shows "a huge gap in protection for British people."

GCHQ declined to comment.

Andrew Defty, who teaches politics at the University of Lincoln, said GCHQ was probably right to argue that the exchange of unfiltered raw intelligence isn't restricted by Britain's intercept legislation, known as RIPA.

"This is in all likelihood not illegal," said Defty, the co-author of "Watching the Watchers," a book about parliamentary oversight of Britain's intelligence services. "However, it does appear to go against the spirit of the law, which would seem to rest on the principle that interception must take place for a reason."

Defty said the revelation illustrates the need to update Britain's intercept law after the revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden about mass spying.

"RIPA needs replacing," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Privacy International,National Security Agency,GCHQ,British government

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scientists can now read robots' minds

WASHINGTON: MIT scientists have developed a new system that can visually represent a robot's decision-making process.

The visualization system combines ceiling-mounted projectors with motion-capture technology and animation software to project a robot's intentions in real time.

The system has been dubbed the "measurable virtual reality (MVR) — a spin on conventional virtual reality that's designed to visualize a robot's "perceptions and understanding of the world," according to Ali-akbar Agha-mohammadi, a postdoc in Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Aerospace Controls Lab, who developed the system with his team.

"Normally, a robot may make some decision, but you can't quite tell what's going on in its mind — why it's choosing a particular path," Agha-mohammadi said.

"But if you can see the robot's plan projected on the ground, you can connect what it perceives with what it does to make sense of its actions," Agha-mohammadi said.

Agha-mohammadi said the system may help speed up the development of self-driving cars, package-delivering drones, and other autonomous, route-planning vehicles.

"As designers, when we can compare the robot's perceptions with how it acts, we can find bugs in our code much faster," he said.

"For example, if we fly a quadrotor, and see something go wrong in its mind, we can terminate the code before it hits the wall, or breaks," he said.

The team developed the system as a way to visually represent the robots' decision-making process. The engineers mounted 18 motion-capture cameras on the ceiling to track multiple robotic vehicles simultaneously.

They then developed computer software that visually renders 'hidden' information, such as a robot's possible routes, and its perception of an obstacle's position.

They projected this information on the ground in real time, as physical robots operated.

The researchers found that by projecting the robots' intentions, they were able to spot problems in the underlying algorithms, and make improvements much faster than before.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=MIT,Massachusetts Institute of Technology,Controls Lab,Aerospace Controls Lab

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

TCS only Indian company in 'Top 50 Innovative' firms list

NEW DELHI: TCS was the only Indian company to find a place in the Boston Consulting Group's (BCG) global list of top 50 most innovative firms this year.

Technology giant Apple topped the chart, followed by Google, Samsung, Microsoft and IBM as the most innovative companies globally in the list of the global management consulting firm. TCS secured the 43rd position in the list.

Apart from telecom and technology firms, car makers Tesla Motors, Toyota and BMW as well as firms like Nike, Shell, Airbus and McDonald's also featured among the top 50. BCG has surveyed more than 1,500 senior executives in a wide range of countries and industries since 2004 to help cast light on the state of innovation in global business. The report examined the factors that separate breakthrough innovators from other companies.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=TCS Ltd,TCS Innovation,TCS BCG,TCS,Boston Consulting

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Samsung launching A series soon to take on Xiaomi

NEW DELHI: Samsung's Galaxy A series, the long-rumoured range of metal-bodied phones by the South Korean manufacturer, is hitting the market soon.

According to a report by Korea IT Times, Samsung plans to release the low-priced smartphone lineup — Galaxy A3, Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 — in China next month. The report says that the Galaxy A series is being readied to take on Xiaomi, which has recently become the third-largest smartphone vendor in the world.

Samsung Galaxy A3 is said to come with a 4.5-inch 960x540p Super AMOLED display with a quad-core Snapdragon 410 64-bit processor. It will come with 1GB RAM, a 5MP front camera and an 8MP rear camera. It will be priced between $350 and $400. It will compete directly against Xiaomi Mi4, which costs $320.

Galaxy A5 is rumoured to come with a 4.8-inch HD display and 64-bit Snapdragon 410 processor. It will have 2GB RAM, 5MP front camera and 13MP rear camera. It is said to be priced between $400 and $450.

Samsung Galaxy A7 will feature a 5.2-inch display with resolution of 1920 x 1080p and pack a 64-bit eight-core Snapdragon 615 processor under the hood. It will have 2GB RAM, 5MP front camera and 12MP rear camera. It will be priced between $450 and $500. This phone will be positioned as a low-priced alternative to iPhone 6.

It is not clear as to whether these phones will be available globally or only for the Chinese market. Samsung has reported a fall in the quarterly sales by 20% with declining growth rate in the smartphone market.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Samsung Galaxy A series,Samsung,Korea IT Times

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

E-commerce steals RBI's 'cashless' thunder

When it comes to payments, the Reserve Bank of India's mission is 'to ensure payment and settlement systems in the country are safe, efficient, interoperable, authorised, accessible, inclusive and compliant with international standards.' And its vision is 'to proactively encourage electronic payment systems for ushering in a less cash society in India.' Even after years of efforts by the banking regulator and the financial services industry, nearly half the transactions are done through cheques, and cash deals in the system are still high. What the behemoths could not usher in after years may be well be delivered by the startups, Flipkart.com or Snapdeal.com.

From purchasing toilet paper to a piece of land on the moon — lunarembassy.com promises to deliver the deed at your doorstep — online companies offer solutions for almost everything you ask for. And, Indians are increasingly hooking on to the internet to buy everything from provisions to electronic gadgets.

India, a country of one-and-quarter billion people, has just 19 million credit card users, while the number of debit card holders is many times more, at 350 million. However, the value of electronic transactions using credit cards is disproportionately large — 21% of all transactions compared with about 32% through debit cards, according to an internet and Mobile Association of India report on digital payment. The balance is through internet banking, mobile wallets and prepaid cash cards.

"Banks, under the man date of the Reserve Bank of India, have made significant efforts to improve security. Therefore, while cash-on-delivery continues to be a significant portion (50%-60%) of the mode of payment chosen by customers, usage of debit cards and net banking have also gone up steeply," says Ankit Khanna, senior vice president for product management at Snapdeal.

But when innovations in the e-commerce space are promising to deliver the 'vision and mission' of the RBI, its conservatism and sticking to the rule book seem to be the hurdles in realising the vision.

"If there is a rule in the book, we don't allow it to be violated simply because the innovation is cool," governor Raghuram Rajan said in response to the RBI's stance on enforcing the two-stage authentication of online payments after complaints on cab-hail company Uber.

Of course, the central bank's concern relates more to frauds in the online space and the loss to customers. In fact, online frauds in the country seem to be very low, thanks to the security measures being enforced.

But as the debate about the RBI stance continues, electronic payments are gathering steam, with the private sector and international banks grabbing a huge share of the market.

The top two private-sector banks, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, are miles ahead of other home-grown lenders in supporting online purchases, right from providing payment gateways to offering financing options to credit card users. E-commerce spending has been growing year on year with the online retail, or e-tail, segment more than doubling this year as compared to last year, says Parag Rao, HDFC Bank's business head for card payment products and merchant acquiring services.

"We're witnessing an increase in purchase of mobiles and consumer electronics online this year. HDFC Bank is a market leader in this space and online retailing is a growth driver for the HDFC Bank payment business," Rao says. According to him, customers prefer credit cards over debit cards for large online purchases.

Credit cards are the most preferred mode of payment globally, as customers don't have to first carry out an authentication process and it is generally more simplified, unlike in India.

The online payments market size (on the basis of net transaction cost generated) is estimated to be in the range of $700-800 million in 2013, growing at a CAGR of 50% over 2007-13, according to the India e-commerce industry outlook to 2017, although market estimates significantly vary. Half the online purchases are carried out via private banks' payment gateways.

Banks also earn a fee for linking the payment gateway. The transaction discount rate can vary between 1% and 1.8%, depending on the payment instructions. With a larger category of services moving to the online space, the market is expected to grow.

A bigger opportunity is from offering EMI options to finance online purchases. In the case of online retailers, many banks have introduced EMI schemes, especially for high-value electronic durables and mobiles. According to market estimates, India's online credit market is worth about Rs 6,500 crore in terms of loan value and is growing at a CAGR of 200% over 2010-13.

"This rapid increase can be attributed to increasing tie-ups between banks and online retail players and significant promotion of EMI options. Most of these options are cheaper than credit card or personal loan interest rates," says Monish Shah, senior director at Deloitte in India. "The exit of a few retail financiers from durable financing at points of sale has created a gap in offering a point-of-sale loan option to consumers and banks can fulfil this need."

This augurs well for banks at a time of tepid credit growth. Customers prefer the online EMI option when it comes to big-ticket purchases like mobile, electronics. Retail loans have risen faster this year at 12.8% as of end August, compared with loans to industry at 7.6% and loans to the service sector that expanded by 8.9%.

Meanwhile, a new concern is on mobile payment, even as online companies see increasing traffic from mobile handsets. With fast-growing smart phone usage —smartphone sales in India are set to double this year to 80 million units — e-commerce firms are likely to see traffic from such devices increase manifold.

"Dropouts are more on the mobile than on the desktop," said Rajesh Magow, chief executive of travel booking site MakeMyTrip. The online travel booking site gets about 30% of its user traffic from mobiles. "This is primarily because of the two-factor authentication as the redirection happens to a bank's page and a lot of banks are not mobile-friendly."

Although the central bank has taken a rigid stance that it might not give up on its two-stage authentication, it may be ideal for it to insist on security and put the onus on the seller to promote an economy that is less dependent on cash, rather than slow its own march.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=RBI,ICICI bank,HDFC bank,Ecommerce India,Ecommerce

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Apple Watch has to be charged everyday: Tim Cook

LONDON: The much-awaited Apple timepiece will not hit the market till next year, but CEO Tim Cook has revealed that users may only get a day's use before needing to recharge it.

While trying to evade a discussion on Apple Watch's battery life, Cook said that tech enthusiasts will use it so much that they will end up charging it daily. However, his statement has fuelled speculations about the gadget's battery life as it has been a key concern for the company ever since the watch was unveiled on September 9, The Daily Star reported.

Although Apple is confident that their watch will be received well by users yet uncertainties about its battery life persist. Many other smartwatches in the market have similar issues with their battery life.

The device will bring alerts and notifications directly to the user's wrist and will also act as a health tracker and a walkie talkie.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Tim Cook,Apple Watch battery life,Apple watch,Apple

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Infosys promotes 4,000 employees in October

Infosys has promoted another 4,000 employees in October, as the company continues with its efforts to help retain key staff and improve employee morale, bringing the total number of promotions to 19,000 since the start of April this year.

The Bangalore-based software exporter has promoted employees across sales, delivery and business enabling functions, and across geographies, bringing about higher roles to about 12% of the company's over 1,65,000 employees.

"We announced a quarterly promotion system earlier this year. In August 5,000 employees across sales, delivery and business-enabling functions across geographies were promoted.With the promotions we did at the beginning of this month, over 19,000 employees have been promoted since April 2014," said a company spokeswoman. Significantly, this is the fourth round of promotions made by the company, with about 10,000 employees getting better roles in April and June and then in his first week as the new CEO, Vishal Sikka approved 5,000 promotions. This year's once-a-quarter round of promotions also marks a shift from the long-standing practice at Infosys of going for annual promotions.

Until now, Infosys' attempts to engage with employees at different levels, including promotions, offering 100% variable bonus payouts, and crowdsourcing initiative called murmurations have not helped bring down attrition rates — 19.5% at the end of the first quarter — which saw a marginal uptick to over 20% at the end of September quarter.

During the same period, Wipro managed to keep a check on attrition rate holding it to under 17%.

Some experts believe that these measures should start helping the company from the current quarter and the company should be able to arrest the exodus of employees.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Infosys attrition,Infosys,Vishal Sikka,Infosys Employees

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Wipro launches 'Notch Up' programme to tackle attrition

BANGALORE: Wipro has started another employee retention programme by offering them a chance to study at some of the country's premier engineering and management institutes.

Significantly, this drive by the country's third-largest software exporter is the latest attempt to retain employees with over five years experience as attrition level for this group is higher than Wipro's attrition rate of 17%, according to a senior executive. "How do we retain this group with (over) 5-6 years experience... If we are able to provide them masters in IT or MBA, it serves them and it helps us too," said Saurabh Govil, head (HR) at Wipro.

Under the "Notch Up" programme, launched during the second quarter, Wipro offers employees who have put in over two years at the company a chance to study Masters degree at one of the three institutes — Symbiosis in Pune, BITS in Pilani or Vellore Institute of Technology. The company has also partnered with ICFA to offer a two-year regular programme in professional accounting.

Wipro claims that over 500 employees have already enrolled even as the company aims to grow this number ten-fold to 5,000 in three years.

"We have worked out a fee for them. How you score, we will reimburse the fees accordingly .Eventually , the aim is to train (over) 5,000 in three years. Hope this will help us in retaining talent that we so want," Govil told ET in an interview. To be sure, the Notch Up programme is another initiative launched by Wipro after, earlier this year, it started a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff programme in which the company offers engineers an equal opportunity with the business graduates to climb up the ranks.Homegrown IT companies generally see an uptick in attrition levels during the first quarter of every fiscal year as most employees either leave their jobs in search of better opportunities or switch to pursue higher education, forcing the companies to report higher attrition rates.

Wipro's rival, Infosys, reported an attrition rate of 19.5% in the first quarter ending June. For this reason, most companies have taken steps to quell this exodus of employees — from Wipro rewarding its top 20% of its workforce with double salary hikes to Infosys okaying promotions to over 19,000 staff in first two quarters of this fiscal year.

Some experts, however, doubt if measures like these will truly help IT firms fight-off higher employee exits as they believe stubbornly high-attrition rates are symptomatic of shortage of technically skilled engineers in the services industry and lack of challenging opportunities for growth in technical competence. "Offering to refund tuition fees for MTech programmes at BITS-VIT Symbiosis is not going to solve the attrition problem," said Swami Manohar, former professor at Indian Institute of Science, and currently pursuing the Jed-i (Joy of Engineering, Design, and Innovation) mission.

"The employees who leave for higher studies abroad do so because they realise that they are not growing in technical competence working for services companies. Staff who opt for this do so to pad their resume with a Masters degree so that they can negotiate for higher salaries next time they move. And if it is going to be subsidised by their employer, even better!"

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=wipro attrition,Wipro,Wipro employees,indian IT

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

LG Electronics Q3 net profit up 87%

SEOUL: LG Electronics has reported an 87% jump in third-quarter net profit from a year ago after profits from its mobile unit surged to a five-year high.

Net profit for the South Korean electronics giant in the July-September period amounted to 202.6 billion won ($193 million), up 87% from a year ago, the company said in a statement.

Operating profit also jumped 112% to reach 461.3 billion, while sales rose 7% to 14.9 trillion won.

The firm's handset unit led the growth with a 39% rise in sales and an operating profit of 167.4 billion won — the highest for five years and a turnaround from a 79.7 billion won loss a year ago.

The handset unit sold 16.8 million smartphones in the third quarter, breaking the quarterly sales record set in the second quarter.

The world's sixth-largest smartphone maker struggled for years with sluggish sales after making a late entry into the market following competitors like Samsung and Apple.

But LG recently showed signs of revival with its flagship G3 smartphones, while its bigger South Korean rival Samsung saw profits sag.

Samsung — the world's top maker of smartphones and TVs — is set to post a nearly 60% plunge in its third quarter operating profit to be announced on Thursday, although the figure of 4.1 trillion won is still nearly 10 times bigger than LG's.

LG's TV unit saw operating profit inch up five percent to 130.5 billion won on growing sales of high-end sets.

LG shares rose 4.31% to close at 67,800 won on the Seoul stock market.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=LG Electronics Q3 profit,LG Electronics profit,LG Electronics

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Why Apple killed iPod Classic

NEW DELHI: Tim Cook has finally spoken up about killing the iconic iPod Classic media player after the iPhone launch event in September this year.

In an interview at the WSJ.D conference in California, Cook said that iPod Classic met its demise because Apple was unable to procure parts for the music player.

He said, "It wasn't a matter of me swinging the ax, saying 'what can I kill today'. The engineering work was massive, and the number of people who wanted it very small. I felt there were reasonable alternatives."

iPod Classic, which featured a click wheel, last got an update five years ago as iPod touch gained popularity. It was removed from Apple Store website in September this year, marking its official discontinuation.

With storage capacity of 160GB, iPod Classic could store as many as 40,000 songs. iPod touch has maximum storage capacity of 64GB; other iPods in Apple's portfolio are iPod nano and iPod shufle.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Tim Cook,iPod Classic killed,iPod Classic discontinuation,iPod Classic,Apple

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Samsung Galaxy A7 specifications leaked in benchmark test

NEW DELHI: Samsung's first metal-bodied Android phone Galaxy Alpha recently hit the market, but there are many more in the offing. According to earlier leaks, Galaxy A7 will be the top-end model of the A series; however, no details of the smartphone had leaked. Until now, that is.

All the key specifications of Samsung Galaxy A7 have been leaked by benchmark testing app GFXBench. According to the data, the upcoming phone sports a 5.2-inch Full HD display, which contradicts with earlier reports that said that it will feature a 5.5-inch screen.

READ ALSO: Details of Samsung's metallic Galaxy A series leaked

According to the GFXBench data, Samsung Galaxy A7 will be powered by 64-bit Snapdragon 615 chipset, which packs in a octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz. Running on Android 4.4.4 (KitKat), this smartphone has 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, of which 12GB will be available to users.

The smartphone sports a 12MP rear camera with features like autofocus, face detection and touch focus. It has a 4.7MP front camera capable of 1080p video recording. At an expected price between $450-500, Samsung Galaxy A7 reportedly includes features like accelerometer, Bluetooth, compass, light sensor, GPS, NFC and Wi-Fi.

Apart from A7, Samsung is also readying Galaxy A3 and A5 as part of the A series lineup.

READ ALSO: 'Samsung's Galaxy A5 made of neither metal nor plastic'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Samsung Galaxy A7 specifications,Samsung Galaxy A7 features,Samsung Galaxy A7,Samsung

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Twitter attracts fewer new users than in first half year

SAN FRANCISCO: Dick Costolo, Twitter's chief executive, has been sprucing up the social network this year to draw in new users, but the renovations don't seem to be bringing in enough newcomers.

Twitter reported that the number of monthly Twitter users grew to 284 million in the third quarter, up 4.8% from 271 million in the second quarter. But the social network attracted fewer new people to it than it did in the first or second quarters.

Usage of the service by existing customers has also stalled. On average, regular users pulled up their Twitter feeds slightly less frequently than during the previous quarter. And the company disclosed that in its top 20 markets, fewer than half of Twitter's monthly visitors check out the service daily — a statistic that is roughly unchanged from a year ago, when Twitter filed its paperwork to sell stock to public investors.

That suggests that recent changes made to the service, including an overhaul of the new user experience that was rolled out this year around the World Cup soccer tournament, have yet to produce great benefits to the company.

Twitter's stock plunged about 10% immediately in after-hours trading in the minutes after the results came out. In regular trading earlier in the day, shares fell 2.8%, to close at $48.56.

Twitter also raised its financial projections for the fourth quarter, projecting revenue in the range of $440 million to $450 million and adjusted profits of $100 million to $105 million.

Costolo said growth would take time. "I'm confident in our ability to build the largest daily audience in the world over time, by strengthening the core, reducing barriers to consumption and building new apps and services," he said in a statement.

Twitter's revenue, most of which comes from advertising, increased sharply in the third quarter. Revenue more than doubled to $361.3 million, compared with $168.6 million a year ago, exceeding Wall Street's projection of $352 million.

The company said it collected $1.77 in ad revenue per 1,000 users, its highest level ever and up 83% from last year's third quarter.

Twitter recently expanded its options for marketers to buy video ads and ads inside other companies' mobile applications.

The social network is still losing money as it spends hundreds of millions of dollars on stock compensation for its rapidly growing employment base. In the third quarter, its net loss was $175.5 million, or 29 cents a share, compared with a loss of $64.6 million, or 48 cents a share in the period a year earlier.

Excluding those compensation costs and certain other expenses this year, Twitter earned a profit of 1 cent a share, meeting analysts' expectations.

Twitter executives have argued that investors have focused too intently on the service's user base. A more complete portrait, they say, comes from looking at the company's reach beyond the core service, as its messages, or tweets, are embedded in news articles, on websites and in marketing campaigns.

But in a report before the results were released, Ben Schachter, an analyst with Macquarie Securities, said that Twitter cannot yet sell ads against tweets that are seen outside the service, so those extra views provide little financial benefit.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=twitter users,Twitter,Twitter growth,Dick Costolo

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

6 best Android smartphones under Rs 7,000

Like other Android One phones, Micromax Canvas A1 has quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage, 1,700mAh battery and Android 4.4.

The display is bright, with good viewing angles, but closer inspection reveals low resolution. In terms of design, it looks trendy and has a raised circular rear camera.

The phone runs smoothly, which makes the day-to-day experience enjoyable. When it comes to gaming, apart from a few titles like Shadowgun and Dead Trigger (which require more RAM), most games, including Temple Run and Angry Birds, work fine.

The audio output is loud and clear. The primary camera clicks good photos in daylight as well as indoors. The only issue is the phone's battery life, which struggles to last a full day.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lava launches QPAD R704 voice calling tablet at Rs 8,499

NEW DELHI: Indigenious phone maker Lava has launched its QPAD R704 tablet in the Indian market. Priced at Rs 8,499, the tablet is targeted at young professionals, students and enterprise segment.

The new Lava QPAD R704 has a 7-inch HD screen and runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 1GB RAM. This tablet comes preloaded with Android 4.3 (Kelly Bean), but will be upgraded to Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has 8GB internal storage and supports microSD cards with capacity up to 32GB.

On the back, Lava QPAD R704 has a 2MP camera, while a VGA camera is in front. It has connectivity options like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microUSB; it supports voice calling. The tablet also features Qualcomm Interference Cancellation and Equalization (Q-ICE), which enhances network capacity by reducing the noise in the cellular network.

The tablet packs a 3,500mAh battery; Lava claims it delivers up to 300 hours of standby time and 10 hours talk time. Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology further allows 30% faster charging on the device.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=tablets under Rs 10000,Lava QPAD R704 specifications,Lava QPAD R704 price,Lava QPAD R704 launched,Lava QPAD R704

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

A cracker of a Diwali for e-tailers

This Diwali, Indian online retail industry joined the mainstream with the top three players Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal hogging the limelight throughout the festive month of October, helped by massive sales and high-octane marketing.

However, the heavy-duty sales with discounts of over 75% also exposed the industry's weakest link — last mile delivery. Logistics infrastructure of online retailers struggled to deal with the sudden rise in the flow of shipments, leading to pile-ups at airports and packages failing to reach customers on time.

"Online retailing has become mainstream this festival season," said Mukesh Bansal, board member at Flipkart. "A large number of customers have come online. This has been a record month for us with the highest sales ever," said Mukesh Bansal of Flipkart. He declined to reveal the exact number of orders the Bangalore-based company received.

Bansal, who heads fashion at the company, admitted that there were problems too.

"We all found out that the capacity of the logistics network is not enough for the industry," he said.

However, with top companies exceeding their targets, experts said the positives far outweighed all the negatives.

"The online retail industry is the winner this season with all companies beating their own internal targets," said Saurabh Srivastava, director at advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India.

Flipkart, for example, was targeting $3 billion (over Rs 18,300 crore) in overall value of goods sold by end of the fiscal and $4 billion (over Rs 24,500 crore) by mid-2015.

"They are now targeting to reach $4 billion by end of this fiscal itself," said a person with knowledge of the company's sales.

Another person in the know said: "Flipkart has already seen over 80 lakh orders this month and is targeting to do about double next month." In June last year, Flipkart's peak sale was 1.3 lakh orders in one day. During the Big Billion Day, Flipkart's biggest sales event on October 6, the company sold 20 lakh products worth about $100 million (over Rs 600 crore).

Rivals Snapdeal and Amazon have been equally impressive.

"We received daily orders of about 3 lakh," said Sandeep Komaravelly, senior vice president of marketing at Snapdeal.

He said sales in October have more than doubled from September, and the company saw 250% growth month-on-month.

"There was massive adoption of online shopping by the country's consumers, which in turn, saw e-commerce in India growing by almost 200-300% over the past few months, with Snapdeal growing at about 600%," Komaravelly said.

Industry insiders expect Snapdeal to touch gross merchandise sales of over Rs 700 crore in October, significantly higher than its sales of Rs 450-500 crore over the preceding three months. The company has crossed $1 billion (over Rs 6,000 crore) in sales this fiscal.

Amazon India has seen over four-fold jump in transactions, according to a person with knowledge of the company's sales. The company saw a jump in traffic of up to 300% on various days during its 30-day festive season sales. "The response has been beyond our wildest expectations," said Amit Agarwal, country manager and vice president at Amazon India.

Arvind Singhal, chairman of retail advisory Technopak, said: "I don't see a single clear winner among the top three. The growth overall has been spectacular. The aggression shown by them has ensured accelerated growth." The aggression was in the form of highly visible advertisements and brand promotions.

E-commerce companies are estimated to have spent about Rs 200 crore on advertising just this festive season.

Snapdeal alone got on board 28 celebrities and created 50 advertisement films.

The company had blocked up to 2,000 ad spots a day across television channels.

A senior executive at a logistics firm said: "Average shipments per day were at about 1 million before the festive season for the industry and that has almost doubled." The online retail boom was not a big city phenomenon.

"The small locations have seen big volumes. We are fulfilling about 200 orders a day in a small centre like Theni," said TA Krishnan, chief executive of ecommerce focused logistics firm Ecom Express.

Flipkart said it now reaches about 1,000 cities and towns in India through its inhouse logistics team and third-party partners, compared with under 900 before October. Amazon, which did not share the exact amount of sales during the month, said over half of all orders were from non-metros.

But the problems in the industry were also brought into sharp focus this season.

Delay in delivery, chocked airports and increased focus by tax authorities were just some of the troubles that may continue to hobble the rapidly growing sector for some time.

After Flipkart's sales event, traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has demanded a probe into pricing models used by e-commerce companies.

While commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman clarified there is no investigation into Flipkart's October 6 sale, state tax authorities have taken notice. "The tax authorities in almost all states are saying if they have so much money to spend on advertisements why not pay tax in their state," said a senior ecommerce executive, who declined to be named. "In Bihar, authorities are already cracking the whip against logistics players who are making deliveries by telling them to pay value added tax." The biggest problem by far is delay in deliveries.

On online consumer complaints platform Akosha, online retail-related complaints have shot up from 700 a day to 3,000. "A number of customers were shopping for Diwali and their orders have not reached in time for Diwali," said Ankur Singla, chief executive officer at Akosha.

About 30% of complaints are about delayed delivery.

Typical delivery period has increased from under five days to over 10, according to logistics executives.

"The biggest letdown has been the aviation capacity. Packages were not picked up by airlines for 2-3 days, resulting in backlogs," said a senior executive at a logistics firm. "We were stopped from entering top airports like Delhi for a few days due to excess packages and have had to use trains and road to move goods." The last-mile hurdles could have a positive impact, said experts. "This has made it clear that e-commerce is dependent on logistics for growth and there is an opportunity for scaling up. We can expect more investments in this space," said Singhal of Technopak.

The logistics executive said his company doubled its revenue to over Rs 17 crore in October compared with September.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=SnapDeal,Mukesh Bansal,Flipkart Amazon,e-commerce,Amazon

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Over 10,000 people protest against Hungary's internet tax

BUDAPEST: More than 10,000 people rallied in Budapest to demand the scrapping of a proposed tax on internet usage, calling it a "backward idea" amid growing criticism of the Hungarian premier.

Chanting "Free Hungary, Free Internet!" the crowd yesterday marched on the headquarters of prime minister Viktor Orban's right-wing Fidesz party, leaving used computer keyboards at the gates in protest.

The atmosphere grew tense as riot police surrounded the building where several windows were broken by some protesters hurling missiles, AFP correspondents at the scene reported.

Earlier thousands of demonstrators had held smartphone torches aloft outside the economy ministry in an echo of recent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

"There will be no internet tax...we will block it," organizer Balazs Gulyas told the crowd to cheers.

"If the tax is not scrapped within 48 hours, we will be back again," he said.

Announcing the levy on Tuesday, economy minister Mihaly Varga said the tax — 150 forints (0.50 euros, USD 0.61) on each transferred gigabyte of data — was needed to help shore up the 2015 budget of one of the European Union's most indebted nations.

Orban has been accused of leaning toward authoritarianism, and organizers told AFP they believed the tax was aimed at restricting government critics who mainly use online media.

Others are concerned it will hurt small businesses and make it harder for people, particularly in poor areas, to access information and educational material.

"This is a backward idea, when most countries are making it easier for people to access the internet," one protester, Judit Nagy-Korsa, 55, told AFP.

The tax has also triggered alarm in Brussels. Neelie Kroes, the EU's digital chief, tweeted that it was "a shame for users and a shame for the Hungarian government".

Orban's Fidesz party later proposed capping the monthly payment at 700 forints (2.3 euros, USD 3) for consumers and 5,000 forints for businesses, but the move has failed to calm dissent.

"Orban, get lost!" chanted the protesters as they marched down the main boulevard of the Hungarian capital after the rally.

The powerful Orban, 51, reelected with a second two-thirds majority in April, has faced unusual pressure recently after the United States issued entry bans against several government officials over suspected corruption.

The top US diplomat in Budapest warned Friday that "negative trends" such as a weakening of the rule of law and intimidation of civil society had "rapidly taken hold" in Hungary.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Neelie Kroes,Internet tax,Hungary,Balazs Gulyas

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

When iPhones ring, the economy listens

Gloomy economic news and the wild swings of the stock market may be getting you down. But at least you can count on this: We've entered the sweet spot of the iPhone cycle.

Since September 19, when the iPhone 6 and its larger sibling, the iPhone 6 Plus, went on sale, consumers have been ordering the gadgets faster than Apple can deliver them. The ripple effects are being felt throughout the economy, and these phones have been moving the stock market.

"The iPhone is having a measurable impact," said Michael Feroli, chief US economist for JPMorgan Chase. "It's a little gadget, but it costs a lot, and it seems that everybody has one. When you do the multiplication, it's going to matter." He estimates that iPhone sales are adding one-quarter to one-third of a percentage point to the annualized growth rate of the gross domestic product.

You may not think of the iPhone as a financial powerhouse. After all, it's just a consumer good — albeit a highly functional, high-end one that you can carry in your pocket or your purse. Sales typically surge every two years when, as now, Apple does a major iPhone upgrade. You may have the warm and personal relationship with the iPhone that Timothy Cook, Apple's chief executive, described on Monday to Wall Street analysts during a conference call. Apple's next three months will be "incredibly strong," he said. And he spoke enthusiastically about the principal reason for this performance: "These iPhones are the best we have ever created, and customers absolutely love them."

Whether you love them or not, though, it's a good moment to recognize their significance as a financial force.

The iPhone's financial impact starts, of course, with Apple, which is reaping enormous profit from it. As the company disclosed in data embedded in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday, Apple has been selling a broad mix of iPhone models at an average price of $603.

That's not remotely close to the "starting price of $199" that Apple advertises, as I wrote last month. The full price is embedded in service agreements that many customers in the United States reach with phone carriers. And many of those carriers are stating that full price quite openly. The real starting price for a new, basic iPhone is $649, and models with more memory and bigger screens cost much more.

This price structure is lucrative for Apple. "The cost of building a basic phone has stayed at about $200 for years," said Andrew Rassweiler, senior director for cost benchmarking services, at IHS Technology.

That estimate doesn't include many expenses, like research and marketing costs. But it's a rough guidepost, and it helps explain how, as Apple disclosed in a court filing two years ago, its profit margins for the iPhone are roughly double those for iPads, which tend to be priced more cheaply.

Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford C Bernstein, says the gross profit margin for the iPhone is close to 50%. Because the iPhone is Apple's most popular product — with more than 39 million sold in the last quarter — it accounts for a disproportionately large percentage of Apple's overall profit, somewhere between 60 and 70%, Sacconaghi said.

"Apple is now so big that it takes a lot to make it grow appreciably," Sacconaghi said. Apple is producing an impressive, interrelated ecosystem of products and services, including its forthcoming digital watches, its new digital payment system, its revived Mac line, refreshed iPads and new software operating systems. Even if all of its ventures succeed, none are likely in the next year or two to rival the financial impact of the iPhone. "The iPhone is the core of Apple right now," he said.

In a sense, the iPhone is the core of the stock market, as well. Apple is the biggest company, by market capitalization, in the world. Apple accounts for about 3.5% of the weighting of the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. And, through Thursday, because its stock has performed magnificently while the overall market has not, Apple accounted for 18% of the entire rise of the Standard & Poor's 500 index this year, according to calculations by Paul Hickey, co-founder of the Bespoke Investment Group. And the engine driving Apple shares is the iPhone.

"The market is obviously counting on another strong sales performance for the new iPhone," he said. So far, it's getting that performance. And, he said, Apple's invigorating effect is likely to continue.

Because the iPhone is made mainly overseas and sold worldwide, it is stimulating the economy in other regions, particular in East Asia, Feroli observed, and it keeps a substantial amount of its cash abroad. Such factors make it harder to assess the company's impact domestically.

"It's not like GM having a great quarter," Feroli said. "It doesn't translate directly into employment in the United States. It's a more complex world today, and, in that sense, Apple is representative of that world."

Apple, though, is having a powerful impact in the United States. Last month, for example, electronic and consumer appliance store sales jumped 3.4% while clothing sales fell 1.2%, according to Commerce Department figures. "People are buying iPhones, partly as a status symbol," Feroli said. "They're not buying as much clothing."

Even people who don't buy iPhones and don't own Apple shares have a stake in the company. I don't own any Apple stock, for example, but I do have a stake indirectly through my 401(k) account. That's because mutual funds in my portfolio own Apple shares as their biggest holdings. Nearly every pension fund holds some stock, and these days, there's a good chance the biggest holding is Apple. And the most important financial lever at Apple is the iPhone.

All of that helps explain why Apple is such a formidable force, especially at this stage in its product cycle. And as the holiday-shopping season approaches, and iPhones keep flying off the shelves, Apple may well keep moving the world.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=iPhone 6 Plus,Timothy Cook,iPhone 6,Apple,Tim Cook

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

A device that tells how drunk you are

NEW YORK: A device has been launched that lets drivers find out if they are intoxicated before they are nabbed by cops. Named Breeze, the 2.25-inch-long wireless device pairs via Bluetooth to a smartphone app.

The iOS version of Breeze syncs with Apple's new HealthKit platform, which allows consumers to catalogue their blood-alchohol level.

If users record scores higher than the recommended level, the app triggers a 'get home safe' screen.

Breeze also provides drunk users with the option to search for cabs and uses phone book contacts to let them phone a friend in case they need a ride.

It also provides an option to search for hotels and restaurants, where they can sober up with caffeine and food, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"This is really about consumer awareness and being able to make the right decision and learn more about yourself," said Brian Sturdivant, vice president (marketing) of the California-based startup Burglinghame that created the device.

The device is available for both iOS and Android cell phones for $100.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=healthkit,breeze,breathanalyzer gadgets,Apple

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

IBM's first India cloud centre to come up in Navi Mumbai

BANGALORE: IBM is setting up its first cloud data centre in India to gain a bigger share of the cloud computing market in the country. The company has built a 30,000 sq ft data centre facility in Airoli, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The new Mumbai IBM Cloud Center is part of a 15 cloud center expansion, and a $1.2billion investment by IBM Cloud to grow its cloud presence around the world.

"With the new data centre, IBM will be able to tap into BFSI, telecom and government sectors, which haven't been able to move to cloud in a big way due to regulatory requirements," said Lingraju Sawkar, director, integrated technology services, Global Technology Services at IBM India-South Asia.

According to Gartner, public cloud services market in India is expected to grow from $423 million (Rs 2,550 crore) in 2013 to $1.3 billion (Rs 7,800 crore) in 2017. Gartner expects India to be the fastest growing market for cloud adoption globally. IBM recently partnered with SAP to host SAP's HANA Enterprise Cloud on IBM cloud. The new data centre in Mumbai would allow SAP to offer its cloud-based platform to Indian customers who have been wary about their data residing in other countries. IBM is also providing resiliency services through the new facility to let enterprises continue with their business during a disaster.

Enterprises across the world have started demanding cloud providers to host their data locally to meet requirements for data sovereign. About 100 nations and territories have already adopted laws that dictate how governments and private enterprises handle personal data. This demand is especially high in banking & financial, telecom and government sectors and is pushing large cloud players to set up lo cal data centres. Microsoft, for whom India is the fastest-growing cloud computing market, announced last month that it will set up cloud data centres in India by the end of 2015. CEO Satya Nadella called cloud computing services in India a $2-trillion market opportunity while announcing the plans in Delhi.

Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos also talked about the possibility of local data centres in India during his visit last month. Despite this, none of the large cloud computing companies, including Amazon, Google and Microsoft, has so far built a local data centre. Unpredictable power supply, patchy internet connectivity, limited bandwidth and unreliable optical fibre connectivity between different parts of the country have so far prevented these companies from setting up data centres in the country. However, with cloud adoption rapidly increasing, companies are finding ways around this problem.

"Getting redundant power supply is still a challenge in India and also one of the largest costs for a data centre," said Sawkar. "We are, therefore, using multiple sets of power equipment, multiple bandwidth providers and redundant security monitoring systems to ensure reliability."

The new IBM data centre in Mumbai will primarily focus on private cloud services for enterprises and small and medium businesses.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=IBM India,IBM data centre,IBM,IBM CLOUD,SAP

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

AT&T defeats the whole purpose of Apple SIM

The author has posted comments on this articleTechradar | Oct 25, 2014, 05.37PM IST

AT&T has ensured that users who sign up for one of its plans using the Apple SIM won't be able to switch to a different carrier on the same device without ponying up for a new sim.

Page 1 of 4

Despite the lack of heraldry that accompanied it, Apple SIM was one of the coolest new things Apple announced alongside iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 this month.

So it's too bad that AT&T is ruining iPad Air 2 users' Apple SIMs the second they're activated with the US carrier's network, as MacRumors reported.

READ ALSO: Apple SIM can be the next big revolution, even in India

Apple SIM is supposed to let users choose short-term plans from a variety of carriers directly from their shiny new LTE-enabled iPads.

The idea is that you can switch between plans and carriers basically at will, which is especially helpful for users who travel frequently and/or are repelled by commitment.

Get off my lawn

But AT&T has ensured that users who sign up for one of its plans using the Apple SIM won't be able to switch to a different carrier on the same device without ponying up for a new sim, which entirely defeats the purpose of Apple's latest innovation.

The carrier's party-crashing first came to light on Twitter, and Apple later confirmed it. An AT&T spokesperson then told Re/code that "it's just simply the way we've chosen to do it."

AT&T just became the dude who arrives at the party, flips on all the lights and plugs in his own tunes, to everyone else's chagrin. Currently Sprint, T-Mobile and UK carrier EE also support Apple SIM, and none of them have chosen to be "that carrier."

Article continues

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Is it time to get a smartwatch?

It's official: mobile device manufacturers are warring for the precious real es tate on your wrist, and everyone from Samsung to LG to Motorola are coming out guns blazing. Google launched its Android Wear platform for wearable devices this March, and Apple just wrapped up its keynote event only a few weeks ago, announcing the imminent arrival of the Apple Watch. Should you ditch your trusty timepiece just yet?

Hold that thought
Before you start looking up smartwatch prices online and calling your NRI relatives to find out when they're visiting next, consider whether or not you're an early adopter.Sure, there's the rush of being one of the first few people in your circle to own and use new technology, and enjoy the utility and convenience it brings - but you're also going to have to put up with the limitations of your new purchase, which takes a product cycle or several to work out, before it makes sense for the public at large to buy into it too. However, early adopters also generally end up paying high prices for the first generation of a new category of devices.But with smartwatches, it looks like prices for these devices are already fairly reasonable, when you consider what traditional timepieces usually cost.
What is it good for
In my mind, there are only two real reasons for buying a smartwatch right now: You want notifications and info from your phone without having to whip out your device every few minutes. This makes sense if you're frequently at events and meetings where you don't want to appear rude or preoccupied with your phone, while keeping up with your digital life.
You want a watch that can do far more than just tell time.
If you believe in function over fashion, and have drooled over those TV-remoteplus-calculator watches that were popular in the 1990s, you'll love wearing a smartwatch. And hey, you get to switch watch faces whenever you like for a whole new look! Smartwatches are designed to complement your smartphone: they pair with your mobile device over Bluetooth and bring timely information and real-time notifications to your wrist. You'll receive alerts for new emails, text and instant messages, and social network pings.With specially-designed apps, you can also get weather and stock updates, control music playback on your phone, dictate and send voice messages, search the web, and track your workouts and health stats.
It's pretty neat to have all these functions available right on your watch. However, you can do all these things better on your smartphone (which you have to carry around for your smartwatch to work), and on a bigger screen that's easier to see and use. The major issue plaguing the current crop of smartwatches right now is battery life: right now, you'll be lucky if you get through a day without having to charge your smartwatch. And these watches generally use proprietary chargers (the Moto 360 uses a bulky dock) to power up, which means you've got yet another device to lug around if you want to keep your gadgets humming all day.
Personally, I'd buy a smartwatch if it could help me find my phone when I can't spot it, and last as long as the Timex I'm wearing right now. Let's hope manufacturers figure out this battery life issue soon.
What's on offer?
If you still feel like you simply must have one, here are the best smart watches you can consider buying now and in the near future:
Pebble
Want a smartphone but don't want to deal with a 1-day battery life? This is the smartwatch that got everyone excited back in 2012, and is still the smartest choice to go with. Featuring a powersaving e-paper display, physical but tons for interactions, and its own app marketplace, the Pebble plays nice with iOS and Android phones, and runs for about a week on a single charge.

You can load third party apps to receive turn-by-turn directions, get realtime news and blog updates, remotely trigger your smartphone camera and include yourself in group photos, and even control presentations running on your phone. Plus, it's available in a range of colours and even in
handsome Steel editions to suit your style. getpebble.com | Rs 9,150 approx. Pebble Steel: Rs 15,250 approx.
Moto 360

Motorola's long-awaited champion of the Android Wear platform features a stainless case, leather band and an edge-to-edge touchscreen display. It works really well with Google Now, displaying relevant info when you most need it -your boarding pass just before your flight, or directions to your next meeting when it's time to leave. You can also use your voice to jot down notes, send emails and messages, and search Google. The watch is available exclusively n Flipkart. moto360.motorola.com | Rs 17,999

Apple Watch
The premium choice in smartphones from Cupertino features an impeccable finish with a range of custom finishes including stainless steel, aluminum and 18K gold cases and leather and metal bands and bracelets that you can switch easily. The touchscreen display works with gestures as well as a Digital Crown for zooming and navigation, and users can enjoy some neat features: view maps, make and answer calls, mark emails as read unread or trash them, view photos, and send doodles or even your heartbeat to Apple Watch-owning loved ones.apple.comwatch | Starts at $399 approx; ships early 2015.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=SmartWatch,Pebble,Moto 360,Apple watch

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Review: FIFA 2015 (For next generation consoles)

Since the days of 8-bit soccer right up to the fancy graphics of today's consoles, soccer games have just focused on players kicking a ball over a grassy green pitch. Sure, the games have introduced weather systems, realistic physics, stadiums, updated rosters etc. There's never been a game that truly captures and recreates the emotion of the sport, the moments that drive goosebumps right up and down your spine. Up until FIFA 2015. A true evolution of the sports game and using all that next generation computational power to drive experiences.

Emotion and Realism

You've seen this a thousand times as the games are aired on the telly, in dozens of sports movies or even sitting down in the stands at a soccer game. The crowd going wild when the a player gets the ball. The elation of not only the crowd but the players themselves on a goal. The slow demotivation or determination of the opposing team, to close the gap. The electric charge and slow chanting of the crowd rising higher and higher to a crescendo giving their team a boost of spirit. All those moments that make you in tune, through time, space and dimension with each and every player on the pitch, every spectator on the grandstand, as embodied into FIFA 2015.

The Emotional Intensity engine in FIFA 2015 emulates this by building in over 600 animations into all of the 22 players on the pitch into an artificial intelligence that senses what's going on throughout the game, and lets players react realistically to the situation. Like missed goals or bad tackles will have players kneel down in disappointment and his team mates generally getting annoyed. Similarly with a comeback goal the players will celebrate in a 10 man pileup celebration. It's all these little things that make FIFA 2015 a truly organic experience.

The physics is like a nice warm blanket on the whole experience. When players run, they don't just accelerate magically. There is a little lag in acceleration as momentum builds up. The same with slowing down, theres a gradual decrease in acceleration followed by a slight stagger and shift as he changes direction. All these subtle things not only add to the realism, but also add one more element you have to take into consideration. When you have the ball you have other players realistically pulling your shirt or shoulder barging. The ball too reacts with closer contacts as it's dribbled across the field and varies depending upon the agility of the player. Giving you tighter control over it. Goalies too have benefitted from all new save animations and a brand new AI so that they're a lot more fluid in their movement. With correct ball deflections.

The pitch over the course of a game gets trampled with players footprints, and sometimes gets muddy if it's raining, as do the players. The crowds in the stands react to the players and the teams selected. On Match Day the crowd is deafening. With authentic stadiums and crowd chants and cheers based on the country. The crowd in FIFA 2015 is now a living force, rather than just using one tacky animation, the crowd jumps and cheers in waves. Even the ball boys on the bench jump and react. The cherry on top is the commentary which not only talks about the game, but also comments on the fans reactions.

Rather than just a static experience, the whole presentation of FIFA 2015 is cinematic. From a camera that keeps the action always in view, without letting players get too small on your HDTV. Like any good match, the camera will focus on teammates celebrating after a goal, or a player falling face first into the grass in an act of disappointment. Letting you know that you're teammates are getting demotivated or if it's the other team, you can revel in their defeat. Everything about FIFA 2015's experience is slick and simple.

While EA Sports has done a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of what makes a soccer game tick. Let's see if they actually got game.

The game

With regards to the game, EA Sports has trimmed all the fat, making it a streamlined experience. It's all about the game. No wading through thousands of menus if you don't want to. It's the same game you've played earlier, except with a new coat of paint and a lot of strategy you can dive right into if you want to.

When playing you have a lot more control over the ball as well as your teammates. When you have the ball, your player moves into a mode allowing tighter control, allowing you to dodge dribble and pass. If you do find yourself blocked or flanked, your teammates react to your situation and position themselves around you so you can pass the ball or if you're getting ready to shoot a goal, they file around to be there to catch the ball in the off chance you miss.

A nice touch to the gameplay is the loading screens, which are small mini games designed for you to practice dribbling, shoot accuracy or dodging. A superb little warmup before a big game.

The player animations are a treat to watch, however there are times where the bugs rears it's ugly head. With so many animations and artificial intelligence code flying around, you will find the odd player stuck in an animation. Also over the course of a game you will find the animation slowly getting a bit jittery, not quite as smooth and seamless.

If you're tired of just setting up matches, you can play through the career mode, follow news on Match Day live. There's a lot of content for soccer fans as you can customise your own ultimate team, set and customise your teams tactics and a lot more out of a staggering roster of teams including the Premiere League teams, stadiums and games.

Visuals
FIFA 2015 on next gen consoles is fantastic, with all the players rendered in unbelievable realism. From Messi to Ronaldo each player looks the part with all their statistics reflecting on how they move on the pitch. The player kits look authentic and exhibit cloth physics when grabbed. On rainy pitches their clothes get wet so do the players hair and during the course of the game they get dirty and mucky. A staggering attention to detail.

The stadiums resound with the chants of thousands of fans in unison, and the game is best experienced using a surround sound home theatre system or a good pair of headphones.

Conclusion

FIFA 2015 is truly a taste of what next generation gaming holds for us in the future. With amazing physics, graphics and animations that are there to lend a new element of emotion into the game. A perfect game for soccer fans, sports buffs and anyone in the middle. Highly Recommended.

Note: This is a review on next generation FIFA 15 on a PlayStation 4. While the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are also available, they will lack some of the graphical features

Rating - 4.5/5

Price: Rs 3,999 for PS4, Rs 4,499 on Xbox One

Features - Superb Physics Up to date team rosters Incredible on next generation consoles Very realistic on Next Generation Consoles

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=xbox one,PlayStation 4,FIFA 2015 review,FIFA 2015

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Xiaomi to approach Indian authorities to sort out security concerns

NEW DELHI: Stressing that it does not collect any user data without permission, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi today said it will engage with Indian authorities to address the concerns about security of user's data.

Last week, in an advisory, the Indian Air Force asked its personnel and their families to desist from using Chinese 'Xiaomi Redmi 1s' phones as these are believed to be transferring data to their servers in China and could be a security risk.

"We are trying to get to the bottom of this. So far, we have not heard anything from the IAF or any other authorities and have only read media reports. We will reach out to authorities and engage with them to address any concerns that they might have," Xiaomi Vice President Hugo Barra told .

Earlier this year, security solutions provider F-Secure had, in a report, demonstrated how a Xiaomi Redmi 1S phone was sending data, including the user's IMEI, phone number, and phone numbers of contacts added to the phone book to a remote server.

Based on the report and inputs from Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the IAF note was prepared. Barra said the company collect data only with the user's permission to offer specific services like cloud. "We don't have a revolutionary product. Like many other messaging services, we also offer messaging, backup, cloud services to our customers. We also have the highest standards of encryption to ensure that users' data is safe," he added. He said the company has already started migrating data of its international users (non-Chinese) to data centres in the US and Singapore.

"The migration process, which began earlier this year, will be completed by the end of October and will benefit users in international markets, including our customers in India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan," he added. Xiaomi entered the Indian market in July this year with its Mi3 smartphone priced at Rs 13,999 through e-Commerce major Flipkart. It currently has another device Redmi 1S in the country. It is estimated that the firm has sold about half a million Redmi devices and 1.2 lakh Mi3 handsets.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Xiaomi,Indian Air Force,Hugo Barra

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

TCS sees digital services as over $5 bn opportunity

NEW DELHI: Country's largest IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) expects digital platforms like cloud, Big Data and mobility solutions to bring in cumulative revenues of over $5 billion in next few years.

Earlier, the Mumbai-based firm had said that it expects to do $5 billion cumulative business over the next three to four years from the "digital opportunity".

"The way to look at it is that, when I originally said it, I said that over the next three to four years we will do USD 5 billion cumulative. But now, I think we will do much more than that on a cumulative basis," TCS CEO and Managing Director N Chandrasekaran told analysts.

The run rate will not touch the USD 5 billion mark but it will definitely touch a few billion dollars, he added.

He said the opportunity is huge as most of the ADM work that is getting replaced or rationalised is moving into digital.

"Most of the infrastructure contracts come up with outsourcing of infrastructure to maintain the service levels in a managed services model, but with a transformation component to move to cloud infrastructure," he said.

And commoditised applications, when they are transitioned, customers are willing to look at application platforms which are cloud-based, he added.

"So, all these three facts will definitely move things to Digital," he said.

Chandrasekaran, who recently got a five-year extension, said at the announcement of the firm's second quarter results that TCS is contemplating whether to disclose numbers from the digital technologies stream.

For the July-September quarter, the Mumbai-based company posted 13.2% jump in its net profit at Rs 5,244 crore as against Rs 4,653.9 crore in the year-ago period.

Revenue jumped 13.5% to Rs 23,816 crore in the second quarter ended September 30 as compared to Rs 20,977 crore in the corresponding period of last year.

However, on a quarter-on-quarter basis, net profit was down by 5.8%, but revenue grew 7.7%.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Tata Consultancy Services,Digital Services,Chandrasekaran

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

10 top tech stories of the week

Here's a quick look at what made news in the world of technology in the week just gone by...

Google gives more control to Android, Chrome chief Sundar Pichai
Google chief executive officer Larry Page has made India-born Sundar Pichai in charge of some of the internet company's key products and services. Pichai will have oversight over products such as search, maps, Google+, commerce, advertising and infrastructure, according to a Google spokesman. Six executives who previously reported to Page, including the heads of research, social media and search, will now report to Pichai, according to a report.

The move is reportedly expected to free Page from having as many direct reports and product units to oversee and allow him to better focus on "the bigger picture".

Pichai, who has risen rapidly through the ranks since joining Google in 2004, is viewed by many industry insiders as potential CEO material. In addition to his duties overseeing the various products, Pichai will continue to lead Google's Android and Chrome software operating systems as well as Google's Apps business.

Google launches new email service dubbed 'Inbox'
Google Inc has launched a new email service called 'Inbox' that aims to better organize emails and display information such as appointments, flight bookings and package deliveries in a more user-friendly way.

The company is believed to be sending out invitations to selected Gmail users to try out the new service. Users can also email the company at inbox@google.com to get an invitation.

For now the new service will run alongside Gmail, which was launched in 2004. It will be available on the web as well as on Android smartphones and iPhones.

According to Google, Inbox enhances features that are already available in Gmail. It displays real-time updates to emails — for example, showing the delivery status of items bought online. It also shows reminders in a more accessible way that allows users to more easily keep track of chores and appointments.

Google has also revamped its Gmail app for Android. The app, which traditionally supported Google's own services, will now also support Yahoo and Outlook accounts.

Microsoft officially replaces Nokia name with Lumia
It's official, Microsoft has started the process of replacing the Nokia brandname with Microsoft Lumia. The rebranding exercise will start with France, with the company's regional social network accounts set to being renamed from Nokia to Microsoft Lumia.

The move comes shortly after Microsoft rebranded Nokia's native apps to Lumia and launched new Microsoft Mobile Devices site redirecting users from the Nokia.com mobile website.

In an interview, Tuula Rytila, senior vice president marketing for phones at Microsoft, said that Microsoft Lumia devices will soon see the light of the day. Rytila, however, did not specify a timeline for the launch.

The rebranding would be extended to devices, packaging and retail, which means Nokia stores would soon be rebranded to Lumia outlets. She also clarified that Microsoft will continue to sell and support the Nokia Lumia phones that are out in the market and will continue to honour customer warranties.

Also, Microsoft will continue to sell feature phones under the Nokia brand.

Facebook unveils anonymous chat app 'Rooms'
Social networking giant Facebook has launched an application that lets people create virtual "rooms" to chat about whatever they wish using any name they would like. The application puts a smartphone spin on chat forums that were popular venues for online discourse in early Internet days. Initially, the app has been introduced only in US and UK and restricted on iPhone and restricted to users in the US and UK. So, for now Android users will have to wait.

Meanwhile, on a visit to China this week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delighted students at a prestigious Beijing university by giving a 30-minute interview completely in Mandarin.

Apple releases iOS 8.1 with Apple Pay
The week saw Apple officially roll out iOS 8.1 update. The biggest addition to the new iOS update is support for Apple Pay on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models. Apple Pay is a new feature that allows you to make payments with your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple Pay is a new feature that allows you to make payments with your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

Other than Apple Pay support, iOS 8.1 fixes a handful of bugs that pertain to Wi-Fi connectivity among other issues. The update also allows iPhones and iPads to communicate with your Mac through a feature known as Handoff, which is new to iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite.

The company also posted a new security warning for users of its iCloud online storage service amid reports of a concerted effort to steal passwords and other data from people who use the popular service in China.

'Android One facing tough competition from Android devices'
Google's Android One devices have so far failed to take off in a big way in the Indian market, according to market analysts. Just over a month after Google launched smartphones under the Android One initiative in partnership with local handset makers Micromax, Karbonn and Spice, trade watchers suggest that sales haven't been encouraging.
Interestingly, the phones are facing tough competition from Android phones in the same price bracket.

Android One is a programme that promises a rich smartphone experience on low-cost devices. Google sets the minimum standards on hardware and software to be used by handset makers.

Twitter announces Digits, an alternative to password
At its first-ever developer conference, called Flight, Twitter announced a new service called Digits that aims to allow users to log into apps on their mobile devices without user ID and passwords.

Instead of the traditional email ID, Digits uses a text message to sign into an app, much like WhatsApp. When users sign up or log into an app, they will get a message with an authentication code on their phone. This code will be used by the app to confirm the user's identity.

Digits has already been rolled out in 216 countries and 28 languages and is available for Android, iOS and web platforms. The company said apps like McDonald's Alarm Clock, OneFootball, Resy and FitStar have already implemented Digits on their platform.

Microsoft is reportedly all set to launch smartwatch Software giant Microsoft is reportedly all set to join the smartwatch race. According to a report in Forbes, Microsoft is preparing to launch a smartwatch within the next few weeks that will passively track a user's heart rate and work across different mobile platforms. The wearable gadget's battery life will exceed two days of regular use.

Twitter 'fills' your timeline with unasked-for tweets
After months of speculations, Twitter this week officially started reconfiguring users' timelines with 'relevant' messages from people they haven't bothered to follow at the service.

Twitter said the plan, which has drawn resistance from some users, remained a 'timeline experiment' and might not make it to 100% of users. It said, however, that for now, users would not be able to opt out of the feature.
US court bans Indian-American Chet Kanojia's Aereo from streaming live TV to devices
Indian American Chet Kanojia's startup Aereo has suffered another legal setback. New York federal judge has barred embattled video streaming company from transmitting the programmes of television broadcasters live, blocking its bid to operate like a traditional cable system.

The ruling is another win for major broadcasters, whose copyrights the US Supreme Court said Aereo, violated in retransmitting the programming to subscribers' devices via the internet.

Aereo shuttered its service days after the high court's decision and has since been pushing the courts and regulators to see it as analogous to cable, eligible for a license under the Copyright Act.

Aereo's future became imperiled when the Supreme Court ruled on June 25 that the company had infringed broadcasters' copyrights by capturing live and recorded programmes through antennas and transmitting them to subscribers who paid $8 to $12 a month.

In an emergency plea to court in August, Aereo request that it be allowed to operate like a cable system. However, the request was denied.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Twitter,Nokia,Microsoft,Facebook,Apple

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 launched at Rs 20,900

NEW DELHI: Samsung has launched its biggest smartphone of the year, named Galaxy Mega 2, in the Indian market. This model replaces last year's Galaxy Mega 6.3 and Galaxy Mega 5.8 in the South Korean manufacturer's portfolio and costs Rs 20,900.

The new Samsung Galaxy Mega has a 6-inch screen with 720p resolution and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, but the Samsung website does not mention which company's chipset it has used. The phablet has 1.5GB RAM and comes with 8GB internal storage, with microSD support up to 64GB.

On the back of Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 is an 8MP rear camera, while a 5MP camera is positioned in the front. Connectivity suite of the phablet is consists of 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. The device is powered by a 2,800mAh battery.

At approximately Rs 21,000, Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 competes against the likes of HTC Desire 816, Nokia Lumia 1320 and Sony Xperia T2 Ultra.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 price,Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 in India,Samsung Galaxy Mega 2,Samsung

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

HP seeks buyers for corporate-networking business in China: Report

CHINA: Hewlett-Packard has begun sounding out private-equity firms in China to buy its corporate-networking business in the country, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

HP is expected to sell at least 51% of the business, H3C Technologies, which could be worth roughly $5 billion in a full sale, the business daily said.

HP declined to comment on the report.

The buyer likely needs to be based in China if the deal is to win Chinese government approval, the newspaper reported.

Another Chinese technology company could also buy H3C, a major supplier of corporate data-networking gear in the country, although it is more likely to be sold to a private equity group, the Journal said, without naming any of the potential buyers.

US technology companies such as Cisco Systems, IBM and Microsoft are facing challenges in China due to a backlash after revelations about US government surveillance programs.

HP, which wants to continue using H3C's low-cost manufacturing, may retain a sizable minority stake in the business in any deal, the Journal said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Microsoft,IBM,Hewlett-Packard,H3c technologies,Chinese government

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India's mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.

21.43 | 0 komentar | Read More