Friday, March 24, 2017

Opera Mini gets redesigned for faster browsing, to cater to Android users in India

Opera Mini gets redesigned for faster browsing, to cater to Android users in India

A new update for Opera Mini on Android has been announced which includes new features specially designed for Indian smartphone users. The new version 23 has been updated with features that focus on content distribution, engagement, and accessibility. According to Opera, the new update will also help users get the content they want faster than before.
The new Opera Mini browser will offer users the option to download files easier with its auto scan feature. Users can download files quickly and easily without accidentally clicking the unwanted pop-up ads. Basically when a user visits social media or video sites, the browser will automatically scan for direct download links under the Extreme Mode. The downloadable content will be directly available from a drop-down menu on the top rather than scrolling through the web page. Currently the auto scan feature works on Facebook, Pagalworld, Tubidy, DJPunjab and more are being added.
opera-mini-update (2)
The new Opera Mini app will also feature a built-in newsfeed feature. According to the company, it will be a more personal newsreader which will learn about people’s reading habits to provide more relevant content.
Other features on the new Opera Mini browser include compression of saved pages where the size of a page one saves will become as little as 10 percent of their original size, support for video boost when using Extreme mode which reduces up to 50 percent of data consumption when watching video and full-menu Facebook Android notification bar users get access to notifications without the need to open another app.
opera-mini-update (1)
“Mobile browsers are becoming the gateway to the internet users in India, and most of the users consume content on the small screen these days while on the move. There are challenges regarding limited bandwidth availability, content distribution and accessibility, ” says Nuno Sitima, Executive Vice President of the mobile business unit at Opera Software. “Opera has stepped up the game for browsers, introducing novel features such as video boost and built-in ad-blocker. With these handy new features, we want our users get the most out of the web.”
Publish date: March 24, 2017 12:28 pm| Modified date: March 24, 2017 12:28 pm

Cisco announces its first Made in India router

Cisco announces its first Made in India router

Reaffirming its commitment to investing further in the country, global networking giant Cisco on Thursday unveiled its first ‘Made in India’ router which can be used by small and medium businesses (SMBs) across multiple industries.
Unveiled in the presence of IT and Electronics Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the router, which will cost less than $1,500, is one of the most popular products in Cisco’s core switching portfolio worldwide which is fundamental to network connectivity.
“I would like to compliment the Cisco team that I had requested them to take the initiative of Make in India and today is a great product which will help internet in office space and other places which is a clear mark of digitising India,” Prasad told the gathering.
The global networking giant which is now focused on making a big foray into Cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and cyber security, recently launched its manufacturing operations in Pune and announced it would build Nagpur as Smart City with its Next-Gen solutions.
“I compliment John Chambers (Cisco Executive Chairman) and the entire team present here. They have established a big premises in Pune. Good luck and keep it up,” the minister added.
According to industry analysts, there are nearly 23 billion connected devices and the number is expected to double to over 50 billion by 2020 and Cisco is prepared to help governments and enterprises achieve this goal.
To achieve this, providing a secured ecosystem — from hardware to software — to the customers is the key.
“India is an incredible country for Cisco as it represents 360 degree value – a great growth opportunity, world class talent, and now an integral part of our global supply chain,” said John Kern, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Operations, and India Executive Sponsor, Cisco.
IANS
Publish date: March 23, 2017 7:48 pm| Modified date: March 23, 2017 7:48 pm

Hackers threaten to wipe “hundreds of millions” of iPhones, Apple says they can’t

Hackers threaten to wipe “hundreds of millions” of iPhones, Apple says they can’t

Reuters
A bunch of hackers calling themselves the “Turkish Crime Family” had threatened to wipe “hundreds of millions” of iPhones if Apple didn’t pay them money. Apple calls their bluff.
The hacker group claimed to have access to over 300 million Apple accounts (including @icloud.com accounts), some of the group claimed 559 million accounts. They demanded that Apple give them $75,000 in Bitcoin, Ether, or $100,000 in iTunes gift cards. Apple was given until 7 April to respond.
Motherboard spoke to the hackers and could not verify their claims. While the hackers claim to have the data, they could not furnish proof of possession. The hackers also showed Motherboard screenshots of alleged conversations with Apple support staff, but since they didn’t share the actual emails, the screenshots aren’t easy to trust.
Apple refused to comment on the issue till it conducted an investigation, which concluded today. Apple’s investigations have led them to conclude that Apple accounts are perfectly safe that that hackers never actually breached them.
Fortune has learned that Apple believes that the data claimed to be from the breach came from third-party sources that may have been compromised. However, the iPhone-maker does take the opportunity to remind users to use secure passwords, two-factor authentication and to not reuse the same password.
Publish date: March 23, 2017 3:07 pm| Modified date: March 23, 2017 3:07 pm

Nasa is using lasers to build an internet in space for near Earth as well as deep space missions

Nasa is using lasers to build an internet in space for near Earth as well as deep space missions

The LCRD. Image: Nasa.
In a step towards verifying the efficacy of laser communications for speedier data rates for connections between spacecraft and the Earth, Nasa said it is developing a trailblazing, long-term technology demonstration mission. The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) mission, scheduled for launch in 2019, will help Nasa understand the best ways to operate laser communications systems, the US space agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
They could enable much higher data rates for connections between spacecraft and the Earth, such as scientific data downlink and astronaut communications. “LCRD is the next step in implementing Nasa’s vision of using optical communications for both near-Earth and deep space missions,” said Steve Jurczyk, Associate Administrator of Nasa’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which leads the LCRD project.
Image: Nasa.
Image: Nasa.
“This technology has the potential to revolutionize space communications, and we are excited to partner with the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate’s Space Communications and Navigation program office, MIT Lincoln Labs and the U.S. Air Force on this effort,” Jurczyk said. Laser communications, also known as optical communications, encodes data onto a beam of light, which is then transmitted between spacecraft and eventually to Earth terminals.
This technology offers data rates that are 10 to 100 times better than current radio-frequency (RF) communications systems. Just as important, laser communication systems can be much smaller than radio systems, allowing the spacecraft communication systems to have lower size, weight and power requirements. Such capability will become critically important as humans embark on long journeys to the moon, Mars and beyond.
A Nasa scientists works on assembling the optical module of the LCRD. Image: Nasa.
A Nasa scientists works on assembling the optical module of the LCRD. Image: Nasa.
“LCRD is designed to operate for many years and will allow Nasa to learn how to optimally use this disruptive new technology,” Don Cornwell of the Space Communications and Navigation programme office at Nasa Headquarters said. “We are also designing a laser terminal for the International Space Station that will use LCRD to relay data from the station to the ground at gigabit-per-second data rates,” Cornwell said.
“We plan to fly this new terminal in 2021, and once tested, we hope that many other Earth-orbiting NASA missions will also fly copies of it to relay their data through LCRD to the ground,” Cornwell added. The LCRD team is led by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Partners include NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory.
Publish date: March 23, 2017 2:49 pm| Modified date: March 23, 2017 2:51 pm

The first Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 benchmarks are out and the results are a mixed bag

The first Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 benchmarks are out and the results are a mixed bag

Image: Qualcomm
Pick up any Android smartphone in the market today and chances are high that it’ll be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. Yesterday, the company revealed performance benchmarks for its latest and greatest SoC, the Snapdragon 835.
Some smartphone makers have taken to designing their own chips, Notably Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi, but Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon processors have always set the tone in the market. The 800-series Snapdragon chips are the cream of the crop.
An SoC (System-on-Chip) is an all-in-one chip that houses all the electronics your phone needs to function. This includes the modems for wireless connectivity, the processor for logical calculations, the storage unit, RAM, image-processing unit and so on.
Qualcomm, like other chipmakers, usually license processor core designs from ARM, a chip designer, and then integrates it into the SoC. Qualcomm’s expertise lies in designing a cohesive SoC, and they’re very good at it.
The Snapdragon 835 is the latest iteration of the SoC and as with the Snapdragon 820 before it, is expected to make its presence felt in every flagship device in the market this year.
Production issues have limited the availability of the new chip and Samsung, which is making the chips for Qualcomm, is also hogging the first production run for its own phones. Because of this, we haven’t yet seen any new smartphone with an SD 835 SoC, and don’t expect to see one until the Galaxy S8 arrives later this month.
Qualcomm unveiled the technical specifications of the new chip and some performance benchmarks to AnandTech at the company’s San Diego headquarters.
First, here’s how it stacks up against the Snapdragon 820:
SoCSnapdragon 835Snapdragon 820
CPU4xKryo 280 at 2.45GHz, 4xKryo 280 at 1.9GHz2x Kryo at 2.15GHz, 2x Kryo at 1.59GHz
GPUAdreno 540 at 710MHzAdreno 530 at 624MHz
RAMLPDDR4x at 1866MHzLPDDR4x at 1866MHz
Camera support1x 32MP or 2x 16MP1x 25MP or 2x 13MP
ModemSnapdragon X16 LTESnapdragon X12 LTE
Mfc. Process10nm LPE14nm LPP
As you can see, Qualcomm has now moved to an 8-core chip and a 10nm process. The clock speeds of the CPU and GPU are also faster, which should directly translate to improved performance. The new Snapdragon X16 modem now means that the platform supports download speeds up to 1000Mbps, not that any ISP actually offers those speeds.
The Kryo 280 CPU cores are not a direct upgrade to the 820’s Kryo cores however. Qualcomm designed the first Kryo cores in-house, and they were very good, offering a major performance bump over the ARM-designed Cortex cores that Qualcomm used in the Snapdragon 808 and 810.
The Kryo 280, however, is again an ARM-designed Cortex core, but with some modifications. As part of a new licensing regime, chip makers can now ask ARM to make some modifications to ARM’s Cortex cores. The rights to these modifications are owned by ARM, but will not be available to any other manufacturer. It’s not clear why Qualcomm choose to go this route rather than build their own cores, as they did previously.
Anandtech speculates that Qualcomm is using modified ARM Cortex A73 cores. The new Adreno 540 GPU is a Qualcomm design however.
So how does it fare? Anandtech ran a number of standardised benchmarks to determine the performance of the platform. It must be noted that the tests were conducted on Qualcomm-designed reference devices rather than commercially available device. These results may not indicate real world performance in phones like the Galaxy S8, especially as device manufacturers tend to introduce their own refinements to the design.
Image: Qualcomm
Image: Qualcomm
CPU-only tests reveal that the SD835 performs around 10-22 percent better than the SD820 and that it beats competitors by a slim margin. This is in integer tests, which is more relevant for web browsing and other day-to-day activities performed on your smartphone.
The platform does appear to falter in floating point operation tests, where it’s around 23 percent slower than SD821. This may not affect real world performance much.
Overall the SoC is better than most current SoCs on the market and even beats the iPhone 7 in some tests. The iPhone 7 still finds a way to sneak ahead in some tests though, particularly in JavaScript performance.
GPU tests are where the new chipset really shines. The Adreno 540 is already clocked around 14 percent higher than on its predecessor. Overall, performance appears to be over 25 percent better than before, concludes Anandtech. It also handily beats the iPhone 7 in these tests.
All things considered, it seems that the Snapdragon 835 is indeed faster than the generation it replaces. However, its performance is apparently very comparable to Huawei Mate 9’s Kirin 960 SoC.
Power consumption could not be tested.
Publish date: March 23, 2017 2:01 pm| Modified date: March 23, 2017 2:01 pm

Nearly 10 million Android devices have Potentially Harmful Apps says Annual Android security report

Nearly 10 million Android devices have Potentially Harmful Apps says Annual Android security report

According to the latest Android annual security report, more than 735 million devices from over 200 manufacturers have received platform security updates in 2016. The annual Android security report looks at data on Potentially Harmful Apps (PHAs) across Android devices. It also explains how the OS checks apps for unsafe behaviour and provide statistics on the state of software updates for Android devices.
If you are an Android user, you would know that Google releases monthly Android security updates and has been doing so for devices running Android 4.4.4 and up.
While half of devices at the end of 2016 did not receive a platform security update last year, the security team is working to update and streamline the program so that it is easier for manufacturers to push security updates.
android-security-report-blocked-PHA
The team also revealed that Android’s ‘Verify Apps’ feature conducted 750 million daily checks last year which is a significant update from 450 million the year before. The report also mentioned that the percentage of devices with PHAs went up in 2016 however the overall number was still low.
About 0.71 percent of all Android devices had PHAs installed at the end of 2016, which was 0.5 percent in the beginning of 2015. This means that out of the total 1.4 billion Android users nearly 10 million devices have potentially harmful applications installed.
android-security-report-blocked-PHA1
Publish date: March 23, 2017 1:37 pm| Modified date: March 23, 2017 7:32 pm

Facebook Live is rolling out for desktop users; allows livestream of games

Facebook Live is rolling out for desktop users; allows livestream of games

Image Credit: Facebook
Facebook users can now go live directly from their desktops using their webcams and also broadcast gameplay from their computers. According to a Facebook blog post on Wednesday, Facebook live on desktops was earlier available for pages only, but now the status update composer will feature a Live button also.
Facebook also added a new feature that makes it easy to use streaming software or external hardware when going live from a computer. “With this update, people can seamlessly share their screens, insert graphics, switch cameras, or use professional equipment in Facebook Live videos,” the social media giant said.
With this update, it is easier to stream your PC gameplay to friends and followers and engage with them while you play. “Opening up on desktop takes Facebook Live beyond Twitter and Periscope’s options, and brings it into competition with longer-running services like YouTube,” TechCrunch reported.
The report quoted Facebook as saying that the desktop streaming could be useful for activities like Q&As and vlogging where holding phone in hand could be inconvenient. “While the content on Live might not be great yet, and there’s been some troubling broadcasts of violence that Facebook promises it’s working to prevent, it’s still early for the medium,” the report added.
Publish date: March 23, 2017 12:57 pm| Modified date: March 23, 2017 12:57 pm

Google has finally added the ability to share files with Allo and make audio-only calls with Duo

Google has finally added the ability to share files with Allo and make audio-only calls with Duo

Google said on Wednesday it would offer an audio-only option on its Duo video calls service to help users communicate using poor-quality connections, and was adding a feature to permit file sharing in group chats on its Allo messaging App. The company launched Google Duo in August, providing video calls for users on Android and iOS, pitting it against Apple Inc’s FaceTime, Microsoft Corp’s video-calling app Skype and Facebook Inc’s Messenger.
Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, said audio-only calls on Duo would be available from Wednesday in Brazil, and would be rolled out to users around the world in the coming days. The audio-only calls would work well on all connection speeds and be data efficient, Google Vice President for Product Management Mario Queiroz said in a blog post after he announced the moves at a Google conference in Sao Paulo.
With more than 139 million people online, Brazil ranks among the top five internet populations in the world. In response to requests from users in countries like Brazil, Google said that Android users everywhere would be able to share documents and other files (.pdf, .docs, .apk, .zip, and mp3) with friends on Allo in group chats.
It also said it was rolling out two new features for Google Photos on Android and iOS to make backup and sharing easier on low connectivity. “Now your photos will back up automatically in a lightweight preview quality that’s fast on 2G connections and still looks great on a smartphone,” Queiroz said in the blog post announcing the new features.
When a stronger Wi-Fi connection becomes available, backed up photos would be replaced with high-quality versions, he added. Google also said it was adding a new location sharing feature in Google Maps to allow users to let friends and family know where they were and when they would arrive at their destination. Users can stop sharing that information at any time, Queiroz said.
Reuters
Publish date: March 23, 2017 12:05 pm| Modified date: March 23, 2017 12:05 pm

Earth Hour 2017: Power distribution company BSES urges citizens to support Earth Hour

Earth Hour 2017: Power distribution company BSES urges citizens to support Earth Hour

Image Credit: WWF, Earth Hour
Earth Hour, a worldwide movement organised by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) urges people to turn off all electrical devices for an hour once a year. These 60 minutes are dedicated to demonstrate the continued commitment against pollution, conserve electricity and to fight climate change. The movement was started in 2007 in Sydney and has captured the public imagination with the event simultaneously being celebrated at multiple places across the world. This year, it will be held on 25 March 2017 between 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM.
Gearing up to celebrate Earth Hour, the city’s largest discom, BSES, has urged citizens to switch off electrical appliances for an hour on March 25. The period between 8.30 PM and 9.30 PM will see millions across the world switch off appliances as part of the campaign spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to highlight climate change.
Last year, power consumption had come down by 230 MW in Delhi during the brief window. The city’s average daily power consumption comes to around 5,000 MW during the summer months. “BSES appeals to its customers to unequivocally support the event and voluntarily switch off their non-essential electricity on the March 25 for an hour starting 8.30 PM,” the power distribution company said in a statement.
With inputs from Press Trust of India.
Publish date: March 23, 2017 11:59 am| Modified date: March 23, 2017 11:58 am

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