How to Get Free 2GB as Bonous in Google Drive Storage Last Date 2016 February 11

How to Get Free 2GB as Bonous in Google Drive Storage Last Date 2016 February 11

Google is offering 2GB Bonous in Google Drive Storage, To get this offer you have to Security check-up before 2016 February 11.

Google shut down Helpouts on 2015 April 20

Yesterday Mid Night I received a mail from Google Helpouts Team, that they are going to shut down the Google Helpouts on 2015 April 20. 

Hi,

We have some sad news to share with you today: Helpouts will be shutting down on April 20th, 2015. While this announcement was just posted on our site, we wanted you to hear the news directly from us.

Since launching in 2013, Helpouts has been a home for people to connect with experts on topics they want to learn about or seek advice and solutions to everyday problems. The Helpouts community includes some engaged and loyal contributors, but unfortunately, it hasn't grown at the pace we had expected. Sadly, we've made the tough decision to shut down the product.

Starting April 20th, you'll be able to download your Helpouts history using Google Takeout (available until November 1st, 2015). Until then, you can email us with any questions or concerns you have about your account or take a look at these FAQs.

We want to thank you for your support—both the providers who shared their expertise with the world, and the people who needed some extra help or advice along the way. You've had a lot to contribute—and we've loved learning alongside you.

Our best wishes,
The Helpouts Team

Wi-Fi Virus - Chameleon

 

LONDON: Researchers have shown for the first time that Wi-Fi networks can be infected with an 'airborne' virus that can move as efficiently as the common cold.

Researchers at the University of Liverpool in UK designed and simulated an attack by a virus, called "Chameleon" on Belfast and London in a lab setting . They found that not only could it spread quickly between homes and businesses, but it was able to avoid detection.

Experts found that "Chameleon" behaved like an airborne virus, travelling across the Wi-Fi network via Access Points (APs) that connect households and businesses to WiFi networks. "When "Chameleon" attacked an AP, it was able to collect and report the credentials of all other Wi-Fi users who connected to it. The virus then sought out other Wi-Fi APs that it could connect to and infect," said Alan Marshall, professor of Network Security at the University.

source : http://www.techgig.com/readnews.php?category=IT+Security&tgnews_link=http%3A%2F%2Fcio.economictimes.indiatimes.com%2Fnews%2Fdigital-security%2Fwi-fi-virus-that-spreads-like-common-cold%2F31081324%3Futm_source%3DRSS%26utm_medium%3DETRSS&tg_type=rss&tgnews_id=45946

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Google Glass may be close to a UK release

Google Glass vs driving - it's the latest battle for Google's wearable tech, despite the fact it isn't even available to buy yet.

While it was starting to look like Glass on the road would be a no-no by the time it arrived in the UK, The Sunday Times reports that Google has been negotiating with the UK Department of Transport to make its glasses road-ready.

Google making moves to have Glass safe for British roads suggests that it could be gearing up for a UK release reasonably soon.
U-turn

Last year the Department for Transportation (DfT) said that it was in discussion with the police to make sure that people would not use Glass and other similar devices while driving. But going on what it's saying now, it seems like Google may have persuaded it to change its mind.

"We have met with Google to discuss the implications of the current law for Google Glass," said a DfT source.

"Google are anxious their products do not pose a road safety risk and are currently considering options to allow the technology to be used in accordance with the law."

A spokesperson for the DfT told TechRadar that a conversation had indeed taken place, but declined to comment further.

Right now we're expecting Google Glass to launch at least in the US towards the middle of 2014.

Will you pass on Glass? Don't make any decisions until you've read our hands on review

thanks to : http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Google-Glass-may-be-close-to-a-UK-release-21043

Android smartphones consume more data

Android smartphones are kind of like Hummers. Reminiscent of the oversize, gas-guzzling SUV's, Androids have the biggest screens and tend to use much more data than other types of smartphones, including iPhones. And that higher data usage could rack up heftier phone bills.

So why does Android use more data? The reasons are multifold. The most obvious is that Android phones tend to have the largest screens, so they download bigger files and video with more pixels, says Chetan Sharma , a telecom analyst.

Another factor is that Android is less efficient at managing apps than Apple's iOS. For instance, multiple Android apps may be running in the background with things like location data being collected, he said.

Also, Android users typically don't upgrade their operating systems as frequently as iOS users, so their smartphones may not receive fixes improving data management, he said.

Jan Dawson, an independent telecom analyst who previously worked for Ovum, noted that the data traffic numbers may also reflect the profiles of the people who choose Android versus those who choose iPhones. People with larger Android phones are more likely to skip buying a tablet, whereas iPhone owners may be buying iPads and consuming a lot of content there.

thanks to : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/computing/Why-Android-smartphones-consume-more-data/articleshow/28539893.cms

Winamp Media Player is Shutting Down on 20th December 2013

Winamp was created by Nullsoft in 1997 as a community supported media play and disruptor in the digital media space. Winamp supports music playback using MP3, MIDI, MOD, MPEG-1 audio layers 1 and 2, AAC, M4A, FLAC, WAV and WMA. Lead by Justin Frankel and his merry band of developers, Winamp soon became one of the most popular media player. On 20th November 2013, AOL announced that Winamp.com would shut down on 20th December 2013, and the software would no longer be available for download after that date.

Google plans to hire more female engineers

Search engine Google is aiming to increase the number of female computer engineers in order to reduce the gender gap in the industry. 

Co-founder Larry Page in his address during the I/O conference, said that the company is focused on recruiting more women 'forever' so as to ensure that the company is not all male. 

In a report by CNN, Page suggested that more young girls and women need to be directed towards technology, which will undoubtedly double the rate of progress. 

Google Vice president Megan Smith said that visibility of technical women has always been the company's priority because in the past years women representation was low at the company's developer conference. 

The report further added that Google held a Women Techmakers social for female I/O attendees before the conference to create projects using littleBits and arts and craft supplies. 

Smith indicated that part of the problem of having less female presence in the technology sector is the poor PR because women didn't think the field is interesting or that they too can be good at it, the report said.

Source : http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Google-plans-to-hire-more-female-engineers-18254?

BitTorrent announces cloud storage and sharing service Sync

Cloud backup services are popping up everywhere these days, with even BitTorrent now jumping onto the cloud craze. BitTorrent has announced a new cloud backup service it calls Sync, and though it of course has plenty of similarities with other cloud services out there, Sync offers a couple key differences. By using Sync, you’re actually using BitTorrent’s servers to transfer files from one device to another.

This has a number of benefits, as it means you won’t be subject to size restrictions like you are with other services. One of the major headaches with services like Dropbox and SkyDrive is that you’re limited in how much you can have in your synced folders – for Dropbox, for instance, you get 2GB of free space, and that runs out quick when you’re trying to sync multiple video files at once. Once you’ve hit that cap, you’ll need to shell out some cash if you want more space.

That’s not a major complaint, as these are companies that exist to make money after all. BitTorrent’s Sync, on the other hand, is free to use. You won’t have to worry about limits on the amount you can transfer from one device to another, which probably sounds like a Godsend to those who constantly have to rely on cloud services to move files between devices. 

As cool as it sounds, there’s one slight problem: BitTorrent Sync isn’t available to use just yet (unless you love pre-alpha testing). It’s currently in the testing stages, but it shouldn’t be more than a few months before Sync is available to BitTorrent users. What do you think of this new cloud service from the people behind BitTorrent?

Source : http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/BitTorrent-announces-cloud-storage-and-sharing-service-Sync-16846 

New version of Internet addresses available in India

Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN) has started issuing next version ofInternet addresses 'IPv6', which would make it easy for security agencies to identify each Internet user.

The Internet addresses under the present version IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4), are limited and service providers often assign single IP address to many users, making it difficult to identify the end user.

"The number of IPv6 addresses available is enormous.ISPs (Internet Service Providers) can allocate an IP address to their users. People can be easily identified if they are using IPv6," APNIC Director (Services and Operations) Sanjaya said at the roadshow for new version IPv6 here today.

APNIC, which is one of the five authorised bodies for issuing Internet addresses, has recognised Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN) for issuing IP addresses in India.

"We are issuing IPv6 addresses at up to 60 per cent less than prevailing rates in the ongoing soft launch period. This is to test compatibility of hardware and softwares that has to be in place. In next couple of months we will launch industrial grade of IPv6," National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) Chief Executive Govind said.

IRINN has been set-up under the state-run NIXI. On new version IPv6, Internet Service Providers Association of India President Rajesh Charia said that the new addresses will be multiple times cheaper for companies than IPv4 addresses.

IRINN is issuing initial set-of IPv6 addresses in price range starting at Rs 21,999 compared to prevalent rate of around Rs 66,000 in Asia Pacific region.

On addressing security issues with the help of IPv6, Charia said, "Government will have to ensure that the new equipment and devices that are produced or imported in the country are at least IPv6 enabled."

At present, there is no import restriction on devices and equipment that do not comply with IPv6 standards.

Source : http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/New-version-of-Internet-addresses-available-in-India-16232

ET Review: Sony Xperia SL

Cost: Rs 32,549

Rating: * * *

Specifications: 4.3-inch (1280 x 768 pixels), 1.7Ghz dual core, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 12MP/1.3MP camera, Android 4.0, 144 grams, 1750 mAh

Positives: Pin-sharp display, well built and stylish, high quality stills from the 12MP camera

Negatives: Steep price, no expandable storage, confusing feather touch Android buttons, poor quality video recording

NEW DELHI: Back in 2011, when Sony Ericsson launched the Xperia Arc and its successor, the Xperia Arc S, they were doing hardware upgrades to make sure that the devices could hold their ground against increasing competition. Along the same lines, Sony has now launched the Xperia SL, successor to the Sony Xperia S.



The SL is a replica of the Xperia S in terms of design but has an upgraded processor. It is still a great looking phone, but continues with the oddly-placed feather touch Android buttons that are a pain to get used to. The 4.3-inch touchscreen is responsive & thanks to the enhanced 1280 x 720 resolution, it is pin-sharp & boasts of a higher resolutuion than the iPhone's Retina display (342 vs 330 pixels per inch).

The performance is great with the faster 1.7Ghz dual core processor, but there is no visible difference between the Xperia S and the SL's performance on a day-to-day usage.

Existing owners of the Xperia S have no reason to upgrade.



It also features the same 12MP camera as the Xperia S. The camera starts quickly, autofocus locks on in an instant and the pictures have rich colors with sharp details. However, the phone's video recording capabilities are disappointing.

The videos are good to view on the phone, but when viewed on a large TV, they lacked details and seemed blurry. With calling, audio/video, camera and social networking, the phone's battery lasts less than a day — be prepared to carry a charger around since the battery is not removable.



Even though the hardware has been upgraded significantly, the Xperia SL seems pricy compared to new (and very capable) quad core smartphones from Samsung, LG and HTC. We recommended that you spend just a little more and go for the Samsung Galaxy SIII. It has a larger 4.8-inch screen, faster quad core processor, expandable storage, better overal camera as well as better battery life.


Pictures courtesy: www.sonymobile.com
source : http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/ET-Review-Sony-Xperia-SL-16227

Infosys: IT sector to see slowdown in hiring

With global economy facing challenging times, the Indian IT industry is expected to grow at a lower pace of 11 per cent this fiscal, Infosys Executive Co-Chairman S Gopalakrishnan said.

He added that last fiscal, the country's IT industry grew by 16-17 per cent despite global IT industry went up by 5.4 per cent.

"Global economy is going through challenging times, it will have some impact (on IT industry growth). The projection for IT industry growth is 11 per cent for current fiscal," Gopalakrishnan told reporters on the sidelines of an IT event held here.

Slow growth in IT sector will also also cause slowdown in employment generation in the industry, though the industry will add jobs, he said.

"Right now because the (IT) growth is slow, there will be a slowdown in addition of jobs. But even (under) this environment, industry will be adding 2.5 lakh jobs this year," he said.

Indian IT industry, which contributes 7.5 per cent to the country's economy, gives direct employment to 25 lakh people, he said.

He, however, termed the slowdown in economy as temporary phenomenon, he expressed confidence that the IT industry's revenue will reach $300 billion by 2020 with total employment generation reaching 5-6 million jobs.

The revenue of Indian IT sector for 2011-12 is pegged at $100 billion with over 70 per cent of IT exports in US and Europe.

Stating that global economy may not turnaround in next 2-3 years, he asked the IT sector to expand in emerging markets like Russia, China, Indonesia and Mexico.

"If you look at global economy, it will probably be challenged for about 2 to 3 years. It will not turnround that far. (Country's) IT industry may turnaround faster if u are able to take advantage of other markets, emerging markets like China, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey. These (countries) are going faster," he said.

Speaking about trends in the IT sector, Gopalakrishnan said Indian IT companies would continue to make investments in creating Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), while mergers and acquisitions deals in this space would expand further.

He, however, advised IT industry representatives to focus on quality services and investment in creation of talent pool to put this sector to growth trajectory.

Source : http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Infosys-IT-sector-to-see-slowdown-in-hiring-16201

Intel needs a visionary like Steve Jobs?

Wanted: Visionary CEO to help world-class chipmaker expand beyond struggling personal computer market into tablets and smartphones. Experience with cutting-edge manufacturing plants and $10 billion annual capital expenditures a plus.

Intel raised eyebrows on Wall Street and inSilicon Valley this week when it said it will consider an outsider to take over from outgoing Chief Executive Paul Otellini, potentially ending a four-decade tradition of internal succession. Some analysts took that as a sign the top global chipmaker might be considering a transformative hire.

Intel came under fire during Otellini's tenure for missing out on the mobile revolution, insisting that emerging markets would prop up growth while underestimating the scale of the eventual drop-off in personal computer demand, and orchestrating a push on " Ultrabook" laptops that have so far failed to excite consumers.

A future leader not steeped in Intel's insular culture could potentially open the chipmaker's prized factories for the first time to outside customers like Apple Inc or pursue other new strategies to expand into tablets and smartphones, said analyst Nathan Brookwood of Insight 64, a consulting firm. But any investor hoping Intel will hire an outsider with a dramatic solution to the top chipmaker's PC plight may be out of luck, experts say.

While the idea of an iconic visionary like Steve Jobs stepping in to lift Intel into the mobile market - its Achilles heel - may sound attractive, it could open the chipmaker to new risks should it waver from its traditional focus on hard-core manufacturing.

Gurus with the experience to run a company with $53 billion a year in sales, a $10 billion capital spending budget and cutting-edge chip manufacturing plants are few and far between - and even rarer outside of Intel, which is struggling with falling PC sales and meager progress in mobile computing. "If you bring someone in who hasn't run chip companies it's going to be very difficult because Intel is somewhat unique," said Patrick Henry, CEO of Entropic Communications, which makes chips for home entertainment. "It would probably surprise me if they didn't hire one of the internal guys."

Silicon Valley peer Hewlett-Packard Co exemplifies the risks of a poorly thought-out external hire, recruiters and analysts say. During his tumultuous 11-month tenure, former software CEO Leo Apotheker engineered the widely panned $11 billion acquisition of Autonomy, which HP accused this week of accounting wrongdoing enroute to swallowing an $8.8 billion charge. He also presided over several quarters of lackluster financial results.

"I don't think (Intel) needs a 180-degree transformation. You don't want somebody like a Leo Apotheker coming on and being your complete undoing," said JMP analyst Alex Gauna. "Because of how badly things have gone for HP, the most probable scenario for (Intel) at the end of all this in May is that it looks very much the same."

But Mel Connet, a tech industry executive recruiter at Heritage Search Partners in Menlo Park, California, said Intel's culture needs a shakeup that justifies looking for an outside candidate, while being mindful of the HP example. "My only advice would be not to use the same search firm that HP used," said Connet, whose firm has not been contracted by Intel for its search.

Inside contenders
Chief Operating Officer Brian Krzanich, who is Intel's manufacturing guru, is frequently mentioned by Intel employees as a strong contender to become CEO, partly because manufacturing is at the heart of Intel and previous chief executives have been promoted from the COO position. Chief Financial Officer Stacy Smith is well known by financial analysts and many favor him, believing he is the best bet for keeping Intel stable.

The company's other executive vice presidents are Renee James, who is in charge of Intel software; Intel Capital head Arvind Sodhani; and Dadi Perlmutter, head of Intel's push into mobile. They are well respected but are mentioned less often as potential picks. Sanford Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon said a CEO hired from the ranks would have instant credibility among the company's tight-knit workforce, which includes over 4,000 PhDs. "There's no silver bullet. The issue here is not any sort of miss-execution on their part," said Rasgon. "Their market is changing beneath their feet."

Otellini's decision to retire, announced Monday, caught the board unprepared to replace him, Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy has said. All of Intel's previous CEO successions were planned long in advance, leaving no room for instability. While Intel said it would include external candidates in its search for a new CEO, it also announced the promotion of Krzanich, Smith and James to executive vice presidents, suggesting that they remain serious potential candidates.

Mulloy has said Intel veterans will have a natural advantage in winning the CEO position because they are familiar with the company's manufacturing-intensive business model and insular, engineering culture.

Tattered alliance
The Santa Clara, California-based company has long been king of PC chips, particularly through its historic "Wintel" alliance with Microsoft, which led to breathtakingly high profit margins and an 80 percent market share. Its cutting-edge fabrication plants are the envy of rivals likeSamsung Electronics Co Ltd and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), and helped it cement its leadership over decades.

But more recently, Intel has struggled to adapt its powerful PC processors for battery-powered smartphones and tablets, and Wall Street increasingly worries the chipmaker may be left behind in the fast-growing mobile market. It has pinned its mobile hopes on its superior manufacturing technology, but that strategy has yet to pay off. To date Intel's market share for smartphones is less than 1 percent, trailing Qualcomm Inc and Samsung.

Since all but a handful of US chipmakers have shuttered their fabrication plants in the past two decades and outsourced production overseas, few executives have experience planning and running advanced plants that cost nearly $10 billion each to build. "The perfect choice, which I don't think exists right now, is somebody who can manage massive fabs - and also mobility. They don't exist outside of Samsung, and that's just not going to happen. There's a culture clash," said Patrick Moorhead, of Moor Insights & Strategy.

Insight 64's Brookwood believes a "Lou Gerstner-type" of executive with a fresh approach could shake up Intel but said such a candidate need not come from outside. Gerstner left RJR Nabisco to run International Business Machines Corp in 1993 and is widely seen as saving the struggling technology giant by focusing on IT services instead of products, in a radical shift.

Intel believes its manufacturing strength is its key to succeeding in mobile computing, even if it takes a while for that strategy to pay off. Gauna said Intel's future CEO should stick to that strategy, although it would be good for that person to have better ties to the mobile world as well as software companies seen as vital for tablets and smartphones.

For example, Intel-based smartphones running the Android platform debuted just this year but could have been launched sooner had Otellini been more aggressive, Gauna said. "How they weave in the software strategy and the partnerships within the software and (manufacturing customer) marketplace - that's where it gets really interesting," Gauna said. "If I could paint a picture of what it needs to look like I'd put my hat in the ring myself."

Bendable phone displays from Samsung soon: WSJ

South Korean manufacturer  Samsung is ready to begin mass production of smartphones with bendable screens, which will make the devices thinner, lighter and unbreakable.

This was revealed in a report by Wall Street Journal, which said that the company is currently in the last stages of developing these display panels, which make use of plastic, instead of glass. Samsung will continue to use its OLED display technology in these flexible display panels, but the use of plastic instead of glass will make the panels lighter, but more resilient.
The report also said that these panels will be showcased in the first half of 2013. Lee Chang-Hoon, the vice president of Samsung's display division, said that the South Korean manufacturer is presently testing the new displays with a small group of consumers. However, it is yet to be revealed when Samsung will launch the first devices with this bendable, flexible display. The company also refused to state how much it spent in developing this display technology.

Such bendable display panels are not new, but their mass production is a major breakthrough. LG and Sony have previously showcased their own flexible display panels, but were unable to bring them into mainstream production for bulk sales. Apple's recently launched iPhone 5 has in-cell screen touch sensors embedded in the LCD panel itself.

GE to hire engineers for R&D jobs in India

General Electric (GE) will make an additional investment of $60 million in its technology centre in Bangalore over the next three years and take the headcount in the centre to 5,000 by the end of this financial year. The centre currently has over 4,500 people doing cutting edge research and development in areas like energy, healthcare and aviation and is GE's largest integrated multidisciplinary R&D centre outside the US.

The $147-billion company's MD for the India technology centre, Gopichand Katragadda, said here on Thursday that new hiring would focus on senior level positions to further deepen the technological strength of the centre. "We have what we call chief engineers, who are people who finally clear designs of products, and principal engineers who support the chief engineers. We will increase the numbers of these engineers," he said. There is one chief engineer each for aviation and energy in India now; globally, GE has 15 in aviation and 20-25 in energy.

Over the past two years, the centre has developed some 30 products for the Indian market, notably low wind turbines, air circuit breakers, portable ECG machines, and maternal-infant care products like baby warmers. In many of these, the focus has been on keeping costs down through frugal engineering. "The products developed here now account for 10% of our India revenue," Katragadda said. GE does not disclose country specific revenue.

The target is to add another 30 products by 2015. The focus on energy and healthcare products will continue and GE plans to add sensing, locomotive and signaling products, the last two if it wins the bid for the Indian Railways' upcoming order for locomotives.

Katragadda said more of the R&D hiring in the coming years would happen at its Hyderabad and Pune facilities. Hyderabad already has about 1,000 employees. In Pune, the company is establishing a manufacturing plant at a cost of $200 million - to manufacture a range of products including wind turbines, sensing products, gas engine components and aviation components. The plant will be operational in the third quarter of 2013. Katragadda plans to co-locate an R&D facility there.

GE's 12-year-old R&D operation in India has filed 1,850 patent applications, of which over 350 have been granted. More than 800 of the filings have happened in just 2011 and 2012. "Earlier only our research staff were filing patents, now our engineering teams too are doing it, so the numbers have risen sharply. Our per capita patent filings are as good as any of our other global centre," Katragadda said.

For GE's global operations, India has done work in areas such as wind micrositing - helping choose the type of wind turbine to use and its exact position in a wind farm; improving fuel efficiency in locomotives - by understanding signaling conditions and when to accelerate, brake; plant optimization; and healthcare imaging.

Katragadda said future work will focus on building all-glass wind turbines (glass is cheaper than the alloys that are used now), biomass gasification, wind-solar hybrid systems (enables solar to be used during day and wind at night), improving rural water (there is a lot of arsenic in water now), and ultrasound machines that would automate foetal measurement and reporting so that they could be used by untrained people.

India‘s Silicon Valley: 9 things to know

At $100 billion-plus, India's IT-BPO industry is large. However, largely focussed on the low-end services delivery, it neither has the heft nor the glamour that Silicon Valley in the US enjoys. That may be changing slowly.

A just-released report by IT consultancy firm Zinnov reveals that IT product start-ups in India have been growing steadily over the years. Since 1990, it is estimated that more than 3,400 product start-ups were seeded in India. Between now and 2015, Zinnov expects about 1,000 new start-ups to join in.

On many counts, India almost mirrors what is happening in Silicon Valley. A large percentage of founders of start-ups in the US are from pedigreed top-notch IT companies like Google and Apple, who quit their jobs to turn entrepreneurs. This is happening in India too. For example, Pratyush Prasanna, founder of Plustxt, a start-up focusing on mobile messaging, has honed his skills at Microsoft and Xerox.

Globally, online services occupy a big focus area for product start-ups. In India too, this is the biggest chunk, comprising 34% of start-ups. Further, globally, these start-ups are increasingly looking at having a ubiquitous presence across platforms — from Windows to Android and iOS. In India too this is clearly visible. In fact here, many start-ups are also looking at Java as there is a sizeable population using Java-based phones. Start-ups in India, like their global counterparts, are working on cloud, looking beyond the Web.

Surprisingly, India does comparatively well on the gender diversity front in these start-ups. In Silicon Valley, around 10% of the start-ups have women as co-founders. In India that stands at about 6%. There is an area where India has some catching up to do, says Kishan M Bhat, engagement manager, Zinnov Consulting: "About 20% of the founders in Silicon Valley are freshers straight out of college. In India, that figure stands at 7%."

Here's a flavour of India's fledgling Silicon Valley, the start-ups it is nurturing and the entrepreneurs who are making it all happen, from Zinnov's report.

The start-up boom
The Rise: The number of product start-ups being seeded in India every year has been rising steadily. In the next three years, about 1,000 start-ups could get seeded in India

Where is the boom
There are 3,402 product companies. Bangalore and the National Capital Region remain the hub, accounting for over half of these start-ups. While Bangalore's dominant position is understandable, it is NCR's infrastructure that makes it such an attractive place for incubating product start-ups. The NCR, according to the report, includes Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Chandigarh and Mohali. Bangalore includes Bangalore city, Mysore, Belgaum, Gulbarga and Hubli.

Web vs cloud
While almost half (47%) of the start-ups in India today are working on Web-based platforms, there is a shift to cloud. The latter allows start-ups to get started with very small capital and to scale up quickly.

Fund fundamentals
Source of Funding: Early-stage funding in India is today looking brighter than ever before. It has gone up from $44 million in 2005 to $1.1 billion in 2011.

Best cities to get funding for your start-up
During 2005-12, 446 (19%) of the total 2,407 companies got funded. Of these, 149 were in Bangalore and 117 in NCR — about 58%. About 66% of the companies obtained funding within three years. Interestingly, a sixth got funding in the year of inception.

Sectoral focus
Online services remain the biggest focus area for these start-ups, mirroring what is happening globally.

Start-ups and their founders
Experienced vs Freshers: Of the start-ups founded in 2009-12, more than 55% of the founders had less than 10 years of experience. The start-up itch is higher among executives with under 15 years of experience.

Gender diversity In 2009-12, 1,282 start-ups were seeded in India. About 6% or 80 of them had women as co-founders. About 35% of these women co-founders are based in Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Start-up hubs
VC Funding: US attracts about 70% of global VC investment. Canada, Europe and Israel are stagnating or contracting while India shows modest growth, and China is close to emerging as the No. 2 global hub.

Source : http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/India-s-Silicon-Valley-9-things-to-know-16173

Touch-screen desktops: A hazard to your health

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is floating around extolling the virtues of Windows 8. Reviewers are giving more positive reviews than negative reviews. Smart people I know have actually changed their minds, agreeing that Windows 8 is great. Life is good at Microsoft.

That said, I personally do not like it. I specifically dislike the idea of full-screen apps running on 27-inch screens. Will I like it more if the desktop PC becomes a touch-screen PC where the advantages of touch come to the fore? No.

First off, I need to remind people that both touch-screen laptops and touch-screen PCs have come and gone in this marketplace. Sure, they were somewhat different, but the reasons for the disappearance are the same.

HP had a touch-screen machine pro-Windows during the DOS era. It failed miserably in the market. One of the first laptop inventions in 1982 was the Gavilan computer with a touch panel called the "solid state mouse," which required users to hold their arm in the air and move things around much like with a touch pad. This motion was annoying and helped scuttle the machine.

The HP machine was also a 1980s era machine with the same problem. Using any touch system that is not on the lap or flat on the desk invites "mouse shoulder," a form of tendonitis. This can also develop from using the mouse improperly, which I unfortunately experienced some years back. It's an incredibly miserable ailment that can take six months to a year to resolve itself, during which you can barely move the shoulder.

This is going to happen with these touch screens—not the touch screen on the phone, and not the touch screen on the tablet, but with desktop touch screens and some notebook touch screens. I predict there will be a huge increase in the number of tendonitis claims and the companies, possibly including Microsoft, will find themselves in a legal tangle because of it.

Carpal tunnel syndrome almost destroyed the business once already and finally people learned new habits to stave it off. This resulted from pounding on improperly designed keyboards. There were a lot of lawsuits and people were in agony.

This new touch screen phenomenon can result in the same mess. Suspending your arms in mid-air to poke at the screen is like some Gitmo torture technique. Print this article out and keep it for reference. It will take about eight months before touch screens for the desktop begin to make some inroads so this problem will emerge in about two years, unless the public rejects the devices as they should.

Source : http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Touch-screen-desktops-A-hazard-to-your-health-16165

Google‘s Android is eating Apple‘s lunch

Smartphones and tablets powered by Google's  Android software are devouring the mobile gadget market, eating into Apple's turf by feeding appetites for innovation and low prices, analysts say.

The Android operating system powered nearly three out of four smartphones shipped worldwide in the recently ended quarter as the mobile platform dominated the market, according to industry trackers at IDC.

"Android has been one of the primary growth engines of the smartphone market since it was launched in 2008," said IDC's mobile phones research manager Ramon Llamas.

"In every year since then, Android has effectively outpaced the market and taken market share from the competition."

In tablets, Apple's market share has fallen to just over 50 percent from 65 percent in the second quarter as Android devices gain ground, according to IDC figures.

"Having a lot of people building a lot of things covering a lot of price points with multiple brands in multiple places makes a big difference," said NPD Group analyst Stephen Baker.

"Variety is strength when it comes to moving units."

Android smartphones shipments surged to 136 million, topping those in the same three-month period last year by slightly more than 90 percent, IDC reported.

Samsung's Galaxy S3 overtook Apple's iPhone 4S in the third quarter to give the South Korean firm the world's best-selling smartphone model for the first time ever, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

"The pace of innovation in Android is faster than Apple," said Gartner vice president of mobile computing Ken Dulaney. "They are just trying harder; Apple is way behind in that area."

Android is benefiting from being an "open-source" platform that gadget makers use free of charge and improve as they deem fit, providing Google with insights along the way.

Apple tightly controls its products from the software to the hardware and even the online shop for music, books, games or other content.

"What you get with Android is this incredible feedback loop with developers, equipment makers, customers, and designers," Dulaney said.

"At Apple, as long as they have a great vision internally it is fine but they don't have the feedback Android does."

Having thousands of different Android devices vying for consumers' cash is a strength when it comes to market share but puts hardware makers into a fiercely competitive arena, Baker noted.

"Other than Samsung, I don't know if other Android guys are making money," the analyst said.

Google gives Android away free, but the platform is crafted to make it easy for people to use the California Internet titan's money-making services such as search and maps, and get content at its online Google Play shop.

Forrester analyst Charles Golvin said that forces powering Android momentum include changing demographics of smartphone buyers.

Early adopters of smartphones focused more on new technology than on price, but the devices have gone mainstream with cost increasingly important to shoppers, according to Golvin.

"People are more inclined toward the Android platform because there is more choice and most of that choice is low price," Golvin said.

The open nature of Android and the myriad models offered by gadget makers serve as a "double-edged sword," warned the analyst.

Apple pushes annual updates of iOS mobile operating system out to its devices, while new versions of Android hit more often but must get through hardware makers and telecom services to get onto people's handsets.

"You have this lengthy chain of intermediaries who are delaying the delivery of that new software and its innovations to existing devices in the market," Golvin said.

He backed his point by noting that many Android devices in use still run on generations-old versions of the operating system.

Android gadget variety can also make it tough to design accessories or even "apps" that can be used across the array of devices.

For its part, Google has done an excellent job of improving the "ecosystem" of music, films, apps, books and more available for Android-powered devices, according to analysts.

In the red-hot tablet market effectively created by the iPad, strong growth is being seen by Android rivals including Amazon's popular Kindle Fire and Nook devices from Barnes & Noble, which run custom versions of the software.

Analysts believe that the Google-backed operating system is likely to spread to typically "dumb" gizmos like appliances.

"These platforms are becoming the molecule elements for building all kinds of hybrid devices," Dulaney said.

source : http://www.techgig.com/tech-news/editors-pick/Google-s-Android-is-eating-Apple-s-lunch-16160

Facebook launches 'LinkedIn-type' app

SYDNEY: Facebook has launched a new application that connects candidates with job vacancies and recruiters on the world's largest social networking site.

The new service claims more than 1.7 million jobs from partners including Monster Worldwide and BranchOut, the company said on its website.

"Facebook is all about connecting people and we're thrilled to see developers leveraging our platform to connect job seekers and prospective employers," Marne Levine, Facebook's vice president for global public policy, said in a statement.

"By allowing job seekers to view and share job openings based on personalised criteria, like location and industry, the Social Jobs Application builds on our broader effort to help people use social media to find jobs in the US," Levine added.

The online app follows Facebook's introduction of the Social Jobs Partnership last year with the US Department of Labor and other agencies, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
According to the paper, the new app by Facebook is a direct challenge to LinkedIn, the popular business social network.

Source : http://www.techgig.com