Tuesday 30 July 2013

Cloud Gate — Chicago Millennium Park

Cloud Gate, a public sculpture is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.
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Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The sculpture and AT&T Plaza are located on top of Park Grill, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 by 66 by 42 feet (10 by 20 by 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons) Said to have been inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot (3.7 m) high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections

Cloud Gate, a public sculpture is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.
                                                                            source

For more images visit   Pics wonders


Friday 26 July 2013

Buyer‘s guide: Wi-Fi router within Rs 2,500


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I want to buy a Wi-Fi modem routerwithin a budget of Rs 2,500 to use with myMTNL connection. Please suggest a few models. 
—Sameer Sahu, Shubham Aggarwal, Kunal Rane 

If your broadband connection is from BSNL or MTNL, you will need an ADSL router which allows the line to be used for internet browsing and voice calls at the same time. These routers come with an RJ11 port into which you can connect your phone cable. For use within the confines of a single room you will be well-served by the ADSL modem routers that come from the service provider at a nominal fee and a fixed monthly rental.

If you want to buy your own, you could opt for any of the following ADSL models: TP-LINK TDW 8951ND (Rs 1,700), Buffalo Wireless N150 (Rs 2,100), Asus DSL-N 10E (Rs 2,200) and D-Link DSL-2750 U (Rs 2,300). All these modem routers come with a 3-year warranty; operate in the 2.4GHz range; support wireless speeds of up to 150Mbps; DSL modem speeds of 24Mbps; come with 4 LAN (RJ-45 ) ports and one for WAN (RJ-11 ) - and sport external antenna. The D-Link model is also equipped with a USB2.0 port to which you can connect external storage or even a printer. 

source:techgig

How to stop receiving ads on Gmail




Google users have been irked with the site sending them advertisements through emails in the Gmail account which appear along the legitimate emails. 

According to the Huffington Post, Google has recently included the feature of sorting emails as per their content in Primary, Social, Promotions and other categories and puts all the ad mails into its designated place. 
                         source

However for those who want to get rid of ad emails from their inbox, they can simply click the 'X' on each ad to remove it and Google , as it records the ad response behaviour, will soon realize the kind of ads a user does not want. 

Additionally, one can also click on the gear in the top-right on the main Gmail page and under the menu, click on 'Configure inbox' and just uncheck the box next to 'Promotions' and if wants to get rid of Gmail's new tabs altogether one can uncheck all of the boxes except 'Primary'. 

The report added that when the Promotions tab is disabled, the ads would still show up in the inbox and Google will show the ad one way or another.

source:Techgig

Thursday 25 July 2013

Facebook Q2 Earnings Beat Expectations With $1.81B In Revenue, Up 53%, Mobile Hits 41% Of Ad Revenue

2013-07-24_11h09_03
Today Facebook reported its second-quarter financial performance, including revenue of $1.81 billion. Analysts had expected Facebook to earn $0.14 per share on a top line of $1.62 billion. The company’s revenue figure released today is an all time quarterly high for the firm.
Facebook’s second-quarter revenue is up 53 percent on a year-over-year basis. Analysts had expected a 37 percent increase. In the quarter, Facebook had a net income of $333 million. In its most recent sequential quarter, the first of 2013, Facebook’s revenue totaled     $1.46 billion, and it earned $0.12 per share.                      source
Mobile income as a percentage of ad revenue totaled 41 percent, up 11 percent from the preceding quarter, when it totaled 30 percent. In the final quarter of 2012, mobile ad income was but 24 percent of the total advertising top line. Facebook has proven that it can monetize its growing mobile usage in a big way. Investors will be satiated in that concern.
Facebook later noted that mobile revenue will soon outstrip desktop incomes. The company also reaffirmed that Instagram will monetize in the future, largely through advertisements.
Frankly, in my view the 41% figure is quite impressive, and unexpectedly strong. However, we should not take as indicative that all desktop Internet giants will be able to monetize at similar levels in mobile settings. Facebook data on its users is nearly without compare, and likely provides it with a key competitive advantage in how it can deliver targeted ads to users on the go.
The majority of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising-related income. However, its payments and fee revenue totaled $214 million during the quarter, up 11 percent on a year-over-year basis.
facebook-q213
                source

On the usage front, Facebook demonstrated strong growth, with its daily active user tally rising 27 percent on a yearly basis to 699 million. Monthly active users now total 1.15 billion for Facebook, up 21 percent when compared to the second quarter of 2012. Finally, mobile monthly active users were up 51 percent compared to 2012, to 819 million. For more on Facebook’s usage metrics, TechCrunch’s Josh Constine has the fully skinny.
Facebook’s capital expenses were down in the quarter, but it continues to suffer from margin pressure. In the second quarter, Facebook’s operating margin was 31 percent.
During the company’s earnings call, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that teen engagement remains quite high on the social service. According to the company, engagement among teens in the United States, penetration is all but complete, and engagement remains strong. That is against the narrative that teens are increasingly bored with Facebook, in favor of other services.
Facebook ended the quarter with $10.3 billion in cash and short-term investments, leaving it very well capitalized. In regular trading Facebook was up around 1 percent. In after-hours trading, Facebook is massively up

source:Tech crunch

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Canvas 4 review: Best Micromax smartphone yet



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In terms of hardware, camera and screen deserve mention.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Specs
*5-inch capacitive touchscreen (1280 x720 pixels resolution)
*1.2GHz MediaTek 6589 quad-core processor
*PowerVR SGX 544 graphics chip
*1GB RAM
*16GB internal storage with support for up to 32GB MicroSD card
*13-megapixel camera, 1080P video recording
*5MP front-facing camera
*3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
*Dual-sim support
*2,000mAh battery
*Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean
*158gms
 
source:Techgig.com

Now, get paid to unlock your phone‘s screen

ImageGenerally speaking, ads on mobile phones are a nuisance. They pop up often in free apps, look ugly and use up a little bit of your data without offering you anything in return. But that's about to change, thanks to a small US-based, start-up called Locket.

Locket recently acquired VC funding and they plan to take over an underutilised part of your smartphone: the lockscreen - what you see immediately after you press the power button but before you  actually swipe 2 unlock 
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The action of just unlocking your phone - an action you do several times a day - could earn you 1 US cent per unlock (limited by a built in algorithm). In return, Locket will place what they call a targeted, 'first glance' ad on your device's lockscreen. You don't need to interact or click on the ad if you don't want to - you get paid anyway. Based on roughly 12 hours of usage a day, you could pull in US$ 10 a month - a substantial amount of cash for doing nothing in addition to what you normally do.

You don't need to provide bank account details or credit card info either - all you need to do is download Locket to your Android phone and give in an email ID associated with a PayPal account. You can get a payout from Locket when your balance reaches $10. Currently, Locket only works in the US but depending on advertiser interest, it could spread very rapidly. Earnings are not just limited to 'unlocks' - the company is currently offering a $1 bonus for each successful referral and they also offer random cash bonuses to loyal customers.

Locket is currently available as a free download on the Google Play Store and you can find out more information at www.getlocket.com.

How it works

* Sign up for a PayPal account (if you don't already have one)

* Get locket from the Google Play Store and give them the email ID associated with your PayPal account.
* The app replaces your lockscreen and delivers a targeted (and attractive) advertisement.

* You can interact with the ad or just unlock your phone — you get paid either way. A built in algorithm won't pay out if you keep locking and unlocking the phone to get money. If you use and interact more with the app, it pays out more

source :techgig

What your Facebook profile picture says



From self-shots or 'selfies' to abstracts and party pictures, here's a look at some of the most common types of pictures that people choose for their social media pages.



 

The relationship shotCute for some but a bit too in your-face for others, the lovey-dovey type photo is all about announcing to your friend list that you are indeed 'taken' , life is all peaches and cream, and that no member of the opposite sex should even try to hit on either of the two in the photograph.

The narcissistThis one works best for the inner narcissist in some people. There's no harm in taking the odd self-portrait here and there, but that typical shot of your reflection in the bathroom mirror, with the T-shirt pulled up to show a set of abs or a photo that's changed every half-hour , is a bit too much. Says actress Kulraj Randhawa, "I don't change my social media display picture often. I also avoid using personal shots as my profile picture. There are people on my list who change their pictures every morning, without fail. Others put up a series of their portfolio shots, with one photo change every few hours and so on. Even some men display a level of self-obsession that really puts me off. It does tell you a lot about a person's mindset."

The family portraitThis type of shot can mean a frame filled with your near and dear ones or your kids. And justifiably so. As actress Tara Sharma says, "Usually my profile pictures are our kids' as after having them our world revolves round them, and I have my kids' show as well, so we usually have them or us as a family. I don't tend to change my picture very often. I often forget to do so."

The selfieA short form for the self-portrait , this is one of the most common types of shots. "For me and my bestie, taking a selfie upon seeing a mirror has become an involuntary function. Something that comes naturally. But pouts and selfies are something that everyone tries but only few get it right. It needs to be subtle, fun, genuine and pretty. As I tell my friends and homies, I may be vain, but never fake," says actress Jennifer Kotwal.

The cropped shotYou'll recognize this one as usually taken during a night out. It looks perfectly fine except for the various parts of someone else's limbs that appear in the frame. Or even someone whose face is cropped in half. The message this conveys is: 'look at me!'

The abstractNothing says 'I'm arty' like this kind of a shot. Most often , it involves close-up shots of say, a tree's branches with sunlight flowing through. Or perhaps, the ripples in the water of a pond. Or maybe something taken from a really odd angle.

A holiday pictureThis could either display a very well known national symbol by itself (say, the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty or the Kremlin) or, perhaps less subtly , one of the owners of that profile standing in the foreground with or without a friend/spouse/partner. 

Source: techgig

Steve Jobs movie ‘Jobs‘ releasing in India on Aug 16


ImageThe Ashton Kutcher starrer Steve Jobs biopic "Jobs" is set to hit Indian theatres on August 16.

Based on the life of the co-founder of Apple, the biopic is directed by Joshua Michael Stern and stars Ashton Kutcher, who plays the late Steve Jobs, along with Josh Gad, JK Simmons, Matthew Modine and Dermot Mulroney.


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The movie, being released in India by PVR Pictures, chronicles his darkest days, biggest triumphs, his dreams, hopes and passions and his aspiration to change the world and question the impossible.

"JOBS" tells the tale of Jobs' ascension from college dropout into technological genius. The film was selected as the closing film for the Sundance Film Festival.

"Steve Jobs is regarded as a luminary in every sense of the word and we are pleased to bring his biopic to the Indian audiences. The film gives an insight into the life and times of the great innovator and entrepreneur that he was," said Kamal Gianchandani, president, PVR Pictures.
source: Techgig

Huawei working on 5G technology




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

The company said presently 200 people are working on the project and it has earmarked a specified amount for the research and development of the technology. It, however, refused to share details   about   the   amount   to   be                                                                                      spent  for  the development of the technology.
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Huawei Technologies official Wen Tong said that by 2020, there will be billions of connections and 5G can provide massive connectivity. The technology will enable people to have a fibre network like user experience on a wireless connection.

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

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

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

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

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

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

source

 

Millions of Sim cards are 'vulnerable to hack attack'

 



A flaw with mobile phones' Sim card technology is putting millions of people at risk of being spied on and robbed, according to a leading security expert.

Karsten Nohl has said he has found a way to discover some Sims' digital keys by sending them a special text message.
He warned criminals could potentially use the technique to listen in on calls or steal cash.
Industry organisation - the GSMA - said it was looking into the findings.
"Karsten's early disclosure to the GSMA has given us an opportunity for preliminary analysis," said a spokeswoman for the association, which represents global network operators,
"We have been able to consider the implications and provide guidance to those network operators and Sim vendors that may be impacted.
"It would appear that a minority of Sims produced against older standards could be vulnerable."
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Mr Nohl has posted preliminary details of the vulnerability on the website of his company, Berlin-based Security Research Labs.

ntercepted calls
Sim (subscriber identity module) cards effectively act as a security token, authenticating a user's identity with their network operator.
They also store a limited amount of data such as text messages, contacts' telephone numbers and details used for some applications - including a number of payment and banking services.

Mobile phone users in Abidjan
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Mr Nohl said he had found a way to discover the authentication code by sending a device a text message masquerading as a communication from the user's mobile operator.
The message contained a bogus digital signature for the network.
He said most phones cut contact after recognising the signature as being a fake - but in about a quarter of cases, the handsets sent back an error message including an encrypted version of the Sim's authentication code.
The encryption is supposed to prevent the authentication code being discovered, but Mr Nohl said that in about half of these cases it was based on a 1970s coding system called Digital Encryption Standard (DES), which was once thought secure but could now be cracked "within two minutes on a standard computer".
Once the attacker had this information, Mr Nohl said, they could download malware to the Sim written in the Java programming language.
He said these could be used by the hacker to send texts from the device to premium rate numbers they had set up, to discover and listen in to the target's voicemail messages and to track their location.
In addition, he warned that combined with other techniques, it could act as a surveillance tool.
"Sim cards generate all the keys you use to encrypt your calls, your SMS and your internet traffic," Mr Nohl told the BBC.
"If someone can capture the encrypted data plus have access to your Sim card, they can decrypt it.
"Operators often argue that it's not possible to listen in on 3G or 4G calls - now with access to the Sim card, it very much is."
Mr Nohl said that his research suggested about an eighth of all Sim cards were vulnerable to the hack attack - representing between 500 million to 750 million devices.
Although Mr Nohl would not reveal at this time in which countries DES encryption remained most common, he did say that Africa-based users had particular cause for concern.
"Here in Europe we use a Sim card to make phone calls and texts, but many people in Africa also use them for mobile banking," he said.
"Someone can steal their entire bank account by copying their Sim card.
"That adds a certain urgency because you imagine fraudsters would be most interested in breaking into their Sim cards - especially when it can be done remotely.

source:BBC News