Shersoft Trivandrum

25/07/2013

Sony to sell 'world's first' SD card-based backup for PCs

Sony wants to simplify laptop backups.

The company says it will soon launch a new line of SD cards and accompanying software that will allow laptop users to carry their backups along with them while on the move. The solution is meant to take advantage of the memory card slots that are increasingly standard on portable computers, but are rarely used other than for transferring data from digital cameras or camcorders.

Like other backup solutions, Sony's software allows the user to designate folders and specific files to be backed up, either when they are modified or on a schedule. The backups are encrypted using AES 256-bit, and the cards also require a password for access. The company's new "Real-time Backup Utility" software works only with its memory cards, but it is allowing trial downloads that work for 30 days with cards from other companies.

Sony announced the product on Thursday, and said it will be available in Japan from August 20 in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions. The backup software will initially support only Windows-based machines. The cards are rated Class 4 speed, a standard that provides write speeds of at least 4MBps.

The company is still considering if and when it will launch outside of Japan, a spokeswoman said.

The largest 64GB version will cost around ¥14,000 ($140). That is about the three times the current price of a blank 64GB SD memory card with similar specifications. The software on the Sony cards also takes up about 10 percent of the space: the 64GB card provides about 57.6GB for user storage.

Developers have created versions of complete operating systems that can run off of SD cards or USB thumb drives, including versions of Debian Linux.

24/07/2013

Yahoo buys Admovate to ramp up its mobile advertising

Yahoo has bought ad tech startup Admovate to grow its mobile advertising sales and provide a stronger channel for personalized display advertising.

Terms of the deal, yet another in a major buying spree for Yahoo this year, were not disclosed.

Four employees at Admovate, which has been headquartered in Mountain View, California, will be joining Yahoo’s display advertising team at Yahoo’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, a Yahoo spokeswoman said in an email.

Through its technology, Admovate claims to enable advertisers to create and deliver personalized, hyper-local targeted offers through the mobile channel. “This is especially important for mobile ad experiences that engage consumers on smaller screens,” said Scott Burke, senior VP of display advertising and advertising technology at Yahoo, in a Wednesday blog post.

Admovate’s services would provide a much-needed boost to Yahoo’s display ad revenue, which fell by 11 percent for the quarter ended June 30, Yahoo reported Tuesday.

Following Marissa Mayer’s appointment last July as CEO of Yahoo, the company has gobbled up more than a dozen small tech startups, but Admovate stands out as an advertising purchase, and one that is not focused on consumer products.

Yahoo, which has struggled to compete against Google and Facebook’s mammoth advertising operations in recent years, introduced two new ad formats in April: stream ads, a form of sponsored advertising incorporated into the company’s newly launched news stream; and the Yahoo.com Billboard, providing richer content like movie trailers that let users buy tickets from within the ad.

In February, Yahoo reached a global advertising deal with Google to place more ads across its Web properties like Yahoo Sports and Yahoo News.

The company also operates its Right Media Exchange, an ad-buying platform for digital advertising companies, which includes differentiated ad networks, direct advertisers, data providers and global agencies.

The acquisition is part of the company’s efforts to invest further in these types of ad tech platforms, Yahoo said, to “make buying easier for advertisers and agencies.” The deal could yield new ad products for Yahoo’s global advertisers and partners in the coming months, the company said.

“We are investing more deeply in programmatic buying and mobile advertising,” Yahoo’s Burke said, adding, “Admovate’s personalization technology accelerates our capabilities in mobile advertising, and we gain an exceptionally talented technical team.”

Yahoo’s smaller acquisitions this year, which also include Xobni, GoPollGo and Astrid, may indeed be geared more toward acquiring talent than the products themselves, Mayer and CFO Ken Goldman signaled Tuesday during the company’s second-quarter earnings call.

“In lieu of hiring, we’ve acquired these companies ... for talent and expertise,” Goldman said. And, “We’re going to continue the pace of doing these smaller deals,” Mayer said, which she referred to as tuck-in acquisitions.

In the past 12 months, Yahoo has grown its dedicated mobile team by a factor of six, Mayer said, going from dozens of engineers to hundreds of engineers.

Beefing up its ad technologies, particularly in display, will be a focus at Yahoo during the remainder of the year, Mayer also said during Tuesday’s call.

Few additional details about Admovate’s products or services, which may not even have launched yet, are given on the company’s website.

“We’d like to thank everyone who supported us along the way: Our partners, our advisors and our investors,” the landing page reads. Admovate was founded just last year.

23/07/2013

Review: G-Recorder backs up Skype convos to Gmail

Although you can search through your Skype chat history with the simple CTRL + F hotkey (same as the Windows search function), you may prefer to instead have your Skype chat history automatically archived in your email account instead. After all, Skype doesn't by default provide an easy way for you to back up your chat and call history.

G-Recorder fills that niche by allowing Gmail account holders to back up their voice calls and chat messages in their email accounts where, of course, it is all fully searchable (which is perfect for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road and needs to access business calls and discussions). All audio calls are stored in your Gmail account as MP3 files, which makes it easy to play them back.

A Standard license costs $25, and a professional paid license is $40. Both are lifetime licenses. You can get a 14-day trial of either one to see if it's for you. This is one service I have absolutely no problem paying for.

23/07/2013

Military robots conquer air, land without humans

Military robots enjoyed a big week, as two prototypes—one for the air and one for the land—made impressive debuts. We’ll look at both in this video report.

First up, an airplane piloted by nothing more than a computer was able to successfully land on an aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia. It’s the first time a jet-sized drone has made what’s called an arrested landing at sea.

Meanwhile on land, Atlas is a 6-foot-2-inch, 330-pound humanoid robot built by defense contractor Boston Dynamics. Teams competing in the DARPA Robotics challenge will have until December to teach Atlas the moves it might need to perform in a disaster response scenario. Atlas has an onboard computer that controls all of its actions, and 28 hydraulically-actuated joints allow the robot to move in a near human-like fashion.


The goal of the DARPA Robotics Challenge is to generate research and development so that robots can work alongside humans to reduce casualties, avoid destruction and save lives.

09/07/2013

Cloud TV Box delivers local TV content

A new Internet TV box that runs Android 4.2 and offers content from local TV stations was on show in New York as part of last week’s CE Week events. And it’s the subject of this video report from IDG News Service.

The Cloud TV Box from California-based Sungale supports both wired and wireless Internet and video up to 1080p. Users can stream content from Netflix and YouTube, pull up social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Skype, and access content from local and national TV networks.

The Cloud TV box is on sale now for $140.

We also look at Sungale’s $280 Net Chef desktop device, which is designed for use in the kitchen and allow cooks to search and view recipes. It also has a we**am for Skype calls and speakers to play music

04/07/2013

15-year-old invents flashlight powered by body heat

Think about all the accomplishments you’ve attained in your life – things like getting a college degree, buying a first home, landing the perfect job, or successfully modding your own supercomputer. Hold on to those thoughts tightly, because one teenage girl is about to make you feel like a complete underachiever.

At the age of 15, Ann Makosinski of Victoria, British Columbia is one of the 15 finalists for this year’s Google Science Fair competition. Her project: A modded flashlight powered by the heat produced within the holder’s palms. Since the sixth grade, Makosinski says she has been interested in alternative energy and wanted to figure out a way to generate power from a source that’ll last as long as humans live. Her research brought her to the concept of Peltier tiles, which produces energy when one side of the tile is heated and the other side is cooled. To get the tiles to create more voltage, Makosinski spent years reworking the circuit until it provided enough power to light an LED.

“This took quite awhile ’cause I had to do it during the school year as well and I had homework, plays, whatever that I was also doing,” she told CBC News. Her speech still hints of adolescence. ”You just kind of have to keep going.” Despite her parents’ lack of post-secondary science education, they’ve always encouraged Ann to pursue her passion for the subject. In fact, her father helped her order various Peltier tiles off eBay so she could continue her experiments.

In the end, the working prototype is an aluminum tube and PVC tube, both working together so that the hollows would allow air to cool one side of the Peltier tile while the user’s hand transfers heat to the other. In her tests, Makosinski found that the flashlight worked better at 5 degrees Celcius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) because it allowed the cooler air to circulate, generating more power. But even at 10 degrees Celcius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), the light maintained a steady glow for more than 20 minutes.

Makosinski will be traveling to Mountain View, CA to present her project to Google this September. If she wins the grand prize, she’ll walk away with $50,000 and a trip to the Galapagos Islands. With the production cost per flashlight at approximately $26, Makosinski will be able to make lots of devices if she wins – and one would imagine economy of scale should make mass production even cheaper for customers.

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/15-year-old-invents-flashlight-powered-by-body-heat/
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My submission for the Google Science Fair. A 2 minute summary of my project.

29/06/2013

Microsoft opening mini-shops in Best Buy stores

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft announced that it is expanding its real-world retail push with mini-shops inside 600 US and Canadian stores operated by consumer electronics chain Best Buy.
Each "store-within-a-store" will feature devices powered by Windows operating systems as well as the US technology titan's Xbox videogame consoles and packaged software offerings.

"The Windows Store offers a large-scale, hands-on customer experience that will show customers how Windows and Microsoft devices and services can make it easier for them to work and play," said Windows marketing chief Tami Reller.

Windows stores will be staked out in 500 Best Buy shops in the United States and in 100 of the retail chain's Future Shop locations in Canada, the companies said in a release.

"What our customers will see in these 600 stores is something totally new and fully in line with our determination to transform Best Buy," said the company's vice president of computing Jason Bonfig.

With the launch of its Surface tablet computer last year, Microsoft followed the lead of longtime rival Apple by opening real-world shops to showcase its products

27/06/2013

The First Wireless Internet HD Portable Projector- Vivitek's Qumi Q5

Vivitek, a leading manufacturer of innovative visual presentation products, introduces the world's first wireless Internet high-definition (HD, High Definition) portable projector, QUMI Q5. Q5 comes with a very thin stream-line design, bright appearance, built-in 4GB memory, high resolution graphics, supporting audio and video files and playback of iPhone, iPad & Android system. QUMI-Q5 with sky-scraping built-in features is bound to bring a gust of strong new wave in the consumer electronics market under the micro projector segment.

Qumi Q5 has been introduced in five bright colors in addition to the original black and white. QUMI-Q5 being the first projector with wireless Internet browsing capabilities and humanized operation interface astonished the micro projector market. This design not only has an Internet access capability, but also can be used for wireless transmission of files, i.e., the user can use it with phone or tablet, operate the projector synchronizing content and enable a presenter to interact directly. Multimedia support includes HDMI, Universal I / O, USB, AV-In, Audio-Out rich interface and a built-in 4GB memory (currently maximum storage capacity of micro-projection products). Qumi Q5 is a stylish and powerful mobile projector with business support functions, HD quality, and 10,000:1 high color contrast and with a bright colored & high performance LED light source.

Qumi series of high-brightness, stylish and scalable rich interface, has won many professional appraisal across the globe. Vivitek’s Qumi series not only helps escapes the traditional framework of the projector but its user-friendly interface gives consumers a new and pleasant operating experience. Qumi has become the new for the mobile consumer market.

About Vivitek

Vivitek, a Delta Group brand, manufactures an extensive line of visual display and presentation products. Vivitek’s line of digital projection and display products incorporates the latest innovations and technologies to deliver superior products for partners, customers and channels. Vivitek products are sold through authorized dealers, distributors, retailers and system integrators.


About Delta Group

Delta Group, founded in 1971, is the global leader in power, thermal and display solutions. Our mission statement, “To provide innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow,” focuses our role in addressing key environmental issues such as global climate change. As an energy-saving solutions provider, Delta's businesses encompass power electronics, energy management, and smart green life. Delta has sales offices worldwide and manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, China, USA, Europe, Thailand, Japan, India, Mexico, and Brazil.

25/06/2013

Nokia sets date for '41 megapixel smartphone' launch

HELSINKI: Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has plans to make an announcement on July 11, according to a press invitation and amidst widespread speculation in online media that it is about to launch a new flagship camera phone.

An e-mailed press invitation to the event in New York featured the phrase "ZOOM. REINVENTED". Technology blogs and websites have recently published pictures online purporting to show the new phone with a 41-megapixel photographic sensor.

Nokia has launched a succession of new phones in various price segments over the past month after first-quarter results showed a surprisingly steep drop in lower-end handset sales.

The company declined to comment further on its press invitation.

23/06/2013

New Branch at Thiroor

Mammooty(Thiroor MLA )
Shejil
Hashim Hyder
Sherin Shajahan

23/06/2013

How to Customize Your Windows 8 Start Screen

Windows 8 is dramatically different than its predecessors. The colorful, tiled Modern interface was designed with Intel-powered Ultrabooks, and mobile, touchscreen devices in mind. The real value of the Windows 8 Start screen, though, lies in customizing it to fit your needs.

Intel-powered Ultrabooks are designed to make your notebook PC experience better than ever. They’re sleek and powerful at the same time, with a variety of connectivity and security features to make your mobile computing simpler and more secure. Hybrid devices with both a keyboard and a touchscreen, like the Toshiba U925 Ultrabook, offer both the capability of a traditional notebook PC and the mobility of a tablet.

To get the most out of your device, you’ll want to set the tiles on your Windows 8 Start screen so you can see important information at a glance and have easy access to the apps you use most.

You can configure just about any aspect of Windows 8, from the aesthetic elements like the color scheme and wallpaper, to the features that impact productivity like the positioning of apps, and enabling Live tiles for real-time updates on apps like Mail, Calendar, or Messaging.
Configure Colors and Images from the Charms Bar

For starters, let’s look at how to configure the colors, background, lock-screen image, and other elements that affect the look and feel of the Windows 8 Start screen. On the Toshiba U925, you can swipe from the right side of the touchscreen display, or swipe from the right side of the touchpad on the keyboard to open up the Charms bar. You can also hover the mouse pointer in the upper-right corner of the display.

Tap on the Settings icon at the bottom of the Charms bar, and then tap on the link that says “Change PC Settings.” The top option under PC Settings is “Personalize.” The right pane shows you the settings available to personalize.

If you tap “Lock Screen,” you can choose the image to display when Windows 8 is locked, and at the bottom you can specify which apps are allowed to continue running in the background and display alerts or updates on the Lock Screen while the PC is locked.

“Account Picture” lets you select a photo to use for your account. You can also take a new photo from the Account Picture settings using the built-in we**am on the Toshiba U925.

Tap on “Start Screen” to choose a color scheme and background. There are 25 different color schemes, and 20 different background images preloaded on Windows 8—so there are 500 different ways you can configure the look of your Start screen. If you’re logged into Windows 8 using a Microsoft account, the changes you make to these settings will be automatically synced to any other Windows 8 PC you log into.
Create your own mosaic with Windows 8 Tiles

Traditionally, when you install software in Windows it adds a shortcut icon to the Start menu. Some software also places an icon on the Windows desktop. With Windows 8, that behavior is replaced with adding new tiles to the Start screen.

Whether you download and install apps developed for Windows 8 from the Microsoft Store, or install legacy Windows software, the shortcut icons are added as new tiles to the Windows 8 Start screen. The difference is that Windows 8 apps run in the Windows 8 Modern interface, while the legacy software opens up in desktop mode. If you don’t arrange and manage the Start screen, Windows 8 can quickly become a chaotic mess of tiles.

Thankfully, it’s relatively easy to straighten things up. You can decide which apps should have tiles on the Start screen, drag the tiles to organize them how you wish, and change the size of the tiles. Some tiles also have a Live tile option, which dynamically refreshes the tile with recent updates or current news.

To access your options on the U925, right-click on a tile. If you’re using the touchscreen, tap and hold the icon you want to work with, and drag it down slightly. Either way, you’ll see a checkmark appear at the upper right of the tile, and a bar will pop up at the bottom of the Start screen.

For some apps, such as the default apps that come pre-installed with Windows 8—apps like Mail, People, Calendar, Music, and Bing—your options are limited. You can unpin the tile from the Start screen, uninstall the app entirely, change the size of the tile, or turn Live tiles on or off. Legacy apps that run on the desktop also have options like pin to taskbar, and run as administrator.

First things first, you should go through and simply unpin all of the apps you don’t want displayed on your Windows 8 Start screen. The apps will still be available, but the tiles won’t appear on the Start screen. You can right-click (or tap and drag) multiple tiles simultaneously, and then select “Unpin” from Start to remove them all in one fell swoop.

Next, move the tiles around to organize them. You might want to group your productivity apps together in one section, and the entertainment apps in another. Or, perhaps you want all of your social networking apps to be together. One recommendation is to put the tiles you use most—especially Live tiles like Calendar or Mail that display important information—on the far left where they’re most visible and accessible.

To move a tile, you can tap the touchscreen display and simply hold and drag the tile. Alternately, you can tap and drag the tile using the U925 touchpad.

Along with moving the tiles, you may also want to resize some of them. There are two choices for tile size—small and large. The small tiles are squares, while the large tiles are rectangles that are twice as wide—essentially two square tiles combined. You might want some tiles like Photos or News to be large so more information can be displayed. Other tiles, however—especially tiles that aren’t Live tiles—can be small tiles so you can fit more on the screen.
Ultrabook Customization

However you choose to configure the Windows 8 Start screen, it’s worth investing a few minutes to organize it and make it your own. You will enjoy your Windows 8 experience more, and operate more efficiently and effectively with your Ultrabook if you customize Windows 8 to make it your own.