The 'Anonymous' group of computer hackers
yesterday followed up on its threat made to release data
from Chinese government websites in support of the pro-
democracy protests in Hong Kong.
The group released hundreds of phone numbers and e-mail
addresses of the Ningbo Free Trade Zone in Zhejiang
province and a job-search site run by the Changxing county
administration, also in the coastal province, Hong Kong-
based South China Morning Post reported today.
Anonymous took the action shortly after the government
denounced the group's threat of cyberattacks, which were
apparently in support of the protesters.
The data also included individual IP addresses and names.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said earlier that the threat
shows that China is a victim of cyber assaults and faced a
major threat from international hacker groups.
It
was not immediately clear why the two websites were
targeted.
Anonymous said it had already infiltrated more than 50
mainland government databases and leaked 50,000 user
names and e-mails, saying it was fulfilling promises to
"stand and fight alongside the citizens of Hong Kong".
The group had earlier targeted Hong Kong sites after
issuing a first warning on October 2.
In a public video message, Anonymous declared 'cyberwar'
on the government and police force for the use of tear gas
against demonstrators, the Post report said.
Anonymous made some sites either inaccessible or
intermittently accessible on October 3.
Michael Gazeley, managing director of security service
provider Network Box, said it was difficult to judge "whether
(the earlier attacks) really are (the work) of Anonymous to
start with" because Anonymous is a loosely associated
group, the Post report said.
Sunday 12 October 2014
'Anonymous' hacker group releases data from Chinese govt sites
iBall Andi 4U Frisbee and Andi5 Stallion Now Available Online
Shortly after being listed on the official site, 2 new Andi-
series smartphones, the Andi 4U Frisbee and Andi5 Stallion
are now available in the Indian market via an e=commerce
website at discounted prices.
The iBall Andi 4U Frisbee is now available at Rs. 5,799
while the iBall Andi5 Stallion is priced at Rs. 6,999 on eBay
India. Last week, the Andi 4U Frisbee was officially listed at
Rs. 6,799 and the Andi5 Stallion at Rs. 8,499 on the
company's site.
The Andi 4U Frisbee runs Android 4.4 KitKat OS, while the
Andi5 Stallion runs the now dated Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
All the three iBall smartphones are dual-SIM devices and
also support with dual standby.
The iBall Andi 4U Frisbee features a 4-inch WVGA (480x800
pixels) IPS display with a pixel density of 233ppi. Other
innards of the handset include a 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex
A7 (unspecified chipset) processor; 1GB of RAM; 4GB of
inbuilt storage that's expandable via microSD card (up to
32GB ); an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash; a 0.3-
megapixel front camera, and a 1600mAh battery.
The smartphone comes with interchangeable battery cover
and also boasts scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass
protection.
iBall Andi5 Stallion, on the other hand, comes with a 5-inch
(480x854 pixels) FWVGA IPS display. It packs a 1700mAh
battery. The rest of specifications of the Andi5 Stallion are
the same as the Andi 4U Frisbee. On the connectivity front,
both the iBall Andi5 Stallion and Andi 4U Frisbee offer 3G,
GPRS/ EDGE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Micro-USB, and
Bluetooth options.
Apart from the Andi 4U Frisbee and Andi5 Stallion, the
company had also officially listed a new budget Andi
3.5KKe Winner+ smartphone. It was listed at Rs. 3,399.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Battery Performance is Surprising.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 battery test.Samsung
Powered with a 3,220mAh battery, the new Galaxy Note 4
stores just about 20mAh more power than its predecessor.
But it is quite surprising to see that the Note 4 blew the
previous Note up, in the battery tests.
GSMArena has recently completed the battery tests
measuring different parameters of the Note 4 against a
number of high-end rival smartphones. Let's directly jump
to the test results to know how the Note 4 performed.
The Galaxy Note 4 and Nokia's Lumia 1520 finished the talk
time battery test neck and neck, with the second best score
in the list, at 28:34 hours, while Ascend Mate2 4G was the
runaway winner delivering the longest talk time. The
iPhone 6 Plus, which is one of the major phablet rivals, was
almost five hours behind the Note 4.
After smartphone now Blackphone to launch a secured Tablet for security inquirer
Security had always been an important part of our life , let it
be in real life or digital.And when the matter comes to
security,Privacy is the most prominent term that strike us
right ? Our Nation’s diplomats and administration strive
their best to give us security and bring peace and terrorism
or violence free world to us, but it nowhere means that
suppose I am having a chat with my feonsay and they are
having a note of it.As we know several National and Private
agencies are doing that right now.And how can we forgot
about the recent leaks of nude images of celebrities. Its
never fair if someone plays with your privacy, so is this
might be a nifty solution for us.
Keeping this in mind several well known industry faces
strive together to build a smartphone that gives users
complete control over privacy and security. Blackphone , the
company says, is all about “giving you the freedom to
choose your carrier, your apps, and your location.”The
phone is touted to be the most secured till date ,however it
runs on PrivatOs a skinned version of Android . It uses it’s
own set of application according to functions like
SilentPhone for calls,SilentText for text,SilentContact to
save contacts and many more which are secured by highest
level of encryption.
Smartphones sometimes becomes quite compact and
professional feels uneasy in doing their official work like
presentaion,document editing ,etc. If our internal sources is
to be believed the company is coming with a tablet with
same inbuilt privacy features,that will surely make your
device to share a nice space for privacy.The device will be
running on quad core Nvidia Tegra SoCs coupled with 2GB
of RAM and a single SIM card slot along with a microSD
card expansion slot expandable upto 128GB. Geeks and
tech experts are very excited about the tablet and it is
expected that the company to price the device
aggresively.No words on the date of launch but if our
sources to be believed the tablet to be unveiled first at
upcoming CES in January 2015.
For those who are new to what Blackphone is ? It is
basically a device that is completely based upon privacy
and security concerns in mind, you will definitely not have
the popular features that you enjoy in your Android,iOS or
Windows smartphone.So if you are the one who is highly
obsessed with privacy and security,definitely this one is for
you.
HTC M9 Rumours Round Up: Everything You Need To Know
Although launch and release of HTC’s next year
flagship M9 won’t be before first half of next quarter
of 2015 but rumours regarding the device already
started and are swirling for quite some time now.
New leaked info gives a better picture of what to
expect from next year flagship M9.
If you take a look on previous release schedules,
HTC usually launches its flagship devices after few
days of MWC event with a release date in March. M
launch is also expected in Feb 2015 with a releasin
date in March 2015. @evleaks also suggests the
same plan of action.
Everyone is keen to know what happened to Prime
variant of this year flagship M8 that was
in rumours a few months ago. Gadget experts
believes that all buzz of M8 Prime was for next yea
flagship M9. M8 Prime might be released as
successor variant of M8 in 2015.
As far as specs are concern, we have plenty of
reports but we will discuss only those which seem
factual for M9 or M8 Prime. Upcoming flagship fro
HTC is expected with a quad HD 5.5 inches display
Device will be powered by 2.5 GHz quad core
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor with 3 GB
of RAM.
As operating system will be the first HTC device
featuring Android L. Latest leaks also suggests
device might be waterproof as well. HTC fans
always wanted a high Mega pixel camera, as per
latest leaks next flagship will be having much
improved UI camera to compete against Galaxy
S6 rumoured 20 MP camera.
No doubt, Design and build quality of HTC is huge
plus point for their flagship devices sales. Next yea
flagship is expected with build material of Aluminu
and silicon.
At the end the one of key factor in success of
flagship device is price tag. M9 is expected with
same price tag $199 on two year contract while
$650 without contract. In UK without contract price
of device will be £529. Do Share your thoughts
below regarding what are your expectations from
HTC M9.
Nokia Lumia 830: Two good ones?
Microsoft, the new owner of Nokia devices, calls its new Lumia 830 smartphone "our affordable flagship". What does that mean? Has Microsoft finally joined the "upper-class experience for small pockets" race that has begun with Motorola's second coming to India? Or is it marketing spiel for a mini version of its flagship? Let's find out.
Body and mind
The phone has got the looks certainly. The 830 we got for review had a slightly curved bright orange plastic back panel that was eye candy but also slippery. However, it's light and fits perfectly in the hand as well as the pocket. If you can ignore the poor grip, the 830 is easy to use with one hand - the Windows Phone's tile arrangement makes that even easier. (Disclosure: I'm no fan of Microsoft's smartphone operating system.)
The 830 has a thin bezel and all the keys are on the right edge. Sorry, lefties. The camera key on the bottom of the edge, a metal rim, is a bit difficult to use with one hand. Below the display are three capacitive buttons for search, home and back functions. The 3.5-millimetre headphone jack and the charger port are on the top.
Most Lumia devices have five-inch displays. Usability rather than size being the Lumia series' focus, you shouldn't be judging the phone by its size. Or go get the six- or 10-inch ones they're selling. The flagship Lumia 1020's display in contrast is only four and a half inches. Besides, the 830's is high-definition against the 1020's WXGA that is used in cheaper LCD TVs. The 830 has an LCD screen that produces more natural colours and lasts longer, while the 1020 uses an LED one that consumes less power, has better viewing angles and looks oversaturated because it allows for a larger range of colours. The Corning Gorilla glass is present in both though.
One of the reasons why the 830 has been labelled a "flagship" (of whatever sort) is because it boasts a 10-megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens, Pure View technology and image-stabilisation. The camera is the best part of the 830. For the smartphone-photography aficionados, this is one of the best options in this price range. The pictures we clicked had a good amount of detailing with good contrast and the colours were well balanced. It can also record in high-definition. Though the pixel count might seem low compared with other phones such as Motorola's Moto X 2014, the quality a Carl Zeiss lens offers is not easily availble at this price. And the Lumia Selfie app will help you a lot in putting together an online portfolio even with the below-one-megapixel front camera. However, unlike the 830, the Moto X 2014 does come with a dual LED flash.
Again though the 830 falters on processing power on paper, we did not think the Snapdragon 400 series processor - in this price range rivals usually offer the 800 series or higher - marred the phone's performance in any way. Neither were there any lags switching between apps or functions nor did the camera shutter or focus functions disappoint. The phone does have about half the RAM the similarly priced Moto X 2014 and the flagship Lumia 1020 offer, so if you download a lot of apps and store a lot of stuff on the phone, the 830 should not be your choice even with its expandable memory. The memory on the phone is 16GB, of which about 14.5GB is free to use. That's pretty good.
The 830 comes with the Microsoft help, Cortana, but you will have to change the region and languauge settings to "English (United States)" for it to work. And yes, it still has to go a long way to compete with Google Now or Apple's Siri.
You get the latest Denim update to the Windows Phone operating system. However, Microsoft has promised Windows 10, expected to be out next year, would be the common operating system for all the devices. (Keep your eyes on this page for a review of the technical preview of the "prebeta version" of Windows 10 soon.)
The battery gives you slightly more juice than the 1020 and will see you through the day with moderate use. The in-ear headphones are middling but the sound on 830's speaker is loud and clean.
So what is it?
The Lumia 830 is not really a "more for much less" phone given its Rs 31,099 tag. But not even a mini 1020 for where they differ they do so vastly - for instance, the camera - and on some counts it's a matter of preference - for instance, the screen. The pricing puts it in the mid-range. And that's where it's going to face a tough time because of the yet low popularity of Windows Phone operating system and of the price war that the Chinese rivals have started. Should you buy it? Without any doubt.
BSNL waives telecom charges for September in Jammu and Kashmir
In another move of respite to the flood ravaged regions of
the valley, state run telecom operator BSNL announced that
it will not be charging users for services incurred during
the month of September owing to the floods.
The operator said that it will not be charging consumers in
Jammu and Kashmir due to its inability to provide them
with stipulated services during the month.
The announcement came after a suggestion from State
Governor N N Vohra to the state General Manager for
Jammu and Kashmir Circle, R N Sudhakar.
According to PTI sources Sudhakar conceded the
Governor's suggestion to provide some concession to
consumers - many of whom are already laden with relief
and rehabilitation work- and in turn informed the Governor
of the difficulties faced by BSNL in the restoration of
telecom equipment and infrastructure in the aftermath of
the recent floods.
The state governor also laid emphasis on the restoration of
the equipment related to telecommunication for the state's
quick recovery from the damage dealt. He also pointed
towards the need for an alternative wireless source of
communication for such crises in the state.
State General Manager Sudhakar apprised the Governor of
the progress BSNL had made so far in restoration of
transmission equipment, mobile network, wireless phone
lines and internet connectivity from its Lal Chowk office.
Viewing the immense devastation left behind by the floods
other cellular operators like Reliance Communications and
Idea Cellular also announced schemes to address user
concerns. Reliance Communications announced that it
would waive 50 per cent off voice bills in the flood affected
Kashmir region and 100 per cent on data plans for
September.
Idea Cellular on the other hand announced a complete
waiver for fees for its services for the period that they were
affected by the floods.
Google I/O 2014
Many Indian websites remain sitting ducks
Even as the exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani
troops sparked a new round of cyber war with many
websites of both nations getting defaced, experts have
emphasised the need for strengthening the cyber security
infrastructure in the country.
Often, several Indian websites, including the ones
belonging to crucial government agencies, educational
institutions, judiciary, financial institutions etc., suddenly
become inaccessible. They either bear a message saying
they are under maintenance or have their homepage
defaced. It is likely that they have become targets of a
cyber attack.
Member of the Global Cyber Security Response Team Mirza
Faizan told The Hindu that several Indian websites would
remain vulnerable to cyber attacks until measures were
initiated to plug loopholes.
The vulnerability of these sites stems from the fact they
don’t have proper security checks. Government websites,
most of which are hosted by the National Informatics
Centre, also need to obtain a security certificate from the
government-empanelled auditors. The audit of government
websites was getting delayed as the short-staffed NIC had
to outsource the work, Mr. Faizan added.
Confidential data could be compromised if hackers get to
government websites. After identifying a website, hackers
find “open ports, locate rogue wireless access points,
fingerprint an operating system and scan the network with a
variety of active and passive tools. Firewalls can be
bypassed, intrusion detection systems evaded and
passwords cracked to gain access and exploit the
vulnerabilities..,” said Mr. Faizan.
Hackers have now become emboldened to publicize on
social media their activities, by giving the addresses of the
sites they have broken into. Mr. Mirza said recently a
person from Pakistan had posted on Facebook the details
of the websites hacked. If a strong cyber security
infrastructure was in place, hackers could be brought to
book by tracing the IP address from which it had been
posted.
Easy preys
Commonly used passwords make hackers’ job easy. After
a study of the log-in credentials of about one million
hacked accounts, Bangalore-based Global Cyber Security
Response Team listed some of the most common ones. For
as many as 1,666 users or 0.38 per cent it was ‘123456’.
Another 780 (0.18 per cent) users had ‘password’ itself as
the password. The other eight commonly used passwords
are welcome, ninja, abc123, 123456789, 12345678,
goodmorning, admin, and qwerty.
India can be a tough market for Google's AndroidOne
Google's ambitious move to address the fragmented
Android ecosystem with its AnrdoidOne devices will help in
redefining the affordable smartphone segment, but the
Indian market will be a tough call for the US-based tech
giant, feels research firm IDC.
Last month, Google launched AndroidOne range of devices
in partnership with Indian handset makers Micromax,
Karbonn and Spice and mobile operators like Airtel and
Reliance. The smartphones are priced Rs 6,399 onwards.
"Despite significant marketing spend already in evidence on
AndroidOne, IDC believes India will be a tough crucible for
Google. Blocked out of China, Google has no choice but to
make a large downstream investment in the Next Billion
consumer segment in India," the research firm said.
India is the first country where the California-based firm's
Android One devices have been launched. Roll out across
other markets like Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka will follow in coming
months.
Success in this segment will greatly enhance their ability to
leverage Android to drive adoption by the Next Billion of the
Google consumer cloud, it added.
"IDC believes that AndroidOne is crucial for Google to
execute on its strategy to leverage the fast-growing
Android user base to drive engagement for its increasing
portfolio of essential Google services, including search,
Maps, Google Now and others," it said.
A consistent user experience, or at least a vastly improved
one, will greatly increase engagement and ultimately
revenues, IDC added.
The research firm said it expects AndroidOne will attract
significant sales and redefine the affordable smartphone
segment by reshaping the mid tier with a range of devices
that feature good enough device specifications for a
fraction of the price compared to flagship devices.
It added that AndroidOne will go further and effectively
create a bipolar pear shaped environment where the high
end will be dominated by the likes of Apple and Samsung
with their iPhone and Galaxy flagship devices and the low
end will increasingly converge around USD 100 Average
Selling Price (ASP) benchmark.
Google Nexus Wireless Charger Review
The new Nexus Wireless
Charger is great-looking,
magnetic-connecting wireless
charger, with a very, very small
footprint. Let's take a look
around the box.
The box that it comes in is the
same styled box, and color
choice, that Google opted for
its Nexus 5 smartphone, and
Nexus 7 (2013) tablet.
There's not much going on
when we flip the device on its
back.
Out of the box, we have a
Nexus Wireless Charger
booklet, power connectivity,
USB cable, and the Nexus
Wireless Charger itself to the
far right.
Up close, it has a gorgeous
mirror finish - but right out of
the box I found a tiny hairline
scratch on mine, which was
really disappointing.
On the back of the charger, we
have a sticky pad - something
that is really unique. I never
pulled the plastic off of it, as I
didn't feel like having my $400
smartphone charging
wirelessly, hanging vertically.
But, for those that want to do
this - it's a great option with
the new Nexus Wireless
Charger.
A closer look at what powers
the Nexus Wireless Charger.
This is the Nexus Wireless
Charger magnetically
connected to the rear of my
Nexus 5. It connects very
tightly, and even takes a bit of
muscle to pull it off.
Next, we have two shots of the
Nexus Wireless Charger
attached to the Nexus 5 again,
to give you a sense of just how
thin this wireless charger is.
As for the actual use of the
Nexus Wireless Charger, the
first thing I have to say is: if
you own a Nexus smartphone,
especially the Nexus 5, you
owe it to yourself to grab the
Nexus Wireless Charger.
Wireless charging is just so
useful, and after you've docked
your smartphone to your
wireless charger a few times,
you'll find it so weird plugging
a cable in.
Google concentrated on the
design of the Nexus Wireless
Charger, everything looks great
- from the packaging, to the
USB cable included itself. It all
looks great, and just works
perfectly without any
configuration needed apart
from plugging the cables in and
placing your Nexus smart
device onto the charger.
It took around two hours to
charge my Nexus 5 smartphone
from around 20% charge or so,
to 100% charge. I found by
placing it next to my desk, I
slotted the Nexus 5
smartphone down onto the
Nexus Wireless Charger every
time I sat at my desk.
This gave me a fully-charged
smartphone every time I left my
desk, and without a USB cable
being plugged in every time, the
convenience is just perfect.
Charging our Nexus 5
smartphone was nearly as fast
as having a physical cable
plugged in, charging the Nexus
5 from around 20% charge to
100% within a little over two
hours. Considering the Nexus
Wireless Charger works so
easily be placing your Nexus
device on top of it, there's no
excuse to not have a fully
charged smartphone when
you're sitting at your desk.
I also took the time to fully
charge my Nexus 7 (2013)
tablet, which had been sitting
with absolutely no charge for
around two weeks. From 0% to
100% full charge was a scrape
under three hours, which is
nothing short of impressive,
considering the charge is
completely wireless!
I don't think there's anything
else I need from a wireless
charger, Google seems to have
nailed it down. Sure, it could
feature an adjustable height or
angle - like the Tylt Vu Wireless
Charger, but that's just
clutching at straws for
something to complain about.
Google pricing it at $50 might
seem like a bit of a stretch, but
considering its top-of-the-line
smartphone costs just $400, for
$450 you can get a Nexus 5
and Nexus Wireless Charging
package, and still save
hundreds of dollars from
buying something similar from
Samsung or Apple.
If you were looking at getting a
Nexus 5, or already have one -
you simply need to buy the
Nexus Wireless Charger, you
will not be disappointed.
Antarctica's ice loss changed Earth's gravity: Study
Antarctica has lost so much ice that it has
caused a shift in Earth's gravity, according to a new
study.
The European Space Agency (ESA)'s GOCE satellite has
shown that the ice lost from West Antarctica over the last
few years has left its signature.
"The loss of ice from West Antarctica between 2009 and
2012 caused a dip in the gravity field over the region,"
ESA said in a statement.
More than doubling its planned life in orbit, GOCE spent
four years measuring Earth's gravity in unprecedented
detail.
Scientists are now armed with the most accurate gravity
model ever produced.
This is leading to a much better understanding of many
facets of our planet - from the boundary between Earth's
crust and upper mantle to the density of the upper
atmosphere.
The strength of gravity at Earth's surface varies subtly from
place to place owing to factors such as the planet's rotation
and the position of mountains and ocean trenches.
Changes in the mass of large ice sheets can also cause
small local variations in gravity, ESA said.
High-resolution measurements from GOCE over Antarctica
between November 2009 and June 2012 were analysed by
scientists from the German Geodetic Research Institute,
Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, the Jet
Propulsion Lab in US and the Technical University of
Munich in Germany.
They found that the decrease in the mass of ice during this
period was mirrored in GOCE's measurements, even though
the mission was not designed to detect changes over time.
GOCE data could be used to help validate satellite altimetry
measurements for an even clearer understanding of ice-
sheet and sea-level change, ESA said.
ESA's CryoSat satellite, which carries a radar altimeter, has
recently shown that since 2009 the rate at which ice is been
lost from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet every year has
increased by a factor of three.
Between 2011 and 2014, Antarctica as a whole has been
shrinking in volume by 125 cubic kilometres a year, the
statement said.
A new method to study the evolution of the universe
In an effort to better understand how the
universe evolved, a study co-authored by an Indian-
origin scientist used a method to measure radiation leaks
in large, star-forming galaxies in the universe.
The researchers used the radiation leak measurement
method to help find the ideal star-forming galaxy that
contained holes in its cold gas cover.
"The star forming regions in galaxies are covered with
cold gases so the radiation cannot come out. If we can
find out how the radiation gets out of the galaxy, we can
learn what mechanisms ionised the universe," said
Sanchayeeta Borthakur from the John Hopkins University
in the US.
The researchers noted that an indicator used for studying
star-forming galaxies that leak radiation, is also an
effective measurement tool for other scientists to use.
Studying the radiation that seeps through the holes in its
cold gas cover has been an ongoing conundrum for
scientists for years.
Consisting of thick, dense cold gas, the cover stretches
across a galaxy like a blanket.
While an effective tool for helping make stars, this cover
presents a challenge for astrophysicists hoping to learn
how the radiation that stars produce could be used in the
ionisation process.
Scientists have been on a quest to find just the right galaxy
with this character trait for decades.
Borthakur said scientists know that these leaky galaxies
exist, but finding one has been a problem.
Using observations made with the Cosmic Origin
Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, the
research team found the right galaxy to study.
In the study, the researchers credit a combination of
unusually strong winds, intense radiation and a massive,
highly star-forming galaxy for proving the validity of the
indicator.
"This method first created by study co-author Timothy
Heckman in 2001 can sort out what gas is present and also
accurately measure the percentage of holes in the gas
cover," Borthakur noted.
The study appeared in the journal Science.
India joins 5-nation team to construct Thirty Meter Telescope
The construction of ambitious next- generation Thirty Meter
Telescope, to be built at an estimated cost of $1.47 billion
by an international consortium consisting of institutions
from India, the US, Canada, Japan and China, has begun
this week in Hawaii.
The gigantic telescope, scheduled to be ready by 2020, will
provide astronomers with unparalleled power to observe the
intricacies of the universe from the comfort of Earth.
India is a significant partner in this ambitious international
project, which would enable scientists to answer some of
the most fundamental questions in modern science.
Last month, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had given its approval for India’s
participation in the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Project at
Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA at a total cost of ₹1,299.8 crores
from 2014-23.
The project is an international consortium consisting of
institutions from the USA, Canada, Japan, India and China.
From India side, this will be a joint project of the
Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
With its contributions, India will be a 10 per cent partner in
the project and 70 per cent of its contributions will be “in
kind”. This will translate into 25 to 30 observing nights on
the telescope for Indian scientists per year.
The TMT will enable scientists to study fainter objects far
away from us in the Universe, which will give information
about early stages of the evolution of the Universe.
It will also give finer details of not-so-far-away objects
such as undiscovered planets and other objects in the Solar
System and planets around other stars.
This partnership will also enhance India’s technological
capabilities in high-technology areas such as primary
mirror segment figuring and polishing, mirror support
system and edge sensor assembly and testing, software for
observatory controls, data analysis pipelines, adaptive
optics techniques.
The TMT will be one of the largest optical-infrared
telescopes to come up in the next decade. Its 30 meter
diameter primary mirror will consist of 492 segments of
1.44 meter diameter each.
These mirror segments will be cleverly positioned relative
to each other through sophisticated sensors, actuators and
control systems, so that the entire assembly behaves like a
single monolithic mirror.
From the Indian side, the project would be led by Indian
Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) Bangalore, with the help of
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences
(ARIES), Nainital and Inter-University Centre for Astronomy
and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune.
Nasa directs Boeing, SpaceX to begin work on space taxis
Nasa has ordered the US multi-national
Boeing Company and the California-based Space
Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) to restart work to
develop space taxis to ferry astronauts to and from the
International Space Station (ISS) using their CST-100 and
Crew Dragon spacecraft respectively.
Last month, Nasa had asked Boeing and SpaceX to
suspend work in response to a protest filed with the US
government accountability office (GAO) by Sierra Nevada
Corporation, who lost the bid to build commercial space
taxis.
"The agency recognises that failure to provide the
transportation service as soon as possible poses risks to
the ISS crew, jeopardises continued operation of the ISS,
would delay meeting critical crew size requirements and
may result in the US failing to perform the commitments it
made in its international agreements," Nasa said in a
statement.
"Nasa has determined that it best serves the US to
continue with the performance of the Commercial Crew
Transportation Capability contracts that will enable safe
and reliable travel to and from the ISS on American
spacecraft and end the nation's reliance on Russia for
such transportation," the statement read.
While Boeing Co got a contract worth $4.2 billion, SpaceX
grabbed $2.6 billion fixed-price contract, to end the US's
reliance on Russian hardware by 2017.
Google's 'Nexus 6' smartphone with a 5.9-inch display to be launched this month
In a bid to intensify competition in big-size
smartphone segment, Google is all set to release its next
phablet with a 5.9-inch screen and a high-resolution
display this month. Named Shamu (killer whale), the new
Nexus phone will be larger than Apple's iPhone 6 Plus (5.5
inches) and Samsung Galaxy Note (5.7 inches), Wall Street
Journal reported.
Motorola Mobility, the phonemaker that Google is selling to
China's Lenovo Group Ltd, is reportedly manufacturing the
phone. Recent reports have suggested that the next-gen
Nexus smartphone, dubbed Nexus 6, could be called the
Nexus X.
Google also plans to release a new version of its Android
mobile-operating system simultaneously. The new Nexus,
in all likelihood, will come running Android L, the next
version of Google's mobile OS.
Rumours say that the Nexus X (codename "Shamu") will
come with a QHD display, Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB
of RAM, and a 12-megapixel rear camera.
In 2011, phablets accounted for 1 percent of the global
smartphone shipments but this year, these devices will
make up 24 percent of the market, according to a report by
global consultancy firm Strategy Analytics.
Motorola updates camera app
Motorola has released an update to its camera app that
allows you to use your Moto 360 smartwatch to snap
photos remotely using your Motorola smartphone.
In order to complete the update, you will have to go to the
Google Camera app on your Motorola smartphones.
When you will do so, a notification will pop up on the Moto
360 asking if they want to use it as the remote shutter. A
tap on the smartwatch will confirm the update.
The update also includes bug fixes and remote shutter
control for all Android wear devices.
This means you can also use other Android Wear devices,
including Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch, with a
Motorola smartphone to click images.
The Moto 360 smartwatch was released in India last week
with a price tag of Rs 17,999.
The smartwatch lacks a camera but you can use the camera
button to click photos remotely with the camera on a
Motorola smartphone.
LG G watch and the Samsung Gear Live smartwatches also
don't have cameras of their own.
IPAD AIR 2
New iPad Air 2 reportedly thinner, faster and to
feature Touch ID sensor
Apple is expected to unveil the next generation of
iPads this week , but looks like tipsters are
determined to reveal much of what’s in store even
before the final launch.
A recent leak by a Vietnamese website that seems to
have got a prototype of the new iPad Air or the iPad
Air 2 reveals that it will be just 7 mm thick. Shaving
off the extra 0.5mm from the original iPad Air might
not make it the thinnest tablet in the market, thanks
to rival tablets by Sony and Dell. However, the
slimmer chassis might mean that Apple could
sacrifice the mute button in the right side.
Similarly, a Chinese blog has got its hands on the
internal hardware of the forthcoming iPad Air. It
says that we can expect it to come with a faster A8X
processor and 2GB of Ram. According to
Macrumors , Apple has traditionally used “X”
versions of its main chips with enhanced graphics
for its iPads, so we can expect better performance in
games and other graphics-heavy apps and websites.
The website further reveals that the next iPad Air will
feature a Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the home
button, which will allow Apple Pay transactions as
with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Apple is launching
Apple Pay later this month in the US, so there will be
a wide range Apple products making the most of this
service, including the new iPad.
There’s little change in the design, except for
recessed volume buttons, which were first adopted
in Apple’s latest iPhone 6 models. According to
Apple Insider, the speaker grille has apparently
changed from two rows to a single row of holes. The
Vietnamese blog Tinhte.vn points out a new hole
above the volume control buttons, which could be a
microphone.
Along with the 9.7-inch iPad Air, Apple may launch a
larger tablet, which some speculate to be the iPad
Pro . It is expected to flaunt a larger, 12.9-inch
liquid-crystal-display screen with a resolution
similar to the iPad Air. There’s little news on
whether we’ll see a upgraded iPad Mini this year