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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

MHADA Employees To Get Tablets For Paper Free Work

The employees of Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority will soon get tablet PCs for paper-free working and pursuing tasks assigned to the staff. The housing authority has also floated a tender for the same.
With this attempt, MHADA is aiming to move away from the traditional work patterns and of storing paper files. MHADA will purchase tablet PCs for its employees to keep up with the technological changes.
MHADA has invited tender from firms to provide 104 tablets and 2 laptops. The tender displayed on its website says that the cost of a single Tab as per the requirement of MHADA is Rs 32,500, where as the laptop cost is around Rs 35,000. In all, the housing authority has expressed willingness to spend Rs 34 lakh to make its department tech-savvy.
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According to a MiDDay report, a MHADA official said, “We have invited tenders for tablet PCs and laptops with the aim to speed up the lengthy paper work process. Mobile Software Task Manager (MSTM) will also be installed on the devices with the help of a software which will help the head of departments to keep a track of daily work of their respective department employees and will also know what work has been assigned to whom.”
It is worth mentioning here that earlier MHADA Vice President Satish Gavai had said that such technological initiatives will increase efficiency and transparency of work that is done by the housing authority.
The authority has appointed a company to design the software that will help MHADA officials to remind others and their subordinates about the tasks assigned to them. The authorities will also be able to check the status of various works appointed to their subordinates.
However, the official identified the issue of technical glitch with the use of the tablets. Since the interaction in the files is in Marathi language, the officials will take time to get accustomed to the language transition. MHADA is working to counter this issue as well by installing a Unicode font in the tablets

Know The Best Browser For Windows, OS X, Android And iPad

With the browser war heating up again, you might find it difficult to choose the best browser which not only offers high speed, privacy and security but also user-friendly features. TechRadar has published a report to help you find out which ones offer the best blend of power and all-round awesomeness. Having tested the latest official releases of IE9, Safari 5.1, Firefox 9, Chrome 16 and Opera 11.6 to see how they performed on the desktop, here's what the report revealed: in the Sunspider JavaScript benchmarks Firefox left its rivals in the dust, storming through the tests in a hugely impressive 189.4ms. Safari was next with 219.6ms, followed by IE9 (247.9ms), Opera (254.3ms) and Chrome (291.0ms). TechRadar said it found similar results in Windows Vista, with Firefox pipping its rivals to grab the top spot. Click here to read the full story
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Make Your Android Phone Safe With New McAfee App

Security of Android phones has always been a concern. This is one reason why enterprises refrain from using devices powered by Android OS. But now here is a solution from McAfee, which makes Android devices secure.
Now Android smartphone users can protect themselves against mobile data theft from cyber crime and the loss or theft of devices with the new app from McAfee Mobile. McAfee has joined hands with Vodafone to roll out the McAfee Mobile Security app, which is a monthly subscription-based security service for selected Android smartphones. This app is particularly helpful for SMBs who use Android devices for their businesses.
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Michael Sentonas, chief technology officer, McAfee, terms mobiles as the major record keepers for businesses. That is why it is extremely important to ensure security of the devices against mobile data theft.
Let's have a glance at the features of the McAfee Mobile Security app:
1. Anti-theft Protection
2. Device Lock: The app remotely locks the data which prevents misuse of the users phone and data. It also locks data on the memory (SIM) card and displays a 'contact me' message on the device.
3. Wipes Data remotely: It protects the privacy of the phone by remotely deleting the data on the phone and removable memory card. A back up of data can also be taken before wiping out of the data to prevent the loss of data on the device.
4. Back-up and Restore Data: The app preserves the data of your device. You can either set a schedule to ensure that or do that before wiping out the missing smartphone.
5. Locate and Track: The app helps the users to track their smartphone if it is lost or stolen. They can view the location of the device on the map, send an SMS to prompt its return and use a remote alarm to make it 'scream', said a Dynamic Business report.
6. Contact the owner: It displays a personalised message on the device with instructions on how to contact the owner incase the device is lost.
7. Anti-virus, Anti-spyware and Anti-phishing Protection: The app scans and removes all malicious code from e-mails (both inbound and outbound), text messages, attachments and files.
8. Web Protection: It locks risky links within SMS, e-mail and social networking sites for Web protection. It helps protect against potential phishing sites, browser exploits and malicious quick response (QR) codes.
The app is available for download from the Vodafone website. It is free for the first month and costs $3 a month thereafter. It supports Google Android 2.1 – 3.0 smartphones.

Here's How Android Users Can Backup Contacts On Phone

Losing or breaking your phone doesn't mean that you will lose all your contacts and photos too. Before it gets too late, here is a quick tutorial on how to back up all the contacts from Android phone to a safe location on the cloud, on your PC, your memory card.
On the Cloud
It is known to everyone that Android is a Google product. The operating system has tight and excellent integration with all Google services, such as Gmail and Google Contacts. Thus, Android phone users are advised to synchronise their contacts with Google Contacts. This means that you are saving contacts on Google’s server/on the cloud and can access contacts from any PC or browser. However, it's highly recommended that Google Contacts should be organised before syncing. This is because Gmail automatically adds all the e-mail addresses you have ever exchanged mails with as a contact in your Google Contacts.
Step 1
Go to Settings > Privacy, and make sure that 'Back up my settings' and 'Automatic restore' are checked off.
Step 2
Go to Settings > Accounts and sync, open your Gmail account, and check off all options. With these settings in place, your contacts, system settings, applications, calendar, and e-mail will be restored whenever you set up a new Android phone with that same Gmail account.
Android Phones, Backup Plan, On the cloud, On SD card or HD drive

On SD card or Hard Drive
Another option is to export contacts as a CSV file on your phone’s SD card. Most Android phones come with an option to 'Export your contacts to SD card.' If this option is missing from your Android phone, you can download and use Backup Contacts for the same purpose.
Step 1
Download the application for free from the Android Market.
Step 2
After starting the application, simply select the ‘Backup To SD card’ option. The application will then backup your contacts to the root of your SD card.
Step 3
Backup can now be transferred to PC. Connect the phone to your computer, select 'USB Storage Mode' and find the file. You can then copy-paste it to your hard drive and you are done.
Also, users can use the application to backup their contacts to their Dropbox folder, or export them in a common format like CSV by selecting the desired option.

Firefox Tops In Speed And Expandability: Report

Browsing the Internet for your favourite music video requires something called a browser. With so-many browsers around the corner, the battle for dominance in the Web-access segment has become quite intense. Chrome 16, Firefox 9, IE9, Opera 11.6 and several others are knocking out new versions with appealing features to grab a bigger pie of the market.
If speed is what you are looking for then according to a Techradar report, Firefox 9 took an impressive 189.4 ms of response time in the Sunspider JavaScript benchmarks. On the other hand, Safari was next with 219.6ms, followed by IE9 (247.9ms), Opera (254.3ms) and Chrome (291.0ms). The tests were conducted on brand new installations without any plugins or extensions.
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Keeping aside speed, if add-ons is your top priority then again Firefox scores here above all. The browser from Mozilla has add-ons and Greasemonkey scripts in massive numbers that credits it to be the most expandable Web browser. Opera, on the other hand, has few unique features such as integrated e-mail, newsgroup, IRC Chat, Opera Turbo to improve performance on crappy mobile connections, and Sidebar-style widgets for games.
Going by operating systems, if you have Windows 7 installed on your PC then IE9 and Opera seem quite nice both in terms of functionality and appearance. They efficiently utilise the feature of taskbar pinning and jump lists in Windows 7. But, here too, Firefox leaps ahead in both speed and expandability. If you have not switched to Windows 7 yet then IE9 is a good bet for Windows Vista.
But if you use Windows XP then, you are left with options of Safari 5.1, Firefox 9, Chrome 16 and Opera 11.6 as IE9 lacks support for its ageing OS. Chrome takes the top spot for XP with its ability to consume least RAM and hard disk space. That implies that Chrome is best browser for netbooks too as its more modest on hardware requirements.
Moving towards the OS X, Firefox was surprisingly ahead of Safari in the Sunspider test. Firefox hammered through the test with a time of 153.8ms compared to Safari's 209.2ms, Opera's 214.7ms and Chrome's 225.3. However, Safari looks on Mac machine. But if speed is your top priority then go for Firefox.
Almost all the browsers offer excellent privacy features but if you are severely concerned about your passwords then IE9 has something unique to offer. The browser from Microsoft comprises a tracking protection feature that enables users to subscribe to lists that tell specific kinds of websites not to track you, which is potentially more useful than a global "do not track" option.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Leaked Images Show An Android 4.0 Motorola Razr,

Motorola earlier promised that majority of its handsets will get the Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update in 2012. The Razr smartphone seems to be the company's hot favourite as leaked images of the handset carrying the Android ICS OS have now surfaced on several tech websites. A look at the UI reveals that the OS is of a pretty early build. The handset now features some new icons and a brand new lockscreen. Some of the icons are in-sync with Motorola's Blur UI while the browser icon is the stock ICS, so things look pretty alpha and in early stages.

Image Courtesy: Androidandme

The lock screen and camera seem to have been skinned as well.

Friday, January 27, 2012

VMware Delivers VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite

the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today announced the general availability of the VMware vCenter Operations Management™ Suite. Part of VMware’s comprehensive management portfolio, the VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite is designed to help customers deliver IT as a service by simplifying and automating the operations of virtual and cloud environments.
“The highly dynamic nature of cloud infrastructure has outpaced traditional operations management disciplines, requiring customers to think differently about how to manage their virtual and cloud environments,” said Rob Smoot, director, product marketing, Enterprise Management, VMware. “The VMware vCenter Operations Management™ Suite provides customers with greater visibility ‘under the hood’ of their infrastructures, and it provides the actionable intelligence customers need to optimize efficiency, enable compliance and proactively manage service levels.”

Unveiled in October 2011, VMware’s new management portfolio redefines IT management by embedding and integrating management into the platform, converging disciplines to streamline processes and applying analytics to help customers achieve the agility and economics of cloud computing. Updates to the VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite include deeper integration of capacity and configuration management capabilities and new “application awareness” to enable customers to optimize infrastructure operations based on application needs.
"The next step in our journey to cloud computing is to streamline and automate the operations of our cloud infrastructure,” said Matthew Cunningham, Senior Vice President of IT, CareCore National. “The VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite gives us better visibility into key performance, health and efficiency indicators across the operational and infrastructure environments and allows us to achieve higher service levels of our business-critical applications from a single management console.”
The VMware vCenter Operations Suite is tightly integrated with VMware vSphere®, and includes the following new features:
· Tighter integration of performance, capacity and configuration management
VMware continues to deliver on its strategy of converging management disciplines with deeper integration of VMware vCenter Capacity IQ™ and VMware vCenter Configuration Manager™ into the vCenter Operations Management Suite. This helps customers to identify emerging problems, “right size” infrastructure resources, and identify and remediate performance issues caused by configuration changes.
· New dashboard and smart alerts for quicker, more effective health analysis
Leveraging the deeper integration of capacity and configuration management data, VMware has enhanced the vCenter Operations Management dashboard to provide more comprehensive views into health, risk and efficiency of cloud infrastructure. New smart alerts provide proactive notifications of emerging health, performance and capacity issues. Automated root cause analysis can identify the offending metric across all layers of the infrastructure.
· “Application Awareness” optimizes infrastructure for business-critical applications
The VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite includes a new application awareness capability that can automatically discover and map the relationships and dependencies between applications and the infrastructure components that support them. This can help customers optimize infrastructure operations such as security management and disaster recovery based on individual application needs.
Pricing and Availability
The updated VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite is available in four editions to meet the IT operations needs of customers of all sizes – from small and midsized businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises. List prices start at $50 per VM. Updates are also available as a free upgrade for current VMware vCenter Operations customers. For more information, visit http://www.vmware.com/products/vcenter-operations/buy.html

Apache Shiro 1.2.0 Released

The Apache Shiro developers have announced the first major update to the Shiro application security framework. The latest version 1.2.0 includes the ability to selectively disable sessions and a LogoutFilter for applications which need to redirect users after logging them out. It also features a command line program to securely hash passwords and new secure password hash formats, which are designed to be easier to work with, while working in a similar fashion to Apache HTTPD's passwd program. Licensed under the Apache Licence 2.0, Apache Shiro is now available to download.

VMware Intros Virtualisation Marketplace

The US-based virtualisation software provider VMware has entered into the virtualisation marketplace. The company has joined a number of other virtualisation and cloud vendors in trying to leverage online marketing muscle to expand its customer base, while offering new products to its partners and developers.

VMware officially launched its Solution Exchange, an online virtualisation and cloud marketplace that is designed to assist customers, partners and developers locate and purchase VMware-certified products.
The new marketplace closely follows on the heels of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization 3.0 (RHEV 3.0) that is offered from Red Hat. VMware Solution Exchange shares many similarities with Red Hat’s marketplace and both offer large amounts of information about respective company’s products and associated partner products.
While the new market place will prove advantageous for VMware partners, one may question how IT customers will benefit. The launch of VMware’s marketplace couldn’t come at a better time, especially after VMware reported a 67 per cent increase in profits for its latest quarter. At this time, VMware is at the top of its market, and maintaining and growing market share should be in the company’s top priorities. A marketplace that helps build out the VMware ecosystem, while encouraging cloud adoption, can only help the company to remain relevant in the burgeoning cloud market space.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

What is Fedora Scientific?

Open Source Scientific Computing.


Click image to enlarge

Wary of reinstalling all your favourite numerical tools everytime your reinstall Linux? The answer is here. Fedora Scientific Spin brings together the open source scientific and numerical tools used in research along with the goodness of the Fedora KDE desktop.

Fedora Scientific currently ships with numerous applications and libraries. These range from libraries such as the GNU Scientific library, the SciPy libraries, tools like Octave and xfig to typesetting tools like Kile and graphics programs such as Inkscape. The current set of packages include an IDE, tools and libraries for programming in C, C++, Python, Java and R. Also included along with are libraries for parallel computing such as the OpenMPI and OpenMP. Tools for typesetting, writing and publishing are included. The full list of software made available by the spin is available here.

Here Comes Android-Based Vacuum Cleaner!

Samsung has developed an Android application for the Navibot, which helps users control the robot remotely.

Controlling your vacuum cleaner through your phone sounds like a great idea. Isn't it? Well, here is some good news. Lately, Samsung has developed an Android application for the Navibot, which helps users control the robot remotely. It is the newly released robotic vacuum cleaner, which can be controlled through an Android handset. Navibot S is the robotic vacuum cleaner, which is an improved version of the older Navibot. But the Navibot S is admired because of many improvements including the ability to be controlled through an Android application.
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Navibot S easily finds its way through your living room with the help of its camera. The camera takes pictures at 30 frames per second turning into a digital map of the room. It is useful in avoiding the cleaning of same spot again and again. The camera also acts like a webcam, which can be viewed through your phone, which is useful when the burglar alarm goes off or when you want to keep an eye on your pet or anybody else.
The device has an intelligent mapping technology, which helps it to clean the room or house conveniently. The application also uses the microphone and camera of the phone to let you know the location of the cleaner. Navibot S automatically empties the garbage in a central dustbin. It also goes back to the docking station, when it senses that its battery is low. It resumes the work after it empties its dustbin and is recharged.
Navibot, the previous version of the vacuum cleaner is already available in certain markets like Singapore. This new version is likely to be available in the next six months or so. It is yet not known whether Navibot S will be available in India or not. However, similar automatic vacuum cleaner from Eurekaforbes is already available in the country, called Euroclean Robocleanz. It is priced at Rs 6,600, but lacks phone control feature.

IIT-Rajasthan Rejects 3,000 Aakash Units

The world's cheapest tablet is facing real tough times as IIT-Rajasthan has rejected 3,000 units for now and the fate of another 10,000 units of Aakash hangs in balance.

ndia's cheapest device, Aakash aka Ubislate 7, which made millions happy momentarily, now seems to be cursed for the time being. No wonder, it's still the news-maker this year, but all for wrong reasons. The euphoria surrounding this device has gradually subsided and disappointment seems to be the middle name of this device.
Nearly after 10 months since the signing in of Aakash project between Datawind and Indian Government, there seems to be no road ahead for the device to enter college campuses. As reported earlier, IIT-Rajasthan has its reservations about the specifications and durability of the device for which both IIT and Datawind are trying to figure out a solution.
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IIT-Rajasthan Rejects 3,000 Aakash Units

The world's cheapest tablet is facing real tough times as IIT-Rajasthan has rejected 3,000 units for now and the fate of another 10,000 units of Aakash hangs in balance.

Rate this news: (2 Votes)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012:  India's cheapest device, Aakash aka Ubislate 7, which made millions happy momentarily, now seems to be cursed for the time being. No wonder, it's still the news-maker this year, but all for wrong reasons. The euphoria surrounding this device has gradually subsided and disappointment seems to be the middle name of this device.
Nearly after 10 months since the signing in of Aakash project between Datawind and Indian Government, there seems to be no road ahead for the device to enter college campuses. As reported earlier, IIT-Rajasthan has its reservations about the specifications and durability of the device for which both IIT and Datawind are trying to figure out a solution.
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Now, in a recent development, IIT-Rajasthan has rejected as many as 3,000 units of Aakash due to its slow performance, battery power and bad screen panels. Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO, Datawind, says, "We have taken a straight loss of about 3,000 units. Besides, payments for the supplied 10,000 units are still due. We can't supply further unless we get revised test criterion."
Already, the letter of credit (LoC) for Aakash issued by IIT-Rajasthan to Datawind in its extension, has expired on Saturday, even as both parties have not been able to reach a conclusion on the tablet features. As per government sources, the LoC to Datawind "may" be given a third and final extension till March. But till Monday the LoC remained expired, as per a Datawind spokeswoman, putting a question mark on any further supply of Aakash tablets, reports ET.
While this stalemate condition lingers on, HRD ministry has tried to maintain a safe distance by citing the dispute as purely commercial in nature between both parties. "Both IIT-Rajasthan and Datawind entered into a contract as commercial parties, let them sort it out," a ministry official said.
As of now, while the fate of Aakash part one hangs in limbo, people are happy pre-ordering Aakash 2 aka UbiSlate 7+.

Now, Android-Powered Car Stereos, Rear-View Mirrors

The International Consumer Electronics show is now over but there are lot many amazing gadgets that are still popping up, demanding special attention due to their sheer innovation.
We earlier mentioned apps for automobiles such as MyFord Mobile app that got featured in 10 best innovative gadgets @ CES 2012. Now, here's an Android offering from the stable of Rydeen, especially designed for car stereos and rear-view mirrors.
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The company is developing a double-DIN stereo head unit that runs Android 2.2. There is already a functional version of Froyo running from within a rear-view mirror developed by the firm, as spotted by Engadget at the event.
The tech specs of the Rydeen DV621 Multimedia Receiver include Android 2.2 Froyo, 15.7-cm (6.2-inch) WVGA TFT touchscreen, ARM Cortex A8 1GHz processor, GPS, in-built 4-channel amplifier having 45W per channel, dedicated subwoofer output and RCA audio connectors.
Optimised for drivers, a finalised version of the mirror with a simplified interface is expected by 2013.

Kerala To Become The First State To Have E-Toilets!

Kerala will be the first Indian state to have 450 functional e-toilets by the end of this financial year. The product has been developed by city-based Eram Scientific Solutions Pvt Ltd, a part of Eram Group which operates in India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. This connected toilet infrastructure would be at par with health and hygiene standards of other developed countries.
According to a company's statement, it's a technological innovation and a convergence of Web cum mobile cum electronics. It is expected to bring about a revolutionary change in the public and hygiene sector.
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An e-toilet has an automated door opening, power flushing, automatic closet washing and sterilisation and automatic platform-cleaning mechanism. They are all backed by SMS alerts to inform a control room about the status of water tank and biogas plant in the event of any errors or failures. It occupies around 20 square feet and has two doors, one is a sliding door at the front and a normal door ahead of the toilet.
Once the coin is dropped as an entry charge, the slide door will open, light and exhaust fan will be switched on. Even if your forget to flush the toilet before vacating it, the system will automatically do all the cleaning operations. Human excreta will be treated and reduced to a sand-like material. The material will not have any bacteria and it will be removed physically once in three months. The e-toilet unit will receive alerts in case of any theft or vandalism attempts. The agency which is responsible for the operation of the e-toilet can also handle remote-control unit to clean it. The average life of a unit is estimated to be around 7-10 years.
Physically challenged, women and children will be given some added facilities whereas for other users, the electronic and cleaning features will remain the same. It was said in a statement that the cost of e-toilet varies from Rs 350,000 to Rs 850,000 (inclusive of bio-membrane reactor's price). Bio-membrane reactor is a nano-technology-aided device that instantly recycles the used water and makes it ready for future use. Currently, there are over 150 e-toilets across various locations and before the end of this fiscal year, another 300 will be made operational.

8 Tips For Buying An Android Tablet

here are a host of options available in the market, which is not only a reason to rejoice but a cause of confusion too. Here is some help...

It is the age of Android tablets in India. There are a host of options available in the market, which is not only a reason to rejoice but a cause of confusion too.
Android tablets have a definite advantage over other operating systems. One of the major advantage that Android based tablet PCs enjoy is that they provide scope for customisation. Techies look for such options so they can enjoy their own set up and use their tablet as per their choice.

However, if you are looking to buy an Android tablet, not every tablet may be right for you. There are a lot of factors that you should consider while investing in an Android tablet. Here are a few tips that can help you make an informed decision.
Decide a price
Android tablets in India are available in all kinds of price ranges. Right from world's cheapest tablet device that begins at Rs 2500, you can go as high as the high-end tablet devices from Samsung. What is interesting about Android is that its devices adjust to all pocket sizes. So, decide your budget first and then look for choices in the market, you will find plenty of them.
Web connectivity option
Before buying a tablet, check what kind of Web connectivity option are you looking for. Some tablets offer Wi-Fi only option, which means users can get online only when they are able to connect to the Web at home/office or via a hot spot. There are other tablet options, which provide 3G or 4G networks choice, which is the same technology that smartphones use for data. If you opt for the one that uses cellular networks, you will have to choose a cellular service provider, a data plan and may have to pick a tablet which is compatible with the network. This option may limit your choices.
Work out on your storage needs
Different tablet PCs offer different storage capabilities. Tablets are not needed to store as much data as we expect from laptops, but storage needs can be different from person to person. If you need the tablet PC for surfing the Web, accessing Facebook or playing games, you will require less storage space. But, if you plan to download a lot of apps and files, you definitely need more storage space. So decide on your storage need and then explore options. You also need to check for the internal memory option along with the memory card slot for expanding the storage of the device.
Multi-Touch support
Multi-touch support is an important criteria while you choose a tablet device for yourself. A lot of tablet devices offered are single touch only. It means that the tablet will allow you to perform only basic operations. Functions like pinch to zoom, and rotating a picture using two fingers is not possible in this case.
Good pixel resolution
An Android tablet can be used easily as a reader. The best thing about a tablet reader is its ability to show full page views of magazines and PDFs. But without good screen resolution, it can be difficult. So it's always wise to choose tablet devices that have a worthy display. Tablets under resolution of 1024 x 600 are not considered a good choice. Some experts suggest that a minimum of 1280 x 760 should be preferred for a tablet PC.
Processor
If you are going for an Android tablet, you would require a minimum of 1GHz processor. Anything less than this would be a bad compromise and would render very slow performance. So settle down for something around 1GHz.
Camera
This is a very subjective as some people may not want to have a camera in the tablet, which is fine. But, if you want to use the tablet as a communication device, camera becomes important. However, you can overlook this one if you don’t need it.
USB Port
This is another optional feature, which should be considered only if you need to access flash drives. It completely depends on your requirement on whether you want to have USB port(s) or not. However, a majority of Android tablets available today have them on board.

Fedora Scientific: Open Source Scientific Computing

Fedora Scientific Spin is a Fedora Linux spin that aims to showcase the open source tools for scientific and numerical computing. It was first released officially with Fedora 16 in November 2011, and is targeted at current and future Linux users in the domain of scientific computing.

Applications in Fedora Scientific

The current set of applications shipped in Fedora Scientific are broadly classified into the following categories:

  • Scientific computing tools and environments: The numerical computing package GNU Octave, the computer algebra system Maxima, with its front-end wxMaxima, the Python scientific libraries SciPy, NumPy and Spyder (a Python environment for scientific computing) are some of the software included in this category. A development environment for R, the statistical computing environment, is also included, and so are the ROOT tools for analysing large amounts of data.
  • Generic programming and development tools and libraries: Software in this category includes the GNU C/C++ and FORTRAN compilers, the OpenJDK Java development tools, and the IDEs NetBeans and Eclipse. Also included are autotools, flex, bison, ddd and valgrind.
  • Parallel and distributed programming tools/libraries: Software tools and libraries included in this category include the popular parallel programming libraries OpenMPI, PVM, and the shared-memory programming library OpenMP. Also included is the Torque resource manager to enable you to set up a batch-processing system.
  • Editing, drawing and visualisation tools: So you have simulated your grand experiments, and need to visualise the data, plot graphs, and create publication-quality articles and figures. The tools included to help you in this include LaTex compilers and the Texmaker and Kile editors, plotting and visualisation tools Gnuplot, xfig, MayaVi, Dia and Ggobi , and the vector graphics tool Inkscape.
  • Version control, backup tools and document managers: Version control and backup tools are included to help you manage your data and documents better — Subversion, Git and Mercurial are available, along with the backup tool backintime. Also included is a bibliography manager, BibTool.

Besides these four main categories, some of the other miscellaneous utilities include: hevea (the awesome LaTex-to-HTML converter), GNU Screen and IPython. You can find the complete list of all the additional packages included in the spin here.

HTC Desire HD Gets Android 2.3.5 Update In India

HTC Corp has started rolling out Android 2.3.5 along with Sense 3.0 update for Desire HD users in India. The company has made an announcement about the same on its official Twitter and Facebook accounts.
The company is currently rolling the update and the users will get a notification on their Desire HD to update their devices. A manual check of the update can also be done by going to Settings> About phone> Software Update.

The update is around 230MB is size. Users simply need to connect to a Wi-Fi network for downloading the update and it is expected to bring along better performance, native screenshot capability and several bug-fixes.

Oracle Unveils 'Big Data Alliance' Storage Solutions In India

US-based computer technology company Oracle has launched its 'Big Data Alliance' in India. The alliance would assist its customers quickly navigate through records and data stored in their computer servers within seconds.

The alliance would help its customers to gather information requests in very short time that otherwise took weeks.

This will make their businesses not only swift but reduce costs as well by integrating all hardware and software components into a single data storage.

"Oracle's Big Data strategy is centred around the idea that customers can evolve their current enterprise data architecture to incorporate Big Data deliver business value leveraging the proven reliability, flexibility and performance of their Oracle systems," Sundar Ram, vice-president for technology, sales and consulting--Oracle, Asia Pacific said.

Oracle's Big Data appliance combines optimised hardware, with a comprehensive software stack, featuring specialised solutions developed by Oracle to deliver an easy-to-deploy solution for acquiring, organising and analysing big data.

The appliance incorporates Cloudera's distribution including Apache Hadoop with Cloudera Manager, plus an open source distribution of R, enhanced to run the oracle database and running on Oracle Linux. The system also features Oracle NoSQL database and Oracle HotSpot Java virtual machine.

"Oracle is in talks with various companies for this solution world over. Verticals such as banking, financial services and insurance, retail, media and government sectors can adopt the solution to manage huge data flow. Sectors such as telecom and healthcare are likely to be its early adopters," added Ram.

Here Comes An Open Source Malware Analysis Tool

Besides the expensive security solutions for IT infrastructure, there exists some open-source alternatives too. Shadowserver has launched a free Web-based malware analysis tool to cater to the needs of the vendor-controlled and proprietary systems.
The tool, called Malwr, should not be judged upon its name as it is designed to provide security professionals with a free and customisable open source malware analysis tool. The tool is actually a front-end for the open source Cuckoo malware analysis sandbox that serves as an alternative for users who don't have the resources or time to operate a Cuckoo installation.

“A lot of companies run [malware analysis] and it's becoming a really profitable market, leaving no space for free initiatives,” said Claudio Guarnier, developer of Malwr who created the tool because he found free malware analysis tools to be weak and commercial sandboxes too expensive.
While Malwr is running in a limited testing mode, Guarnieri said that the Shadowserver resources underpinning the tool would allow it to scale to 10,000 analyses per day. In the first 36 hours, Malwr received about 15,000 page views from 2,000 unique visitors who submitted around 150 files. Some 22 per cent of traffic was attack attempts.
The Cuckoo sandbox was developed in mid-2010 as a Honeynet Project for Google's Summer of Code and re-commenced development for the 2011 Google initiative.
Development of Malwr started in September last year, but Guarnieri said he always planned to build a Web front-end for Cuckoo.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Android 4.0 introduces features for visually impaired

Naukri.com Awarded Best Classified Site

Naukri.com, India’s no 1 job site has been recognized as the best classified website at the 2nd edition of the India Digital Awards organized by the Internet and Mobile association of India(IAMAI). This award was presented to the Naukri.com team at India Habitat centre on Jan 18, 2012.
On receiving the award, Sumeet Singh, Senior Vice President Marketing Corporate Communication, Info Edge India said “We are honoured and happy to have garnered this award. We would like to thank IAMAI for recognizing our contribution in the online classified category. As a portal we have always tried to provide innovative solutions to both jobseekers and recruiters so as to enrich their user experience with us.“

These awards under multiple categories are meant to felicitate the achievement and efforts of all those individuals and companies who have contributed towards the development and enhancement of the digital space and mobile value added services. This is the second year that Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is conducting its annual Indian Digital Awards ceremony.

Reliance To Roll Out 4G Services In Second Half Of 2012

Reliance Industries Ltd is planning for its wireless broadband business this year for which the firm has completed field trials with equipment vendors. Reliance is looking for rolling-out the commercial broadband services in the second half of 2012 and is in discussions with cable companies and broadcasters to push content on multiple fourth-generation (4G)-enabled devices. RIL has not yet inked any deal but according to sources, RIL could acquire a significant stake, up to one-third of the equity, in cable companies. There are also plans that the firm will run exclusive content from broadcasters like UTV Software Communications Ltd, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, and Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd. It is even looking at getting content from Warner Bros India and regional broadcasters. The firm also plans to release a competitively priced tablet across 700 cities and some ultra-cheap data plans.

5 'Unusual' Tablets Showcased At CES 2012

Consumer Electronics Show 2012 was a grand display of the upcoming technologies not only because of their sheer innovation but also for some out of the box designs. Some of these devices actually make you wonder whether they are made for utility or display of uniqueness.
We present to you a list of unusual (read: weird) tablet devices showcased at CES 2012. Incidentally, most of them run Android. 

Toshiba 13.3-inch Prototype

Toshiba stole the show by launching the world's thinnest tablet but there was yet another offing from the company which awed the visitors. The gigantic 33.8-cm (13.3-inch) tablet prototype made people stop and see if it is really a tablet. Since it was a prototype, the company may modify their plan. This Android tablet is the biggest seen so far but has earned a lot of criticism because owning such a huge tablet isn't a good idea.

Sony Vaio Slider Prototype

Sony showcased its popular 'Vaio' tablet prototypes at the event. This hybrid device is an interesting one because it slides over a detachable keyboard, similar to the ASUS Eee Slider. The design reminds us of the Series 7 Slider Samsung showcased last year, that actually never made it to the market. It also has a stylus with it. According to a post on Android Tablet Blog, the Vaio slider looks like Android material but one shouldn't be shocked if it eventually comes out with Windows 8. This is because Vaio is a Windows-only brand.

Qooq Tablet

As reported earlier, Qooq is a tablet which can practically give you some food for thought specifically designed for the kitchen. The new Linux-based tablet device is meant to help you in the kitchen which comes with a heat- and water-resistant enclosure along with a kickstand around back. Surprisingly, in an Android-dominated tablet world, the Qooq runs Linux, a customised version by Qooq for easy set-up and intuitive operation. The tablet offers digital cookbooks and many more recipe and cooking-related apps and tools. But the question which arises is that is it worth shelling out somewhere around $400 for this tablet.

Tellybear Tablet

Telly Bear tablet comes in the shape of a bear, which itself makes it an unusual offering. It is a dynamic picture story reader to bring the children stories with fun. It not only makes reading and listening joyful but facilitates learning languages and culture of various nations starting from pre-school education. It does a decent job of running interactive books and Angry Birds. It has a 4GB storage with a built-in mic. It weighs 940g and has SD/HDC card reader with 100 audible and animated stories in English and Mandarin languages. It has a screen size of 18.3 cm with TFT LCD. And it runs on Google's popular Android operating system.

Gadmei T863 Android 4.0 3D Tablet

A new line of inexpensive 3D tablets has been launched by Gadmei. The features of the Gadmei T863 3D tablet include 20.3-cm (8-inch), 1280x768p display equipped with a 5-point capacitive touch panel, 1GB RAM, 1GHz Amlogi Cortex A9 processor, 8GB storage, 500mAh battery, and 2 cameras on both sides of the tablet. It also has ports for a mini HDMI, microSD, and mini USB. However, the screen of this tablet is a bit temperamental. In order to see the right 3D effect, you will need to gaze at the tablet from the appropriate angle, else you will end up watching a blurred image. Gadmei 3D tablets are available in the $130-$160 range. The T863 is now being sold for just $199.

UIDAI Launches Micro ATM Device

Here is a micro ATM for daily wagers with Aadhaar, which can be used to withdraw money near their doors through a core banking system. The device functions through any SIM and wherever there is a mobile tower.

A micro ATM device has been launched by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to enable beneficiaries like MG-NREGA (Mahatma Gandhi-National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers with Aadhaar to withdraw money near their doors through a core banking system. Other beneficiaries under old-age pension and scholarship could also benefit from the device.
With the device, the beneficiary can get the withdrawn amount from the business correspondent on the spot. The process is different from carrying money unlike the regular bank ATMs, according to a PTI report.
Aadhaar,Micro ATM Device,MG-NREGA

R S Sharma, director general, UIDAI explains, "The beneficiary has to put his finger and Aadhaar number into the micro ATM wireless device and get the money within 8 to 9 seconds from a business correspondent after verification about the beneficiary having that much amount deposited in the bank account shown through a receipt by the device."
"The (about a foot-long) device functions through any SIM and wherever there is a mobile tower. The device will be with a bank-appointed business correspondent," he adds.

The website is dedicated to Rajnikanth and runs without Internet connectivity.

Ever imagined working on a website without being connected to the Internet? Well, this may sound like another Rajnikanth joke where 'nothing is impossible' but this 'for a change' is actually true. www.allaboutrajni.com is a website dedicated to the superhero and runs 'without an Internet connection'!
The website greets its visitors with a warning that "He is no ordinary man, this is no ordinary website. It runs on Rajini Power. The only way to enter this website is to switch off your Internet connection." You are allowed to enter the website only when you disconnect your Internet connection.
In the website, users get to read the story of the legendary actor, scoops from his films and and get an idea of behind-the-scenes action. Of course the fun element is not missed because you can read through the famous Rajini jokes about the impossible feats only he can achieve.
allaboutrajni.com, Rajnikanth website, websites on Rajnikanth, Webchutney, Desimartini.com

Gurbaksh Singh, creative director, Webchutney, who has developed the site for Desimartini.com, says, "The website is a tribute to the larger than life image of the superhero Rajnikanth."
The website reflects true Rajni style. Be it the use of vibrant colours or the foot-tapping music, quirky quotes and illustrations, lingo or the icons, everything on the portal has been treated in Rajinikanth's signature style.
According to a PTI report, Singh said that the website is based on a complex algorithm which runs at the backend and watches the propagation of data packets between two terminals.
The 'Rajni magic' happens as soon as the Internet is disconnected. If you try to connect to the Internet while running the website, a message appears that says, "Aiyyo! That was unexpected. To keep browsing, switch off your Internet."
Singh informed that the website has been received very well among the Rajni fans.

Now, Enhance Your Tally.ERP 9 With Add-ons From TallyShop

Did you know that in addition to using the existing capabilities of the Tally.ERP 9 system, you can personalise your Tally.ERP 9 to deliver customised solutions according to your business requirements? This can be done by downloading additional features or applications from TallyShop, an online marketplace for Add-ons developed for Tally.ERP 9.

From Tally Solutions’ ‘TallyShop’, an online application store set up by Tally in collaboration with its implementation partners, it is now possible to download new features and functionalities to your Tally.ERP 9 to meet specific business needs like being able to view the outstanding balance in the printed invoice, print the address book and do a whole lot more.

Through TallyShop, you can easily buy specialized applications to meet your firm’s specific business requirements. Named ‘Add-ons’, these applications or features can be integrated with the Tally.ERP 9 system.

What are ‘Add-ons’?
Add-ons are plug-ins or extensions that can add extra functionalities or capabilities to the software. There are hundreds of Add-ons that you can find at TallyShop and each has a specialized function to meet different requirements. Add-ons offer ready-made solutions to Tally users at an affordable price. Prices start from as low as Rs180 and users either purchase the Add-ons directly or try them out for a limited period of time.

TallyShop is an easily accessible Add-ons repository or market place where Tally users can browse, find, download and evaluate these applications. TallyShop offers Add-ons in various subscription models — for free, on rent, based on a subscription and as upgrades.

So, let’s head to TallyShop and explore a few Add-ons, many of which may fit your business requirements!

How to access TallyShop

Fig 1- Accessing TallyShop

Browsing through TallyShop

TallyShop’s home page is divided into four main sections: ‘Best Selling’, ‘Recently Added’, ‘Top Categories’ and ‘Feature’ Add-ons. You can browse, choose and download the Add-ons from here. On the right pane (Button Toolbar), there are various shortcuts to access Add-ons for different license editions, ‘Best Sellers’, ‘Recently Added’ and so on. For customers with international license, there is an option to change the country.

There is also a ‘Tally Products’ shortcut to let you buy Tally products and subscription directly from TallyShop.

Fig 2 - Browsing Through TallyShop

How to get the Add-on you need

To find or get the Add-ons that you require, you can either browse through TallyShop or use a ‘Search for’ box located at the top of the TallyShop Home page. Search can be performed based on either the category or the name of the Add-on. Let us look at how to ‘Search for’ an Add-on with the search keyword ‘day book’.

  • Enter ‘day book’ in ‘Search for’ and press ‘Enter’.

  • Select one option from the search results and press ‘Enter’.

Fig 3 -  How to get the Add-on You Need

The Add-on’s download page contains highlights, pricing details, requirements, a description, the manual and screenshots of the selected Add-on. You can download the manual and view screenshots to make the right buying decision.

Fig 4 -  How to get the Add-on You Need

How to buy an Add-on and make a payment

  • On the ‘Add-on’ download page, Press ‘Alt+B’ or click on ‘Buy’, given at the bottom of the screen.
    Note: You can also try and evaluate these ‘Add-ons’ before making a purchase by clicking the ‘Try’ button at the bottom of the screen.

Fig 5 - How to Buy an Add-on and Make Payment

For an existing Tally customer, the ‘For Account ID/Serial Number’ will be filled in, automatically.

  • Select either ‘New License’ or’ New Rental License’ in the ‘Type of Purchase’. (The ‘New License’ is for permanent usage and the ‘New Rental License’ for rent). The rest of the data will be automatically filled by Tally.ERP 9.

  • Press ‘Enter’ and select ‘Yes’ to accept the screen.

Fig 6 - How to Buy an Add-on and Make Payment

Upon selecting ‘Yes’, your ‘Shopping Cart’ will display information about the selected Add-ons along with billing-related details. Tally.ERP 9 will automatically fetch the billing information.

  • Enter your name (customer name) in ‘Billing Name’ and your e-mail in ‘E-mail ID’.

  • Select the method of payment from ‘List of Payment Methods’ and press ‘Enter’.

Fig 7 - How to Buy an Add-on and Make Payment

  • Once, you click ‘Yes’, the screen will show the message, ‘Shopping Successful’.

  • Press ‘Enter’ on the ‘Restarting Tally.ERP 9’ screen.

Fig 8 -  Shopping Successful

Managing the purchased Add-ons and configuring their site licenses can be done through the ‘Control Center’.

Fig 9 -  Restart

  • Go to ‘Gateway of Tally>Ctrl+K > TDL Management’. For more details on how to manage and configure the licenses for the Add-ons purchased, refer to http://bit.ly/qlUVO6.

Now, Android-Powered Car Stereos, Rear-View Mirrors

The International Consumer Electronics show is now over but there are lot many amazing gadgets that are still popping up, demanding special attention due to their sheer innovation.
We earlier mentioned apps for automobiles such as MyFord Mobile app that got featured in 10 best innovative gadgets @ CES 2012. Now, here's an Android offering from the stable of Rydeen, especially designed for car stereos and rear-view mirrors.
Android, Android-powered radio, Android-powered rear-view mirror, Android for Automobiles, Rydeen, Android multimedia receiver, Double-DIN steror, DV621, Android 2.2, Froyo, ARM Cortex, Android-based car stereos, Android-based rear-view mirrors for cars, CES 2012

The company is developing a double-DIN stereo head unit that runs Android 2.2. There is already a functional version of Froyo running from within a rear-view mirror developed by the firm, as spotted by Engadget at the event.
The tech specs of the Rydeen DV621 Multimedia Receiver include Android 2.2 Froyo, 15.7-cm (6.2-inch) WVGA TFT touchscreen, ARM Cortex A8 1GHz processor, GPS, in-built 4-channel amplifier having 45W per channel, dedicated subwoofer output and RCA audio connectors.
Optimised for drivers, a finalised version of the mirror with a simplified interface is expected by 2013.

Netbook Turned Into An Android-Powered Robot

Video: Netbook Turned Into An Android-Powered Robot

While working on your feature-filled yet lifeless netbook, haven't you ever imagined your device to take shape of a robot. Not possibly the giant Transformer, Oculus, a motorised frame and software combo, can transform your netbook into a roaming robot. For this, the laptop should be smaller than 27.9 cms (11 inches). After pairing it with the Oculus kit, the netbook can be driven remotely via an Android device, using the free software.

7 Things We Do NOT Wish To See in Tablets

Even as manufacturers up the ante in the tablet wars and pack in more features into their devices, we take a slightly cynical step back and point out what we would rather NOT have in these very handy gadgets. So here's our list of seven things that we hope tablets lose, rather than gain, in the coming days.

Big megapixel cameras
A front-facing camera for video chats and a basic camera for shooting impulse videos and shots are fine, but we must confess that we are not convinced by the rationale of plonking a 5.0- or 8.0-megapixel shooter on a tablet. Tablet cameras are not easy to use, thanks to the size and weight of the devices. Also, we have seen that almost all tablet owners generally possess a smartphone which is not only easier to use for taking pictures but also has a better camera.
Slimmer frames
Anorexia might be desirable on a catwalk, but we are not too sure if it makes sense in a tablet. Yes, slimmer devices are lighter to carry and look a lot sleeker, but after a stage, they start appearing fragile and are not exactly reassuring to hold. We have lost count of the number of people who said that they love the sleek iPad 2, but were more relaxed holding the original iPad, simply because it felt so much more solid. Similarly, there were many who were put off by the stiff price tag of Sony's Tablet S but rare was the person who did not like its slightly bulky, "folded magazine" feel. The millimetre battle for slimmest device starts becoming silly after a while and we do think that the 25.7-cm (10.1-inch) Galaxy Tab and the iPad 2 are about as comfortably slim as one can get.
App-less super processors
We are going to go out on a limb and proclaim that  having multiple cores and oodles of Ghz in a processor does not really count for much if there are not too many apps to make the most of these features. This in particular applies to Android where manufacturers seem to be tripping over each other in an attempt to incorporate faster, multiple-core processors in their tablets. Yes, it is great to have powerful processors in a device, but not all users use their tablets for video editing or high-definition gaming--most users want little more than decent Web and social network access, which can be provided even by a relatively lower specced device. It bears considering that the two tablets that really did well in 2011--the iPad 2 and Kindle Fire, succeeded because of their interface and app and services integration, rather than overwhelming superior processing power.
Weird screen sizes and resolutions
Tablets have been around for less than two years and we already have seen a profusion of screen sizes with different resolutions scattered all over the market. Interestingly, the one tablet that has hogged most of the market, media and mind space is the one that changed neither its display size nor resolution in this period-Apple's iPad. The market has clearly shown that there are two screen sizes for a tablet--approximately seven inches for those who value portability, and about ten inches for those who do not mind using both hands to use a device. So we really wish the experimentation with odd screen sizes (5.3 inches, 7.7 inches, 8.9 inches, et al) would stop as it seems like innovation for its own sake. As for display resolution, we saw what havoc could be wreaked if a tablet had a resolution with very few apps to support it when a number of Android Honeycomb tablets came out with fabulous resolutions, but few apps designed to truly support them. In screen resolutions (as in processors), we really think the rule is "do not increase if you do not have the apps for it".
GPS
A tablet is way too big to be used comfortably as a navigation device, and one can find one's location (for new-based apps and the like) just as easily through triangulation via a data connection, or heck, even just plain type it in. So we are not really sure what GPS is doing in most tablets. Again, most tablet users have smartphones that are a whole lot more convenient to use for both navigation and location-based apps. No, we do not think we would miss GPS in a tablet. And would be grateful for the battery life it saves.
Colossal storage
We keep being told how expensive Flash memory is and how easy it is to store data on the cloud through a connected device. And yet we continue to see manufacturers going crazy offering tablets with different storage levels--16 GB/ 32/GB/ 64GB--and at significantly different price tags. We are going to see a few tablets with 128 GB storage too this year, if rumours are to be believed and it is not going to come cheap. Better cloud integration or just a memory card slot would be a better, and more economical, storage option we think. Almost a year and a half after we bought it, we still are using our 16GB iPad and have 5GB onboard storage to spare.
Crazy launch price tags
Yes, we know that some people will think that this is an obvious point and applies to most tech products, and not just tablets. We agree with that rationale. However, we must also confess that barring the Amazon and Apple, most tablet manufacturers seem to have a penchant for releasing devices with insane price tags. In India too, for a while, it was almost impossible to get a decent tablet for less than Rs 25,000, and prices really went south only when Reliance came out with its aggressively priced 3G Tab. Yes, the Rupee might be taking a bashing, but there's surely a lesson to be learnt from the surge in the sales of devices after their prices were spectacularly cut--as can be seen from the BlackBerry PlayBook and the 17.8-cm (7-inch) original Samsung Galaxy Tab. The former was launched at around Rs 27,000 and really set the market on fire when its price was almost halved for some time recently, while the Galaxy Tab was launched at almost Rs 35,000 but is now selling (and selling well) for as low as Rs 15,000. Ditto the Motorola Xoom which had few takers at its initial Rs 30,000-plus price tag, but is now racking up steadily sales with its price hacked to approximately Rs 22,000.

Orkut app comes to iOS App Store

All you Orkut social networkers out there, you can now use the service on your iOS devices via an app. The much overdue app is available for free from the iOS App Store, and is compatible with iOS 4.0 on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The app was released on the 18th of January by Google and already is on version 2.0. The app allows you to scrap to your friends, see their updates, reply to your friends' birthdays, update your status, browse your friends' profiles, scraps and photos and take photos and directly upload them to your Orkut albums. The app is available currently in two languages, English and Portuguese.

Screenshot of Orkut for iOS

Screenshot of Orkut for iOS

Orkut is a Google-owned social network that released in 2004. It was named after its developer, Orkut Büyükkökten who was working at Google at the time. The social network moved its base from California in the United States to Brazil where it gets its largest source of traffic. According to Alexa Internet, 59.1 percent of Orkut users are from Brazil. India comes in at number two, where 27.1 percent of users are from as of October 2011. However, according to comScore, Orkut recently was overtaken as the most popular social network in Brazil by Facebook. Google's other social network, Google+ is also slowly gaining popularity in Brazil.

HTC Android Phones Get Native Screenshot Capability

Now, users of HTC devices would not need to root their devices to capture native screen shots. The latest update on HTC's Android smartphones adorn the devices with native screenshot capability.
The company has announced the Android 2.3.5 and Sense 3.0 updates for its smartphones including the native screenshot feature. HTC has been updating the software of HTC Incredible S, Desire S, Desire HD and other phones in the last few weeks.
HTC Android Smartphones, Native Screenshot Capability, No rooting required, tweeted, Android 2.3.5, Sense 3.0

The screenshot picture can be taken by holding down the POWER button and pressing HOME together. You can then get your screenshot appear in the gallery (probably under camera shots/screenshots folder).
HTC recently tweeted that all the HTC Android smartphones running Android 2.3.5 and Sense 3.0 or above should be able to use this feature. It is also expected to work on Evo 3D, Sensation, Sensation XE, XL, Rhyme.

iOS preferred over BlackBerry and Android on corporate networks

 


iOS preferred over Blackberry and Android on corporate networks Zoom
Source: Check Point According to a survey commissioned by security specialist Check Point, Apple devices running iOS make up the largest share of mobile operating systems on corporate networks. The IT employees surveyed rate Android as the system with the greatest security risk and believe that users are a greater security threat than hackers, regardless of the operating system.

The reportPDF from Dimensional Research is based on a survey of 768 employees responsible for IT security in companies in the UK, Germany, Japan, Canada and the US. The figures show that mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets connect to the corporate network in 89% of the companies. Only devices provided by the company are allowed on about a quarter of the corporate networks, while 65% of the networks allow access to employees' private devices. That figure, at 81%, is much higher in Germany, whereas in the UK it is just 59%. In the last two years, the use of mobile devices has more than doubled on the large majority of corporate networks.


Android is considered more of a threat than iOS or Blackberry Zoom
Source: Check Point The preferred platform in the surveyed companies is iOS at 30%, beating RIM's BlackBerry (29%), Android (21%) and Windows Mobile/Phone (18%). When respondents were asked which of the three most frequently used systems represents the greatest security risk, Android (43%) was at the top of the list above iOS (36%) and BlackBerry (22%).

Overall, two thirds of those surveyed said that the number of security incidents has increased in the last two years, with more than 71% of those citing the growing number of mobile devices as a reason – employees often save sensitive client and company data on their devices, as well as confidential company emails and logins.

The biggest problem for data security, according to survey respondents, is that employees don't pay enough attention to security guidelines. Careless and inattentive users are more dangerous than hackers, according to 79% of surveyed IT employees in the UK and 55% of those in Germany.

Google patents Android pattern unlock

Android-Pattern-LockThose who use android smartphones must be familiar with Google's android patter on the home screen to unlock the phone. Google has now patented this pattern-unlock, along with other new gestures.