Apple releases price of Mac mini for Indian market

Apple has announced the price of its new Mac mini for the Indian market. The standard edition comes with a price tag of Rs. 44,900 while the server edition is priced at Rs. 64,900.

After going through several changes, the Mac mini recently released its new model in the U.S. Now the version is making its way in India. With a new unibody aluminum design, it is similar to MacBook Pro range of notebooks.

The server edition has a storage capacity of 500GB with a system memory of 4GB. Packing in a pre-installed Mac OS X Snow Leopard server, it comes with the iLife suite of applications, also common for the standard edition.

The connectivity option of the device's latest version is updated. It features a built-in HDMI output that allows direct connection to your HDTV. Also featured are a SD card slot, four USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire 800 port, and the MiniDisplay port.

The standard edition comes with 320GB (configurable up to 500GB) and 2GB (configurable up to 4GB) of storage capacity and system memory respectively.

With new slimmer and powerful versions, the Mac is sure to create a buzz. However the pricing may pinch and will no longer be counted under the 'affordable' Mac as earlier it used to be.

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

Facebook reaches 500 Million users

Social networking site Facebook officially has 500 million users, the company announced Wednesday. The milestone means that the six-year old website now reaches eight percent of the planet's population, just 18 months after it passed the 150 million user mark.

Last month Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said there is a "good chance" that the social networking site could boast one billion users within three to five years.

Facebook has continued adding users at a record-setting pace despite growing concerns about the privacy policies of a site that has more data on its users than any other website.

Facebook marked the milestone with the launch of a special section in which users are encouraged to post their personal stories about how Facebook has affected them.

"Half a billion is a nice number but the number isn't what really matters here. What matters are all of the stories we hear from all of you about the impact your connections have had on your lives," Zuckerberg said in a video message.

"Instead of focusing on numbers, we want to help people around the world hear about these stories for themselves, and we want to let you tell your own story."

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

Airtel to bring iPhone 4 To India

The much hyped iPhone 4 would soon hit the Indian mobile market if all goes well between the country's largest telecom operator, Bharti Airtel, and the handset maker, Apple.

"We are working with Apple. Hopefully in the September-October time frame we would launch the phone," Sanjay Kapoor, Chief Executive of Bharti Airtel (India and South Asia), told reporters on the sidelines of a CII conference.

Earlier in June, Vodafone Essar had spoken of its plans to launch the iPhone 4 in India, without specifying a timeframe for the same.

On the rollout of Broadband Wireless Access services in four circles - Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kolkata and Punjab - which it bagged for Rs.3,314.36 crore, Kapoor said they were still to decide on the technology that will be used.

Airtel, which won 13 circles in the auction of airwaves for third generation (3G) telephony spectrum, shelling out Rs.12,295.46 crore ($2.73 billion), has also started gearing up its network to enable a quicker rollout of such services.

Bharti Airtel already sells iPhone 3GS in India priced at Rs 35,500 for the 16 GB model and Rs. 41,500 for the 32GB model.

Apple had last month announced the launch of the iPhone 4 with a sharper screen and video-chat features in an attempt to ward-off competition from devices running Google's Android software.

"As far as 3G is concerned, a very large amount of the network is 3G ready. We are working towards an aggressive timeline," said Kapoor. !-- START ADONION CODE -->

Daksh: The new Robot weapon of Indian Army

Daksh is an electrically powered and remotely controlled robot used for locating, handling and destroying hazardous objects safely.

Daksh speaks for the ingenuity of the R&DE(E). It is a battery-operated robot on wheels and its primary role is to recover improvised explosive devices (IEDs). It locates IEDs with an X-ray machine, picks them up with a gripper-arm and defuses them with a jet of water. It has a shotgun, which can break open locked doors, and it can scan cars for explosives. Daksh can also climb staircases, negotiate steep slopes, navigate narrow corridors and tow vehicles. Alok Mukherjee, a scientist, said: “With a master control station (MCS), it can be remotely controlled over a range of 500 m in line of sight or within buildings. Ninety per cent of the robot’s components are indigenous.

The Army has placed orders for 20 Dakshs.”

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

first Indian web browser 'Epic'

Indians have a new cause to celebrate with the launch of the first Indian made web browser aptly called 'Epic'. Released by a Bangalore-based software firm, Hidden Reflex, Epic is based on the Mozilla platform.

The unique feature that sets Epic apart from other browsers is that it has a built-in antivirus protection. The integrated antivirus and antispyware has been powered by ESET.

The web browser can be customized as per the user's desire. You can change the background and themes according to your preference. And there are over 1,500 free themes to choose from. The browser's has a number of apps in its sidebar like Twitter, Facebook, Orkut etc. You can directly launch them from the sidebar.

The Epic is highly Indian in its look and feel. The 'Indic' app in the browser lets you type in 12 Indian languages.

The browser makers claim maximum privacy by giving features such as one-click private data deletion, flash cookie deletion built-in and no storage of browsing history. Faster downloads and browsing are some of the other claims made by the Epic developers. So what are you waiting for? Go check and experience it for yourself. After all such innovations reinforce our feelings of being a proud Indian.

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

Indian Rupee gets a new symbol

India has finally got a symbol for the Rupee and joined a select club of countries whose currencies have an unique identity.

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the design, which includes both the Devnagiri 'Ra' and the Roman capital 'R' and has two parallel lines running at the top. The parallel lines symbolise the equal to sign.

"With this India will join an elite group of countries which have a distinct currency symbol. It denotes the robustness of Indian economy. I will now hold up the design that was finally selected. This was sent in by Udaya Kumar," said Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni in New Delhi.

She said that the Rupee symbol was a nice blend of modernity and Indian culture. The symbol selected has been designed by anIndian Institute of Technology postgraduate D Udaya Kumar and was selected from among five short listed symbols. Kumar, who is with the Department of Design at IIT Guwahati, explained thatthe design is based on the Indian Tricolour.

"My design is based on the Tricolour with two lines at the top and white space in between. I wanted the symbol for the Rupee to represent the Indian flag. It is a perfect blend of Indian and Roman letters: a capital 'R', and Devnagari 'Ra', which represent rupiya, to appeal to international and Indian audiences. After working onthe design for few months, I shortlisted eight to 10 designs and then refined them further till I got this one," said Kumar.

All new notes will now bear the symbol.

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

Eye tracking to detect lies,

Detecting lies by tracking eye movement became possible recently because of the advent of technology. Educational psychologists-John, Kircher, Doug Hacker, Anne Cook, Don Waltz and David Raskin are making use of an eye tracking technology to provide an alternative to the polygraph for lie detection.

The researchers from the University of Utah, claim they are the first to develop and assess the software and methods for applying these tests effectively and would be commercializing in coming years. Instead of measuring a person's emotional reaction, which usually a polygraph test does, eye tracking technology can measure a person's cognitive reaction.

A number of measurements were recorded by Utah researchers while a subject is answering a series of true and false questions on a computer. The pupil dilution, response time, reading and rereading time and errors were measured by the Utah researchers. The researchers wanted to know whether the subject is working hard to hide the truth or not as they determined that, speaking the truth is much easier than lying. "We have gotten great results from our experiments. They are as good as or better than the polygraph and we are still in the early stages of this innovative new method to determine if someone is trying to deceive you," says Kircher.

Eye tracking would cost relatively lesser than polygraph and requires one fifth of the time currently needed for examinations. Besides that, it requires no attachment to the subject being tested, be available in any language and can be supervised by technicians rather than qualified polygraph examiners.

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

send email using mobile phone camera

Soon, we will be able to send an email using a mobile phone camera, thanks to the HP Labs in Bangalore, which is about to roll out a technology that would convert any mobile with a camera into an emailing device, reports KV Ramana from DNA.

DNA quotes Sudhir Dixit, Director of HP Labs India as saying "We are putting the technology to test. We plan to roll it out shortly." The technology would use high-end image processing to faciliate this. "It is all about making effective use of a mobile phone and a piece of paper," Dixit said.

With this technology, the user just have to photograph the text, including the e mail address of the recipient, written on a paper or any where with a camera mobile phone with the software application that HP Labs is planning to roll out. The application will process the email image, convert it into normal text mail and send it to the addressee.

"We find PC penetration and internet usage in India to be abysmally low. We found that people are also averse to using a keyboard and a mouse. They use paper everyday and the PC has not changed the way the paper is used. Local language content is also a key hurdle. There is not much content available in local language and for whatever is available, the keyboard is not very useful. But, at the same time, there are 600 million mobiles in India," Dixit said. "Normally, people carry a piece of paper and a mobile phone in their pocket. Our task was to combine both. In this process, we have developed this email technology," Dixit said.

HP Labs then started working on surmounting these hurdles and launched a project called 'Big Bet' in November last year. As a part of this, research teams at the lab have come out with eight technologies that would bridge the IT divide and make effective use of the devices users already own, apart from a PC.

The company has announced a technology dubbed as SiteonMobile, which has also been developed as part of the Big Bet project. This is aimed at making the internet content and services available to the masses even from low-end mobile phones without having to use a smartphone. This involves combining voice and SMS on low-end phones.

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

ArkHippo: at last, a cure for your iPhone's portability

Ever wish your iPhone was less pocket-friendly and more throw-across-the-room-friendly? Then the ArkHippo may just be the case for you. Made of a proprietary material "similar to Crocs shoes," the case (said to be "coming soon") promises to let you comfortably rest your iPhone against your shoulder, prop it up to watch a video, or simply toss it around to your heart's content. Still not sold on it? Head on past the break for a quick video -- and don't worry, we're pretty sure the final version won't be made of foam !-- START ADONION CODE -->

Concept 'HTC 1' is the phone we wish HTC would make

Designer Andrew Kim has cooked up a concept smartphone for HTC dubbed the "1" that makes the company's current offerings look, well... last generation. The device, built from a brass housing (coated in silver) eschews the phone-maker's recent crop of fairly standard looking mobile devices for something decidedly more sophisticated -- and cans the familiar Sense interface in the process. Not only is the shell of the phone rethought, the new UI (Sense mono) takes a cleaner, more thoughtful, high-end approach as well, joining Synergy like functions (combined messaging) with a Helvetica heavy interface that looks streamlined and mature. Some notable features of the hardware include stereo speakers (located at the top and bottom of the phone), a kickstand which is actually the bottom portion of the casing, and the lofty concept of a built-in UV light which kills germs on the surface of the phone while you charge up. As far as concepts go, this is one of the finest we've seen, so hit the source link below and take a look at the full spread.

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

Import Contacts From FaceBook

If you are a Yahoo messenger user, you must have already been introduced to the import contacts options in quite sometime back, the import function supports importing contacts from various websites like GMAIL, Hotmail / MSN, MySpace, Orkut, Comcast and more.

In addition to the already existing domains today Yahoo has added a option to import contacts from FaceBook, this option is available when you choose Import Contacts –> Contacts from the Yahoo Messenger menu.

The service for retrieval is powered by TrueSwitch a company that deals with migrating data from one ISP to another.

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

iPhone 4 vs. EVO 4G... fight!

iPhone 4

EVO 4G

Screen	960 x 640, 3.5-inch	800 x 480, 4.3-inch
Thickness	0.37-inch	0.47-inch
Primary camera	5 megapixel	8 megapixel
Secondary camera	VGA	1.3 megapixel
Video chat	FaceTime	Qik

Not enough for you? We'll have a big comparison of all the "majors" for you shortly.

Now, there's a lot left to learn about Apple's FaceTime video chat service. For instance, they called it "open," but they also only mentioned a zero-configuration iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 calling setup. Meanwhile Qik can make calls between EVO 4Gs, but also stream video live to the web (while the iPhone needs to record and then upload to get "social" using its official apps). No mention was made of the FaceTime call resolution, but given the fact that the front camera is merely VGA, it's probably streaming at the same 640 x 480 that Qik is constrained to in the free service. However, a premium version of Qik for $5 a month lets you go beyond that resolution, using the EVO's higher resolution cameras. Perhaps the largest distinction is the fact that the EVO can stream video calls over 3G or 4G, while the iPhone 4 is constrained to WiFi for the time being. Naturally, we expect other video calling apps (Skype, please?) to crop up on both platforms and give these initial offerings a run for their money.

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

iPhone 4: are you getting one?

Now that the dust is beginning to settle on Steve Jobs' WWDC10 keynote, we thought we'd ask the most pertinent question of all: who's buying this new hero mobile device from Apple? We know the company's loyal fan base will not disappoint, but what about you, undecided voter? Did that 960 x 640 IPS screen make you look upon Cupertino's wares with a new level of appreciation? And let us not neglect the iPhone's detractors here -- have they been placated by the inclusion of HD video recording, video chat and a meaty new A4 processor? Tick the appropriate box below, then visit us in the comments and let us know what you thought.

!-- START ADONION CODE -->

Internet users can help track fugitives: Interpol

Lyon: Interpol, the international police agency, believes that internet users can be helpful in tracking down many criminals who are wanted for serious crimes like murder, rape, child sexual abuse and others.

Interpol has launched a round-up operation on May 3 to trap 450 people, who are either convicted or suspected of serious offences. The operation is spread over 29 countries. The agency also stated that more than 100 fugitives have been arrested or located worldwide.

Some of the high profile arrests include former Colombian model Angie Sanclemente Valencia, who was wanted for drug trafficking. She was caught in Argentina in May. Mouamba Munanga, wanted for counterfeit currency and money-laundering by France and Bahrain was caught in South Africa on June 16.

Public pictures of 26 fugitives have been released by the Interpol to back its appeal for help from Internet users.

Martin Cox, Assistant Director of Interpol's Fugitive Investigative Support (FIS) unit said,
"The operation has been very successful in locating and arresting a large number of these targets, but what we are now left with are the cases where we have no new information on their whereabouts, which is why we are asking for the public to help. It is more likely that someone will recognize one these fugitives from a social networking site or a chat room than spotting them walking down the street."

Any information on the fugitives can be sent to fugitive@interpol.int or be anonymously given to National Crime Stoppers programs. !-- START ADONION CODE -->