Cryptocurrency : A Digital asset

Cryptocurrencies  often called as Digital currencies are used to work as a medium of exchange over internet. One can say, Cryptocurrency cannot be withdrawn from ATM's and bank. 

Bitcoin, created in 2009 was first of its type.They are mostly used outside banking and government organisation and exchanged over the internet. Interestingly, these crypto currencies are free from the control of government bodies. Some example of crpyto currencies are :

1) Litecoin
2)Ethereum
3)Monero etc..

Satya Nadella: The Silent Winner

                                                            

A kid who did his schooling in Hyderabad. A silent youngster who did his engineering from Manipal University. Now the future CEO of Microsoft. Satya Nadella and some milestones from his career.

Dell's Wyse Cloud Connect Dongle Turns any Display into a PC cloud-connect-pc-on-a-stick-turns-any-display-into-a-computer

After first showing up at CES 2013, Dell is finally shipping the Dell Wyse Cloud Connect HDMI dongle that turns any display into a PC. Priced at $129, the Android-based Wyse dongle is slightly larger than a typical USB stick and gives you full access to Google Play's app catalog. When you need to get some serious work done, Wyse integrates with desktop virtualization services from Citrix, Microsoft, and VMWare, as well as Dell's own apps and files remote access solution, PocketCloud. As you might have guessed from the description, the Wyse dongle is aimed at enterprises and other large organizations including educational institutions. But it's easy to imagine how this device could appeal to anyone else who wants the power of a PC in their pocket without the hassle of lugging a laptop everywhere. When you first slap the Wyse Cloud Connect dongle into a display via HDMI or MHL port you are greeted with an Android Jelly Bean home screen. You can then access Android apps installed on the device or fire up your remote desktop. The biggest downside for business travelers is Wyse Cloud Connect requires you to bring your own keyboard and mouse. wyse-cloud-connect-pc-on-a-stick-turns-any-display-into-a-computer.



                            

Xbox One design team used hundreds of 3D-printed prototypes to fine-tune the console

The Xbox One is an impressive piece of hardware. Sure, the games look sharp, but the console is pleasing in and of itself. Once a product hits shelves, it’s easy to forget that people had to design it from scratch. From toasters to game consoles, the devices we use every day have gone through countless iterations, and an absurd number of man-hours are spent perfecting these technological masterpieces. It’s worth taking note of just how many revisions products go through before they see the light of day, and Microsoft’s Carl Led better wants you to know just how much work was put into the Xbox One.

Lenovo Flex

ET deals: $350 off Lenovo Flex 20 dual-mode desktop.

 The Flex desktops start with a premium all-in-one PC, complete with Haswell processors, a slim design, and a touchscreen. Rather than sticking it on a boring old stand, Lenovo stuck with a manageable size display (19.5-inches) and gave it a collapsible hinge stand. The system cleverly works as a tablet or desktop and is now available at a hefty discount.

Sugar-powered biobattery

                                       

Sugar-powered biobattery has 10 times the energy storage of lithium: Your smartphone might soon run on enzymes . As we already know that,  sugar — glucose, fructose, sucrose, dextrose — is an excellent source of energy. There is a reason why almost every living cell on Earth generates its energy  from glucose. Now, researchers at Virginia Tech have successfully created a sugar-powered fuel cell that has an energy density of 600 amp-hours per kilo — or “one order of magnitude” higher than lithium-ion batteries. The energy is clean (water is the only waste product) and very cheap to produce. Also , the energy produced is cheap and environment friendly. The  Energy produced is long lasting and does not need electricity for charging. It does not produce any pollutants as by-product. 

After FB, Google buys startup with Indian link

 After Facebook's acquisition of Bangalore-based Little Eye Labs earlier this month, it's Google that has now bought a three-year-old startup that had two Indians — Vish Ramarao and Naveen Jamal — as co-founders and offices in Bangalore and California. The startup, Impermium, had a third co-founder Mark Risher.

Jamal was based in Bangalore and looked after the office here, while Ramarao and Risher were based in California. All three had previously worked together in Yahoo and came out of it in 2010 to found Impermium. The startup focused on building security products for websites.

Impermium's website now has just a note from Risher, who was the CEO, with the headline 'Impermium is joining Google'. It goes on to say: "By joining Google, our team will merge with some of the best abuse fighters in the world. With our combined talents we'll be able to further our mission and help make the internet a safer place. We're excited about the possibilities."

Impermium had received $9 million in funding from a host of venture firms including Accel Partners, AOL Ventures, Charles River Ventures and Highland Capital Partners. Google has not disclosed the terms of its deal with Impermium.

Video Playback Performance Decreased in Android 4.4 KitKat

The latest version of Google’s mobile Operating System, Android 4.4 KitKat, was expected like the second coming or something.  Google “pwomised, mr. Frodo” a significant increase in the overall performance of the OS, yet I have some bad news for you : even if the claim about a  performance boost in your updated Android device is somehow true , well, when it turns to video-playback performance, guess what : Android 4.4 KitKat fails to impress, and actually it performs poorer than JellyBean. And, that sucks, at least for me, because I think I am addicted to YouTube and LiveLeak. A new study released by OptaFidelity suggests that user experience has worsened in the Android 4.4 KitKat, and by a long shot. OptaFidelity scrutinized the video playback capabilities of the Android 4.4 KitKat using a Google Nexus 7 tablet, both the 2012 and the 2013 versions. The Nexus 7 was running HD content, before and after the Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade. The test analyzed the playback capabilities of 720p videos, at 30/60 frames per second and also 1080p@/30/60 frames per second. I bet you would have been expecting the Android 4.4 KitKat to perform better than JellyBean, but to everyone’s surprise, it did not. According to the same study, the overall performance of both the Nexus 7 tablets, after the OS update, was decreased. The decreased performance translates into dropped frames, delay error between frames, the overall smoothness of the video playback. You can check out the results for yourself, just click here for the PDF spec sheet.

Moto G Available Now on Amazon on Pre-Order

Great news for Android lovers everywhere, because Black Friday brings us the budget-friendly Motorola G, now available on pre-order on Amazon.com. If you place your order now on Amazon, you will receive your Moto G smartphone just in time for Christmas. Motorola promised solemnly that they will start shipping the Android smartphone starting from December the 6′th.

Talking about the price-tag of the device, the Motorola G is available for $179 for the 8 Gigabytes  model and  $199 for the 16GB version.

Motorola G is a budget friendly droid, basically a downgraded version of the company flagship, the Moto X. Obviously, for marketing reasons and due to its lower price tag, the G is not quite as customizable as its bigger sibling. Hence, no Moto Maker, but the inter-changeable back panels are still around, with 19 colors available for your precious droid.

The Moto G benefits from one of the most formidable hardware platforms available for that kind of money, absolutely remarkable for an entry-level dirt cheap smartphone, it’s almost one of a kind on the market. Starting with the display, you will enjoy the 4.5 inches wide capacitive unit, boasting a resolution of 720×1280 pixels, with an impressive 326ppi pixel density and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The G runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 system on chip, powered by a quad-core CPU clocked at 1.2 GHz, obviously a Cortex-A7 unit.There are two versions, as I told you before, the 8/16GB, both featuring 1 GB of RAM. The graphics display unit is an Adreno 305, just like the ones you can find in basically all of the Nokia Lumia models. There are two cameras on the Moto G, a main 5 MP with auto-focus and LED flash, capable of HD video-recording and a secondary front facing 1.3 MP unit, for video-calling and selfies.

The smartphone is powered by an impressive 2070 mAh user-removable battery. The phone comes loaded with Android OS, version 4.3 JellyBean, planned to be upgraded to v 4.4 KitKat as soon as possible.

Moto G Available Now on Amazon on Pre-Order

Great news for Android lovers everywhere, because Black Friday brings us the budget-friendly Motorola G, now available on pre-order on Amazon.com. If you place your order now on Amazon, you will receive your Moto G smartphone just in time for Christmas. Motorola promised solemnly that they will start shipping the Android smartphone starting from December the 6′th.

Talking about the price-tag of the device, the Motorola G is available for $179 for the 8 Gigabytes  model and  $199 for the 16GB version.

Motorola G is a budget friendly droid, basically a downgraded version of the company flagship, the Moto X. Obviously, for marketing reasons and due to its lower price tag, the G is not quite as customizable as its bigger sibling. Hence, no Moto Maker, but the inter-changeable back panels are still around, with 19 colors available for your precious droid.

The Moto G benefits from one of the most formidable hardware platforms available for that kind of money, absolutely remarkable for an entry-level dirt cheap smartphone, it’s almost one of a kind on the market. Starting with the display, you will enjoy the 4.5 inches wide capacitive unit, boasting a resolution of 720×1280 pixels, with an impressive 326ppi pixel density and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The G runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 system on chip, powered by a quad-core CPU clocked at 1.2 GHz, obviously a Cortex-A7 unit.There are two versions, as I told you before, the 8/16GB, both featuring 1 GB of RAM. The graphics display unit is an Adreno 305, just like the ones you can find in basically all of the Nokia Lumia models. There are two cameras on the Moto G, a main 5 MP with auto-focus and LED flash, capable of HD video-recording and a secondary front facing 1.3 MP unit, for video-calling and selfies.

The smartphone is powered by an impressive 2070 mAh user-removable battery. The phone comes loaded with Android OS, version 4.3 JellyBean, planned to be upgraded to v 4.4 KitKat as soon as possible.

Candy Crush Game Tips & Hints

                                                                           

Candy Crush has rapidly become one of the most popular mobile games ever created. It features hundreds of levels of fun and is quite an addicting game. Many people wastes hours a day playing Candy Crush. Well, there is now a website out there that can help you beat those hellish levels you aren’t able to get passed. Candy Crush Hints is a website that brings you the best tips and tricks on how to beat each level on Candy Crush. Many people are unable to get passed Level 30. Simply head to Candy Crush Level 30 and watch a video on how to beat it and get to the next level! Its really that simple.

This is a great website for anyone who is has been on the same Candy Crush Level for way too long and just wants to move on! They also feature some great tips and tricks on how to get free lives, free candies, and more.

Android Games Vending Machines Rolling in Tokyo

In Japan (obviously), they have vending machines for everything, ranging from worn underwear(yes, you read that correctly, those Japanese dudes are weird) to, breaking news, Android Games! Yes, now you can buy Android Games from Vending Machines, only in Japan!

You can’t get more retro and true than that, mark my words. Don’t even try.

So, riding the wave of trendiness and the cult for vending machines, the good people from Google Japan decided to join the party and now you can buy up to 18 games from those machines, which are basically dedicated Google Play physical stores, sort of speak. Or, huge smartphones. Or, I really don’t know what they are, just check out the picture. If you can buy a Coke and a Hot-Dog(or, at least sushi in a toothpaste tube, in case you’re not addicted to real food) with your Android game, drop of the hat for those Japanese engineers, heaven is here to stay!

So, moving along with the story, the games available in the Google Play machines are free to play or paid for types. In order to take advantage of this retro technology, you will have to use your state of the art Android running  smartphone (at least a 4.0  Android version) and NFC.

It’s like riding an Unicorn wearing Google Glass and thinking that you’re an Elf or something, if you ask me. I would be blown off my shoes if those guys from Google Japan would have sold you Android games on Vinyl disks or Cassettes, you know what I mean?

The Google Play vending machine has a huge touchscreen, with weird animations (Manga, anyone?) and looks just like a Coke dispenser of some sort. Using it is very easy, so all you have to do is buy a one way ticket to Tokyo and start playing.

Samsung Galaxy Gear

The world of gadgets has welcomed a lot of intriguing devices lately, some of them being the smartwatches, some little tech-fellows that hope and promise to make your life easier. And they do a pretty good job, actually. As an example, see what the Samsung Galaxy Gear has to offer and find out if it’s capable of improving your life and deserves to be bought.
The Samsung Galaxy Gear is an Android based smartwatch that is currently compatible with the recently released Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Note 10.1 (which is going to be out soon). It’ll be able to connect with the Galaxy S4, S3 and Galaxy Note II after being updated to Android 4.3.
In terms of design, I thought that the Galaxy Gear was a little bulky, but after placing it on my wrist, I started to enjoy it, as it looks nice and feels quite comfy.

Let’s get to more serious issues, like hardware and software. The Galaxy Gear is home for a 1.63” Super Amoled screen that has a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels, a 277 ppi density and is protected by a scratch resistant glass. Its body is IP-55 certified, thus being protected against moderate levels of dust and water, meaning that it will survive being dropped in sand or splashed with water, but don’t go swimming with it or something like that, because it can’t survive underwater.
The Galaxy Gear comes loaded with Android 4.2.2 and is powered by a Samsung Exynos chipset, having a single-core 800 MHz processor, ARM Mali-400 MP4 GPU, 512 MB of RAM memory and 4 GB of internal storage.
For taking pictures, you have a 1.9 MP camera with autofocus which is placed in the watch’s band. It can record 720p videos.
The Galaxy Gear can be controlled with S Voice, a virtual voice assistant, and make calls, check messages, check out the weather, set alarms, record voice memos, control your audio player and more. Losing your phone becomes almost impossible, as the smartwatch can command it to beep, vibrate or illuminate whenever you have it misplaced. Also, if you move away from your phone, it will unlock itself when feeling a distance larger than 1.5 m between it and your smartwatch.

LG G Pro Lite Dual Leaks Reveal Stylus and Low End Screen

According to some rumors, the LG Optimus G Pro is expected to have a similar version launched, I’m talking about the LG G Pro Lite Dual, which sports dual-SIM support and features some downgraded specifications.
The new version comes with almost the same measurements as its sibling, standing at 150.2 x 76.9 x 9.5 mm, being slightly thicker and wider, but it’s kind of physically impossible to notice the difference with the naked eye.
The LG G Pro Lite is going to host, like its predecessor, a 5.5 inches IPS touchscreen, but unfortunately, it doesn’t inherit the resolution and pixel density, having only a qHD resolution of 960 x 540 pixels and a pixel density of 200 ppi.
A stylus will be provided with the new phablet and it will be hosted in the handset’s body.
The chipset has suffered a downgrade too, as instead of seeing a Snapdragon 600 in action, we’re expected to settle with a dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM instead of 2 and 8 GB of internal memory (not 16 or 32, like before). Of course, there’s a card slot for expanding the storage capacity.
For taking pictures, the LG G Pro Lite comes with an 8 MP camera instead of 13, like the one featured by the original G Pro, and has a back-illuminated sensor (BIS).

The new smartphone comes loaded with Android v4.1.2 Jelly Bean and features some neat LG customizations, such as KnockOn, Video pause, Guest mode or QSlide. Also, it holds a “dual speaker” for enhancing the sound quality, a 3,140 mAh battery, FM Radio support and probably more.
The source that published the rumors states that the new dual-SIM version is going to hit the Russian markets soon, at the middle of October.

Given its specifications, the phablet’s price is going to be much smaller than its sibling’s, around $400, according to the leaks.

Nexus 5 Specs Leaked

I’m sure that all you techies out there are clued up about the apparition of a new Nexus version, to be more specific, the LG made Nexus 5. Well, the fellows from Myce.com just revealed that they have spotted a 10 MB log file of Android KitKat running on a Nexus 5. Searching through its 133,000 lines was fruitful, as some internal specifications for the new lovechild of Google and LG were confirmed.
Of course, the findings don’t really bring a lot of new information, as we already suspected what the Nexus 5 is going to bring.
For those of you who are unacquainted with the Nexus 5 related stuff, I’m going to let you know about what’s going on inside this highly-rumored smartphone and what it brings to the world of smartphones.
According to some FCC documents, the Nexus 5 is 131.9 mm tall and has a width of 68.2 mm, but that’s all regarding its measurements for now.
The smartphone will be home for a 4.97 inches display that sports a 1080p resolution and a pixel density of 442 ppi.
In terms of hardware and software, the Nexus 5 features a Snapdragon 800 chipset – a quad-core Krait processor clocked at 2.3 GHz, an Adreno GPU, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. Also, the Nexus 4 will run Android’s latest and greatest v4.4 KitKat.

Sony Reveals 2 Android Walkman Players :the ZX 1 and the F880

Whenever you think that your iPod is cool, the alfa and omega like, you’re forgetting one basic fact : before Apple and the iPod “revolution”, the Sony Walkman ruled the world!

I remember those cassette player Sony Walkmans since the 90′s, yes, I am that old folks. And the first Walkman was invented back in 1978, when Steve Jobs was still thinking about what to steal from other companies. Strike that, I meant innovate.

The Sony Walkman is one of the oldest brands in the music industry and it used to be synonymous with “portable music players”.

If you’re a Sony fan, you are very familiar with the excellent audio quality output of their smartphones, because yes, they’re all using the Walkman audio player.

For all the Android lovers out there, I have some good news: just a few days ago, Sony announced two new members in the Walkman family, 2 stand-alone portable music players : the ZX 1 and the F880.

The Sony ZX1 is the high-end model, it comes with an impressive 128 GB of storage capacity (built in flash memory), it supports 24 bit/196 kHz audio playback and it can play almost everything you throw at it : FLAC, ALAC, MP3, you name it.  For an enhanced audio quality output, the ZX1 uses  a new proprietary technology by Sony, the S-Master HX Amplifier.

The front panel of the ZX1harbors a 4 inches wide display with  854×480 pixels resolution, it features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, support for the Google Play Store and last but not least, the Walkman runs on Android 4.1.

The cheaper variant for those of you on a tight budget is the Sony F880. This baby comes with the majority of the features of its “smarter” sibling, but with a smaller display (3.5 inches wide) and a reduced internal storage capacity (you have multiple options : 16 gb, 32 gb,64 gb).

What I enjoy most about  the F880 is the wide choice of colors available : black, white, blue and pink. The ZX1 is the serious cat of the bunch, it is available in just one color, as pictured.

Both Android running Walkmans will be available starting with October 19′th, initially in Japan.

Dolphin Browser for Android Now Available in Beta Version

If you’re not happy with your default Android browser, now you can take a look  at the new Dolphin Browser for Android, available for beta-testers in the Google Play Store. So, if your current Android browser doesn’t offer enough features or shortcuts you’re expecting for your smart device, you can take a look at Chrome, Firefox  or the Dolphin Browser, all of them available in beta versions in the Google Play Store. But, with the Dolphin, you will have to sign up first, for its beta program before using it, so let me show you how to do it : First, you will have to join the Dolphin Browser Beta Testers Google+ Community. Indeed, it sounds complicated, and come on, who uses Google+ or HI5 anyway?  But there are benefits if you join, checkthis out.  If you don’t have a Google+ account and you want to join the Dolphin Beta Testers group, you’ll have to create one for yourself. The next step is to go here, click on “Become a tester”, and you’re set up and almost ready to go, but you must keep in mind that the link won’t work if you’re not a member of Google+. Finally, you will have to download the Dolphin Browser for Android from the Google Play Store by clicking here and voila! You can now start testing it, knock yourself out!

The NSA & Comp Can Remotely Access Your PC Even When Turned Off or Offline

The NSA and/or any other Government agency can get remote access over your computer, even when turned off. How about that?

By remote access I mean that your privacy is zero, even if you’re not connected to the internet or you have your hard drive encrypted. It doesn’t matter.

The Intel Core vPro CPU comes with a backdoor built in, as it contains a secret 3G chip that basically allows a third party to access your hard drive, your webcam, to remotely shut down the PC, you name it, it’s the real ghost in the machine.

This technology is nothing new for the “insiders” in the industry, but after the NSA spying scandal, some people started to ask questions. This secret 3G chip was introduced two years ago, in 2011, as a security enhancement. At least that’s what Intel claimed, that with the 3G embedded chip, they will enable their Anti Theft 3.0 technology, which is found on all their I3/I5/I7 CPUs, after Sandy Bridge. Intel’s marketing claims that the 3G “secret” chip allows easier maintenance over your computer, because it doesn’t require the computer to be turned on in order to fix the problems remotely.

According to Jeff Marek, the director of business client engineering (an Intel employee), all processors built on the Sandy Bridge platform (after 2011) have, let me quote him on that :  “the ability to remotely kill and restore a lost or stolen PC via 3G.”

Long story short, the Core Vpro CPUs come with a secondary physical processor built in the main CPU which has its own operating system embedded on itself.

Jim Stone wrote an article, describing how the “backdoor” actually works :

“As long as the power supply is available and and in working condition, it can be woken up by the Core vPro processor, which runs on the system’s phantom power and is able to quietly turn individual hardware components on and access anything on them.”

This backdoor technology was promoted as an easier way for IT experts to take care of the problems on your PC/Laptop/Tablet/Smartphone/YouNameIt. But it doesn’t take too much imagination to realize what it really means for the NSA : full access on the entire content on everyone’s hard drive, even if the computer is turned off and not connected to the Internet.

According to TG Daily, this is a privacy nightmare, actually privacy is just a fancy word for the worst 1984 scenario:

“This combination of hardware from Intel enables vPro access ports which operate independently of normal user operations,”These include out-of-band communications (communications that exist outside of the scope of anything the machine might be doing through an OS or hypervisor), monitoring and altering of incoming and outgoing network traffic. In short, it operates covertly and snoops and potentially manipulates data.”

How to Turn Your Android Smartphone Into a Microscope With The Microphone Lens

I don’t know about you, but I think that turning your Android running smartphone into a microscope is the coolest idea ever and now it can become reality, thanks to the Microphone Lens.

I love to take macro pictures of insects and stuff, especially with a nice auto-focus camera (I always use my smartphone, I never owned a dedicated camera), and check out the fine details; the possibility of taking snapshots of viruses and bacterias is mind blowing, don’t you think?

Now, even if you don’t have a microscope, you can build yourself one, easy as pie. All you need is a smartphone and a “Microphone Lens” and voila!, your droid will turn into a portable, handheld microscope. You may ask, what the heck is a Microphone Lens, let me show you a picture of the device :

Basically, turning your android into a microscope can be achieved by attaching a lightweight (less than half a pound) and not very expensive device to your smartphone, on the back panel. At least that’s what the researchers from the University of California are claiming, and that device will convert your droid into a sensitive fluorescence microscope.

This is the Microphone Lens, and it will allow you to take snapshots of a single cell or a virus, not to mention the endless possibilities of using it in healthcare in poor countries.

The first experiment with the Microphone Lens used a Nokia 808 PureView, the coolest smartphone ever in my humble opinion, due to its monstrous 41 Megapixels sensor and exceptional image quality of its camera. With a little help from the Microphone Lens, the phone was able to take fluorescent images of individual viruses and nano-particles. The Microphone Lens components  were 3D-printed and the device used a laser bought from eBay, a color filter and an external lens.

As you can see from the diagram, it’s not rocket science, but it may inspire a new generation of scientists.

The Microphone Lens project was sponsored by Nokia University, the Army Research Office, the National Science Foundation and many others.

The New LG Vu 3 is Finally Here

LG has just made an official announcement regarding its latest and greatest phablet, and if some of you have been expecting a successor for the Optimus Vu series, you’ll be a little surprised, as the new member of the Vu family isn’t an “Optimus” anymore, being simply the LG Vu 3.
The new smartphone made by the Koreans doesn’t really resemble with its two older Vu brothers, as its body has rounded corners instead of angular ones, but keeps the family tradition of having 4:3 displays.
The LG Vu 3 sports a 5.2 inches True HD IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen that has a resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels, the 4:3 aspect ratio that I’ve mentioned earlier, Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2 protection and has a pixel density of 308 ppi, so the image quality should be pretty impressive. Just like in the previous generations of Vu-s, you’re provided with a  rubber tipped stylus.
On the inside, the third Vu features a blazing fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset, having a quad-core 2.26 GHz Krait 400 processor, an Adreno 330 GPU and 2 GB of RAM. There were no details about the internal memory, but the Vu 3 supposedly comes without a card slot.
The rich package of goodies is completed with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.