Ford Updates 5M Cars With Siri

This ain’t your granddaddy’s Ford… In software-related vehicle news that mercifully has nothing to do with Volkswagen destroying the planet on purpose while reaping profits, US automaker Ford has announced that as many as five million of its vehicles are compatible with an update that will enable the autos to run Siri, Apple’s popular virtual assistant.

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The vehicles, manufactured after 2010 and running the SYNC entertainment system, can receive a software update (yeah, explain that to your grandfather) that will allow drivers to activate Siri using the voice recognition button on the steering wheel. An active Apple phone synced to the vehicle’s system is required, and advanced features of the car’s SYNC software also require a subscription.

This update has been a long-time coming for some vehicle owners, who want the convenience and safety of an eyes-off Siri experience. Now, Ford owners whose cars are between 2011 and 2016 can simply go to the SYNC website to update their vehicles’ software in order to type and send text messages, get turn-by-turn directions from Apple Maps, play music from their Apple Music accounts, and of course, make phone calls. “Siri Eyes-Free is another great voice-activated feature that not only adds convenience but helps our customers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.”

While the idea of updating the software in your car just like you do for your smartphone or web browser might seem foreign to some drivers, it’s actually part of a movement to keep drivers connected to their pre-purchased vehicles for longer spans of time. While consumers have been known to upgrade or make a switch–even on very high-dollar items–over the “extra touch”-type of features, the ability to innovate on a current model car means less interest in leaving behind a fully functioning car.
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Software Pirate ‘Jakub F’ has got 400,000 hits on Youtube!

Convicted software pirate, ‘Jakub F,’ has been given one of the weirdest punishments ever seen in a copyright infringement case

The man, named only as Jakub F, was told he would be spared having to pay hefty damages as long as a film denouncing piracy he was made to produce got 200,000 views.

He reached his target within days, and now has over 400,000 hits on YouTube.

He came to the out-of-court settlement with a host of firms whose software he pirated after being convicted by a Czech court.

In return, they agreed not to sue him.

The 30-year-old was also given a three-year suspended sentence.

The criminal court decided that any financial penalty would have to be decided either in civil proceedings or out of court.

The firms, which included Microsoft, HBO Europe, Sony Music and 20th Century Fox, estimated that the financial damage amounted to thousands of pounds, with Microsoft alone valuing its losses at 5.7m Czech Crowns (£148,000).

But the Business Software Alliance (BSA), which represented Microsoft, acknowledged that Jakub could not pay that sum.

Instead, the companies said they would be happy to receive only a small payment and his co-operation in the production of the video.e.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/12/software-pirate-jakub-f-has-got-400000.html#
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Windows 10 November Update build 10586

Microsoft has come clean about the action it recently took to pull the eagerly anticipated first major Windows 10 Update

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According to Microsoft, the Windows 10 Update for November in its original form might have reset four important privacy settings back their original default settings, but without informing the user the changed had been applied

Concerns were raised when Microsoft initially de-listed the November update from the Media Creation Tool (MCT).

The MCT is one of the fastest and easiest ways to do perform a completely clean install of Windows 10 with the latest Windows 10 Updates already applied. Using the MCT to install Windows 10 also removed the sometime cumbersome and time consuming process of of having to download Windows 10 Updates after installing Windows 10.

Many Windows 10 users already circumspect of what Microsoft does and doesn’t in regards to user privacy, Microsoft are also keenly aware that any changes they make to privacy settings are being closely watched. Pulling the the Windows 10 November Update was probably a really smart move on their part.

The Windows 10 update has now been fully restored and users should now have had these particular privacy concerns firmly put to bed.

For those who are interested, the four settings in question were:
  •     Let apps use my advertising ID,
  •     Turn on SmartScreen Filter for web content,
  •     Let apps run in the background and,
  •     Sync with devices.
And for those people who may have already installed the November update (Version 1511),  before it got yanked, can check whether their privacy settings have been altered  by going to Settings, Privacy and then changing the following options:

  •     Select General to adjust the advertising ID and SmartScreen Filter.
  •     Select Other devices to adjust your Sync with devices settings.
  •     Select Background apps to review the applications set to run in the background.

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Looking at Cinnamon 2.8


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Other than Gnome and KDE, Cinnamon is another desktop environment that is used by many people. It is made by the same team that produces Linux Mint (and ships with Linux Mint) and can also be installed on several other distributions. The latest version of this DE – Cinnamon 2.8 – was released earlier this month, and it brings a host of bug fixes and improvements as well as some new features.
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How to Know Who Unfollowed You on Twitter

UnFollowers

UnFollowers allows you to see not only who unfollowed you on Twitter but also on Instagram. After signing in with your Twitter account, you can see who unfollowed you in the column on the left side.

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In that column you can see info such as who is not following you back, who recently unfollowed you, who recently followed you and more.

There are other alternatives like Crowdfire for Twitter, Who Unfollowed Me, Friend or Follow, Manage Filter that helps you track unfollowers!

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Dell Security Error Opens Door For Hackers

According to a discovery of some odd digital certificates by a reddit user (who then posted the discovery), Dell laptops–believed for now to be limited to some Inspiron and XPS series machines–could contain a security flaw that would allow hackers to manipulate a website, make it read as though it belongs to Dell, and then use the customer service features to “take over” your computer and install malicious software. These digital certificates, the ones that let your computer know that “http://amazon.com” really is Amazon, for example, and can therefore be trusted, can be altered to make your computer recognize any website as belonging to someone else. Basically, a hacker can pretend to be Dell and get to work on your machine.

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Dell apologizes for laptop security scare, will remove vulnerability today. Dell has posted instructions to permanently remove the certificate from affected systems here, and the company will also publish a software update today that will automatically check for the certificate and remove it. The company has not confirmed how many machines are affected, but the Inspiron 5000, XPS 15, and XPS 13 are known to ship with the certificate preinstalled.
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Project Astoria – A Windows Bridge for Android

 The latest Windows offering is designed with compatibility in mind, so the system links with a variety of devices. This cross-device functionality was first announced for Microsoft’s latest console, the Xbox One. Shortly after, news broke that Windows 10 was heading to the Windows Phone and to Windows’ tablet devices.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/11/latest-windows-offering-is-designed.html#

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5 Free Memory Improvement Apps for Android

Let’s try something recent – where are your house keys right now? If you have answered, “I don’t know” to at least two of these questions, it is time to improve your memory with these memory improvement apps for Android.

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Best File-Sharing Websites to Share Large Files Online

Sharing files via email is a common task, and every day we share many different files like documents, folders, pictures, etc. In most cases, these files are only limited to a few MBs and can be shared easily using the 10MB maximum file size limit offered by most email services. However, what are you going to do if your file is in the hundreds for the amount of MBs or even in GBs? How can you share large files online?

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Facial Recognition Software And Historic Sleuthing

Earlier this year, a great wrong was righted and a chapter of history was closed when King Richard III’s remains were finally discovered, after his death in battle more than five hundred years ago. But while news headlines of the discovery made it seem as though he was found by happenstance under a parking lot, there was actually an organization that worked at length to discover his once-current resting place. Part of the search involved keeping track of living descendants so that positive DNA matches could be made; one distant relation, Michael Ibsen, provided the evidence needed to verify that the skeletal remains were those of the king.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/11/facial-recognition-software-and.html#

While DNA is a recognized forensic with noted ratios for accuracy, technology has just been used to solve another historical mystery. This one, however, is far less exact, but not because of any failing on the part of the tech.

The descendants of Victorian-era author Elizabeth Gaskell have possessed a small framed silhouette believed to be her likeness, but there was no way to verify it until researchers from the University of Manchester decided to try facial recognition software.


This was obviously a complicated endeavor due to a number of factors, like the size comparison between the silhouette and the miniature portrait, although one thing working in the researchers’ favor was the fact that the silhouette itself had never changed hands outside of Gaskell’s own family. Hindering their hope of accurate findings was the fact that they had only one other basis for comparison, a verified but later-in-life portrait of the author. The software had to not only correct for the face-view versus profile view between the two images, it also had to account for any age progression between the silhouette and the portrait. Finally, human error had to be taken into account, as these two images were both created by two separate individuals.

Fortunately, technicians were able to conclude that the silhouette is the same person represented in the portrait; the image will now be included in a large exhibit about the author and her works.
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AI Software has designed To Take A Better Selfie

Advancements pale in comparison to the new AI-level software that helps you take the best selfie ever.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/11/ai-software-has-designed-to-take-better.html#

Stanford University doctoral student Andrej Karpathy “taught” a computer in their Computer Vision Lab to evaluate selfies and judge their merits to determine if they were good or not. In almost exactly the same way that the human brain develops neural pathways for knowledge and decision making through repeated experiences, the computer “learned” how to judge a selfie by looking through more than 5 million of them and comparing the features of the selfie with the amount of positive feedback it received from viewers online.
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End Date For Windows 7 - Microsoft

This end date will affect the sale of computers with the operating system pre-installed, but the announcement also lists two further dates when support will be cancelled.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/11/end-date-for-windows-7-microsoft.html#

According to their Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet page, the sale of new Windows 7 Professional machines from authorized retailers will end on October 31, 2016; the sale of Windows 7 Home machines ended last year in October. The end of the support for the OS was January of this year for the mainstream support, with the end of extended support coming around in January of 2020.

Interestingly, Windows 8 has a weird end of life schedule, too. Windows 8 pre-installed machines will leave the market before the end of the run for Windows 7 Pro, as retail sales of the devices will cease on June 30, 2016. Windows 8.1 machines get to hang on a little longer, ending on the same date as the sales of Windows 7 Pro machines, October 31. The end of mainstream support for 8.1 will be in January of 2018, with extended support ending in January of 2023.
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Google Internet Balloons Around The World - Project Loon

Internet giant has come to an arrangement with three of the biggest mobile operators in Indonesia, to bring Google’s balloon powered Internet to the next stage of development.

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Indonesia is perhaps the perfect environment for Google to put Project Loon through its paces. The Archipelago that makes up the nation has over 17,000 mountain and jungle covered individual islands. Large areas of Indonesia are also difficult to access due to poor transportation and infrastructure links.

Part of the key needs for Project Loon is that the balloons have to stay at a relative altitude at all times. This is to  ensure a line of sight connection with other Loon Internet balloons. While this was issue to begin with, Google says it has now remedied the issue.

The biggest advantage Project Loon has over satellite based Internet system is the comparative cheapness compared to satellites.

All around the world

One of Project Loon’s key aims is to build a continuous ring of balloons around the Earth by 2016. Mike Cassidy estimates that for this to happen they will need 300 balloons.
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YahooMail Goes Password Free

Yahoo have made the move in an effort to improve security and help eliminate one of the big hassles that internet users face every day. The Account Key feature, comes as part of the biggest shakeup to happen to Yahoo Mail in years. Unveiling a raft of new features in the blog post, the company said Yahoo Mail’s redesign “will take user convenience and security to the next level.”

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/10/yahoomail-goes-password-free.html#

Time will tell if Account Key will actually solve the problems with passwords, including the fact that people have a tendency to use the same password to logon to several different systems and devices. Yahoo’s Casey said that “Passwords are usually simple to hack and easy to forget….Account Key uses push notifications to provide a fast and secure way for you to access your Yahoo accounts from your smartphone. It frees you from memorizing complicated passwords, making signing-in to your Yahoo Mail app easy as tapping a button.”

The unveiling of Account Key is the latest new feature to be rolled out by Yahoo this year. While it is not currently certain, it appears that Account Key will replace Yahoo‘s On Demand SMS password system released in March. The SMS service allowed users to log into their Yahoo accounts using one time passwords.

Yahoo’s new look apps and increased security features is part of the larger plan to try and regain some of the ground it has lost to Google over the last five years or so.

What do you think about it? Is it also hack-able?  Share your view in comments!
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Do You Think Mobile Phones Should Be Allowed in Classrooms?

 Technology can move very quickly at times. In the last twenty years, we have gone from mobile phones being a novelty to being something necessary.

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Many students, both children and teenagers, have their own mobile phones. This phenomenon crept up so quickly that it was hard for schools to establish rules for phones. While many times schools started out saying they would not be allowed in the classroom, it was hard to stop that push in technology, and mobile phones are now often overlooked in classrooms.

Do you think mobile phones should be allowed in classrooms?
Let me know your opinion in comments below!
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Indian Govt to launch own Operating System Named BOSS To Replace Microsoft Windows

BOSS (Bharat Operating System Solutions) , Following the trend of ‘Make In India’, another step has been taken towards digitization of India. In this bold move, the government in all set to resurrect their own operating system which is named Bharat Operating System Solutions or BOSS.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/09/indian-govt-to-launch-own-operating.html#

This OS, which was initially developed in 2007 by National Resource Centre for Free/Open Source Software (NRCFOSS) of India, is a free and open source operating system. The latest version of BOSS was released in 2013, after that it is said to have undergone many changes to fit the process.

It has been launched to overcome the vulnerabilities that exist in government cyberspace which lead to frequent hacking attempts by Chinese hackers and Indian group of hackers.

Government officials have reported that the system will be unveiled and discussed in an internal meeting in union home ministry during this week. The latest version of BOSS, which has been tweaked by C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) has passed all tests of attacks during the trial period.
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Google, Intel, Mozilla, Netflix and others form Alliance for Open Media

The overall aim is to create one format to rule them all, in the hopes that a single overarching video codec will be adopted by everyone in the industry, and ensure that high quality video will be accessible to everyone who wants it.

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Matt Frost, the Strategy head of Chrome, said that the ‘combined strength, resources and expertise,’ of the AOMedia partners meant that the new media format would arrive sooner and faster than had each company had pursued individual net generation web media projects.
Alliance for Open Media’s short term objective

The first key aim of the Alliance is to deliver a new generation video format that is:

    Interoperable and open;
    Optimized for the web;
    Scalable to any modern device at any bandwidth;
    Designed with a low computational footprint and optimized for hardware;
    Capable of consistent, highest-quality, real-time video delivery; and
    Flexible for both commercial and non-commercial content, including user-generated content.

Each member of AOMedia is expected to bring their own specific expertise and knowledge to the table. Each participant is likely to waive certain propriety information and patent rights in order to design and build code that will become the new open standard for video playback on the web.
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Apple-1 computer built by Steve Jobs to go for 330k pounds

One of the very first Apple computers hand-built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in a garage almost 40 years ago is set to fetch up to 330,000 pounds when it goes under the hammer here.

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 The Apple-1 Computer motherboard was in the first batch of computers for Apple's first client, the Byte Shop, originally costing just 437 pounds.

The computer, which is fully functional and one of the best preserved version ever seen, will go under the hammer in Bonhams on September 21 with a conservative estimate of 330,000 pounds.

Designed and assembled by Jobs and Wozniak in a garage, the 1976 motherboard was traded in at a computer shop in Florida having rarely been used.

 The pre-assembled computer is just a motherboard that required the owner to provide a screen, keyboard and casing.

"This is from the first batch of 50 because they received an order from the Byte Shop who put inventory numbers on them with a security pen, Only 66 surviving authentic Apple-1's are currently listed on the official Apple 1 registry.
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Indian ecommerce industry to increase 35%

India's e-commerce industry is likely to clock a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35% and cross the$100-billion mark over the next five years, from $17 billion at present, according to an Assocham-Pricewaterhouse Coopers study.

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 It observed that the trend in Indian malls is in line with the declining number of footfalls in retail space in over 200 shopping malls across the US, the UK and other countries.

In the US, malls are facing a 46% vacancy rate whereas it stands at 32% in the UK, it said.

"Online shopping has shown a handsome growth while brick-and-mortar malls are witnessing a slowdown. The growth in e-commerce looks impressive because of a low base and rising penetration of the Internet," Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said.

Besides, with improvement in infrastructure such as logistics, broadband and Internet-ready devices, there is likely to be a significant increase in the number of consumers making purchases online, the study said, predicting around 65 million consumers in India to buy online in 2015, as against around 40 million in 2014.
Some 45% of malls in India are expected to be converted into non-retail space in the next 15 years, which would be replaced with movie theatres, restaurants, discount retailers and the like, the study projected.
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Online shopping may get costlier as Delhi slaps VAT

Retailers carrying out transactions on e-platforms such as Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon will now have to register with Delhi's trade and taxes department and pay state sales levies.

The move by the state tax department on Friday is likely to make major e-commerce companies more vigilant while listing the sellers on their platforms. With most e-commerce marketplaces aggressively competing with each other to attract retailers, they have tended to be lax about whether the sellers have registered for VAT or not.


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One fallout of the new move could be higher prices for online products. "The retailers who are not yet registered with the government may increase the prices of their goods because they now have to mandatorily pay VAT to the government," said the founder and CEO of a leading online marketplace.
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Smart sleep aiding devices helps start your day right with favourite music

The Withings Aura, the bedside device that wakes up users gradually with blue melatonin light, will now play your favorite Spotify music in addition to making sure you start your day off right.
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The sleep sensor wakes you up at an optimal time in your sleep cycle -- when your sleep lightens -- to minimize grogginess.

Drifting into sweet dreams and pure oblivion
Fusing the benefits of bedtime light therapy and music from Spotify's sleep-dedicated playlists, the Aura does everything but rock you to sleep.

Emitting red light -- the only kind that doesn't inhibit melatonin secretion -- combined with nature sounds or relaxing music, the program aims to get you to doze off within 20 minutes.

What's more, it plays colorful noises such as pink noise -- also known as flicker noise -- similar to those that occur in nature and are thought to help you get to sleep due to their frequency.

What's to come
By the end of the year, Withings will include a recommendation system in their Health Mate application combining your musical tastes with data on the music's ability to help users fall asleep.

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Can We Draw the Limit on Data Collection?

The world today is much different than it was in the 1960s when your privacy was relatively easy to maintain. You could, quite literally, live without giving your address to any third party other than your government and your bank.

Today we are living in a data-driven society where almost everything about you, including things that you might not even tell your own parents, is somewhere out there in a database with or without your knowledge. The problem we face right now is that we do not have a clear line drawn on what “enough” data about an individual is. And on the other hand, data mining has its uses for everyone.
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Google's New Ceo : Sundar Pichai

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 India-born Sundar Pichai has been named the new CEO of the technology giant as the company co-founder Larry Page on Monday announced the formation of a new umbrella firm Alphabet, of which Google will be a part.

Page, in a blog post, announced the formation of the new parent company Alphabet, of which he will be the CEO and Google co-founder Sergey Brin will be its President.


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System Updates are mandatory for Windows 10 Home Users

With the official release of Windows 10 , the company has announced that home users will have to agree to receive automatic updates with Windows 10 so if you plan to stick with Windows you’re going to be up to date whether you want to be or not.

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Windows 10 will supposedly be the last version of Windows so Microsoft really wants everybody to upgrade. Once you’ve upgraded, you’ll be kept up to date forever through Microsoft’s new automatic upgrade system. Updates will just happen in the background but business users and IT departments will have the option to disable that if they wish.
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Google Chrome Flags uTorrent Software

If you’re a Google Chrome user and uTorrent fan, you may run into some issues when trying to access the software and receive a warning message that the uTorrent service contains “harmful programs.” Apparently, Chrome has flagged the program as malicious due to its regular association with illegal torrents and is preventing downloads.

Google said, that the decision to blacklist uTorrent stems from their renewed focus to block software that makes “unexpected changes” to users’ computers. TorrentFreak, a trusted piracy news site, speculates that uTorrent is getting so much attention from Google due to a third party software that’s included in the download bundle. This information comes to light after Kickass Torrents and ExtraTorrent users claimed that Google Chrome blocked those sites with similar malware warning

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/07/google-chrome-flags-utorrent-software.html

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Intel Announces Thunderbolt 3 With USB-C

The next laptop you buy with a USB-C port could be even more useful than you thought. Intel today unveiled Thunderbolt 3, which uses an identical port design as its USB brethren. So if Apple sticks with its new MacBook design, for instance, it's possible you won't need an adapter to hook up external hardware via Thunderbolt. It's a step towards simplifying the often messy sea of ports found on laptops and PCs, and should make the standard accessible to a larger group of people than before. Thunderbolt 3 offers more than just port convenience, however. It'll also deliver a 40Gbps connection over Thunderbolt, which is double the speed of Thunderbolt 2, 10 Gbps USB 3.1 and DisplayPort 1.2.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/06/intel-announces-thunderbolt-3-with-usb-c.html#
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Security Questions Are a Bad Idea, and Here’s Why!

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Windows 10 Might keep Older PCs Out of 4K Movies

 With the upcoming release of Windows 10, there might be some bad news on the horizon regarding the ability to watch 4K movies on computers that do not support the particular DRM technologies that the new operating system will require.

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What is Microsoft Edge, and when can you get it?

Microsoft has been talking for months about its next internet browser, codenamed Project Spartan, but it's only now given the product a name: Microsoft Edge.

At the company's annual Build conference held in San Francisco, Microsoft executives not only revealed the official name, but also demonstrated some new features in the upcoming Windows 10 browser.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/04/what-is-microsoft-edge-and-when-can-you.html#
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Are Smaller Computers Better?

Every time we shift to a new crazy level of nano-meteromification, the chip companies have to battle through a barrage of technical obstacles in design and production, leakage, heat production, power consumption, And when they crack it, they always say "With this new process, we can fit more processing power into a chip!"

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/04/are-smaller-computers-better.html#

Easy to repair?
The number one question people always ask me about smaller computers is, “Are these little devices going to cost me more to repair?” My answer is almost always “yes” because of one simple reason: The smaller components require a bit more finesse to repair, and since they are more integrated


Smaller the better?
Aside from more difficult repair, there are other disadvantages to having a smaller device space:
  •     an overheating risk from confined spaces
  •     a restrained amount of computing power due to smaller components
  •     an increased potential risk of deterioration from dust particles and other contaminants

People tolerate the size of desktop PCs because of the amount of power they wield, but they wouldn’t tolerate similarly-sized variants of devices such as cameras and tablets. This is why people don’t buy 17-inch tablets as often as they buy behemoth desktops with 27-inch monitors.
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How to Recalibrate Your Laptop Battery

Manufacturers generally recommend calibrating the battery every 2 to 3 months. This helps keep your battery readings accurate. You may need to do it sooner if your laptop dies on you without any previous warnings.

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While your computer may have a preinstalled app for you to use, it is always helpful to understand how to do so manually. Below are some easy steps to get your battery recalibrated in no time.
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Indian Scientist Invents the World’s First Self-Sustaining Camera

A team led by T.C Chang Professor of Computer Science, Shree K. Nayar, built the world’s first fully functional self-powered video camera that can produce an image per second in a well-lit environment. The resolution is not great, but it can go on recording forever.


Here’s the explanation of the working of the machine: When the camera sensor is exposed to light, the pixels use photodiodes to generate electricity. This helps the sensor to measure the intensity of the light that is then used to produce images. In the case of Nayar’s prototype camera, the team used a 3D printer to construct the body of the camera. The camera takes advantage of a photodiode’s ability to be used in both, a digital camera (photoconductive) and solar cells (photovoltaic). When exposed to light, the camera sensors switch between capturing an image or are used to generate and charge other devices like a phone. After measuring the intensity of light, these sensors convert the light into electricity, which in turn powers the camera.

Nayar states that, even if the invention is at its toddler stage, this could help in boosting a new generation of cameras, like security cameras, CCTV camera or any other camera that works round the clock without needing to be powered. Nayar’s team will present their work officially at the Rice University in Houston April 24-26.

The video below demonstrates the video quality of the camera

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What you really need to know about the Telegram Messenger !

Telegram Messenger is an instant messaging app that uses phone numbers (or optionally usernames) to connect users. With Telegram, users can send messages, pictures, videos, audios and any other type of file. The instant messenger app category is a hotly contested field, and some of Telegram’s competitors include WhatsApp, Google’s Hangout, BBM, WeChat, Facebook’s Messenger and LINE (among many others).

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/04/what-you-really-need-to-know-about.html#

About Telegram Messenger
Telegram Messenger launched in 2013, created and backed financially by Russian billionaire brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, the founders of Russian social networking site VKontakte who wanted to build a communications system that couldn’t be accessed by the Russian security agencies.

It is built on the open source MTProto protocol. Telegram boasts of being fast, reliable and available on (and accessible from) multiple devices at the same time. It also uses a distributed server architecture with multiple data centres spread out in different jurisdictions around the world.

Telegram has also promised to never sell ads, will not accept outside investment and cannot be sold. Since the protocol is open source, independent developers are allowed (and encouraged) to build third party clients on the platform.

Telegram is available for Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, Linux, Windows, OSX and via the web.

Features
To begin using Telegram, you must register with a phone number. The phone number then becomes the your identity on Telegram. In addition, you can set a username through which other users can connect and chat without having access to the phone number tied to the username. Usernames are optional and can be deleted at anytime by simply saving an empty username.

Secret Chat:
Telegram has Secret Chats which are conversations between users that make use of end-to-end encryption. That is the chat is visible only to the two parties involved in the discussion, and even Telegram servers cannot view the contents of the chat. When a secret chat is set up between two devices, Telegram helpfully generates a picture visualization of the encryption key for the chat, which both users can compare, and if the image matches, then the chat is secure.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/04/what-you-really-need-to-know-about.html#

For secret chats, a self destruct timer can also be set on messages. This has to be set before the message is sent. The timer begins when the recipient views the message, and when it runs out the message is deleted from both devices. Photos sent with a timer less than one minute can only be viewed while holding a finger on them, and helpfully Telegram notifies the sender if a screenshot is taken. 



 

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Windows 10 & Secure Boot: Is Linux Really Doomed?

Back in 2011, many Linux fans were furious at the prospect that machines capable of running Windows 8 might lock them out of the ability to install Linux distributions on their own computers. The discussion was spurred by the fact that the BIOS firmware on motherboards would require UEFI compatibility for every system installed on the machine.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/04/windows-10-secure-boot-is-linux-really.html#
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Google's Tablet which fights against Ebola!

The Ebola epidemic is still very much a grave situation. The disease has already claimed approximately 10,000 lives globally and it is looking as though the crisis is not going to get better anytime soon.  One such company is Google. According to the Telegraph, Researchers from google have stepped up their game in the battle with an Ebola-proof tablet. The fight against this terrible virus has pricked the attention of many in the tech world, and these ones are looking at different ways to try and help the situation.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/03/googles-tablet-which-fights-against.html#

 The device is based around a Sony Xperia tablet, but the difference is that it is covered with an extra protective casing.

The tablet can be used with gloves, and it can being soaked in chlorine, which is used as a disinfectant.  The initial idea for an Ebola-proof tablet came from a medical professional that worked for Medecins Sans Frontieres.The risk of the disease is so high that even passing a piece of paper with patient data on it, potentially could transmit the disease.

MSF technology adviser Ivan Gayton said,”It was error prone, exhausting and it wasted five or 10 minutes of the hour medics can spend fully dressed inside the protective zone before they collapse from heat exhaustion.” It was Gayton who reached out to a member of Google’s Crisis Response Team. They, in turn, dispatched five engineers to work on designing the Ebola-proof tablet.

Currently, eight of these tablets are being used by MSF medical personnel in Sierra Leone
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Windows 10 Free! Why?

Microsoft’s system chief has said in an announcement that Windows 10 will come as a free upgrade for those who are using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. This came as a surprise to many, particularly those who are accustomed to having to pay for new versions of Windows every time Microsoft releases a new one. What’s with this change? And is Microsoft really also including pirates among those who can upgrade for free? This sounds a bit generous, so I decided to explore the subject and find out everything humanly possible about it!

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/03/windows-10-free-why.html#

Why Make The Upgrade Free?

First off, the upgrade isn’t 100% free. Second of all, to qualify for it, you have to have a compatible device (we’re still not absolutely sure what that is), and you have to have Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 installed on it. If, for one year after Windows 10 is released, you do not upgrade, you will have to pay for a license. Also, should you be using an Enterprise version of Windows, you will have to pay for your upgrade to Windows 10.

I’m unable to find a comment from Microsoft as to why the upgrade was made free, but it’s very possible that this is an attempt to push people towards the new Windows architecture one way or another. Windows 8 did not see as many sales as its predecessor, hinting at a slow adoption rate. Many of the comments and reviews of the latest iteration of the operating system were neutral at best, negative at worst. Being a slow year for the company in the consumer market, my best guess is that Microsoft figured it could boost adoption by releasing Windows 10 as a free upgrade, hoping that people who were content with Windows 7 will make the switch once they understand that it costs them nothing but a few minutes of their time.

It is also probable that Microsoft may be hoping to gain revenue from selling additional software that runs exclusively on Windows 10, but this is pure speculation.

Is It Really Free for Pirates?

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/03/windows-10-free-why.html#

A spokesperson for Microsoft has told Ars Technica that “if a device was considered non-genuine or mislicensed [sic] prior to the upgrade, that device will continue to be considered non-genuine or mislicensed after the upgrade.”

 Perhaps what was meant in the “free for pirates” statement by Terry Myerson is that pirates will still be able to use Windows 10 without being locked out of any functionality, but they will not be able to download updates until they get a genuine license.

So, it’s still free, but only as a system that will be outdated by the time a new update rolls in. This particular scheme is something that Microsoft hopes will help it re-engage with potential customers in China; a large percentage of them are currently using unlicensed versions of the software.  However, there is a very clear possibility that this will not play out the way they had planned. Had they wanted updates from any other version (7 or 8, for example), they would have simply purchased the operating systems as well. Now they will have a version of Windows that doesn’t even need to be cracked.
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Top 9 KDE Plasma Themes

KDE Plasma truly is a beautiful desktop. Top to bottom it has some of the best design in all of Linux. Still, not everyone likes the way the Plasma Desktop looks by default. Since there are indeed a lot of themes to sort through, we’ve created a list containing some of the best KDE Plasma themes out there!
http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/03/top-9-kde-plasma-themes.html#
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Apple releases iOS 8.2

Apple had a big day with their Spring Forward event; they released all kinds of details about their forthcoming Apple Watch (including pricing), they released information regarding a new 12-inch Macbook with Retina display, and, among other things, they also announced that iOS 8.2 was available as an update to certain iPhones, iPads, and iPods. While not a huge upgrade, the update did make some needed changes.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/03/apple-releases-ios-82.html#

Of course those weren’t the only areas updated, just the main highlights. The update also claims to improve Music, Maps, and Mail among other apps.

I updated earlier and found it to be a seamless process; it doesn’t take a whole lot of storage space to do it over the air, and it probably took less than 10 minutes for the installation and all.

Have you installed iOS 8.2 yet? If so, what do you think?
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5G Mobile Internet: The Pros and Cons

We’ve learned with the adoption of 4G and have a closer analysis of how this will apply to the adoption of 5G. Is 5G a pipe dream, or can we actually achieve a universal super-fast mobile internet? 
http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/03/5g-mobile-internet-pros-and-cons.html#

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Moto E (Gen 2) With Large Screen, 4G LTE and Android L

The new Moto E packs very much the same set of specs, but the one thing that will catch your attention is the bigger 4.5-inch screen. However, the quality of both 3G and 4G model is just like the last generation Moto E, qHD (540×960 pixels) display. Both the phones run on Android 5.0 Lollipop. The LTE version is a bit faster than the other model and is powered by 64-bit quad-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/02/moto-e-gen-2-with-large-screen-4g-lte.html
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How Internet and Smart Homes make Hacking Likey?

In 2011, a startup known as Nest Labs has created a thermostat that learned the temperature patterns in your home and adjusted itself without your intervention to maximize your comfort. It also connected to the worldwide internet, making it officially one of the most popular “Internet of Things” (IoT) products for the consumer market. Before this thermostat made it into the market, there was already a variety of products that similarly connected to the internet. While everyone is busy talking about the conveniences such an innovation brings with it, there are very few looking at how complex the security landscape will become as a consequence of IoT.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/02/how-internet-and-smart-homes-make.html#

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Samsung Galaxy J1 4G

Samsung Brings Out Galaxy J1 4G, A budget smart-phone priced at Rs. 9900

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/02/samsung-galaxy-j1-4g.html#

The Galaxy J1 has a conventional specs sheet. It sports a 4.3-inch WVGA TFT display with 480×800 pixel density. It is equipped with 1.2GHz quad core processor and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat. The inbuilt memory specifications include 768 MB RAM and 4 GB ROM, which can be upgraded up to 128 GB via microSD slot.

Considering the camera, the Galaxy J1 features a 5MP rear shooter with Flash along with 2 MP front snapper. Connectivity options include MicroUSB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC and USB 2.0. The Dual SIM handset gets pepped up from the 1,850mAh battery. The device is available in blue, black and white colour variants.


The software on board the Samsung Galaxy J1 is a simplified Android 4.4.4 KitKat-based TouchWiz UI. It offers the bare-bones TouchWz without the fancy productivity features we see in Samsung’s upper-level smartphones. TouchWiz is fast and smooth on the Galaxy J1 and we didn’t experience any hiccups and issues with it.

Image Source : GSMARENA
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How HTTP 2.0 Will Change The Face of The Internet

Almost everything you visit on the web at one point or another uses a special protocol known as the Hyptertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Ever since the year 1999, you’ve been using HTTP version 1.1. This has been the ongoing standard for many years until Google made an announcement on February 10, 2015 that its browser will be adding full support of what is now known as HTTP/2. This sounds like utter gibberish to some, but that’s because there’s no description of what HTTP/2 does differently. To understand this, we need to explore exactly what this new protocol version does, and how it is similar to the version of HTTP we’ve been using for nearly two decades.

What Does HTTP/2 Achieve?

Whenever a new protocol version is developed, it needs actual concrete goals. The most obvious goal is backward compatible with its predecessor, HTTP 1.1. Without that ability, every server in the world will have to switch to HTTP/2 for you to be able to browse their websites.

While maintaining compatibility with the older version, this new protocol will make use of advanced techniques as measures against latency, making pages load faster. This is the primary goal, the problem that HTTP/2 plans to address most aggressively.

Other improvements include added security and compatibility with reverse proxies.

In the big scheme of things, HTTP/2 is not going to be that much different from HTTP 1.1. As you surf the internet, the strongest effect you will feel is that webpages will load significantly faster as long as they support the new version.

How Does HTTP/2 Make The Web Faster?

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KickassTorrents Taken Down is now available on Kickass.to

“Kickass torrents” is banned by Somalian registry. They are forcing the kickass’s website operators to find new domain for their torrent website. kickass torrent website was banned on Monday morning. kickass torrents is one of the most visited website with a million of visitors per day. It has global rank of 67 and in the United states, it has 42 which means kickass is one of the most visited websites in the world. kickass so domain is listed as banned by the so.registry. kickass torrent website stopped working from 4 am ET and from then it is still offline.


Update : KickAss torrents is available now on http://kickass.to/
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Samsung starts producing EPOP Memory for smartphones

Samsung, have recently announced they have gone into mass production of the industry’s very first ePoP memory for smartphones. ePoP stands for embedded package on package. The memory module which is a single memory package, has 3GB LPDDR3 DRAM, a 32GB eMMC (Embedded Multi-Media Card) as well as a controller.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/02/samsung-starts-producing-epop-memory.htmll#

The newly designed component is going be used in high-end smartphones. The major selling point of this piece of DRAM hardware is that since it combines all the essential memory components into a single package, it does not take up much space.

The 3GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM in this element operates at an I/O data transfer rate of 1,866Mb/s and offers 64-bit I/O bandwidth. This is more than capable of satisfying the current market requirements, all the while maintaining efficiency in power, and of course the ultra slim design. It has been said that the space which will be saved could possibly go towards integrating a larger sized battery.
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Want To Recover Lost iOS Data? iFoneBox helps you !

Have you ever been in the unfortunate circumstance where you wreck your iPhone? It looks like you may lose some of your really important content. Sound familiar?

 This is where you need a helpful app like iFonebox.

http://www.geekyharsha.in/2015/02/want-to-recover-lost-ios-data-ifonebox.html#

iFonebox is a really useful utility tool, which helps recover lost iOS data and transfer the recovered data back to your device. iFonebox can help you to recover deleted data from your device (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch) and iTunes backup files. It can also backup existing data from the device or iTunes backup file to PC or Mac in viewable formats. iFonebox can also transfer recovered contacts and notes directly back to your device.

Download iFonebox today!

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