Scientists develop flexible smartphone which allows app bending

Scientists claim to have developed the world’s first wireless flexible smartphone that allows users to feel the buzz by bending their apps.

The full-colour, high-resolution smartphone, named ReFlex, combines multitouch with bend input and allows users to experience physical tactile feedback when interacting with their apps through bend gestures.

“This represents a completely new way of physical interaction with flexible smartphones,” said Roel Vertegaal, director of the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University in Canada.

Facebook to open up Instant Articles to all publishers worldwide from 12 March

Starting March 12, Facebook will be opening up the Instant Articles program to all publishers around the world. This move also falls in line with the company’s upcoming F8 Conference wherein Facebook might unveil some new products or announcements as well. Until now, many publishers posted links from their respective website on Facebook which brought in a lot of traffic, but this same process took much longer on a smartphone, approximately 7-8 seconds.

“Media organizations and journalists are an integral part of Facebook, and we’re committed to delivering products that will create the best experience for publishers and their readers”, says Josh Roberts, Product Manager at Facebook.

Facebook helps sister find lost brother in Canada

OTTAWA: A Canadian woman found her long-lost brother after posting a message on social media website, Facebook on New Year's Eve, the media reported on Tuesday.

Matthew Handford, who tracked down his sister, Shylow Wilson, after reading the post on Facebook in which 25-year-old Wilson said she was looking for her biological brother named Matthew who was given up for adoption by their mother after he was born at Calgary's Grace Hospital in February 1987, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I was a little skeptical, but now that I've met him, I know it's for sure him, and I'm really happy about that," said Wilson. It was a "good Family Day miracle" right there, she said.

Indian-origin engineer discovers 2D semi-conducting material that could replace silicon

A team led by an Indian-origin engineer from the University of Utah has discovered a new kind of 2D semi-conducting material for electronics that opens the door for much speedier computers and smartphones that consume a lot less power.

The semi-conductor, made of the elements tin and oxygen or tin monoxide (SnO) by the associate professor Ashutosh Tiwari-led team is a layer of 2D material only one atom thick, allowing electrical charges to move through it much faster than conventional 3D materials such as silicon. This material could be used in transistors, the lifeblood of all electronic devices such as computer processors and graphics processors in desktop computers and mobile devices.

Google's Project Loon begins its first balloon internet tests in Sri Lanka

Google's Project Loon begins its first balloon internet tests in Sri Lanka

Google’s balloon-powered high-speed Internet service known as “Project Loon” began its first tests in Sri Lanka ahead of a planned joint venture with Colombo, the country’s top IT official said.

One of three balloons that will be used in the trials entered Sri Lankan airspace Monday, the Information and Communication Technology Agency chief Muhunthan Canagey said.

“The first balloon entered our airspace this morning. It was launched from South America.” Canagey told AFP. “It is currently over southern Sri Lanka.”

Redmi Note Prime now available for Rs 7,999; Mi 4, Mi 4i prices also slashed

Redmi Note Prime now available for Rs 7,999; Mi 4, Mi 4i prices also slashed

Mi India has announced that Redmi Note Prime is now available for Rs 7,999 exclusively on Amazon.in and Mi.com, down from the original launch price of Rs 8,499.

Redmi Note Prime is Xiaomi’s second smartphone to be ‘Made In India’ and went on sale on December 2015. It is an enhanced version of Redmi Note 4G with 2GB RAM, 16GB storage (expandable to 32GB), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 64-bit processor and is equipped with dual SIM 4G capabilities. Since its launch, Redmi Note Prime has been appreciated for its camera and UI.

5D: This storage can last billions of years

LONDON: Opening a new era of eternal data archiving, scientists at University of Southampton have developed the recording and retrieval processes of five dimensional (5D) digital data using ultrafast laser writing in 

nanostructured

glass.

The storage allows unprecedented properties including 360 TB (terabyte)/disc data capacity, thermal stability up to 1,000 degree Celsius and virtually unlimited lifetime at room temperature (13.8 billion years at 190 degree Celsius ), the researchers said.

Alphabet's X lab chief sees internet reaching billions

VANCOUVER: The "captain of moonshots" at Google parent company Alphabet sees widespread, world-changing wireless internet on the horizon.

Astro Teller, head of the boundary-pushing X research team, shared his vision of the future during a talk at the TED Conference here late Monday.

Teller shared insights into the X team's balloon-powered high-speed internet service known as "Project Loon," which aims to get billions more people online by reaching remote or rural regions that are not yet connected.

 "There is a lot of different technology out there, rolling them out will be complicated," Teller said.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 rumored to come with whopping 6GB RAM, 5.8-inch display

The successor to Samsung's Note5flagship will come with a whopping 6GB RAM and 5.8-inch display, according to a new rumor out of China. For comparison, the Note5 has 4GB RAM and 5.7-inch display.

Samsung Galaxy Note5

While 6GB RAM definitely seems ambitious, we can't just dismiss it as hot air. If you recall, Samsung started producing 6GB RAM chips for smartphones back in September last year, and some of the upcoming Chinese flagships are already rumored to come with this much RAM. So, Galaxy Note 6 with 6GB RAM is entirely possible.

Anyway, moving on, the rumor also says that the South Korean company will be using RGB matrix for the device's screen, something which hasn't been used in Samsung's flagships since the Galaxy S II. The phone is also said to come with a larger battery.

Apple Pay to go live in China on February 18

BEIJING: Apple Inc's 

Apple Pay

 mobile payment system will be available in 

China

from February 18 for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) customers, bank representatives said in social media posts on Tuesday.

The technology giant had previously said the system would launch in China in early 2016, making it Apple Pay's fifth country as it accelerates development of a planned new revenue stream. ICBC is China's biggest lender by assets.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on ICBC's posts on the projected launch. The lender is set to be joined by a raft of peers: Apple's China website lists 19 Chinese lenders as official Apple Pay partners, and state media reported two other lenders will also go live with the service from February 18.

Doctors 3D-print 'living' body parts

 
• From the sectionHealth

Image copyrightWake Forest

Custom-made, living body parts have been 3D-printed in a significant advance for regenerative medicine, say scientists.

The sections of bone, muscle and cartilage all functioned normally when implanted into animals.

The breakthrough, published in Nature Biotechnology, raises the hope of using living tissues to repair the body.

Experts described the technology, developed in the US, as a "goose that really does lay golden eggs".

the legendary computing rule is dying, thanks to smartphones Tech2 Mobile

Moore’s law is the observation that, “over the history of computing hardware, the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years.” It’s a law that’s held true for over 50 years, but physical limitations and the smartphone age may have finally killed it.

While not really a law as such (gravity is a law), Moore’s law has held true these past 51 years because simple improvements in manufacturing techniques have resulted in the shrinking of transistors on a yearly basis. However, we’re now reaching a physical limit as far as transistors are concerned. Chipmakers like Intel struggled to bring 14nm transistors to the market and have already delayed the introduction of 10nm chips by a year or more.

Qualcomm aims to ride 4G wave in the country

MUMBAI: More 4G devices are coming to the market than 3G devices, suggesting customers may leapfrog from 2G to 4G technology, said Sunil Lalvani, president, Qualcomm India. The company has carrier aggregation support technology that it is looking to supply to mobile makers like Micromax and Samsung, he said.

Reliance Jio, the Mukesh Ambani company that is yet to commercially launch services, is trying to aggregate airwaves in the 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2300MHz bands, but most phones don't support it.

Increase in 4G shipments has resulted in a narrowing of price difference between 3G and 4G devices, leading customers to buy 4G-enabled mobile handsets though there are limited services on that platform.

How HP wants to change the world, with 3D printing

HP hopes to bring the mass level customisation that helped its transform printing in recent times to 3D printing as well. (Source: HP 3D printing video from YouTube)

HP is at present undergoing the biggest transformation in its history at the end of which it hopes it will have turned technology, and the rest of the world, on its head. The world’s largest startup, as the tech giant likes to call itself, is starting out on a new path of discovery and innovation.

“What we are driving for the next 75 years of HP is towards a vision we called blended reality, melding the physical with the digital, and doing it is a virtuous cycle,” explains Shane Wall, the Chief Technology Officer of HP who also runs HP Labs. In fact, HP Labs is developing the innovations that will go after the five big investments the company is banking on for the future — 3D printing, immersive computing, hyper mobility, IoT and smart machines.

Now, turn your smartphone into earthquake detector

NEW YORK: Researchers have developed an app that can turn smartphones into a worldwide seismic network that could eventually warn users of impending jolts from a nearby earthquake.

With the help of a smartphone's accelerometer -- the motion-detection instrument -- the app, called MyShake taps a phone's ability to record ground shaking from an earthquake.

The android app, which can be downloaded from Google Play Store, runs in the background with little power, so that a phone's onboard accelerometers can record local shaking any time of the day or night.

Philae mission team bids farewell to the comet lander

Philae, the space probe which landed on a comet in November 2014 is reportedly now covered in dust (Source: Reuters)

European scientists have given up hope of restoring contact with space probe Philae, which successfully landed on a comet in a pinpoint operation only to lose power because its solar-driven batteries were in the shade.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) said on Friday it suspects  Philae is now covered in dust and too cold to operate.

We maybe closing in on dark matter

Washington D.C.: A new research suggests that dark matter scientists are on the brink of discovering the elusive particles.

Researchers are using analysis of deep space observations together with experiments far underground to hunt for dark matter, an elusive material which, together with dark energy, is thought to account for about 95 per cent of the universe.

Scientists will tell a public symposium in Washington, DC how current theories and experiment point to the existence of dark matter, but how it is little understood by scientists.

Google updated its My Maps app for the first time since 2014

Do you remember Google’s My Maps app? No, not the one you use to find the nearest Starbucks, but the app you use to create and view custom maps. Probably not; the app just recieved its first update since 2014.

Spotted by Android Police, the app has been rebuilt from the ground up with an updated Material Design interface. It also includes a welcome guide for new users, the ability to view photos and videos added on the Web, getting directions to saved points, and using Street View right from the app.

Reading can help robots learn ethical behaviour

Scientists have developed a technique that teaches robots ethical behaviour by training them to read human stories, learn acceptable sequences of events and understand successful ways to behave in human societies.

"The collected stories of different cultures teach children how to behave in socially acceptable ways with examples of proper and improper behaviour in fables, novels and other literature," said Mark Riedl, associate professor at at the GeorgiaInstitute of Technology in US.

"We believe story comprehension in robots can eliminate psychotic-appearing behaviour and reinforce choices that won't harm humans and still achieve the intended purpose," Riedl said.

Apple to Open $25 Million Technology Development Site in India

Apple plans to open a $25 million technology development site that'll span 250,000 square feet in Hyderabad, India, according to ZDNet. The site will open its "innovation center" in June of this year before ramping up to full operations by the end of the year. 

The new centre will be built on 250,000 square feet of land in the real estate firm Tishman Speyer's WaveRock facility at Hyderabad's IT corridor at a cost of $25 million (150 crore rupees). It is anticipated to create 4,500 jobs for locals. IT majors such as Infosys, Wipro, Microsoft, and Cognizant have already set up their offices in the IT corridor.

ZDNet says the development center will be used to work on maps. Jayesh Ranjan, Secretary to IT in Telangana, the state in which Hyderabad resides, told ZDNet that Apple "has not looked at cities only in India, but across many places in Europe and other parts of the world." 

Samsung Galaxy TabPro S first look: A serious competitor to Microsoft's Surface lineup

Samsung Galaxy TabPro S first look: A serious competitor to Microsoft's Surface lineup

We’ve seen a few tablets running Windows 10 announced in the past, but this one is sure to draw all the attention. Firstly, it is Samsung and Microsoft, rivals otherwise, coming together to show the best of both sides. A good looking hybrid with powerful OS. And, we got to spend some time with the device at the Samsung Forum 2016. Here’s our first impressions.

Design and display

At a glance, it seems to be competing with Microsoft’s own Surface lineup. Weighing 693g, it is 6.3mm thin, claiming to be the thinnest 2-in-1 tablet in the world. It is thinner and lighter than Apple’s iPad Pro. Compared to the hybrids around this size, the TabPro S seems to be sleek and light. The body is build up of magnesium alloy and the rear part is plastic. No, it doesn’t come across cheap or plasticky, rather looks very cool. The rounded edges also allow a comfortable grip.

Detaching it, in the tablet mode, you will find speaker grilles on both side .The edges also get a headphone jack, volume rocker, power button and USB Type C connector. You will also find 5MP rear and front-facing cameras. The lower edge of the tablet shows a connector for attaching the keyboard.

Managing social media for companies is the latest hot job

BENGALURU: Gone are the days when browsing Facebook or Instagram plainly meant goofing around. Many social media-savvy Bengalureans are earning a living out of it today.

Social media explosion and its relevance as a marketing tool have given rise to a 'cool' new career profile -- the social media manager. These professionals strategise for social media and upload content aimed at acquiring and retaining customers for their clients or companies. And which better city than startup hub Bengaluru to do that, say the rising number of social media managers here.

Many of them have previously been content writers or marketing and advertising professionals. Like Helen Issar, who founded social media management agency Pennylane Social after working for an ad agency. "The profession has emerged popular among fresh graduates, women and new mothers... College freshers live and breathe social media. They don't look at it as a job," says Issar, whose clients list includes Veneta Cucine and I & Monkey restaurant. Writing with a personality and being clued in are the priority skills, she said.

Google engineer builds smart Android-powered bathroom mirror

A Google engineer has developed a smart Android-powered bathroom mirror which automatically displays the latest updates on date, time and weather, and lets you do voice searches on Google, a media report said.

Max Braun, a software engineer with the multinational technology company, used a two-way mirror, a controller board, a display panel, components, arts and crafts supplies to create a device, which can be considered an early prototype of a Google Now mirror, techtimes.com reported.

Braun built the device because he wanted his bathroom mirror to be like the “future we were promised in the movies”.

Scientists to develop a new material to detect explosives

Scientists have created a new material which turns fluorescent the presence of molecules of explosives. Scientists from the University of Southern Denmark have perfected a new compound labeled TTF-C[4]P and TNDCF, which become luminous when they encounter molecules of explosives in the air.

It’s an ongoing battle between security agencies and terrorists who are devising better ways to disguise explosives and cause mayhem. Security checks are getting more and more intrusive in airports and other places where there is crowding.

It’s also a fact that terrorists target such places to cause maximum carnage and get publicity. Efforts are on to ensure minimum discomfort to people while executing searches and frisking.

Facebook says six degrees of separation is now down to just 3.5

Facebook says that six degrees of separation is now down to 3.5

You must have heard about the famous “six degrees of separation” theory that everyone on the planet is connected to everyone else by six other people. Facebook has just upended this theory, saying that world is more closely connected than you might think.

After studying 1.59 billion people active on the social networking website, the team determined that the number is actually 3.57 — meaning thereby that there is actually “three-and-a-half degrees of separation” where each person in the world is connected to every other person by an average of three-and-a-half other people.