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Govt for providing Aakash at Rs 1,500

The government is keen to take Aakash tablet to the people at a cost of Rs 1,500 apiece, Telecom and IT minister Kapil Sibal said on Tuesday.

"I asked Rajat Moona (Director General,C-DAC) to help us in Aakash. Let us take that Aakash to the people of this country for a sum of Rs 1,500. Each student must have a Aakash in his/her hand so that they can see the world with it," Sibal said at a function.

At present, the government purchases the device from Datawind, the maker of Aakash tablet PC, at Rs 2,263 apiece.The government will distribute the tablet to students at subsidised rate of Rs 1,130 apiece.

Sibal said that there is need to gain expertise in providing cutting-edge technology at affordable prices to people, and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) should work towards developing such technologies.

The minister also said that C-DAC should work in the direction of providing cheap and effective technological options for the security of women. "Recently, we had this very very unfortunate event in Delhi and I called Rajat and said I want a technological solution of the safety of girls and women in our country.

"I want a wrist watch, which will video graph, which will set up an alarm, which will call up dedicated lines. Lets have a GPS system and lets produce this for less than Rs 1,000 for the citizens of our country for their safety," Sibal said.

He added that the country needs to scale up its technology skills and attain self-reliance.

"As we look into the 21st century, we realise that there are several areas where we need to be self-reliant. Super computing is of exceptional importance one such area. I see C-DAC as a technology leader in the world. India should provide technological solutions to the world," he said.

Apple appeals denial of product ban in Samsung patent case

The Samsung Galaxy S II Android mobile phone was one of the devices Apple motioned to have Samsung blocked from selling.

Apple has appealed a federal judge's denial of its request to ban 26 Samsung products that were part of a sweeping patent infringement case it won in August. 

In that case, a jury awarded Apple $1 billion after finding that Samsung had violated several mobile-related patents held by Apple. Following that verdict, Apple had asked the judge to increase the size of the awards, as well as permanently ban the 26 Samsung products in question. 

PHOTOS: Devices in the Apple Samsung trial

But in December, Judge Lucy Koh denied Apple's motion to block the sale of the smartphones — including the Fascinate, Epic 4G and Galaxy S II. 

Koh wrote in her decision that Apple had failed to make the case that the features covered by the patents played a decisive role in consumers' purchase decisions. In addition, she wrote that such a ban would unfairly deprive consumers of the right to buy the Samsung products. 

On Jan. 3, Apple's attorneys filed a notice with the U.S. District Court in San Jose that they had appealed Koh's ruling on the product ban with the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.

Samsung is also expected to appeal the jury's verdict, but has not yet done so.

READ MORE AT: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-apple-appeals-denial-of-product-ban-in-samsung-patent-case-20130115,0,4451226.story

Technology trends in 2013

Trends to watch at CES 2013

The annual Consumer Electronics Show, when tech companies gather in Las Vegas to show off their biggest, boldest ideas of the year, is set to open the second week of January. The show has lost some of its cachet in recent years, particularly withformer headliner Microsoft opting to stop its traditional keynotes. But it is still a key place to see what smartphone makers, television companies and automakers are forecasting for the future of technology. Here are five trends to watch at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Connected cars: Audi, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia and Subaru are among the top automakers making appearances at this year’s show.

“Cars are becoming rolling computers,”said Tom Coughlin, a consumer electronics consultant and member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. It’s not simply that cars are becoming more technologically advanced, with richer sensors and better data, he said, but they’re also working more closely with existing gadgets that consumers are already carrying. “Cars are a mobile application platform; let’s start configuring them in the way I want them to be.”

Higher hi-def: There’s always a push to make high-definition screens even better, and this year is no different. Tech trend watchers are expecting to see high-definition televisions get even clearer, sharper and more accessible to the general public. The screen resolution on cellphones is also expected to get better, particularly as the screens creep up and over the 5-inch range.

Coughlin said he expects screens on laptops, computers and other devices to continue getting sharper while manufacturers also figure out how to have these screens use less energy overall.

Video on demand: Samsung has already made clear that it’s planning to do something big in television, which is generally seen as the area of consumer electronics that’s most ripe for innovation and disruption. A teaser on Samsung’s “Tomorrow” blog hinted at a television with “unprecedented new TV shape and timeless design,” the Verge reported.

Whether it’s set-top boxes or smart TVs that offer more a la carte programming, consumers have made it clear that they want greater control over what they’re watching. Large companies such as Google and Microsoft have jumped into the space with their own offerings through Google TV and the Xbox Live service. Consumers should expect to see more on-demand video integration than ever at this year’s show.

Gesture control: Technology companies are also looking for more intuitive ways for users to interact with their gadgets, putting aside the remote control in favor of something that won’t get lost in the couch cushions — your body.

EyeSight, an Israeli-based company that works on motion control, is particularly interested in bringing down the scale of gesture control.

“These are not shoulder-level hand motions,” said EyeSight Marketing Director, Liat Rostock. “It’s all down to the wrist level...down to the resolution of the fingertip.”

EyeSight is already putting some of its technology in the laptops and televisions of major manufacturers, and saving some money by building their technology directly into the devices rather than adding the features on as accessories.

Competition for digital advertising: While CES is mostly about the gadgets, content is important at the show as well. One of the companies rumored to be making a big splash at this year’s show is Yahoo. The company is reportedly looking to make a name for itself at this year’s show under the new leadership of chief executive officer Marissa Mayer. According to a report from All Things Digital, Mayer is going to work on building up partnerships with companies who may be looking at competitors such as Google, Facebook and AOL.

Aakash Tablet is making wonders

Aakash maker Datawind becomes the third largest tablet seller in India

BANGALORE: British-hardware manufacturer Datawind, also the maker of Indian government's low-cost tablet Aakash, emerged as a surprise candidate to become the third largest tablet seller, according to latest data from technology market researcher Cybermedia Research.

During the July-September period, Datawind that has been facing criticism for missing deadlines to deliver the Rs 2,263 Aakash to government, had about 12% market share in India's tablet market, according to cybermedia. This does not include its sale of Aakash tablets to the government.

New technology in mobile world

New software turns smartphones into versatile keys

Berlin, Jan 6 (IANS) You can open doors using an application, but the technology is still a long way from gaining widespread acceptance.

German researchers have now developed a piece of software that will make smartphone technology even more secure, versatile and acceptable.

Thanks to ShareKey, digital keys can be transferred by e-mail using a smartphone.

Fraunhofer SIT (secure information technology) smartphones and tablets have become an integral part of our daily lives, according to a Fraunhofer statement.

ShareKey sends electronic keys directly to the user's mobile phone, in the form of a QR code attached to an e-mail or MMS

"In essence, ShareKey offers two new functions: users can issue digital keys remotely and assign these keys certain user permissions," explained Alexandra Dmitrienko from the SIT, associated with the project.

"For instance, I can grant the building superintendent access to my apartment for a short period so that he can open the door for the gas meter to be read while I'm at work," he said.

"The solution is built around modern security technologies and can be easily integrated into existing access control systems," said Dmitrienko.

At this year's CeBIT trade fair in Hannover from March 5 to 9, Fraunhofer SIT researchers will be demonstrating their ShareKey software, a solution which will make the key app concept even more versatile and secure.

LG unveils Smart TV platform underpinned by HP's webOS

While we expect LG to march out a bevvy of phones and TVs, including some we haven't seen before, what's really piquing our interest heading into the new year is word that it may launch a Smart TV service based onwebOS.

webOS, the open source system developed by HP, could take the reigns from LG's antiquated NetCast Smart TV interface during the show, a move that wouldn't leave our jaws dropped.

HP delivered on its promise to walk out webOS to the public by September, a vow it made in January, and now it needs a big product and solid partner to get its face out there.

The marriage between the two should be equal – reports have HP providing the OS while LG will plug in its dual-core L9-powered motherboards.

If our expectations pan out, we'll likely see the death of LG's small screen partnership with the struggling Google TV service, a relationship LG championed at CES 2012 yet has since cooled.

Microsoft's show no more

The Consumer Electronics Show has long been Microsoft's chance to shine. The software giant has always given flashy presentations, usually involving celebrities. Shaq, Conan O'Brien, Ryan Seacrest, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and more have all appeared to help co-founder Bill Gates and current CEO Steve Ballmer show of the company's latest tech.

• Read more: Microsoft's last keynote at CES 2012

Sadly, CES 2013 will be the first year where Microsoft won't be giving one of its signature keynote presentations. It gave the world plenty of notice, saying in December 2011 that CES 2012 would be its last. Steve Ballmer's last presentation at the Las Vegas trade show focused on Metro, the new Live Tile-based interface for Windows 8.

Ballmer and Seacrest present at CES 2012

Companies have moved quickly to fill the space left by Microsoft's exodus. Qualcomm has nabbed the open keynote slot. The telecommunications mogul will be giving its Born Mobile keynote on Monday, January 7th. Meanwhile, satellite provider Dish and appliance manufacturer Hisense snapped up Microsoft's booth space in under an hour.

However, Venturebeat has quoted CEA president Gary Shapiro as saying, "Microsoft will have something" at CES 2013. While it's unknown what that something will be, there are plenty of possibilities. More Windows Phone 8devices? A Microsoft Surface Pro running Windows 8? Its all in the realm of possibility.

Via Venturebeat