HTC launches Butterfly, a phone with full HD display, for Rs 45,990

HTC launched Butterfly, a 5-inch smartphone with full HD 1080-pixel display and a resolution of 440 pixels per inch. The Butterfly has the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor, HTC Sense 4+ and Android Jelly Bean (4.1).

The phone weighs just 140 grams and feels well-built. It has 2GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, 25GB of free Dropbox cloud storage and a microSD card slot. The phone has a micro SIM slot.

Another feature HTC is proud of is the phone's camera. It is an 8-megapixel f/2.0 28mm wide-angle lens, with five-level automatic flash, backside illuminated sensor (BSI), and autofocus. HTC's VideoPic technology allows you to capture photos while shooting video. You can also shoot up to 99 images in the continuous shooting mode, at four frames per second. There is a 2.1-megapixel wide-angle (88-degree) front camera that helps shoot self-portraits with more people.

The phone comes with Beats Audio technology, that "delivers crystal clear sound with less distortion, even at maximum volume".

The battery is rated at 2,020 mAh, which is a bit less when the phone's powerful hardware is taken into consideration.

Connectivity options include HDMI out, microUSB, Infrared, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC.

HTC Butterfly will be available for Rs 45,990 (best buy price) and the MRP is Rs 49,900. 

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/htc-launches-butterfly-a-phone-with-full-hd-display-for-rs-45990/1066329/

Water flow on Mars suggests ancient life on planet

Narrow ridges found in Martian craters may actually be fossilised remnants of underground cracks through which water once flowed on the red planet, a new study claims.

Water flowing beneath the surface of ancient Mars suggests life may once have been possible on the Red planet, according to a new analysis by researchers from Brown University.

The study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, bolsters the idea that the subsurface environment on Mars once had an active hydrology and could be a good place to search for evidence of past life.

The study conducted by Lee Saper and Jack Mustard suggest the ridges, many of them hundreds of meters in length and a few meters wide, had been noted in previous research, but how they had formed was not known.

Saper and Mustard thought they might once have been faults and fractures that formed underground when impact events rattled the planet's crust.

Water, if present in the subsurface, would have circulated through the cracks, slowly filling them in with mineral deposits, which would have been harder than the surrounding rocks. As those surrounding rocks eroded away over millions of years, the seams of mineral-hardened material would remain in place, forming the ridges seen today.

Using high-resolution images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the researchers noted the orientations of the ridges and composition of the surrounding rocks.

The orientation data is consistent with the idea that the ridges started out as fractures formed by impact events.

Importantly, researchers also found that the ridges exist exclusively in areas where the surrounding rock is rich in iron-magnesium clay, a mineral considered to be a telltale sign that water had once been present in the rocks.

"The association with these hydrated materials suggests there was a water source available. That water would have flowed along the path of least resistance, which in this case would have been these fracture conduits," Saper said.

As that water flowed, dissolved minerals would have been slowly deposited in the conduits, in much the same way mineral deposits can build up and eventually clog drain pipes.

The results suggest the ancient Martian subsurface had flowing water and may have been a habitable environment.

"This gives us a point of observation to say there was enough fracturing and fluid flow in the crust to sustain at least a regionally viable subsurface hydrology," Saper said.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/water-flow-on-mars-suggests-ancient-life-on-planet/1066850/0

New HP laptop buyers to get free music for a year

HP India on Wednesday launched Connected Music, a service that lets users stream and download music free for a year. For this, the company has tied up with Hungama.com and Universal Music. The service will work only on new HP Windows 8 devices and users can access it at hpconnectedmusic.co.in, using the launcher embedded in the machine.

The three companies have collaborated to offer things "money can't buy". This includes opportunities to meet bands and artistes and get their autographs, pictures, etc. This will be based on a draw of lots and the users' involvement in the service. Those who use the service more will have a better chance of winning a chance to meet their favourite artistes.

Ranjivjit Singh, Head, Marketing, HP PPS India, said, "Our consumers have told us they want a seamless music experience, while using their device and this is exactly what HP Connected Music provides. Through its subscription service, it allows people the chance to explore a whole new world of music and exclusive content, while using their HP device."

The music is DRM-protected (Digital Rights Management), which means that it cannot be copied to other devices. The service is device-linked and every account will be tied to the HP machine via its unique serial number.

Universal Music and Hungama.com have a large catalogue of music – over 20,000 Indian and international artistes. Consumers will also have access to unique content such as previews, behind the scenes footage and VIP events.

Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director, Universal Music India SAARC, said: "The new HP connected music customer will have access to over one million tracks from 20,000 artists to make this offering the most comprehensive digital music service."

Hungama.com was involved in the development of HP's web-based music portal. Neeraj Roy, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt Ltd, said, "A platform such as this will give consumers the convenience of an unlimited music subscription service. Our platform powers the HP Connected Music service, giving the consumer seamless one-click download, and the ability to connect with social communities."

HP Connected Music will be available in India on selected consumer notebooks from February 1, 2013. Users will have to pay for the service after the one-year free subscription expires. HP did not announce the price or whether users will have to pay for every song or every month/year.

The service is exclusive to HP devices and users will be able to carry their playlist (on the cloud) to a new HP machine, but they will have to download the songs again on the new computer. There is no option to take the songs to smartphones, tablets or non-HP devices.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/new-hp-laptop-buyers-to-get-free-music-for-a-year/1066856/0

'Habitable Zone' for alien planets redefined

Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have redefined the boundaries of the habitable zone for alien planets, kicking out some exoplanets that were thought to fall within it, and allowing a few others to be included in the zone.

"This will have a significant impact on the number of exoplanets that are within habitable zone," said research team leader Ravi Kumar Kopparapu of Penn State University.

One of the most important characteristics of an alien planet is whether or not it falls into what's called the habitable zone - a Goldilocks-like range of not-too-close, not-too-far distances from the parent star that might allow the planet to host life.

The habitable zone defines the region where a planet might be able to retain liquid water on its surface. Any closer to the star and water would vaporise away; any farther, and it would freeze to ice, Space.com reported.

But water in its liquid state is what scientists are after, since that is thought to be a prerequisite for life.

The new definition of the habitable zone is based on updated atmospheric databases called HITRAN (high-resolution transmission molecular absorption) and HITEMP (high-temperature spectroscopic absorption parameters), which give the absorption parameters of water and carbon dioxide - two properties that strongly influence the atmospheres of exoplanets, determining whether those planets could host liquid water.

The scientists cautioned that the habitable zone definition still does not take into account feedback effects from clouds, which will also affect a planet's habitability.

The previous habitable zone definitions were derived about 20 years ago by Penn State researcher James Kasting, who was also part of the team behind the updates.

The new definition isn't radically different from the old one. For example, in our own solar system, the boundaries of the habitable zone have shifted from between 0.95 astronomical units (AU, or the distance between Earth and the Sun) and 1.67 AU, to the new range of 0.99 AU to 1.7 AU.

"It's a surprise that Earth is so close to the inner edge of the habitable zone," said astronomer Abel Mendez of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, who was not part of the team behind the redefinition.

"Right now as I see it as a significant change. Many of those planets that we believe were inside are now outside. But on the other side, it extends the habitable zone's outer edge, so a few planets that are farther away might fall inside the habitable zone now," Mendez said.

He mentioned one planet in particular, Gliese 581d, was thought to lie at the outer edge of its star's habitable zone. With the new definition, though, it falls almost smack in the middle, making it perhaps a better candidate for extraterrestrial life.

The new habitable zone definition will be published in the Astrophysical Journal.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/habitable-zone-for-alien-planets-redefined/1066919/0

Review: BlackBerry Z10 is good stab at rebirth

Are you ashamed to have a BlackBerry? It's not exactly a status symbol any more, at least not in the US, after it got left in the dust by the iPhone. Now, there's a new BlackBerry that wants to get back into the cool club: the Z10.

It's the first phone to run the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, and it is, at first blush, a very good stab at regaining at least some of the cachet of the BlackBerry.

The problem is that no one has ever succeeded in turning around a failing smartphone maker. Remember the Palm, anyone? It's simply a brutal industry. So even if the Z10 does everything it set out to do, it might not be enough to save Research In Motion Ltd, the home of the BlackBerry. The company is changing its name to BlackBerry, but that could just be the prelude to riding the brand into the sunset once and for all.

It doesn't exactly help that the Z10 looks like every other smartphone on the shelf. It's a flat black slab with a touch screen, nearly indistinguishable at 15 feet from the iPhone 5 or a bevy of Android smartphones. The screen measures 4.2 inches diagonally, a bit bigger than the iPhone but smaller than most Android phones. It will go on sale in the US in March, probably for about $200 with a two-year service contract, in line with the iPhone and other rivals.

Turn it on, and the differences become more evident. Older BlackBerrys are great communications devices, but are poor at multimedia and at running third-party apps, something the iPhone excels at. The new BlackBerry 10 software is a serious attempt at marrying these two feature sets, and after a few hours of use, it looks like it succeeds.

BlackBerry 10 was delayed for about a year, and it seems as if the extra time was put to good use. The software is, for a first release, uncommonly slick and well thought out, completely unlike the PlayBook disaster of two years ago, when RIM released a tablet computer that couldn't do email.

The Z10 is easier to use than an Android phone. It is more difficult to use than the iPhone, but it is also more powerful, giving you faster access to your email, tweets, Facebook status updates and text messages.

These communications end up in the "Hub,'' a window that slides in from the left side of the screen. Whatever you're doing on the phone, you can get to the hub with a single swipe on the screen, and then go back. It's a great feature for the always-connected.

The software is good for on-the-go types as well, because it's designed for one-handed use. While texting, you'll have one hand free for holding your bag or pushing open doors.

It's also completely touch-oriented, which isn't what you'd expect from a BlackBerry. You don't use a hardware buttons to navigate the phone at all: They're just to turn the phone on or off, or adjust the volume. To get around, you swipe across the screen. Up, down, right and left swipes all do different things, but they're fairly easy to remember. Sadly, it's reminiscent of webOS, the last hurrah of smartphone pioneer Palm Inc. It was a great, swipe-based interface that never found an audience and was ultimately put to rest.

Very rarely does BlackBerry 10 display a "Back'' button on the screen, which is a blessing. I find Android's always-present "Back'' button a huge annoyance, since it's rarely clear where it will take me. Will it take me back one screen or kick me out of the application I'm in? Only one way to find out: pushing it.

BlackBerry diehards will lament the lack of a physical keyboard _ they'll have to wait for the Q10, a model in the more traditional BlackBerry form. That's due this spring. But before writing off the Z10, these loyalists should try its on-screen keyboard. It's really very good. It provides more vertical space between the keys, imitating the steel bands that separated the hardware keys on the BlackBerry Bold. It's very accurate and easy to use.

The Z10 will also have a replaceable battery, something lacking on the iPhone. Screen quality will be good, too, at 356 pixels per inch, compared with 326 for the iPhone 5 and 306 for Samsung's Galaxy S III. Unlike the iPhone, the Z10 will allow you to expand storage with a microSD card, and it sports a chip letting the phone act as a credit card at some payment terminals and share data wirelessly when tapped against some other phones. The Z10 is heavier than the iPhone, though _ at 4.78 ounces to the iPhone 5's 3.95 ounces.

So why does the Z10 and BlackBerry 10 face such an uphill battle?

Well, the library of third-party applications is the biggest reason. The iPhone and Android have a huge head start when it comes to getting developers to make applications that run on their phones. RIM says BlackBerry 10 will launch in the U.S. with about 100,000 apps. That sounds like a big number, and it includes important apps such as Skype and Facebook.

But it's inevitable that the iPhone will have apps you want but can't get on BlackBerry 10. There's no Instagram, no Netflix. It's also obvious that the number includes some apps that were written for the PlayBook tablet and don't work well on the smaller phone screen.

But the biggest obstacle to a RIM comeback is simply that the iPhone and Android have become the default for phone buyers, and few will see a reason to try something else. Microsoft, which has vastly more resources than RIM, has tried for two years to get people to buy Windows Phones, with very little to show for it.

BlackBerry 10 is nice, but I can't point to anything about it that would make me say: "Forget those other phones: you have to buy this one.'' 

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/review-blackberry-z10-is-good-stab-at-rebirth/1067309/0

Mars colony project bags first investor

The ambitious USD 6 billion Mars mission that aims to colonise the Red planet and stage a reality show around it has attracted its first investor.

The Netherlands-based nonprofit organisation Mars One that aims to land four astronauts on Mars in 2023 has secured investments that will fund conceptual design studies and its astronaut selection programme, both of which are slated to kick off soon, officials said.

"Raising a few million [US dollars] in the coming months may seem insignificant in the shadow of the pending billions required, but we are taking it one step at a time," Kai Staats, director of business development for Mars One, said.

"These first few bring tangible demonstration to nearly two years in planning. For us, committed funds in this phase of development are an important indicator we are moving in the right direction," said Staats.

The organisation plans to stage a global reality-TV event around the one-way mission, with cameras following every step of the way from astronaut selection to the settlers' first years on the Red Planet, SPACE.com reported.

The revenues from broadcasting rights and sponsorships will cover most of the costs, it said.

Mars One officials say they will use the money to fund conceptual design studies ¿ engineering bids from private spaceflight companies that aim to provide the spaceships, habitat modules and other major components of the Mars colony.

Some part of the money will also finance Mars One's televised astronaut selection process, which officials have said will also likely launch sometime this year.

Earlier this month, Mars One released its astronaut requirements. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, in good mental and physical health and willing to undergo a training program that will last about eight years.

Mars One anticipates receiving hundreds of thousands of applications from people interested in becoming Mars colonists.

It plans to launch a series of robotic missions between 2016 and 2020 that will build an outpost on the Red Planet.

The first four astronauts will arrive in 2023, and more will touch down every two years after that. There are no plans to return these interplanetary pioneers to Earth.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mars-colony-project-bags-first-investor/1066921/0

NASA launches communication satellite

NASA today launched a new communication satellite to stay in touch with its space station astronauts and relay more Hubble telescope images.

An unmanned Atlas V rocket blasted into the starry night sky carrying the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.

This is the 11th TDRS satellite to be launched by NASA. The space agency uses the orbiting network to communicate with astronauts living on the International Space Station.

The first TDRS spacecraft flew in 1983; it recently was retired along with No. 4. The second was lost aboard space shuttle Challenger in 1986; Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the launch disaster.

This newest third-generation TDRS carries the letter K designation. Once it begins working, it will become TDRS-11. It will take two weeks for the satellite to reach its intended 22,300-mile-high orbit. Testing will last a few months.

NASA estimates the satellite costs between USD 350 million and USD 400 million. Another TDRS spacecraft, L in the series, will be launched next year.

NASA wants at least seven TDRS satellites working in orbit at any one time. The one launched today will make eight.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nasa-launches-communication-satellite/1067256/

Survival of the prettiest: Sexual selection can be inferred from the fossil record

Detecting sexual selection in the fossil record is not impossible, according to scientists writing in Trends in Ecology and Evolution this month, co-authored by Dr. Darren Naish of the University of Southampton.

The term "sexual selection" refers to the evolutionary pressures that relate to a species' ability to repel rivals, meet mates and pass on genes. We can observe these processes happening in living animals but how do palaeontologists know that sexual selection operated in fossil ones?

Historically, palaeontologists have thought it challenging, even impossible, to recognise sexual selection in extinct animals. Many fossil animals have elaborate crests, horns, frills and other structures that look like they were used in sexual display but it can be difficult to distinguish these structures from those that might play a role in feeding behaviour, escaping predators, controlling body temperature and so on.

However in their review, the scientists argue that clues in the fossil record can indeed be used to infer sexual selection.

"We see much evidence from the fossil record suggesting that sexual selection played a major role in the evolution of many extinct groups," says Dr Naish, of the University's Vertebrate Palaeontology Research Group.

"Using observations of modern animal behaviour we can draw analogies with extinct animals and infer how certain features improve success during courtship and breeding."

Modern examples of sexual selection, where species have evolved certain behaviours or ornamentation that repel rivals and attract members of the opposite sex, include the male peacock's display of feathers, and the male moose's antlers for use in clashes during mating season.

Dr Naish and co-authors state that the fossil record holds many clues that point to the existence of sexual selection in extinct species, for example weaponry for fighting, bone fractures from duels, and ornamentation for display, such as fan-shaped crests on dinosaurs. Distinct differences between males and females of a species, called 'sexual dimorphism', can also suggest the presence of sexual selection, and features observed in sexually mature adults, where absent from the young, indicate that their purpose might be linked to reproduction.

We can also make inferences from features that are 'costly' in terms of how much energy they take to maintain, if we assume that the reproductive advantages outweighed the costs.

Whilst these features might have had multiple uses, the authors conclude that sexual selection should not be ruled out.

"Some scientists argue that many of the elaborate features on dinosaurs were not sexually selected at all," adds Dr Naish, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

"But as observations show that sexual selection is the most common process shaping evolutionary traits in modern animals, there is every reason to assume that things were exactly the same in the distant geological past."

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/survival-of-the-prettiest-sexual-selection-can-be-inferred-from-the-fossil-record/1067281/0

Microsoft testing Outlook app for Windows RT devices: Report

Teams within Microsoft are reportedly debating whether the company should release a native version of Outlook for Windows RT devices or not. The company has reportedly completed and testing a final version of Outlook for Windows RT devices.

Microsoft is reportedly testing a native version of MS Outlook for Windows RT-based devices. Dubbed as Outlook RT, the e-mail client would run on Microsoft’s ARM-based Surface RT devices as well as any ARM-based Windows RT slates and PCs.

According to CNET, Microsoft hasn’t yet decided the date for commercial availability of Outlook RT, as odds are the company may never release it. The teams within Microsoft are still debating whether the company should release the app or not.

The report further quotes sources at Microsoft claims some people at the Windows unit want to retain the Mail/Calendar/People app as it bundles currently. There are some other people who want to simply rename the existing Mail app in Windows RT as Outlook. There are also suggestions to launch Outlook as a separate native app.

“Microsoft currently has its own Mail client for Windows 8 and Windows RT — a product that is not seen as very robust or solid by many of us Surface RT/Windows RT users. The Windows RT Mail client is not even as good as the Mail client that’s part of Windows Phone, many of us feel,” writes Mary Jo Foley in the report.

“Quite a few of us would rather have the option to run Outlook on our Surface RTs and other Windows RT devices. But for now, Microsoft doesn’t include Outlook as part of the Office Home & Student 2013 RT suite that it bundles with the Windows RT operating system. Only Word RT, Excel RT, PowerPoint RT and OneNote RT are included. (It’s worth noting that these four apps are Desktop apps, not “Metro-Style”/Windows Store apps. There are only two members of the Office suite that currently exist in Metro-Style form: OneNote and Lync.),” she adds.

Microsoft is yet to comment on the rumours of a native Outlook app for Windows RT.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Apps/Microsoft-testing-Outlook-app-for-Windows-RT_13224.html

Nokia introduces Music+ service for Lumia devices

Nokia has announced Music+ Lumia-only music streaming service. The app is available as a paid upgrade.

Nokia takes on music streaming services such as Spotify and Last.fm as the company rolls out an extension to its Mix Radio app called, Nokia Music+. The new Nokia Music+ app is available as a premium upgrade for the Lumia users.

Nokia Music+ features unlimited downloads and unlimited music discovery. It also has unlimited skips, allowing users to skip from track to track. The app promises to deliver high quality streaming music. Even over a 2.5G connection, Nokia Music+ allows you to download music at ‘eight times’ the standard quality. Moreover, there’s option to access lyrics as well as a web-app for desktop users.

“It’s the only smartphone music service out there offering access to millions of songs out of the box without the need to sign up, sign in, or suffer adverts in between enjoying the music. When you add in the ability to skip songs and save playlists for offline uses like the tube, you have something unique,” says Jyrki Rosenberg, VP Entertainment at Nokia in a blog post.

“Nokia Music is great for discovering new music, and we’ve found that there’s a core of users that want even more of it. This is how Nokia Music+ came about. By introducing features like infinite skips and unlimited downloads, we’re opening the doors for unlimited music discovery at only €3.99 per month.”

Nokia Music+ will be rolled out in the next few weeks. The app will be available at around $4 in the U.S., however Nokia says the price will vary according to territory.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Apps/Nokia-introduces-Music-service-for-Lumia-devices_13226.html

Naughty videos already spreading through Twitter’s Vine

Not even a week has passed since Twitter unveiled Vine, a new video sharing app, and it looks like it has already developed a naughty reputation.

Vine made its way into App Store on Thursday and allows users to create clips six seconds long for sharing to the masses adrift on the interwebz. But just like everything else on the internet, the app is susceptible to the human condition, which is the need for gratification. While not everyone can afford a subscription to websites that offer visual-aids of the pleasuring kind, many flock to photo and video sharing sites for a free dose of happiness.

It was only a matter of time before people started using Vine for “other motives” than sharing typical happy-birthday video messages. A quick search for questionable hashtags does return several results, but whether they’re a form of exhibitionism, or just some people trolling is yet to be determined, although we think that it may be both.

Twitter, the bastion of freedom of speech has always maintained that the user was responsible for the content (tweets) they put out on their pages, but only recently chose to censor tweets on a country-specific basis. In fact, an excerpt from Twitter’s own ToS says:

“You are responsible for your use of the Services, for any Content you post to the Services, and for any consequences thereof. The Content you submit, post, or display will be able to be viewed by other users of the Services and through third party services and websites. You should only provide Content that you are comfortable sharing with others under these Terms.”

While Twitter won’t come running after you with a censorship bat, Apple on the other hand might not take to these new developments kindly. Apple’s ToS regarding apps is very clear on the matter “apps containing pornographic material, defined by Webster’s Dictionary as ‘explicit descriptions or displays of sexual organs or activities intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings,’ will be rejected.”

In fact, recently, Apple removed the 500px app simply for hosting photographs which Apple deemed pornographic instead of artistic. So we wouldn’t be surprised if Vine is pulled off the app-store as well, so if you need to have this app, better grab it before it’s gone.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Apps/Naughty-videos-already-spreading-through-Twitters-Vine_13220.html

Leaked: Rumoured photos of components from future iPhones

Site that leaked images claims new iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 under development by Apple.

Photos of what are claimed to be speaker components for upcoming iPhones have leaked on the Web. No Where Else, a French website, posted the images stating that they belonged to the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 6. The site claims that the iPhone 5S will feature new hardware while using the same chassis as that of the iPhone 5, while the iPhone 6 will be a completely redesigned handset. The site further says that the iPhone 5S will be launched this summer while the iPhone 6 will be revealed next year.

However, the 9 to 5 Mac blog says that instead of a revamped iPhone 6, Apple will most probably launch the 5S and a cheaper iPhone. The blog also points out that developers have found clues pointing to a 128GB iOS device in the code of the iOS 6.1 beta that was recently released by Apple.

A number of rumours regarding new iPhones have surfaced recently. Some rumours point towards a high-end iPhone continuing with the same 4-inch display as the iPhone 5 along with a cheaper iPhone with the same dimensions. Other rumours talk about Apple developing a 5-inch iPhone along with a cheaper iPhone with a 4.8-in screen.

Looking at all these rumours, it seems highly likely that Apple will show at least one variant of the iPhone at WWDC 2013, that will be held in the summer.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Leaked-Rumoured-photos-of-components-from-future_13229.html

Intel to shutdown desktop motherboard business

It looks like Intel has shifted its focus entirely to its CPU business, as the chip giant has announced it will be shutting down its desktop motherboard business.

The world’s biggest manufacturer of CPUs has announced that it will be ramping down its secondary business, desktop motherboards, to a complete halt in the next three years. So, essentially, in three years time, there will be fewer Intel-branded motherboards being floated into the market, until the maker eventually pulls the plugs on the machines spitting out these boards.

The last board to slide off the Intel assembly line will the one for their upcoming Haswell chipset, post which Intel will stop shipping boards. The decision comes in light of the fact that Intel’s motherboard business wasn’t one to rake in much profit, so the company has decided to focus on just their CPU business.

The good news here is that Intel will not be reducing its work-force, a normal outcome of any division shut-down. Instead, the plan is to have all the employees be absorbed into various other departments.

If you’re wondering what’s going to happen to motherboards after three years, fret not. Intel will continue developing reference designs for boards for their internal testing and research, and these designs and of course Intel chipsets will make their way to third party manufacturers for making new boards. Overall, this is good news for Intel chipset-based motherboard manufacturers, given that Intel was a strong, if not a fierce competitor in the motherboard segment.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Parts-Peripherals/Intel-to-shutdown-desktop-motherboard-business_13222.html

Samsung puts lid on capex for 1st time since financial crisis

Samsung Electronics Co turned cautious on spending for the first time since the global financial crisis, keeping its annual investment plan unchanged at 2012 levels, as demand for computer chips wanes and the smartphone market slows.

Samsung, one of the industry's most aggressive spenders, has ramped up capital expenditure every year since 2004 except 2009 to meet soaring demand for its array of consumer electronics and mobile devices. It sold a record 700,000 smartphones a day in the last quarter.

But with the personal computer market shrinking for the first time in 11 years, the global smartphone market growing more slowly, and Apple Inc (AAPL.O) moving to buy fewer of Samsung's microprocessors used in the iPhone and iPad, the South Korean IT giant is now forced to keep a lid on spending.

"Overall its earnings momentum remains intact, and smartphone shipments will continue to grow even in the traditionally weak first quarter, as Samsung's got a broader product line-up and Apple appears to be struggling in pushing iPhone volumes aggressively," said Lee Se-chul, a Seoul-based analyst at Meritz Securities.

Samsung, which reported a record quarterly and annual profit on Friday, said it would keep 2013 capital expenditure unchanged from 2012.

"The key word for us in investment in 2013 is flexibility. We'll decide as the market demand dictates," Robert Yi, head of Samsung's investor relations, told analysts.

Data from the company shows Samsung started to slow down planned investment in the last quarter.

Samsung said it spent 4.4 trillion won in October-December, pushing its 2012 investment to a record 23 trillion won. But the company said in October that it was on course to spend 25 trillion won in 2012.

Analysts had expected a 4-20 percent cut in Samsung's 2013 capital spending.

By contrast, Taiwanese rival TSMC is planning to raise its capital expenditure to $9 billion this year, aimed in part at winning Apple orders away from Samsung.

Shares in Samsung fell 2.1 percent as of 0250 GMT, lagging a 1.1 percent decline in the wider market.

GRAPHICS

Samsung vs Apple r.reuters.com/byx45t

Samsung earnings r.reuters.com/myw53t

RECORD EARNINGS

Samsung had poured money into factories to boost production of chips and panels used in Apple products and its Galaxy range devices, pushing its operating profit to 8.84 trillion won in the last quarter. The 89 percent increase from a year earlier was in line with its earlier estimate.

Profit at its mobile devices division, which makes phones, tablets and cameras, more than doubled to 5.44 trillion won in the quarter from a year earlier, lifted by a broader offering of smartphones - from the very cheap to the very expensive.

The division accounted for 62 percent of Samsung's overall fourth-quarter profit, up from 55 percent a year earlier.

Samsung is also seeing strong sales of its Note phablet, which analysts expect to help Samsung get through any seasonal weakness better than rivals.

Samsung, which doesn't provide a breakdown of smartphone sales, is estimated to have sold around 63 million smartphones in the last quarter, including 15 million Galaxy S IIIs and 7 million Note IIs.

The company also said 2012 operating profit rose 86 percent to an all-time high of 29 trillion won.

SAMSUNG VS APPLE

Samsung sold 213 million smartphones last year and enlarged its share of the global market to 30.4 percent from around 20 percent in 2011, a report by market research firm Strategy Analytics showed on Friday. The sharp increase reflects Samsung's aggressive marketing of its wide product range.

Apple's share of the market rose slightly to 19.4 percent from 19.0 percent in 2011, according to the report.

Globally, sales of smartphones surged 42.7 percent last year to 700 million, Strategy Analytics said.

Samsung said on Friday it expects the global smartphone segment to shrink in January-March from the seasonally strong fourth quarter, and that growth of the overall handset market will slow to the mid single-digits this year.

The forecast is in line with industry estimates, with signs of a slowdown having already emerged.

Apple shipped 47.8 million iPhones in the three months ended December, a record that nonetheless disappointed many analysts accustomed to years of outperformance. The Cupertino, California-based company also missed Wall Street's revenue forecast for a third straight quarter as iPhone sales lagged expectations.

Apple shares have dropped by more than a third since mid-September as investors fret that its days of hyper growth are over and its devices are no longer as 'must-have' as they were.

By contrast, shares in Samsung have risen 12 percent in the same period as the company once seen as quick to copy the ideas of others now sets the pace in innovation.

At the world's biggest electronics show in Las Vegas this month, Samsung unveiled a prototype phone with a flexible display that can be folded almost like paper, and a microchip with eight processing cores, creating a buzz that these may be used in the next Galaxy range.

"It's very probable to us that the Exynos 5 Octa (processor) will find its way into the Galaxy S4," UBS analyst Nicolas Gaudois wrote in a recent note.

"It also looked as if the curved display is close enough to finished product. We came away even more convinced that displays will provide significant differentiation to Samsung devices, and application processors will materially grow over time," Gaudois said.

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/25/samsung-results-idINDEE90N0HL20130125

Apple steps up labor audits, finds underage workers

Apple Inc(AAPL.O) stepped up audits of working conditions at major suppliers last year, discovering multiple cases of underage workers, discrimination and wage problems.

The iPhone and iPad maker, which relies heavily on Asian-based partners like Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Group to assemble the vast majority of its iPhones and iPads, said on Thursday it conducted 393 audits, up 72 percent from 2011, reviewing sites where over 1.5 million workers make its gadgets.

Apple in recent years has faced accusations of building its profits on the backs of poorly treated and severely underpaid workers in China.

That criticism came to the fore around 2010, after reports of suicides at Foxconn drew attention to the long hours that migrant laborers frequently endure, often for a pittance in wages and in severely cramped living conditions.

Foxconn is the trading name of Hon Hai Precision Industry (2317.TW) and employs 1.2 million workers across China.

Under Chief Executive Tim Cook, who took over from Steve Jobs in 2011, Apple has taken new steps to improve its record and boost transparency, including the extensive audits of its sprawling supply chain. Last year, it agreed to separate audits by the independent Fair Labor Association.

In an interview on Thursday, Apple senior vice president of operations Jeff Williams said the company has increased its efforts to solve two of the most challenging issues - ensuring there are no under aged workers in its supply chain and limiting working hours to 60 hours a week.

While child labor reflected a small percentage of the workforce, Apple is now investigating its smaller suppliers - which typically supply parts to larger suppliers and hence face less oversight on such issues - to bring them into compliance, sometimes even firing them.

"We go deep in the supply chain to find it," Williams said. "And when we do find it, we ensure that the underage workers are taken care of, the suppliers are dealt with."

In one case, Apple said it terminated its relationship with a component maker Guangdong Real Faith Pingzhou Electronics Co Ltd after discovering 74 cases of underage workers.

Officials at Pingzhou Electronics could not be reached despite three telephone calls from Reuters.

Apple also discovered an employment agency that was forging documents to allow children to illegally work at the supplier.

Apple reported both the supplier and the employment agency to local authorities, the company said in its latest annual report on the conditions in its supply chain.

Apple has audited both small and ancillary suppliers, as well as large ones such as Korea's Samsung Electronics Co, (005930.KS) for working conditions. It found 95 percent of sites audited complied with avoiding underage labor.

Child labor is an issue that is part of the larger supply industry as the component maker that Apple found violated child labor laws supplied parts to more than a hundred different companies, including automotive companies, Williams said, vowing to eradicate under aged labor from the industry.

"I don't know how long it will take to get there but that's our goal," said Williams, who has spent a significant amount of his 14 years at Apple in Asia managing the supply chain.

FOCUS ON STUDENT INTERNS

For 2013, Williams said a key focus for Apple will be student interns and ensuring that suppliers do not abuse the internship system, especially in China where many colleges require students to complete internships as part of their curriculum.

Some companies in China are solving labor shortages by employing students. Last September, city officials of the northeastern Chinese coastal city of Yantai ordered vocational high schools to send students to a large plant run by Foxconn - a key contract manufacture for Apple and other large electronics companies like Hewlett Packard (HPQ.N) - to overcome a shortage of workers.

Another focus areas has been "bonded labor", where agencies who help immigrant workers find jobs take a substantial portion of the worker's pay.

Apple said in the report that it asked suppliers to reimburse $6.4 million in excess foreign contract worker fees in 2012, according to the report.

The company said it achieved 92 percent compliance with a maximum 60-hour work week in its supply chain. Where violations were discovered, Apple took action, it said in its report.

Apple also found and stopped discriminatory practices against women workers in 34 supplier facilities that required pregnancy testing and 25 facilities that tested employees for certain medical conditions, the report said.

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/25/apple-audit-iphone-ipad-idINDEE90O03N20130125

Silver Lake's bid likely the best Dell shareholders get

A potential bid by private equity firm Silver Lake and its partners to take Dell Inc (DELL.O) private is unlikely to be topped by other investors, people familiar with the matter said.

Silver Lake has a major advantage in having secured the backing of founder and CEO Michael Dell, who has a roughly 16 percent stake in the world's No.3 PC maker and would participate in the buyout consortium.

If Silver Lake clinches a deal with Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, this will result in a so-called "go-shop" period in which the company can actively seek offers from other potential buyers to ensure it has attracted the best possible offer.

But senior executives at the largest private equity firms competing with Silver Lake, speaking on condition that neither they nor their funds be identified, told Reuters on Thursday that they were unlikely to top Silver Lake's offer in any auction of the company.

"I just don't think it is doable to break up the current consortium. When management is rolling over (their stake) and they have picked a partner, it is hard to top the agreed offer," one of the private equity executives said. The executives also cited the lack of an exit strategy and sheer size of the deal.

A deal is imminent with Silver Lake and its partners, which include Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, although the parties have yet to agree on a final price, two people close to the matter said.

Microsoft declined to comment while the pension plan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Microsoft's investment would come in the form of preferred equity that would later help pay down Dell's high-yield debt incurred as part of the leverage buyout, one of the people said.

Dell has formed a special committee of its independent directors and hired Evercore Partners Inc (EVR.N) to assess whether the company is getting the best deal for shareholders and not one that is just in the best interest of Chief Executive Michael Dell, according to several people familiar with the matter.

Dell, Silver Lake and Evercore declined to comment.

Dell shares ended trading at $13 on Thursday, giving it a market value of about $22.6 billion.

"In the absence of (shareholder) activism, we suspect that the deal would likely be transacted at around $14-$14.50 per share," Bernstein analysts wrote in a note on January 18.

"We see other financial buyers as unlikely, particularly if Michael Dell and the management team have a 'standstill' agreement with financial sponsors," they added.

Dell only reached out to a limited number of private equity firms to discuss the idea of going private and entered into exclusive talks with Silver Lake late last year, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.

Michael Dell is expected to roll over his approximately 16 percent stake in the company he founded with just $1,000 in 1984 as part of the deal. Even if other private equity firms were willing to outbid Silver Lake, they would also need Michael Dell to agree to roll over his stake, the people said.

To ensure a level playing field, the special committee would have to recommend that the company's founder goes along with any superior proposal, the people added.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Silver Lake's ties to Dell run deep.

John Swainson, who served as senior advisor at Silver Lake before he joined Dell last year as president of software, in 2010 called the private equity firm "synonymous with best-in-class global investment in the technology industry".

Silver Lake also has ties with Microsoft. The buyout firm sold Internet phone service Skype to Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion after buying it 18 months earlier for $2.5 billion.

Executives, particularly founders of companies that own a significant holding in their company and participate in a buyout, can often find themselves in a bind. Their role is to deliver the best value for their shareholders, but they may also have an incentive to buy out their company at a lower price.

Special committees are meant to address this potential conflict, but the reality is that it becomes more complex to force executives to work with buyers that emerge in a go-shop period after they have already given their backing to one party.

A case often cited by private equity executives is retailer J. Crew. In 2010, CEO Millard Drexler led a $3 billion buyout with two private equity firms, TPG Capital LP and Leonard Green & Partners LP, leading to a go-shop that did not yield higher offers.

Class-action lawsuits were filed claiming that J. Crew's board ran a flawed sale process that favored the original private-equity buyers. A majority of shareholders approved the deal, but the company had to spend $16 million to settle the lawsuits.

A go-shop can result in a higher offer in some cases. When Dell bought IT management company Quest Software Inc last year, it trumped an agreed deal led by CEO and founder Vinny Smith, who teamed up with investment firms Insight Venture Partners and Vector Capital.

But in Dell's leveraged buyout, another technology company would be hard to come by as a buyer. Cisco Systems Inc CSOO.O, Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) and Google Inc (GOOG.O) are unlikely to step up, according to the people familiar with the matter. The companies did not respond to a request for comment.

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/25/dell-private-silver-lake-idINDEE90O01F20130125

Somalia militants' Twitter account down after hostage threat

 A Twitter account run by Somali militant group al Shabaab was unavailable on Friday, days after the al Qaeda-aligned rebels used the social media site to boast about killing a French agent and threatened to kill several Kenyan hostages.

Al Shabaab often used its Twitter account to claim responsibility for attacks on African Union and Somali government troops, as well as senior officials in the Horn of Africa nation and other bombings in the region.

But the militant group's official Twitter account, which had thousands of followers, was offline on Friday with a message saying "Sorry, that user is suspended".

It was not immediately clear why the account, which was created in 2011 under the HSM PRESS Twitter handle, was suspended. The account was still unavailable as of 0930 GMT.

Twitter said it does not comment on individual accounts and the Kenyan government denied it had filed any request for the account to be taken down.

"It's an emphatic no. We would not try to negotiate or have anything to do with the Al Shabaab. We didn't even know the account was suspended," said government spokesman Muthui Kariuki.

Al Shabaab posted on the account on Wednesday a link to a video of two Kenyan civil servants held hostage in Somalia, telling the Kenyan government their lives were in danger unless it released all Muslims held on "so-called terrorism charges" in the country.

"Kenyan government has three weeks, starting midnight 24/01/2013 to respond to the demands of HSM if the prisoners are to remain alive," the group said.

Last week the rebel group said on its Twitter account that it had executed French agent Dennis Allex, who was held hostage since 2009, after a French commando mission to rescue him failed.

Al Shabaab wants to impose their strict version of sharia, or Islamic law, across Somalia. However, it has lost significant territory in the southern and central parts of the country in the face of an offensive by African Union troops. (Reporting by Drazen Jorgic and George Obulutsa; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/25/somalia-insurgents-twitter-idINDEE90O06D20130125

China's Lenovo sees RIM as M&A option, CFO says

A senior Lenovo executive said on Thursday that the Chinese computer maker may consider Research in Motion as a takeover target, sending the Blackberry maker's shares up 2 percent just a week before it launches a make-or-break line of redesigned smartphones.

But Levovo, which vaulted into the personal computer market with its 2005 purchase of IBM's (IBM.N) PC division, would face formidable hurdles if it tried to buy a company that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper once described as a national "crown jewel." The Chinese company would also encounter tough regulatory scrutiny in Washington, cybersecurity experts say.

Lenovo, on track to become the world's largest PC maker, has held talks with RIM and its bankers about various combinations or strategic ventures, its chief financial officer, Wong Wai Ming, said on Thursday.

"We are looking at all opportunities - RIM and many others," Wong told Bloomberg in an interview at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. "We'll have no hesitation if the right opportunity comes along."

A spokesman for Lenovo said Wong was asked about RIM by the Bloomberg journalist and that Wong was speaking broadly about Lenovo's M&A strategy.

CRUCIAL JUNCTURE

RIM, once a pioneer in the smartphone industry, has struggled in recent years as its aging line-up of devices have ceded market share to Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iPhone and devices based on Google Inc's (GOOG.O) Android operating system.

RIM hopes its new touch-screen and keyboard devices, powered by its new BlackBerry 10 operating system, will help it claw back some of the lost ground. Optimism surrounding the launch has powered the stock higher in recent weeks.

Last May the Waterloo, Ontario-based company announced a far-reaching strategic review under which it was expected to examine all options, from software licensing deals to an outright sale of the company.

Earlier this week, RIM shares surged to a 13-month high after Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said RIM might consider strategic alliances with other companies after next week's BlackBerry 10 launch.

In an interview with a German newspaper on Monday, Heins said RIM's ongoing strategic review could lead to the sale of its handset business or the licensing of its software to rival smartphone companies.

Even so, analysts expressed skepticism about a Lenovo bid.

"Anybody who's serious about buying a company doesn't go talking it up... It sounds to me like a comment made more for publicity's sake than a serious approach for RIM," said Charter Equity analyst Ed Snyder. "It is a very long shot at the best.'

NET BENEFIT TEST

Any bid for RIM would face a rigorous review by the Ottawa to determine whether the deal would bring a "net benefit" to Canada. The Investment Canada Act gives the government the authority to kill deals that could harm Canadian interests or threaten the country's national security.

In response to the comments by Heins, Canada's Industry Minister Christian Paradis told Reuters earlier this week that Canada may even go to the extent of reviewing a sale of RIM's handset business if such a deal was proposed.

"Research in Motion has made an important contribution to information and communications technology in Canada, a sector that is so important to the Canadian economy. We hope they continue to do so well into the future," Paradis said in an emailed response to the Lenovo comments on Thursday.

Lenovo's acquisition trail over the past few years, such as the purchase of Germany's Medion in 2011 and IBM's PC business in 2005, has sparked market talk that it could be interested in handset makers such as RIM and Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE).

Lenovo executives have denied on separate occasions last year that there were such plans.

Cybersecurity experts said Lenovo would likely go up against tough U.S. government scrutiny as well since the Defense Department and other agencies rely on the Blackberry, which is considered more secure than other smartphones.

Should Lenovo acquire RIM, it could lose a major client - the U.S. government - as U.S. officials would be reluctant to use products owned by a Chinese company due to national security concerns, analysts say.

"A potential acquisition of RIM by Lenovo would raise a number of important security issues," said Michael Wessel, a Commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, appointed by Congress.

"Government employees are one of the largest users of RIM's BlackBerry products and the security of their communications has to be of paramount concern," said Wessel, adding that he was speaking on behalf of himself and not the Commission.

After the comments from Lenovo, a RIM spokesman said the company had nothing new to report on its strategic review.

RIM shares closed 2.2 percent higher at $17.74 on Thursday the Nasdaq. The Toronto-listed shares closed 2.9 percent higher at C$17.80. RIM is a volatile stock, and moves of 3 percent and more are not uncommon.

Its shares are down almost 90 percent from an all-time high of over $148 in 2008, but the stock has rallied in the last four months as the launch of the BlackBerry 10 devices nears. The company's shares have nearly tripled in value since dipping as low as $6.22 in late September.

Lenovo's shares fell 2.73 percent in Hong Kong during Friday trade, after closing 6.6 percent higher in the previous session. (Reporting by Euan Rocha in Toronto, Diane Bartz in Washington, Randall Palmer in Ottawa, Sinead Carew in New York and Kelvin Soh in Davos; Editing by Frank McGurty, Leslie Gevirtz and Ryan Woo)

Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/25/lenovo-rim-shares-idINDEE90O04720130125

Universe cooling down exactly as Big Bang theory predicted

Astronomers have made the most precise measurement ever of how the universe has cooled down during its 13.77 billion year history just as predicted in Big Bang theory.

They studied molecules in clouds of gas in a galaxy 7.2 billion light years away – so far that its light has taken half the age of the universe to reach us.

Using the CSIRO Australia Telescope Compact Array, an international team from Sweden, France, Germany and Australia has measured how warm the Universe was when it was half its current age.

“This is the most precise measurement ever made of how the Universe has cooled down during its 13.77 billion year history,” said Dr Robert Braun, Chief Scientist at CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science in a statement.

Because light takes time to travel, when we look out into space we see the Universe as it was in the past — as it was when light left the galaxies we are looking at. So to look back half-way into the Universe’s history, we need to look half-way across the Universe.

The astronomers studied gas in an unnamed galaxy 7.2 billion light-years away – a redshift of 0.89.

The only thing keeping this gas warm is the cosmic background radiation – the glow left over from the Big Bang. By chance, there is another powerful galaxy, a quasar called PKS 1830-211, lying behind the unnamed galaxy.

Radio waves from this quasar come through the gas of the foreground galaxy. As they do so, the gas molecules absorb some of the energy of the radio waves. This leaves a distinctive “fingerprint” on the radio waves.

From this “fingerprint” the astronomers calculated the gas’s temperature. They found it to be -267.92 degrees Celsius: extremely cold, but still warmer than today’s Universe, which is at -270.27 degrees Celsius.

According to the Big Bang theory, the temperature of the cosmic background radiation drops smoothly as the Universe expands.

“That’s just what we see in our measurements. The Universe of a few billion years ago was a few degrees warmer than it is now, exactly as the Big Bang Theory predicts,” said research leader Dr Sebastien Muller of Onsala Space Observatory at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/universe-cooling-down-exactly-as-big-bang-theory-predicted/1064324/0

Shakespeare’s sonnets encoded in DNA

A genetic storage device has been used to ‘download’ all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets on to strands of synthetic DNA, in a breakthrough which could solve the problem of storing the ever-growing mountain of data.

Scientists were able to decode the information and reproduce the words of the Bard with complete accuracy.

The new method by researchers at the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), published in the journal Nature, makes it possible to store at least 100 million hours of high-definition video in about a cup of DNA.

The technique made it possible to store a 26 second excerpt from Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech and a photo of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory where the work took place.

Researchers were also able to turn a copy of Watson and Crick’s paper describing the nature of DNA into genetic code.

There is a lot of digital information in the world – about three zettabytes’ worth (that’s 3000 billion billion bytes) – and the constant influx of new digital content poses a real challenge for archivists.

Hard disks are expensive and require a constant supply of electricity, while even the best “no-power” archiving materials such as magnetic tape degrade within a decade.

This is a growing problem in the life sciences, where massive volumes of data – including DNA sequences – make up the fabric of the scientific record.

“We already know that DNA is a robust way to store information because we can extract it from bones of woolly mammoths, which date back tens of thousands of years, and make sense of it,” said Nick Goldman of EMBL-EBI.

“It’s also incredibly small, dense and does not need any power for storage, so shipping and keeping it is easy,” Goldman said in a statement.

Reading DNA is fairly straightforward, but writing it has until now been a major hurdle to making DNA storage a reality.

The new method required synthesising DNA from the encoded information which was done by a California-based company.

“We downloaded the files from the Web and used them to synthesise hundreds of thousands of pieces of DNA – the result looks like a tiny piece of dust,” Emily Leproust of Agilent Technologies said.

Agilent mailed the sample to EMBL-EBI, where the researchers were able to sequence the DNA and decode the files without errors.

“We’ve created a code that’s error tolerant using a molecular form we know will last in the right conditions for 10 000 years, or possibly longer.

“As long as someone knows what the code is, you will be able to read it back if you have a machine that can read DNA,” said Goldman.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/shakespeares-sonnets-encoded-in-dna/1064322/0

Apple’s iPhone disappointment fans doubt on growth

Apple Inc missed Wall Street’s revenue forecast for the third straight quarter after iPhone sales came in below expectations, fanning fears that its dominance of consumer electronics is slipping.
Shares of the world’s largest tech company fell 10 percent to $463 in after-hours trade,

wiping out some $50 billion of its market value – nearly equivalent to that of Hewlett-Packard and Dell combined.
On Wednesday, Apple said it shipped a record 47.8 million iPhones in the December quarter, up 29 percent from a year earlier. But that lagged the 50 million that analysts on average had projected.

Expectations heading into the results had been subdued by news of possible production cutbacks by some component suppliers in Asia, triggering fears that demand for the iPhone, which accounts for half of Apple’s revenue, and the iPad could be slowing.

But some investors clung to hopes for a repeat of years of historical outperformance, analysts said.

“It’s going to call into question Apple’s dominance in the space. It’s still one of the strong players, the others being Samsung and Google. It’s still a two-horse race, but Android continues to grow rapidly,” said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.

“If you step back a bit, it’s clear they shipped a lot of phones. But the problem is the high expectations that investors have. Apple’s conservative guidance highlights the concerns over production cuts coming out of Asia recently.”

Apple is forecasting revenue of $41 billion to $43 billion in the current, second fiscal quarter, lagging the average Wall Street forecast of more than $45 billion.

Fiscal first-quarter revenue rose 18 percent to $54.5 billion, below the average analyst estimate of $54.73 billion, though earnings per share of $13.81 beat the Street forecast of $13.47, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Apple also undershot revenue targets in the previous two quarters, and these results will prompt more questions on what Apple has in its product pipeline, and what it can do to attract new sales and maintain its growth trajectory, analysts said.

Net income of $13.07 billion was virtually flat with $13.06 billion a year earlier on higher manufacturing costs. The year-ago quarter also had an extra week compared to this year.

Gross margins consequently slid to 38.6 percent, from 44.7 percent previously.

“You can’t just keep rolling out iPhones and iPads and think that everybody needs a new one,” said Jeffrey Gundlach, who runs DoubleLine Capital LP, the $53 billion bond firm. “The mini? What is that all about? It is a slightly smaller iPad — so what? So that is our new definition of innovation?”

“There are plenty of competitors like Samsung and other legitimate competitors like them,” added Gundlach, one of the highest-profile Apple bears. He maintains a $425 price target.

Taking into account the drop in shares in Wednesday’s after-hours trading, Apple’s stock is now down 34 percent from its September record high and the company has lost about $227 billion in market value.

Shares of several of Apple’s suppliers crumbled. Chip suppliers Skyworks and Cirrus Logic both fell more than 6 percent. Qualcomm Inc slipped 1.8 percent.

China is next big growth driver
Intense competition from Samsung’s cheaper phones – powered by Google’s Android software – and signs that the premium smartphone market may be close to saturation in developed markets have also caused a lot of investor anxiety.

Meanwhile, sales of the iPad came in at 22.9 million in the fiscal first quarter, roughly in line with forecasts.

On the brighter side, Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer told Reuters that iPhone sales more than doubled in greater China – a region that Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has vowed to focus on as its next big growth driver.

The company will begin detailing results from that country going forward. Revenue from the region totaled $7.3 billion, up 60 percent from the year-ago December quarter.

“These results were OK, but they definitely raised a few questions,” said Shannon Cross, analyst with Cross Research. “Gross margin trajectory looks fine so that’s a positive and cash continues to grow. But I think investors are going to want to know what Apple plans to do with growing cash balance.”

“And other questions are going to be around innovation and where the next products are coming from and what does Tim Cook see in the next 12 to 18 months.”

Addressing production rumors

In an unusual move for Apple, which typically does not respond to speculation, Cook addressed the production cutback rumors at length on the conference call and questioned the accuracy of rumors about its plans.

Media reports earlier this month said the company is slashing orders for iPhone 5 and iPad screens and other components from its Asian suppliers.

“Even if a particular data point were factual, it would be impossible to accurately interpret the data point as to what it meant for our overall business, because the supply chain is very complex,” he said, adding that Apple has multiple sources for components.

“Yields might vary. Supplier performance can vary. The beginning inventory positions can vary. There’s just an inordinately long list of things that would make any single data point not a great proxy for what’s going on,” he said.

Apple’s initial iPhone and iPad mini sales were hurt by supply constraints, but Cook expects supply to balance demand for the iPad mini this quarter. He also acknowledged that iPad was cannibalizing its high-margin Macintosh computers, but said it was a huge opportunity for the company.

“On iPad in particular, we have the mother of all opportunities here, because the Windows market is much, much larger than the Mac market is,” he said. “And I think it is clear that it’s already cannibalizing some.”

In another departure from tradition, Apple intends to tweak the way it both reports results and publishes forecasts.

Apart from breaking out results from China, the company also will no longer provide a single revenue or gross margin outlook. From Wednesday, it began providing the range it expects to hit, rather than the often-ludicrously conservative estimates that Apple was once notorious for.

The new policy took many by surprise.
“Before people could always ignore the guidance,” said Dan Niles, Chief Investment Officer of AlphaOne Capital Partners, LLC. “Apple is telling investors that they need to pay attention to the guidance and you can’t ignore it, which is basically what we all did in the past.”

Microsoft in talks to invest up to $3 billion in Dell: CNBC

Microsoft Corp is in discussions to invest between $1 billion and $3 billion of mezzanine financing in a buyout of Dell Inc, CNBC cited unidentified sources as saying on Tuesday.
Private equity outfit Silver Lake Partners is trying to finalize a bidding group to take the world’s No. 3

PC maker private, and has opened discussions with potential equity partners, sources familiar with the matter have said.
Dell also has formed a special committee to take a close look at any potential deal on the table, multiple sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. If successful, it would be one of the largest corporate buyouts since before the global financial crisis.

Microsoft, which accelerated its foray into computer hardware in 2012 with the launch of the Surface tablet, will provide the capital in the form of mezzanine financing according to CNBC, which is a hybrid of debt and equity.

Microsoft and Dell both declined to comment on the CNBC report. Shares in Dell gained climbed 2 percent to $13.08 in late morning trade.

Yahoo! buys scrapbook website Snip.it

Yahoo! confirmed Tuesday that it bought Snip.it, a young San Francisco startup that lets people create scrapbooks with pictures, articles, videos and other content found online.

“The Snip.it team created an innovative technology that lets people share content in a

social and fun way,” Yahoo! vice president of product Mike Kerns said in a statement emailed to AFP.

“Reading and sharing content is a core daily habit for most of the world, and we can’t wait to work with the Snip.it team to make that experience even more entertaining for our users.”

A message posted at Snip.it told users it was “joining forces” with Yahoo! and that the service was no longer available. A link was provided to a hall of fame honoring top Snip.it contributors.

“For the past year and a half, we’ve worked tirelessly as a team to build the best social news platform on the Web,” Snip.it said in the message.

“We are thrilled at the opportunity to bring Snip.it’s vision to a larger scale at Yahoo!”

Snip.it launched in late 2011 as a place where people could share digital “scrapbooks” based on topics or themes of their choosing.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed but unconfirmed online reports estimated the figure to be in the vicinity of $15 million.

Samsung Galaxy S4 reportedly set to launch in April

The successor to Samsung Electronics’ blockbuster Galaxy S3 could launch in April.

That’s according to Samsung news Web site SamMobile, which pegs the phone’s launch on April 15.

The Galaxy S franchise has emerged as a true competitor to the iPhone, and garners as much hype and anticipation as Apple’s marquee smartphone. While early iterations of the Galaxy S phone faced a slow start, the Galaxy S3 catapulted out of the gate as a smash hit, and has held up remarkably well even as other competitive phones have faded. The phone has helped propel Samsung into the top spot among handset vendors.

The Galaxy S4 — which ultimately might be branded Galaxy S IV — will feature wireless charging as a key feature. But unlike other smartphones such as the Nokia Lumia 920 or Droid DNA, the service won’t be built-in. Users will have to buy a kit with a wireless charging station and replacement cover, according to the report.

The next Galaxy S phone will also reportedly feature a larger 2,600 mAh battery, compared with the Galaxy S3′s 2,100 mAh battery.

With a launch date in April, SamMobile said Samsung could hold its own event in March, or possibly unveil the smartphone at Mobile World Congress, which begins in late February. The Galaxy S3 was unveiled at a Samsung event in May last year.

Even if the April 15 launch date holds true, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Galaxy S4 will make its way to the U.S. at that time. As with the Galaxy S III, the phone may launch at different times depending on when the U.S. carriers want to release the phone, which could vary from days to weeks.
Samsung declined to comment on the report, noting that it wouldn’t comment on rumors.

IBM says it has tool to kill deadly drug-resistant superbugs

Hospital-acquired infections have become a major killer in the United States, mainly because the drug-resistant “superbugs” that cause them have proven nearly impossible to stop.

But now IBM and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology say they have come up with what they’re calling an antimicrobial hydrogel that can successfully fight the superbugs that are behind killers like MRSA.

In an announcement today, IBM Research and its partner on the project said that their antimicrobial hydrogel was designed to cut through diseased biofilms and almost instantly kill off drug-resistant bacteria. The collaborators on the project said that the the synthetic drug is meant for combating the growing infection problems plaguing American hospitals, because it is non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable.

Normally, IBM said in its announcement, antimicrobials are used in standard household cleaners like alcohol and bleach. But those substances haven’t proved effective in fighting deadly skin infections like MRSA because antibiotics are becoming less effective and standard disinfectants aren’t meant for biological situations.

But the new hydrogel was created to be used in creams and other therapeutics that are meant for healing. The hydrogel can be applied to contaminated surfaces, and its positive charge instantly attracts the microbial membranes’ negative charge. The bacteria is then meant to be killed by what IBM termed membrane disruption, a step that staves off any kind of resistance to the hydrogel.

Although it’s not yet clear how this advancement will make its way into actual hospital and other relevant settings, research like this is meant to jump-start the commercial development of actual drugs and other therapies.



Source : http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57565551-76/ibm-says-it-has-tool-to-kill-deadly-drug-resistant-superbugs/

Renderings tease what a 4.8-inch iPhone would look like

Apple took lots of flack for the design of the iPhone 5. The company’s decision to go taller instead of wider even spawned a meme or two. Would the company — quite literally — take that design to the next level?

The latest rumor says Apple is, in fact, eyeing an even larger screen for the iPhone, one that’s close to 5-inches in size, up big from the current 4-inch model.

Despite an earlier report today saying such a device wouldn’t see the light of day until 2014, Russian Apple news site Apple Digger has lovingly put together some renderings of one.

Chief among the changes is a sixth row for apps, one more than iPhone 5 users get, and two more than those on older devices. The mockups also show a device in different colors, a rumor that picked up earlier this month from an analyst note, along with an upgraded 12 megapixel camera on the back:

Given the all around thinness of this rumor, you’d be smart to not get too excited about seeing this thing in real life anytime soon, but boy are these renderings getting good.

source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57565297-37/renderings-tease-what-a-4.8-inch-iphone-would-look-like/

China confers top science award on noted scientist Dr C N R Rao

Noted Indian scientist Dr C N R Rao has been conferred with China’s top science award for his important contributions in boosting Sino-India scientific cooperation.

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) yesterday gave its 2012 Award for International Scientific Cooperation to three scientists from India, Germany, and Russia.

Rao, 79, founder of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, shared the 2012 award with Herbert Jaeckle of Germany’s Max Planck Society and Russian space physicist G A Zherebtsov.

The awards are given every year by the CAS, which is China’s top academic and research institution for natural sciences.

It has so far honoured 17 international scientists for their contributions in Sino-Foreign research cooperation, since the prize was instituted in 2007.

“Rao is devoted to the research of solid-state and structural chemistry. He was awarded for his important contributions in boosting scientific cooperation between China and India, as well as raising the scientific capabilities of

developing countries”, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted CAS as saying in a statement.

Rao has won various prestigious awards. He is currently the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister.

German scientist Jaeckle specialised in the fields of molecular developmental biology. He has actively promoted scientific cooperation between China and Germany, CAS said.

He has explored and put into practice approaches thatintegrate a Max Planck management model with the CAS’s scientific research system, as well as set up an international team of researchers, it said.

Zherebtsov has actively promoted the construction of a Sino-Russian weather research centre and is currently working to get Russia involved in a CAS space science programme, the CAS said.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/china-confers-top-science-award-on-noted-scientist-dr-c-n-r-rao/1064195/

Ruchi Soya eyes 15% rise in FY13 revenues

Ruchi Group of Industries today said it is expecting up to 15 percent growth in revenue following high crushing, better margins and growth in soya meal exports.

“We are expecting 10-15 percent growth in sales this fiscal year mainly on account of  higher crushing, better margins through product innovations and increase in branded sales. Rise in soya meal exports will also help in boosting our revenue,” Ruchi Group of Industries Managing Director Dinesh Sahara told reporters here.

The company’s overall revenue in FY12 stood at Rs 26,000 crore.

Ruchi Group of Industries, which recently launched margarine, is planning to introduce more healthy options of edible oils in future, Sahara added.

Talking about exports, he said, the company is expecting to ship about 1.7-1.8 million tonne soya meal compared to 1.5 million tonne last year.

“We are expecting this rise in exports mainly due to higher global demand as the crops in South America was affected following drought,” he said.

On the soya bean production in the country this kharif season, he said, this year there is likely to be a record crop at about 10.5 to 11 million tonne and the arrivals will peak in mid-October.

“The late rainfall did not have any major impact either on the crop yield or the size and this will boost the overall soya bean meal exports to about 5 million tonne this crop year (October-September) from 4.5 million tonne last year,” Sahara said.

Rape seed or mustard crop is also likely to be 10-15 percent higher than last year at about 6.5 million tonne in this season mainly due to good rainfall and better soil condition in the producing areas, he said.

Last year, the overall mustard output was at 5.34 million tonne.

However, due to decline in production of groundnut and cotton seed the import is likely to be at 9.8 million tonne this oil year (November-October), which is yet to end, he said.

The overall demand, which is also growing at 5 percent yearly, will also add to the rise in imports, he added.

“In the next oil year we expect the overall imports to be half a million more than the current year,” he said.

Micromax launches 5-inch phablet Canvas HD

Strengthening its position in the phablet segment, Micromax has launched a new device, the Canvas HD. The device has a 5-inch five touch point HD IPS panel display. It is powered by MediaTek’s 1.2 GHz quad core processor paired with 1 GB RAM and runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Canvas HD also has also an 8 MP rear camera and 2100 mAh battery.

It is a dual SIM phone with single active option. The Canvas HD has 4GB internal memory with an expandable memory of up to 32GB. The device will be available from the first week of February and will be priced below Rs 15,000.

In future, market will be for Micromax and Samsung, competing against the likes of Nokia and HTC. Micromax will lead the Indian market with its budget pricing.

Lenovo showcases latest business and consumer innovations in Egypt

Lenovo introduced the focus product range for the Egypt market in 2013 including its range of convertibles, such as the Lenovo Yoga and ThinkPad Twist, as well as the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, IdeaCentre A720 All-in-One, ThinkPad Tablet 2 amongst others.

At an event at the Four Seasons Hotel, Cairo; Lenovo Egypt Country Manager Yasser Shaheen outlined that Lenovo is the #3 player in Egypt with 14.2% market share and 36.6% YTY growth and the #4 player in MEA with 36.3%.

In the last year, Lenovo achieved the highest growth amongst the top 10 main vendors in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), securing a milestone ten per cent market share in seven countries across the region including Egypt, UAE, South Africa, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar. As such, Lenovo’s MEA business is recognized as being a significant contributor to the global revenue growth which has assisted the PC manufacturer in achieving 2nd position in the market amongst PC manufacturers worldwide.

Lenovo recognizes the importance of emerging markets such as MEA for sustained growth with Egypt set to play an important role in its bid to hit the number one spot. “Lenovo has a market share of 7.7% in the Middle East and Africa region, resulting from sales growth increasing 36.3% in this period last year (Q4 2011). In Egypt, one of our key strategic markets, we rank #2 in Portable PC market with 26.1% YTY growth and #4 in Desktop PC with 149.7% YTY growth.

“Success so far has been driven by Egypt’s strong enthusiasm for new technologies, especially in the convertibles which complement Lenovo’s PC+ strategy model where new form factors blur the lines between the tablet and the laptop. We think these innovative convertibles are the best devices for a groundbreaking touch screen experience, plus their multi-modes give people even more ways to use their PC. It is important to Lenovo worldwide to bring innovative devices to the Middle East region as we see businesses and consumers enthusiastic and eager adopters of innovation, especially in the Egyptian market,” said Yasser Shaheen.

Products launched in Egypt are designed to cater to the varied consumer, small to medium (SMB) and enterprise markets ranging from desktops and All-in-One devices all the way to the latest convertible suite. Lenovo has a track record of product innovation in commercial and SMB PCs, and its comprehensive line-up caters to the different user requirements in Egypt. Lenovo’s portfolio features innovations developed for SMBs, such as Lenovo Solutions for Small Business (LSSB), a pre-loaded security and productivity software suite in selected ThinkPad models. In addition to Lenovo’s Enhanced Experience 3.0, proprietary to Lenovo PCs, that also increases the performance and productivity of Lenovo device users.

Lenovo Yoga 13 Flexes Into Totally Unique Poses

The Lenovo Yoga’s revolutionary hinge allows it to uniquely move 360° and fold from laptop to tablet in one simple motion. As one of the world’s first multi-mode Ultrabooks, Yoga 13 provides a high level of flexibility between work and play without compromises. Infused with powerful 3rd generation Intel Core processors and powered by Windows 8, Yoga 13 provides laptop-grade performance to get work done all day without slowing down, thanks to its super slim 16.9 mm frame and eight hours of battery life. At the flip of the hinge, Yoga 13 transforms into a media-friendly tablet primed with rich audio-visual features like Dolby Home Theatre. Visuals, such as photos, videos and websites, look stunning on its 13.3-in high definition IPS display, which provides bright background and vivid colors. Users can gesture to flip through photos with Yoga 13′s special Motion Control technology or simply use their fingers on the multi-touch screen.

Lenovo Yoga 11 Balances Power and Mobility

Its smaller screen size counterpart, Yoga 11, is the world’s slimmest multi-mode PC, measuring just 15.6 mm. Yoga 11′s slim design, 11.6-in screen and long 13 hour battery life make it a great convertible for mobility. Yoga 11 lets users watch HD movies, play games, get connected and stay productive with Microsoft Office applications virtually all day long. As an added bonus, both Yoga 13 and 11 can be used in completely new ways: convert them into a Stand1 by flipping the keyboard behind the screen to watch movies or view pictures, or bend them upright like a Tent2 to play games or video chat.

ThinkPad Twist Puts New Spin on Small Business Computing

ThinkPad Twist makes it easy to choose one affordable device that can do it all. Use it as a full-performance Ultrabook, and then twist the top to switch to a convertible tablet. The 12.5-in ThinkPad Twist gives professionals the technologies they need for both their business and personal computing. For exceptional business-class productivity, ThinkPad Twist packages up to 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processors, up to Windows 8 Pro, optional 3G3, large storage up to 500 GB or 128 GB SSD and the ThinkPad-brand’s legendary keyboard, quality and reliability features. Users can work for hours with nearly all-day battery life and tablet-like quick resume from standby. This powerful machine also includes dedicated software tools specifically for small business including Lenovo Solutions for Small Business powered by Intel Small Business Advantage and Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync.

ThinkPad Twist’s luminous high definition 350nit HD display and Dolby Home Theatre audio produce a stand out multimedia experience, and whether it’s a client video presentation or action-packed movie, simply connect to high definition video with Twist’s mini-HDMI or DisplayPort jack and turn up the volume. Like Yoga, Twist can convert into new modes like Stand, a great position for work collaboration via the multi-touch screen.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is Lenovo’s premier Ultrabook weighs less than three pound and packs a high resolution 14-inch display into a 13-inch laptop design. While incredibly light thanks to its carbon fiber construction, it retains ThinkPad’s renowned durability for use in practically any environment. To keep users up and running, the X1 Carbon provides eight hours of battery life and industry-best charge times with Lenovo RapidCharge technology. Equipped with optional 3G mobile broadband and hotspot technology, users can stay connected virtually anywhere, anytime. The X1 Carbon also includes a multi-gesture glass surface touchpad, HD face-tracking camera, dual array microphones and Dolby-tuned audio for crisp and clear sound. Business ready with Intel vPro technology, the X1 Carbon is among the first Ultrabooks to offer true corporate-level security and manageability, and for expansion capabilities and to manage unsightly cables, users can dock it via Lenovo’s new USB3 Dock.

ThinkPad Tablet on the go

The ThinkPad Tablet 2, designed for Windows 8 and powered by Intel’s next generation CPU technology, redefines business, appeasing IT manager and end user alike in one productive, mobile, reliable device.. This multi-use tablet lasts over 10 hours on a single charge, weighs in at 1.3 pounds – lighter than its leading tablet competitor – includes an optional digitizer an\d pen for precision input, offers 3G wireless for anywhere, anytime connectivity and runs Windows 8 apps and familiar desktop applications. This versatile tablet lets users work the way they want to with multi-finger touch support, pen input or the ability to connect to the optional ThinkPad Tablet 2 keyboard and dock for a PC-like computing experience. The ThinkPad Tablet 2 includes a host of IT manageability, security and corporate-level service and support to help IT managers easily deploy in their business environments.

IdeaCentre A720 All-in-One: Flexible and Stylish Touch Computing for the Digital Home

As the industry’s slimmest 27″ all-in-one and sporting a sleek metal exterior, the IdeaCentre A720 measures less than an inch (24.5mm) and combines a frameless display supporting 10-point multi-touch. The A720 continues Lenovo’s heritage of svelte designs for the AIO by smartly positioning the PC at the base on the unit. Improving AIO design even further, the A720 is engineered to optimize the touch experience in the ‘digital’ home. The A720′s widely adjustable hinge allows the screen to be pulled towards the user and folded back making touch applications more comfortable over longer periods in any position.

Go Thin – Go Light with the IdeaPad S300 and S400

Lenovo expanded its ultraportable IdeaPad product line with the IdeaPad S300 and S400 laptops. These affordable thin and light laptops strike a balance between portability and performance for consumers who want more computing power than a notebook, long battery life and a lower price point. Measuring just 21.9mm thin (less than one inch) and weighing 1.8kg (less than four lbs), the S Series features a sleek exterior design with a stylish metallic finish powered by either 3rd generation Intel Core processor. The S Series laptops combine comfort, simplicity and responsiveness to give consumers an affordable PC with quality construction and solid performance. Equipped with the latest technology, Lenovo IdeaPad S300 and S400 laptops are available with Intel’s 3rd generation Core i3 or i5 processors.

It is worth mentioning that Lenovo and SugarSync have launched Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync, the first Cloud storage service to be integrated as an out-of-box experience broadly on Lenovo’s PCs and tablets. Lenovo users will enjoy a very generous 5GB of free Cloud storage space with their new devices.

Since establishing operations in Egypt, Lenovo has been committed in investing and empowering and its channel of partners.

“We have recently launched the Lenovo Partner Network Program designed to skill-up channel partners in Egypt. The introduction of the program reflects Lenovo’s long term commitment to equipping partners with in depth knowledge and tools to enhance their relationship with the PC manufacturer including access to a free online resource and a loyalty reward scheme,” added Yasser Shaheen.

Comprised of three membership levels – Member, Premium and Gold Partner – the program is designed to educate partners and potential members on the benefits of working with Lenovo. The program rewards loyal customers through an updated membership status (Premium or Gold) whereby they are entitled to additional resource and benefits.