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Samsung active noise cancellation earphones in India for Rs 3,799

Samsung on Wednesday unveiled 'Level In ANC' earphones with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) in India for Rs 3,799.

CBI software programmer arrested for Tatkal tickets scam

The CBI today arrested its software programmer for developing an illicit software to subvert the railways Tatkal reservation system, allowing hundreds of tickets to be booked in one go. Ajay Garg, an assistant programmer with CBI, worked with IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd) for four years between 2007-11 where he learnt the vulnerabilities of the railway ticketing system, sources said. Garg has been arrested along with close aide Anil Gupta, a private person who distributed the software to agents for a price. Besides, 10 agents -- seven in Jaunpur and three in Mumbai -- have been identified, the sources said. Garg, who joined CBI in 2012, exploited the vulnerabilities to develop the illegal software, which allowed agents to book hundreds of tickets in one go, leaving genuine passengers in the lurch, they said. "The vulnerabilities of the IRCTC system still exist," an official said. A postgraduate in computer applications, Garg allegedly sold ..

Smartphone sensors can give hackers clues to your PIN number

Instruments in smartphones such as the accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensors represent a potential security vulnerability as researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have found that data from these sensors could be used by hackers to guess the security PIN and unlock it.

China lashes out at German ambassador over cyber security

China's foreign ministry has lashed out at Germany's ambassador to Beijing after he said its government has failed to respond to requests to discuss restrictions on internet use that foreign companies worry will disrupt business. A ministry spokesman, Hua Chunying, said Ambassador Michael Clauss's comments to the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post were "not constructive." Hua said Beijing has invited Germany to send officials for consultation but it has been reluctant to do so. Beijing has tightened controls on use of virtual private network software that allows users to avoid internet filters that block access to material the ruling Communist Party deems obscene or subversive. Clauss told the Post requests for talks on VPNs and other cyber issues "have regrettably not yet received a positive response.

NASA's new telescope to see big picture of universe

NASA is planning to launch a next-generation space telescope that will provide the largest picture of the universe ever seen, with the same depth and clarity as the Hubble Space Telescope. Scheduled to launch in the mid-2020s, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will function as Hubble's wide-eyed cousin, NASA said. While just as sensitive as Hubble's cameras, WFIRST's 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument will image a sky area 100 times larger. This means a single WFIRST image will hold the equivalent detail of 100 pictures from Hubble, according to the US space agency. "A picture from Hubble is a nice poster on the wall, while a WFIRST image will cover the entire wall of your house," said David Spergel, co-chair of the WFIRST science working group and professor at Princeton University in the US. The mission's wide field of view will allow it to generate never-before-seen big pictures of the universe, which will help astronomers explore some of the greatest

China regulator flags greater scrutiny on chips after price surge

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's economic regulator is paying close attention to a recent surge in the price of mobile phone storage chips and could look into possible price fixing by the firms that make them, a senior official told the state-run China Daily newspaper.

New exotic state of matter discovered

Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have found an exotic state of matter where the constituent particles pair up when limited to two dimensions. The finding, published in the journal Science, may hold important clues to the intriguing phenomena of superconductivity, researchers said. Superconductors are materials through which electricity can flow without any resistance once they are cooled below a certain critical temperature. Researchers performed experiments in which they confined a gas of ultracold atoms in two-dimensional traps which they created using focused laser beams. "In solid-state materials like copper oxides, there are many different effects and impurities that make these materials difficult to study," said Puneet Murthy, a PhD student at Heidelberg University in Germany. "That is why we use ultracold atoms to simulate the behaviour of electrons in solids. This allows us to create very clean samples and gives us full control over the essential ...

Another Ransomware cyber attack in ker

The main server and a computer of the Mercantile Cooperative bank here was today affected in a 'ransomware' cyber attack, suspected to be from overseas, the police said. "One computer and main server has been affected by the virus," IG Manoj Abraham, Nodal officer, Cyberdome told PTI. As per the warning on the affected computer screen, the files have been encrypted and if it is to be retrieved, ransom in the form of bitcoin has to be remitted, he said. It is suspected that the cyber attack has come from overseas. Cyber police, which has begun investigations, said the attack was not serious as bank transactions had not been hit. Some affected files were restored using backup system, the police said. In a 'ransomware' cyber attack in June this year, six computers of the Southern Railway office here had been hit by the 'WannaCry' virus but there was no data loss.

President Kovind to inaugurate AP Fibre Grid tomorrow

President Ram Nath Kovind will tomorrow inaugurate the Andhra Pradesh Fibre Grid project, aimed at providing high-speed internet service to every household in the state at a nominal rate, an official said today. The project also aims to ensure every household in the state has access to cable television and telephone connections. "Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his happiness that his dream of providing internet, television and telephone services to the common man at a very nominal price is being realised," the media adviser to energy, infrastructure and investment department, A Chandrasekhar Reddy, said in a press release. After the project's inauguration, fibre grid connections would be available to around one lakh households with 100-per cent connectivity in 55 villages. Naidu, however, has emphasised on providing connections to 30 lakh households by 2019, the media adviser said. Termed Triple Play2 Services by technology experts, the fibre grid project ..

Machine learning will not lead to 'End of work': Study

Tasks that are amenable to ML include those for which a lot of data is available, researchers said

LG to provide Android Oreo upgrade for V30

LG Electronics on Tuesday said it has started updating LG V30 smartphones to the latest version of the Android operating system Oreo.

President Kovind to launch Andhra Fibre Grid project

President Ram Nath Kovind will launch the Andhra Pradesh Fibre Grid project on December 27 here at the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat.Andhra Pradesh Fibre Grid is a prestigious project initiated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, which aims to expand high-speed internet facility in the state.The project aims to cover over 1.45 crore households, 12,198 panchayats and 60,000 schools. It will also provide internet facilities to 10,000 government offices, 96 municipalities, 14 corporations and 6,000 public health centres in the state.The cost of availing the high-speed internet facility would be only Rs 149 per month. The Real-Time Governance (RTG) centre has many unique features, including the Asia's biggest video wall.A Babu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Andhra Pradesh Fibre Grid Project, Real Time Governance (RTG) said: "The fibre-service has been dedicated to the nation. All fibre-related services will be dedicated on that day.""This is a .

Technology not taking over children's lives: study

The common perception that technology is taking over children's lives and forcing out other activities, may be not be true, Oxford scientists say. Despite spending increasing amounts of time on screen- based devices, much like adults, children multi-task, adapting their behaviours to include their devices and do all the things that they would do anyway, such as homework and playing with friends. The study also reveals key gender differences in how children use technology. Although boys and girls spend similar amounts of time using devices, boys spend significantly more time playing videogames compared to girls. The bulk of girls time is spent engaging in other activities such as study and socialising. Conducted by Killian Mullan, senior research associate, at Oxford, the study combines data from two UK Time Use Surveys 2000-01 and 2014-15, to study changes in screen-based activities and to build a detailed picture of the time children spend using technology. The work ...

Vodafone to launch VoLTE service in January

Telecom operator Vodafone India today said it will roll out voice over LTE (VoLTE) 4G service from January. "The introduction of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) will enhance customer experience with HD quality calling and offer our customers newer possibilities. Vodafone VoLTE is an important step towards introducing futuristic technology enhancing our Data Strong Network," Sunil Sood, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone India, said in a statement. In the first phase, Vodafone VoLTE service will be available in Mumbai, Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka, and Kolkata and will be extended across the country in a short time. Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Jio was the first firm to start VoLTE service which facilitate phone calls using Internet protocol. Airtel started rolling out VoLTE in the second half of 2017. Idea Cellular has also announced that it will start VoLTE service in 2018. The cost of providing voice calls in 4G VoLTE technology is estimated to be .

Chinese firm sues Apple for copyright infringement

A Chinese clothing company has sued tech giant Apple for copyright infringement of its logo and demanded a compensation of USD 15,200, a court in Beijing said today. Clothing label KON claimed that Apple App Store logo closely resembles its own, which the company has been using as a merchandise trademark since 2011, and registered in 2012, according to the Dongcheng District People's Court in Beijing, which has accepted the lawsuit. KON is demanding compensation of 100,000 yuan (about USD 15,200), an injunction against infringing devices such as iPhones and iPads, as well as a public apology, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Both logos feature a triangular stick design. Apple replaced the old logo, consisting of a pencil, ruler and brush, with the current one on its operating system this year. KON said that the two logos look practically the same to an untrained eye. Launched in 2009, KON is a Beijing-based clothing label that targets young customers. The company ..

How our solar system formed in bubbles around massive star

Scientists have found how our solar solar system formed in the wind-blown bubbles around a giant, long-dead star. Despite the many impressive discoveries humans have made about the universe, scientists are still unsure about the birth story of our solar system. The general prevailing theory is that our solar system formed billions of years ago near a supernova. However, the new scenario instead begins with a giant type of star called a Wolf-Rayet star, which is more than 40 to 50 times the size of our own Sun. They burn the hottest of all stars, producing tonnes of elements which are flung off the surface in an intense stellar wind. As the Wolf-Rayet star sheds its mass, the stellar wind plows through the material that was around it, forming a bubble structure with a dense shell. "The shell of such a bubble is a good place to produce stars," because dust and gas become trapped inside where they can condense into stars, said Nicolas Dauphas, professor at University of ...

US Clean Air Act saved more lives than thought: study

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Air Act and amendments to address the health effects of particulate matter may have significantly reduced organic aerosols and saved more lives than previously estimated, a study has found. Particulate matter is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in the US each year. New research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US proposes that the EPA's legislation may have saved even more lives than initially reported. "In the US, the number of premature deaths associated with exposure to outdoor particulate matter exceeds the number of car accident fatalities every year," said Colette Heald, associate professor at MIT. "This highlights the vital role that the EPA plays in reducing the exposure of people living in the US to harmful pollutants," said Heald. The EPA's 1970 Clean Air Act and amendments in 1990 address the health effects of particulate matter, specifically by regulating emissions of air

Did our solar system form in bubbles around massive star?

Floating a new theory about the birth of our solar system, a new study says that it could have formed in the bubbles produced by a giant, long-dead star which was more than 40 to 50 times the size of our own Sun.

'Face Unlock' feature to be introduced in OnePlus 5

In a late Christmas gift to its customers, smartphone giant OnePlus announced that its 'Face Unlock' feature will be introduced on its earlier flagship model, OnePlus 5.The feature, which is currently available on OnePlus 5T, will be brought to the older version due to popular demand, co-founder of OnePlus, Carl Pei revealed."Due to popular demand, Face Unlock is coming for the OnePlus 5. Thanks for the feedback, and merry Christmas!" he tweeted.However, it is unclear when the feature will be rolled out.OnePlus isn't the only model with this feature.In September this year, Apple introduced Face ID on iPhone X, its anniversary edition. Using a combination of infrared cameras and 3D depth sensing technology, the software helps recognise a user's face, or the Face ID, which can subsequently be used to unlock the phone, authorize Apple Pay payments, and even create customised animated emojis, or simply, emojis.

IRIS Business Services partners with EOH, South Africa's biggest information services company

To offer iXBRL filing software to enterprises in South Africa