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Showing posts from March, 2017

Google launches new Website to give Open Source Projects

In a blog post, Will Norris, a software engineer at Google's Open Source Programs Office, wrote: "Free and  open-source software has been part of our technical and organizational foundation since Google's early beginnings . And now, 18 years after Google was founded, Google has launched  opensource.google.com . This site "ties together all of our initiatives with information on how we use, release, and support open source". Why is Google doing this? To quote the site, "Google believes that open source is good for everyone. By being open and freely available, it enables and encourages collaboration and the development of technology, solving real world problems." This is not a source-code site, such as  GitHub . Instead, it's a master directory to Google's open-source projects. But, it's more. Norris explained that it's a "look under the hood at how we 'do' open source". When Norris says that, he means it. ...

Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform announced; to provide VoLTE support to feature phones

The Qualcomm is trying to offer some social services for the underprivileged low-budget feature-phone community. At an event in New Delhi, Qualcomm has  announced  their Qualcomm 205 SoC which can’t be tagged as a ‘processor’, unlike ones we have seen in the Snapdragon series, although it is. According to the chip-maker, it’s a mobile platform for feature phones giving them the capabilities to leverage 4G LTE networks and modern technologies like VoLTE (Voice-over-LTE). Qualcomm 205 Features Dual-core CPU @1.1 GHz Support for LPDDR2 and LPDDR3 memory Adreno 304 GPU Qualcomm X5 Cat 4 LTE Modem (150Mbps Download, 50 Mbps Upload) Supports VoLTE and VoWiFi WiFi-N, Bluetooth 4.1, FM Radio, ANT+ (A wireless tech for device cross-talk), GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou Rear Camera (3MP), Fron Camera (0.3MP) VGA Display support (480p, 60 fps), support 720p HD video streaming Dual-sim support Support Linus-based OS (including Android) Clearly, Qualcomm 205 mobile platfo...

Microsoft's Playable Ads Lets You Try Apps Without Downloading

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Playable Ads  are a completely new way for end users to interact with ads and apps. With this capability, end users never leave the current app. The ad click will result in  inline   expandable app streaming: for three minutes,  the user  can interact with the app as if it’s already installed on his/her device . This gives the user time to decide if he or she wants to install the app. At the end of the streaming session, users can click on a link to install the app if the app experience met expectations. Difference between Regular Ads and Playable Ads Why are these ads better? Playable ads have many  advantages  for both the end users and developers, some of which are listed below: Users can experience the app live before installing it. Users will not leave the current app context after ad click since these are inline expandable ads. Users can abandon the app stream at any point of time based on the quality of the game. He/she is n...

How to get Google Assistant on all non-Pixel devices

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Earlier this month, Google started rolling out Google Assistant on millions of Android smartphones. For those who don’t know, Google assistant was first released in October 2016 with its new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphone. Back then, Google firmly said that Google Assistant will be limited to Pixel phones, but it isn’t the case anymore. Google Assistant could be seen as an advanced and more refined version of Google Now. Now it’s available on any Android device that’s running Android Marshmallow or Android Nougat.So, how to get Android Assistant on your Android smartphone right now? In the steps mentioned below, I’ll be outlining the complete method in simple points. Get Android Assistant On Your Android Phone 1. Make sure that your phone is compatible As said above, your smartphone must be running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or Android 7.0 Nougat. This is the primary requirement for getting and enabling Google Assistant on your smartphone. Just in case you’re running some ol...

WhatsApp’s Text-Based Status are Back in Beta version 2.17.95

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WhatsApp received a lot of criticism from its users for enabling a Snapchat-like WhatsApp Status that gets vanished in 24 hours, a few days earlier. Forget short text and emoji blurbs, now you were supposed to share photos and images with others and follow minute-by-minute to see who snooped on your image and, more importantly, who didn't. Because they want to make a point and prove they don't care enough about you. While the Status tab is still there and unremovable , the regular old text-based statuses are back in the latest beta for those of us who aren't hip or interesting or vain enough to share a new image every day. Just like before, you can find your own status and edit it under your profile settings at the bottom in the About and phone number section. And you can see the statuses of other users in their profile page in the same place. To enjoy these simpler times, grab the latest WhatsApp beta 2.17.95 from APK Mirror or by joining the Play Store offic...

This USB firewall protects against malicious device attacks

Although trojan horses and email phishing are still some of the primary means used to steal data, getting into a real-life system is one of the most effective methods a hacker can use.  And using a USB firewall may be the best way to protect yourself from this. It is practically sure that your computer relies on any USB device that is plugged into it. Hackers may use malicious code that is placed on USB devices and may compromise the system.   A USB firewall may seem like an exaggeration to some.  But who ever bought a cheap flash drive on the street, in a hurry?  The device could be stuffed with malicious programs, which you would never realize and would be feeding some group with your personal data. Entering the project of  GitHub by Robert Fisk  , called "USG", we have the following description: Scanners of antivirus programs can not detect malicious USBs because there is no virus to detect. Malicious USB commands come directly to your...

Google’s Gboard will now translate text into another language as you type

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Google is bringing a suite of new features to the Android version of its Gboard keyboard, including a Google Translate integration that will translate any text you type into a desired language in real time. This feature expands upon the company’s Now on Tap translation integration from last year that lets users hold down the home button to translate any screen of foreign text. This presents all sorts of opportunities for near-instant cross-lingual communication — or just trolling your friend by seamlessly switching to a language neither of you understand. Either way, it sounds like it could be a hugely beneficial new feature for what is already one of the best custom keyboards on mobile. (It’s unclear whether this feature will work for every one of the more than 100 languages Google Translate supports in one fashion or another.) Now, instead of typing out a message and translating it after the fact with Now on Tap, or inputting text into Google’s dedicated Translate ap...

Indian State of Kerala Saves $58 Million Each Year By Using Free And Open Source Software

The Kerala government has made a saving of Rs 300 crore through introduction and adoption of Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) in the school education sector, said a state government official on Sunday. IT became a compulsory subject in Kerala schools from 2003, but it was in 2005 only that FOSS was introduced in a phased manner and started to replace proprietary software. The decision made by the curriculum committee to implement it in the higher secondary sector has also been completed now. K. Anwar Sadath, executive director IT@School, said they have been entrusted the job for easy classroom transaction of chapters including customisation of applications, teachers’ training, and video tutorials. “The proprietary version of this software would have incurred a minimum cost of Rs 150,000 per machine in terms of licence fee. Hence, the minimum savings in a year (considering 20,000 machines) is Rs 300 crore. It’s not the cost saving that matters more, but the fact that the...

WikiLeaks Publishes “CIA’s Entire Collection Of Hacking Tools”

WikiLeaks has published a collection of United States Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) collection of hacking tools . This collection, code-named “Vault 7”, is WikiLeaks’ largest ever publication of confidential documents. These alleged tools are collections of malware for targeting computers and routers based on Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, and macOS. WikiLeaks has released 8,761 documents and files, and titled it Year Zero. WikiLeaks' #Vault7 reveals gaping holes in all popular operating systems + anti-viruses programs https://t.co/K7wFTdlC82 pic.twitter.com/QHs8JYF0FR — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 7, 2017 CIA has an entire unit dedicated to hacking data from Apple devices, according to WikiLeaks. It also claims that CIA has built a collection of 24 Android Zero Days. WikiLeaks says that the documents and files were obtained from an “isolated and high-security network” at CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley. If you're writing about the CI...

Scientists Store A Computer OS, A Movie, And A Virus Inside DNA With 100% Accuracy

To compete with the fast pace at which data is being produced, the researchers are busy exploring new methods to store data. Apart from storing tons of data on tiny USB drives, they’re working on more innovative methods like DNA storage. The biggest advantages of DNA storage are its high data storage density and long-lasting ability. Even tech giants like Microsoft are spending tons of money on such systems. Recently, the scientists from the Data Science Institute at Columbia University and the New York Genome Center published a new paper that showed how the DNA-based data storage technique can be used to store digital information like operating system, malware, or movie. The scientists have announced that they have formulated a process to store data with 100% accuracy and 60% more efficiency as compared to the previous attempts. How does this new DNA storage method work? Yaniv Erlich, from California University and Dina Zielinski, from the New ...

Researcher finds bug that allowed free Uber rides

Uber has patched a bug in its code that allowed a researcher — and anyone else who might’ve discovered the problem — to hail Uber rides without paying for them. Anand Prakash, a security researcher, discovered the bug in August and received permission from Uber to test it in the U.S. and India. He was able to successfully exploit the bug, getting free rides in both locations. Prakash reported the issue through Uber’s  bug bounty program , which rewards hackers with cash for finding and reporting security vulnerabilities. Many tech companies operate bug bounty programs as a way to strengthen the security of their products. Hackers can make between $100 – $10,000 at Uber depending on the severity of the bug and whether it impacts other users. Uber fixed the bug the same day Prakash reported it and paid him $5,000, but Prakash waited until this week to publicly discuss the bug. “Attackers could have misused this by taking unlimited free rides from their uber account...

Android improves for work: Exchange Tasks now available on Gmail app

Android phone owners previously had to use a third party app for Exchange email, but Google updated Gmail last year to support Exchange. This week Google added support for Exchange Tasks. As I was setting up the LG G6 this week, I had to decide if I was going to use Gmail for Exchange or continue to use the Microsoft Outlook app that I have come to prefer on all of my phones. Given the support of Gmail calendar integration with LG's calendar, I decided to give Gmail for Exchange another try. Tasks are embedded within the Gmail app so you simply tap on the left three line menu icon to select the Tasks area of your Gmail Exchange account. Enter the title and add a note if you want, then select the due date, reminder time, and priority level of the task.My timing was perfect as Google announced yesterday that Exchange Tasks are now supported on the Gmail app. Thus, through the Gmail app I can now sync my work's email, contacts, calendar, and tasks. The Outloo...

NASA Has Just Released Tons Of Free And Open Source Software, Here’s How To Get Them

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Marking the third release in the series, NASA has officially  rolled out  its  2017-2018 software catalog . This software offering comes both in hard copy and offline format. The first pilot edition of NASA’s software catalog was made available to the public in April, 2014. NASA’s software catalog is considered to be the first open source and all access listing of software by a U.S. government agency that one can access without any royalty or copyright fees. I know you might be thinking that what kind of NASA software can be used for Earthly applications. But, that’s not the case. NASA says that the freely released tools are helpful for professionals, entrepreneurs, small businesses, industry, and academia. These software tools have the potential to create jobs, save lives, and earn revenue, NASA adds. You might be surprised to know about the major role software plays in NASA’s research. Surprisingly, more than 30% of all reported NASA innovations are softwa...

Gmail boost: Now you can receive 50 MB attachments to your emails

Thanks to cloud file-sharing services like Google Drive, Microsoft's One Drive, and Dropbox, it's easy to share files via email of pretty much any size. Still, there might be an occasion when someone else wants to send you a massive file directly to your Gmail account. Starting this week, Google will help Gmail users in this scenario by letting them open up any files of up to 50 megabytes (50MB) in size. "While Google Drive offers a convenient way to share files of any size, sometimes you need to receive large files as direct email attachments. So starting today, you will be able to receive emails of up to 50MB directly," Google  announced in a blogpost .

​Nvidia unveils 'fastest ever' GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPU

  ​Nvidia has lifted the lid off its new GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics processing unit (GPU), touting its new offering as the "fastest ever" gpu. The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti delivers up to 35 percent more performance than the GeForce GTX 1080 and up to 78 percent faster performance than the GTX 1070. The latest GPU comprises 3,584 Nvidia Cuda cores and 11 gigabytes of next-generation GDDR5X memory, running at 11 gigabytes per second. According to Nvidia, the GTX 1080 Ti is also faster than the Nvidia Titan X Pascal, its $1,200 big brother that was designed for deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI). The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is based on Nvidia's Pascal architecture, which the technology giant said is purpose-built to be the engine of computers that learn, see, and simulate the world. "These gains in performance and power efficiency are enabled by the marvels of the Pascal architecture," the company said previously. "The first of these mar...

Startup claims to make world's thinnest mobile wall charger

Israel-based technology startup Kado claims to have created the world's thinnest wall charger for mobile devices like smartphones and laptops that can fit within wallets. Measuring under 0.2 inches in thickness, the charger has collapsable prongs and internal circuitry to be as thin as a USB port. It also has a 2-foot retractable cable for power and data transfer.