Archive for December, 2011

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Apple looks at the concept of a la carte channels to enter TV market

December 30th, 2011
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Apple, having conquered the Smartphone and computer tablet market, has yet to overtake the world of cable television. One way the computer giant could make significant inroads on the TV market would lie in offering customers “channels a la carte.” Allowing the subscriber to choose which channels to have would set Apple apart from other subscription services, which typically sell their channels in packages.

Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu, in a note to investors says that Apple’s strength lies less in the hardware innovation it might bring in lieu of letting customers subscribe to particular channels or shows of their choosing.

Apple already offers a number of TV programs as subscriptions through its online store. They also allow customer to purchase both single episodes and entire seasons. Customers must wait for the show to be broadcast before it’s available to download. Wu suggests that Apple would rather move to live streaming of the programming, just like what customers get through their cable provider.

“This is obviously much more complicated from a licensing standpoint and in our view, would change the game for television and give AAPL a big leg-up against the competition,” Wu wrote in Apple Insider.

The idea is not new, as a Wall Street Journal story from 2009 suggested Apple was in talks with CBS and Walt Disney to provide TV programming for a monthly fee.

Interest in Apple’s prospective television boomed in October with the release of Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

In that best-selling biography, Jobs said “I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use . It would be seamlessly synched with all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”

In addition, a report from the Taiwanese publication DigiTimes cited sources saying that Apple was already in the process of ordering components for 32-inch and 37-inch TV sets that would be ready for sale in the second half of 2012, suggesting that Apple is relatively far along in the process of bringing the set to market.

Apple has since made two significant adjustments to its sales of TV shows in the past few months. Apple ended its TV show rental service, a decision the company attributed to consumer purchasing behavior “overwhelmingly” falling in favor of buying programming outright. It also introduced a new season-completion program that lets buyers pick up the rest of a show’s season at a discounted rate if they’ve already purchased an episode.

Source:http://www.catholic.org/technology/story.php?id=44233&utm_source=catholic.org%2Fhomepage&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=latest%2Bnews&utm_campaign=home

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Biostar Announces TPOWER X79 Motherboard with Gusto

December 30th, 2011
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Biostar this week rolled out its new TPOWER X79 motherboard, which is apparently “the most powerful motherboard on the planet” (Biostar’s words, not ours). Part of the reason Biostar is marketing its motherboard as such is due to its “extreme overclocking” capabilities, a notion that might have seemed silly coming from Biostar a few short years ago when the focus was primarily on budget boards, but not so much after the company racked up several overclocking records.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty, the new TPOWER X79 boasts a 9-phase power design, 100 percent solid capacitors, a 2-ounce copper PCB, 8-layer PCB, dual 8-pin EPS connectors, USB 3.0 support, four DDR3 memory slots with support for up to 32GB of DDR3-2400 (OC) memory, three PCI-E x16 3.0 slots, two PCI-E x1 2.0 slots, a single legacy PCI slot, four SATA 6Gbps ports, three SATA 3Gbps ports, a single eSATA 3Gbps connectors, support for RAID 0/1/5/10, AMD 4-way CrossFireX and Nvidia 3-way SLI support, and a whole bunch of other odds and ends.

There’s also a Debug LED indicating lamp, buttons for booting, and a clear CMOS button, all of which are handy for hardcore overclocking and testing.

Source:http://hothardware.com/News/Biostar-Announces-TPOWER-X79-Motherboard-with-Gusto/

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Lenovo To Reveal IdeaPad S110 “Mini Notebook” With Atom 2600

December 30th, 2011
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Is the netbook poised to make a return at CES? Hard to say at this point, but Lenovo’s evidently planning to keep their lively IdeaPad range buzzing with an S110 model. The company has just released a teaser video of the IdeaPad S110, which promises to ship in four colors, include Wi-Fi / 3G buil-in, and include one of those zippy new Atom processors that Intel just unveiled earlier in the week. It’s being called a “mini notebook,” boasting a 10.1″ display, 2MP webcam, 1080p support, USB 3.0 and a 98% full-size keyboard. Odd; a year ago, a 10.1″ panel would’ve been a netbook. Perhaps Lenovo’s trying to avoid the term? We’ll be looking for more come CES.

Source:http://hothardware.com/News/Lenovo-To-Reveal-IdeaPad-S110-Mini-Notebook-With-Atom-2600/

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Acer Reportedly Loses Interest Towards Tablets, Smartphones

December 30th, 2011
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Acer Group, the company that managed to become one of the leaders on the emerging market of netbooks back in 2009, but failed to gain traction on the growing market of media tablets and smartphones, reportedly decided to close down its touch business group specifically founded in April, 2011. While this does not prove that Acer will cease all the tablet and smartphone efforts, it is clear that the company will reduce its R&D efforts on appropriate devices.

Acer directors have confirmed to Taiwan Economic News that the company has recently merged its Android tablet business, which originally belonged to the touch business group, into its global logistics center management. Of over 300 workers of the touch business unit, 150, mostly R&D engineers, will be transferred to other business divisions, a hundred will be retained and other will be laid off.

Perhaps, the biggest problem for companies like Acer and Asustek Computer to establish their presence on the markets of smartphones and media tablets is not ability to develop appropriate hardware, but to design competitive software (e.g., adopt Google Android in the best possible way) and create relationships with new reseller partners, including cell network operators. Originally focused on hardware only, Taiwanese companies have hard times tailoring software themselves, creating new business models and relationships.

Even though Acer will likely continue to sell tablets and smartphones going forward, it is clear that the company does not want to invest substantial amounts of money into business unit that is unprofitable and cannot establish serious presence on the market. Merging tablet and PC business units has some rationale: next year Microsoft releases its Windows 8 that will somewhat unify platforms for both types of devices.

Devices based on touch-screens clearly represent the future of consumer electronics. This future naturally relies not only on hardware technology itself, but also on software, services and interoperability. It remains to be seen how will the disbandment of a dedicated division will affect the future of Acer. Sales of PCs globally will remain strong and will keep growing, but this does not mean that a world-class company should stop thinking beyond PC.

Source:http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20111228222115_Acer_Reportedly_Loses_Interest_Towards_Tablets_Smartphones.html

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How to Enable Webtop on Your Droid Razr Using Only an HDMI Cable

December 30th, 2011
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When Motorola first launched the Atrix 4G, we got a first glimpse of what the awesome Webtop technology can do. Since its introduction, Motorola has been carrying the Webtop banner running the proprietary technology in many Motorola phones including the Droid Razr.

Webtop technology allows you to extend your phone’s capabilities and enable it to do just about everything that a normal computer could do. A smartphones like the Motorola Droid Razr with its 1.2 GHz dual-core processor can do many things but is limited to its small 4.3-inch screen. Admit it–there are just some things that are better done on a bigger screen–like watching HD movies, perhaps?

Motorola’s implementation of its proprietary Webtop technology can unleash your phone’s true potential. Just simply dock your Motorola phone to any Webtop-enabled accessory and you’re good to go. Enjoy the same functionalities of having a full-fledge computer right in front of you. Surf the Internet using Firefox, connect to your friends via Facebook, or watch a movie on a larger screen. The possibilities are endless once you get connected.

While older Motorola devices such as the Atrix 4G had already promised support for the technology, more recent devices like the flagship Motorola Droid Razr are not yet compatible unless you buy yourself those pricey Motorola branded docks. Thankfully, the guys at XDA Developers have managed to whip out a hack to enable the Webtop feature on your device by simply using an HDMI cable. This can actually save you money because you won’t need to buy those pricey dock accessories.

So what does this mod do? Basically, it removes the device ID string check from PortalApp enabling the Webtop option in Dockservice to be available. This hack is like fooling your phone into thinking that the HDMI cable is the same as the proprietary hardware from Motorola.

Continue reading to know how you can enable Webtop on your Motorola Droid Razr using only an HDMI cable.
Requirements

A rooted Motorola Droid Razr
Custom Recovery installed on the Droid Razr
Webtop mod file for the Droid Razr

Instructions

Download WebtopMod-RAZR.zip from here and save it to your computer.
Copy the unmodified ZIP file to the root of your SD card.
Reboot your phone into recovery mode. Make a Nandroid backup to ensure that all of your important files will be saved. In case of a failed installation, you can easily revert to the state where your phone was functioning normally.
Select “wipe cache” and “wipe dalvik cache” from the options.
After the cleaning process, select “install zip from sdcard” then “choose zip from sdcard”. Locate the ZIP file that you have copied earlier. Once the file is selected, the installation process will begin. It may take up to 5 – 10 minutes for the installation to finish.
Once the file is flashed, reboot your phone to apply the patch.

You have just successfully patched your Motorola Droid Razr to run Webtop features without using an expensive Motorola accessory dock. You may now try plugging in your device with an HDMI cable.

Source:http://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-enable-webtop-on-your-droid-razr-using-only-an-hdmi-cable-40444/

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Apple Ranks the Highest in Terms of Operating Margin in the Computer Hardware Industry

December 30th, 2011
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Below are the three companies in the Computer Hardware industry with the highest operating margin. A healthy operating margin is required for a company to pay for its fixed costs and generate cash.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is highest with an operating margin of 30.8%. Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers and related personal computing and mobile communication devices along with a variety of related software, services, peripherals, and networking solutions. The Company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, its retail stores, its direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, and resellers.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has potential upside of 26.8% based on a current price of $401.42 and analysts’ consensus price target of $509.09. Apple shares have support at the 50-day moving average (MA) of $391.01 and additional support at the 200-day MA of $367.96.

Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS) is next with an operating margin of 19.8%.

Finishing up the top three is Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI), with an operating margin of 5.5%.

Source:http://www.fnno.com/story/fast-lane/331-apple-ranks-highest-terms-operating-margin-computer-hardware-industry-aapl-ssys-smci-fast-lane

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Top 10 Happenings Of Indian Open Source World In 2011!

December 30th, 2011
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With the central and state governments recognising the importance of open source software, FOSS has become increasingly important in this geography. More and more people have joined the community, and the voice for the growth of open source software in India is gaining huge momentum. EFYTimes brings you top 10 happenings that helped in changing the face of open source movement in India.

1. Supreme Court Switches Over To Ubuntu 10.04: The Supreme Court of India has directed all the courts across the nation to switch over to Ubuntu 10.04. The apex court also gave all the courts customised Ubuntu Linux DVD for installation. Over 17,000 courts across the country were using Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 for the last four years. The e-committee of the Supreme Court Of India has issued a circular for ‘Guidelines for Roll-out and Installation of Ubuntu Linux for Indian Judiciary’ for the purpose. A free SMS Channel has also been created to increase the awareness about the features and functionalities of Ubuntu Linux OS amongst the judicial officers, technical staff and the members of the court staff.
2. Launch Of $35 Android Tablet ‘Aakash’: The ultra-low-cost tablet finally saw the light of day in October this year. Branded Aakash Low Cost Access Device (LCAD), the much talked-about $35 tablet has been designed for higher education. The 17.8-cm (7-inch) tablet features a resistive touchscreen, weighs 350 gms and includes 256 MB of RAM, a 32 GB expandable memory slot and two USB ports. Powered by Android 2.2 Froyo, the tablet promises 2-3 hours of battery back-up with a 2100mAh battery. It also offers support for Wi-Fi connectivity, includes a microphone and stereo earphones, and features HD video streaming and HD video playback. Other notable features include social networking, e-books, instant messaging, over 1,50,000 free applications and 1,000 hours of free online lecture for students. It, however, lacks the Android Market Place.

3. Indian Govt Takes The Open Source Route: The Indian Government has been talking of the open source-based systems for long, but for the first time it said that it is working on a policy on the use of operating systems and device drivers in all new e-governance projects. According to the latest draft policy on e-governance, all new projects must work on open source operating systems only. The draft Policy On Device Drivers For Procurement Of Hardware For e-governance says, “Government of India (GOI) endeavours to provide e-governance services, which are technology-neutral, cost effective, interoperable and vendor-neutral. GOI Policy on open standards is a step towards meeting this objective in the development of e-governance applications.” The policy shall apply to all the new e-governance projects as well as the existing ones. The need for such a policy was felt because while implementing open source, there is a possibility of non-availability of device drivers for all general purpose operating systems. “Hence, there is a need for a policy by GOI for procurement of computers and associated peripherals to empower the implementation of e-governance projects with neutrality to all general purpose OS,” states the draft. Read More…

4. TN Govt ‘Finally’ Agrees To Linux In Free Laptops: After much dilly-dally, the Tamil Nadu government incorporated Linux in the free laptops. The government, that first said ‘no’ to Linux and supported proprietary software, agreed to incorporate Linux and issued a corrigendum in this regard as well. ELCOT issued a corrigendum which talked about revised computer specifications. Page 7 of the corrigendum states the changed specification in the tender. The tender talks about incorporating “BOSS Linux from Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC)”, which will be “sourced by ELCOT and the same shall be preloaded”. This comes as good news for the open source community that strived hard for this change.

5. BOSS Wins Over Windows In Tamil Nadu: The state government’s Information Technology department has now resorted to Bharat Operating System Solution (BOSS), bidding farewell to Windows. The move has come after a request from the union ministry of communications and information technology. A government order was released in this regard on 9 November 2011, which said that the IT department would use BOSS, a free and open source computer operating system. BOSS has been developed by the National Resource Centre for Free/Open Source Soft-ware of India

6. ICFOSS Launching Android R&D In Trivandrum: The International Centre for Free & Open Source Software (ICFOSS) is all set to gear up the research and development (R&D) activities on the popular smart-device platform, Android. ICFOSS has been awarded a composite project by the Department of Information Technology (DIT), Government of India, which can help it in this initiative. The project includes support for Indian language localisation, standardising hardware extensions to Android devices, exploring 3D gesture-based User Interfaces, creating a context-aware framework for Android, developing multi-purpose applications on the platform and providing policy recommendations for open hardware architecture in view of the rapid obsolescence of these devices. Four out of the six project components approved will be implemented at Technopark, Trivandrum. The other two are to be implemented by CDAC Delhi and CDAC Chennai.

7. Android Ahead Of Symbian In Indian Market!: Android has proven itself to be a clear winner in many markets across the world. Continuing with its winning trend, Android has now taken over Symbian in the Indian market as well. With Nokia witnessing a decline in its market share in the country, Symbian is obviously losing in terms of its popularity. Android got a chance to grow in the segments which were left blank by Symbian. A recent report by research firm IDC points towards data for Q3 of this year. The data reveals that Android has beaten Symbian in the Indian smartphone market. It is worth mentioning here that Android is being used by companies like Samsung and Sony Ericsson.

8. Drupal’s Creator Dries Visits India: Dries recently came to India to explore the possibilities of growth in Drupal and he was super excited when he went back. There is a demand of hundreds of thousands of trained Drupal developers in India and it can be a serious career option, said Dries Buytaert, founder and project-lead, Drupal. Buytaert said that India is one of the most potential markets for Drupal to flourish. Read More…

9. 100 Android-Based Mobile Devices Launched In India: Android is growing bigger in India. As many as 100 Android-based mobile devices were launched in India in 2011. The platform has already become a rage amongst Indian users. Be it the tablet or handsets, Android is the most preferred choice. One reason that accounts for the popularity of Android is that the platform comes with devices of all price ranges. It powers the cheapest smartphones and it powers the most expensive smartphones too.

10. Open Source India 2011: The list of open source happenings in India is incomplete without the mention of Open Source India 2011, an event which the Indian community looks forward to every year. Over 3,000 open source innovators, enthusiasts and gurus came together at Bengaluru’s NIMHANS Convention Centre to learn and discuss open source. The technology world is looking at open source technology for future innovations. The 8th edition of OSI Days, held from 20-22 November 2011, became even more important. It aimed to strengthen and consolidate the Indian open source community.

Source:http://news.efytimes.com/e1/76142/Top–Happenings-Of-Indian-Open-Source-World-In

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