MapmyIndia launches Lx340 Navigator at Rs 8,990

Digital maps and GPS provider MapmyIndia has added another product — Lx340 Navigator – to its navigation devices portfolio. Lx340 Navigator has a 4.3-inch display for seamless navigation.

MapmyIndia says Lx340 Navigator has comprehensive and detailed pre-installed maps which provide for door-to-door navigation in 39 cities and connectivity 5,79,000 towns and villages across India. Built-in maps mean no more recurring charges and no dependence on internet or mobile network for navigation.

The device’s Don’t Panic software features instant route calculation and re-routing to help users find routes available to reach their destination. It has visual and audible alerts for lane guidance, over-speeding and road signs.

Shivalik Prasad, Executive Director, MapmyIndia, says, “With Lx340, we’re making available to all car owners in India, a powerful and premium GPS navigation and entertainment experience, at a very affordable and attractive price point. We’re excited to further accelerate the strong proliferation of in-car GPS navigation systems in India and power every car in India with a MapmyIndia product in the coming time, and will continue to innovate and invent new products and technologies to deliver the best navigation and driving experience to Indians.”

Specs:

*SiRF V GPS chipset with Windows CE 6.0 OS

*Matte-black finish,

*Dimensions: 118x82x12.5mm, Net weight: 124 g

*In-built 2GB storage with expandable SD card slot up to 8GB (for movies, music, photos)

*950mAH battery

*4.3-inch (10.9 cm) LCD touchscreen display with 480 x 272 pixels resolution

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mapmyindia-launches-lx340-navigator-at-rs-8990/1072634/

India working on Agni-VI missile, to be in world’s elite nuclear club

India today said it is developing a long-range nuclear-capable Agni-VI ballistic missile that would carry multiple warheads allowing one weapon system to take out several targets at a time.

“Agni-V is a major strategic defence weapon. Now we want to make Agni-VI which would be a force multiplier,” DRDO chief V K Saraswat said here.

Refusing to divulge the range of the new under-development missile, he said the force multiplier capability of the missile would be because of its Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) capability.

The Agni-5 ballistic missile, which was test-fired in April last year, has a range of upto 5,500 kms and it is believed that the Agni-6 would have a range longer than its

predecessor.

“It will have force multiplier capability by the MIRV approach which would enable us to deliver many payloads at the same time using only one missile. Work is on in this area and designs have been completed. We are now in the hardware realisation phase,” he said.

DRDO officials said once the Agni-6 is developed, it would propel India into the elite club of nations with such a capability including the US and Russia.

The DRDO chief said his organisation was also working towards developing a cruise missile defence programme which would enable the armed forces to defend against low-flying cruise missiles and enemy aircraft.

Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-working-on-agnivi-missile-to-be-in-worlds-elite-nuclear-club/1071407/

Facebook Connect glitch sidelines host of websites, including NBC News, CNN and The Washington Post

A Facebook software glitch temporarily sidelined websites synced to a feature that lets people’s identities at the leading social network follow them around the Internet.

A Facebook Connect software glitch caused social network members trying to visit any of a wide array of websites including NBC News, CNN and The Washington Post to be routed to an error page.

Connect lets outside websites sync with the social network so people can do things such as post “Likes” or comments back to friends, or log in using their Facebook identities.

The problem reportedly affected people logged in at Facebook who tried to visit websites synced to the Connect feature.

“For a short period of time, there was a bug that redirected people logging in with Facebook from third-party sites to Facebook.com,” the California-based social network said in an email statement.

“The issue was quickly resolved, and Login with Facebook is now working as usual.”

Facebook did not indicate how long the glitch lasted, but websites claiming to have been vexed by the problem reported that it lasted from less than 15 minutes to nearly an hour.

Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/facebook-connect-glitch-sidelines-host-of-websites-including-nbc-news…/1071419/

World’s largest prime number discovered with 17 million digits, prime search continues

Researchers have identified the world’s largest prime number yet, beating the previous record by over four million digits.

The number has now shot up to 2 multiplied by itself 57,885,161 times minus 1, breaking a four-year dry spell in the search for new, ever-larger primes.

Curtis Cooper from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg made the finding as part of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS), a distributed computing project designed to hunt for a particular kind of prime number first identified in the 17th century, the ‘New Scientist’ reported.

“It’s sort of like finding a diamond,” says Chris Caldwell at the University of Tennessee, Martin, who keeps a record of the largest known primes.

“For some reason people decide they like diamonds and so they have a value. People like these large primes and so they also have a value,” said Caldwell.

All prime numbers can only be divided by themselves and 1.

The rare Mersenne primes all have the form 2 multiplied by itself p times minus 1, where p is itself a prime number.

The new prime, which has over 17 million digits, is only the 48th Mersenne prime ever found and the 14th discovered by GIMPS. The previous record holder, 2 multiplied by itself 43,112,609 times minus 1, which was also found by GIMPS in 2008, has just under 13 million digits.

All the top 10 largest known primes are Mersenne primes discovered by GIMPS. Until today, the most recent addition to the list was found in 2009, but it was smaller than the 2008 discovery.

Though there are an infinite number of primes, there is no formula for generating these numbers, so discovering them requires intensive computation.

GIMPS uses volunteers’ computers to shift through each prime-number candidate in turn, until eventually one lucky user discovers a new prime.

GIMPS software runs on around a thousand university computers, one of which spent 39 days straight proving that the number was prime, which was then independently verified by other researchers.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/worlds-largest-prime-number-discovered-with-17-million-digits-prime-search-continues/1070830/0

Lenovo launches two Windows 8 laptops – Ideapad Y500 & Z500

Lenovo has launched two Windows 8 laptops called the IdeaPad Y500 and Z500. Both laptops have third-generation Intel processors and their high-end models come with graphic cards.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 comes with an UltraBay that lets users add an extra graphics card, hard disk drive or an additional fan for cooling. The 15.6-inch laptop has a carbon fibre cover, and a backlit keyboard with a touchpad. Users should face no problems typing in dark rooms as the keyboard has backlighting. The IdeaPad Y500 costs Rs 64,290.

Lenovo claims IdeaPad Z500 is among the slimmest laptops available in market. It is also a 15.6-inch device, but has less powerful hardware when compared to the Y500. It costs Rs 48,990.

The key specifications for both laptops are as follows.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y500

Up to third generation Intel® Core i7 processor

Up to NVIDIA® GeForce GT 650M 2GB DDR5 graphics

Up to 16GB DDR3 memory, up to 1TB HDD storage

Up to 750GB interchangeable HDD storage bay

Bluetooth, 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity

USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and 6in1 card reader

Always-on USB port – lets you recharge a mobile device even when the notebook is powered off and unplugged

Interchangeable DVD reader

JBL speakers and Dolby Home Theater v4

Lenovo IdeaPad Z500

Up to third generation Intel Core i7 processor

Up to NVIDIA GeForce GT 645M 2GB graphics

15.6″ Backlit LED HD display (1366×768), 16:9 widescreen

Up to 8GB DDR3 memory, up to 1TB HDD storage

Bluetooth & 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity

Intelligent Touchpad optimised for Windows 8, with easy scroll, zoom and rotate functions

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/lenovo-launches-two-windows-8-laptops—ideapad-y500—z500/1069696/0

HCL launches ME Y3 at Rs 11,999

HCL Infosystems has launched three tablets – V1, Y3 and U2 – under its ME series at affordable prices. These tablets are seven-inch devices aimed at youth segment.

HCL ME Y3 – priced at Rs 11,999 – leads the pack with features like dual-SIM standby, 2G and 3G calling. Y3 sports a 1Ghz processor, a built-in 3D GPU, a healthy 1GB RAM and runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The tablet comes with an internal memory of 4GB expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The seven-inch capacitive screen of Y3 has a resolution of 1024×600 pixel and a 3.2-megapixel camera rests on the rear panel. A VGA camera is placed on the front panel for video calling. Other connectivity option include the standard Bluetooth and WiFi.

HCL ME V1, which comes with similar specifications, is priced at Rs 7,999. It has a SIM-slot for 2G connectivity , however, 3G usage can only be done through a USB dongle. Its built-in proximity sensor puts the screen into standby mode during calls. The Android tablet doesn’t have Google Play Store application so users will have to use a browser for downloading apps. V1 supports HD playback and has a screen resolution of 800×400 pixel. User can click photos with its 2-megapixel rear camera that has an LED flash and the 0.3-meagpixel front camera. It has a 3200mAh Li-Polymer battery.

The third and the cheapest of the three tablets launched is the HCL ME U2 priced at Rs 5,999. U2 has Google Play Store app unlike Y3 and V1.

Some of the apps that comes pre-loaded with the new range of HCL ME tablets are Big-Flix, Cleartrip, LinkedIn, NimBuzz, Twitter and Facebook.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hcl-launches-me-y3-at-rs-11999/1069700/0

Coming soon to Facebook: more action, battle games

When nWay began a trial of its dark, sci-fi combat game “ChronoBlade” on Facebook last year, the San Francisco-based start up felt sure it had a hit on its hands.

“First of all, what comes is, ‘Wow, I had no idea you could actually do a game of this quality on Facebook,'” said Dave Jones, Chief Creative Officer of nWay, who has worked on “Grand Theft Auto” and “Diablo.”

Then came some resistance: Jones admits some potential investors and partners questioned how an action-focused game with slick graphics can play to a Facebook audience more accustomed to “Farmville” and other less time-consuming casual games. Others wondered how the game – which launches this spring – would gain significant users and revenue on the social network.

But Facebook Inc is betting nWay and a clutch of other developers this year can extend console-style action games beyond Microsoft Corp’s Xbox or Sony Corp’s PlayStation onto the world’s largest social network.

Facebook is spearheading the launch of 10 high-quality games created by third-party developers in 2013 that squarely target so-called hardcore gamers, an atypical audience overlooked thus far against the wealth of family-friendly offerings like Zynga Inc’s “Farmville” that now dominate the social network’s gaming landscape.

The effort, which began late last year but will accelerate in 2013, is part of Facebook’s ongoing objective of making sure its 1 billion-plus users log in and spend more time on the network, which in turn boosts ad revenue. Facebook also takes a cut of its applications’ revenue.

Facebook’s push into action and battle games follows a meeting in January between companies that make games like “first-person shooters” and Vice President Joe Biden to look for ways to curb gun violence in the wake of the Connecticut school shootings.

Based on the console gaming industry experience, hardcore gamers – typically men 18 to 30 years old – spend more time and effort to master fast-paced games such as first-person shooters (Microsoft’s “Halo”) or real-time strategy games (Activision Blizzard’s “StarCraft”).

“You’ll see a whole set of games hitting in the next two quarters in particular and throughout the year that really start to redefine what people think of Facebook games,” Sean Ryan, head of game partnerships at Facebook said in an interview.

Facebook will embrace games from “casual all the way up through first-person shooters, massively multiplayer online games, real-time strategy games – all those types of more core player-versus-player games.”

Just as hardcore gamers interact online and form clans in multiplayer games on console game networks like Xbox LIVE, Facebook can be that social layer needed to foster such gaming communities that help popularize titles, Jones said.

GAMING POPULATION

Over a quarter of Facebook’s 1.06 billion monthly active users play games, one of the largest gaming communities in the industry, and the social network hopes that can grow.

Facebook also aims to make more revenue from games. Revenue from the area was flat in the fourth quarter from a year ago, the company said on Wednesday without providing details.

The 8-year-old social network takes a 30 percent revenue share from game developers who offer their product free but then charge for virtual goods — like ammunition and power boosts.

On Wednesday, Facebook’s Chief Financial Officer David Ebersman told analysts on a post-earnings conference call that its “games ecosystem continues to show healthy signs of diversification” and suggested that games revenue would grow with increasing user engagement.

To grow its gaming business, Facebook has invested time and resources to work with developers since the summer to bring titles like u4iA’s first-person shooter “Offensive Combat” and Plaruim’s real-time strategy game “Stormfall: Age of War” alive, Ryan said.

“It doesn’t mean we’re walking away from other games, but there’s no question our focus for 2013 much of it will be about becoming a better platform for core gamers and developers who make those games.”

To help users discover them, Facebook added new action and strategy games categories on its App Center that also shows you friends from your list playing those games. It brought back notification messages from game apps — a feature that had been removed because users found them annoying — with certain restrictions that stop developers from spamming a gamer.

Developers also rely on word-of-mouth publicity and ads on Facebook’s advertising platform to draw in prospective gamers.

“Stormfall” has a player base of 4.5 million and hardcore games were proving to be far more lucrative, said Gabi Shalel, chief marketing officer Of Tel Aviv, Israel-based Plarium.

“Hardcore gamers pay more, play more and generate higher average revenue per user than traditional casual games.”

Kixeye, which makes the warfare-strategy game “War Commander,” said its gamers spend 20 times more than players of social games, helping it stay profitable over the past three years.

Going forward, nWay’s Jones says Facebook must have a defining title that comes along that establishes it as a hardcore gaming spot for gamers.

“Like ‘Super Mario’ did for Nintendo or ‘Halo’ on Microsoft, I think it just takes one title to come along, sort of as a benchmark to legitimize the whole thing,” he said.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/coming-soon-to-facebook-more-action-battle-games/1068349/0

Portronics launches portable speaker for Rs 3,499

Portronics has launched Pebble, a portable touch-based Bluetooth speaker.

The device has a range of 10 metres and supports all Bluetooth devices like mobile phones, music players, etc.

The device also has a microphone, which means users can receive calls using Pebble.

The device has a touch panel for controls. It supports microSD cards, and can play MP3 or WMA audio formats.

It also has an aux-in port, which lets you connect pretty much every device with a 3.5 mm audio jack. The company says the device also supports voice commands.

It weighs just 137 grams, which is very portable for a speaker. It costs Rs 3,499.

Portronics says the device is loud enough for a conference room or a large living room.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/portronics-launches-portable-speaker-for-rs-3499/1068408/

ESA plans to build 3D printed Moon base

The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to set up a base on Moon by using a 3D printer to build it from lunar materials, scientists say.

Industrial partners including renowned architects Foster + Partners have joined with ESA to test the feasibility of 3D printing using lunar soil, the space agency said.

“Terrestrial 3D printing technology has produced entire structures. Our industrial team investigated if it could similarly be employed to build a lunar habitat,” said Laurent Pambaguian, who heads the project for ESA.

Foster + Partners devised a weight-bearing “catenary” dome design with a cellular structured wall to shield against micro-meteoroids and space radiation, incorporating a pressurised inflatable to shelter astronauts. A hollow closed-cell structure – reminiscent of bird bones – provides a good combination of strength and weight. The base’s design was guided in turn by the properties of 3D-printed lunar soil, with a 1.5 tonne building block produced as a demonstration.

“3D printing offers a potential means of facilitating lunar settlement with reduced logistics from Earth,” added Scott Hovland of ESA’s human spaceflight team.

“The new possibilities this work opens up can then be considered by international space agencies as part of the current development of a common exploration strategy.

“As a practice, we are used to designing for extreme climates on Earth and exploiting the environmental benefits of using local, sustainable materials,” said Xavier De Kestelier of Foster + Partners Specialist Modelling Group.

“Our lunar habitation follows a similar logic,” he said in a ESA Statement.

The UK’s Monolite supplied the D-Shape printer, with a mobile printing array of nozzles on a 6 m frame to spray a binding solution onto a sand-like building material.

3D “printouts” are built up layer by layer ¿ the company more typically uses its printer to create sculptures and is working on artificial coral reefs to help preserve beaches from energetic sea waves.

“First, we needed to mix the simulated lunar material with magnesium oxide. This turns it into “paper” we can print with,” said Monolite founder Enrico Dini.

“Then for our structural ‘ink’ we apply a binding salt which converts material to a stone-like solid.

“Our current printer builds at a rate of around 2 m per hour, while our next-generation design should attain 3.5 m per hour, completing an entire building in a week,” said Dini.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/esa-plans-to-build-3d-printed-moon-base/1067991/0

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