Apple to drop Google Maps in iOS 6

Apple will drop Google Maps from its upcoming mobile platform iOS 6in favour of its own mapping system, it was reported Friday. 

The application design is said to be fairly similar to the current Google Maps programme on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, but it is described as a much cleaner, faster and more reliable experience, said technology news website 9to5mac, citing its sources. 

   

Over the last few years, Apple has been acquiring mapping companies like Placebase, C3 Technologies and Poly9. The acquisitions enable Apple to create a complete mapping database of its own instead of relying on Google's solutions, reported Xinhua. 

The most important aspect of the new Apple Maps application, according to the report, is a powerful 3D mode, which is technology straight from C3 Technologies, a Swedish company Apple bought last year. 

Apple has been gradually pushing Google Maps away. Last week, Apple acknowledged that its iOS iPhoto app, a photo-sorting tool for the iPad and iPhone, had switched from Google Maps data to OpenStreetMap data since March. The app uses mapping data to display the shoot location of geo tagged photos. 

Apple is scheduled to hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco from June 11 to 15. The key announcement at this year's conference is expected to be iOS 6, the sixth generation of its mobile operating system.

How a Zuckerberg hackathon inspired the Bing-FB redesign

Microsoft today announced that it was jazzing up it’s search engine Bing, which is still way, way behind global leader Google. The big changes, include a new, three-column screen design,with familiar search results displayed in blue to the left of the screen, rolling out an instant snapshot column, which displays extra information and links most likely to be useful such as maps, reviews and reservation tools.

But its what’s on the right column of Bing, that left tech websites buzzing. On the right users and their Facebook friends will be visible, giving them the option of asking their advice on a search. Users can also access their contacts on LinkedIn , Twitter and other networks.

The move comes after Google announced early this year, that it would include results from it’s own social network, Google plus into its search results. The Microsoft-Google war has been going on for sometime, with Microsoft accusing Google of spying on users. This new revamp is clearly one of the strategies in this ongoing struggle.

Ten developers from Microsoft flew into San Francisco in late February last year to bang away on code with ten counterparts from Facebook.

This hackathon, something the two partners do with some regularity, had a special guest as the day wore on: Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. The crew spent hours swapping ideas and sharing code, coming up with new ways to integrate Facebook’s social network into Bing’s search technology. Near the end of the day, Zuckerberg talked to the assembled coders.

“Zuck said, ‘Don’t try to do social by building social on the side. Build it into the experience,’” Microsoft corporate vice president of search program management Derrick Connell recalled.

The new redesign of Bing is a clear indicator that search on the web is all set to get more ‘social.’ What this is ideally means is that tweets, flikes, plus, and shares are set to get integrated into general web search. There’s no doubt that users are taking in vast numbers to social media and are reposting and sharing, million and millions of links. It’s therefore logical to assume that these too should become searchable on the web someday.

The big question remains that whether integration with Facebook will give Bing more users.  The new design of Bing will be live for users in a few days. Those who register will get it earlier. However the link for registering is not active for India users.

How Internet detectives and others, find out where you live!!

 An explosion of people checking into social networks is being exploited by mobile application makers and private detectives, who say they can use people's online chatter and photos to track them and find out where they live. 

In March, Apple stopped downloads of a "stalker" mobile application that told men where women around them were "hanging out", using only publicly available information from social networks. 

But other readily available apps can do the same and more, say online investigators who use them. 

When a person uses a mobile phone to post a tweet on Twitter or upload a photo to the image-hosting website Flickr, sometimes so-called geolocation data can be found lurking underneath the tweet or photo. This can be used to track down their local haunts, including their home or where they study. 

"It is quite easy sometimes to work out which house a tweet is coming from," said Neil Smith, a former police officer turned online researcher in Britain. 

Geolocation research is a fast evolving area as most applications are built on the back of freely available open-source software. 

One of Smith's favourite applications was developed by 27-year-old Greek IT engineer Ioannis Kakavas, who aptly called his invention Creepy. 

The free app collates geolocation data attached to a person's tweets and pictures to figure out where they might work, said Smith, who says he uses it to track down perpetrators of insurance fraud for corporate clients.

Police officers in Vancouver, Canada and in Arizona and Colorado in the United States also say they have used Creepy in their investigations. 

An array of social networks like Twitter, Foursquare, Twitpic, Flickr, YFrog, Gowalla, and Lockerz can provide such geolocation data, Kakavas said. 

UNWITTING EXPOSURE 
Some of these websites allow users to disable geolocation, but those like Foursquare and Gowalla depend on it. Twitter users can choose to enable it when they join and Facebook says it strips off the location data on photos. 

Smith, who says he has recently been hired by journalists who want to use geolocation data in their research, says his work is for "honourable, legal purposes". 

For many parents, mobile apps that use geolocation can also be a source of reassurance: FamilyTracker and Life360 are two apps which show parents where their children are on a map. 

But Smith and other professional snoops admit that many people oblivious to geolocation data can find themselves unwittingly exposed. 

Google's driverless car to hit the roads in Nevada

Nevada -- a gambler's paradise where shotgun weddings run rampant and brothels are legal in half the state -- has added yet another unique attraction under its belt: autonomous vehicles. Nevada is the first state to issue driverless vehicle licenses on public roadways and the first state to officially welcome such vehicles, although existing in rules in some states haven't seemed to explicitly prohibit automated vessels.

Although Nevada appears to be the most zealous state in terms of embracing cars without drivers, there are a number of restrictions which will keep a human (possibly two) in those cars at all times. Just a couple of months ago, the state was the first in the U.S. to pass a set of regulations for the operation of autonomous vehicles. Those regulations seem to spell out the need for two people inside the vehicle -- one person to take manual control when necessary and another person to monitor the course plotted by the computer system.

The state DMV will be issuing special license plates for driverless vehicles. The red-colored plates will prominently display an infinity symbol on the left side -- a curious choice of graphical identifiers and certainly difficult to explain outside of Google's influence. "I feel using the infinity symbol was the best way to represent the 'car of the future'," DMV Director Bruce Breslow explained.

The first fully-licensed, autonomous vehicle to hit the roads will be a Googled-up Toyota Prius. DMV officials have already had the privilege of being chauffeured by the LIDAR-dependent driving system.

Although many may think "Google" when talking about driverless cars, it is interesting to note that other companies have applied for autonomous vehicle licenses as well. "The DMV says other companies have indicated their desire to test and develop autonomous technology." claims the Las Vegas Sun. Other sources have indicated that those "other" companies may be BMW, Volkswagen and Audi.

New iPhone rumors: 20% thinner with 4-inch screen and Gorilla Glass 2

The new iPhone is likely still several months away but information pertaining to the next generation Apple handset is already making the rounds. The latest news on the new iPhone / iPhone 5 / whatever you want to call it comes courtesy of iLounge’s Jeremy Horwitz.

The editor claims that Apple has abandoned the long-rumored teardrop design that most thought would be introduced on the iPhone 4S. Instead, we are told to expect another glass-bodied design that’s somewhat similar to what’s already available on the current generation smartphone. Speaking of glass, Apple will be using Gorilla Glass 2 on sections of the phone. This second generation glass is just as strong as the original but in a thinner sheet.

The new iPhone is expected to be longer and thinner than the 4S, measuring in at roughly 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.7mm. These dimensions make the phone about 10mm taller than the 4S and roughly 2mm thinner while the width is largely unchanged. As a result of the increased height, the phone will ship with a 4-inch screen and for the first time since the original iPhone, there will be a new aspect ratio.

The back of the phone will be a departure from the norm as well. iLounge says that Apple will be adding a metal panel to the middle of the back. The panel will be completely flat and made of metal, not ceramic.

The final big change is a new dock connector. This was rumored to be included on the new iPad but that never actually happened. The new connector is said to be slightly larger than the speaker holes on the iPhone 4 and 4S and look more like a small pill with rounded edges. The change will start with the new iPhone and eventually encompass all iOS devices moving forward.

UK government considers Internet porn filter, requires users to opt-out

UK Prime Minster David Cameron will be consulting with major ISPs about devising a scheme which willblock adult content for UK customers. If such a content filter does materialize from the talks, it is expected to be an optional feature but also enabled by default. As a result, users who would prefer to allow sexually explicit material online must opt-out of the content blocker.

Cameron's new strategy to filter Internet pornography follows raised UK government concerns regarding child protection. Officials recently discussed the harmful effects of explicit content on youth during a parliamentary inquiry. Plans for such a system were originally discussed last year, however, talks did not lead to legislation on the matter.

The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has said it will oppose any such filter because it would be simple to bypass and may offer a sense of false security to concerned parents. The ISPA is a UK-centric trade association which includes members like Google, Yahoo and Ebay.

Civil liberty and rights groups seem to mostly disagree with the filter, voicing concerns about the accidental (and inevitable) filtering of decent content and the over-simplification of the issue. "The broader consequences risk damaging legitimate businesses and undermining cyber security while further perpetuating the myth that this is an easy technological solution to a complex problem." said one such rights advocate, Nick Pickles. Others raised concerns about the slippery slope of censorship and what even a benevolent content filtering system might turn into down the road.

Interestingly, by default, UK's largest ISP British Telecommunications already filters smutty content on its cellular data service. To override the filter, you only need to know the phone number tied to your account.

New malware freezes computer until ransome is paid. Hijacking!!!

The latest trend in malware doesn’t just flood your computer with annoying advertising or attempt to steal your banking information. Instead, it quite literally locks a system down and prevents the user from doing anything on it unless a ransom is paid.

The most recent “ransomware” was detected by abuse.ch and uses a drive-by exploit kit called “Blackhole.” This cheap malware can be purchased via underground forums and infects systems through one or more security vulnerabilities in a web browser or plug-in like Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader or Java.

Once infected, the target system becomes locked and users are presented with a bogus region-specific message about why the system is locked and how they can regain control. The ransomware is currently targeting systems in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK.

The UK variety tells the user that illegally downloaded music has been detected on their machine and attempts to incite fear by highlighting penalties that could result from such material. In this example, users are urged to use PaySafe to transfer £50 ($80) to unlock the computer.

Once complete, the system is “unlocked” and unsuspecting users are none the wiser. But in addition to the ransom, this kit installs another piece of malware called Aldi Bot that is used to steal login credentials as well as initiate DDoS attacks.

The malware author is suspected to be of Russian descent since all of the domain names point to a Russian web provider.

As always, the best defense against drive-by attacks is to keep your browser, plug-ins and anti-virus protection up to date.

LG Elec to launch Google TV in U.S. in late May

LG Electronics Inc the world's No.2 TV maker, plans to launch Internet-enabled TV based on Google's platform in the United States in the week of May 21, as the South Korean firm seeks to gain a larger share of the emerging Internet TV market, a senior LG executive said on Monday.

The move reflects an aggressive push by the duo to defend against a potential threat from Apple Inc which reshaped the handset market with its iPhone smartphone and is widely expected to unveil a full-fledged TV product later this year or early next year.

"Production of Google TVs will start from May 17 from our factory in Mexico and U.S. consumers will be able to buy the product from the week of May 21," Ro Seogho, executive vice president of LG's TV business unit, told a small group of reporters.

Google TV allows viewers to access Google services such as searches and YouTube videos on their television screens.

Ro said LG will decide whether to expand the offering to Europe and Asia after reviewing sales performance in the U.S. market.

LG gave no shipment target or details of prices or screen sizes.

Research firm IHS iSuppli estimates the global Internet-enabled TV market will grow nearly 60 percent this year to 95 million sets, far outpacing the TV market overall, which is expected to expand by just 2 percent.

The second version of Internet TV by Google, which hopes to replicate the success of its Android mobile software in the TV market, comes after its previous model, unveiled in 2010, failed to catch on with consumers.

Google's attempt to capture the living room audience has seen limited success so far due to a lack of web content or support from hardware manufacturers.

TV manufacturers from LG to its bigger rival Samsung Electronics Co have their own Internet-enabling TV platforms and are aggressively pushing their own technologies, along with Google TV, to gain the initiative and prop up margins with high-end products amid growing competition from low-cost producers.

LG plans to fit around 60 percent of its TVs with its own NetCast platform installed, to allow viewers access to the Internet, social networking and online games as well as LG's own TV applications.

LG saw its TV division's profit margin rising sharply to above 4 percent in the first quarter, helped by strong sales of high-end models such as 3D TVs and Internet-enabled sets, just when Sony Corp, Panasonic Corp and Sharp Corp expect to have lost a combined $21 billion in the business year that ended on March 31.

LG doubled its share of the 3D TV market to 15.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 from earlier in the year, helped by cheaper and lighter 3D glasses that do not require the batteries and switches used in conventional 3D sets made by Samsung, Sony and others.

Sony's share of the 3D TV market tumbled to 13 percent in the October-December quarter from 34.6 percent in January-March quarter of last year, according to DisplaySearch.

LG hopes to further steal a march on its rivals by bringing forward the launch of a 55-inch flat-screen TV using next-generation technology, raising the stakes in a cutthroat battle for the living room between Asia's top tech powerhouses.

GOOGLE AMBITIONS

Google has long held ambitions in the television arena, hoping to extend its online advertising business to the big screens that still command the lion's share of global advertising budgets, and to make the best use of its ownership of YouTube, the world's most popular online video site.

But Logitech International, one of Google's initial partners that developed a set-top box offering the service, said late last year it had lost tens of millions of dollars building set-top boxes for Google devices due to weak sales.

An LG official said retailers' responses to the latest Google TV were positive.

Samsung Galaxy S III: Everything You Need to Know

     After all of the rumors and speculation, the Samsung Galaxy S III is finally here but you probably have a few questions about this new Android phone.

     Samsung is the master of flash and flare at its press conferences, but we’re here to help you get to the nitty gritty of why you should care about this phone. The Galaxy S III will go on sale in Europe on May 23. No official word yet on a U.S. launch, but it could come this summer.

Can the S III Really Follow Your Every Move?

     The Samsung S III really wants to be your new best friend--your new psychic best friend. According to Samsung’s somewhat creepy commercial (shown below), the S III “follows your every move.” Scared yet?

     In reality, the Samsung S III can do things like predict when you want the screen awake by using the front-facing camera to monitor your eyes. If you’re watching a movie on your phone and happen to fall asleep, the phone’s display will turn off.

     The S III also has a feature called S Voice, which is a customized voice-recognition system. Hmm, sound familiar? Like Apple’s Siri, S Voice can recognize a variety of commands. For example, you can say “snooze” when your alarm goes off and buy yourself a little more sleeping time. You can also say “direct call” and ring somebody while you’re in the middle of a text. You can also control the volume of your music, organize your calendar, and launch the camera via voice commands.

     However, there's no word, so far, on whether S Voice works with third-party applications. S Voice works with eight different languages, including British English and American English. A few of my friends from across the pond have complained about Siri’s difficulty in understanding them so I guess this is good news there.

Is It Quad-Core Powered?

     Samsung confirmed before today’s announcement that the Galaxy S III phones will be powered by the company’s own quad-core 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor. Oddly, however, the processor specs were not in the press materials we received today. I have a suspicion that the Samsung quad-core processor is not compatible with U.S. LTE networks. If true, we might see a different processor on the S III phones in the United States. Samsung would not comment on what sort of processor the U.S. versions will have when I asked.

     HTC pulled a similar trick with the One X. The global version runs on an NVidia Tegra 3 processor, while the U.S. phone uses a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. NVidia’s quad-core processor was not yet compatible with AT&T’s LTE network at the time of the One X’s manufacture. In our benchmarks, however, the U.S. version of the One X did quite well despite having fewer cores.

When Will the S III Come to the United States?

     According to our sources at Samsung, the 4G (HSPA+/LTE) versions of the S III will come to North America this summer. Samsung said it will optimize the phones for the LTE and HSPA+ networks. Timing, pricing, or carrier partners have not yet been announced.

What is the Deal with the New Sharing Apps?

     Samsung made a big deal about the ease of sharing from the S III, but from what I can tell, it looks like you can only share from your S III to another. Samsung has enhanced Android Beam, which allows large files to be transferred between phones quickly. Now called S Beam, you can share music, photos, and up to 1GB of video from your S III to your buddy’s S III.

     To help you understand, here's how Android Beam works on the Galaxy Nexus.

     Samsung also enhanced its DLNA service for sharing content from your phone to your TV. AllShare Cast lets you wirelessly connect your Galaxy S III to your TV, tablet, or PC and share files over WiFi. However, you’ll have to buy the separate All Cast Hub accessory in order to use this feature (see the Accessories question below)

What is an HD Super AMOLED display?

     The 3.4-inch-thick S III has a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a 1280-pixel by 720-pixel resolution. This is the same display technology we saw on the Galaxy Nexus. The Galaxy S II had Super AMOLED Plus, which is actually based on a PenTile pixel structure in which pixels share subpixels.

     The Galaxy S II phones, on the other hand, have full RGB displays in which the pixels have their own subpixels. This means that HD Super AMOLED displays have lower overall subpixel density, which could translate to reduced sharpness and degraded color accuracy.

     When we compared the Galaxy Nexus to the Galaxy S II, however, we didn’t notice a huge difference in display quality. The only quality different we detected was color accuracy, especially with whites (they appeared to have a yellowish tint). I have yet to see the Galaxy SIII up close and personal, so I’m not sure if it suffers from this same issue

     One cool thing is that despite the Galaxy S III having a larger display than its predecessor (4.8 inches versus 4.3/4.5 inches), it isn’t much bigger. There’s very little bezel around the phone as the display takes full advantage of the hardware real estate.

Will Battery Life Really Improve?

     Battery life is the bane of every tech user. Samsung claims that it won’t be an issue with the S III as it has a larger 2100mAh battery. For comparison, the Galaxy S II has a 1560mAh battery, while the Galaxy Nexus has a 1750mAh battery. The granddaddy of phones with long battery life, the Droid Razr Maxx, has a 3300mAH battery.

     I fear that Samsung’s all-seeing front-facing camera might put a strain on the battery life, however. Also, phone manufacturers still haven’t worked out all the kinks with battery conservation on LTE networks. Battery life will depend on what sort of processor Samsung is packing into its S III phones for the United States and, as we’ve learned, this is still very much up in the air.

Is the Camera Any Good?

     The Samsung Galaxy phones have always performed quite well in our PCWorld Test Center camera subjective tests. While I haven’t personally gotten my hands on the Galaxy S III’s 8-megapixel camera, I can tell you a little bit about its new features.

     According to Samsung, the Galaxy S III will have zero shutter lag. The company also claims that the camera will start in “less than one second.” The S III will also have a burst-shot mode, a feature we saw on HTC’s One phones.

     The S III camera also will have a feature called “Best Photo,” which will automatically select your best photos out of a series of eight photos taken in succession. But do you really want your phone to be your photo assistant?

What About Accessories?

Samsung Galaxy Note S Pen     Samsung announced a slew of accessories, including a C Pen stylus (which seems pretty similar to the S Pen on the Galaxy Note), an AllShare Cast Hub for wireless streaming, a docking station for your desk, a wireless charger, a car kit, and an HDMI adapter.

     Samsung also announced the S Pebble “music companion” MP3 player. Why does this accessory look so familiar? Oh yes, in 2009, I reviewed the Samsung Pebble MP3 player which looks strikingly similar to the S Pebble.

Is the Galaxy Nexus Outdated Now?

Samsung Galaxy Nexus     No, relax. It might not have as many cores as the S III, and the display might be a little smaller, but don’t feel bad if you just walked out of the store with a brand new Galaxy Nexus. Your Galaxy Nexus is still an excellent, current phone and offers something the Galaxy S III does not: A pure, untouched Android experience.

There is nothing like seeing and feeling the Gadget for yourself!! So just wait until May 29th!!

An Article by Ginny Mies PC World. Brought to you by Tech Strip.

Latest on Google Glasses with Virtual and Augmented Reality

     

     As per many reports, Google is expected to start selling eyeglasses that will project information, entertainment and, this being a Google product, advertisements onto the lenses. These glasses will have the combined features of virtual reality and augmented reality. 

    

       The Google Glasses can use a 4G cell connection to pull in information from Google’s mountain of data and display info about the real world in augmented reality on the lens in front of your eye. 

     As you turn your head you’ll get information about your surroundings and nearby objects from Google Goggles, info on buildings and establishments from Google Maps, even your friends’ nearby check-ins from Latitude. The company has no plans to sell ads into your newly augmented view of the world, but will consider it if the product really catches on.

       The glasses are not being designed to be worn constantly — although Google engineers expect some users will wear them a lot — but will be more like smartphones, used when needed, with the lenses serving as a kind of see-through computer monitor.

     Google glasses are basically wearable computers, that will use the same Android software that powers Android smartphones and tablets. Like smartphones and tablets, the glasses will be equipped with GPS and motion sensors. They will also contain a camera and audio inputs and outputs.

       Several people who have seen the glasses, but who are not allowed to speak publicly about them, said that the location information was a major feature of the glasses. Through the built-in camera on the glasses, Google will be able to stream images to its rack computers and return augmented reality information to the person wearing them. 

       For instance, a person looking at a landmark could see detailed historical information and comments about it left by friends. If facial recognition software becomes accurate enough, the glasses could remind a wearer of when and how he met the vaguely familiar person standing in front of him at a party. They might also be used for virtual reality games that use the real world as the playground. The expectation is that we will get a really cool demonstration of this technology at Google I/O in June.