Google Offers 2TB Free Storage; Adds 'Insert From Drive' to Gmail Android App

Google Offers 2TB Free Storage; Adds 'Insert From Drive' to Gmail Android App

Hitesh Arora

NDTV

Google has teamed up with a startup called Panzura to offer 2TB of free cloud storage for 12 months. In order to access free storage, users will have to install cloud gateway software from Panzura first.

The only catch here is that Google offer covers access only from one location using Panzura, but if users need to access their cloud storage from multiple locations, they'll have to pay Panzura, but Google still won't charge anything.

"This is a way for customers to try something new, especially if they have had some kind of aversion to using the cloud in the past," said Chris Rimer, Global Head of Partners for Google Cloud Platform, toldWSJ.

In March, Google had lowered the prices of paid plans of its Drive cloud storage service.

It is now charging $1.99 (Rs. 120 approximately) per month for 100GB storage from $4.99 per month previously, $9.99 (Rs. 600 approximately) per month for 1TB storage (previously $49.99), and $99.99 (Rs. 6,000 approximately) for 10TB storage.

Amazon on the other hand offers 1TB of storage at $120 (Rs. 7,100 approximately) per year, while 100GB OneDrive storage by Microsoft costs $50 (Rs. 3,000 approximately) per year. Dropboxcharges $9.99 (Rs. 600 approximately) a month - or $99 (Rs. 6,000 approximately) a year if paid annually - for 100GB of storage.

Panzura, a California-based storage company which used to sell its cloud gateway software, has also started offering it free of charge from Wednesday. The company is also known to help Amazon and Microsoft data centres to store data remotely and provides tools to access it with their existing software programs.

"Our hope with providing cloud gateways for free is to help people understand that the real value of cloud storage is acting as a collaborative fabric for cross-office collaboration and not as a cheap digital attic," said Barry Phillips, Chief Marketing Officer, Panzura

Google on the other hand has also added feature to insert Google Drive files directly into Gmail messages on Android devices. It will also ask users to share a file with recipient if it's not shared already and will offer an option to change file sharing settings. The option, called Insert from Drive, comes with another update to the Gmail app for Android, namely improved autocomplete suggestions for contacts.

The company noted on a Google+ post that "these features will be rolling out over the next few days" to its Gmail app. Those who can't wait for the roll-out, can get the update Gmail v4.9 app from Android Police which has the signed apk from Google.

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Sony Xperia E1 Dual

Sony Xperia E1 Dual

NDTV

1. The Sony Xperia E1 Dual has a 4-inch 480x800-pixel screen

2. The Sony Xperia E1 Dual is based on a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor with 512MB of RAM.

3. The Sony Xperia E1 Dual has a 3.15-megapixel rear camera and no flash.

4. The Sony Xperia E1 Dual supports Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.

5. A large speaker grille stretches across most of the device's lower back.

6. The Sony Xperia E1 Dual runs Android 4.3 and has on-screen navigation buttons

7. The rear cover of the Sony Xperia E1 Dual pops off to reveal the 1700mAh battery and microSD card slot

8. The two SIM card slots are beneath the battery. The Sony Xperia E1 Dual supports 3G data on both SIMs.

9. The Sony Xperia E1 Dual does not have a front camera

10. The power button and volume rocker are on the right edge, as is the case with all current Sony smartphones

11. The 3.5mm headset jack and dedicated Walkman button are on the top.

12. The microUSB port for charging and data transfer is on the upper left edge.

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The world's first indoor city: a mashup of London and New York

The world's first indoor city: a mashup of London and New York

Oliver Wainwright, Guardian News

For the desert city-state that has the tallest building in the world, as well as the biggest flower garden and largest aquarium on the planet, plus islands shaped like palm trees, buildings in the shape of sails, and an entire archipelago shaped like the world itself, there was only one obvious next step: building an entire city indoors.

Unveiled this week, the Mall of the World is a vision for a climate-controlled leisure district, a place of hotels and shops, entertainment and healthcare, all connected by hermetically sealed avenues – 7km of them – along which trams will trundle.

Launched with a fanfare by the emirate's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, it is the first state-sponsored mega-project to emerge from Dubai since the light-headed days of the pre-crash bubble, when anything seemed possible, drunk on the tidal wave of petrodollars. After years of stalled cranes, sinking islands and litigious wrangling, the big plans are back – and they are more ambitious than ever before.

"We plan to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist and economic hub for the two billion people living in the region around us," said Sheikh Mohammed as he launched the project in front of a sparkling model of the 48 million sq ft (4.5 million sq m) complex. "And we are determined to achieve our vision."

A kind of pick'n'mix urban collage, the project samples bits of cities from around the world with gay abandon. There will be a "celebration walk" modelled on Barcelona's Las Ramblas, a bustling billboard-lined theatre district modelled on New York's Broadway, and a shopping area based on London's Oxford Street – all sealed under snaking bubble rooftops.

There will be 20,000 hotel rooms and enough parking for 50,000 vehicles, servicing the largest shopping mall in the world, at 8 million sq ft (750,000 sq m).

The centrepiece will be a vast "cultural celebration centre," shaped like a disco ball sliced in half and hollowed out to form a glittering backdrop to an outdoor amphitheatre. It will lead, via a triumphal covered avenue lined with spear-like towers, to a retractable glass

dome worthy of Kubla Khan, beneath which will sprawl the "largest indoor theme park in the world." A place of fairytale castles and tumbling waterfalls, it will be protected from the blistering 40C heat in summer like the rest of the complex, and open up in winter to enjoy the balmy climate.

"Our ambitions are higher than having seasonal tourism," said Sheikh Mohammed. "Tourism is a key driver of our economy, and we aim to make the UAE an attractive destination all year long. This is why we will start working on providing pleasant temperature-controlled environments during the summer months."

The project also seeks to capitalise on the Gulf's booming industry of healthcare tourism, with a 3 million sq ft (280,000 sq m) "wellness district," so you can shop till you drop, then pop in for a quick facelift. It follows the success of Dubai Healthcare City, a free economic zone home to 120 clinics and hospitals, at the centre of the state's plan to attract 500,000 medical tourists by 2020.

No timeframe or budget has yet been announced for the Mall of the World, but Dubai Holding, the state-owned development company behind the project, hopes it will be the emirate's main focus at the UAE World Expo trade fair in 2020. Dubai Holding is no stranger to dreaming big – but it hasn't always had an easy ride. Back in 2003, the company launched an ambitious plan for Dubailand, a gargantuan $64bn (£37bn) leisure district, planned to cover an area of 278 sq km, making it three times bigger than Walt Disney World. Slated to house 200 attractions, from a giant Legoland to a Marvel superheroes theme park, it was put on hold in 2008 – although cranes are once again moving and the first phase, the Miracle Garden, opened last year.

With a recent Deloitte report suggesting that $12bn of the UAE's stalled construction projects are back on track, spurred on by the new deadline of the 2020 Expo, Sheikh Mohammed's stately pleasure-dome might be more than just a mirage in the desert.

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For the Traveling Foodie, Here Is Sushi Luggage

For the Traveling Foodie, Here Is Sushi Luggage

John Metcalfe, CityLab

Want to fly in style while at the same time having hungry, deliriously sleep-deprived travelers gnawing at your luggage? Then grab hold of these toothsome totes, which are designed to look like shrimp, tuna, and other pieces of nigiri sushi.

The "Traveling Sushi Bag Covers" are skins that slip over your suitcase to transform it into a seemingly gargantuan block of raw fish and rice. Available for about $30 online, the items are made from 100 percent polyester that, according to Google Translate, "supports a little water and dust. I will protect your trunk!" They come in four styles: The aforementioned shrimp and tuna, plus salmon and the deliciously sweet omelet tamago.

Appropriately, it was the Japanese culture blog Spoon and Tamago that helped unearth this bizarre item from the bowels of the Internet. Writes blogger Johnny, a dreamer at heart:

An extra bonus of the nylon sushi covers: If enough people start using them, the baggage claim area at airports will turn into one gigantic kaiten-zushi , the conveyor belt sushi shops where people pick and choose the sushi as it moves by in front of them. Now wouldn’t that be a sight!

Just in case you're unclear, the vendor of these curious items notes that the "suitcase is not edible."

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Microsoft says cybercrime bust frees 4.7 mln infected PCs

Microsoft says cybercrime bust frees 4.7 mln infected PCs

By Jim Finkle

Reuters 

BOSTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said it has freed at least 4.7 million infected personal computers from control of cyber crooks in its most successful digital crime-busting operation, which interrupted service at an Internet-services firm last week.

The world's largest software maker has also identified at least another 4.7 million infected machines, though many are likely still controlled by cyber fraudsters, Microsoft's cybercrime-fighting Digital Crimes Unit said on Thursday.

India, followed by Pakistan, Egypt, Brazil, Algeria and Mexico have the largest number of infected machines, in the first high-profile case involving malware developed outside Eastern Europe.

Richard Domingues Boscovich, assistant general counsel of the unit, said Microsoft would quickly provide government authorities and Internet service providers around the world with the IP addresses of infected machines so they can help users remove the viruses.

"Those victims are currently not aware they are infected," Boscovich said in an interview.
The operation is the most successful of the 10 launched to date by Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit, based on the number of infected machines identified, Boscovich said.

Microsoft located the compromised PCs by intercepting traffic headed to servers at Reno, Nevada-based Vitalwerks Internet Solutions, which the software maker said criminals used to communicate with compromised PCs through free accounts on its No-IP.com services.

Vitalwerks criticized the way Microsoft handled the operation, saying some 1.8 million of its users lost service for several days. The Internet services firm said that it would have been glad to help Microsoft, without interrupting service to legitimate users.
Microsoft has apologized, blaming "a technical error" for the disruption, saying service to customers has been restored.[ID:L2N0PK1R4]

The operation, which began on June 30 under a federal court order, targeted malicious software known as Bladabindi and Jenxcus, which Microsoft said work in similar ways and were written and distributed by developers in Kuwait and Algeria.

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PC shipments appear to flatten out after two years of steep decline

PC shipments appear to flatten out after two years of steep decline

Terrence O'Brien

Engadget 

Both Gartner and IDC appear to have some good news for the PC industry -- the seemingly never-ending death spiral may have come to an end. While the two research groups don't agree completely on the numbers, it does appear that after two years of stead and sizable declines, the PC industry is seeing shipments flatten out. In total, according to Gartner, 75.8 million computers were shipped in the second quarter of 2014, a negligible 0.1 percent drop from the same quarter a year ago. While IDC saw a much more sizable 1.7 percent fall in PC shipments, that's still a far cry from the 7.1 percent decline it anticipated and the smallest it's measured in two years.
Two years ago the netbook market imploded and tablets started eating into laptop sales. Since then shipments of traditional computers have been falling at an alarming rate. IDC doesn't necessarily expect this to indicate a longer term trend towards flat PC sales. Basically, the worst may not be over yet. Despite impressive growth from major players like Dell, HP and Lenovo smaller companies are still seeing tremendous drop off. And the declines are particularly steep in markets like India where the most potential for growth is. Instead the improvements during the quarter were carried primarily by the US and Western Europe, which might not be able to keep the industry from declining further in the long run.

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Giant rollable TVs on the horizon

Giant rollable TVs on the horizon

BBC News 

LG has announced the release of two new paper-thin TV panels, with one that is so flexible it can be rolled into a 3cm diameter tube.

The company stated it is confident it will produce a 60in (152cm) Ultra HD rollable TV by 2017.
LG unveiled one of its first flexible TVs at CES - a global consumer electronics and technology trade show - earlier this year.

Experts say flexible screens could see TVs used in more creative ways.
The new flexible panel has a resolution of 1,200x810, which is left undistorted even after it has been rolled into a 3cm cylinder.

LG says the flexibility was achieved thanks to using a backplane made of "high molecular substance-based polyimide film" instead of plastic.

The second panel is transparent and is said to greatly surpass earlier models, with the company boasting of a significant reduction in hazy images and a 30% increase in transmittance, which is responsible for the screen's transparent effect.

The company has claimed its new screens prove they are on track for much larger, Ultra HD-capable flexible screens in the near future, asserting they are "confident" they can deliver a 60in rollable panel by 2017.

"Flexible screens are an exciting prospect. First off, they're far more durable than conventional screens, meaning that we can expect to see bigger, better screens in, for example, aeroplanes," said Stephen Graves, online deputy editor at Stuff.tv.

"They also create the potential for some completely new gadget designs. Imagine a 10in (25cm) iPad that you can fold out into a 16in (40cm) screen - effectively doubling up as a small desktop computer or TV monitor."
Jeremy White, product editor of Wired magazine said that these new screens would be ideal for retail or exhibition display.

"Being able to curve screens around complex retail display units or using the transparency to have the screen envelop the product itself on a stand would certainly be eye-catching.
"And of course this is all leading to flexible tablets as well, which will possibly be the most useful application of flexible screens to the average consumer."

Evan Kypreos, editor of TrustedReviews, said that rollable TVs could be produced by 2017 but warned they'd cost far too much for the average consumer.

"If you've got the cash to splash then a rollable TV could create an experience similar to owning a projector, where you can easily hide away the screen when not in use, but without the noise and complexity of an actual projector.

"Instead of 60in-plus TV screens I think the more interesting application of this tech could be in wearables. Curved screen smartwatches with a whole wrist screen are an obvious example."

Earlier this year LG unveiled a 77in flexible 4K OLED TV with a controllable curve, however this is not yet available and it is not known when it is likely to go on sale.

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Aereo, The Company Without A Plan B, Finds A Plan C

Aereo, The Company Without A Plan B, Finds A Plan C

Cat Zakrzewski

TechCrunch 

When Aereo was deemed illegal by the Supreme Court and paused its service last month, it seemed as if the TV streaming service was out of options.

But on Wednesday Aereo lawyers filed a letter with a New York district court indicating that the company now considers itself a cable provider. It now believes that it should not have to stop its services because — if it can obtain a license — it is entitled to the same protections under the law as other cable providers paying royalty fees.

The letter comes a week after CEO Chet Kanojia called on subscribers to petition lawmakers to change existing copyright laws. That makes it the backup, backup plan for the company that said it would be finished if the Supreme Court did not rule in its favor.

When the Supreme Court handed its ruling down in favor of the broadcasting companies in June, it largely based its decision on the idea that the company was equivalent to service provided by a traditional cable provider, not merely an equipment provider. Aereo is now trying to use that ruling to its advantage.

“The Supreme Court’s holding that Aereo is a cable system under the Copyright Act is significant because, as a cable system, Aereo is now entitled to the benefits of the copyright statutory license pursuant to the Copyright Act,” the company’s lawyers said in their letter to the lower court’s judge. “Aereo is proceeding to file the necessary statements of account and royalty fees.”

The broadcasters, however, say Aereo can’t qualify for this defense because of its past statements before both the Supreme Court and the lower court that it was not a cable provider.

Aereo also argues that even if the lower court did not view the company as a cable provider, it should still limit the “scope” of any injunction it places on the service because the Supreme Court ruled “Aereo only publicly performs when its technology allows near simultaneous transmission of over the air television broadcasts to its users.” Currently Aereo only faces a preliminary injunction, but it suspended its service voluntarily.

Aereo’s lawyers wrote the Supreme Court affirmed “non-simultaneous playback from copies created by consumers.” Perhaps if the service can’t continue in its current form, we could see the company continue with options for users to playback TV shows later.

Kanojia sent subscribers a copy of the lawyers’ letter in an email Wednesday.

Although it’s not clear if Aereo will continue in its original form as a cable provider or adapt its offerings to some sort of playback service, today’s action shows the company is not ready to give up yet.

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LG and Microsoft working together on Windows Phone 8.1, Threshold... and TV

LG and Microsoft working together on Windows Phone 8.1, Threshold... and TV

by Andy Weir

Neowin 

Back in February, Microsoft announced that it had signed up nine new hardware partners to Windows Phone, including a couple of brands that were returning to the platform, ZTE and LG. Later the same day, however, LG said that it had no firm plans to release any Windows Phones in the near future, and that it didn't even have any WP handsets on its product roadmap.

Then in May, a render made its way online which, it was claimed, was LG's first new Windows Phone since it quit the platform during the WP7 days. But the company quickly distanced itself from the 'Uni 8', as it was supposedly called, saying that it "isn't a phone that we're going to see released this year" - not exactly a complete denial, and perhaps leaving room for a release in 2015.

While other manufacturers new to Windows Phone have been quick to announce, or at least tease, their new handsets, LG's silence has been deafening, and has led some to conclude that the company has been quietly retreating from the platform before it even returns. But it seems that LG may in fact have just been playing its cards close to its chest.

@h0x0d tweeted a reference to the LinkedIn profile of Joong-Young Lee, a Microsoft Program Manager who has been working at the company since 1997. The profile states that some of the employee's duties at Microsoft Korea have included "OEM PM [project management] work with LG, PC, Phone, TV on Windows Threshold & Windows Phone Blue".

Now, those of you who have been paying attention in recent weeks and months will know that 'Threshold' refers to the next major release of Windows, which may be known as Windows 9 when it launches next year. 'Windows Phone Blue' was the development codename for what became known as WP8.1.
There are a few things worth noting here:

• LG has been working on development of Windows Phone 8.1 devices. Whether or not those devices will be released this year - or if we will have to wait until next year instead - remains unknown, but for those who believed that LG had no interest in the platform, this appears to prove otherwise.
• Microsoft is already working with its hardware partners on Threshold. Given that we're now less than a year away from its launch, this isn't entirely surprising, but it is reassuring to see that LG is apparently committed to sticking with Windows for the foreseeable future.
• Microsoft has been working with LG on something related to TV. Now, this is a bit more intriguing, given that Microsoft doesn't currently have a TV-focused product like, say, Android TV or Apple TV. All of its TV-related efforts currently remain focused around Xbox, so it's certainly interesting to see "TV" and "Windows Threshold" mentioned alongside each other. Whether or not Microsoft has broader plans for a new TV-focused product remain to be seen - there were once rumours of a low-cost 'Xbox TV' device, which has so far failed to materialise 'Xbox TV' device, which has so far failed to materialise.

It's also worth pointing out that the LinkedIn posting itself appears legitimate, with endorsements from current Samsung director and former Microsoft director and program manager Daniel NK Lee, so there's no obvious reason to believe that the job descriptions on Joong-Young Lee's profile are anything but accurate and genuine.
Unfortunately, the profile raises more questions than it answers, but there's certainly plenty of interesting detail to consider while we continue to dig for more information. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we learn more about both LG's and Microsoft's plans for the Windows platform.

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iPhone 6 Said to Feature New Haptic Feedback Tech; Display Stress-Tested Again

iPhone 6 Said to Feature New Haptic Feedback Tech; Display Stress-Tested Again

by Ketan Pratap

NDTV

There is a lot of excitement about Apple's next-generation iPhone, expected to be called the iPhone 6, with numerous leaks pouring in recent times. Earlier on Wednesday, of high-quality images surfaced online showing the purported rear shell of the iPhone 6 model.

Now, a new report from China hints that Apple will introduce a new haptic feedback technology in the iPhone 6, which has been long-rumoured to come in two display size variants, 4.7 and 5.5-inch. The 5.5-inch model, based on previous leaks, is expected to be called the iPhone Air.

The Chinese report, first picked up by G4Games, claims that the new tactile feedback linear motor rumoured to debut on the next iPhone is more 'intelligent' and can emit various types of vibrations depending on the pressed touchscreen area. Notably, the report also suggested that the new haptic motor being used on the new iPhone model will be about two to three times more expensive than the one used in the current generation iPhone 5s.

In addition, a new video showing front panel stress test of the alleged iPhone 6 model, re-posted by Nowhereelse, has surfaced online. The video, much like the sapphire display scratch test video leakedon Tuesday, tests the front panel or rather the sapphire display of the alleged iPhone 6 in extreme conditions. The video shows that the alleged iPhone 6's front panel easily passes various tests against a hammer, nails and even a flexibility test (when bent to an extreme level), but cracks when placed under a car's tyre.

Earlier reports claimed that the alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 moel would pack a battery capacity between 1800mAh and 1900mAh, while the larger 5.5-inch version iPhone 6 model will pack a 2500mAh battery. Another report suggested that the next iPhone might be able to measure temperature, air pressure, and altitude with the addition of a barometer sensor in the handset.

There have also been multiple reports claiming that Apple will use a sapphire display for the next generation iPhone handsets. While this may turn out to be true, not everyone is convinced of themerits of a sapphire display, with Corning, the makers of the Gorilla Glass screen for smartphones, tablets and laptops, claiming that its own screens were much cheaper and stronger than sapphire.

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Microsoft CEO Nadella Tips Wide Changes in Memo; Commits to Xbox Development

Microsoft CEO Nadella Tips Wide Changes in Memo; Commits to Xbox Development:

Reuters

Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Satya Nadella deferred any comment on widely expected job cuts at the software company on Thursday, after circulating a memo to employees promising to "flatten the organization and develop leaner business processes."

Nadella said he would address detailed organizational and financial issues for the company's new financial year, which started at the beginning of this month, when Microsoft reports quarterly earnings on July 22.

"There will be many opportunities for me to talk more about our specific fiscal plans on the 22nd," Nadella said in a telephone interview

Since absorbing the handset business of Nokia this spring, Microsoft has 127,000 employees, far more than rivals Apple Inc and Google Inc. Wall Street is expecting Nadella to make some cuts, which would represent Microsoft's first major layoffs since 2009.

"With recent chatter on the Street about potential head count reductions at Microsoft it was important for Nadella to be visible and set an optimistic tone heading into the next few months, especially on the heels of the Nokia integration," said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets.

In a 3,105-word memo sent to employees on Friday and posted on Microsoft's website, Nadella set out his vision for the company five months after taking over as CEO from Steve Ballmer.

Most noticeably he described Microsoft as a "productivity and platform company" focused on mobile and cloud computing, a subtle advance on Ballmer's reinvention of Microsoft as a "devices and services" company, which could signal less emphasis on manufacturing devices.

Nadella did not go into detail about specific changes he planned for Microsoft, but signalled that change was needed.

"Nothing is off the table in how we think about shifting our culture to deliver on this core strategy," Nadella wrote in the memo.

Nadella wrote that he had asked his senior leaders to "evaluate opportunities to advance their innovation processes and simplify their operations and how they work."

He did not discuss in great detail individual businesses, but did say he was committed to developing the Xbox gaming platform, pouring water on persistent talk that the unit might be spun off.

He did not address the unprofitable Bing search engine directly in the memo - which some investors have called for Microsoft to ditch - but did not indicate that he was thinking of backing away from it in an interview.

"To me, Bing is a much more core productivity technology, it's task completion in its essence," Nadella told Reuters. "That's one of the reasons why internally we get that a lot more than externally."

Microsoft shares rose slightly to $41.90 on Nasdaq, and are up 12 percent year to date on the back of renewed confidence in the company under Nadella's leadership. The stock hit a 14-year high last month, the highest since the tech-stock bubble of 2000.

© Thomson Reuters 2014

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Apple Targets Rising Water Use, Production Partners' Emissions

Apple Targets Rising Water Use, Production Partners' Emissions

Reuters

Apple Inc acknowledged on Wednesday it needs to address manufacturing partners' carbon emissions and its own rising water consumption, though the iPhone maker said it had cut back sharply on greenhouse gas output.

Apple last year hired former Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson to push cleaner initiatives, amid past criticism over its emissions and use of toxic materials. Observers say it has improved its practices and earned better scores from groups such as Greenpeace

On Wednesday, Apple released its 2014 environmental responsibility report, saying investments in renewable energy helped slash its carbon footprint from energy use by 31 percent from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2013. That's despite power consumption soaring 44 percent over the same period.

But the company, which is building its future main campus not far from its current base in Silicon Valley, said water usage had spiked as a result of general construction and expansion. It also blamed production partners for the largest portion of its carbon footprint, without naming them.

Foxconn and Pegatron in Asia are among the companies Apple contracts to build devices like the iPadand iPhone.

"Carbon emissions from our manufacturing partners remain the largest portion of our carbon footprint, an area we're committed to addressing," the company said in a blog post.

© Thomson Reuters 2014

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