Acer's trio of new tablets includes a $150 Windows slate

Acer's trio of new tablets includes a $150 Windows slate

Jamie Rigg

Engadget

Acer's taken more than apassing fancyto Chrome OS of late, but at this year's IFA, the company's showing a rekindled love for its affordable tablet range. Its first new slates since the beginning of the year come in two sizes, with the more portable 8-inch form factor also offering a choice of platform. The Iconia One Tab 8 runs Android 4.4 KitKat on a quad-core Intel Atom processor (the Z3735G, if you're interested), with an 8-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS display up front. Otherwise, it's got most of the standard features you'd expect on a tablet, like a pair of cameras and microSD slot for storage expansion. Now picture essentially the same hardware configuration, but instead running Windows 8.1 with Bing, and you've got the Iconia Tab 8 W. Successor to the Iconia W4, the Tab 8 W also boasts up to eight hours of battery life and one free year of Office 365. Whether you prefer Google or Microsoft's OS, both 8-inch slates will launch next month in Europe for €150, and in the US in November for $150.

For bigger appetites, Acer's also announced the Iconia Tab 10 today -- its first 10.1-inch tablet without a keyboard companion since last year's Iconia A3. Opting for a quad-core Mediatek processor running Android 4.4 KitKat, the full HD (1,920 x 1080) IPS display is lovingly covered with Corning Gorilla Glass. The larger slate also makes room for a micro-HDMI port to compliment the WiDi standard, and will be available this month for €199 in Europe and $199 in the US.

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Princess Diana's wedding dress to be given to sons

Princess Diana's wedding dress to be given to sons

WENN 

The bridal gown Princess Diana wore when she wed Britain's Prince Charles in 1981 is set to be handed over to the couple's sons William and Harry, 17 years after her tragic death.Diana stipulated in her will that the silk and taffeta lace dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, should be given to her boys once her youngest, Prince Harry, turns 30. He will reach the age milestone on 15 September (14).

The iconic outfit, which featured 10,000 pearls and boasted a 25-foot (7.62-metre) train, has been in the possession of the late princess' brother, Charles Spencer, since Diana lost her life in a car crash in Paris, France in 1997.

He previously used it as the centrepiece of the Spencer family museum at Althorp in Northamptonshire, England, where it remained on display for over 10 years from 1998.

It is not yet known what Princes William and Harry plan to do with the dress.

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Opera Mini for Windows Phone public beta goes live

NDTV

One of the most popular mobile web browser, Opera Mini is now available on Windows Phone platform. Though it took the developers a long time to finally develop an app for the increasing user base of Windows Phone OS but nevertheless its finally here.

Initially began as a research project at Telenor in 1994, Opera has more than 350 million users on all major desktop and mobile operating systems; including Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, Android, Symbian, Maemo, Bada, BlackBerry and Java devices.

Windows Phone platform is the latest addition, a note on Opera website reads:

We know we took a long time, but our test version is now available. Download it, try it and give us your feedback. We’ll listen and make improvements to give you the best browsing experience on your Windows Phone.

During the beta testing this application is not available in the Windows Phone Store, so head over to this link and sign up. Once you’ve confirmed your email address, you’ll be given the download link. It may take some time as we are still waiting for ours even after 3 hours.

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Gionee Elife S5.1 'World's Slimmest Smartphone' Images and Specs Leaked

NDTV

Gionee seems all set to launch its new 'slimmest smartphone in the world', dethroning its own current Elife S5.5 handset, if multiple Chinese reports and image leaks surrounding a handset named Elife S5.1 are to be given credence.

While we still wait for the official unveiling of Gionee's Elife S5.1, the smartphone has surfaced online in a bunch of images and the yet-to-be-announced handset's specifications have also been leaked ahead of the official launch.

Recently, Gionee teased what's expected to be world's new slimmest smartphone with a thickness of 5mm, the anticipated successor to the Gionee Elife S5.5 (Review |Pictures). Prior to this, a 5mm-thick Gionee handset was spotted at Tenaa, the China-equivalent of the FCC, with model name GN9005.

The unannounced Elife S5.1 has been leaked in multiple images by Chinese publicationCNMO, which show the smartphone in its full glory. The Elife S5.1 as seen in leaked images seems very much like its predecessor, the Elife S5.5.

As per the leaked specifications, posted by a website claiming to have gotten its hands on the device, Zol.com, the Elife S5.1 measures 139.8x67.4x5.15mm, and features a 4.8-inch HD AMOLED display, which is smaller than the Elife S5.5 that sports a 5-inch Super AMOLED full-HD display. Other listed specifications include 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8926) processor; Adreno 305 GPU; 1GB of RAM; Micro-SIM support; 8-megapixel rear camera; 5-megapixel front camera; 16GB inbuilt storage (non-expandable); 4G LTE support; 2100mAh battery, and Android 4.3 with Gionee's Amigo 2.0 interface laid on top.

In March, Gionee had launched the Elife S5.5 smartphone at Rs. 22,999 in India. Notably, the Elife S5.5 at present is the claimed to be the world's thinnest smartphone by Gionee, which beats the Vivo X3 at 5.75mm.

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iPhone 6 4.7-Inch Model With Working Display Leaked in Images: Report

NDTV

Apple's long-rumoured 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model has been leaked in a couple of fresh images, ahead of the company's expected launch of the device at its September 9 event next week.

The first of the leaked images purportedly shows the iPhone 6's 4.7-inch model with its screen turned on and displaying the iOS 8 lock screen. The other leaked image shows the rear of the handset with camera and LED flash sitting on top of the left edge panel. The leaked image also tips the presence of a protruding camera ring on the model, which goes in-line with some recent leaks.

Reports have been tipping that the protruding camera rings spotted on the iPhone 6models appear similar to the one seen on fifth-generation iPod touch, although it remains unclear what specific purpose the rings will serve on Apple's upcoming smartphone. The new leaked iPhone 6 images have been obtained by GSM Arena.

The new leaked images of the alleged iPhone 6 4.7-inch model further corroborate what's has been widely expected based on earlier leaks, that the next iPhone will come with curved edges and will be a major departure from the company's current industrial design on existing iPhone models. However, until officially revealed, it remains uncertain if Apple do away with its current straight-edge design seen on theiPhone 4, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s.

The next iPhone has for a while been rumoured to arrive in two display size variants - 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch - that both feature the iPod touch-inspired design; the Touch ID fingerprint sensor; the new Apple A8 SoC, and the long-awaited NFC connectivity. The new iPhone is also said to cost less than the previous generation, as well as feature higher resolution displays and bigger storage variants (up to 128GB). Of course, the iPhone 6 should ship with iOS 8.

Reports have been tipping that Apple's next iPhone would hit shelves on September 19, the traditional 10 days after the unveiling of the smartphone.

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Are The Janoskians Furious at One Direction?

Even though we thought there might be tension between One Direction and The Janoskians because of ariana grande but there might be another reason for some major drama! According to an interview with the Irish Independent, The Janoskians think that 1D stole their music.

Of course, we think they're just kidding — they tell a pretty far-fetched story about how One Direction stole "What Makes You Beautiful."

In fact, seems like they're just being their typical jokesters. Remember when Beau Brooks pretended to get put in a neck brace at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards? Fans were totally shocked, but it all turned out to be a prank. The Janoskians would totally mess with fans like this!

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Justin Bieber Arrested for Dangerous Driving

GETTY IMAGES

Justin was arrested in Canada for dangerous driving and assault while cruising around on an ATV.

According to Ontario police, the incident involved a crash between an ATV and a mini-van. After they collided, the drivers "engaged in a physical altercation." Thankfully, it doesn't sound like anyone was seriously injured, but it looks like Justin got involved in another tiff with the paparazzi. They were reportedly driving the mini-van.

Although Justin was arrested and released on Friday, he'll have to appear in court later this month. 

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Google starts quantum computing research project

Google starts quantum computing research project

Reuters

Google Inc said a research team led by physicist John Martinis from the University of California Santa Barbara will join the company to start a project to build new quantum information processors based on superconducting electronics.

The Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab is a collaboration between Google, NASA Ames Research Center and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) to study the application of quantum optimization related to artificial intelligence. (http://bit.ly/1nUUeJs)

"With an integrated hardware group, the Quantum AI team will now be able to implement and test new designs for quantum optimization and inference processors based on recent theoretical insights as well as our learnings from the D-Wave quantum annealing architecture," Google's director of engineering, Hartmut Neven, said on its research blog. (http://bit.ly/W8AUkk)

Google, which is working on projects including self-driving cars and robots, has become increasingly focused on artificial intelligence in recent years.

Earlier in January, Google acquired privately held artificial intelligence company DeepMind Technologies Ltd.

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Europol launches taskforce to fight world’s top cybercriminals

Europol launches taskforce to fight world’s top cybercriminals

Tom Brewster

The Guardian

Cybercrime experts from police forces around the world are coming together to form a new body, the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (J-CAT), aiming to tackle the smartest online criminals.
Andy Archibald, deputy head of the National Cyber Crime Unit with the UK’s National Crime Agency, has been placed in charge of the team, which will be based in the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol.

Cybercrime police from Austria, Canada, Colombia, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and the US have already committed to taking part in the six-month pilot for J-CAT.
The team will coordinate investigations into widespread threats, including viruses that steal banking logins, and high-profile criminals, such as those dealing hacker tools and selling personal data on underground forums.

As many as 18 individuals from the respective global law enforcement agencies will be relocated to the Hague where the EC3 is based. They will gather and share intelligence on cybercriminal activity before building cases, which will be presented to the J-CAT board headed by Archibald. That board will then decide on which cases to pursue.

Troels Oerting, head of the EC3, told the Guardian that J-CAT would be able to get investigations into “top-level criminals” moving far quicker than before. “It’s not a talk shop, it’s an operational entity. This has to lead to more arrests… we have already identified a number of good cases,” said Oerting.
“By having the member states here with access to the majority of their own intelligence and information at their fingertips, we will able to prioritise much earlier. They will be able to make a decision immediately to start an investigation.”

In a previous interview with the Guardian, Oerting expressed frustration at the lack of cooperation from Russia, a known hotbed of cybercriminal activity. He said today the task force would also seek to form ties with those in the Eastern Bloc, where much of today’s online crime originates.

“The majority of the crime we see now is Russian-speaking crime. That might not be Russian from the Federation of Russia… we need to have someone engaged at the other end doing something.”
As the recent investigations into the Cryptolocker and Gameover Zeus malware showed, tracking and arresting Russian cyber crooks has proven tricky. The alleged perpetrator, Evgeniy Bogachev, remains at large despite a global law enforcement effort to apprehend him.

“There are a number of countries that will still provide online criminals with a relatively safe haven. These may be countries which do not have any cybercrime laws in place, do not have the expertise and capabilities to deal with online criminals, where corruption enables online criminals to operate, or indeed where political motives prevent international cooperation from happening,” said Brian Honan, independent security consultant and founder of Ireland’s first Computer Emergency Response Team.

“But as more and more countries start to take online crime seriously and become more cooperative the number of these ‘safe havens’ should reduce also.”

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Why Apple Should Delay The iWatch To 2015 — Summed Up In One Word (AAPL)

Why Apple Should Delay The iWatch To 2015 — Summed Up In One Word (AAPL)

Dave Smith

Business Insider

 

According to Re/code, Apple’s first wearable device will be shown off at the company’s Sept. 9 event, but it won’t be available to purchase until 2015.

There’s one very good reason for that, and it can be summed up in one word: Apps.

When the iPhone first launched, many were skeptical of its high-end starting price of $500, particularly for an untested product with a measly 4 GB of storage space. Many are similarly skeptical of the iWatch's alleged $400 price tag.

That phone was a success anyway, but iPhone sales didn't really take off — or become the iPhone experience we’re all familiar with today — until the iPhone 3G, which was the first phone to ship with the iOS App Store.

The App Store, which first launched in an iTunes update in July 2008, answered the big unanswered question at the time: "What makes a smartphone so special?"

Third-party apps — software that allowed users to navigate their surroundings, order food, hail a cab, or read the news — made the iPhone into a monumental success. The iOS App Store inspired others like Google and Amazon to make their own stores, and the rest is history.

Well, Apple is ready to launch another untested product — but like the iPhone and iPad, it will take time for developers to grasp and build apps specifically for the new screen and interface.

If Apple launched the iWatch in October, as earlier reports said it would, developers would only have about 30-50 days to reconfigure their apps for the iWatch or build new apps from scratch. That's not a lot of time, especially since Apple will reportedly introduce two new iPhone screen sizes this year, which ought to send developers scrambling to optimize those apps.

By pushing the release of the iWatch to 2015, developers will have more time to build apps first for the new iPhones, and then for the iWatch, which is expected to be closely tied to the iPhone anyway. Of course, development for the iWatch will really open up once it's available to the public, so we might not see any boundary-pushing apps for some time. We’ll likely learn more about Apple's timetable for the wrist wearable on Sept. 9.

Nobody has seen Apple’s wearable device yet, but we have a good idea of what it can do. Based on iOS 8, the company’s forthcoming software release for mobile devices, Apple’s rumored wearable will be able to talk to the company’s other devices — like iPhones, Mac computers and Apple TV — but also be able to control home electronics, and accurately measure your health for the sake of preventative care, among other features.

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This university's library doesn't have a single paper book

This university's library doesn't have a single paper book

Dante D'Orazio

The Verge 

Bookless libraries aren't quite so far-fetched as they used to be. Florida Polytechnic University, opening for the first time this fall, features a $60 million, Santiago Calatrava-designed main building with a library that doesn't hold a single paper book within its walls. Instead, the library has space for reading, desks for doing work, and a number of desktops, laptops, and tablets readily available. It joins a small handful of universities that have opened such libraries in recent years. Instead of books, the library has a deal with publishers that lets students access a title once for free. If any other student "takes out" the ebook of that title, the library automatically purchases it for its collection.

Of course, print still has an extremely important place in education and libraries — Florida Polytechnic University is rather unique in that an all-digital library makes sense for its curriculum. The new university is entirely focused on STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and math degrees.

 Those programs have a much stronger focus on new material that's widely available digitally than a literature course, for instance. That doesn't mean there aren't any paper books available, however. The university has book lending programs with nearby university systems, and it has a collection of roughly 7,000 books it obtained from another recently-closed polytechnic university — though administrators still have to figure out what to do with the paper books.

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China gives Microsoft 20 days to provide explanation in anti-trust probe

China gives Microsoft 20 days to provide explanation in anti-trust probe

Reuters

BEIJING - A Chinese anti-trust regulator said on Monday it has given Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) 20 days to reply to queries on the compatability of its Windows operating system and Office software suite amid a probe into the world's largest software company.
The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) questioned Microsoft Vice President David Chen and gave the company a deadline to make an explanation, the agency said in a short statement on its website.
SAIC also repeated that it suspected the company has not fully disclosed issues relating to the compatability of the software and the operating system.
"[A] special investigation team conducted an anti-monopoly investigation inquiry with Microsoft Vice President Chen Shi (David Chen), and required that Microsoft make a written explanation within 20 days," the SAIC said in a statement on its website.
In a statement, Microsoft said it was "serious about complying with China's laws and committed to addressing SAIC's questions and concerns".
Microsoft is one of at least 30 foreign companies that have come under scrutiny by China's anti-monopoly regulators, as the government seeks to enforce its six-year old antitrust law. Critics say the law is being used to unfairly target overseas businesses, a charge the regulators deny.
Last month, a delegation from chipmaker Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O), led by company President Derek Aberle, met officials at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) as part of that regulator's investigation of the San Diego-based firm.
NDRC said earlier this year that the U.S. chipmaker is suspected of overcharging and abusing its market position in wireless communication standards.
Microsoft's Satya Nadella is expected to make his first visit to China as chief executive later this month.

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