3 ways to speed up your old smartphone

As smartphones age, they tend to slow down and lag too much while performing the simplest of tasks. But worry not, you can make your old gadget operate faster, just follow these three tips:

Updates
Firmware updates take care of lags, bugs, and other issues that you may not be aware of. Such issues crop up with reasonable frequency, so updating regularly will ensure the best performance for your phone.

Memory issues
Low internal memory might be the reason behind any severe lag that your phone is experiencing. Move your media (pictures, MP3 files, videos, and so forth) to the external memory, usually an SD card. Some low-end and mid-range smartphones might already have low internal memories, in which case, moving your files to the SD card won't help that much.

AppsThe application store of your phone, regardless of which OS it uses, will have plenty of apps that can help boost your phone's performance. Task managers help you monitor and close unnecessary processes. This frees up some RAM memory, and so, the phone will run faster. A good antivirus application will scan your phone for any possible viruses and malwares, which can also slow down your phone.

Want to check your password’s strength? Try this

Got a secure password? You may have to rethink! 

US software giant Microsoft has developed a new online tool that tells you how vulnerable your passwords may be, helping you choose better passwords in the future. 

The tool 'Telepasswords' tries to predict the next character of your passwords by using knowledge of: common passwords, such as those made public as a result of security breaches, common phrases and common password-selection behaviors. 

The new project from Microsoft Research has a simple premise: you start typing one of your favourite passwords in its little text box, and it tries to guess what the next character is. 

"To guess the next character you will type, we send the characters you have already typed to query our prediction engine. The prediction engine uses a database of common passwords and phrases that is too large for us send to your computer," the project website said. 

To measure how much of an effect Telepathwords has on your behaviour, the tool also sends and maintains a log of your mouse movements and the timings of when characters are added to or removed from your password. 

"This log does not contain the actual characters you type, but it does indicate whether each character was among those predicted by Telepathwords," the project website said. 

Telepathwords uses a log for research intended to increase its understanding of how users choose passwords and how to help them choose better passwords in the future.

Google's big YouTube goof-up

The comments section on YouTube is ackowledged to be a terrible place. Or, as humour site cracked.com puts it, "[It] is generally regarded as a black hole of intelligence in the space-time continuum of the internet." 

YouTube comments broadly fall into four groups: a small number of comments on the actual video in question; comments and arguments about religion; homophobic insults, and spam. To combat this issue - and to increase usage of Google Plus - the search provider made it mandatory for YouTube commenters to sign in with their Google Plus accounts before posting. The idea was that people would be more civil if their comments were made without the mask of anonymity. 

Unfortunately, the plan seems to have backfired. Believing that the link to a real name and persona would regulate behaviour, Google also relaxed limits on comment length and the posting of hyperlinks. The result: an explosion of spammy links, and ASCII (character) porn art. 

"To compound the problem, Google greatly underestim

ated the ability of YouTube commenters to produce what qualifies as 'engaged conversation' while managing to be also disgusting, offensive, NSFW, irrelevant, or all of the above," writes Casey Johnston at Ars Technica. 

Now Google is frantically working on algorithms that can detect ASCII porn, bad links and impersonation attempts. In this battle against obscenity and obnoxiousness, it looks that the YouTube comments troll is winning, and easily at that.

PayPal hackers plead guilty to cyberattack charges

A group of 13 defendants who had been charged in a cyberattack on PayPal's website pleaded guilty and admitted to the December 2010 attack over PayPal's suspension of WikiLeaks accounts. 

The pleas took place in a California federal court on Thursday and were announced on Friday by the US Attorney's Office in San Francisco. 

Following the release of a large amount of classified documents by WikiLeaks, PayPal suspended its accounts so that the anti-secrecy website could no longer receive donations. In retribution, the group Anonymous coordinated and executed denial-of-s

ervice attacks against PayPal. 

The group of defendants who pleaded guilty were composed of 11 men and two women. Ten of them pleaded to a felony charge, but will be allowed to change that to a misdemeanor next year if they do not violate terms of their agreement before sentencing, according to the US attorney's statement. 

The three other defendants agreed to misdemeanor charges. 

eBay's PayPal unit is a service that facilitates the electronic transfer of money between parties.

Aircel may launch 4G services in India next year

Aircel could become the second company to launch 4G services in India when it launches them in its established cities over the next 3-6 months, said a senior company executive. 

The Chennai-based company will thus be competing with Reliance Industries-owned Reliance Jio Infocomm to be the second to launch such services after Bharti Airtel, India's largest mobile phone operator. Airtel's services though haven't been a success, hurt mainly by quality issues. 

Aircel's established service areas are primarily in South India. The company plans to offer LTE services in markets such as Chennai, where it has around 20% share, Anupam Vasudev, chief marketing officer, told ET. 

He added that banks are willing to front the money required for capital expenses on the 4G rollout. With its promoters embroiled for the past three years in a CBI case of corruption and operations that were loss making, banks were reluctant to lend the company more money. However, Vasudev said Aircel has turned a new leaf with increased focus on profitability. "The focus is very clear that you need profitable growth. That has been our endeavor for the last one year. And we will have to continue doing this for another year before making any major investment." 
The company has made a break even on operations half on account of higher revenue and half from lower cost, he said. "Cost has come down through network cost saving, negotiation with service vendors, controlling roaming costs," Vasudev said. Aircel had reduced its footprint in five service areas earlier where it was incurring losses due to vacant networks. It instead signed intra-circle roaming deals to lease out networks of RCom and Tata Teleservices where it did not have reach.

"We don't have scale. For use, it makes sense to kind of work with each other (competitors) because it helps utilize assets optimally. So we work with both Reliance and Tata DoCoMo." As such, from the days of being the company that advertised applications before most users had tried, or even heard of such a concept, the company is now more realistic about its customer base.

"In certain markets, the Apple ( iPhone) customer is not our customer." Vasudev said. Aircel thus developed a strategy to communicate the 'Aircel gives more' theme in all its offerings. In cities like Mumbai for example, Aircel can play truant on pricing. Unlike competitors, the Aircel network still remains idle, so it offers 12 hours of free calling between Aircel numbers from 5 am to 5 pm.

Samsung patents 'transparent dual-side screen'

Samsung has reportedly patented a technology for a transparent touchscreen that would allow users to control the smartphone from both the sides.

This isn't the first time that techies have aimed at exploring the possibilities of having a transparent touch screen as seen recently with the introduction of Yotaphone that has a standard touchscreen on the front and e-paper display on the back.

However, Samsung's patent takes the technology to the next level as it explores the possibility of a transparent screen with front and rear visibility and touch controls.

The patent describes a phone that would have a single screen and look similar to today's phones, but the display would have a degree of transparency and users can control it without having to turn it over, Fox News reports.

Possible uses of the tech include tapping behind a folder of apps to open it up, and dragging icons around without the finger obscuring their positions or more secure ways of unlocking the phone and video controls being transferred to the rear of the movie, the report added.

Microsoft leads attack on search traffic thieves

Microsoft on Thursday announced it worked with police in Europe and the United States to disrupt a "dangerous" army of virus-infected computers used to hijack searches at Google, Bing and Yahoo. 

Microsoft's digital crimes unit teamed with Europol's European cybercrime centre, the FBI and tech industry allies to tackle a "Sirefef botnet" that commandeers search results and routes queries to websites rigged to infect computers with malicious code, steal information or make money from bogus online ad "clicks." 

The botnet, or network of machines infected with a virus that lets hackers take command, is also referred to as ZeroAccess and is believed to have spread across nearly two million computers around the world. 

Microsoft estimated the bogus online ad billing and stolen traffic cost advertisers about $2.7 million monthly. 

"ZeroAccess targets all major search engines and browsers, including Google, Bing and Yahoo," Microsoft digital crimes unit assistant general counsel Richard Domingues Boscovich said in a blog post. 

"ZeroAccess is one of the most robust and durable botnets in operation today, and was built to be resilient to disruption efforts, relying on a peer-to-peer infrastructure that allows cybercriminals to remotely control the botnet from tens of thousands of different computers," he continued. 

People's computers typically become infected with ZeroAccess as a result of visiting websites booby-trapped with the malicious software, he said. 

Due to the sophistication of the hacker network, Microsoft expected the legal and technical actions taken would significantly disrupt the operation but not wipe it out. 

Efforts are being made to get word to people whose computers are infected, and Microsoft is providing virus removal information online at support.microsoft.com/botnets.

Google to launch Android-based rival to Apple TV: Report

 Google is speculated to be working on a Nexus TV that with run on Android and stream videos from YouTube along with offering a selection of video games. 

Sources said that the device which will stream videos from service like Netflix and Hulu will be ready for the launch by the first half of 2014. 

According to The Verge, speculations about the Google-made Android set-top box started cropping up in July this year, when sources said that the box included a Kinect-like motion sensor and could be controlled with an Android smartphone. 

The recent speculations point to a purpose-built touchpad remote could be included with the set-top box. 

The report said that the device will not support live broadcast, and with an Android set-top box, Google would be pursuing a similar strategy as Amazon, which is rumored to have a set-top box of its own set for next year.

amazing new applications

BYOD is an applications strategy, not just a purchasing policy

As companies find bring your own device (BYOD) policy to be imperative, there are others who still don’t know where and how to begin this whole process. According to Gartner, BYOD is not just a purchasing policy, but needs to be approached with applications and strategies. It also says that the key decision about BYOD is one of applications architecture and solutions design. 

"Designing your applications to meet the demands of BYOD is not the same as setting usage policies or having strategic sourcing plans that mandate a particular platform," says Darryl Carlton, research director at Gartner. 

Most organisations have diverse workforces, made up of full-time staff, external contracting agencies, independent professionals, and part-time staff. "The community of users has expanded to include suppliers, customers, employees and a very broad range of stakeholders," says Carlton. "We are no longer developing applications for deployment to an exclusive user base over which we exert standards and control,” he says.

Cisco: No plans to manufacture in India

US networks gear-maker Cisco Systems has invested over $1 billion in India, which it calls its second global headquarters and spawning ground for a multitude of technology innovations. But it has no plans to manufacture flagship networking products like routers, switches or telepresence systems in India in the "absence of an enabling" environment. Speaking to ET's Kalyan Parbat, Jeff White, president, India & Saarc, Cisco Systems , gives a sense of the company's global manufacturing strategy and the reasons why India does not yet figure in Cisco's radar as a potential manufacturing hub. Edited excerpts: 

Cisco chairman & CEO Chambers had announced plans to set up a manufacturing unit in India back in 2006. Why hasn't that happened yet, given that over 60% of mobile networks in India ride on Cisco's infrastructure?

There are no plans to manufacture in India from a Cisco standpoint. It all comes down to economics when you look at a manufacturing node. There's got to be the right incentive for us to manufacture here, the right cost basis. We're not going to go down a path that forces us to take a profitability hit. Since we are competing on a global scale, Cisco has to look at the cost basis, the incentives , the prevailing ecosystem, and the ability to be able to sustain manufacturing in a way that makes it competitive for the manufacturer. 

What sort of manufacturing-related enablers is Cisco looking for in India?

Decisions on factors that drive cost, the infrastructure within the country, the landed cost, tax incentives, things that contribute positively to a manufacturing decision. That's been the crux of our conversations with the Indian government . Cisco's objective globally is to manufacture only for the right reasons. India must think about creating an ecosystem on a global scale that encourages telecom product manufacturing for export markets without focusing on the local market alone. 

Is it much cheaper for Cisco to manufacture in China, Thailand, Malaysia or Brazil? Some global vendors claim China offers a 22.5% cost advantage over India?

I don't have the exact numbers but the dynamics of China versus Malaysia versus India are different. We're always looking on a global basis for an optimal place to be directing our manufacturing, and we do that with our contract manufacturers . For our business model to work, we have to build an ecosystem, and that can only happen if the right incentives are in place. 

Don't those challenges also hold for global handset makers like Nokia who have set up large manufacturing lines in India?

Cisco's manufacturing requirement is different from a handset maker where there isn't a need to build a deep manufacturing capability around just a handset. If you look at the complexity and embedded intelligence of high-end products and solutions we bring, they require complex manufacturing processes , a large ecosystem involving multiple component suppliers for every product we manufacture. In our case, the ecosystem follows the manufacturer . In other words, if we tell our contract manufacturers that we want to be in Thailand, they follow us into Thailand. 

Are Cisco's contract manufacturers not keen to come to India?

No. Some of our contract manufacturers — like Flextronics — who also work with other companies are already in India. The decision not to manufacture in India is entirely Cisco's . 

How big is the challenge for a networks gear vendor like Cisco to serve telco customers in India amid the twin challenges of a surging appetite for data services and a spectrum deficit?

More spectrum would make life easier. But we believe that the opportunity lies in figuring out how to operate in the Indian environment as it is. Today, we're trying to help telco clients make the transition amid a shift away from traditional voice, with growth coming in from data services along with a shift to IP-based technologies. Telcos want us to solve their problems as there's so much inefficiency in their networks. But these problems can be taken out through powerful technologies like small cells, where you can self-optimise mobile networks by distributing load and enhance customer experience, by way of reduced call drops.

US tech giants like Google, Microsoft launch campaign for NSA reforms

Setting aside their differences, eight top US technology companies including Google, Facebook and Microsoft, have joined hands to press the Obama administration and the Congress to reform the secretive National Security Agency. 

The agency is in controversy following the leak of classified documents by fugitive CIA operative Edward Snowden, revealing that it indulged in massive telephone and internet surveillance both inside and outside the US, at times sneaking into people's private communications, compromising the security settings of these technology giants. 

"This summer's revelations highlighted the urgent need to reform government surveillance practices worldwide," the firms wrote in an open letter to the US President and members of the Congress in national print advertisements today. 

Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo, AOL and LinkedIn wrote the letter calling for a global reform of state-led spying. 

"The balance in many countries has tipped too far in favour of the state and away from the rights of the individual -- rights that are enshrined in our Constitution. This undermines the freedoms we all cherish. It's time for a change," the letter said. 

As such, technology giants urged the US to take the lead and make reforms that ensure that government surveillance efforts are clearly restricted by law, proportionate to the risks, transparent and subject to independent oversight. 

"We are focused on keeping user's data secure -- deploying the latest encryption technology to prevent unauthorised surveillance on our networks and by pushing back on government requests to ensure that they are legal and reasonable in scope," the letter said. 

It said US surveillance programs shouldn't keep American tech companies from operating internationally, including in countries that oppose US access to their citizens' data. 

"People won't use technology they don't trust," said Microsoft's Brad Smith. "Governments have put this trust at risk, and governments need to help restore it." 

"Protecting the privacy of our users is incredibly important to Yahoo. Recent revelations about government surveillance activities have shaken the trust of our users, and it is time for the US to act to restore the confidence of citizens around the world," said Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. 

"The security of users' data is critical, which is why we've invested so much in encryption and fight for transparency around government requests for information," said Google CEO Larry Page.

Nokia's low-cost 'smartphone for India' leaked

Nokia's new Lumia 525 is yet to arrive in the Indian market, but the company may be readying another low-cost smartphone aimed at budget buyers.

Data recorded by Zauba, a logistic tracking website, shows an unannounced Nokia device codenamed RM-977. This device has a 4.5-inch touchscreen and single sim slot and will reportedly ship for Rs 7,966 in the Indian market. This device was sent to India from Finland for testing and evaluation purposes, according to the website.

No other details about this upcoming smartphone are available at present.

The recently unveiled Lumia 525 is the successor to the popular Lumia 520, however, the only differences between the two devices are RAM upgrade and glossier body. At present, Lumia 520 is available in the market at approximately Rs 8,000, while there is no word on the launch date of Lu

mia 525.

Nokia has already listed the entry-level Lumia 525 and top-end Lumia 1520 smartphones on its India website. However, it has not announced their launch dates.

Is your child getting low grades? Blame the cellphone

Frequent cellphone use may lead to anxiety, lower grades and reduced happiness in students, a new study has found.

Researchers found that cellphone use was negatively related to Grade Point Average (GPA) and positively related to anxiety.

As cellphone use continues to increase, it is worth considering whether use of the device is related to measurable outcomes important for student success, such as academic performance,anxiety and happiness, researchers said.

Researchers Andrew Lepp, Jacob Barkley, and Aryn Karpinski from the Kent State University, US surveyed more than 500 university students.

Daily cell phone use was recorded along with a clinical measure of anxiety and each student's level of satisfaction with their own life, or in other words happiness.

Finally, all participants allowed the researchers to access their official university records in order to retrieve their actual, cumulative college grade point average (GPA).

All students surveyed were undergraduate students and were equally distributed by class (freshman, sophomore, junior and senior).

In addition, 82 different, self-reported majors were represented.

Results of the analysis showed that cell phone use was negatively related to GPA and positively related to anxiety.

Following this, GPA was positively related to happiness while anxiety was negatively related to happiness.

Thus, for the population studied, high frequency cell phone users tended to have lower GPA, higher anxiety, and lower satisfaction with life (happiness) relative to their peers who used the cell phone less often.

The statistical model illustrating these relationships was highly significant.

A team led by Lepp and Barkley also identified a negative relationship between cellphone us

e and cardiorespiratory fitness.

"Taken as a whole, these results suggest that students should be encouraged to monitor their cell phone use and reflect upon it critically so that it is not detrimental to their academic performance, mental and physical health, and overall well-being or happiness," researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour.

Now, mobile phone cases to keep germs away

Germaphobes rejoice! A US company claims to have developed a new line of eco-friendly cell phone cases that not only shield against radiation but also eliminate up to 99.9% of harmful bacteria on mobiles.

The Tenerarca leather phone cases have a built-in line of defence against bacteria and electromagnetic radiation, according to the company.

They carry a special coating called Upskin, a "proprietary antibacterial, sanitising, and negative-ion-generating technology," it said.

In addition to fighting germs, the Upskin coating, an environmentally friendly method of treating leather, also generates negative ions, which allegedly neutralise radiation, CNET reported.

"A Tenerarca case can eliminate up to 99.99% of harmful bacteria, not only on the electronic device but also on the user's hands," the project website said.

The cases are made from lightweight leather that is soft and also feature a flip cover, which protects the screen.

The case is held in place by magnets. There's a small T-shaped grill on the cover which fits over the ear-piece so that you can keep the screen covered while on a phone call, which is supposed to cut down on the spread of germs.

"Tenerarca's cases have been imbued, through an eco-friendly process, with negative-ion-emitting effects that soothe the body, the mind, and the soul," said Eskei Park, the President of the company PAR'SK USA.

Motorola's customizable phones coming soon: CEO

Recently, Motorola announced Project Ara, an initiative that aims to create smartphones with customizable hardware. It soon tied up with 3D Systems, an integrated solutions provider, to come up with the modular smartphones.

In a Google Hangout chat, Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside said that the first Project Araprototype "is pretty close." He also said, "The idea is you have a skeleton that holds together a set of components and the components slide in and out. If we have the interfaces and the protocols that enable the speaker to speak directly to the CPU then this would all be possible."

The aim of the project is to create smartphones whose individual components can be upgraded easily. Users would have the option of removing an older component and replace it with a new one. This would do away with the problem of replacing a smartphone every few months due to upgrades in technology.

Moto Maker, the online tool introduced by Motorola to customize its Moto X 

smartphone, will be used to create these modular smartphones. The online solution currently allows users to only pick the colour, material of construction and messages on the rear panel. However, it is expected that with the launch of the first Project Ara handset, users will be allowed to choose more hardware features, such as RAM, camera, screen size etc.

Just like Google did with Glass, Motorola has decided to turn to crowdsourcing for the development of Project Ara phones. It has started a programme that allows interested users to sign up and give suggestions to improve the modular smartphones. Motorola will provide an early release version of the customizable smartphone to the most active participants of the initiative.

Facebook may soon launch 'Sympathize' button

Facebook may soon launch 'Sympathize' button

Facebook's 'Like' button has been one of its biggest successes, but it is not rare to find posts which one may not actually like. In such cases users often write 'dislike' in comments just to express their unhappiness about the topic of the post. While the 'Dislike' button may still be away, users may get to see a 'Sympathize' button in their news feed.

According to a Huffington Post report, Facebookis pondering on introducing a 'Sympathize button'. The button created by an employee during Facebook hackathon held "a little while back" reportedly became an instant hit.

This button would appear when users post a gloomy update (for example Sad or Depressed from Facebook's list of feelings) in place of 'Like'.

Facebook engineer, Dan Muriello, told Huffington Post that though the idea of a 'Sympa
thize' button was warmly welcomed by others at the company, the button is still some time away from becoming a reality.

Muriello said, "It would be, 'five people sympathize with this,' instead of 'five people 'Like' this.' Which of course a lot of people were -- and still are -- very excited about. But we made a decision that it was not exactly the right time to launch that product. Yet."

So, may be in another few months, users won't have to awkwardly like a post of someone's dog passing away or when they break up with their partner.

Facebook hackathons have created some of the most popular products of the website, such as theLike button, TimeLine, Chat messenger etc.



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Now, turn your iPhone into 'BlackBerry'

A new device has been launched for iPhones aimed at making typing a lot easier. 

American Idol host and serial reality TV producer, Ryan Seacrest, has invested one million dollars in the Typo keyboard, an accessory that is trying to make typing easy. 

According to Mashable, the case snaps on to the top of an iPhone and turns the touch screen keypad into one that resembles the BlackBerry's qwerty keyboard. 
The Typo Keyboard priced at 99 dollars targets those who carry two phones: one for typing and another an iPhone for most everything else. 

The keyboard, which works when Bluetooth is enabled, adds less than 1 inch (2.54 centimetres) to the iPhone's length, the report added.

Google promises better deals at its shopping fest

Google will kick off its second Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) in India from December 11. The fest, which will see participation by over 200 e-commerce portals, will run for 72 hours. Google said the GOSF will bring leading e-commerce players in India on a common platform to provide the best possible deals. 

Websites like Flipkart, Myntra, IndiaTimes Shopping, Amazon India, Jabong and Snapdeal will be part of the fest. 

Google India chief Rajan Anandan said the GOSF is company's attempt to familiarize more Indian web users with online shopping. The first GOSF, held last year, was only a 24-hour affair. The company said that the most e-commerce portals saw over 350% growth on the day of GOSF last year. 

"GOSF is India's version of cyber monday in the west and is an exciting platform to raise awareness and consumer adoption of online shopping in India. With over 200 million Internet users in the country, more and more Internet users are opting to shop online. Industry estimates suggest there are close to 20 million online shoppers in India... it is estimated to grow to 50 million in next few years making it a $16 billion industry," said Anandan. 

Google said that last year nearly 50% of people who shopped during the GOSF were the first time online shoppers. 

While Google may have big numbers to show, some of the online shoppers are not too impressed with the GOSF. Raju PP, a blogger who often buys gadgets online, says that last year the deals were bad. 

"From what I remember, prices were inflated and brought down to levels which were available even before the GOSF began. Existing deals were rebranded for the GOSF, so it was nothing close to Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals we see in US," said Raju. 

Google said this time shoppers can expect better and bigger deals. The company said the GOSF partners will offer up to 60% discount on luxury watches, 20% discount on air tickets on domestic routes, up to 50% discount on speakers, headphones and men's accessories, up to 80% discount on home decor, flat 40% discount on furniture, up to 50% discount on TVs, up to 40% discount on mobile phones, up to 45% discount on computers and tablets, up to 30% discount on cameras and 40% discount on men's footwear. 

Nitin Bawankule, industry director for e-commerce at Google India, said, "We have extended the festival to three days to cater to the growing demand and hope to attract many first time buyers this year... (our partners) have all lined up incredible deals for the bargain hunters and first time buyers." 

Airtel, Intel and Paytm are the preferred partners for the initiative. Apart from promoting the initiative, Airtel will offer a flat 10% cashback on all online transactions on top of the other offers by participating websites to customers who transact using Airtel money. And to help people connect to the internet, Airtel is giving away a free dongle on new 4G and a free Wifi modem on new broadband connections. 

Intel has worked with companies who make Intel-powered laptops for the GOSF this year. The company said that discounts will be available on several Intel-powered laptops during the GOSF