Android Users Can Now Download Google Maps 7.3 With Cool New Features

Only a month on from the last version, Google has released the next iteration of Google Maps for Android, and a few very interesting features have been noticed, which make this a very worthwhile upgrade.

For starters, the notification area has been expanded to include much more relevant useful information. This includes the duration of the journey, the distance to your destination, and your estimated arrival time.

HTC launches Desire 500 handset in India for Rs 21,490

MUMBAI: Taiwanese handset maker HTC today launched Desire 500 in India, priced at Rs 21,490. 

The mid-range handset features a 1.2GHz quad-core processor , 4.3-inch display, 8MP primary camera and 1.6MP front-facing camera, 4GB onboard memory and (expandable upto 64GB). It runs on the Android 4 JellyBean operating system. 

Apple iPhone 5s, 5c Landing in More Countries Oct. 25, Nov. 1

Apple's new iPhone lineup will land in 35 additional countries starting later this month.

On Oct. 25, Apple's flagship 5s and 5c smartphones will be available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, French West Indies, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Island, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Thailand.

India is now world’s third largest Internet user after U.S., China

THREE-FOURTHS OF ITS ONLINE POPULATION IS UNDER 35, SAYS COMSCORE REPORT

India has bypassed Japan to become the world’s third largest Internet user after China and the United States, and its users are significantly younger than those of other emerging economies, global digital measurement and analytics firm comScore has said in a report.

Gates and Ballmer seek re-election to Microsoft board of directors

Three of Microsoft's highest-profile investors have reportedly called for Bill Gates to step down from the company's board, but the software giant's co-founder and chairman is not planning on going quietly.

That's according to Microsoft's annual proxy filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which shows that Gates, along with the company's current CEO Steve Ballmer, are standing for re-election to its board of directors on November 19.

The move is likely to further sour relations with investors who told Reuters that Gates, who has served as chairman of Microsoft's board since 1981, is too influential within the company and could limit a new CEO from adopting new strategies and making substantial changes.

Windows 8.1 release date, news and features

Microsoft has revealed full details about the comprehensive update to Windows 8, now known as Windows 8.1 and formerly known as Windows Blue.

The Windows 8.1 release date is October 17 - it will be available to existing Windows 8 users for free on Windows Update. It will be available to buy in retail from October 18 and has already been released to manufacturers (this stage is known as RTM). Volume licencees will be able to get their hands on it ahead of the update, too.

iPhone 5s Users Fooled By Apple, NSA and A Fake middle finger

Apple releases the iPhone 5S with Touch ID, a fingerprint-scanning feature, promoted by the company as "Your fingerprint is one of the best passwords in the world".

Just after the launch of iOS7, Hackers around the world come up with a series of security issues and privacyconcerns.

Google to drop NPAPI plug-in

Google announced it is dropping Netscape Plugin Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) in Chrome.

As the name suggests, NPAPI was first developed for Netscape browsers, starting with Netscape Navigator 2.0, but was subsequently implemented by many other browsers.

Mozilla wants to debug scientific code

Mozilla wants to step in to solve a problem which is blighting modern science, the boo boos in the maths.

Researcher-built software is an important part of modern science, but now boffins are worried that key research is being blighted by coding errors.

Mozilla has suggested that another peer review of breakthroughs are needed before scientific work is published. Instead of the actual ideas, the peer review should look at the software that is used to reach the conclusion.

GTA V makes $800 million in first day

Grand Theft Auto 5, the blockbuster sequel to Rockstar Games' ultra popular sandbox crime franchise, managed to rake in an enormous £496 million in its first 24 hours alone.

That's roughly $800 million - nearly $1 billion.

Disney masterminds data transfer by touch

Disney, the company that gave you Small World, has developed a new messaging technology that operates by touch.

Disney researchers have developed a microphone that lets a user record a voice message and then relay that message to another person simply by touching them.

The mic converts the voice message into an inaudible signal which is transmitted to the body of the person.

First vaccine for H7N9 may be too little, too late

A vaccine for the new strain of bird flu may be too little, too late.

The US has launched the first human trials of a vaccine against H7N9, the bird flu virus that emerged in China in February. The virus is lethal, killing 44 people out of 135 known cases. Fortunately, it does not transmit easily between people, which stops it triggering a pandemic.

However, it does already have three of the five mutations it is thought to need to spread easily. Its existing mutations allow H7N9 to infect cells deep in the human lungs, which can cause deadly pneumonia, but also in the nose and throat, making it more likely to become capable of person-to-person transmission.

Fish oils don't boost brain power

THERE'S something fishy about fish oils. Omega-3s – the fatty acids found in fish and nuts, oft touted as brain boosters – don't appear to slow mental decline.

Eric Ammann at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and colleagues analysed omega-3 levels in blood samples taken from 2000 women aged 60 to 80. Over six years, the women took tests that measured movement, speech and memory. 

Tough robo-challenge casts robots as rescuers

The DARPA Robotics Challenge will see humanoid robots competing to complete rescue missions, and could lead to robots better adapted to living alongside us

Just wiggle a fake finger to get rubber hand illusion

How do you convince someone that a finger they can't see or feel – one they don't even know is there – is actually part of their body? Turns out it's all in the wrist.

The technique is a spin on the rubber hand illusion, developed almost 15 years ago. To perform the original trick, sit someone at a table and somehow hide one of their hands from their view. Then put a corresponding rubber hand on the table in front of them and stroke it while also stroking the real hand unseen. Bizarrely, they will often feel that the rubber hand is their own.

Huawei Launches New Ascend P6 - The Slimmest Smartphone to Date

Huawei has just launched a new smartphone Ascend P6, which is claimed to be the world’s slimmest smartphone and it’d soon lock horns with its highly popular competitors from the likes of Samsung and Apple in the global markets. This new smartphone is just 6.18mm thick, presenting elegance with an edge.

Attractive Pricing Point

The Chinese telecom giant expects the new phone to take over its rivals not only in terms of technology and style, but also in terms of pricing point too. It is priced at 449 euros (USD 600), which is cheaper than Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, and iPhone 5.

Ascend P6 will be offered in nineteen nations across the globe by July end, including France, China, Italy, and Germany with over hundred more to follow.

Technical Specs

It weighs 120gram and sports a 119.5mm (4.7-in) touchscreen, an 8MP camera on the rear and a 5 MP camera at the front, which is something that had been totally unheard of. So far we have seen smartphones flaunting up to 2MP front camera, and this would certainly give an edge to the new Ascend P6.

Chucking out the regular bunch of camera scene settings, it features an auto face enhancement and automatic scene recognition tool, which facilitates users to improve their level of the beauty by factors on a scale of 1 to 10.

Wikipad Gaming Tablet Launched in US Garners Great Response

The most-awaited 7-inch Wikipad gaming tablet was finally launched in the United States on June 11, 2013, and it has already started garnering great market response from gaming enthusiasts in US.

The chairman of the company, Mathew Joynes told that this tablet blends the latest features seen in a premium quality Android tablet along with the unmatched experience of console video game, and the firm expects it to do well in North American as well as global markets.

4 Smashing Technological Inventions of 2013 to Look Forward To

2013 will be a big year for technology enthusiasts and an exciting year for the tech-savvy buyers who had always wanted to see the Google glasses in action, and loads of enticing gadgets. There are several products coming your way that can potentially change your lives for good.

Developers are trying to promote positive environment by reducing the environmental impact and also promoting healthier lifestyle. So, let’s take a look at 4 smashing technological inventions of 2013, which are bound to create a buzz across the world.

Your iPhone uses more energy than a refrigerator

How much energy does it take to power your smartphone addiction?

The average iPhone uses more energy than a midsize refrigerator, says a new paper by Mark Mills, CEO of Digital Power Group, a tech investment advisory. A midsize refrigerator that qualifies for the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star rating uses about 322 kW-h a year, while your iPhone uses about 361 kW-h if you stack up wireless connections, data usage, and battery charging.

The paper, rather ominously titled "The Cloud Begins With Coal: Big Data, Big Networks, Big Infrastructure, and Big Power," details how the world's Information Communication Technology (ITC) ecosystem — which includes smartphones, those high-powered Bloomberg terminals on trading floors, and server farms that span the size of seven football fields — are taking up a larger and larger slice of the world's energy pie.

Windows 8 picture passwords are really easy to crack, study shows

It might be best to stick to passwords

You might want to think twice before drawing that Windows 8 picture password, as researchers have found that Microsoft's Picture Gesture Authentication (PGA) system is more Fort Unlocked than Fort Knox.