researchers create a self-driving car guided only by a Galaxy S II

Google has decided to usher us in the world of self-driving cars, or, as Eric Schmidt puts it - "cars are not meant to be driven by humans" - but autonomous vehicles apparently don't require much more than a two-year old smartphone and some ingenuity.

Tommi Sullivan, Michael Lennon and Yukito Tsunoda from the university in Queensland, Australia, are utilizing just the GPS, sensors and camera in a Samsung Galaxy SII for their Smart Phone Automated Car. Check out the result in the video below.

"Our ultimate goal is to implement our program and drive the car in the public environment, and we hope to one day see people using their smartphone to drive their cars in a real-life situation," say the researchers. We are dreaming of the time we'll just slot our phones in the car holder, and it will drive us home after the last night out, saving on the cab fare.

via CNET.au

Android 4.2.2 test build for the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos surfaces

Prior today, an insider for Sammobile has sent in an official Android 4.2.2 test raise for the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos, offering a sneak see of what should be said of's to grace the managers of the double SIM mid-officer.

Thus, straight to what's new – the more remarkable increments that are situated for official discharge at some point this quarter incorporate Day Dream mode, a transparent warning bar, the sort of dreadful Smart Stay characteristic and Page Buddy around other. Excluded from an invigorate seems, by all accounts, to be the Polaroid – if that updates by the official discharge is yet obscure. The chaps behind Sammobile additionally remarked that exhibition clever the gadget is taking care of itself much better.

A speedy recap in the event that you're a little foggy on the specs sheet – the Grand Duos is a 5-inch TFT WVGA slate offering a sort of disillusioning determination of 480x800. Other remarkable internals might be a double center 1.2ghz processor and 1gb of RAM, on top of a 8mp snapper on the back.


source: SamMobile

There will be four Galaxy Note III variants

the Samsung Galaxy Note III was first said to characteristic an unbreakable showcase, then it was said to have a showcase bigger than six inches, yet others guaranteed it'd be 5.7 inches and still fragile. Who got it right? It may only create everybody was correct. 

The Samsung Galaxy Note III may wind up started in four altogether different demonstrates, consistent with Korean production ET News. 

Amazed, stunned? All things considered, don't be. Recall that, we're discussing Samsung here, the same association that repeats on the configuration of its leader Galaxy S4 to forever with different varieties of models. Here, there is a slight contrast however as we are not discussing distinctive models, yet in the ballpark of a solitary one -the Note III. 

The third-era phablet would purportedly arrive in a restricted premium version with unbreakable AMOLED screen and assembled of premium materials, yet you'd likewise have the capacity to get a shabbier plastic unified with a mediocre 8-megapixel Polaroid and a LCD showcase . Here is how it breaks down:

• Model 1 will have the following characteristics: Premium materials, 13-megapixel camera, unbreakable AMOLED screen, sold in limited amounts.
• Model 2 will have a plastic body, 13-megapixel camera, and regular AMOLED display.
• Model 3 will also have a plastic body and 13-megapixel camera, but feature an LCD screen.
• Model 4 finally will be the cheapest made out of plastic with 8-megapixel camera and an LCD display.

If true, you definitely wouldn’t be able to complain about lack of choice. Keep in mind that none of this is official yet, let’s keep our fingers crossed model 1 really exists and Samsung unveils it at IFA 2013 this September.

source: ET News via Android Beat

CyanogenMod nightlies now let you use any messaging app for your Google Voice texts

Isn't it annoying when your official slow and buggy Google Voice app is hit or miss when it comes to text messaging, too, not to mention the inability to work the MMS crowd? To right this unbearable wrong CyanogenMod's Koushik Dutta has come up with a way to send Google Voice messages utilizing any available for that app on your phone, including the default messaging one.

Here's the feature, integrated in current (after July 1st) nightlies, in a nutshell: "The app will sync your existing Google Voice messages into your messaging store. New Google SMS will be received as if it were a normal SMS. When you send a message out from your messaging app, it goes out via Google Voice." Goodie. Head over to the source for installation instructions.

source: KoushikDutta (G+)

Next Apple iPad coming in September with new Apple iPad mini right behind

A distributed investigate Monday refers to sources from the upstream store network for the most cutting edge on the following cycle of both the Apple ipad and the Apple ipad scaled down. The report states that the fifth-era Apple ipad will be presented in September, and with upstream suppliers all primed for the processing of the 9.7 inch slate, no progressions to the specs are normal. The following 7.9 inch Apple ipad smaller than usual is an additional story as various things about that tablet are still undetermined.

Suppliers are required to appropriate an extensive manufactures plan from Apple at the close of this month or in promptly August to blanket the full-estimated 9.7 inch piece. Right now, the suppliers have transported out parts for pilot creation, which is sufficient to blanket early interest for the fifth-era ipad.

The Apple ipad little 2 will potentially make the immense bounce in determination from the present 162ppi to a Retina presentation of no less than 264ppi. That might match the Retina presentation on the present fourth-genertion ipad. Also, the following ipad smaller than expected is required to offer a bigger survey territory on the screen on account of more slender bezels. The amount of LED tubes in the tablet has been sliced into equal parts to one and electric storage device life has been progressed. The Cupertino based tech titan has been pushing its upstream channels to lessen the extent of the bezel on the following ipad smaller than normal to make it as flimsy as the bezels seen on a portion of the most recent telephones offered by Samsung and HTC.

Macintosh has yet to settle on utilizing a Retina presentation for the continuation of the little, yet provided that it does run ahead with the new screen, the Apple ipad smaller than expected 2 may not see the light of day until the close of in the not so distant future. 

Raising Children

You don’t have to explain your dreams, they belong to you.

To be fully awake, full conscious, is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

Where the Magic Happens VS Your Comfort Zone

How to Fix Windows 8 Registry Errors Using Registry Cleaner

Windows 8, despite of being a superfluous operating system, encounters registry errors too like previous Windows versions.

Step 1: What if You Don't Fix Registry Errors?

These registry errors, if not fixed and cleaned quickly, can lead to serious problems such as

1- Windows 8 running slow
2- Windows 8 crashing frequently
3-Blue Screen of Death Errors

Besides these, other issues can also arise because of Windows 8 registry being corrupt. Therefore, it is important for Windows 8 users to fix them to keep system running smoothly.

Step 2: Ways to Fix Registry Errors

You can either fix registry errors manually, or use a safe free registry cleaner. Frankly speaking, manual clean up requires too much of expertise and needs you to be familiar with registry keys. Therefore, it is advised not to manually handle the registry, if you are not skilled. The other way is much safe and useful, if you use a solid registry cleaner which would scan the registry to fix errors in depth.

Step 3: Tutorial

To make the process easy and understandable, attached here is a YouTube Video, which would illustrate you how to clean your Windows 8 registry using a registry cleaner. Carefully, watch it to see how you can optimize your Windows 8 using registry optimizer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=R95zEun5lLI

FIFA 13 now in the Windows Phone Store, exclusive to Nokia owners

EA’s FIFA 13 game in now in the Windows Phone Store.

The app is said to feature groundbreaking graphics and the most responsive controls ever delivered on Windows Phone 8.

FIFIA 13 is only officially licensed FIFA game  and features 30 leagues, 500 licensed teams,more than 15,000 players and 32 authentic stadiums.

The game is exclusive to Nokia Lumia owners, is Windows Phone 8-only and Xbox Live enabled and costs $4.99.

Find it in the Windows Phone Store here.

Sony PS4 DualShock 4 controller lightbar cannot be shut off

The nifty lightbar that sits at the top of the new DualShock 4 controller and provides a nice glow actually can’t be turned off, meaning that it stays on for as long as the controller is on. Sony’s Worldwide Studio boss Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that the lightbar can’t be turned off in a response to a question about whether it could be disabled or not in order to conserve battery.

Yoshida confirmed the news on Twitter with a solid “no” when asked if the lightbar can be manually turned off on the new DualShock 4 controller. Since the PlayStation 4 doesn’t come with a camera sensor by default like the Xbox One does, not everyone will use the lightbar on the PS4 controller, rendering it useless.

The lightbar is designed to be used with the PlayStation camera and is used for motion control purposes in games. However, since the console doesn’t come with a PlayStation camera, some gamers will find the lightbar to be useless, but they won’t be able to disable it. This means that the DualShock 4 controller will use up battery life for features that the gamer will never play around with.

As for what percentage of the battery that the lightbar takes up, that’s unknown, but seeing how some users like to optimize their setup and make it more efficient, the constant running of the lightbar could pose as an issue for gamers. We doubt the lightbar uses a big percentage of the battery, however.

Of course, seeing as how Sony originally planned to include the PlayStation camera with the PS4 console, Sony probably didn’t have a reason to implement a feature where gamers could turn off the lightbar, but since that’s no longer the case, we’re not exactly sure why Sony hasn’t backtracked on that and simply let users have total control of the DualShock 4 gamepad.

HTC One coming mid-July in Glamor Red

We knew the HTC One will come in gorgeous red from the moment of the official launch. HTC had mistakenly listed the red version and even though the company denied then, it was clear that such mistakes do not happen by accident.

Now, the color has got an official name and that’s Glamor Red and the first hands on video with the new red HTC One has surfaced, walking us through the design and look of it.

Of course, HTC has kept the signature aluminum unibody that gives the phone its special allure. The hands on video below is unfortunately in German so just like us you probably would not understand much, but we still think that seeing the phone is valuable enough for those who are thinking about buying the HTC 2013 flagship.

The red HTC One is expected to launch in select countries across the globe in mid-July.

source: BestBoyZ via Android Authority

Top 5 apps for video call, chat on Android

Skype

Skype has recently revamped the overall user interface for Android platform. After registering for Skype services, users can add contacts and engage in free Skype to Skype client video calls over WiFi networks for better quality. The new unlimited video messaging is made available for free for Skype users.

You can engage yourself in video messaging, photo exchange, text chat or voice calls over WiFi as well as 3G networks using Skype. To get the latest Skype app for Android smartphones, visit Google Play store.

Tango

This award winning mobile app claims to provide the highest quality video and voice calls along with text chat, photo as well as video sharing. All of that comes for free with games and more fun stuff.

This social networking app automatically finds contacts and helps them network. Like Skype, it runs across platforms and supports group chats among friends. Users can engage in free video calls, voice calls and text messages. Try out the Tango app from the Google Play store.

ooVoo

This odd named app supports video calling among up to 12 people at the same time. This service offers unlimited video calling, voice calling and instant messaging. The best part about this app is the 12-way multistream group video calls feature, which allows a 4-way display. It connects users by accessing their contacts, Facebook and Twitter accounts. The best part of the app is that users can send instant messages even while being on a video call.

Try out the ooVoo app for Android devices from Google Play store.

WeChat

The WeChat app also offers video calling amongst registered users. This app works on the data plan or WiFi connection to offer video calls, voice calls and instant messaging. Users can always share photos and videos with each other. Its 'always on' function will keep you updated with incoming video call requests and instant messages.

WeChat packages several features inside the app. But one has to register with the service before getting started with the app. Get the WeChat app for your Android device from the Google Playstore.

Fring

Fring has been in existence for a couple of years and it is quite a popular app on the Symbianplatform. Fring supports multiple instant messaging and social networking platforms. By connecting them and creating a Fring account users can easily engage in free voice and video calls. Not only that, the Fring app also supports four-way group video calls and uses dynamic video quality technique to constantly adjust video quality over an on-going call.

Of course, instant messaging comes free. People can buy FringOut credits to make calls to mobile phones and landlines. Try out the Fring app for Android from the Google Play store.

iball launches 9.7 inch tablet with 3G SIM calling for Rs 14,500

The tablet gets 1 GHz dual core processor coupled with 1GB RAM and 16 GB inbuilt storage.

iBall has launched a new 3G tablet with 9.7 inch display with XGA (1024x768) resolution called iBall 3G-9728 for Rs 14,500.

The tablet is based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and gets 1 GHz dual core processor coupled with 1 GB RAM and 16 GB of inbuilt storage which can be further expanded up to 32 GB via SDcard.

The iBall 3G-9728 gets a 5 megapixel autofocus rear camera at the back with a LED flash and front camera. The tablet also supports GPS and 3G connectivity.

The tablet is powered by 6000 mAH battery. The tablet also supports WiFi (802.11 b/g/n),Bluetooth, A-GPS, micro USB port, FM radio and HD video playback.

Android based Karbonn A50 launched at Rs 3,999

One of the most affordable phone from Karbonn gets 3.5 inch display, 1Ghz processor, Android 4.0 ICS OS and 1300mAH battery.

Karbonn has launched a new entry level smartphone - A50 priced at Rs 3,999. The best part of the phone that it gets Android 4.0 ICS operating system and not the aging Android 2.3 Gingerbread version that other phones in this segment get.

The phone gets a 3.5 inch display with 480 x 320 pixel resolution, 1GHz processor and though RAM is not mentioned we assume that it will have 512 MB RAM since Android 4.0 requires that as a basic minimum.

The 2G only Karbonn A50 gets 1300 mAh battery, connectivity options include GPRS/EDGE, WiFi,Bluetooth, and USB. There is a 3 megapixel camera at the back however there is no front facing camera. Other features include G-sensor and 32GB expandable memory.

While the phone does miss out on front camera and proximity sensor, it is one of those rare low cost Androids that comes with good enough RAM to run Android 4.0 Icecream Sandwich and therefore in our opinion is much better than others in the segment.

First pictures of Micromax Canvas 4 A210

via

MIT tool uses Gmail metadata to give you a people-centric view of your email life

MIT Media Lab has developed a new online project, called Immersion, which takes your Gmail metadata and turns it into a map linking together people in your life.

Gmail users can grant Immersion access to their From, To, CC and Timestamp fields - dodging e-mail subject lines and contents - and create a detailed account based on people in your email history.

The project went public on June 30th after running in beta form at the Media Lab lobby, with 500 people trialling it.

In an interview with The Boston Globe, head of the Macro Connections group at the MIT Media Lab Cesar Hidalgo said, "When you see it all together, it is, in a way, an out-of-body experience. You're seeing all of your network and you'rse seeing yourself out of it and you're seeing it from afar and you're seeing it one picture."

Hidalgo goes on to express that for him, metadata is an emotional issue. A users metadata is all about interactions between people and those interactions are associated with our emotions.

Users can grant Immersion access to their Gmail account and can delete the metadata, which includes a compressed email metadata and user profile, after use. Alternatively, they can save it in a secure system.

Watch the video below to find out more about Immersion.

Immersion: Beneath the surface from Deepak Jagdish on Vimeo.

Image: NPR

Source: Immersion, The Boston Globe

Smartphone app Saga could track your every move

The technology being developed by ARO engineers will reportedly be able to tell you where someone is and what they are up to through use of barometer, cameras, microphones and a phone's location sensors.

MIT Tech Review reports that this new approach to life logging will be available in the Saga app in late summer or early fall.

Running the app should only use about 1% of a device's battery while running behind-the-scenes of your everyday activites.

According to CEO of ARO Andy Hickl, Saga will wake up and check a person's location if, for example, a phone's accelerometer suggest he or she is on the move.

The Saga app is currently available on iOS and Android for free, allowing you to build a lifelog, gain insights into your everyday life and add photos.

You can also pull in information from social networking sites and collect data from other services such as apps FitBit and RunKeeper.

The new technology is currently being internally tested and lead developer of the Android version, Ian Clifton, says that ARO are using a device's microphone to collect short acoustic fingerprints of different places in order to gain insight into location and what a person is doing.

Both sound and light are being sampled to determine specifics.

Saga will then be able to create a comprehensive, automatic record of your life.

Source: MIT Tech Review

Micromax launches Canvas 4 in India for Rs. 17,999

Micromax has launched the highly anticipated Canvas 4 in India. The phone was being teased for quite a while now and was even up for pre-order (without announcing the full price) but it was finally unveiled in an event today at New Delhi.

One of the unique features of this phone is Blow to Unlock, wherein you essentially blow a kiss to your phone to unlock it (yes, that's an actual feature). Other, more sensible features include video pinning to pin videos on the homescreen and look away to pause video, stuff that's straight out of Samsung's TouchWiz. You can also turn the phone down during a call and it automatically switches to loudspeaker mode.

The phone has 1GB RAM and an internal storage of 16GB. The phone supports a microSD card up to 32GB.

Micromax has also includes a few gimmicks as well, such as blow a kiss to unlock the phone.

As shown in the teaser videos, the Micromax Canvas 4 comes equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera. The rear camera can record 1080p video and includes features such as vertical panorama, anti-shake, face detection. The camera, Micromax says the Canvas 4 in burst mode can capture 99 photos in less than 15 seconds.

The video pinning feature, lets users pin a video they are watching to the home screen while performing other tasks. The simultaneous video view can play more than one video at the same time.

The Canvas 4 also borrows the eye-tracking feature from the Samsung Galaxy S4 in which looking away from the screen while watching a video pauses the video and resumes play when the user looks back at the screen.

Micromax has also borrowed a lot of features from other phones, such as flip phone to mute.

The phone went up for pre-order on June 28.

Full specifications: Micromax Canvas 4

Operating system: Android Jellybean 4.2.1

Screen size: 12.7 cms (5 inches), 1280 x 720 pixels, IPS

Rear camera resolution: 13 megapixel

Front camera resolution: 5 megapixel

Processor: 1.2 GHz quad-core

Battery capacity: 2000 mAh

RAM: 1GB

ROM: 16 GB NAND Flash

Memory - apps: 2.4 GB

Memory - internal storage: 10 GB

Expandable memory: 32 GB

Sensors: Light sensor, proximity sensor, G-sensor

Connectivity pptions: 3G/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/USB

Phone accessories: Charger, handsfree, USB cable, flip cover

Weight: 158 g

Dimensions: 144.5 x 73 x8.9 mm

Colour options: Grey, white

Standby Time: 220 hours

Talktime: 8 hours

The Micromax Canvas is priced at ₹17,999 ($295) and will be on sale this weekend in India.

Nokia EOS/Lumia 1020 battery-case accessory caught in Action

Nokia will offer a combination external battery and case for the upcoming EOS/Lumia 1020 41-megapixel Windows Phone, according to a new leak purportedly showing the accessory, making the smartphone more photographer-friendly. The case, shared with Russian site Izvestia, clips onto the new EOS complete with a large hole for its protruding PureView lens, and apparently accommodates a 1,020 mAh battery.

That, the site’s sources claim, is good for a roughly 35-percent boost in power. Given that battery consumption during photography and filming is likely to be high, that could make the difference between the EOS continuing to shoot your summer party or being stuck in a pocket.

The design has also been made so as to give the smartphone a better, camera-style grip, it’s said, extending its length so that it fits single-handed into the palm more comfortably. That should also place the dedicated camera key in a more usable place under the finger, it’s suggested.

Other tidbits include a tripod mounting screw, apparently – again emphasizing the Lumia 1020′s camera credentials – though it’s not visible in the photo. A microUSB port for charging rounds out the key specs.

Nokia is expected to officially reveal its new Windows Phone on July 11, Thursday this week, at an event in New York. Several leaks have indicated that the phone will look much like the Lumia 920, but have a considerably enlarged camera assembly to fit the high-resolution sensor.

That sensor will, like the Nokia 808 PureView, use advanced pixel-clustering to produce 5- to 8-megapixel equivalent stills with greater quality than rival phones, if the rumors are to be believed. Meanwhile, the PureView system also permits lossless digital zooming.

According to a recent sighting of a Microsoft stock note, the phone will hit shelves as the Lumia 1020 and could be on sale as soon as this month.

VIA My Nokia Blog

Google Roswell Doodle marks 66th anniversary of “UFO crash”

Google has rolled out another of its interactive Google Doodles, this time marking the 66th anniversary of the Roswell Incident complete with an alien-themed mini game. The playable doodle, found on the Google homescreen, involves guiding the alien character through Roswell-themed tasks and challenges.

Along the way, the point & click adventure requires collecting useful objects which are needed to complete the game. It’s one of the more entertaining doodles of recent memory; other playable games have included Google Hurdles and the PAC-MAN game of 2010, which was so popular it earned itself a permanent home on Google’s site.

The Roswell UFO incident itself remains controversial. The alien-believer theory suggests that an extraterrestrial craft – and its alien pilots – crashed on a Roswell, New Mexico ranch on July 7, 1947, with the wreckage and bodies subsequently hidden by the US government in an attempt at a massive cover-up.

The government’s own version, however, has the crash comprising debris from an experimental high-altitude balloon being trialled for surveillance purposes as part of a classified program to monitor Soviet atomic bomb tests. Dubbed Project Mogul, the scheme would use highly sensitive microphones to track the sound waves caused by such testing in the upper atmosphere, before relaying the audio down to the ground by radio.

Unsurprisingly, neither side has proved particularly willing to accept the opposite explanation, and speculation continues to this day. Online comic XKCD also has a take on the reasons why UFO sightings have declined in recent years, to mark today’s anniversary.

Microsoft’s Mattrick led 2010 Zynga acquisition talks insiders claim

Microsoft explored acquiring Zynga as early as 2010, sources claim, with former entertainment division chief Don Mattrick driving discussions around the company he would, most recently, go on to lead as new CEO. Mattrick, who was named Zynga’s chief executive in a multi-million job jump earlier this month, opened negotiations in 2010 with the social gaming company’s founder Mark Pincus, sources tellBloomberg, in what was believed to be an attempt to boost the range of titles on Xbox Live.

According to the insiders, Mattrick’s move to the helm of Zynga is the culmination of a growing friendship between the former Microsoft exec and the social game founder. Discussions about Mattrick taking on the CEO position began in March 2013, it’s claimed.

Microsoft’s ambitions in so-called casual gaming have long been a topic of speculation. Back in 2011, the company was tipped to be approaching developers of games like Zynga’s FarmVille to discuss free-to-play titles for Xbox Live, with in-app upgrades paid for with Microsoft Points.

However, acquiring Zynga outright would have been a shortcut to that, though the studio’s fortunes since have struggled. The rise of mobile gaming has forced Zynga to shutter studios and shed part of its workforce, as it attempts to recapture the heady days where its titles were a Facebook mainstay.

That’s the challenge Mattrick now faces, with the promise of a compensation package worth in the region of $50m in total to spur him on. According to reports from a recent visit to Zynga’s HQ last week, Mattrick is playing his strategy cards close to his chest, telling staff that he was focusing on what would happen in the next 30 days, as well as listening to their ideas rather than necessarily forcing his own approach on the firm.