Microsoft unveils three new Xbox one bundles to celebrate one year anniversary

Microsoft India on Friday unveiled three new Xbox one console bundles that will launch on October 2, to celebrate their first anniversary. Customers can pre order from September 25 on Amazon.in.

Xbox One Forza Motorsport 6 limited edition console is the first of its kind with a racing theme. The bundle has 1 TB hard drive, matching wireless controller and a tenth anniversary car pack. The bundle is priced at Rs 39,990.

The Xbox One 1TB EA Sports™ FIFA 16 Bundle features a full game download of FIFA 16 game and one year of EA access and   three FIFA Ultimate Team™ Loan Legends.

"Games and gamers are at the center of everything we do and we’re always looking to offer the best ways to play on Xbox. With the launch of these bundles, we have taken into account the feedback that we received from our fans in India and added more storage to their consoles," said Anshu Mor, Director Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft India.

Microsoft announced a third gaming console  Xbox One Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Bundle. This Ultimate Edition bundle an Xbox one 500 GB console, wireless controller, full digital download of One Gears of War: Ultimate edition,  early access to the 2016 Gears of War 4 Multiplayer Beta, and the Superstar Cole multiplayer skin. This bundle will be available at Rs 34,990.

Pakistani researchers develop solar-powered mobile network for use during disasters

Lahore: Pakistani researchers have developed a portable, solar-powered mobile phone network for use in disasters like floods and earthquakes when regular communications are often disrupted.

Researchers at the Information Technology University (ITU) in Lahore, together with a team from the University of California, have developed a prototype “Rescue Base Station” (RBS) for Pakistan - the country's first emergency telecoms system that would work on normal cell phones.

“When the RBS is installed in a disaster-struck area, people automatically start receiving its signals on their mobile phones. They can manually choose it and then call, send messages and even browse (internet) data free of charge,” said Umar Saif, ITU vice chancellor and an adviser to the project.

The RBS is a lightweight, compact rectangular box fitted with an antenna, a signal amplifier and a battery, which can be carried easily and even dropped by helicopter in hard-to-reach disaster zones. It has a solar panel to charge the battery, to keep it working in places without electric power.

An alternative communications system like this could help save lives when disasters strike by connecting survivors with rescue workers and government officials.

The RBS has yet to be deployed on the ground, but the ITU expects it to be used in the next six to eight months in partnership with the National Disaster Management Authority and a local telecoms company.

Saif said the RBS signal can be received within a 3 km radius, and people in the area can easily register by sending their name, occupation, age and blood group to a special number.

“This helps generate an automatic database of people in distress, and eventually helps both the rescue and relief teams and the victims,” he said.

Pakistan has 116 million active cellular subscribers out of a total population of 185 million, according to official data.

INFORMATION ON DEMAND

Potential users of the RBS system can get the information they need in just a few seconds by sending a text message to specific numbers appearing on their mobile phone.

For example, if a person needs to contact a fire brigade, they text the words “occupation: firefighters” to the relevant number. They will then receive names and contact details for local firefighters in just a few seconds and can call for help, Saif said.

Or if someone needs access to blood supplies, they send a message saying "blood group, B positive", for instance, and receive contact information for people nearby with that blood group, so they can ask for a donation.

Saif said RBS teams on the ground plan to collect information about disaster-affected people in a database, and pass this on to rescue teams, doctors and government departments that can provide assistance.

“(They) can also send weather forecasts and disaster alerts to subscribers, and help them evacuate troubled areas,” said Ibrahim Ghaznavi, an ITU researcher and one of the RBS developers.

The RBS, which operates using open source software, offers all the features provided by regular cellphone companies, he added.

Ghaznavi said it costs around $6,000 to develop an RBS, and the Pakistan prototype has been funded by a Google Faculty Research Award.

TECH INNOVATION

The RBS team is now working with Endaga, a U.S.-based company that connects rural communities through small-scale independent cellular networks, and a local telecoms firm to commercialise the project, he added.

The aim of the collaboration is to help phone companies keep their communications systems functioning in a disaster until their regular networks are restored.

Pakistan is a disaster-prone country, which needs $6 billion to $14 billion to help it adapt to climate change impacts, such as unusually heavy rains, droughts and melting glaciers, through to 2050, according to a 2011 study funded by the U.N. climate secretariat.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies developed a customised communications system called the Trilogy Emergency Response Application (TERA) in Haiti when it was struck by a massive earthquake in 2010.

But that system could only send text messages to its subscribers on their mobile phones, unlike the RBS which allows users to call, send texts and even browse the web for free.

Cutting-edge technologies like the RBS could help save more lives by delivering timely advice to disaster-hit people, said Pervaiz Amir, country director for the Pakistan Water Partnership.

“Local researchers should be encouraged to develop innovative solutions to help people in distress,” he said. But the RBS needs to be tested in the field under different conditions before being deployed on a wider scale in actual disaster zones, he added.

Amir said the RBS could be useful for rescue and aid activities, especially in remote rural areas of Pakistan where natural disasters regularly disrupt poor communications systems.

Cybersecurity firm offers $1 million for Apple hack

PARIS: Computer security firm 

Zerodium on Tuesday offered a $1 million (890,000 euros) bounty to hackers who can find a way to breach Apple's latest iOS 9 mobile operating system
.

Zerodium, launched early this year in the United States by French online security expert Chaouki Bekrar, said it would pay out $1 million each to as many as three people or teams who manage to break into iPhones or iPads equipped with the iOS 9 software.

To win the money, hackers must use a web page or text message to remotely bypass the iOS 9 security and discretely install an application on the iPhone or iPad by October 31, the company said in an online statement.

 Apple's iCloud susceptible to hacking say experts

The hackers must exploit previously unknown weaknesses in the security system.

Apple's operating system is the most secure on the market, Zerodium said.

"But don't be fooled. Secure does not mean unbreakable, it just means that iOS has currently the highest cost and complexity of vulnerability exploitation and here is where the million dollar iOS 9 bug bounty comes into play."

Zerodium says it rewards independent researchers for discovering new software vulnerabilities. It then analyses the security data to help corporate and government agency clients to beef up their online defences.

Huge loophole in iOS 9 bypasses lock screen to grant access to contacts and photos

                                                               Apple iPhone 7 Plus Specifications

Huge loophole in iOS 9 bypasses lock screen to grant access to contacts and photos

You’ll never guess the accomplice that enables unauthorized user access on iOS 9 devices. She lives within the system itself.

A potentially massive loophole has been uncovered in the iOS 9 device lock screen, enabling access a user’s contacts and photos without ever having to enter the correct PIN.

In a YouTube video posted by an individual called Jose Rodriguez, he goes through the motions of demonstrating how this can be done by recruiting none other than Apple’s own built-in voice assistant Siri.

Here’s how it appears to work: after entering an incorrect PIN several times, he launches Siri from the lock screen, then simply asks what time it is. When the results show up, there’s a search field at the top of the screen from which he proceeds to further search for information from areas of the iPhone such as the Contacts, Messages and Photos. All of this without ever leaving the lock screen.

It is clear this is a significant loophole that is likely to be addressed by Apple shortly, but in the meanwhile it appears that several areas of the device containing personal information in iOS 9 are open to access.

This flaw only adds to the prevalent issuesthat have cropped up since iOS 9 was launched recently. In the interim, one recommended method to prevent unauthorised access using this method is to simply disable Siri access on the lock screen.

After Airtel, Idea to Shift All Prepaid Users to Per-Second Billing

Idea Cellular is shifting its 1.5 million prepaid customers who were on per minute billing (PMB) plan to per second billing (PSB), thus ensuring all its prepaid users pay only for the time they use the network.

Apart from the 1.5 million, who will be shifted over the next 30 days, the rest of its prepaid users are already on per second billing.

The company said that out of its total customer base of over 166 million, nearly 157 million are prepaid.

Bharti Airtel too announced earlier this week that all its prepaid customers will be put on per second billing. The move by mobile operators comes amid regulator Trai's scrutiny whether there are any tariff plans by service providers wherein call drops actually incentivise or benefit the companies.

"We have always been customer-centric in our approach, offering choice and convenience to customers and hence, we have been providing both PMB and PSB plans to users so far. Henceforth, we will now be offering PSB plan, by default, to our entire base of nearly 157 million existing and new prepaid users," Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular said in a statement.

With call drops on the rise, Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg had also said plans where customers get some free minutes and billing is minute-based need to be examined.

The problem of call drops has become acute in the last 3-4 months. The scale was such that last week, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi too voiced serious concern on the issue and asked the officials concerned to take urgent steps to address the problem.

Idea said it has spent Rs. 4,050 crores (excluding spectrum) in 2014-15 and has increased its capex plan for FY16 to Rs. 6,000-6,500 crores.

"The company will continue to invest in expanding its robust network of nearly 1,50,000 cell sites covering over 3,60,000 towns and villages with voice and data offerings on 2G and 3G and roll out 4G LTE services in 10 key markets, starting 2016," it said.

The company has made a total investment of Rs. 65,094.7 crores in the Indian telephony market so far.

Gionee launches Pioneer P3S for Rs. 5,999

Gionee Smartphones, a Global Leader in Mobile Manufacturing and Design announced the availability of the Gionee Pioneer P3S in India. Focusing on the solid build and smooth touch,Gionee’s latest offering the Pioneer P3S aims to create a better future for people and open a whole new world of possibilities.

Mr.Timir Baran Acharya, GM, Gionee India said, “The latest offering Pioneer P3S is one of its kind device which packs stunning looks with powerful technology and is yet affordable. P3S ensures that consumers don't have to compromise on quality and features over pricing.”

Gionee Pioneer P3S is powered by 1.3 GHz Quad processor for faster processing, smoother viewing and browsing experience. Reading stories, watching videos, sending texts and emails, so much easier on the stunning 11.43cm (4.5) FWVGA Display. P3S runs on the advanced Android 5.1 and the latest Amigo 3.1 operating system and a specially designed Music player. An 'extreme mode' on device is also said to enable the last 10 percent of battery power to potentially last for some more time.  Beautifully designed the smartphone comes with metal plating bright lines which brings out a tight body shape of the device.

Gionee P3S has a 5Mega Pixel rear camera allowing a superior picture capturing experience and Front facing 0.3 Mega pixel camera option. The phone is also equipped with extra features like Face beauty to enhance the selfie experience. Take continues shots of animals, people in action and full panoramic shots of great scenes!

Gionee P3S comes in with an in-built 16GBmemory and powered by 1 GB RAM. The Dual SIM, Dual standby supported P3S is backed by a 2000 mAh battery to provide an exceptionally lasting talk time and multimedia usage.

Gionee P3S is available in White, Grey, Red and Golden color for its Indian customers and is priced at MOP Rs 5,999.

Lal Bahadur Shastri's death was not natural, claims his family

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing controversy and mystery over Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's death, former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's family has demanded that all files related to his death should be made public.

In an interview to news channel CNN-IBN, Lal Bahadur Shastri's son and Congress leader Anil Shastri said that his father's death did not look natural.

"When my father's body came to the Delhi airport, the Palam airport as it was called then, and when it was taken out of the aircraft, that came as a shock because his body had turned blue. His face had turned blue and there were white spots on the temple," Anil Shastri told the news channel.

"The moment my mother saw the body, she straight away came to the conclusion that it was not a natural death," Anil Shastri said.

"My mother told the family that it was a foul play," Anil Shastri said.

Anil Shastri urged the Prime Minister that documents related to Lal Bahadur Shastri's death should be declassified.

Anil Shastri called it "unbelievable" that the Prime Minister's room in the capital of then Soviet Uzbekistan had "no call bell, no telephone, no caretaker in his room and no first aid. He had to walk up to the door himself." He alleged that the death was due to fault done by the Indian embassy and termed it as "height of negligence".

"His death was badly handled by the Indian government. It hurts me to a great extent," he said.

Opining that Shastri was not taken "seriously", he said: "Post-mortem could have been done in Tashkent if there was a request from the Indian government or a request from the Indian doctors."

"... some close associates feel that suspicion revolves around an Indian hand or a foreign power," he said.

Anil Shastri claimed that his father had come to know about a scam involving a shipping tycoon Dharam Teja.

Citing an article by eminent journalist Khushwant Singh, Shastri claimed Teja was in Tashkent at the time of his father's death.

He also claimed that the Prime Minister was likely to take action and order an inquiry against Teja after his return to India.

Shastri and then Pakistani president, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, had been invited to Tashkent by then Soviet premier Alexei Kosygin for peace talks following the Indian-Pakistan War in 1965. An agreement was signed on January 10, 1966 but Shastri was found dead a few hours later, having suffered cardiac arrest.

Raising suspicions over the hand of a foreign power in his death, Anil Shastri said: "...Lal Bahadur Shastri had suddenly gained a lot of power, when he retaliated with full force against Pakistan. Whether it was America, China or any third country... I cannot name any country but the truth is Lal Bahadur Shastri was becoming very strong in the region."

He also raised the sudden death of Dr RN Chugh, the personal physician accompanying the Prime Minister. Chugh died in an accident with his family.

Anil Shastri also added that his father's personal assistant too met with an accident, was crippled and lost his memory.

He also expressed concern over his father's missing red personal diary.

"He made daily notings in it and may have even written about the Tashkent agreement and the pressures he was under," he said.

Apple's 'Move to iOS' is now available on Google Play store Tech2 Mobile

Apple’s first Android app dubbed ‘Move to iOS’ is now available on the Google Play Store. It was announced along with the new iOS 9, and is now available as the new OS rolls out to users officially.

With the new Move to iOS app, users can wirelessly switch from an Android device to a new iOS device at ease. It securely transfers contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, web bookmarks, email accounts and calendars and will help rebuild the app library too. In addition, all your paid apps are added to your iTunes Wish List as well.

Google Play store description states, “When you choose to migrate your data, your new iPhone or iPad will create a private Wi-Fi network and find your nearby Android device running Move to iOS. After you enter a security code, it will begin transferring your content and put it in the right places.”

So, once your content has been transferred, you’re ready to get started. Moreover, iOS will also help set up your default mail account.

Apple has started rolling out the all new iOS 9 to everyone. It is available as a free software update for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 4s, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad 4, iPad 3, iPad 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad mini and iPod touch fifth-generation. Some features may not be available across all regions or languages.

Apple Wins Patent Ruling Against Samsung in US Appeals Court

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday said Apple should have been awarded an injunction barring Samsung from selling products that infringe its patents, handing Apple another victory in its ongoing smartphone fight with its biggest rival.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. said the lower court abused its discretion when it denied Apple Inc an injunction after a jury ordered Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to pay $120 million in May, 2014 for infringing three of Apple's patents.

The case involved Apple patents covering the iPhone's slide-to-unlock, auto correct and data detection features.

The 2-1 appeals court ruling said that Apple's proposed injunction is narrow because it does not want to ban Samsung's devices from the marketplace, and thatSamsung can remove the patented features without recalling its products.

"Apple does not seek to enjoin the sale of lifesaving drugs, but to prevent Samsung from profiting from the unauthorised use of infringing features in its cellphones and tablets," the court said.

The case was sent back to a federal district court in San Jose, California, to reconsider the injunction.

After the jury verdict last year, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in August, 2014 refused Apple's request for a permanent injunction to stop Samsung from selling the infringing features on its smartphones.

In a statement, Samsung sought to reassure its customers that all of its flagship smartphones will remain available for sale and customer service support.

Calling Apple's injunction request "unfounded," a spokeswoman said Samsung will ask the full slate of Federal Circuit judges to review Thursday's decision.

Apple reiterated its previous comments about the case, saying "Samsung willfully stole our ideas and copied our products."

In a separate, blockbuster case, the Federal Circuit in Maystripped about $382 million (roughly Rs. 2,527 crores) from a $930 million (roughly Rs. 6,152 crores) judgment against Samsung stemming from a 2012 verdict for infringing Apple's patents and copying the look of the iPhone. Both companies are now sparring in Koh's court over a final damages figure in that case.

The impact of Thursday's decision on Samsung could be limited because the company has been bracing for a possible injunction, said Michael Risch, a professor of law at Villanova University School of Law. Samsung has probably designed around the features or abandoned them already, he said.

In the Apple-Samsung patent wars, "Apple has won every round," he said. "But the reality is it hasn't actually slowed Samsung down."

The case is Apple Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No. 14-1802

Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis win Guangzhou Open title

NEW DELHI: The top seeds Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis continued their unbeaten run as they defeated Shilin Xu-Xiaodi You in the final to clinch the Guangzhou Open title on Saturday.

The Indo-Swiss pair of Sania and Hingis registered an easy 6-3, 6-1 victory over unseeded Chinese pair in the summit clash.

With this win, Sania claimed her seventh title of the season. She has won five titles with Hingis this season, including US Open and Wimbledon. They also won three titles in row at the start of the partnership --Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston.

Sania had won her first title of the 2015 season with Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Sydney.

Supermoon plus eclipse equals rare sky show Sunday night

Get ready for a rare double feature this weekend, starring our very own moon. 

A total lunar eclipse will share the stage with a so-called supermoon Sunday night or early Monday, depending where you are. That combination hasn't been seen since 1982 and won't happen again until 2033. 

When a full or new moon makes its closest approach to Earth, that's a supermoon. Although still about 220,000 miles away, this full moon will look bigger and brighter than usual. In fact, it will be the closest full moon of the year, about 30,000 miles closer than the average distance. (The moon's orbit is far from a perfect circle.) 

NASA planetary scientist Noah Petro is hoping the celestial event will ignite more interest in the moon. He is deputy project for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, which has been studying the moon from lunar orbit since 2009. 

"The moon's a dynamic place," Petro said Wednesday. "We're seeing changes on the surface of the moon from LRO. We're seeing that it's not this static dead body in the sky ... it's this great astronomical object that we have in our backyard, essentially. So people should get out and start looking at it." 

Many stargazers, professional and amateur alike, dislike the term "supermoon," noting the visible difference between a moon and supermoon is slight to all but the most faithful observers. 

"It's not like the difference between an ordinary man and Superman," said Alan MacRobert, a senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine. "It really ought to be called a tiny, slightly little bit bigger moon, rather than the supermoon." 

The full eclipse of the moon will last more than an hour and be visible, weather permitting, from North and South America, Europe, Africa and western Asia. Showtime on the U.S. East Coast is 10:11 p.m. EDT (0211 GMT); that's when the moon, Earth and sun will be lined up, with Earth's shadow totally obscuring the moon. 

In Europe, the action will unfold before dawn Monday. No matter where, the preshow will begin two hours earlier.
There won't be another total lunar eclipse until 2018. 

This weekend's eclipse marks the end of a tetrad, or series of four total lunar eclipses set six months apart. This series began in April 2014. 

The 21st century will see eight of these tetrads, an uncommonly good run. From 1600 to 1900, there were none. 

Observatories are marking the celestial event with public telescope viewing, although magnifying devices won't be necessary; the eclipse will be easily visible with the naked eye. Astronomers are urging stargazers to simply look to the east. 

In Los Angeles, Griffith Observatory also will serve up Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on the piano and other moon-themed music. 

NASA will provide a live video feed of the entire eclipse — an option in case clouds obscure your own view. 

Samsung launches Galaxy Note5; price starts at ₹53,900

Samsung Electronics today launched its flagship Galaxy Note5 in India at a price starting at ₹ 53,900.

The Galaxy Note5 is available in the Indian market at a price of ₹53,900 for the 32GB variant and ₹59,900 for the 64GB variant," Samsung India Vice President (Marketing, IT and Mobile) Asim Warsi said in a statement. 

The smartphone will be available in Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum and Silver Titanium colours, he added.

The device represents Samsung’s commitment to the big screen smartphone market, which Samsung boldly pioneered in 2011 with the original Galaxy Note, Warsi said. 

Actor Parul Yadav today presented the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 to Bengaluru's first 50 customers. 

"The launch gets us even closer to the customer for his tech purchases from Ezone," said Rajan Malhotra, Chief Executive Officer, Ezone and President-Retail Strategy, Future Group.

The Galaxy Note5 has a 3,000mAh battery complemented by Samsung's fast wired and wireless charging technology, Malhotra said, adding that the embedded wireless charging technology is compatible with virtually any wireless pad available.

The Galaxy Note5 comes with an upgraded version of Side Sync, which offers both wireless and wired integration of the mobile with PC or tablet for seamless connections across devices, he said. 

Smartphone health apps may pose privacy risk

Some clinically-accredited smartphone health apps may be sending unencrypted personal and health information, putting the privacy of users at risk, a new study has found. 

It is currently estimated that one and a half billion smartphone users have a health app installed and this number is set to treble in the next three years. 

One quarter of US adults have reported using one or more health apps and a third of physicians have recommended an app to a patient. 

As a way of reassuring users about the quality and safety of health apps, several app accreditation programmes have been launched. One such programme is the UK's National Health System (NHS) Health Apps Library, which is a curated list of apps for patient and public use. 

Registered apps undergo an appraisal process that examines clinical safety and compliance with data protection law. The researchers from Imperial College London, UK, and Ecole Polytechnique CNRS, France, reviewed 79 apps that were listed on the UK NHS Health Apps Library in July 2013. 

The apps covered health areas such as weight loss, alcohol harm reduction, smoking cessation and long-term condition self-care. 

The apps were assessed over a six-month period by inputting simulated information, tracking the handling of this information, and looking at how this agreed with any associated privacy policies. 

Of the apps reviewed, it was found that 70 of the apps transmitted information to online services and 23 of those sent identifying information over the internet without encryption. 

Of the 38 apps that had a privacy policy and transmitted information, the privacy policy did not state what personal information would be included in the transmissions. 

Four apps were found to be sending both identifying and health information without encryption. "Our study suggests that the privacy of users of 
accredited apps may have been unnecessarily put at risk, and challenges claims of trustworthiness offered by the current national accreditation scheme being run through the NHS," said lead researcher Kit Huckvale, from Imperial College London. 

"The results of the study provide an opportunity for action to address these concerns, and minimise the risk of a future privacy breach," said Huckvale. The study was published in the journal BMC Medicine.

Vivo launches Y27L, available at Rs 12,990

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has expanded its Y series smartphones by launching Y27L smartphone in India. While the official listing doesn't mention the price, Mumbai-based retailer Mahesh Telecom has claimed the price to be ₹ 12,990. 

Vivo Y27L sports a 4.7-inch HD IPS screen with 1280x720p resolution. 

The dual-sim smartphone sports a 8MP primary camera along with an 5MP secondary camera. 

Powered by a 64-bit quad core Snapdragon 410 processor and 1GB RAM, the smartphone offers 16GB of internal storage and can support microSD cards of up to 128GB. 

Vivo Y27L runs Android KitKat 4.4-based Funtouch OS 2.0 and packs a 2,260mAh battery. On the connectivity front, the phone offers support for 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. 

With 136.9x68.1x6.99mm dimensions and 137g weight, the device comes with smart gesture controls, Hi-Fi audio control feature and superscreen shot feature -- to capture multiple screenshots that can be saved as one extended picture.

BlackBerry unveils Android phone in new reboot effort

BlackBerry announced plans today to sell an Android-powered smartphone, in the latest reboot effort from the faded star of the sector.

The Canadian firm said its would begin selling "Priv," describe as "a flagship handheld device that will run on the Android operating system with BlackBerry security," expected to be available later this year.

"Priv combines the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform," said John Chen, executive chairman and chief executive.

BlackBerry said however it "remains committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which enables industry-leading security and productivity benefits."

The company said it "will continue to develop and enhance the BlackBerry 10 operating system and is confirming plans to release platform updates focused on security and privacy enhancements," in March 2016.
 
The BB 10 operating system was unveiled in 2013 as part of an effort to regain market share lost as consumers around the world shifted to devices running on Google Android and Apple's iOS.

But the operating system share has fallen further, and now represents less than one percent of smartphone users. BlackBerry, one of the early pioneers of smartphones, has been struggling for years. It has made several efforts to find new customer niches, with low-cost devices, tablets and by shifting its emphasis to software and services.

In releasing its quarterly results, BlackBerry said it swung to a profit of $51 million for the three months to August 29, compared with a loss of $207 million in the same period a year ago.

But the profit came from a one-time credit from an adjustment in the value of some of its debts. Revenues for the period slumped 46 percent from a year ago to USD 490 million.

"I am confident in our strategy and continued progress, highlighted by our fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year double digit growth in software licensing revenue and sixth consecutive quarter of positive free cash flow," Chen said.

"At the same time, we are focused on making faster progress to achieve profitability in our handset business." 

BlackBerry said it sold 800,000 smartphones at an average price of USD 240. That represents a tiny fraction of a global smartphone market of some 300 million per quarter.

The company said 15 percent of its revenue came from software and services, 41 percent for hardware, and 43 percent for service access fees. 

Datawind ties up with Telenor for free Internet

Low-cost handset maker Datawind today announced partnership with mobile operator Telenor to offer free unlimited Internet browsing for one-year. 

The offer is available on any of its devices across six telecom circles across the country where Telenor offers commercial mobile services, Datawind said. 

Apart from Telenor, Datawind is also offering the one-year free Internet scheme with Reliance Communications. 

"This is a very exciting development for Datawind. We are making the Internet more easily accessible to millions of people across the country like never before," President and CEO Datawind Suneet Singh Tuli said. 

He added, "Our customers will be able to use any of our devices to browse Internet in all the six circles -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar & Jharkhand, UP (East), UP (West), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where Telenor has its network. 

Tuli said through this new partnership, the company had strengthened its market position as an organisation that thrives for consistently bringing down costs for connectivity, both in terms of product range and Internet access for emerging economies. 

Amaresh Kumar, Chief Product Officer Telenor India said: "We are delighted to partner with Datawind. Telenor offers Sabse Sasta and value for money voice and Internet services. Products like these are step towards achieving our Internet for All ambition and empower customers with benefits of being connected." 

‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ to be presented in 2 parts

Celebrated author J K Rowling announced on Thursday that her upcoming play ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ will be presented in two parts. 

“Due to the epic nature of the story we’ve been working on, Harry Potter & the #CursedChild will be in two parts!” Rowling said on Twitter. 

The play, a collaboration between Rowling and writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany, is scheduled to debut next summer at London’s West End. 

The official site of the play describes it as “one play presented in two parts which are intended to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening) or on two consecutive evenings”.

Rowling had earlier clarified that the ‘Cursed Child’ was always intended as a play and that the story is not a prequel to the widely popular Harry Potter books. No other plot details have been revealed so far.  

Facebook adds 360-degree video to News Feed

Facebook today began rolling out 360-degree viewing at the leading social network, letting people change their perspectives in specially created videos. 
 
"We've seen that people enjoy more immersive content in their News Feeds," video engineering director Maher Saba said in a blog post. 
 
"We're excited to take it a step further with 360-degree video." 
 
Synched rings cameras are used to capture video in a way that lets viewers virtually look around as if they are in the middle of a scene. 
 
In desktop computer browsers, changing angles can be done using on-screen cursors. On mobile devices, shifting perspectives can be done by dragging fingers or just turning handsets, according to Saba. 
 
"You'll be able to hold up your phone and the 360-degree video will follow you as you turn, looking around, to experience things from all over the world like never before," Saba said. 
 
Publishers sharing 360-degree video at launch included GoPro, Discovery, and Saturday Night Live, according to Facebook. 
 
Disney and Lucasfilm will debut a 360-degree video focused on its upcoming film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Saba said. 
 
The immersive new feature being added to News Feed was being rolled out to Web browser and mobile devices powered by Google-backed Android operating systems. Facebook planned to get it onto hardware powered by Apple iOS software "in the coming months."

The 7 best new features of iOS 9

Apple has finally released iOS 9 into the world. While some aspects have stirred up controversy, the overall response has been mostly positive. It runs on the vast majority of Apple’s existing mobile devices, the performance is solid, and the upgrade process is relatively painless. At first glance, it’s not drastically different from iOS 8, but a handful of strategic changes will make your iPhone and iPad significantly easier to use.iOS 9 contains far too many changes to mention in a single article, but after using it extensively on my primary devices, I’ve settled on seven major improvements and additions that are worth bringing to your attention. Now, let’s jump in, and explore what exactly iOS 9 has to offer.

Content Blockers

Regardless of the ethical and business aspects of blocking ads, the introduction of content blocking extensions for Safari in iOS 9 is a good thing. Giving the end user more control over what content is being loaded, and how they’re being tracked, is an incredibly smart move for Apple as a company focused on the user experience.
Keep in mind, this isn’t all about removing ads. In fact, Marco Arment’s $2.99 Peace content blocker is actually using the Ghostery database to detect and block trackers. And if reading comment sections makes you sick to your stomach, you can simply toggle them off completely.
While this addition is definitely controversial, the implications for improved mobile privacy are too massive to ignore. Good on Apple for prioritizing its customers over advertisers.

Battery improvements

This time around, Apple is focusing heavily on improving battery life. The built-in apps and core technologies have been optimized to draw less power, so you should see a longer battery life on your existing devices after you make the jump to iOS 9. It’s certainly not going to double your battery life, but Apple estimates that you’ll be able to squeeze in an extra hour of use between charges.
Even better, Apple also introduced a new low power mode that will help you conserve battery power until you can find an outlet. Head to Settings > Battery, and toggle on the “Low Power Mode” switch. Background activities like mail fetching and notifications will cease, fancy home screen animations will be turned off, and the CPU clock speed will actually dynamically drop. It’s not something you’ll want to use everyday, but it will likely come in handy during emergencies.

Siri and search improvements

Since its introduction in 2011, Siri has steadily continued to improve. This year, the big changes are based around context awareness. When you reference what’s on your screen, Siri will actually know what you’re talking about. Need a reminder about a certain email? Just tell Siri “Remind me to read this email when I get home.” It will set a reminder, and when you return home, a notification will pop up with a link to that specific message.
Want to show your co-workers some photos from your family reunion? You can tell Siri “Show me photos taken in Pennsylvania” or “Show me photos taken on September 13th.” Same goes for email as well. Need to find your receipt? Tell Siri “Show me emails from Amazon in the last week.” Better yet, simple conversions are now handled locally instead of using the Wolfram Alpha API, so results will come in faster than ever.
Prefer to search with your thumbs instead of your voice? iOS 9 has that covered as well. Swipe to the right on your home screen, and you’ll be greeted with a fully functional search bar, contact and app recommendations, and dedicated search buttons for nearby locations (restaurants, gas stations, et cetera).

Bread crumb trail

iOS has long allowed for one app to launch a different app with custom URL handlers, but getting back to where you started has been something of a hassle. If your Twitter app kicked you to Safari to load a page, you’d have to double-tap the home button, swipe, and relaunch the original app.
With iOS 9, you’ll now see a small string of text in the upper left-hand corner. Give it a tap, and it will instantly bring you back to the app you were using before. Combine this with iOS 9’s improved method of loading web pages within apps, and you’ll see that Apple is slowly moving towards merging dedicated apps and the open web into a single seamless experience.

App slimming

“Fat binaries” are a legitimately neat concept. Instead of having developers compile and upload different versions of their apps for each device, all of the different assets can be bundled up in a single app that works on all supported devices. Unfortunately, that also means that as more platforms are supported, the larger the size requirements grow. And since Apple refuses to stop shipping devices with a mere 16GB of storage, massive apps are a serious issue for consumers.
Thankfully, iOS 9 now supports a suite of features dubbed “app thinning.” Only the assets needed to run the app on your device are stored locally, and the cruft is excised. If you’re running on a non-retina device like the iPad 2 or first iPad Mini, you should see some significant savings here.
And since developers can now choose to dynamically download or delete specific resources within the app, you won’t always need to have a complete installation when you’re only using a small subset of what an app offers. It will likely take some time to see widespread adoption of this functionality, but it has a lot of space-saving potential for games or multifaceted apps like Garageband.

iPad keyboard improvements

If you do a lot of typing on your iPad, you’re in for some big improvements. Selecting text is significantly easier to pull off, the shortcut bar on top on the software keyboard allows for easy editing, and support for shortcuts on Bluetooth keyboards is even better. Now you have no excuse not to write that novel you’ve been kicking around in your head.

Side-by-side multitasking

On newer iPads, various forms of side-by-side multitasking are now possible. Split view — effectively two iPad apps running next to each other — is available on the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, and iPad Mini 4. Slide over — a feature much like the Xbox One’s snap mode — works with the iPad Pro, the original iPad Air (and above), and the iPad Mini 2 (and above). And as a nice little bonus, picture-in-picture mode allows you to keep watching videos as you browse. Older models don’t get any of those benefits, but that’s not particularly surprising. Frankly, I’m just amazed that the iPad 2 is being supported at all.

An update to remember

Taken as a whole, iOS 9 serves to make the iPhone and iPad fundamentally better devices. Usability is clearly still Cupertino’s number one concern, and this is hands-down the best OS it’s ever shipped. Even so, there’s still plenty of room for improvement by the time iOS 10 rolls around next year. Let’s just hope that Apple fixes watchOS 2 in the meantime.

Hike launches free group calling, can connect up to 100 people

Hike Messenger, which is headed by Kavin Mittal, son of telecom czar Sunil Mittal, today launched free group calling with a facility of connecting up to 100 people.

The calling feature, which will work over 4G and wi-fi to begin with is available on Android currently while iOS and Windows will be followed by end of the year, the company said in a statement.

Voice calling through over-the-top (OTT) players has been a subject of debate between telecom operators and internet companies.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) in its report on net neutrality has proposed to bring voice calls offered by OTT players under its regulation, a move opposed by supporters of net neutrality.

With the introduction of group calling, Hike has also dropped the beta tag on VoIP (voice over Internet) officially rolling out the feature, the statement added.

"Now with the tap of a single button, you can connect up to 100 people in one call. It’s that simple. No more pins, no more dial in numbers and no more putting people on hold. Making a group call has never been this easy," hike messenger founder and CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal said.

Consumers can get this feature by upgrading to the latest version of hike, which is available on the Google Play Store starting today.

The company said group calling has been launched keeping in mind the needs of students and families who love to chat in groups as well as small executive teams whose job demands being in sync with their large teams while on the move.

Launched in December 2012, hike has over 35 million users and has raised $86 million from Tiger Global and BSB till date. 

Motorola launches Moto X Play, priced at ₹18,499

Motorola has launched its new mid-range smartphone, Moto X Play, in India. Priced at ₹18,499 for the base 16GB variant, the smartphone will be available exclusively on Flipkart starting September 15 at midnight.

The 32GB variant is priced at ₹19,999. The latest Motorola smartphone also supports microSD cards of up to 128GB capacities for additional storage.

Moto X Play, which was showcased alongside the more-powerful Moto X Style in July, has a 5.5-inch AMOLED screen with Full HD resolution. The key highlights of the smartphone are its 3,630mAh battery and 21MP camera, which Motorola says is among the fastest in the industry.

The Moto X Play smartphone, which has nano-coating to protect it from water damage, runs on stock Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop). It is powered by the 1.7GHz octa-core 64-bit Snapdragon 615 processor with 2GB RAM. The smartphone offers dual-sim support, 5MP front camera, 32GB built-in storage and has a hybrid microSD+sim slot.

At this price point, Moto X Play will compete against the likes of OnePlus One (16GB), Asus Zenfone 2 (4GB RAM, 32GB storage variant), and Xiaomi Mi 4 (64GB), among others.

Lenovo launches A7000 Plus, successor to A7000

Lenovo has launched a successor to A7000 smartphone, the A7000 Plus. The smartphone is set to go on sale in Philippines via a local e-commerce website, however, the company has not as yet announced if and when it will be available in other markets. 
 
In Philippines, Lenovo A7000 Plus is priced at PHP 7,999. the specifications of the smartphone are very similar to that of Lenovo K3 Note. 
 
The dual-sim smartphone features a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920p) display and is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek (MT6752) SoC and 2GB RAM. Lenovo A7000 Plus comes with 16GB internal storage and can support microSD cards. 
 
The phone packs a 3,000mAh battery and sports an 13MP primary camera with LED flash and a 5MP secondary camera. 
 
On the connectivity front, it supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and microUSB. The successor of Lenovo A7000 runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Samsung may launch foldable touchscreen smartphones

After Apple debuted its new 3D Touch display technology with the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, all eyes are on Samsung to introduce a game-changing technology that will lure buyers away from its arch rival. While the dual curved screens of Galaxy S6 created waves, Samsung may have another ace up its sleeve -- foldable touchscreens.

In March, a Samsung Display official had said that smartphones with foldable touchscreens would be commercially possible in 2016. The company seems to have been taking the project forward since then. A new report by a blogger on Chinese social network Weibo has dished out a few details related to Samsung's upcoming foldable touchscreen smartphone.

According to the report, the smartphone is being developed under the name Project Valley or Project V and will be ready for production by January next year. This timeline suggests that the South Korean giant may unveil the world's first foldable touchscreen smartphone at Mobile World Congress in March or possibly a few weeks before the tech event, as it did with Galaxy Note 5 and S6 edge+ in August.

On the hardware part, it is likely that the display will be flexible OLED, as no manufacturer has been able to achieve foldable LED displays yet. The report also says that Samsung is testing the phone with two chipsets: Snapdragon 820 and Snapdragon 620. It is not yet clear whether this phone will be released in just one variant or two.

Other than that, the Project Valley smartphone will have 3GB RAM, non-removable battery and microSD card for storage expansion.

Samsung did not use Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors in its top-end smartphones this year, instead relying on its own Exynos chipset range to power Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+ and Note 5.

A foldable touchscreen smartphone would be a great selling point, but it is not yet known what unique features this type of form-factor would entail. Moreover, getting Google Play Store developers to create apps for the foldable design may prove to be a challenge, though Samsung can deliver those through its own Apps platform, like it currently does for the Edge series phones.

New class of medium-sized black holes identified

Astronomers led by an Indian-origin scientist have found evidence for a new intermediate-mass black hole about 5,000 times the mass of the 
Sun, strengthening the case for the existence of a third major class of black holes. 
 
Nearly all black holes come in one of two sizes: stellar mass black holes that weigh up to a few dozen times the mass of our Sun or supermassive black holes ranging from a million to several billion times the Sun's mass. 
 
Astronomers believe that medium-sized black holes between these two extremes exist, but evidence has been hard to come by, with roughly a half-dozen candidates described so far. 
 
A team led by astronomers at the University of Maryland (UMD) and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center found evidence for a new intermediate-mass black hole about 5,000 times the mass of the Sun. 
 
The discovery adds one more candidate to the list of potential medium-sized black holes, while strengthening the case that these objects do exist. 
 
The result follows up on a similar finding by some of the same scientists, using the same technique, published in August 2014. 
 
While the previous study accurately measured a black hole weighing 400 times the mass of the Sun using data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite, the current study used data from the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton satellite. 
 
The new intermediate-mass black hole candidate, known as NGC1313X-1, is classified as an ultraluminous X-ray source, and as such is among the brightest X-ray sources in the nearby universe. It has proven hard to explain exactly why ultraluminous X-ray sources are so bright, however. 
 
Against this backdrop of haphazard X-ray fireworks created by NGC1313X-1, researchers identified two repeating flares, each flashing at an unusually steady frequency. 
 
One flashed about 27.6 times per minute and the other about 17.4 times per minute. Comparing these two rates yields a nearly perfect 3:2 ratio. 
 
Although astronomers are not yet sure what causes these steady flashes, the presence of a clockwork 3:2 ratio appears to be a common feature of stellar mass black holes and possibly intermediate-mass black holes as well. 
 
The flashes are most likely caused by activity close to  the black hole, where extreme gravity keeps all surrounding matter on a very tight leash, Pasham said.

Microsoft Develops a Linux-Based Operating System - Azure Cloud Switch

It has been pointed on many occasions that Microsoft under Satya Nadella is very different from the one he inherited from Steve Ballmer. Under Nadella, Microsoft is more open than it has ever been before. Last year, Nadella announced support for container-friendly CoreOS distro, one of the five Linux distros Microsoft has embraced in the recent past. Now the company is taking one step further in its alliance with Linux: it has just built a Linux-based operating system.

Kamala Subramaniam, Principal Architect, Azure Networking, on Thursday wrote in a blog post that Microsoft has built Azure Cloud Switch (ACS), a cross-platform modular operating system for data center networking. This will power network components such as switches. The interesting thing about this operating system is that it is built on top of Linux.

Azure Cloud Switch, as Subramaniam writes, will make debugging, testing, and fixing bugs much faster. "It also allows us the flexibility to scale down the software and develop features that are required for our data centre and our networking needs," she wrote. She further noted that the move has already been getting overwhelming response from partnered vendors.

"We're talking about ACS publicly as we believe this approach of disaggregating the switch software from the switch hardware will continue to be a growing trend in the networking industry and we would like to contribute our insights and experiences of this journey starting here," she added.

The bottom line for everyone who is not interested in Azure technology is that the Microsoftunder Satya Nadella doesn't hesitate to partner with old rivals if that gets the job done for it. The company, which once wouldn't miss out on any opportunity to defame its rivals, is now aggressively making apps for Android and iOS platforms. The company's presence at Apple's iPhone 6s event earlier this month was a big testament too.

OnePlus 2 finally ‘arrives’ in Indian retail stores

Chinese startup OnePlus has partnered with Bharti Airtel to showcase its latest smartphone, OnePlus 2, at its retail stores.
 
Starting today, those interested in buying the new OnePlus 2 can go to 50 Airtel stores across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru for a hands-on experience of the smartphone, which is available in India via Amazon only.
 
Though limited to 3 cities only at present, this plan will be gradually rolled out to other cities where Airtel has 4G presence.
 
Users need to get their hands on invites in order to be able to purchase the smartphone. Those who upgrade their existing sim card for an Airtel 4G sim or go for a new Airtel 4G connection at the store will also stand a chance to receive a OnePlus 2 invite. The Airtel stores will be handing over the invites on first-come-first-serve basis.
 
The OnePlus 2 64GB variant with 4GB RAM is currently available for purchase for Rs 24,999, while the 32GB model with 3GB RAM will go on sale later this year at Rs 22,999.
 
OnePlus 2 features a 5.5-inch Full HD (1920x1080p) IPS LCD In-Cell display is brighter than that of last year's model. Below the display is hardware button that houses a fingerprint scanner, while the USB Type C port is located at the bottom.
 
OnePlus 2 runs on OxygenOS, based on the latest Android version Lollipop 5.1. It is the first device to ship with OnePlus' own operating system out of the box. "With the OnePlus 2, we're making a bet on the future, and doubling down on a holistic product experience," said OnePlus co-founder, Carl Pei.

HTC launches Desire 728 smartphone

Taiwanese handset maker HTC has launched Desire 728 phablet in China and is available for pre-order at 1,699 yuan ($266 approximately) 

Measuring 157.9x77.8x7.87mm and weighing 153gm, Desire 728 features 5.5-inch (720x1280p) IPS display and runs on Android Lollipop 5.1.1. 

The smartphone will be available in two colour combinations: White and Gold and Black and Gray. 

This dual-sim phablet is powered by 1.3GHz octa-core MT6753 processor with 2GB RAM. 

It sports a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and 5MP front-facing camera. 

Packed with 2,800mAh battery, the handset comes with 16GB internal storage and users can expand storage up to 2TB by microSD card. 

On connectivity front, HTC Desire 728 supports 4G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and A-GPS. HTC Desire 728 smartphone sports BoomSound front stereo speakers.

Micromax’s YU working on phone with 4GB RAM

YU - Micromax's Cyanogen-powered, online-only brand - is seemingly working on an affordable flagship smartphone that features 4GB of RAM.  
 
According to Geekbench data, the YU5050 smartphone will be powered by the top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, with all eight cores underclocked to 1.5GHz. This is the same processor that powers the new OnePlus 2. The smartphone will have 4GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)-based Cyanogen 12.1 software.  
 
Data by imports tracking website Zauba shows that YU's YU5050 smartphone will have a 5.2-inch and is currently in India for testing purposes. A report by tech blog TechGadgetsZ.com says that the phone will have Full HD resolution (1080x1920p), support 4G LTE speeds, and feature fast-charging. Priced at approximately Rs 21,000, the smartphone will be exclusively available on online marketplace Snapdeal.  
 
Geekbench has revealed another smartphone that YU is working on: YU4711. This smartphone will be a budget model that is powered by Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor with 1GB RAM and has Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)-based Cyanogen 12.1 OS.

Microsoft India eyes 4G, Windows 10 for revival

Microsoft is building a pipeline of fourth-generation smartphones to be launched in India around the year-end, and is banking on Windows 10-based devices to make a mark in the highly competitive mobile market where it is rapidly losing ground.  
 
By 2015-end, the company, which acquired Nokia's handset division last year for $7.2 billion, will also start rolling out the latest Windows 10 operating system for its existing smartphones, which the company reckons would help it grow market share in India, Ajey Mehta, country manager, Microsoft Mobile Devices, told ET.  
 
Microsoft currently has only one dual-band 4G smartphone, Lumia 638. It has enabled seven of its smartphones with 4G capability through a software upgrade, but these models support only one band of 4G -- FDDLTE on 1,800Mhz. Airtel offers service on this band in some circles.  
 
The upcoming phones will support both existing 4G bands — TDD using 2,300Mhz and FDD — which will be used by Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm. Vodafone India and Idea Cellular are also expected to launch FDD-LTE 4G services over the next few months.  
 
"We will soon roll out the LTE version of Lumia 640XL. All of our future 4G devices will support all types of 4G services in India," Mehta said, adding that the company is preparing to bring the new devices to the market by Diwali. Chinese rivals such as Xiaomi and Lenovo have already cornered a major chunk of the fast growing 4G smartphone segment.  
 
Tarun Pathak, senior analyst at Counterpoint, said Microsoft will need a robust device launch strategy which shouldn't be specific to OS differentiation alone but also control the other variables in the ecosystem too. 
 
"In entry to mid-level smartphone segment, it will try to position itself as an alternative to Android by providing a differentiated experience, but then in reality it won't be just competing with Android but with various vendors offering stock and forked Android experience, including the likes of Motorola, Xiaomi and Cyanogen," he said.  
 
Enterprise is the fastest growing segment for Microsoft Mobile Devices. With Windows 10, which comes with security and management elements, Mehta said the brand would be able to better serve the needs of customers in the enterprise space. According to Mehta, feature phones continue to bring high volumes for the company and play an important role.

12-year-old Indian-origin girl gets top score in Mensa

A 12-year-old Indian-origin girl in the UK has achieved the highest possible score of 162 on a Mensa IQ test, outwitting physicists Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. 

Lydia Sebastian from Essex has joined the one per cent of all entrants to attain the highest mark in the Cattell III B paper supervised by Mensa, the society for people with high IQs. 

Lydia completed the paper with minutes to spare at the sitting at Birkbeck College, London during her school holidays. 

"At first, I was really nervous but once I started, it was much easier than I expected it to be and then I relaxed," said Lydia. 

She said the paper challenged her language skills, including analogies and definitions, and her sense of logic, the Guardian reported. 

Lydia's father, Arun Sebastian, a radiologist at Colchester general hospital, said his daughter "had looked at the websites for the IQ tests herself and had shown an interest in them and talked to my wife about them." 

She has read all seven of the Harry Potter books in the series three times. 

Lydia is talented in other areas and has been playing the violin since aged four. She starting talking at the age of just six months, her parents said. 

Lydia joins Nicole Barr, a 12-year-old from Harlow, Essex, as well as Aahil Jouher, a 10-year-old from Blackburn, in achieving perfect Mensa scores this year. 

Cattell III B has 150 questions, often assessing comprehension through passages of texts, while the maximum score that can be achieved is 161 for adults, and 162 for under-18s. 

Both Hawking and Einstein are thought to have an IQ of 160. 

Mensa is believed to be the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. Membership is open to anyone who can demonstrate an IQ in the top 2 per cent of the population, measured by a recognised or approved IQ testing process.

UAE likely to ask India's assistance in its Mars mission

The United Arab Emirates is expected to seek India's expertise in launching its Mars mission when its foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan visits Delhi this week, opening a new chapter in bilateral ties beyond security and economic partnership within a fortnight of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden trip to the oil-rich Gulf nation.

India's assistance for launching the Mars mission will work out more cost-effective for the UAE than is possible from Europe or USA, and mark the first such collaboration between India and any Gulf country, officials said. Al-Nahyan will be in Delhi on September 2-3 with an 83-member delegation, including top officials of the UAE's space agency and captains of industry. 
 
The two sides will explore cooperation in new areas including defence production, infrastructure, security, counter-terrorism, energy security and medium and small enterprises; scientific collaboration in areas such as space and renewable energy, sustainable development, environment, agriculture, desert ecology, urban growth and healthcare during Al-Nahyan's trip, MEA officials said.

Pluto may harbour alien life: UK physicist

Pluto may contain a subsurface ocean warm enough to host life, according to English physicist Brian Cox who also said that humans could be the only complex life in our galaxy.

Cox believes the tell-tale ooze of glaciers on Pluto's surface hints at the possibility of a subterranean sea warm enough to host organic chemistry.

"The New Horizons probe showed you that there may well be a subsurface ocean on Pluto, which means - if our understanding of life on Earth is even slightly correct - that you could have living things there," Cox told 'The Times'.

The New Horizons spacecraft completed a 3-billion-mile journey across the Solar System and performed a flyby of Pluto in July. The spacecraft captured detailed images and other data of Pluto and also of its moons: Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra.

It is unlikely, however, that New Horizons would be able to tell for certain whether warm water exists beneath the dwarf planet.

Cox said that the most immediate prospect for finding evidence of life was on the moons of other planets closer to home.

"It's not as accessible, unfortunately, as Europa [a satellite of Jupiter] or some of Saturn's moons. Titan looks as though it's got a subsurface ocean now, and Enceladus throws liquid into space, so you can fly through that and see if it's got organics in it," he said.

Cox also said it was plausible that humans could be the only complex life in our galaxy. The biological "bottlenecks" on the way to multicellular organisms are so difficult to squeeze through that only a tiny fraction of the planets where life emerges will be home to anything more than the simplest biology, he said.

Cox added that science is telling us now that "complex life is probably rare."

LG launches two 4k OLED TVs priced up to ₹ 5.79 lakh

Cashing on the growing demand for the big screen panels, consumer durable major LG today launched two models of 4k OLED TV in India. The 65 inch model is priced at ₹ 5.79 lakh, while the 55 inch screen model will cost 3.84 lakh. 

"This year we are expecting to sell over one million sets globally, while demand in India is still very small. We expect a significant increase in the demand for OLED TV in the country," LG India Director Home Entertainment Howard Lee told reporters.

At present, above 40 inch panels account for about 40-59 per cent of LG's total TV sales in India. He further said that LG is also looking at maximising its line of OLED TV range.

When asked if the company will launch smaller screen size OLED TVs in India, Lee said "there is some possibility for LG to have smaller screen OLED TV but nothing is decided right now".

LG will also invest $8.5 billion globally in next three years in the production of OLED TV.

The South Korean firm has also expanded its television manufacturing capacity at its plant in Pune from two million units per annum to three million.

However, he declined to share specific investment. LG is also gradually increasing localised components in its panels. 

Sony launches Xperia C5 Ultra with 13MP rear and front cameras, priced at ₹ 29,990

Sony has launched Xperia C5 Ultra, a large screen mid-range phone with a 13MP front camera, in India. Priced at ₹ 29,990, the phone will be available starting today. 

It sports a 6-inch Full HD (1080p) screen with the company's Bravia Engine 2 technology and is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core Mediatek MT6752 chipset with 2GB RAM. The smartphone comes with 16GB of built-in storage and supports microSD cards of up to 200GB capacity. The Xperia C5 Ultra runs Android 5.0 (Lollipop). 

The phone features 13MP rear and front cameras and both cameras include Sony's Exmor RS sensor, HDR for picture and video, and preset Auto scene recognition mode that analyses and adjusts settings automatically. The phone also features a front-flash for taking selfies in the dark.

The phone supports connectivity options such as 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and microUSB 2.0, and Sony will sell the dual-sim variant in India. It has a 2,930mAh battery, measures 8.7mm in thickness, weighs 187 grams, and will come in black, white and glossy softmint colours.

New app can turn your smartphone into 3D scanner

Creating instant 3D scans with your smartphone may soon be as quick and easy as texting or making a phone call, thanks to a new app developed by researchers, including one of Indian-origin. 

The app, called MobileFusion, by Microsoft Research can turn a smartphone into a 3D scanner, without requiring any extra hardware or Internet connection.

The scans are high-quality enough to be used for things like 3D printing and augmented reality video games.

"What this system effectively allows us to do is to take something similar to a picture, but it's a full 3D object," said Peter Ondruska, a PhD candidate at Oxford University who worked on the project while he was an intern at Microsoft Research.

"Everything happens on the phone itself," added Pushmeet Kohli, a principal research scientist with Microsoft Research, who also worked on the project.

Shahram Izadi, a Microsoft Research principal researcher, told 'Tech Net' that he imagines people using a tool like this to take a 3D scan of something they see on vacation, such as the Eiffel Tower, and immediately sharing it with friends or family.

According to the researchers, most mobile devices have become powerful enough that they could build a 3D-scanning system just using the computational power found on a regular mobile phone.

"The great starting point was to take a sensor that everyone has in their pocket, which is the camera you have on your mobile phone," Izadi said.

The researchers then developed an algorithm that allowed the camera to act as a 3D scanner, using a technique of taking multiple images that is similar to how the human eye works, Izadi explained. 

Intex launches Aqua Cloud Pace, priced at ₹6,999

Domestic handset maker Intex has launched Aqua Cloud Pace smartphone. Priced at ₹ 6,999, the smartphone is exclusively available on ShopClues.

The dual-sim smartphone features a 4.5-inch (540X960p) qHD display.

Powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor, Aqua Cloud Pace has 2GB RAM, and comes with 16GB of internal storage. Users can also install microSD cards of up to 32GB for more storage.

It sports a 8MP rear camera and 5MP front-facing camera.

The phone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop and packs a 1,700mAh battery.

The smartphone comes bundled with freebies worth an additional ₹ 6,999. These include a Hitech 16 GB Memory Card, a callmate 2,800mAh powerbank, a Selfie stick with an Auxiliary Cable, Tempered Glass, a flip cover, a Screen Guard, Infyshield Accidental Insurance Policy and 1.5 GB (500x3) Airtel internet data pack for three months.