CES 2013: Top 10 smartphones

CES 2013: Top 10 smartphones unveiled at the gadget show

Many smartphones have been unveiled by tech titans during the ongoing CES 2013.

 Here is a list on the top 10 smartphones unveiled at the CES 2013. 

Huawei launched the Ascend Mate smartphone which has a 6.1 inch display. The Ascend Mate is powered by a 1.5 GHz Hi-Silicon quad-core processor and a 4050 mAh battery. Huawei launched the Ascend Mate smartphone which has a 6.1 inch display. The Ascend Mate is powered by a 1.5 GHz Hi-Silicon quad-core processor and a 4050 mAh battery.  launched the Ascend Mate smartphone which has a 6.1 inch display. The Ascend Mate is powered by a 1.5 GHz Hi-Silicon quad-core processor and a 4050 mAh battery. 

ZTE announced the world debut of the ZTE Grand S %u2013 5.0 FHD LTE. As the flagship handset in ZTE's high-end Grand Series line of products, the ZTE Grand S is the company%u2019s first FHD smartphone and the world%u2019s thinnest within 5 inch FHD quad-core smartphones, enabled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. ZTE announced the world debut of the ZTE Grand S %u2013 5.0 FHD LTE. As the flagship handset in ZTE's high-end Grand Series line of products, the ZTE Grand S is the company%u2019s first FHD smartphone and the world%u2019s thinnest within 5 inch FHD quad-core smartphones, enabled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. 

Sony Mobile Communications introduced its new flagship Android smartphone, Xperia Z. The phone has a 5-inch full HD 1080p Reality Display, and is powered by a Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor. It has a 13 megapixel camera. 

In selected markets, a design variant of Xperia Z - Xperia ZL - will also be released in Q1 2013. Xperia ZL delivers the same experiences as Xperia Z but in a smaller form factor. Xperia Z and Xperia ZL will launch on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and will be upgraded to 4.2 shortly after launch for the latest Android user experience. 

Huawei unveiled its first Windows Phone 8 smartphone, Huawei Ascend W1, at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) today. The Ascend W1 is 10.15 mm thin and features a 4-inch IPS LCD 480 x 800 touchscreen.

The Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra mobile phone is displayed during the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. 

Lenovo announced at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show its latest flagship smartphone, the K900. It sports a 5.5-inch IPS screen. 

Huawei also unveiled the Ascend D2 smartphone. The Ascend D2, which features a 5-inch display, would have a high-definition screen with 443 pixels per inch compared with the most advanced Samsung and Apple phones, with resolutions closer to the 300 pixels per inch range. 

Samsung announced the Samsung ATIV Odyssey will be available in the coming weeks at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online. The ATIV Odyssey boasts a 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display (800x480). The ATIV Odyssey runs on the sleek and intuitive Windows Phone 8 operating system. 

A smart phone with HzO Waterblock technology is dipped in beer at CES in Las Vegas. 

CES

What mattered at CES on Day 1

The most exciting news from the first official day of the show, from massive tablets to 4K OLED TVs to CNET's Next Big Thing panel.

It may feel like it's been running for months already, but today is actually the first official day of CES. But even after yesterday's whirlwind of product announcements, there are still plenty of new electronics to savour, and we've got stories on them all at ces.cnet.com. But if you don't have time to pick through everything, here's the news that mattered the most.

Despite having a press conference yesterday, Panasonic saved its most interesting revelations for today. First is its answer to Sony's concept 4K OLED TV, its own concept model that's very similar. Panasonic claims it's the world's biggest, at 56-inches, but that's the same size as the Sony model unveiled yesterday. Bad luck guys. It weighs 27 pounds, is less than half an inch thick and has a resolution of 3,840x2,160. Stay tuned to ces.cnet.com for a proper hands-on preview soon.

Panasonic's second big announcement made more of a splash -- a 4K tablet with a 20-inch screen. With a resolution of 3,840x2,560, that screen sure is detailed, and it weighs five pounds. It runs Windows 8 and has an Intel Core i5 processor inside. I saw this thing on the show floor being demoed both as a remote control for photographers and as a tool for architects. Check out our story for more details and pictures: this thing is off the chain.

"It's a tablet, it's a PC, it's a console." That's how Razer describes its new Edge gaming machine that we got a detailed hands-on with today. The basic box looks like a tablet, but thanks to various accessories you can turn it into a handheld console or plug it into a TV like a normal console. Rich Brown and Scott Stein were cautiously impressed, head over to their piece for more.

If it's one thing the world needs, it's more 5-inch Android phones. So thanks ZTE for the Grand S, a smartphone running Jelly Bean with a 13-megapixel camera, 1.7GHz quad-core processor and 4G. Lynn La calls it ZTE's "most chic handset" and thinks it bodes well for its future models.

Finally, CNET's annual CES Next Big Thing panel was full to bursting as always. This year, businessman Mark Cuban, LG Electronics honcho James Fishler, Ford's Sheryl Connelly and Sprint exec Fared Adib were all asked a simple question: what's the next big thing? Read Andrew Nusca's summary to see what insights this interesting group of people had.

What products have you been most excited by at CES? Let me know in the comments below and check back for another round-up of the hottest news tomorrow.

17 BEEELLION Earth-like worlds

NASA: There are 17 BEEELLION Earth-like worlds in Milky Way


Scientists scrubbing up data about starlight from NASA's Kepler telescope have used it to estimate that there are 17 billion other Earths in our galaxy, the Milky Way.

Artist's impression of the variety of planets found the Kepler satellite. Credit: C Pulliam and D Aguilar

Astrophysicists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have been poring through light signals from stars in our corner of the galaxy searching for other habitable planets in the universe. Using the slight dimming that occurs when planets cross a star and partially eclipse it, the satellite-mounted telescope has been monitoring light signals from nearby stars, 2,400 of them, and a cleaned-up version of the results was presented yesterday at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Francois Fressin of the Center for Astrophysics revealed that 17 per cent of stars have an Earth-sized planet in an orbit of 100 days or less. With 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, he extrapolated out that this makes for 17 billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy alone.
Using the same stats, Fressin estimated that 25 per cent of stellar systems observed have a SuperEarth, a planet 1.25 - 2 times the size of Earth in an orbit of 150 days or less.
Larger planets are much less common. Only about 3 per cent of stars have a large Neptune (4 to 6 times the size of Earth), and only 5 per cent of stars have a gas giant (6 to 22 times the size of Earth) in an orbit of 400 days or less.

Types and frequency of planets found by latest data analysis from Kepler.
Credit F Fressin

The researchers used a simulation of the Kepler survey to work out how many of the signals were noise, estimating that only a tenth were false positives after checking against some of the other ways that NASA searches for planets. Fressin says:

There is a list of astrophysical configurations that can mimic planet signals, but altogether, they can only account for one-tenth of the huge number of Kepler candidates. All the other signals are bona-fide planets.

As Kepler gathers more data, planets further away from their stars in longer orbits will become visible. The next piece of work for the telescope, and the data analysts is how many of those planets are likely to be in the habitable zones of their solar systems.
In a separate announcement, NASA announced the discovery of 461 new planet candidates. It said that four of the potential new planets were less than twice the size of Earth and orbit in their sun's "habitable zone" - meaning they could store liquid water, making them "potentially life-bearing".
The Kepler is NASA's attempt to find other habitable planets in our universe.

Apple App Store

Apple App Store hits 40 billion downloads; 20 billion in 2012, alone

The company says that the App Store now has over 500 million active accounts and 775,000 applications available to customers.

Apple's App Store has reached a new milestone in total app downloads.

The iPhone maker announced today that there have been 40 billion unique application downloads in its App Store since the marketplace launched in 2008. Apple's unique download tally excludes redownloads and updates. Of the 40 billion apps downloaded so far, nearly 20 billion were downloaded in 2012, the company said.

Apple's App Store now has over 500 million active accounts, and 2 billion apps were downloaded in December, alone, making it the best month in the marketplace's history. The App Store has 775,000 apps available for iOS devices.

Developers, of course, have benefited from the App Store's growth. According to Apple senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, over $7 billion has been paid out to iOS developers.

The App Store's growth over the last year has been nothing short of astounding. In June, Apple announced that its marketplace had hit 30 billion downloads and 400 million active accounts. At that time, the App Store had 650,000 apps available. In October, those figures grew to 35 billion application downloads and 700,000 apps.

Based on those figures, it appears Apple's App Store growth is accelerating. Whereas it took four months for Apple to tally 5 billion downloads between June and October, that jumped to three months between October and January.

An acceleration in app downloads is expected to continue over the next 12 months, according to research firm Flurry Analytics. That company said last week in a report detailing app downloads across iOS and Android, that over 1 billion mobile programs will be downloaded on those operating systems each week between now and the fourth quarter of 2013. After that, the research firm expects a combined 2 billion apps to be downloaded to Android- and iOS-based devices each week.

That Apple decided to announce the news today might not be a coincidence. The Consumer Electronics Show -- an event Apple has stayed away from for years -- is on in full force this week. In years past, Apple has often announced news on CES days to steal some headlines. This year has proven no different.

Dhoni among top 5 batsmen

Dhoni among top 5 batsmen in ICC ODI rankings; Kohli moves down to 3

Pakistan opener NasirJamshed has made the biggest move in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODIbatsmen while Indian captainMahendra Singh Dhonireturned to the top five. The latest rankings were released Monday, a day after the conclusion of the three-ODIseries between rivals India and Pakistan.

Nasir jumped 45 places to 31st spot, while Dhoni returned to the top five after consistent performances with the bat in the series, which Pakistan won 2-1.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Pakistan’s duo of Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan made gains, whileMohammad Hafeez became the number-one ranked ODI all-rounder for the first time in his career.

Jamshed was the top run-getter in the series with 241 runs, which included back-to-back centuries in Chennai and Kolkata.Nasir’s exploits with the bat fetched him the Player of the Series award, and he achieved a career best ratings of 588 to reach31st position.

Dhoni’s 203 runs from the three games have helped him move up two places to fourth in the batting table. Other batsmen to make upward movements include Suresh Raina in 26th (up by one) and Shoaib Malik in 78th (up by two), while Yuvraj Singh has re-entered the rankings in 41st position.

The batting rankings is still headed by South Africa's HashimAmla, followed by teammate AB de Villiers in second place, withVirat Kohli moving down a place to third.

Number-one ranked bowler Saeed Ajmal scalped eight wickets in the series at an average of 10.75, which has helped him achieve career-best rating of 801 points.

The spinner becomes the third Pakistan bowler after WasimAkram and Saqlain Mushtaq to break the 800-point barrier, which in ranking terms is the benchmark for top bowlers.

Saeed’s 801 points has put him in joint 25th position along with West Indies’ Courtney Walsh in the Reliance ICC Best-Ever ODIRatings.

Pakistan paceman Junaid Khan, who was the joint-highest wicket-taker with Saeed with eight scalps, rose 62 places to 55th, which has helped him achieve his career-best rating of 466 during the series.

Also moving up is India paceman Ishant Sharma, who has jumped 24 places to 72nd.

India's Ravindra Jadeja has also climbed two places to seventh in the all-rounders’ list. The left-hander has moved up one place to 70th in the batting list and has also lifted 11 places to 23rd in the bowlers’ table.

‘The Online Treasure Hunt’

'The Online Treasure Hunt'

The Department of ECE from Pondicherry Engineering College proudly celebrates the grand event "ENC INFO" every year. This year we are very happy in rolling out this new event 'The Online Treasure Hunt' as a part of ENC INFO 13.

       Bumper prize is a smart phone.

[REFER POSTER FOR OTHER PRIZES]

Admin : R.S.VENKATESH

               B.TECH FINAL YEAR ECE,

               PEC.

YOUTUBE LINK :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax9zdp1wuhQ

WEBSITE : WWW.ENCTREASUREHUNT.INNDIVA.

COM

MAIL : ENCTREASUREHUNT@INNDIVA.COM

Platinum, gold-plated MacBook Pro

Platinum, gold-plated MacBook Pro on sale

If you think that the MacBook Pro makes for an expensive buy in itself, how about a 24-carat gold-plated version? A firm called Computer Choppers has just put the finishing touches on a gold-plated MacBook with an Apple logo encrusted with multi-colour diamonds, which you can claim to own for just $30,000.

The firm also offers to cover your Apple product in white, rose and yellow gold, as well as copper, black and silver chrome, reports the Huffington Post.

While it looks like the company specialises in its customisation of Apple products, it mentions in its Services section that will also work "on most any computer or electronic item." Some of the other platings offered are in silver, old English gold, champagne gold, almond gold, honey gold, rose copper, bronze, and pewter.

A firm called Computer Choppers has just put the finishing touches on a gold-plated MacBook with an Apple logo encrusted with multi-colour diamonds.

This is not the first time we've seen Apple products sporting bling. Stuart Hughes' version of the iPad 2 is the snazzier sibling of the regular iPad 2, which you might want to own if you have £5,000,000 to spare.

For the rest of us, the iPad 2 Gold History Edition is as exquisite as it could possibly get. The Apple logo that rests at the back of the iPad 2 is set with 12.5 carats of flawless diamonds, 53 of them encrusted to form the signatory Apple.

This has been set on a back made of 24K gold, weighing a total of 2Kg. Its front frame has a touch of history too; it has been made out of the oldest existing rock, Ammolite.

This 75 million-year-old rock, sourced from Canada, isn't the only historical influence on the iPad 2. Apparently, on the front frame of this device, actual pieces of a Tyrannosaurus Rex's thigh bone have been used, which according to Hughes, were splintered and shaved into the rock, which has then been given a jewel finish.

Adding some bling is a single-cut, 8.5 carat flawless diamond beautifully set in the centre, surrounded by 12 other flawless diamonds.

To read more visit: www.tech2.com

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A P J Abdul Kalam

A P J Abdul Kalam

Creative leaders needed for developed India beyond 2020: 

Creative leaders with vision will be among key drivers for evolution of a sustainable development model that can lead to an economically developed, happy and peaceful India beyond 2020, according to former President A P J Abdul Kalam.

"A creative leader is one who has a vision, a passion to transform that vision into action.

He or she should be able to travel the unexplored path, know how to manage success and failure, have courage to take decisions, have nobility in management and every action of the leaders should be transparent.

"A crucial aspect of leadership in the 21st century is that a leader should work with integrity," said he.

Kalam was delivering the annual Penguin lecture--"Beyond 2020: Sustained Development Missions For the Nation"--here late last evening during which he outlined his beliefs on the the need for sustainable development of nations and visualised India as an economically developed nation by the year 2020.

The former President detailed that the sustainable development profile of the nation primarily depended on three things, first of which was "a steady economic growth of 9 per cent with minimum variations of 1.5 to 2 per cent."

"Secondly, the job profile of the future is a function of technological nature of business and market operations for sustainaiblity that provides continuous income and growth assurance in such a situation," said Kalam.

"Next is giving back to the environment. For millions of years humanity has always been taking resources without giving anything back to the planet. Time has come to take less and less from nature to achieve sustainability....It will lead to well-being of the people and continuous growth," he said.

The rocket scientist, who is also the father of India's missile development programme, explained that systems like Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA), on which he had been working since 2003 could act as "enablers" and bring about inclusive growth and integrated development to the nations of the world and especially to the 700 million people who live in the 600,000 villages in India.

"Today PURA system has graduated to a unique system of sustainable development across the world.

The vision is creating a sustainable development system through the creation of three connectivities namely physical connectivity, knowledge connectivity and electronic connectivity leading to the economic connectivity," he said.

As chairman of the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), Kalam had presented a document on technology vision 2020 as blueprint to make India into a developed country.

Last evening, he introduced a new model--"user community pyramid which uses a convergence of technology to bring development to people using natural resources optimally for generations to come.

" Also to monitor whether qualitative and quantitative benefits had reached the bottom of the pyramid to users like farmers, fishermen, Kalam explained another concept he dubbed as the "Societal Development Radar.

" The former President took the example of highly populated Uttar Pradesh, a state where half the population comprising "100 million are young people," to explain his model.

To realise all these, Kalam said there is need for a creative leader about whom he felt the need during his stints in ISRO and PURA.

Taking a related audience question after his speech, Kalam said, "In the 1960s, we had political leaders like C Subramanium and technology leader like M S Swaminathan.... Then there was V Sarabhai... these were all visionary leaders."

"Do you think politics is dirty? Our parents tell us to keep away from politic," a young boy posed a question to Kalam.

"That time has gone. I have met 15 million young people at least so far and 50 to 100 hands out of 1000s want to become political leaders. There is a change in the attitude today (toward politics). A creative leader means not only non- political. Mahatma Gandhi was a political creative leader, so in politics also creative leader are there," responded Kalam.

Talking about the need to create a value system to weed out corruption, the missile man said, "During 2003, youths started to ask what I can do to change the situation and contribute to the development of the nation..... During the last 6 months I see a further change in the youth, who now say I can do it.

This has given me confidence that India will become an economically developed nation by 2020."

He said even though social activist Anna Hazare's route was definitely going to bring a very powerful law on anti-corruption, it was not enough.

"I believe that Anna Hazare route is definitely going to bring us a very powerful law on anti-corruption one day.

But what use is the powerful law when there is no place in jail as all the prisons would get filled up, do you want that?" he asked.

"I want to see how many young children can change the value system in country."

He narrated an incident of 1990s when during his address to a group of children in Ahmedabad a young girl got up and asked him when she could start "to sing a song of India."

Kalam said he came to understand that the girl's elder brother, who lived in the US, used to give her accounts about the beautiful lakes, roads and prosperity there and she wanted Kalam to tell her when she too can "sing a song about India like her brother was singing a song about America".

Having authored a number of bestsellers including "India 2020", "Ignited Minds", "Mission India", "The Scientific Indian" and "Target 3 Billion", Kalam is on of the country's distinguished scientists who was responsible for development of India's first satellite launch vehicle, the SLV3.

The five previous Penguin lectures were delivered by journalist-writer Thomas Friedman (2007), diplomat-writer Chris Patten (2008), Nobel laureate Amartya Sen (2009), historian Ramachandra Guha (2010) and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (2011).