Google soon to launch TV software
US search engine giant Google is planning to introduce Android-based television software in May which will enable the users to access television through internet.
The new software, designed to open set-top boxes, TVs and other devices to more content from the internet, is attracting interest from partners that include Sony Corp., Intel Corp. and Logitech International SA, which are expected to offer products that support the software, according to people familiar with the matter.
However, none has so far discussed the efforts publicly, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Google, of Mountain View, California, is currently planning on sharing some details about the technology with more than 3,000 developers expected to attend its conference in San Francisco May 19 and 20.
One person familiar with the matter cautioned that the company could also decide to delay discussing it until the technology is more mature. Google uses the annual conference to showcase a range of technologies of interest to developers.
The decision to address developers suggests that the internet giant may be hoping to kick-start a race to build applications for its TV platform, much in the same way that Google, Apple Inc. and others have courted developers for smartphones.
The app-store approach has already begun to gain traction among some players in the TV market, too, aided by the advent of TVs, Blu-ray players and other hardware with internet connections.
The service, which uses the new Google technology, allows users to access and search across programming from the internet as well as Dish’s conventional programming. The test, which began last year, is still limited to a very small number of the company’s employees and their families.
The new software, designed to open set-top boxes, TVs and other devices to more content from the internet, is attracting interest from partners that include Sony Corp., Intel Corp. and Logitech International SA, which are expected to offer products that support the software, according to people familiar with the matter.
However, none has so far discussed the efforts publicly, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Google, of Mountain View, California, is currently planning on sharing some details about the technology with more than 3,000 developers expected to attend its conference in San Francisco May 19 and 20.
One person familiar with the matter cautioned that the company could also decide to delay discussing it until the technology is more mature. Google uses the annual conference to showcase a range of technologies of interest to developers.
The decision to address developers suggests that the internet giant may be hoping to kick-start a race to build applications for its TV platform, much in the same way that Google, Apple Inc. and others have courted developers for smartphones.
The app-store approach has already begun to gain traction among some players in the TV market, too, aided by the advent of TVs, Blu-ray players and other hardware with internet connections.
The service, which uses the new Google technology, allows users to access and search across programming from the internet as well as Dish’s conventional programming. The test, which began last year, is still limited to a very small number of the company’s employees and their families.
Google keen to stream live sports on YouTube
Fresh from the success of IPL’s live streaming on its subsidiary YouTube, Google is looking at broadcasting other sports on the platform, even as it promises to be "better prepared" for next year’s IPL and offers an improved experience to viewers in India.
"This year certainly surpassed expectations, so we are very pleased. We did not expect that many viewers in India in particular and we pretty much exhausted all the internet capacity in the country to deliver the experience to as many fans of IPL as we could," Google India Managing Director Shailesh Rao said here.
Rao said the company saw many more viewers for IPL on You Tube than it had expected. From the amount of time viewers spent watching per visit to the number of countries from which You Tube saw viewership, "on almost every metric we were beyond our initial expectations."
This year, YouTube carried the Indian Premier League’s 60 matches live around the world. This was the first time the company showed a major sporting event live. Google has entered into a two-year tie up with IPL to broadcast the 20-20 format cricket extravaganza on its You Tube platform.
"What we learnt is how to run live events on the web, how to make sports on the internet successful in a live format. We have received a lot of inquiries from around the world about doing other events, other sports and we are in active conversation about that," Rao said.
Rao added that the company learnt quite a bit about how to make a live streaming experience on the internet successful and would be better prepared next year to deal with the large number of viewers.
"We just had more viewers than we expected. It’s obviously an issue but it’s a good problem to have. Now that we know where the demand is coming from and that India has a lot of people who want to watch IPL on You Tube, we would certainly be better prepared next year."
Terming India as "one of the most successful markets we have in the world as a company," Rao said Google would continue to invest in the country, where "our business has grown manifold both in terms of usage and revenue." He said the company will continue to work with firms, making them aware about how to use digital advertising to grow their business.
"A lot of our engineering resources are exclusively focused on making sure our products are as secure as possible and we are confident that the products are absolutely safe and secure to use," he added.
"This year certainly surpassed expectations, so we are very pleased. We did not expect that many viewers in India in particular and we pretty much exhausted all the internet capacity in the country to deliver the experience to as many fans of IPL as we could," Google India Managing Director Shailesh Rao said here.
Rao said the company saw many more viewers for IPL on You Tube than it had expected. From the amount of time viewers spent watching per visit to the number of countries from which You Tube saw viewership, "on almost every metric we were beyond our initial expectations."
This year, YouTube carried the Indian Premier League’s 60 matches live around the world. This was the first time the company showed a major sporting event live. Google has entered into a two-year tie up with IPL to broadcast the 20-20 format cricket extravaganza on its You Tube platform.
"What we learnt is how to run live events on the web, how to make sports on the internet successful in a live format. We have received a lot of inquiries from around the world about doing other events, other sports and we are in active conversation about that," Rao said.
Rao added that the company learnt quite a bit about how to make a live streaming experience on the internet successful and would be better prepared next year to deal with the large number of viewers.
"We just had more viewers than we expected. It’s obviously an issue but it’s a good problem to have. Now that we know where the demand is coming from and that India has a lot of people who want to watch IPL on You Tube, we would certainly be better prepared next year."
Terming India as "one of the most successful markets we have in the world as a company," Rao said Google would continue to invest in the country, where "our business has grown manifold both in terms of usage and revenue." He said the company will continue to work with firms, making them aware about how to use digital advertising to grow their business.
"A lot of our engineering resources are exclusively focused on making sure our products are as secure as possible and we are confident that the products are absolutely safe and secure to use," he added.
Social sites may provide clues to teens’ sexual intentions
For parents wondering when they should talk to their children about sex, the writing may be on the wall - or on their child’s Facebook page.
New research suggests that display of sexual references on teens’ Facebook profiles is associated with their intention to initiate intercourse.
"Parents and physicians are often seeking clues for when it’s time to have ’the talk’ about sex with a teenager," said Megan A. Moreno of University of Wisconsin-Madison who co-authored the study with Dimitri A. Christakis of the Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
"Our study suggests that if sexual content is noted on a teen’s social networking site profile, it’s definitely time for that talk," Moreno added.
Moreno’s team previously found that 54 percent of MySpace profiles contained high-risk behaviour information, with 24 percent referencing sexual behaviour.
The researchers hypothesised that these displays may represent involvement in risk behaviours or consideration of risk behaviours.
In the current study, researchers investigated what sexual displays on social networking sites represent in the offline world.
They identified publicly available Facebook profiles of college freshmen, 85 of whom completed a survey measuring sexual experiences, risky sexual behaviour, and for those not yet sexually active sexual intention.
Researchers found a strong association between display of sexual references on Facebook and self-reported intention to initiate sexual intercourse, said a University of Wisconsin-Madison release.
The authors concluded that social networking sites present innovative opportunities for clinicians, educators and parents to identify adolescents who may benefit from targeted education regarding safe sex practices prior to sexual initiation.
The study will be presented at the Paediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
New research suggests that display of sexual references on teens’ Facebook profiles is associated with their intention to initiate intercourse.
"Parents and physicians are often seeking clues for when it’s time to have ’the talk’ about sex with a teenager," said Megan A. Moreno of University of Wisconsin-Madison who co-authored the study with Dimitri A. Christakis of the Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
"Our study suggests that if sexual content is noted on a teen’s social networking site profile, it’s definitely time for that talk," Moreno added.
Moreno’s team previously found that 54 percent of MySpace profiles contained high-risk behaviour information, with 24 percent referencing sexual behaviour.
The researchers hypothesised that these displays may represent involvement in risk behaviours or consideration of risk behaviours.
In the current study, researchers investigated what sexual displays on social networking sites represent in the offline world.
They identified publicly available Facebook profiles of college freshmen, 85 of whom completed a survey measuring sexual experiences, risky sexual behaviour, and for those not yet sexually active sexual intention.
Researchers found a strong association between display of sexual references on Facebook and self-reported intention to initiate sexual intercourse, said a University of Wisconsin-Madison release.
The authors concluded that social networking sites present innovative opportunities for clinicians, educators and parents to identify adolescents who may benefit from targeted education regarding safe sex practices prior to sexual initiation.
The study will be presented at the Paediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Ethical hacking is a booming industry
yber security expert Ankit Fadia, who prefers to call himself an "ethical hacker", believes every institution needs trained hands to ensure foolproof safety for their systems and this industry can offer huge job opportunities.
Fadia, 24, who has a bachelors degree in computer science from Stanford University in California, runs a consulting company called e-secure in Mumbai.
"In this hi-tech era when everyone is on one or the other social networking site and everything is available online, we cannot take internet security for granted. Even our politicians and celebrities are not safe on the internet and in some cases it can also pose a serious national security threat," Fadia told IANS here.
"Therefore we have to take steps by disseminating knowledge about these hackers and about ways to pre-empt them. In the 21st century, we surely need a strong workforce of ethical hackers and we cannot afford to ignore it at any cost."
An ethical hacker is an expert in computer securities and network systems, and is hired to check the vulnerability of an organisation’s computer system to an outside breach or hacking.
He uses the same techniques that an unscrupulous hacker may apply. He then identifies the problems or loopholes in the system and drafts a solution for it.
"Hackers are seeing India as an easy target because we are not paying much heed to this area as compared to other countries like China. In India we have good cyber laws but normally people are not aware about them and easily fall victims to cyber attacks.
"Unfortunately our police personnel are also not conversant with the required skills," said Fadia, who has been consulted by the US authorities to decode an encrypted e-mail sent by associates of Osama bin Laden.
He said the industry of ethical hacking is growing at a tremendous pace and offers a plethora of lucrative job opportunities for youngsters.
Last year it was estimated to be a $3.8 billion industry in the US alone.
"According to Nasscom findings, India will require at least 77,000 ethical hackers every year whereas at the moment we are producing only 15,000 in a year. Therefore it is still an unexplored field," Fadia said.
For Fadia it was a hobby to learn hacking, which has now transformed into full-time career. He started learning hacking on his own, through internet, when he was only 12 and at the age of 13 he had hacked the website of Chip magazine.
"I had changed the home page of Chip magazine. But I was afraid that it could land me in jail; therefore I immediately sent a mail to the magazine editor and told him how prone his website was to hacking and I also provided him a solution for it," said Fadia.
"He was so impressed that he offered me a job. But when I told him that I was just 13, he said that he would wait for five years before hiring me," he said.
To educate people about the intricacies of hacking and to prevent their websites and e-mail accounts from being hacked, Fadia is also running a computer security training and certification course called ’Ankit Fadia Certified Ethical Hacker Programme’
"Over the last three years, we have trained nearly 20,000 people in China and South Asia and our students have been placed in top companies like Infosys and Wipro. We will also conduct classes in Punjab in July. The idea is to familiarise more people with ethical hacking," said Fadia.
Fadia is consultant on cyber security with various companies, government bodies and security agencies both in India and abroad.
"In 2001, the US government had consulted me for decoding an encrypted e-mail sent by some associates of Osama bin Laden. I had also assisted the ATS (Anti Terrorist Squad) men, to ascertain the origin of different mails and messages after the Mumbai terror attacks," said Fadia.
Fadia, 24, who has a bachelors degree in computer science from Stanford University in California, runs a consulting company called e-secure in Mumbai.
"In this hi-tech era when everyone is on one or the other social networking site and everything is available online, we cannot take internet security for granted. Even our politicians and celebrities are not safe on the internet and in some cases it can also pose a serious national security threat," Fadia told IANS here.
"Therefore we have to take steps by disseminating knowledge about these hackers and about ways to pre-empt them. In the 21st century, we surely need a strong workforce of ethical hackers and we cannot afford to ignore it at any cost."
An ethical hacker is an expert in computer securities and network systems, and is hired to check the vulnerability of an organisation’s computer system to an outside breach or hacking.
He uses the same techniques that an unscrupulous hacker may apply. He then identifies the problems or loopholes in the system and drafts a solution for it.
"Hackers are seeing India as an easy target because we are not paying much heed to this area as compared to other countries like China. In India we have good cyber laws but normally people are not aware about them and easily fall victims to cyber attacks.
"Unfortunately our police personnel are also not conversant with the required skills," said Fadia, who has been consulted by the US authorities to decode an encrypted e-mail sent by associates of Osama bin Laden.
He said the industry of ethical hacking is growing at a tremendous pace and offers a plethora of lucrative job opportunities for youngsters.
Last year it was estimated to be a $3.8 billion industry in the US alone.
"According to Nasscom findings, India will require at least 77,000 ethical hackers every year whereas at the moment we are producing only 15,000 in a year. Therefore it is still an unexplored field," Fadia said.
For Fadia it was a hobby to learn hacking, which has now transformed into full-time career. He started learning hacking on his own, through internet, when he was only 12 and at the age of 13 he had hacked the website of Chip magazine.
"I had changed the home page of Chip magazine. But I was afraid that it could land me in jail; therefore I immediately sent a mail to the magazine editor and told him how prone his website was to hacking and I also provided him a solution for it," said Fadia.
"He was so impressed that he offered me a job. But when I told him that I was just 13, he said that he would wait for five years before hiring me," he said.
To educate people about the intricacies of hacking and to prevent their websites and e-mail accounts from being hacked, Fadia is also running a computer security training and certification course called ’Ankit Fadia Certified Ethical Hacker Programme’
"Over the last three years, we have trained nearly 20,000 people in China and South Asia and our students have been placed in top companies like Infosys and Wipro. We will also conduct classes in Punjab in July. The idea is to familiarise more people with ethical hacking," said Fadia.
Fadia is consultant on cyber security with various companies, government bodies and security agencies both in India and abroad.
"In 2001, the US government had consulted me for decoding an encrypted e-mail sent by some associates of Osama bin Laden. I had also assisted the ATS (Anti Terrorist Squad) men, to ascertain the origin of different mails and messages after the Mumbai terror attacks," said Fadia.
TRAI invites comments on green telecom
The telecom regulator has invited stakeholders’ views on "green telecom" by June 14 to prepare a consultation paper on the subject as the government is committed to the use of eco-friendly equipment in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector.
"Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is contemplating to come up with a consultation paper on Green Telecom. Stakeholders views are invited at pre-consultation stage," it said in a statement Friday.
TRAI has invited the stakeholders to give their views and comments on issues like the need for a carbon credit policy for the telecom sector, methods to reduce the carbon footprint by the ICT industry, standardisation of green telecom equipment and incentive for their adoption, and cost implication for adopting alternative energy sources.
"Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is contemplating to come up with a consultation paper on Green Telecom. Stakeholders views are invited at pre-consultation stage," it said in a statement Friday.
TRAI has invited the stakeholders to give their views and comments on issues like the need for a carbon credit policy for the telecom sector, methods to reduce the carbon footprint by the ICT industry, standardisation of green telecom equipment and incentive for their adoption, and cost implication for adopting alternative energy sources.
Blackberry plan to launch own tablet by year end
With Apple’s iPad selling more than a million devices within days of launch in the US and its iPhone set to overtake BlackBerry globally, Research In Motion, the maker of BlackBerry, is reportedly launching its own tablet later this year. The Canadian company, based at Waterloo near Toronto, has not confirmed the reports, but bloggers say the tablet would be 8.9 inches and likely launched in December.
It will be the first non-hand-held device from the BlackBerry maker which is facing a tough challenge in the crowded smart phone market, with devices using Google’s Android and iPhone using Apple’s own software fast making inroads into its monopoly even in the high-end corporate market.
The BlackBerry tablet will have no mobile networking but will connect to its smart phone devices through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, say reports.
HP is also rumoured to be getting ready to launch its own HP Hurricane tablet, based on the Palm OS software, later in the year.
Both Blackberry maker and HP are currently studying the iPad to consider what they can add to their product to make it an alternative to the Apple device, say ananlysts.
Taiwanese hardware manufacturer Quanta is likely to provide hardware and California-based maker Marvell Technology Group silicon solutions for the BlackBerry tablet.
Bigger than a smart phone but smaller than a laptop, the touch-screen tablet is set to become a new game-changer in internet browsing, gaming, e-reading and content creation and management. Weighing just 1.5 pounds, it has amazing battery life of nearly 10 hours.
It also gives users access to Apple’s app store - the world’s biggest - with more than 200,000 applications. After its launch in the US April 3, the iPad will hit nine more markets - Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Japan - May 28.
It will be the first non-hand-held device from the BlackBerry maker which is facing a tough challenge in the crowded smart phone market, with devices using Google’s Android and iPhone using Apple’s own software fast making inroads into its monopoly even in the high-end corporate market.
The BlackBerry tablet will have no mobile networking but will connect to its smart phone devices through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, say reports.
HP is also rumoured to be getting ready to launch its own HP Hurricane tablet, based on the Palm OS software, later in the year.
Both Blackberry maker and HP are currently studying the iPad to consider what they can add to their product to make it an alternative to the Apple device, say ananlysts.
Taiwanese hardware manufacturer Quanta is likely to provide hardware and California-based maker Marvell Technology Group silicon solutions for the BlackBerry tablet.
Bigger than a smart phone but smaller than a laptop, the touch-screen tablet is set to become a new game-changer in internet browsing, gaming, e-reading and content creation and management. Weighing just 1.5 pounds, it has amazing battery life of nearly 10 hours.
It also gives users access to Apple’s app store - the world’s biggest - with more than 200,000 applications. After its launch in the US April 3, the iPad will hit nine more markets - Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Japan - May 28.
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