Sony Xperia Z Ultra Full HD Waterproof smartphone with 6.4-inch screen announced

Sony Xperia Z Ultra smartphone with 6.4-inch screen announced

After numerous leaks and rumours, Sony has officially announced the Xperia Z Ultra, a smartphone/ phablet that features a 6.4-inch display. 

The phone's design is based on Sony's OmniBalance philosophy in line with the design of the Xperia Z and Xperia Tablet Z. The phone sports a slim profile with a thickness of 6.5mm and weighs 212 grams. Sony says that the width of the phone is comparable to that of a Passport. It comes in Black, White and Purple colours. 

The Xperia Z Ultra is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and has 2GB of RAM. It offers 16GB of internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card. 

The Xperia Z Ultra's screen has a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels and is the first smartphone display that integrates Sony's Triluminos technology, which the company introduced at CES with its Bravia televisions. Sony claims that through the technology the display reproduces a greater range of rich, natural colours to deliver true, natural shades. The technology also includes X-Reality for mobile, Sony's intelligent super resolution display technology which as per the company, analyses each image and reproduces lacking pixels to optimise quality for the sharpest videos.  

The phone sports an 8-megapixel Exmor RS rear camera and a 2-megapixel front facing camera. It has a 3000 mAh battery. The phone includes 4G LTE, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity options.

Just like the Xperia Z, the Xperia Z ultra is also dust and water proof and comes with IP55 and IP58 certification. It even allows users to take photos underwater. 

Another interesting feature of the Xperia Z Ultra is its handwriting recognition functionality. The phone's screen is compatible with any pencil and selected stylus or pen with tip diameter over 1mm. 

The Xperia Z Ultra comes with new and updated Sony Media Applications including new apps for Walkman, Movies and Album. 

The phone will launch globally from Q3 2013, but the exact timing of availability will vary depending on the market. Pricing has not been disclosed, yet.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra key specifications

• 6.4-inch TFT Triluminos display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels and Shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass
• 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 8-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS sensor
• 2-megapixel front facing camera
• 16GB internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 4G LTE/ NFC/ Bluetooth 4.0/ Wi-Fi
• 3000mAh battery

Li-Fi: 10 ways visible-spectrum wireless will make your life better

LED Bulb image courtesy tuanyick/Shutterstock

Li-Fi — that just-over-the-horizon wireless technology which could transform your everyday LED lighting fixtures into 10 Gbps wireless modems — has a lot of people talking these days. With a commercial product promised later this year and the tech already in beta, we might all be trippin' the lamplight fantastic real soon.
But other than really, really awesome movie streaming speeds, what do we care? According to its inventor Harald Haas, Li-Fi offers a bundle of niche applications that regular Wi-Fi just doesn't measure up to. Here are a few of those unique benefits.

How Li-Fi Works

The basic principle of Li-Fi is this: visible light has 10,000 times as broad a spectrum as the radio frequencies which Wi-Fi uses, allowing for much more bandwidth, once tapped. This is accomplished by the flickering of LED lightbulbs to create binary code (on = 1, off = 0), and is done at higher rates than the human eye can detect. The more LEDs in your lamp, the more data it can process.
A side effect of Li-Fi is that your power cord immediately becomes your data stream, so if you have power, you have Internet. The only infrastructure is an equipped lightbulb. Your internet provider doesn't even need to bring you a box, they just connect you to their power-grid-mounted signal relays, and you're online.

7 fresh photos of Mars, courtesy Curiosity

Doesn't look like Mars has much life. (Image credit: NASA)

The race is on. After sending back a few grainy landscape photos, it's time for Curiosity to deliver Mars's close-ups. NASA's received new high-resolution photos taken from the rover's 34 and 100-millimeter Mast cams and as predicted, Mars's surface has a diverse range of geological layering that could help scientists learn if the planet harbors any form of life or not.
NASA announced today that Curiosity has successfully transmitted the first human voice from Earth to Mars and back, no doubt paving way for the transmission of will.i.am's "Reach for the Stars."
Here's what Charles Bolden, Administrator of NASA, had broadcast to Mars through a recorded message:

"The knowledge we hope to gain from our observation and analysis of Gale Crater will tell us much about the possibility of life on Mars as well as the past and future possibilities for our own planet. Curiosity will bring benefits to Earth and inspire a new generation of scientists and explorers, as it prepares the way for a human mission in the not too distant future."

In addition to the recorded message transmission, NASA also released these photos of Mars, reaffirming Curiosity's mission to explore the layers and composition of nearby mountain Mount Sharp:

"This is an area on Mount Sharp where Curiosity will go," said Mastcam principal investigator Michael Malin, of Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. "Those layers are our ultimate objective. The dark dune field is between us and those layers. In front of the dark sand you see redder sand, with a different composition suggested by its different color. The rocks in the foreground show diversity — some rounded, some angular, with different histories. This is a very rich geological site to look at and eventually to drive through."

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Photo taken from Curiosity's Navigation camera as the rover drove around to inspect a patch of bedrock. (Image credit: NASA)

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Via NASA

Google Fiber: 10 things to know about the 1000Mbps Internet service

Google Fiber made a big splash upon launch, with its promise of Gigabit speeds at the cost of regular broadband. Google announced that it will be launching its fiber-based Internet service in Kansas City, USA. The service will let users download unlimited Internet data at the speed of 1000 megabits per second for $70 per month.

The Internet search giant had received 3,900 registrations for Google Fiber as on Sunday, with users having another 41-days to pre-order. The installations will begin in September.

Here's all you need to know about Google Fiber.

1) A free Nexus tablet
Every customer who signs up for Google Fiber with TV will get a free Google Nexus tablet to use as a remote. As of now, it is not clear whether it will be the 8GB model of Nexus 7 or the 16GB one that will be provided but nevertheless it is a great deal. There is also speculation that with the subscription of Google's Internet one may be able to get a ChromeBook for a discounted price of $299. The TV + Internet plan costs $120 per month, against $70 per month for Internet only.

2) No caps
Apart from the speed, what is exciting about Google Fiber is that it is offering unlimited data uploading and downloading. Yes, that's right. There are no star marks or caps that the company plans to put on the amount of data you transfer.

3) DVR Box
Google Fiber TV also comes along with a DVR box that lets users record as many as eight channels simultaneously. There is also an on-board memory of 2TB to help store all data that one may want to save.

4) Installation cost and neighbourhood criteria
Google is charging $300 as an installation cost for this service and everyone who wants to pre-register will have to pay $10 to make a request. One would need at least 50 neighbours to make a request for Google to install this service in their area.

5) No Broadband, no worries
For areas in Kansas, which still do not have broadband access (about 25 percent of the area), Google is offering 5Mbps download speeds and 1Mpbs upload speeds for the next seven years on payment of $300.

6) 1 Gbps either way
Google Fiber offers 1Gbps download and upload speeds. In a world where upload speeds are capped at rather ridiculous levels, that must be music to the ears of end users. Torrent-ers rejoice!

7) Customer service
The Internet Service Provider (ISP) business is a new vertical for Google and given that it has little expertise in a consumer facing business, it will be interesting to see what it's strategy will be for this vertical. It will be a challenge even for Google to establish a robust customer service mechanism.

8) Home users only
The plans shared so far are clearly targeted at the home user, so what about the business users? Will Google continue to ignore them or will it have special plans for businesses in the future, remains to be seen.

9) Only for Kansas
Though Google has promised that it will be looking at rolling out this service to other states soon, but for now it is available only for the people living in Kansas City, Missouri. Google may prefer to wait and see how things turn out, so it may be a long

10) India? Forget about it!
In India, where most are struggling to get even a steady 1Mbps line, a service like Google Fiber will be really welcome. But given the state of infrastructure in our country and the amount of investment that setting something like Google Fiber will entail, we wouldn't advise you to hold your breath.

Samsung announces Galaxy Note II with Jelly Bean, 1.6GHz quad-core processor

Korean manufacturer Samsung has announced the launch of its Galaxy Note successor at its Mobile Unpacked Berlin episode. Dubbed as Galaxy Note II, the phablet features Android 4.1 aka Jelly Bean out of the box. According to Samsung, Galaxy Note II features 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display, 1.6GHz quad-core CPU and 2GB of RAM. The device also comes with 8MP rear camera, 1.9MP front camera and a huge 3,100mAh battery on-board.
Despite the improved internal Note II will be thinner than its predecessor at 9.4mm and will come in 16/32/64GB memory configurations.
Samsung Galaxy Note II will be available starting October in markets across the globe. There is no word on the pricing right now.
Samsung has made quite a few changes on the software front in Note II, it will sports a feature called Air View, which allows users to hover with the S-Pen over an email, image gallery, or video to preview its content without having to open it.
On the lines of Popup Play, company is also introducing Popup Note in Note II, as the same suggests this feature will let users make/edit a note on the screen while using another app.
Some other interesting features that will their debut in this device are Quick Command and Screen Recorder.
"Last year at IFA, we launched the Galaxy Note, which opened a new category of smart mobile devices. This year, again at IFA, I am proud to announce the GALAXY Note II, which will encourage users to 'unleash their inner creativity.' With a perfect viewing experience and unique and differentiated features, users can discover information and capture their ideas faster, express thoughts freely and manage tasks more efficiently. For anyone who wants to be creative, expressive and unique, the Samsung GALAXY Note II will be the ideal device, allowing users to live a life extraordinary," said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.
Key specs

• 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display
• 1.6GHz quad-core CPU
• 8MP rear camera
• 1.9MP front camera
• 3,100mAh battery
• 9.4mm thick
• 16, 32, and 64 GB internal storage
• microSD card slot
• HSPA+ 21mbps/ 4G LTE
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Available in Marble White or Titanium Gray colours

Top 5 Anti-Virus Softwares of 2012 Downloads

Ever got screwed by your PC? Ever found yourself in a situation that seems hard to get rid of? Have viruses enjoyed their hang-out in your PC and you couldn’t do anything to move them away? This happens a lot if your PC is not immune to such viruses. Anti-virus is the immune system of your PC which protects from such viruses and avoids malicious activities from ruling your PC. Now-a-days having your PC protected with anti-virus is really important.
Let us take a good look at the top 5 anti-virus of 2012.
1. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2012
Bitdefender is the leader of Antivirus industry in the software market. If you are looking for a strong and an easy to work with anti-virus, Bitdefender is the perfect choice. It offers you smart and reliable security and a supreme performance both for the advanced and average users. The software does an outstanding job in removing malwares and protecting your PC from both online and offline threats.
2. Avira Antivirus 2012
With over 25 years of experience, Avira has released a new free version of an antivirus called Avira Antivirus. It supports brilliant detection of malware and helps in their safe and quick removal. It has a fast scanning without consuming much of the system’s resources. Avira also comes with premium pack whcih gives a complete protection to your system. You can use the premium version for the first month for free.

3. Kaspersky Antivirus 2012
Following its predecessors, Kaspersky has been a killer product due to its efficient security and latest technology which helps it to detect immediate threats. It has the best professional capability and is very user friendly at the same time. This software protects your PC from worms, trojans, viruses and other forms of threats. Adding icing to the cake, this software prevents not only known threats but also unknown threats.
4. F-Secure Antivirus 2012
F-Secure is a big name in the anti-virus software industry. It gives you a flavour of varied advantages – from being fast and effective to being simple and user friendly at the same time. The tasks of scanning or updating virus definitions are automatically done by this software. It provides an excellent help support so if you are looking for an anti-virus, this can be a good choice!
5. Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus 2012
Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus 2012 is one of the fastest and lightest antiviruses you can find in the market. It is a newly developed antivirus which is always up to date and gives you smart and secure protection from virus. There is no need to always download the security updates, it itself identifies new threats and protects your system against them. It does trouble you in your work and works independently.
So, if you are really concerned about the security of your PC, just choose from the top 5 anti-virus of the year and get going for a safe, virus free and wonderful journey with your PC!

NEIL ARMSTRONG-The First Man on Moon is Dead

                                               Hero of the Heroes---Neil Armstrong

American Astraunaut Neil Armstrong ,the first man to set foot on the Moon has died at the age of 82,his family said.Armstrong landed on the Moon July 20,1969 by taking the Apollo 2 Spacecraft & is best remembered for saying:"That's one small step for man one giant leap for mankind".