Skype Unveils IPhone Video Calling Over 3G and Wi-Fi

With Skype 3.0, you can place video calls from Skype on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and 4th-generation iPod touch, and you can receive video calls on the iPad and the 3rd-generation iPod touch. Video calling works over both Wi-Fi and 3G, Skype says. Apple's FaceTime technology is currently limited to Wi-Fi calling only. To read more

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/215158/skype_unveils_iphone_video_calling_over_3g_and_wifi.html

New Device may be able to treat Bladder Cancer

A bladder disease called interstitial cystitis affects millions people around the world, mostly women, with perhaps an equal number undiagnosed. At present, there are no good options for such people; the only treatment that reduces the symptoms of painful and very frequent urination, which can be debilitating and make it impossible to work, is an infusion of the drug lidocaine into the bladder through a catheter, but the treatment only provides brief relief and needs to be repeated frequently. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology think they have found a much better solution. They fill a small medical-grade silicone tube with the solid drug, after drilling a tiny hole in the tube using a laser beam. A shape-memory wire made of nitinol is threaded through the tube, which is then straightened out, placed in a catheter, and inserted into the bladder.

 To read more http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article§id=7&contentid=2010123120101231025729337c5ceb011

Sony to launch PlayStation smartphone in spring

TOKYO — Sony's long-rumoured PlayStation Portable smartphone is set to be launched in North America and Europe as early as the spring, according to a Japanese newspaper report Wednesday.The device would likely be based on Sony's handheld PSP Go game console, would be made by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and run Google's Android operating system, said the Asahi Shimbun's English edition, citing unnamed sources. Sony hopes to take on Apple's iPhone, Research in Motion's BlackBerry and Nokia devices by offering the first smartphone that is based on a portable game console, with a set of controls that allows very advanced gaming. The PSP Go, launched in November 2009, already features software downloads through a wireless connection, allowing players to also browse the Internet, watch movies, play music and read books and comics. The new PlayStation handset would similarly work with Sony's online media platform, the company's answer to Apple's iTunes. To read more

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jkj4oDp2U9kZxMdTe__nWB7nXdew?docId=CNG.ea638b1a0a24b53c0f92f7048d96ae35.481

Successful businessmen have Midas gene

Some people exhibit an exceptionally brilliant business sense, which may be a result of a particular gene they possess - says a new study. California Institute of Technology researchers believe they have found a 'Midas touch' gene, which makes some people brilliant at business deals. Inherited from parents, the gene variation called MAOA-L allows a person to make better decisions when it comes to risky financial deals. Such people are happy to take gambles - but only if the odds are in their favor. MAOA-L is linked with the brain chemicals serotonin, which affects mood and dopamine, which is involved in decisions. 

Source :- http://www.hindustantimes.com/Successful-businessmen-have-Midas-gene/Article1-644361.aspx

New chip to make PCs 20 times faster

LONDON: In what could be called a major technological innovation, scientists have unveiled an ultra-fast chip which they claim could make desktop computers 20 times faster than the current ones. Modern computers have a processor with two, four or sometimes 16 cores to carry out tasks. Now, a team, led by the University of Glasgow, has developed a central processing unit which effectively have 1,000 cores on a single microchip. The developments could usher in a new age of high-speed computing in the next few years; the new "super" computer is also much greener than modern machines, despite its high speed, say its developers. The scientists used a chip called a Field Programmable Gate Array which allowed them to create more than 1,000 mini-circuits , effectively turning the chip into a 1,000-core processor. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/New-chip-to-make-PCs-20-times-faster-/articleshow/7188579.cms#ixzz19Z55LzoJ

Anti-stress Pen
A researcher from the Netherlands has invented a pen that can not only detect levels of stress in an individual but also help them reduce it over time. To illustrate the power of this theory, TU Delft researcher Miguel Bruns Alonso has developed a pen which can measure the stress levels of the person using it, and can actually help to reduce that stress. In experiments, the heart rate of people who used it fell by an average of five per cent.  To read more
http://mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article§id=7&contentid=2010122820101228020329811bc0d861a

Gadget News:- IBALL SLEEC

This Dual Sim Qwerty phone with a thickness of just 8mm features a 2.2inch display, 1.3 MP camera with flash, Bluetooth, GPRS, FM Radio and multimedia playback for a variety of formats. The phone comes with a 2GB MicroSD card which can be upgraded to 8GB. it also has a battery life of 7.25 hours talk time on a single charge. It comes at a price of Rs 5499 in India. To read more  http://www.mobiledekho.com/iball/iball-sleec.html

Users at risk of IE bug, warns Microsoft  :-Microsoft has issued a warning about an Internet Explorer bug that might hack into and take control of unprotected computers. Although Microsoft has already released a workaround solution for the bug, it is still working on the permanent solution, it said. In the meantime, it recommended those concerned use a protection system known as the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit. The bug revolves around the way that IE manages a computer's memory when processing Cascading Style Sheets - a widely used technology that defines the look and feel of pages on a website. Criminals can exploit IE's memory management to inject their own malicious code into the stream of instructions a computer processes as a browser is being used. Installing and applying the toolkit may require Windows XP users to update the version of the operating system they are using. But even if they do that some of the protection it bestows on Windows 7 and Vista users will not be available. We're currently unaware of any attacks trying to use the claimed vulnerability or of customer impact," the BBC quoted Dave Forstrom, the director of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing group, as saying. "As vulnerabilities go, this kind is the most serious as it allows remote execution of code. This means the attacker can run programs, such as malware, directly on the victim's computer," said Rik Ferguson, senior security analyst at Trend Micro . He added, "It is highly reminiscent of a vulnerability at the same time two years ago which prompted several national governments to warn against using IE and to switch to an alternative browser."

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/software/users-at-risk-of-ie-bug-warns-microsoft/articleshow/7155617.cms

Bose AE2 Headphones :- Bose has launched its latest around ear headhone: the AE2. The headphones feature memory foam cushions and an advance design for added portability. The device retails for Rs 8100.  For more Information :-

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/audio_headphones/around_ear_headphones/index.jsp

Get your genome in a few minutes:-   Scinetists from Imperial college London have patented an early prototype technology that they believe could lead to an ultrafast commercial DNA sequencing tool within ten years. Fast and inexpensive genome sequencing could allow ordinary people to unlock the secrets of their own DNA, revealing their susceptibility to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer. For more information :-

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx? page=article&sectid=7&contentid=2010122320101223020236851ce427d51

                               Korean app creates a virtual girlfriend (Mina,22)

Nabix, a South Korean applications developer, launched an app called "Honey, it's me!" for iPhone users on November 30. It achieved 80,000 downloads a day during an initial free launch period.There are a number of apps on the market that can make single men feel a little less lonesome, including a night time app that plays the sound of a female sleeping peacefully on the next pillow.But the "Honey, it's me!" application appears to be the first to make video-calls from a virtual model. Mina, 22, video-calls smartphone users three to four times a day for some sweet talk.Her messages range from "Are you still sleeping? Time for breakfast!" to "Good night, sweet dreams".A Korean model posed for the video calls and recorded more than 100 comments to melt the hearts of single men."I've developed this application to console people for their loneliness," said Kim Yoon-Kak, head of Nabix.
(Source : http://newspolitan.com/india/sci-tech/2010/12/13/mumbai-mirror-Korean-app-creates-a-virtual-girlfriend)

                                                   AMAZON'S KINDLE BOOKS TO OPEN ON WEB BROWSERs

SAN FRANCISCO--Amazon will make its Kindle electronic books available for reading on Web browsers beginning early next year, with people's digital collections saved in the Internet “cloud.” Amazon executives on Tuesday showed off “Kindle for the Web” at a Google press event introducing a new, swifter version of the California technology giant's Chrome software for navigating the Internet. Kindle for the Web was unveiled a day after Google opened an online electronic bookstore in a heavyweight entry into a booming market long dominated by Amazon.
Google eBookstore rolled out in the United States features the Mountain View, California-based company's massive library of digitized works online at books.google.com. Hundreds of thousands of digital books from leading publishers such as Macmillan, Random House and Simon & Schuster are for sale in the eBookstore, which Google said will expand internationally next year. 
Google e-books are kept online in the Internet “cloud” and available for reading from any Web-linked computer or using free applications on gadgets such as Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch or on smartphones running Google's Android software.
Kindle for the Web will launch early next year and the application will be available in a Google Web Store that made its debut on Tuesday. Kindle books will be accessible through any standard browser, which will enable new features such as being able to do Internet searches on words highlighted in digital works, a demonstration showed.

“All the books you love will be right there in the browser,” said Amazon vice president David Limp. “All the books I have are backed up in the cloud.” About two months ago Amazon began letting people read the first chapters of Kindle e-books free through Web browsers. The expanded version of Kindle for the Web rolling out next year will allow bookstores, authors and others to earn fees for selling Amazon's digital books at their websites. 
Kindle books can be read using most popular Internet gadgets including smartphones and iPads. “And now, anywhere you have a Web browser,” said Kindle Content vice president Russ Grandinetti. “Your reading library, last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights are always available to you no matter where you bought your Kindle books or how you choose to read them.”

(http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/americas/2010/12/09/282888/Kindle-books.htm)

                                 GOOGLE OPENS EBOOK STORE
Google has just opened the doors to its eBookstore, taking on rivals like Amazon and Apple. The bookstore, dubbed Google eBooks, is the biggest one in the world with over three million titles and “hundreds of thousands” for sale, the company said. The store is designed as an “open” system, wrote product manager Abraham Murray in a blog post. This means all purchased books can be stored in the cloud, making it available on all sorts of devices. Google has also launched a dedicated app to shop and read on the go—no internet connection necessary. Over 4,000 publishers have made books available through Google, reports The New York Times.  Despite its size and the ubiquity of the Google brand, analysts are bearish about the eBookstore’s chances against the mighty Amazon.  “The Kindle brand is solid and their devices are super-elegant, very cheap now, and their bookstore is second to none as far as bookstores go,” Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey told Reuters, adding that Google has a “better chance” of unseating Barnes & Noble for second spot. And although Google eBooks marks a significant push into the e-retail market, but as Google might be typified as, money’s not everything. “Launching Google eBooks is an initial step toward giving you greater access to the vast variety of information and entertainment found in books,” wrote Murray.
Even analysts are homing in on that point. They believe that the revenue earned from selling books is secondary to the “breadth of online services [Google] will be able to provide”, reports Reuters.
(http://www.designtaxi.com/news/33568/Google-Opens-eBookstore-to-Challenge-Amazon-Apple/?page=1)

                                    Robot mimics elephant’s trunk

Inspired by the flexibility of the elephant’s long nose, German researchers have developed an entirely new robot arm made mostly of plastic. This high-tech helper is light and cheap enough to work both in industries or as a helping hand at home. To read more click on

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/7/2010120720101207020054887d01b23ca/Robot-mimics-elephant%E2%80%99s-trunk.html?pageno=1

                                               First iPad Only Magazine Launched By Virgin - "Project"

Virgin Blue Boss Richard Branson has launched what he says is the "first truly digital" magazine for Apple's iPad. Called Project, the publication is a monthly style and culture magazine that will be sold through Apple's App store. The publication has been launched ahead of the much publicised digital magazine for the iPad called The Daily, which is due to be launched by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Murdoch is endeavouring to find a sustainable model for his online newpapers, which have recently suffered in circulation since the increased competition from free content on the internet, and the switch by The Times online newspaper to charge online subscribers.
Branson's new project was launched in New York and features video, sound and links to augment features on topics such as a new Jaguar car prototype and the film Tron: Legacy. The magazine will cost around AU $2.90, and will eventually be made available to other tablet devices.
( Source:- http://www.channelnews.com.au/Content_And_Management/Industry/U9B2D8S2)

http://www.y-tunes.com/ :- This website contains two icons, iTunes and Youtube to get y-tunes.com. The site lets users access videos from Youtube.com in an interface that looks like iTunes. The site also lets you play videos uninterrupted while searching for new ones on Youtube.