Skype has developed 3D video calls, the company has confirmed.

Speculation arose in April that the company was trying to find a way to create “body-doubles” for business people unable to travel to meetings. The news was confirmed by a senior executive at Skype in an interview with the BBC.

However, the technology is several years away from being launched commercially, warned Microsoft’s corporate vice president for Skype, Mark Gillett.

“We’ve done work in the labs looking at the capability of 3D-screens and 3D-capture,” he said.

“We’ve seen a lot of progress in screens and a lot of people now buy TVs and computer monitors that are capable of delivering a 3D image.”

According to Gillett, one of the major challenges in delivering the technology is the need to carefully calibrate current video cameras to capture an image.

“The capture devices are not yet there,” he continued. "As we work with that kind of technology you have to add multiple cameras to your computer, precisely calibrate them and point them at the right angle.

“We have it in the lab, we know how to make it work and we’re looking at the ecosystem of devices and their capability to support it in order to make a decision when we might think about bringing something like that to market.”

Facebook Inc is considering incorporating most of its 1 billion-plus members' profile photos into its growing facial recognition database, expanding the scope of the social network's controversial technology.

The possible move, which Facebook revealed in an update to its data use policy on Thursday, is intended to improve the performance of its "Tag Suggest" feature. The feature uses facial recognition technology to speed up the process of labeling or "tagging" friends and acquaintances who appear in photos posted on the network.

The technology currently automatically identifies faces in newly uploaded photos by comparing them only to previous snapshots in which users were tagged. Facebook users can choose to remove tags identifying them in photos posted by others on the site.

The changes would come at a time when Facebook and other Internet companies' privacy practices are under scrutiny, following the revelations of a U.S. government electronic surveillance program.

Facebook, Google Inc and other companies have insisted that they have never participated in any program giving the government direct access to their computer servers and that they only provide information in response to specific requests, after careful review and as required by law.

Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan said that adding members' public profile photos would give users better control over their personal information, by making it easier to identify posted photos in which they appear.

"Our goal is to facilitate tagging so that people know when there are photos of them on our service," Egan said.

She stressed that Facebook users uncomfortable with facial recognition technology will still be able to "opt out" of the Tag Suggest feature altogether, in which case the person's public profile photo would not be included in the facial recognition database.

Facial recognition technology has been a sensitive issue for technology companies, raising concerns among some privacy advocates and government officials. Tag Suggest, which the company introduced in 2011, is not available in Europe due to concerns raised by regulators there.

Google's social network, Google+, also employs similar technology, but requires user consent. And it has banned third-party software makers from using facial recognition technology in apps designed for its Glass wearable computer.

Egan said Facebook was not currently using facial recognition technology for any other features, but that could change.

"Can I say that we will never use facial recognition technology for any other purposes? Absolutely not," Egan said. But, she noted, "if we decided to use it in different ways we will continue to provide people transparency about that and we will continue to provide control."

Facebook also amended its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities on Thursday, adding and tweaking the language so that members under 18 years of age are deemed to have affirmed that a parent or legal guardian has agreed to allow marketers to use some of their personal information in ads.

The language was the result of a recent court-approved legal settlement regarding its "sponsored stories" ads.

© Thomson Reuters 2013

Hewlett Packard (HP) Printing and Personal Systems Group, India has launched two new business computers, the HP EliteBook Revolve 810.

HP EliteBook Revolve 810 is a touch-enabled convertible notebook that transforms into a notebook and a touch-enabled tablet depending on the user's need. The device is powered by third-generation Intel Core processors, giving users an option to choose between an Intel Core i7, Core i5 with Turbo Boost Technology and Core i3 processor.

It offers up to 12GB RAM (DDR3L PC3-12800 SDRAM, 1600 MHz) and up to 256GB solid-state-drive for storage. It also features a microSD card slot. The device comes with Intel HD 4000 Graphics GPU.

The EliteBook features an 11.6-inch diagonal HD LED backlit display with a UWVA (1366x768 pixels) resolution. It features a full-sized, backlit keyboard and an optional Active pen for input.

The device is optimised for Windows 8. It also features a 720p HD camera for video conferencing, dual-microphone array and DTS Studio Sound. The EliteBook Revolve 810 features 2 USB 3.0 ports, an RJ-45 (Ethernet) port, a DisplayPort, a headphone/ microphone combo jack, a side docking connector and a power connector. The device boasts of scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and has a tough, all-magnesium body. The device also comes with the option of connecting to 3G/ Mobile broadband networks and features secure NFC capabilities.

The HP EliteBook Revolve 810 is priced at Rs. 90,000.

In the film Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, characters Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) and Benji Dunn (played by Simon Pegg) break into a highly secure room in the Kremlin with the help of an animated wall that mimicked their surroundings in order to make a highly secured hallway look empty.

This Hollywood fantasy technology just got a step closer to reality with the latest algorithm from MIT.

Researchers have created a new mapping algorithm capable of creating a highly detailed and accurate 3D map of indoor and outdoor environments in real time. The team took a low-cost Microsoft Kinect camera down the halls and stairways of MIT’s Stata Center and applied their mapping technique to the recorded video. The algorithm was able to quickly stitch images back together to help “close the loop,” conquering a problem many scientists in the robotic mapping community have faced.

Previously, scientists attempting to create 3D maps have struggled with the problem commonly known as either “loop closure” or “drift.” This occurs when a camera pans across a room or travels down a corridor, introducing slight errors in image alignment that add up to a shifted wall or doorway. This problem eventually leads to a disjointed map that features misplaced walls or stairways.

MIT’s new mapping technique determines how to connect a map by tracking a camera’s pose, or position in space, throughout its route. As a camera returns to the place where it began, the algorithm is able to determine which points within the 3D map to adjust.

“Before the map has been corrected, it’s sort of all tangled up in itself,” said Thomas Whelan, a PhD student at NUI. “We use knowledge of where the camera’s been to untangle it. The technique we developed allows you to shift the map, so it warps and bends into place.”

Whelan says that their new technique could eventually be used to help guide robots through potentially hazardous or unknown environments.

“I have this dream of making a complete model of all of MIT,” says John Leonard, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT who is also affiliated with MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. “With this 3-D map, a potential applicant for the freshman class could sort of ‘swim’ through MIT like it’s a big aquarium. There’s still more work to do, but I think it’s doable.”

In Ghost Protocol, the two IMF spies used a camera attached to an iPad to create a 3D map of a hallway so that they could project it onto a screen and make it appear as though the hallway was empty. Cruise and Pegg’s characters hid behind the wall and moved it forward in order to get to a doorway so they could steal a highly-secured document, all while a Russian security guard was keeping watch on an “empty hallway.” While some of the technology used in this “Mission Impossible” scenario remains far-fetched, algorithms like the one created by the MIT team inch it ever closer to reality.

Volkswagen, with its hope to significantly reduce the number of fatal car accidents as well as the total number of accidents in its cars, has set a goal to explore all ways to help prevent any and all accidents.

All innovative technology that the company is producing has been bundled under the “Vision Zero” concept. Volkswagen is committed to the safety of its customers and the vehicles around them, and has taken responsibility to ensure that safety.

In addition to technology that detects pedestrians, Volkswagen is unveiling parking assists that enable automatic parking and exiting from tight spaces through smartphones. The automaker is also looking into systems that can fully navigate through road construction zones, as well as certain systems that can take control of steering in the event of medical emergencies.

Volkswagen, through these new technologies, hopes to improve perception of the vehicle’s surroundings and traffic, assist the driver in difficult situations, improve safety for occupants and others, as well as avoid accidents and serious injury.

Engineers with Volkswagen Development are currently working on further innovations, keeping them on their path of accident-free driving. Volkswagen plans to offer further relief to drivers in the near future by making driving more relaxed and safer for both driver and passengers. The automaker will combine these new safety features with its guarantee of fun driving.

Some of the more notable new safety innovations include PreCrash Rear that uses the information gathered by side assist lane change assistant, to evaluate whether there is a risk of a collision with the vehicle following, construction site assist, which uses a stereo camera with image processing to sense the surroundings and a mono camera to detect lane line markings, and Area View 2, which is activated by pressing the parking assist button or putting the car in reverse.

Some of Volkswagen’s latest innovations include:

• Park Assist 3
• Remote control parking
• Trailer assist
• Area view second generation
• Emergency assist
• Construction site assistant
• Blind spot monitor
• CAR2X safety
• City emergency braking
• PreCrash occupant protection system

Japanese game maker Nintendo Co will launch a new and inexpensive handheld gaming device and offer a $50 price cut for its 32GB Wii U console in North America and Europe this holiday season in a bid to reverse weak sales and woo gamers back to its offerings.

Dubbed the "2DS" and priced at $129.99, the new addition to Nintendo's 3DS range will go on sale on October 12 and play 3DS and DS games with 2D graphics, as its name suggests.

Known for games with much-loved characters like "Mario" and "Zelda," Nintendo has been facing stiff competition from inexpensive or free mobile games on tablets and smartphones. This reflects an industry-wide trend where mobile games are eating into the market share of consoles and handheld devices.

With the "2DS," Nintendo hopes to attract new entrants in the handheld space who have not been able to afford variants of its 3DS systems, priced at $169.99 and $199.99, Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America said in an interview.

Some industry analysts have criticized Nintendo for not taking advantage of the rapid growth of games on iOS and Android mobile devices by keeping its game franchises limited to its own systems.

Nintendo executives have said they believe that letting its other popular game characters like "Mario" roam on mobile devices would impair the company's hardware business in the long term.

By introducing the "2DS," Nintendo is going after "not just consumers who have necessarily a phone or tablet," and want a taste of Nintendo's game fare, "but all consumers, especially younger consumers," File-Aime said.

The "2DS "release will coincide with the launch of Nintendo's kids role-playing game "Pokemon X and Y."

Nintendo's prospects have dimmed since the launch of the Wii U console last November. After posting tepid sales -3.6 million Wii U units sold since launch to June 30 compared to 9.3 million units of its successor, the Wii - the game maker aims to sell 9 million consoles by next March by offering new games and reducing its price.

To boost Wii U sales, the company will sell its 32GB deluxe version for $299.99, down from $349.99 starting September 20, Fils-Aime said.

The eight month-old Wii U will face fierce competition from Sony Corp's PlayStation 4, priced at $399, and Microsoft Corp's Xbox One, priced at $499, which will hit store shelves in November. Both next-generation systems will come with cloud gaming technology that lets players stream games from remote servers and carry a host of exclusive games.

The company has also timed the release of games like "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD" and "Super Mario 3D World" to reinforce its Wii U console, Fils-Aime said. Third-party titles include "Call Of Duty: Ghosts" by Activision Blizzard and "Assassin's Creed IV:Black Flag" by Ubisoft that will be released this holiday season.

"It's going to be these launches that are going to drive the (Wii U) business forward and we're certainly going to do a lot of marketing activity behind the price decline," Fils-Aime said.

Analysts say the three-decade-old Nintendo has an uphill climb as competitors like up-and-coming GungHo Online Entertainment post millions in sales per day with just one mobile title called "Puzzles & Dragons."

"One of our benefits is that our products tend to sell well over time versus this spike up and go away type of sales curve that other companies may have," Fils-Aime said.

Scientists in Sweden say they have confirmed the existence of a new chemical element, but its name may need some work. 
 
Researchers at Lund University said Tuesday their find backs up claims by teams in Russia and the United States a decade ago that had remained unverified until now.

The Swedish scientists say they conducted experiments which allowed them to detect the 'fingerprint' of the short-lived but super-heavy element that's been dubbed ununpentium.

The name, which refers to the element's 115th place in the periodic table, is only provisional.

The element will likely get a new name if the discovery is formally approved by experts from the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and Chemistry.

Well-known chemical elements include carbon, silicon and iron.

As Steve Ballmer bows out of Microsoft Corp, the guessing game over who will replace him has started with a British bookmaker putting Nokia's Stephen Elop as the favourite.

Ballmer, 57, unexpectedly announced his retirement last Friday after more than three decades at the world's largest software company, including 13 years as chief executive.

With no heir apparent, Ladbrokes opened up betting on successors for Ballmer who will depart within the next year, with Elop, 49, topping a list of 26 candidates with odds of 5/1.

British and Irish bookmakers offer a wide range of bets as a niche sideline to more lucrative wagers on sports. Online gambling is far more restrictive in the United States.

Elop, a Canadian, led Microsoft's business division before becoming chief executive of the Finnish firm Nokia in 2010 with a brief to revive the once-undisputed leader in mobile phones.

Senior Nokia employees say he has forced them to make faster decisions. But Nokia's ability to compete in the global smartphone market is increasingly questioned; its market share stands at around three percent, far behind Samsung and Apple which control around 50 percent between them.

Internal Microsoft candidate Kevin Turner, chief operating officer, is second favourite with odds of 6/1 to replace Ballmer, according to Ladbrokes. In third is former Microsoft executive Steve Sinofsky, who left the company last November.

The top female candidate in the stakes is internal head of devices and studios, Julie Larson-Green, in fourth place.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is ranked as a 50/1 shot to return to fill the void but he is considered more likely than rank 100/1 outsider Tim Cook, CEO at Apple.

Ladbrokes' spokesman Alex Donohue said the market was a "who's who of high fliers" in the technology world. "With a year to go we anticipate that this market will smash all previous records for technology betting," Donohue said in a statement.

We have witnessed a number leaks featuring BlackBerry's upcoming smartphone running the latest BlackBerry 10 OS and it seems there's no end to them.

A new one minute video has been posted by 4Leakz that reveals the alleged BlackBerry Z30 in its full glory. The site has previously leaked videos of devices ahead of their official launch, the last being the LG G2.

The video shows that the alleged handset will feature a textured back with the rear camera on the top right side of the rear of the phone with the BlackBerry logo in the middle. The sides houses a number of ports and physical buttons. The alleged BlackBerry Z30 is expected to run the latest BlackBerry OS.
Earlier, the BlackBerry Z30 made an appearance in a walkthrough video posted by a Vietnamese publication.

The yet to be announced BlackBerry Z30 is rumoured to feature a 5-inch AMOLED display, the biggest one seen on a BlackBerry device, yet. The resolution of the display is said to be 720x1280 pixels boasting a pixel density of 295 PPI.

The device is likely to be powered by a 1.7 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and Adreno graphics. It may sport an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It is expected to be 8.4mm thick and may include a 2800mAh non-removable battery. It is said that the BlackBerry Z30 will include 16GB internal storage that would be expandable via a microSD card. Other connectivity features may include Micro HDMI, Wi-Fi, DLNA, NFC and Bluetooth.

Previously, we reported that BlackBerry's alleged new flagship smartphone, formerly code-named the A10 was officially named the Z30.

BlackBerry is passing through a tough phase and the company has reportedly set up a committee which is reviewing its options that also includes an outright sale.

Google has bought virtual imaging patents from Taiwanese supplier Foxconn that could be used in its interactive "Google Glass" devices, according to a document acquired by AFP on Saturday.

No details were released on the amount of the transaction.

The patents relate to a technology that permits virtual images to be super-imposed over real ones, according to media reports.

They could be used in the interactive voice-activated eyewear being developed by the US Internet giant.

Facebook, Twitter and major news organizations have already tailored applications for Glass, which has only been made available to developers and a limited selection of "explorers" who paid $1,500 each for the eyewear.

Envisioned uses range from practical tasks such as shopping or delivering local weather reports to sharing real time video streams or playing augmented reality games in which the world is the board.

Foxconn Technology, whose parent company is Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry, is the main supplier in Asia for Google's biggest rival Apple, particularly for the manufacture of iPhones.

GOOGLE Glass can serve as an automated tour guide with the help of a new application from a little-known start-up hatched within the Internet's most powerful company. 
 
The app, called "Field Trip," is being released Wednesday by Google-owned Niantic Labs for the 10,000 people currently testing an early model of Glass known as the Explorer edition. It becomes just the ninth app to be approved by Google Inc. for use on Glass during an experimental phase. The device's mass market release is expected early next year.

Other Glass apps, or "Glassware," are from The New York Times, Facebook, Twitter, Path, Evernote, CNN, Tumblr and Elle magazine. Google is working with developers to add even more apps to the line-up.

Once given permission, Field Trip tracks a user's whereabouts so it can automatically deliver alerts and informational snapshots about nearby historical landmarks, tourist attractions, restaurants and other local merchants in neighbourhoods all over the world. The descriptions of locations flagged by Field Trip are pulled from more than 130 online sources.

A version of Field Trip built for smartphones already has won a following. Field Trip apps for the iPhone and Android-powered phones have been installed on more than 500,000 devices since their release nearly a year ago.

Field Trip creator Niantic Labs is a Google division set up to operate as an independent start-up. It is staffed by a few dozen people within a sprawling company that generates more than $50 billion in annual revenue.

Google CEO Larry Page approved the unorthodox arrangement as a way to retain John Hanke, who had been overseeing the team responsible for the company's widely used mapping products.

Much of the mapping technology came from Google's 2004 acquisition of Keyhole, a start-up run by Hanke. As Google grew larger, Hanke became eager to return to his entrepreneurial roots and was planning to strike out on his own again in late 2010 until Page convinced him that he should build his next project within Google.

Having already made it easier for people to get to where they want to go with Google Maps, Hanke was interested in coming up with ways to educate people about their destinations.

"I had this anxiety knowing that there was a lot of useful information on the Web about local sights that wasn't showing up on maps," Hanke, 46, said.

The quest to dig up more pearls of knowledge inspired Hanke to christen his start-up Niantic, which refers to a whaling vessel that came to San Francisco during the Gold Rush of 1849, only to be abandoned. The ship was briefly converted into a hotel that later burned down. The remains of the original ship were later found buried near a current San Francisco landmark, the Transamerica Pyramid.

The Niantic name is meant to serve as a reminder that "there is lot of cool stuff beneath the surface of things," Hanke said.

The former location of the old Niantic ship and hotel isn't hidden because it's designated as California Historical Landmark. Ironically, the Field Trip app for the iPhone didn't call out this historic distinction even as a reporter stood in front of a plaque placed on the side of a building where the Niantic once stood.

Besides Field Trip, Niantic has built a video game called Ingress that requires players to visit buildings of historical significance and other real-world locations to acquire the weapons needed to score points and accumulate power. The game so far can only be played on personal computers and mobile devices. Hanke declined to say whether Niantic is trying to build an Ingress app for Glass, too.

Field Trip appears to be ideally suited for Glass, which is worn like a pair of spectacles so users don't have to tie up their hands fiddling with a smartphone or tablet. Glass contains a hidden computer, a thumbnail-size transparent display screen above the right eye and a camera for shooting hands-free photos and videos with voice commands.

The Field Trip app is designed to alert Glass users when they are passing a building with a colourful history or a local landmark, along with tips on places to eat and shop. When something interesting pops up, a Glass user can choose to have Field Trip narrate the information through the device's bone conduction speaker.

Although Field Trip works in any situation, Hanke believes it will be particularly useful for people traveling to a new area or just looking to do some local sightseeing. When he recently visited Rome with his family, Hanke said the Field Trip app "was almost blowing up in my pocket because there was so much interesting stuff around me. And I didn't have to fumble around with a guide book to check it all out."

Nokia plans to unveil new, large-screen mobile handsets next month to revamp its Lumia smartphone lineup and challenge rival Samsung's dominance in increasingly popular phablet devices, sources said.

Nokia has developed more than one new mobile device and is due to announce them at an event in New York in late September, said the sources familiar with the plan.

The sources would not elaborate on details such as specifications and price but said the new models will include a phablet, a common name for smartphones with screens over 5 inches. Technology blogs have also said that Nokia plans to launch a tablet device.

Nokia officials were not immediately available for comment.

The move comes as the Finnish mobile phone company, which has fallen behind Samsung and Apple in smartphones, has stepped up its pace of product launches in the past year in a bid to stem a decline in sales.

Market leader Samsung has led the way in phablets, proving wrong early critics who said they were too clunky. Apple is the top seller of tablet devices.

Analysts expect demand for large screens to grow further as more consumers watch videos and look at photographs on their smartphones.

A phablet would be the latest addition to Nokia's range of Lumia smartphones which use Microsoft's Windows Phone software.

In July, Nokia announced the Lumia 1020, which comes with a 41-megapixel camera. Gaining share in smartphones is considered particularly crucial in the long run as more consumers want to use social media and video services from their phones.

Some analysts, however, have raised doubts over whether Nokia's recent efforts will help turn its business around.

The company has bet its future in smartphones on Windows Phone software, but Windows' share in the market is still at 3 percent, while Google's Android operating system and Apple's iOS together control over 90 percent.

While Nokia shipped 7.4 million Lumia smartphones in the second quarter, up 32 percent from the first quarter, Bernstein Research analyst Pierre Ferragu said it appeared much of the growth came from cheaper models.

Ferragu questioned whether Nokia's focus on high-end models, such as the Lumia 925, 928 and 1020, will pay off, forecasting a weak third quarter.

"This is a risky bet, as high-end smartphones are slowing overall, competition is intense, and. Windows has had limited traction in the high end," he said in a research note on Tuesday. "Nokia appears to be heading for a disastrous September quarter."

Google Inc has opened discussions with the National Football League to buy the rights to the "Sunday Ticket" subscription TV service now owned by DirecTV, tech blog AllThingsDigital reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The acquisition, if consummated, would dramatically boost the media efforts of the Internet search company, which is trying to ramp up original programming and earn subscription revenue as opposed to advertising income.

The "Sunday Ticket" service allows NFL fans to watch a wide variety of football games outside of their local markets.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and league officials called on Google, Facebook Inc and several other key Silicon Valley companies in recent days, as part of efforts to improve their content, NFL spokesman Alex Reithmiller confirmed on Wednesday. He did not elaborate.

But the tech blog cited sources saying Google CEO Larry Page and YouTube content chief Robert Kyncl specifically discussed acquiring the rights to the popular Sunday Ticket package with Goodell and his delegation.

Google's YouTube last year expanded its stable of original content by promoting and investing in hundreds of dedicated channels, hoping to shed its image as a repository for grainy home videos and to start putting out quality content to boost advertising sales and earn subscription revenue.

The NFL has proven to be a savvy media-rights negotiator in years past, and now controls one of the most lucrative sports-TV operations in the country. News of Google's interest could pile pressure on DirecTV as its lock on the package expires after the 2014 season.

"I've always been pretty skeptical that rights holders of significant events are going to put those events on digital platforms. The leagues love to float the idea that it's a possibility because it creates a sense of more competition and accelerates prices," said John Skipper, president of the Walt Disney Co's ESPN sports network.

YouTube's "sites are not built for appointment viewing. You go there to watch archival content. You go there for information to do some task, to search, to do email."

Still, a content tie-up between the popular NFL and Google could have ripple effects throughout the media industry and transform Google into a major destination for sports online viewing, analysts said. It could bolster demand for services that bypass traditional cable, pressure values for some TV and satellite networks, and encourage users to sign up for broadband, Janney Capital Markets analyst Tony Wible said.

DirecTV has sounded upbeat about its chances of renewing the estimated $1 billion-a-year "Sunday Ticket" contract with the league when it expires.

The exclusive package, which allows fans to watch games outside of their home markets, is considered by analysts an important tool for the satellite TV service in efforts to attract new subscribers.

Ripples

AllThingsD called talks between Google and the NFL "informal" for now.

Neither Google nor DirecTV responded to requests for comment.

Google's addition of "Sunday Ticket" would mark its biggest foray so far into the realm of quality programming and subscription-video services. It could also accelerate "cord cutting," or viewers switching to online-viewing sources from traditional cable channels, analysts said.

However, the NFL could come under significant pressure from holders of its other TV licenses, the traditional TV and broadcast networks, who would seek to discourage a tie-up with an Internet powerhouse like Google.

"If Google were to secure the Sunday Ticket rights, we may have a situation where consumers can start to create a more viable alternative" to a traditional cable plan, analyst Wible said.

He speculated that along with Netflix Inc and Hulu services now available over the Internet, consumers could begin to create a true "a la carte" package in which people select the specific TV services they pay for.

"While we don't know the pricing for any Google product, it is safe to assume this bundle would be far cheaper than a traditional TV package," he said. "These dynamics have the potential to exacerbate cord cutting and may create a vicious cycle as the cost of programming on traditional TV would move higher with each loss of a (subscriber) - increasing the odds that another will cut the cord."

Hewlett-Packard made a profit in the latest quarter, reversing a huge loss a year ago that stemmed from an $8 billion charge. But the technology bellwether's revenue declined amid weakness in the PC market that shows no signs of easing.

Hewlett-Packard Co. said Wednesday that it earned $1.39 billion, or 71 cents per share, in the fiscal third quarter that ended on July 31. That's up from a loss of $8.86 billion, or $4.49 per share, a year ago when the results included a charge to reflect the shrinking value of Electronic Data Systems, a technology consulting service HP bought for $13 billion in 2008.

Excluding one-time items, HP earned 86 cents per share in the latest quarter, a penny below Wall Street's expectations.

"I remain confident that we are making progress in our turnaround," said CEO Meg Whitman in a statement. She added that HP is already seeing "significant improvement" in its business.

Nonetheless, revenue fell in nearly all of the company's business segments, with total revenue down 8 percent to $27.2 billion from $29.7 billion. Analysts expected slightly higher revenue of $27.3 billion, according to FactSet.
 
HP has been trying to ease the pain of the declining PC market by cutting costs and focusing on more profitable areas. It cut expenses by 34 percent in the latest quarter, to $25.37 billion from $38.5 billion a year ago. But the PC slump still weighs on results. Worldwide shipments were down 11 percent in the April-June quarter, according to data from research firms Gartner and IDC. The industry is experiencing the longest consecutive decline in its history, according to Gartner.

Like many PC makers, HP was slow to respond to the shift to mobile computing. The company stumbled in recent years trying to catch up with the likes of Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics. Whitman is trying to turn the company around, but she has warned that it will be a long-term endeavor.

For the full year, HP said it expects adjusted earnings of $3.53 to $3.57 per share, roughly in line with the $3.56 per share analysts are expecting. Without giving a number, Whitman said the company is unlikely to see year-over-year revenue growth in fiscal 2013.

Shares of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Hewlett-Packard slipped 27 cents to $25.11 in after-hours trading. The stock had closed down 46 cents at $25.38.

HP also reassigned its chief operating officer, Bill Veghte. He will now be executive vice president and general manager of the HP Enterprise Group. The company didn't name a replacement. Dave Donatelli, the group's previous head, will "take on a new role focused on identifying early-stage technologies," HP said.

A German government technology agency has warned that new security technology in computers running Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system may actually make PCs more vulnerable to cyber threats, including sabotage.

Germany's Federal Office for Information Security, or BSI, said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday that federal government agencies and critical infrastructure operators should pay particular attention to the risk.

The warning comes after weeks of public indignation in Germany over leaks related to U.S. surveillance programs. The spying scandal has become a headache for Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of a September 22 election.

The problem, according to the BSI, is with the use of a computer chip known as the Trusted Platform Module, or TPM 2.0, which is built into Windows 8 computers. TPM 2.0 is designed to better protect PCs by interacting with a variety of security applications.

But the BSI, which provides advice on technology and security to the government as well as the public, said the joint implementation of Windows 8 and TPM 2.0 chips could lead to "a loss of control" over both the operating system and hardware, without specifying exactly how that could occur.

"As a result, new risks occur for users, especially for federal and critical infrastructure," it said.
The statement concluded: "The new mechanisms in use can also be used for sabotage by third parties. These risks need to be addressed."

Microsoft declined comment on the BSI statement.

The company provided Reuters with a statement saying that PC makers have the option to turn off TPM technology, so that customers can buy PCs with it disabled.

TPM was developed by the Trusted Computing Group, a non-profit organization backed by technology firms including IBM, Intel, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft.

The BSI said it was working with the Trusted Computing Group and operating systems producers to find a solution.

A spokeswoman for that group declined to comment on the specific claims raised by the BSI. She said the group has provided PC makers and users with plenty of advice on best security practices to avoid any threats that they may face

Bigshot might not be the most advanced of digital cameras, but it offers something you won’t get from any Canon, Nikon or Pentax point-and-shoot: an education in the inner workings of digital cameras themselves.

The camera, created by Columbia University professor Shree Nayar, comes in kit form for user assembly. The idea is that as you build it piece by piece, you’ll gain a greater understanding of aspects of the digital photographic process including electromagnetism, optics and mechanics.

camera features a flash, 1.4in LCD screen, USB connection and the ability to shoot regular, stereoscopic 3D and panoramic photos through a twistable lens wheel. There’s a rechargeable lithium polymer battery, but if that runs dry when you’re out shooting you needn’t worry: a handcrank can be used to top it up using good old-fashioned elbow grease.

To our knowledge the Bigshot is the first camera of its kind, although analogue hipster favourite Lomography does offer a built-it-yourself film camera in the Konstrucktor.

US and Canadian residents can order a Big shot now for US$89 plus shipping. Sadly there’s no option for international delivery yet, but the makers say to stay tuned for updates on that front.

Apple Design Award winner Savage Interactive has released an update to their popular drawing app for iPad, delivering full HD video playback of each brushstroke used to create an image. The update to Procreate also provides support for Wacom’s latest stylus which promises to deliver extremely detailed precision to tablet graphic artists. Procreate has also opened up a portion of the library of brushes which was previously only available via in-app purchase. Version 1.9 is now available for $4.99 in the app store.

In a promotional video for the new update, app developer Savage Interactive shows exactly how three visually stunning images were drawn, stroke by stroke. These videos were stitched together using the Silica 2 engine, a graphics engine first implemented in Procreate version 1.7.

As an artist creates a painting, the app saves each line and each stroke, allowing them to go back in their work to correct any mistakes or add additional steps in their process. The Silica 2 engine uses the same stroke recording process and stitches these lines together to create the 1080p video in near real-time as the artist works. Each time the stylus or finger is lifted from the screen, the app stores the last stroke in a special file. These files are then stitched together to create the video.

Users can then export this video to the iPad’s Photos app, export it to iTunes, share it via email or even upload it to their dropbox folder. Savage Interactive says the entire process is “beautifully transparent.”
Procreate 1.9 also includes support for the Wacom Intuos Creative Stylus, a pointer which is capable of detecting 2,048 different pressure levels. This kind of sensitivity allows artists to draw lines ranging from incredibly thin to thick and bold, closely resembling the lines drawn by analog mediums like a pencil or paintbrush. This same level of precision is found in other professional-grade Wacom offerings from their Intuos and Cintiq lines.

The Intuos Creative Stylus communicates with the iPad via Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and, when paired with Procreate 1.9 or another supported app also offers palm rejection technology. This means the stylus understands when the artist rests their wrists or palms on the iPad’s surface as they draw and does not record this input on the screen. Other styluses such as Ten One Design’s Pogo Connect also operate on Bluetooth 4.0 and offer palm rejection technology.

Savage Interactive has backed support for the Intuos Creative Stylus into Procreate early on as the Stylus won’t be available until this October when it will be available first in Best Buy stores.

Finally, Savage Interactive say they’ve unlocked a portion of their library as a “thank you” for winning the Apple Design Award during this year’s World Wide Developers Conference. Now those brushes which were once included in an in-app purchase are now included with the $4.99 app.

In addition to the Artery brushes, users can also find the artery shape and grain source images in the pro library. And just as they’ve been able to do in previous versions of the app, users can create their own brushes in the app and use these in their own pieces. They can now use the Artery source images when building their own brushes.

Consumers from ethnic minority groups are among the keenest in Britain to embrace new technology, a study has found.

Ethnic minorities are more likely to have home broadband and a mobile phone, although they are less likely to watch television and listen to the radio compared to the British population as a whole, according to the research by Of com.

It found 37 per cent of people from ethnic minority groups "say they love gadgets" compared with 30 per cent of the British population as a whole, while 32 per cent say it is important that their homes are equipped with the latest technology compared with 20 per cent of all Britons, rising to 47 per cent of Asian Indians.

The study compared the largest ethnic groups - Asian Pakistani, Asian Indian, Asian Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean, Black African, mixed ethnic groups and 'other white' - with ethnic minority groups combined and the British population as a whole.

It found mobile phones are generally more important to people in ethnic minority groups than the wider British population.

More than half of the mixed ethnic (57 per cent), Asian Pakistani (58 per cent), Asian Bangladeshi (57 per cent), Black African (56 per cent) and Asian Indian (54 per cent) groups said they could not do without their mobile phones, compared with 43 per cent of the British population.

In the Asian Bangladeshi group, one in five (20 per cent) claims to have at least five mobile phones in their households, compared with 5 per cent of the British population.

People in the Black African group said they were the most computer-savvy, with two thirds (62 per cent) disagreeing with the statement that computers confuse them compared with 53 per cent of the British population.

A smaller proportion of all ethnic minority groups included in the study (90 per cent) have a television at home compared with the British population as a whole (96 per cent), while half of those in the Asian Bangladeshi group (50 per cent) have just one television in their home, compared with a quarter (26 per cent) of the British population.

Listening to the radio is generally less popular among ethnic minority groups, with 40 per cent of Asian Bangladeshis tuning in weekly compared with 79 per cent of the British population.

A third (30 per cent) of adults in the British population say they have a DAB radio at home compared with 7 per cent of those in the Asian Bangladeshi group.

Joseph Vögele’s new dash-3 generation of paving machines takes advantage of all the latest technology to minimize emissions and fuel consumption and maximize performance.

The splitter gearbox has an auto idle feature that disengages all hydraulic pumps after the paver has stood stationary for a minute.

The energy-optimised tamper drive uses a variable displacement pump that delivers exactly the amount of oil needed for the current tamper speed, with no wastage. It has a new type of fan drive. The speed of the variable-speed fan automatically adjusts in line with engine load and ambient temperature, as well as the temperature of the oil and cooling water. The fan is driven via a viscous coupling in synch with temperature and engine load.

A new monitoring system called PaveDock Assistant ensures a constant supply of mix from the feed vehicle to the paver to maintain pavement quality. The paver operator can communicate with the driver of the feed vehicle using a pair of signal lights.

PaveDock push-rollers are offered as an optional extra to absorb impact when the feed vehicle docks onto the paver. In combination, these two systems ensure maximum process reliability when transferring the mix, Vögele says. A sensor installed in the sprung push-rollers sends a signal to the PaveDock Assistant whenever a feed vehicle has docked onto the paver. The signal lights automatically display a Stop symbol and the driver of the feed vehicle can react immediately. Thus the PaveDock Assistant and the PaveDock push-rollers combine for a smooth transfer of material without jolts.

The AutoSet Plus feature of the ErgoPlus operating system can be used to memorise settings, so that when the machine is moved from one part of the site to another, it can be put into travel mode. Then, once relocated to the new work area, everything is restored to how it was, so that the paving parameters are identical to before and no settings are lost when changing back and forth between pave and travel modes. It has the added benefit of preventing damage to the augers and deflectors in front of the crawler tracks, the manufacturer points out.

Specific paving programs can also be stored. Values for tamper and vibrator speed, conveyor and auger speed, height of the auger and pave speed are stored at the push of a button. Once stored, the program can then be retrieved and reused whenever needed.

Also new from Vögele is the VF 500 extending screed for its Vision pavers. It has been designed for multi-variable width applications like car parks with lots of traffic islands and lamp posts or urban streets with obstacles such as utility covers or street furniture.

The speed of extension is variable. Pressing the button on the operator’s ErgoPlus console briefly permits extra precise control, for edging work, for example. Keeping the button pressed down gives more rapid extension or retraction.

A wide range of pavement profiles are possible, Vögele says, and the profile can be set independently of the extensions’ adjustment in height.

Apple loyalists who have held tight to their iPhones even as rival manufacturer release one new gadget after another that takes aim at the tried-and-true favorite won't have to wait much longer to fight back.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company is expected to unveil the next version of the iPhone during a Sept. 10 event, according to technology blog All Things D. (http://dthin.gs/1659rRk)

Other than the fact that the phones will operate on the iOS7 system unveiled in June, very little is certain about what Apple has in store for the new iPhones. Most industry watchers agree the phone will likely include an upgraded camera and processor, in addition to a fingerprint sensor.

Some people also expect Apple to launch a new, lower-cost iPhone model to help the company compete on the lower end of the smartphone market, All Things D said. Other speculation includes a wider range of colors and bigger screens. 

Internet-of-things! Researchers, led by an Indian-origin scientist, have developed a new technology that lets wireless devices communicate with each other without relying on batteries or wires for power.

The new communication technique, called "ambient backscatter," takes advantage of the TV and cellular transmissions that already surround us around the clock.

Two devices communicate with each other by reflecting the existing signals to exchange information. The researchers built small, battery-free devices with antennas that can detect, harness and reflect a TV signal, which then is pickedup by other similar devices.

The technology could enable a network of devices and sensors to communicate with no power source or human attention needed.

"We can re-purpose wireless signals that are already around us into both a source of power and a communication medium," said lead researcher Shyam Gollakota, from the University of Washington.

"It's hopefully going to have applications in a number of areas including wearable computing, smart homes and self-sustaining sensor networks," said Gollakota.

"Our devices form a network out of thin air. You can reflect these signals slightly to create a Morse code of communication between battery-free devices," said co-author Joshua Smith.

The technology can also be used for communication - text messages and emails, for example - in wearable devices, without requiring battery consumption.

The researchers tested the ambient backscatter technique with credit card-sized prototype devices placed within several feet of each other.

For each device the researchers built antennas into ordinary circuit boards that flash an LED light when receiving a communication signal from another device.

Groups of the devices were tested in a variety of settings, including inside an apartment building, on a street corner and on the top level of a parking garage.

They found that the devices were able to communicate with each other, even the ones farthest from a TV tower. The receiving devices picked up a signal from their transmitting counterparts at a rate of 1 kilobit per second when up to 2.5 feet apart outdoors and 1.5 feet apart indoors.

This is enough to send information such as a sensor reading, text messages and contact information.
It is also feasible to build this technology into devices that do rely on batteries, such as smartphones. It could be configured so that when the battery dies, the phone could still send text messages by leveraging power from an ambient TV signal.

The Galaxy Gear will allow users to make calls, access email and even surf the Internet.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics will unveil its new Galaxy Gear "smartwatch" early next month, ahead of Apple's iWatch, Bloomberg news and a fan site said Saturday.

The Galaxy Gear, which will allow users to make calls, access email and even surf the Internet, will launch on September 4, said the sammobile.com site.

The world's top handset maker will also launch its new Galaxy Note 3 on that day, the site reported.

Bloomberg said the first version of the smart watch would not have a flexible screen.

Wearable computing, including Google's Glass eyewear, is considered as the next frontier in consumer electronics following smartphones.

In June, Sony unveiled the latest version of its SmartWatch, which links with smartphones to receive alerts about phone calls, emails and updates from social networks and also includes a music function.

Samsung's US rival Apple has long been rumoured to be working on introducing an "iWatch", which would represent the biggest gadget launch by the firm since the iPad mini last year.