Russia: MegaFon and Ericcson to work on M2M.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Russia: MegaFon and Ericcson to work on M2M.

Ericsson and Russian operator MegaFon have announced plans to work together to develop M2M wireless communications. 

The use of Ericsson’s cloud-based Device Connection Platform as well as consultancy and systems integration support from the Swedish infrastructure giant will allow MegaFon to offer M2M connectivity to enterprises and tap into new revenue streams.

Rumours: Microsoft planning own smartphone.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Rumours: Microsoft planning own smartphone.

Microsoft is reported to be working on manufacturing its own smartphone to accompany its recently launched self-made ‘Surface’ tablet.

According to sources at the Wall Street Journal, the software giant is working with component suppliers in Asia on its own smartphone design.

The device under consideration is reported to have a four- to five-inch screen, which would pitch it in competition with the likes of the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III.  But sources warned that it was not certain that the phone would reach mass production.

Microsoft launched the ‘Surface’ tablet earlier this year. The move to manufacture its own hardware is seen as an attempt to mimic Apple, which is able to closely integrate software and hardware.

However, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer declined to comment on the speculation, saying he was committed to third-party vendors running the firm’s Windows Phone software.

"We're quite happy this holiday season going to market hard with Nokia, Samsung and HTC," said Ballmer. "Whether we had a plan to do something different or we didn't have a plan I wouldn't comment in any dimension."

Microsoft last attempted its own phone range in 2010 with the ‘Kin’ line of youth-oriented smartphones, though this was quickly killed off. 

iPad Mini parody commercial: We`re Apple. You`re suckers.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

iPad Mini parody commercial: We`re Apple. You`re suckers.

In a parody iPad mini commercial that aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday, first came the iPod. Then a thinner iPod. Then an iPod you can touch. Then lots of other iPods -- ones that allow you to shuffle your songs, ones you can talk on, a gigantic one you can't talk on. 

And today, Apple released a slightly bigger iPod that you can't talk on. Which, according to the video, pretty much means we're all suckers.

Beware: Windows 8 attacked by first virus.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

system reset picture.

Beware: Windows 8 attacked by first virus.

A week since its release to the public and Windows 8 already has a virus specifically designed for it, which has already spread throughout the network. According to the Trendmicro security company, the malware that is causing chaos in the new OS is a Trojan and takes the form of antivirus. In addition, the company has prevented users of pages that offer free software.

The activity of this malware was detected in the days prior to the feast of Halloween, Trendmicro Internet security company. The company noted that there were two threats designed for Windows 8, a typical Fakeav, which took the form of an antivirus and a ‘phishing attack ‘, caused by a malicious file in an email.

The malware was a Trojan named ROJ_FAKEAV.EHM. This took the form of a virus and sent a warning banner to Internet users, stating that a virus had invaded the system. Thus, getting users to set an application to remove it from the computer, which was actually the virus itself.

This type of malicious files scanned the computer for passwords, bank account and other information of interest that can be sold on the network. In this case the gravity of the extent of the virus is unknown.

On the other hand, the security company has pointed out that this was malicious sites, i.e. those which do not have security certificates.

To avoid this type of incident, Microsoft has an antivirus itself, Windows Defender, which is already pre-installed on the software package. It disappears when the user install another antivirus.

However, the novelty of the software, its interface and its mode of use, it makes users more vulnerable than before to malware threats. This weakness constitutes an opportunity for the ‘hackers’ who are already developing malicious files for Windows 8.

On the other hand, Trendmicro has detected an attack from phishing, found on pages that promised a free download of the latest software for Microsoft PC. In them, asked personal data to users as e-mail, passwords and other data that can be used on the network to commit criminal activities.

In this sense, the Association of Internet, which also warned of the problem, encourages users to be careful with files that you open, and offers a guide, developed by the FBI, with hints of cyber defence.

Viva Duets Album: Tony Bennett and Latin friends is out.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Viva Duets Album: Tony Bennett sings with Latin singers Chayanne, Christina Aguilera,Dani Martin, Franco De Vita, Glria Estefan, Juan Luis Guerra, Marc Anthony, Ricardo Arjona, Romeo Santos, Thalia, Vicente Fernàndez and Vicentico.

Tracks List:

1. The Best Is Yet To Come

2. The Way You Look Tonight

3. Steppin' Out With My Baby

4. For Once In My Life

5. Are You Havin' Any Fun?

6. The Good Life

7. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)

8. Just In Time

9. Cold, Cold Heart

10. I Wanna Be Around

11. Rags To Riches

12. Return To Me (Regresa A Míi)

Watch Tony and Gloria Estefan singing "Who Can I Turn to (When Nobody Needs Me)

Samsung has sold 30 millions Galaxy SIII.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Samsung has already sold 30 million units of the Galaxy SIII. Have you tried its features?

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SEMA2012: VWvortex’s 500-horsepower Super Beetle

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

SEMA2012: VWvortex’s 500-horsepower Super Beetle.

One big bad Bug: Super Beetle debuts at SEMA.

There’s something about the Volkswagen Beetle that just makes people smile. Maybe that’s why it’s the world’s bestselling car. But with so many Bugs on the road, more than a few people have decided to customize their vehicles. Jamie Vondruska at VWvortex took things one step (okay, several steps) further with their latest project: the Super Beetle*.

Collaborating closely with performance specialist APR, VWvortex took a stock 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo six-speed manual and transformed it into an all-wheel drive street car with a whopping 500 horsepower. To accommodate the significant increase in power, APR updated the fuel system and added a high-performance intercooler system, as well as a host of Stage IV components including; an ECU upgrade; high-flow cylinder head and intake manifold; high-strength coated pistons and wrist pins; high-strength connecting rods and bearings; an upgraded balancer shaft; and a balanced rotating assembly.

Not only will the Super Beetle be one of the most powerful Beetle models, it will also be one of the most eye-catching. The VWvortex team wrapped it in a stunning Matt Azure Blue Metallic ORACAL® Series 970RA Wrapping Cast, which is a lightweight vinyl film paint alternative. They also replaced the stock rims with three-piece 19 in wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires and installed RECARO Sportster CS seats for the lucky driver and passenger.

As if putting all these different pieces together weren’t enough of a challenge, the guys were on a tight timeline: they had to rush to finish the Super Beetle in time to debut it at the SEMA Show 2012 this week. Of course, they met their deadline—and they’re understandably proud of the end result.

Be sure to stop by the H&R Springs booth at the SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where you can see the Super Beetle.

Q3 2012: Android Marks Fourth Anniversary Since Launch with 75.0% Market Share in Third Quarter, According to IDC .

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Please click on the charts to enlarge the view.

Android Marks Fourth Anniversary Since Launch with 75.0% Market Share in Third Quarter, According to IDC

01 Nov 2012

 The Android smartphone operating system was found on three out of every four smartphones shipped during the third quarter of 2012 (3Q12). According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, total Android smartphone shipments worldwide reached 136.0 million units, accounting for 75.0% of the 181.1 million smartphones shipped in 3Q12. The 91.5% year-over-year growth was nearly double the overall market growth rate of 46.4%.

"Android has been one of the primary growth engines of the smartphone market since it was launched in 2008," said Ramon Llamas, research manager, Mobile Phones at IDC. "In every year since then, Android has effectively outpaced the market and taken market share from the competition. In addition, the combination of smartphone vendors, mobile operators, and end-users who have embraced Android has driven shipment volumes higher. Even today, more vendors are introducing their first Android-powered smartphones to market."

"The share decline of smartphone operating systems not named iOS since Android's introduction isn't a coincidence," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "The smartphone operating system isn't an isolated product, it's a crucial part of a larger technology ecosystem. Google has a thriving, multi-faceted product portfolio. Many of its competitors, with weaker tie-ins to the mobile OS, do not. This factor and others have led to loss of share for competitors with few exceptions."

Mobile Operating System Highlights.

Android, having topped the 100 million unit mark last quarter, reached a new record level in a single quarter. By comparison, Android's total volumes for the quarter were greater than the total number of smartphones shipped in 2007, the year that Android was officially announced. Samsung once again led all vendors in this space, but saw its market share decline as numerous smaller vendors increased their production.

iOS was a distant second place to Android, but was the only other mobile operating system to amass double-digit market share for the quarter. The late quarter launch of the iPhone 5 and lower prices on older models prevented total shipment volumes from slipping to 3Q11 levels. But without a splashy new OS-driven feature like Siri in 2011 and FaceTime in 2010, the iPhone 5 relied on its larger, but not wider, screen and LTE connectivity to drive growth.

BlackBerry's market share continued to sink, falling to just over 4% by the end of the quarter. With the launch of BlackBerry 10 yet to come in 2013, BlackBerry will continue to rely on its aging BlackBerry 7 platform, and equally aging device line-up. Still, demand for BlackBerry and its wildly popular BBM service is strong within multiple key markets worldwide, and the number of subscribers continues to increase.

Symbian posted the largest year-on-year decline of the leading operating systems. Nokia remains the largest vendor still supporting Symbian, along with Japanese vendors Fujitsu, Sharp, and Sony. Each of these vendors is in the midst of transitioning to other operating systems and IDC believes that they will cease shipping Symbian-powered smartphones in 2013. At the same time, the installed base of Symbian users will continue well after the last Symbian smartphone ships.

Windows Phone marked its second anniversary with a total of just 3.6 million units shipped worldwide, fewer than the total number of Symbian units shipped. Even with the backing of multiple smartphone market leaders, Windows Phone has yet to make a significant dent into Android's and iOS's collective market share. That could change in 4Q12, when multiple Windows Phone 8 smartphones will reach the market.

Linux volume declined for the third straight quarter as did its year-over-year growth. Samsung accounted for the majority of shipments once again, but like most other vendors competing with Linux-powered smartphones, most of its attention went towards Android instead. Still, that has not deterred other vendors from experimenting, or at least considering the open-source operating system, as multiple reports of Firefox, Sailfish, and Tizen plan to release new Linux-based experiences in the future.

Stanford scientists build the first all-carbon solar cell.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Stanford scientists build the first all-carbon solar cell.

Researchers have developed a solar cell made entirely of carbon, an inexpensive substitute for the pricey materials used in conventional solar panels.

Stanford Professor Zhenan Bao and her colleagues have developed the first solar cell made entirely of carbon, a promising alternative to the expensive materials used in photovoltaic devices today. Unlike rigid silicon solar panels that adorn many rooftops, Stanford's thin film prototype is made of carbon materials that can be coated from solution - a technique that has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs.

The Bao group's all-carbon solar cell consists of a photoactive layer, which absorbs sunlight, sandwiched between two electrodes.

Stanford University scientists have built the first solar cell made entirely of carbon, a promising alternative to the expensive materials used in photovoltaic devices today. The results are published in today's online edition of the journal ACS Nano.

"Carbon has the potential to deliver high performance at a low cost," said study senior author Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford.  "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a working solar cell that has all of the components made of carbon. This study builds on previous work done in our lab."

Unlike rigid silicon solar panels that adorn many rooftops, Stanford's thin film prototype is made of carbon materials that can be coated from solution. "Perhaps in the future we can look at alternative markets where flexible carbon solar cells are coated on the surface of buildings, on windows or on cars to generate electricity," Bao said.

The coating technique also has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs, said Stanford graduate student Michael Vosgueritchian, co-lead author of the study with postdoctoral researcher Marc Ramuz.
"Processing silicon-based solar cells requires a lot of steps," Vosgueritchian explained. "But our entire device can be built using simple coating methods that don't require expensive tools and machines."

Carbon nanomaterials

The Bao group's experimental solar cell consists of a photoactive layer, which absorbs sunlight, sandwiched between two electrodes.  In a typical thin film solar cell, the electrodes are made of conductive metals and indium tin oxide (ITO). "Materials like indium are scarce and becoming more expensive as the demand for solar cells, touchscreen panels and other electronic devices grows," Bao said.  "Carbon, on the other hand, is low cost and Earth-abundant."


For the study, Bao and her colleagues replaced the silver and ITO used in conventional electrodes with graphene – sheets of carbon that are one atom thick –and single-walled carbon nanotubes that are 10,000 times narrower than a human hair. "Carbon nanotubes have extraordinary electrical conductivity and light-absorption properties," Bao said.  

For the active layer, the scientists used material made of carbon nanotubes and "buckyballs" – soccer ball-shaped carbon molecules just one nanometer in diameter.  The research team recently filed a patent for the entire device.

"Every component in our solar cell, from top to bottom, is made of carbon materials," Vosgueritchian said. "Other groups have reported making all-carbon solar cells, but they were referring to just the active layer in the middle, not the electrodes."

One drawback of the all-carbon prototype is that it primarily absorbs near-infrared wavelengths of light, contributing to a laboratory efficiency of less than 1 percent – much lower than commercially available solar cells.  "We clearly have a long way to go on efficiency," Bao said.  "But with better materials and better processing techniques, we expect that the efficiency will go up quite dramatically."

Improving efficiency

The Stanford team is looking at a variety of ways to improve efficiency. "Roughness can short-circuit the device and make it hard to collect the current," Bao said. "We have to figure out how to make each layer very smooth by stacking the nanomaterials really well."

The researchers are also experimenting with carbon nanomaterials that can absorb more light in a broader range of wavelengths, including the visible spectrum.

"Materials made of carbon are very robust," Bao said. "They remain stable in air temperatures of nearly 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit."

The ability of carbon solar cells to out-perform conventional devices under extreme conditions could overcome the need for greater efficiency, according to Vosgueritchian. "We believe that all-carbon solar cells could be used in extreme environments, such as at high temperatures or at high physical stress," he said. "But obviously we want the highest efficiency possible and are working on ways to improve our device."

"Photovoltaics will definitely be a very important source of power that we will tap into in the future," Bao said. "We have a lot of available sunlight. We've got to figure out some way to use this natural resource that is given to us."

Other authors of the study are Peng Wei of Stanford and Chenggong Wang and Yongli Gao of the University of Rochester Department of Physics and Astronomy. The research was funded by the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford and the Air Force Office for Scientific Research.
Mark Shwartz is a communications/energy writer at the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University.

Media Contact

Zhenan Bao, Chemical Engineering: (650) 723-2419, zbao@stanford.edu
Michael Vosgueritchian, Chemical Engineering: (650) 725-8495, mikevos@stanford.edu
Mark Shwartz, Precourt Institute for Energy: (650) 723-9296, mshwartz@stanford.edu

LinkedIn for Android Updated.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

The Android application that allows users to connect with their friends, co-workers and other people in their network has just been updated.

The latest version of LinkedIn for Android features enhancements to inMail and Who's Viewed Your Profile. However, the latter is only available for Premium members.

Description

For Professionals Going Places.Get on-the-go access to your professional network with the LinkedIn app for Android.
· Find and connect with more than 187 million members worldwide.
· Stay up-to-date with people in your network.
· Sync your calendar to get LinkedIn profile information about the people you're meeting with.**
· View and save recommended jobs.
· Read the latest industry news.
· Keep up-to-date with your groups.
· Share content with your network from anywhere.
· Follow and learn more about companies.
**Syncing of your calendar is an opt-in feature. Calendar information is never stored on LinkedIn's servers and is never used for purposes other than for matching with relevant LinkedIn profiles.

LinkedIn 2.5.3 is now available as a free download and it should be fully compatible with all devices running Android 2.1 and up.

Download link: GooglePlay

Amazon Releases “Air Patriots” Game for Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, Android Devices, iPhone, and iPad.

Amazon Game Studios Releases “Air Patriots” for Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, Android Devices, iPhone, and iPad.

Defend your territory from enemy tanks! Amazon Game Studios’ first game for mobile devices combines fun, strategy, and defense-play with intuitive airplane touch controls resulting in addicting “I can’t stop playing!” action Play on all your favorite devices including the new Kindle Fire family, Android devices, iPhone and iPad Kindle Fire gamers can use GameCircle to track achievements and scores, making Air Patriots play on the Kindle Fire more social Following the release of Amazon’s first-ever social game, Living Classics, Amazon Game Studios today announced the availability of “Air Patriots,” its first-ever game for mobile devices. The game is available now for Kindle Fire, Android devices, iPhone, iPad, and is free to all customers. Learn more at games.amazon.com. Air Patriots is a new kind of tower defense game with fun and unique gameplay requiring strategic positioning of an arsenal of planes to push back an enemy tank invasion. In Air Patriots, players directly control a squadron of military planes by using their finger to draw the paths the planes will follow in order to engage the enemy. Unlike other tower defense games where defense bases are stationary, in Air Patriots players can adjust their strategy on the fly. Simply draw a new flight path for your planes, and you redeploy firepower to where it is needed most. "When we created Air Patriots we wanted to make a game that was easy and engaging, and the simplicity of drawing paths for planes was something we thought would appeal to players,” said Ernie Ramirez, Executive Producer at Amazon Game Studios. “We think customers will find Air Patriots both familiar and fresh, with a degree of challenge that keeps them engaged and enthused to play more. We are very excited to bring Amazon customers Air Patriots today, and Amazon Game Studios looks forward to bringing our fans even more great games in the future." Air Patriots uses Amazon GameCircle on Kindle Fire to track both achievements and high scores, allowing players to compete for strategic superiority. Air Patriots also supports Whispersync for games to ensure that progress is saved in the cloud whether it’s played on the Kindle Fire or Kindle Fire HD. Players can even switch back and forth between multiple Kindle devices as they continue their quest to eliminate the enemy. Available today as a free download on Amazon Appstore for Android, Google Play, and Apple’s App Store. Air Patriots boasts rich visuals for HD compatible devices, including Kindle Fire HD. About Amazon Game Studios Amazon Game Studios is a team at Amazon that’s focused on creating innovative, fun and well-crafted games. The team debuted in August 2012 with Living Classics, a moving object game on the Facebook platform, and has since released Air Patriots, its first game for mobile devices. About Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25% increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with dual-band support and dual-antennas/MIMO for 40% faster throughput than other tablets, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation processor and graphics engine—and it is available in two display sizes—7” and 8.9”. The large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available with 4G wireless, and comes with a groundbreaking $49.99 introductory 4G LTE data package. The all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster processor, 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery life. Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, and www.amazon.es. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise. Source: Amazon.com, Inc. Amazon.com, Inc. Media Hotline, 206-266-7180 www.amazon.com/pr