World's lightest smartphone to hit India via Micromax

The world's lightest smartphone , weighing just 60 grams, is all set to hit the Indian market to make the most of the ongoing festive season.


Israeli entrepreneur Dov Moran's company Modu, which launched tiny smartphone Modu T last week, has announced striking a partnership with India's third largest distribution company Micromax for the venture, business portal Calcalist reported.


The value of the deal between the two companies has not been disclosed yet because it is dependent on phone sales, the report said.


Micromax will sell the cellular phone as part of a package that includes two "jackets", which are add-on sets for the Modu, at Rs 12,500 ($282).


The Modu T is a 3.5 generation smartphone with a 2.2 inch touch screen and has Qualcomm's Brew operating system and an array of Java-based applications, including Snaptu, Facebook, Flickr and media player TuneWiki.


Weighing at only 60 grams and measuring 7.5 cms, it is considered the lightest smartphone in the world.
Keywords:Modu,Micromax

A different kind of worm

Stuxnet virus makes industrial processes go haywire, and it is feared that some government or organisation may have created it

A computer virus of a different kind has been making waves in recent months. Stuxnet is different in that it does not launch a malicious attack that targets standalone computer systems used by individuals. Nor does it target enterprise-wide systems. Instead, it exploits multiple vulnerabilities in Windows-based computers that provide an interface to industrial control systems (ICS) that run industrial processes.

This results in industrial processes going haywire, which can be potentially devastating. Significantly, the worm targeted only a particular kind of programmable logic controllers (PLC) developed by Siemens.

These small embedded industrial control systems run various automated processes in a range of industries – from large scale power plants and refineries to small and medium-sized auto component manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.

The interface to these PLCs is usually through computers — often Windows-based systems. And, Stuxnet is essentially looking for a particular target — the Siemens SIMATIC WinCC/Step 7 controller software.

Stuxnet was discovered in June 2010 by a security firm based in Belarus. The attacks soon acquired a mystique usually associated with international spy thrillers. Its sophisticated design — and unusual method of targeting — led to speculation that a government (or governments acting in unison) had designed and propagated it. Specifically, the fact that one of the first targets was the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran strengthened apprehensions based on this line of reasoning.

Main targets

Symantec's latest security report on the worm, released earlier this month, observed: “Approximately 60 per cent of infected hosts are in Iran.” According to the report Indonesia ranks second, accounting for about 15 per cent of the infections. Significantly, India accounts for about 10 per cent of the 40,000 “unique external IP addresses, from over 155 countries,” that Symantec observed.

Speaking to The Hindu, Sanjay Katkar, Chief Technology Officer at Pune-based Quick Heal Technologies, said the worm has “exploited at least four zero-day vulnerabilities in the system.”

A zero-day attack is a computer threat that arises before the developer (or others) could even identify a potential threat or a security hole in the software.

Sophisticated worm

The sophisticated worm typically uses the ubiquitous USB drive to gain entry into the victim's system, says Mr. Katkar. Unlike most other viruses, which require the hapless user to invoke the virus by executing an action (such as opening an attachment or visiting a website),

Stuxnet requires no such initiation to gain entry and start working. The worm also installs drivers, using legitimate digital certificates obtained from two Taiwanese companies, Realtek Semiconductor Corporation and Jmicron Technology Corporation.

Speculation on the Net focused on the Stuxnet virus as being responsible for the failure of India's INSAT-4B satellite in July, which affected the operations of several Direct to Home (DTH) TV broadcasts.

Mr. Katkar said the Stuxnet threat has been particularly difficult to address because most security labs in India do not have access to the environment in which the virus grows. Although the threat has abated significantly in the last few weeks, particularly after Microsoft plugged the holes by releasing a security patch, there have been some indications that the virus may have mutated. Although Siemens, a leading PLC supplier, has upgraded its software, two new variants of the virus emerged in July and September, Mr. Katkar said.

Strong backing

“The complexity of the virus”, Mr. Katkar said, “makes me believe that the virus originated with strong organisational backing.” “It would have required well-motivated research and development and a team, which is not normally seen in hackers of security systems,” he remarked. “It has certainly not been unleashed by an individual,” he asserted.

Quick Heal, which has offered solutions to the problem in India, reported about 16,000 infections per day in September.

Mr. Katkar said the number has been “declining by the day since then.” The company has provided solutions to address the virus threat in small and medium units that manufacture telecommunications equipment, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and auto components and several other industries.

“The Stuxnet threat may have abated, but it is still spreading, although at a slower rate,” Mr. Katkar remarked.

Keywords: Stuxnet virus, computer systems,

Apple boss Steve Jobs declares victory over BlackBerry

With Apple posting record profits amid zooming sales of iPhones and iPads, CEO Steve Jobs declared victory over main rival and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM).


"We have now passed RIM, and I don't see them catching up with us in the foreseeable feature," Jobs told the Canadian media in a conference call after Apple's astounding results Monday.


"We are out to win this one," Job said.


The BlackBerry smart phone has been the leader in the North American market for many years now. But iPhones and Google Android devices have almost toppled the BlackBerry from the perch.


Apple posted a huge 70 percent jump in profits in fourth quarter results, reporting net revenue of $4.31 billion as against $2.53 billion during the same period last year.


Record sales of iPads and Mac computers zoomed Apple's total earnings to $20.34-billion, up from $12.2 billion a year ago.


With its sales of 14.1 million iPhones in the quarter, Jobs said Apple has "handily" beaten RIM, which sold 12.1 million BlackBerry smart phones during the period.


Blaming RIM for putting off developers by employing multiple operating systems, Jobs told the Globe and Mail: "They (RIM) must move beyond their area of strength and comfort into the unfamiliar territory of trying to become a software platform company. I think it is going to be a challenge for them."


The Apple boss also took the opportunity to have a swipe at BlackBerry maker's much-smaller PlayBook tablet to be unveiled later this year.


Dismissing PlayBook's seven-inch screens as too small, he told the paper that consumers will need to use "sand paper" to grind their fingers down to the appropriate size.


"The 10-inch screen size is the minimum required to have great tablet apps. We don't think you can make a great tablet with a seven-inch screen. We think it's too small to express the software that people want to put on these things," Jobs said.


He also didn't spare the other major rival Google, calling its Android operating system "fragmented”.
Keywords:Apple,Steve Jobs

Facebook keeps your deleted photos for years

SYDENY: Social networking giant Facebook has been slammed for keeping deleted pictures of a profile up to 30 months after removing them.

It has admitted it had been keeping deleted photos for a 'limited' amount of time. However, users who have kept the direct link to photos that were originally uploaded to the social networking site have been able to still gain access to them months, even years after deletion, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

In one report, a Facebook user said they had deleted an image from the site 2.5 years ago (30 months), and that it was still available to see on the site. Another said a photo from April 2009 was still accessible after it was deleted.

The revelation comes as encryption expert and author Bruce Schneier slammed the site at the RSA Conference in London, saying social networking companies were deliberately killing privacy for commercial gain.

The Facebook photo matter centres on what is known as a content delivery network, or content distribution network (CDN), which stores multiple copies of content on servers around the globe.

Facebook uses such a delivery method when you upload a photo to the site. However, when you delete your photos from the site, despite them being removed from view, if you still have the image's direct URL it may still be accessible for a period of time after its removal.

Simon Axten, Facebook spokesman told ArsTechnica that the company was actively working with its CDN on this issue. His statement was confirmed with Facebook's Australian public relations firm.

"It's possible that someone who previously had access to a photo and saved the direct URL from our content delivery network partner could still access the photo," said Axten.

"However, again, the person would have to know the URL, and the photo only exists in the CDN's cache for a limited amount of time.

We're working with the CDN to reduce the amount of time that the photo remains in its cache."

Nobel Prize for "test tube" baby scientist

Robert Edwards, the British scientist whose pioneering research with his late colleague Patrick Steptoe led to the birth of the world’s first "test tube baby" in 1978, has won this year’s Nobel Prize for medicine.

The Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, which awarded the prize worth ten million Swedish Kronor, described his work as "a milestone of modern medicine".

“His work has made possible the treatment of infertility, a medical condition that affects a large proportion of humanity including more than 10% of couples worldwide," it said in a statement.

The 85-year-old scientist was reported to be too ill to comment, but his wife Ruth and family said they were "thrilled and delighted".

"The success of this research has touched the lives of millions of people worldwide. His dedication and single-minded determination, despite opposition from many quarters, has led to the successful application of his pioneering research," they said.

Professor Basil Tarlatzis, past-president of the International Federation of Fertility Societies, called it "a well- deserved honour" and said IVF had "opened new avenues of hope for millions of couples throughout the world".

But, perhaps, no one was more delighted than Louise Brown who owed her birth to the fertility treatment (in-vitro fertilisation or IVF) devised by Professor Edwards and Steptoe.

"It's fantastic news. Me and mum are so glad that one of the pioneers of IVF has been given the recognition he deserves. We hold Bob in great affection and are delighted to send our personal congratulations to him and his family at this time," said Ms. Brown, now 32.

Her birth on July 25, 1978, prompted headlines around the world. Since then some four million babies have been born using IVF.

For Prof Edwards and his colleagues it was a "eureka" moment when they discovered that they had succeeded in creating a fertilised human embryo in 1968 but it took another ten years before the procedure was sufficiently refined to enable the birth of a baby.

"I'll never forget the day I looked down the microscope and saw something funny in the cultures. I looked down the microscope and what I saw was a human blastocyst gazing up at me. I thought: 'We've done it,'" Prof Edwards recalled in a speech two years ago.

Born in Manchester in 1925, Prof Edwards started his research on human fertilisation at the National Institute for Medical Research in London in 1958, and later moved to Cambridge where, with Steptoe, he founded the Bourn Hall Clinic, the world’s first IVF centre.

Steptoe died in 1988. Despite his significant contribution, he cannot be jointly awarded with Prof Edwards because rules do not permit for the prize to be awarded posthumously.

Keywords: test-tube baby, IVF, Robert Edwards, Nobel Prize

Superbug that attacked 6 mn computers in China traced to US

The much-feared new cyber-weapon, the 'Superbug', which has attacked over six million personal and almost 1,000 corporate computers in has been traced to the US, official media reported today.


The Stuxnet cyberworm can break into computers and steal private information, especially from industrial firms, sending it back to a server in the , state-run quoted Wang Zhantao, an engineer at the Beijing-based , an antivirus service producer in China, as saying.


The super virus made use of a bug in Siemens auto-control systems used in industrial manufacturing to skip the security check, Wang who has been vastly quoted in the local media for the past few days, said.


The virus can copy itself and spread via U-disk in the network of a company and government.


"Hackers may take control of a company's machinery run under computers infected by Stuxnet, and give dangerous orders causing serious damage," he said.


The company has developed softwares to kill the virus, which can be downloaded for free from the company's official website, he said.


Official media has been carrying reports about the superbug virus for the past few days said it contained sophisticated malicious software, or malware, believed to be a "new cyber-weapon," which infiltrates mainly factory computers in China threatening the country's national security.


The Stuxnet worm was first discovered in mid-June and was specially written to attack Siemens supervisory control and data (SCADA) systems commonly used to control and monitor industrial facilities - from traffic lights and oil rigs to power and nuclear plants, state run Global Times daily reported few days ago.


"This malware is specially designed to sabotage plants and damage industrial systems, instead of stealing personal data. It will seriously threaten pillar industries in China, which has 420 million internet users," Wang said.


"Once Stuxnet successfully penetrates factory computers in China, those industries may collapse, which would damage national security," he said adding that it posed no harm to personal computers or Internet surfers.
Keywords:China,USA,Siemens

3D now conquering gaming laptops too

Right in the thick of it: It’s a feeling craved by more than just movie fans watching the latest 3D flick. Gamers joined the ranks of 3D adventurers some time ago. The new wrinkle is that the 3D action can now be enjoyed on the go, using laptops instead of a home PC.

There still aren’t many manufacturers outfitting their laptops with 3D screens and compatible graphics cards. Yet the range of offerings is growing every day. The fact that the technology is still in its infancy hasn’t scared away hardcore gamers. That’s because the thrill of stereoscopy, as the technology is called, is a big one.

“The technology works astoundingly well for games,” says Thomas Rau from Germany’s PC Welt magazine. The reason: Games already contain special depth information that can be used for 3D depictions.

“There are no fundamental differences between 3D games and older ones,” Rau explains.

For this reason, the trip into the third dimension doesn’t necessarily require games programmed specifically for that purpose.

The “3D Vision Ready” label seen on some games only means that menus and film sequences between the interactive play are also 3D.

For spatial depictions to work on a laptop, the display must have an image refresh rate of 120 hertz and a special graphics card.

Special glasses are also needed for the 3D effect to be visible, using either shutter or polarisation technology. All of this makes 3D laptops relatively expensive. Rau pegs the added costs for 3D functionality at around 200 to 500 dollars when compared with other comparably equipped laptops. Prices for a 3D laptop start at around 800 dollars.

Acer will be bringing its third generation of 3D laptops onto the market this autumn. The devices dubbed Aspire 5738DG include a 15.6 inch, 120 Hertz display and work with shutter glasses. The manufacturer’s previous series used polarisation technology.

The Aspire 5745DG configuration with an Intel Core i5 processor and Nvidia Geforce GT425M graphics card will cost around 1,000 dollars. Moving images from an optional Blu—Ray drive can be transmitted to a television using a HDMI port. Asus, Toshiba and MSI all have comparable laptops coming in their future.

Sony is planning a 3D laptop for spring 2011. It will use the same 3D technology as the Bravia line of TVs, says spokeswoman Silke Bernhardt. A Full HD display will be included. Communication with the shutter glasses will be run via an infrared transmitter, built into the display frame.

Auto-stereoscopic displays — displays that do not require accessories like glasses — have yet to hit the market. One problem with shutter glasses is that they darken the image. A recent test of TV devices by German computer magazine c’t found that the glasses significantly lower the brightness of the display.

Keywords: 3G laptops, video games

Facebook opens office in India

Social networking site Facebook on Thursday started its operations in India by opening an office in Hyderabad.

The office is already humming with an initial landing team from its headquarters in Palo Alto, California, and a team of recent hires from India, the company said in a statement.

The office is headed by a dynamic leadership team, including Kirthiga Reddy, Director of Online Operations and Head of Office India and Manoj Varghese, Director of User Operations.

“We are seeing a ton of momentum with our 15 million users, developers and advertisers right here India. It’s an incredible time to be starting our operations in India,” Kirthiga Reddy said.

To celebrate the opening of the new space in Hyderabad, Facebook launched an art competition, which will continue till October 22. The winner will be announced on November 15.

Keywords: Facebook

Apple launches iPhone 4 in China

Apple on Saturday launched the latest version of its iPhone in China and boosted its presence in the world's biggest Internet and mobile market by opening another two stores in Beijing and Shanghai.


Dozens of people queued up at the new store in the capital for the first official iPhone 4, some waiting for more than 24 hours, state media reported, even though the smartphone has been available on the grey market for months.


The iPhone 4 is available in Apple stores in the two cities, as well as at China Unicom retail outlets for buyers who sign a two-year contract with the operator, Apple said in a previous statement.


The 16-gigabyte version of the smartphone, which will have wireless Internet capability, will cost 4,999 yuan (744 dollars) at Apple stores with the 32-gigabyte selling for 5,999 yuan, the California manufacturer said.


China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile phone operator, reportedly took nearly 50,000 pre-orders for the iPhone 4 on September 17, the opening day for such reservations.


With the two-year contract, the 16-gigabyte will sell for 5,880 yuan while the 32-gigabyte version will cost 6,999 yuan, the China Daily said.


The iPhone 4 made its debut in China just a week after Apple officially launched the iPad tablet computer in the country, with some customers queuing up for several days to ensure they got their hands on the sleek device.


The new stores in Beijing and Shanghai will bring the company's total to four in China -- two in each city. It plans to have 25 stores in the country by the end of next year.


China has at least 420 million web users and is also the world's largest mobile market with more than 800 million subscribers as of the end of June, according to official data.
Keywords:Apple,iPhone 4,China

MasterPad prototype marries Windows 7 to 11.6-inch IPS screen

Check out this 14mm-thin contender: built by Pegatron and still at the prototype stage, the MasterPad looks to be the embodiment of Steve Ballmer's incoming armada of desirable Windows 7 tablets. It sports an 11.6-inch IPS screen, which accommodates a 1,366 x 768 widescreen resolution, a 1.3 megapixel webcam plus mic, two USB ports, a memory card reader, an accelerometer, mini-HDMI port, 3G connectivity, and 32GB or 64GB SSD options. All that hi-tech goodness is wrapped up in a magnesium and aluminum alloy body, weighing 990 grams. There are some less cutting edge specs, like the disappointing 2-cell battery that will only get you 5 hours of use and the 1.66GHz Atom N450 CPU -- but we're being promised 1080p video playback and Flash compatibility are ready to roll, and our machine translation hints at an additional HD video-processing chip. The early hands-on experience seems to have left the Israeli journos impressed, and their homeland can expect the MasterPad to arrive "in the coming months," with an Android version also in the works. See it on video after the break.
Keywords:MasterPad,Windows,Microsoft

HP Slate prototype gets yet another guided tour, this time with HDMI-equipped dock

 According to the back of the box of this self-proclaimed business model, here's the official specs we're looking at: a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 with GMA500 and Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video accelerator, 8.9-inch WSVGA screen, 2GB DDR2 RAM, about 60GB storage capacity, Windows 7 Home Premium, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, SD card reader, and a 2-Cell 30WHr Lithium-ion Polymer battery. There are two cameras here, one in front and one in rear.


As shown via MS Paint, the screen can detect at least four fingers at a time. The browser is a bit laggy but does do pinch-to-zoom -- again, he calls it a prototype, so it may be better in the final production model. Also in the packaging? A handy dock for keeping your Slate comfy and upright -- it's even got kickstand, two USBs, and HDMI out. But hey, we're wasting your time, and you're the kind of person who wants to see this enterprise-bound tablet in action. Don't let us get in your way, it's just after the break.



Keywords:Hp,Slate

Iran's nuclear agency trying to stop computer worm

Iran's nuclear agency is trying to combat a complex computer worm that has affected industrial sites throughout the country and is capable of taking over power plants, Iranian media reports said.


Experts from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran met this week to discuss how to remove the malicious computer code, or worm, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported Friday.


The computer worm, dubbed Stuxnet, can take over systems that control the inner workings of industrial plants. Experts in Germany discovered the worm in July, and it has since shown up in a number of attacks _ primarily in Iran, Indonesia, India and the U.S.


The ISNA report said the malware had spread throughout Iran, but did not name specific sites affected. Foreign media reports have speculated the worm was aimed at disrupting Iran's first nuclear power plant, which is to go online in October in the southern port city of Bushehr.


Iranian newspapers have reported on the computer worm hitting industries around the country in recent weeks, without giving details. Friday's report also did not mention Bushehr.


The Russian-built plant will be internationally supervised, but world powers remain concerned that Iran wants to use its civil nuclear power program as a cover for making weapons.


Iran denies such an aim and says its nuclear work is solely for peaceful purposes.


While there have been no reports of damage or disruption at any Iranian nuclear facilities, Tuesday's meeting signaled a high level of concern about the worm among Iran's nuclear officials.


The destructive Stuxnet worm has surprised experts because it is the first one specifically created to take over industrial control systems, rather than just steal or manipulate data.


The United States is also tracking the worm, and the Department of Homeland Security is building specialized teams that can respond quickly to cyber emergencies at industrial facilities across the country.

Keywords:Iran,Nuclear,Worm

Orb's Puck Streams Your Music Wirelessly For $70, and It's a Beautiful Thing

Beaming music to speakers around the house is, in my estimation, one of the great luxuries of the 21st century, but it can be a pricey one. Orb's new puck lets you play your tunes anywhere, wirelessly, for only $70.


The basic setup involves three components: the Orb Caster software, the Orb Controller app for iOS (and, soon, Android) and the Orb MP-1 puck. Orb Caster indexes the media on your computer (either your iTunes library or folders that you specify); the Controller app lets you pick what songs you want to play; and the silver-dollar pancake-sized MP-1 puck receives that media over Wi-Fi (b/g/n) and plays it on whatever set of speakers you have it plugged into. In addition to your own music collection, Orb streams Pandora, and, if you're a subscriber, Sirius.


Setting up Orb's puck was simple and went without a hitch. And while it's just plain silly that you can't control the music you're playing from your computer itself via the Orb Caster software, the Controller app is nice looking and functional and, as it's been part of Orb's offerings for a while now, has been sanded down to a nice polish.
at app, which up until recently was $10, doesn't look any less glossy than Apple's own iPod app, and it easily lets you pick not only what music you want to play but where you want to play it—on your iDevice itself, or on any or all of the Orbs you have installed. And since it's not encumbered by iTunes, you can play different songs on different Orbs, too. All this gets to the real promise of Orb—at $70 a pop it's cheap enough that you can pick up a few and deck out all the rooms you spend time in with streaming music, and it's flexible enough to make it easy to do so.


I own and love an Apple Airport Express, and for $30 extra it gives you the benefit of adding printers into the mix and the greater benefit of extending your wireless network. The Orb does neither, and since it's not rebroadcasting your network itself, you could run into some streaming issues if you had them installed the outskirts of a larger home. Air Tunes, chained to iTunes, has some frustrating limitations, but it's definitely poised to expand its functionality as it transforms into Air Play in coming months.


But in my experience with Orb, the whole thing just worked, which is crucial. It's easy to see Orb becoming the Flip of streaming wireless media around the house, something that is cheap and good enough, even if it lacks certain frills. Right now Orb's handicapped by a few random shortcomings—not being able to control music from your computer being the glaringly obvious one—but it's flexible in some ways that Air Tunes is not. And it's worth noting, too, that the Orb Caster software, which has been the company's focus for years, handles video content, so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see an Orb Video puck somewhere in the future for streaming content not just to speakers but screens as well.
he move into hardware is kind of an unexpected play from Orb, a company that has until now focused on its free streaming software. But the move is definitely a welcome one. That they've spent those years working on their software means that their streaming infrastructure is solid, and I'm pleased to say that the new MP-1 puck definitely isn't a weak link. If you don't mind the idea of your smartphone being your sole remote for your music, the cheap, flexible streaming ecosystem Orb's establishing could be just the ticket for letting your music collection run wild in your home.
Keywords:Orb,iOS

Prithvi-II to be test-fired today

A user trial of the nuclear-weapons capable, surface-to-surface Prithvi-II ballistic missile is scheduled to be conducted by the Strategic Forces Command at Chandipur, Orissa, on Friday.

The nine metre-tall, single stage liquid propelled missile has a maximum range of 350 km. It is capable of carrying warheads weighing 500-1,000 kg. It has already been inducted into the Air Force. It is equipped with an advanced inertial navigation system and has features to deceive anti-ballistic missiles.

Personnel of the Strategic Forces Command had successfully carried out a similar trial of Prtihvi-II on June 18. It was tested for a slightly lesser distance than its full range.

Keywords: Prithvi II, test-fire, ballistic missile

Drink milk, lose weight

In a new study, it was found that regardless of diet, participants with the highest dairy calcium intake, equal to 12 oz. of milk or other dairy products (580 mg of dairy calcium), lost about 12 pounds (6 kg.) at the end of the two years.

In comparison, those with the lowest dairy calcium intake averaging about 150 mg dairy calcium, or about half of a glass, only lost seven pounds on average.

The study, conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers, was published in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study reveals that dieters who consumed milk or milk products lost more weight on average than those who consumed little to no milk products, according to a BGU press release.

Beyond calcium, the researchers also found that blood levels of vitamin D independently affected weight loss success. Vitamin D levels increased among those who lost more weight. The dietary intervention study also confirmed other research that overweight participants have lower blood levels of vitamin D.

More than 300 overweight men and women, aged 40 to 65, participated in the study evaluating low fat, Mediterranean or low-carb diets for two years. Dr. Danit Shahar led the study. According to Dr. Shahar, “It was known that over-weight people had lower levels of serum vitamin D but this is the first study that actually shows that serum Vitamin D increased among people who lost weight.

This result lasted throughout the two years that the study was conducted, regardless of whether they were on a low-carb, low fat or Mediterranean diet.”

Keywords: Weight reduction techniques, dairy products

Ozone layer 'no longer disappearing’

UN scientists have confirmed that the ozone layer is no longer disappearing and could be back to full strength by the middle of this century.

The phasing out of nearly 100 substances once used in products like refrigerators and aerosols has stopped the ozone layer being depleted further, although it is not yet increasing, according to a new United Nations report released last week. And it claimed that efforts to protect the ozone layer have averted millions of cases of skin cancer worldwide.

The ozone layer outside the Polar Regions is projected to recover to pre-1980 levels by 2048, although the annual springtime ozone hole over the Antarctic is not expected to recover until 2073, reports the Daily Mail.

Ozone in the stratosphere is important because it absorbs some of the Sun’s dangerous ultraviolet radiation.

The report was written and reviewed by 300 scientists and launched on the UN International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The report has been published jointly by UNEP and the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Keywords: Ozone layer, ultraviolet radiation

China’s space programme gears up for missions to Moon, Mars

China is planning giant strides into deep space exploration by sending its first lunar manned mission by 2025, a probe to Mars by 2013 and to Venus by 2015, intensifying its space race with India which also plans Moon and Sun missions.

China’s first step toward expected to orbit the Moon, land and return to Earth by 2020, said Ye Peijian, Commander in Chief of the Chang’e (lunar landing) programme and an academic at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Ye told a meeting Space scientists that China plans to launch its first manned moon landing in 2025, a probe to Mars by 2013 and to Venus by 2015.

“China has the full capacity to accomplish Mars exploration by 2013,” Ye was quoted as saying by the state-run Global Times newspaper.

The unmanned mission to the Moon was seen as a counter to India’s Chandrayan-1, which left its foot prints on the Moon by crashing on to the lunar surface with the tricolour, stealing a march over China by becoming the fourth country to do so after the U.S., Russia and Japan.

China, earlier, had a head start by flying a man into space in 2003 thus becoming the third nation only after United States and the Soviet Union and Chang’e 1 was launched in 2007 which entered lunar orbit and sent pictures of the moon.

India plans to launch its Chandrayan-II mission in 2012-13 with its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which would include a lunar orbiter to probe the moon surface for geological date and look for helium-3.

ISRO also plans to send manned space flight by 2015 and a human moon mission by 2025 besides plans to send a satellite (Aditya) to study Sun corona with more advanced GSLV launchers.

China has also announced plans to set up its orbital space station by 2020.

Earlier this month, Chief Engineer overseeing China’s lunar exploration programme Wu Weiren said that work on the Chang’e-2 lunar orbiter had entered the pre-launch testing stage and it would make its first trial flight before the end of the year.

Chang’e-2 will carry out a soft-landing test in preparation for the launch of Chang’e-3, which is scheduled for 2013. The Chang’e Project is named after a Chinese legend of a goddess who took a magic elixir and flew to the moon.

Space-programme officials had said previously that the Chang’e-2 mission would be launched in October around the Mid Autumn Festival, dedicated to the Moon Goddess, Chang’e, but no precise date has been given.

Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist of China’s lunar orbiter project, said Beijing plans to launch an orbital space station by around 2020 is achievable, based on aerospace technology development and the success of future manned missions.

China’s space programme will pose great challenges to scientists and technicians, Mr. Ouyang said. The space station will be quite small in size compared with the International Space Station, a joint collaboration between 16 countries, including the U.S. and Russia.

Chinese analysts, however, dismissed international concerns that Beijing is engaging in an outer-space arms race, stressing that recent activities and future missions are for scientific purposes and for the benefit of mankind.

Keywords: China space programme, Chang’e-2, Chang’e-3

Facebook launches location-aware service ‘Places’

Social networking website Facebook has launched a new service called ‘Places’ which allows users to share their location with their friends.

The service, which has prompted security fears, also tells users which of their friends are at the same place or if they have ever “checked in” there before.

The new feature went live in Britain yesterday after its launch in the US last month. It is one of a new raft of social networking services that use the GPS function on many smartphones to work out exactly where a person is at any point, the Daily Mail reported.

The application, which works like popular location—based social networking site Foursquare, asks a user to click on the .

“Check In” button after logging into the website.

Once you click on the option, it displays a list of possible locations near where they are. When the users selects one of the options, it allows their friends to know about their location.

The service also lists nearby businesses and attractions, and Facebook will target the locations it lists to each Places user.

“Facebook is a place to share information with people you know,” said Facebook product manager Michael Sharon.

“We saw people were already using the site to tell people where they are, so the natural thing was to build a product to make this easier. This just formalises what people were doing anyway.”

Facebook, which has come under fire over its attitude towards privacy in the past, has installed a set of stringent new rules for its Places application.

Unlike other “always on” services, this application is optional and a user’s location is not stored unless they check in or accept a tag from a friend. Check—ins are defaulted to friends—only rather than everyone on Facebook.

In the “People Here Now” section users can see others who are checked in with you at that place. This section is visible for a limited amount of time and only to people who are checked in there, the website said.

Keywords: Facebook Places, application services

Samsung’s launches iPad rival Tab

Korean electronics giant Samsung said Thursday that it would launch its iPad wannabe, the Tab, on all four major U.S. cellphone carriers, boosting the device’s chances of success in the key U.S. market.

So far Apple’s iPad tablet computer has had the market virtually to itself since its launch in late April after which it sold 3 million units in 80 days.

Samsung’s Tab runs on Google’s rival operating system Android, and is the first device that analysts say presents credible opposition to the iPad, which proved there was a market for the intuitive touch-screen interfaces that small tablet computers allow.

Samsung did not announce pricing details for the device, which with an 18-centimetre screen will be 10 centimetres smaller than an iPad. However prices will likely be heavily subsidized by the US carriers, much as they subsidize mobile phones to customers who commit to lengthy contracts for air time.

Samsung’s Tab will also weigh just half as much as an iPad, and will come with a car dock to allow on-screen navigation.

The device is as comfortable to use standing on a crowded train as it is relaxing on the couch at home, said Omar Khan, Samsung’s chief strategy officer in a statement announcing the launch. The design makes it completely pocketable in your pants or jacket.

The device is the first of an expected wave of tablet computers powered by Android, which according to a report by Gartner research Thursday, will surpass iPad sales within three to four years, just as Android—powered phones are overtaking the iPhone.

Another major challenge to the iPad will come from Motorola, whose chief executive Sanjay Jha said Thursday will release a tablet computer early next year.

Keywords: Samsung, iPad, Galaxy Tab, Android, Google search, gadget

Microsoft's IE9 promises zippier performance

Microsoft Corp. unveiled the “beta” test version of Internet Explorer 9 on Wednesday, the first of a new generation of web browser programs that tap into the powerful processors on board newer computers to make websites load and run faster.

IE9, which is free, also arrives with a more minimalist look and a few new tricks that start to blur the distinction between a website and a traditional desktop application.

Following the lead of Google Inc.’s stripped-down Chrome browser, Microsoft’s IE9 comes with far fewer buttons, icons and toolbars cluttering up the top of the screen. Its frame is translucent, and as people browse the web, IE9 can be subtly adorned with small icons and signature colours of the websites being viewed.

The new browser also takes cues from Windows 7, Microsoft’s most recent operating system software for personal computers. In Windows 7, people can “pin” favourite programs to the task bar at the bottom of the screen, creating a one-click shortcut. They can also customize a menu of options for each program, such as opening a frequently used file in Microsoft Word.

IE9 lets people pin individual websites to the taskbar, and some sites have already customized their so-called “jumplist” menus. For example, when people pin USA Today’s site, the icon in the taskbar can display a menu that mirrors the colour-coded sections of the newspaper.

The aesthetic changes bring IE9 in line with Microsoft’s newer software, but the changes under the hood push Microsoft’s technology a step ahead of its competition. The browser can take advantage of multi-core microprocessors to crunch website code faster. It also uses the PC’s graphics processing unit - the same chips that make the images in elaborate video games run smoothly - to make images, animations, movie clips and other visuals appear or play faster.

And IE9 supports HTML5, a catch phrase for an updated set of rules and specifications that website programmers use. HTML5, which is currently under development, will include video playback and other graphics-intensive features that, in the past, could only be done by adding third-party software.

The new browser works on PCs with Windows 7 or Vista, but not on PCs with the much more widely used Windows XP computers or on Macs. At the media event, Microsoft showed off several big-name websites that have been designed to take advantage of the new browser, including ones from Amazon.com Inc., Facebook and Twitter. The sites are built with code that older browsers can understand, but some may be sluggish without IE9.

Microsoft did not say when IE9 will leave the test phase, but the final version isn’t likely to change much. It is available for download at beautyoftheweb.com.

Keywords: #, web browser, Google Chrome