App to help blind 'see money'

Developed by researchers Suriya Singh, Kumar Vishal and C.V. Jawahar from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, and Shushman Choudhury from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, the currency recognition software relays the information as an audio clip.

It can be used on low-end smart phones. In our current approach we have been able to report a recognition accuracy of 96.7 percent on 2,584 images. We have worked with the Indian Rupee.

However, it can be extended to other currencies," told Singh. The app will be available in English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Kannada. It takes 1.09 seconds for the app to tell the currency denomination, running on a  typical smart phone with specifics of 1.2 Ghz CPU and IGB RAM.

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Samsung electronics seeks China turnaround, unveils mid-tier handsets with premium feel

The Galaxy A3 and A5 will be Samsung's first devices to feature fully metal bodies and its thinnest smartphones to date. In size, they are comparable to those of the top-of-the-line Galaxy S5, though of lesser screen resolution quality.

Samsung said on Friday that it will start selling the Galaxy A3 and A5 in China sometime in November. It classified them as mid-tier, and said they will be launched in other "select markets", without disclosing the pricing.

The announcement, combined with hopes for an earnings recovery and bigger dividends, pushed Samsung's shares to a two-month high in Seoul in midday trade on Friday.

The news comes a day after Samsung reported its worst quarterly operating profit in more than three years. Earnings from its handset division slumped 73.9 percent from a year earlier.

The company said its responses to "rapid shifts in the competitive landscape" were not quick enough. It vowed to revamp its offerings.

"For our mid to low-end smartphones we will enhance product competitiveness by differentiating our displays and materials as well as upgrading camera functionality," Senior Vice President Kim Hyun-joon told analysts on Thursday.

The world's smartphone leader is regrouping as it lost market share in annual terms for the third straight quarter in July-September, according to Strategy Analytics.

It has been beaten by Apple Inc's iPhones in the premium segment and undercut by Chinese rivals like Lenovo Group Ltd and Xiaomi Inc at the bottom end.

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India important market for Lenovo; to co-exist with Motorola

In January this year, Lenovo had announced that it will acquire Motorola Mobility for USD 2.9 billion from tech giant Google, one of the largest acquisitions by a Chinese tech firm. Google, itself, had bought Motorola in 2012 for USD 12.4 billion.
   
"India is one of the most important markets for Lenovo. Lenovo and Motorola combined are third in the Indian market after Samsung and Micromax... We will continue to sell Motorola handsets online and Lenovo in offline stores," Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing told reporters in a conference call.
   
He added that while the dual brand strategy will be for emerging markets like India, the company will use the Motorola brand in mature markets like the US.
   
In India, Motorola sells its devices in partnership with eCommerce major Flipkart. Its range in the country includes Moto G, Moto E and Moto X as well as the Moto 360 smartwatch. It has recently unveiled the second generation of Moto G and Moto X smartphones.
   
India is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets globally. According to IDC, 63.21 million units were shipped to India in Q2 2014. Samsung had a 29 per cent share, followed by Micromax 18 per cent and Karbonn at 8 per cent. Motorola had 5 per cent share.
   
"We will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lenovo and remain headquartered in Chicago's Merchandise Mart while maintaining offices around the world, including in Silicon Valley," Motorola Mobility President Rick Osterloh said.
   
The iconic Motorola brand will continue as will the Moto and DROID franchises that have propelled growth over the past year, he added.
   
With the completion of the acquisition, Lenovo has added nearly 3,500 employees globally, including about 2,800 in the US.
   
"This partnership has always been a perfect fit. Motorola brings a strong presence in the US and other mature markets, great carrier relationships, an iconic brand, a strong IP portfolio and an incredibly talented team. This is a winning combination," Yuanqing said.
   
Liu Jun, Lenovo Executive Vice President and President of Lenovo's Mobile Business Group will be the Chairman of the Motorola Management Board.

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Expert claims hacking Xiaomi server, firm calls it hoax

"Chen Huang is an independent Taiwanese Security Expert. Session Abstract: In this session Taiwanese Researcher will demonstrate how Xiaomi Phones have been sending device data and personal data of Xiaomi Phone user to Chinese Servers," said the website of Ground Zero Summit.
   
"The Researcher will also release Server Logs, Mi Account username, Emails and passwords of millions of Xiaomi users which have been obtained using a Zero Day flaw in the Xiaomi Servers," the webpage added.

Xiaomi is now world's third largest smartphone maker after Samsung and Apple, as per the latest IDC report.
   
When contacted, Xiaomi' Head of India Operations Manu Jain said: "We have verified that the zero-day data breach allegation made by security researcher Chen Huang and the Ground Zero Summit organising committee reported by The Hacker News on October 30, 2014 is a hoax."
   
Jain said that the zero-day vulnerability reported by the cyber security researcher Chen Huang is a deliberate falsehood and Xiaomi is taking the necessary legal action against the parties involved.
   
Jain in his reply admitted that the company's user account file was leaked in May this year.
   
"To date, throughout Xiaomi's history, there has only been one incident in which a two-year-old user account file was leaked in May 2014," Jain said.
   
He said that leaked information was from user accounts registered before August 2012 in an old version of the Xiaomi user forum website.
   
Meanwhile, organisers of the summit, which is to be held here next month, said that they have put Cheng's session on hold till the time Xiaomi completes its investigations.
   
"Xiaomi representatives contacted and requested us regarding the session. We have decided to withhold session till the time Xiaomi investigates data breach and accusations and works with the researcher to fix it," Indian Infosec Consortium CEO Jiten Jain said.
   
The summit's website shows former chief of Indian Army and Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region General VK Singh, Home Ministry Joint Secretary Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Enforcement Directorate Special Director Karnail Singh and NTRO Director of Cyber Security Operations Alok Vijayant will be among key speakers.

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I am proud to be gay, says Apple's Tim Cook

"So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," Cook said in the article.
             
"I don't consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I've benefited from the sacrifice of others," he said.
             
Cook is at least the third CEO of a publicly listed U.S. company to come out of the closet.
             
C1 Financial Inc's Trevor Burgess and IGI Laboratories Inc's Jason Grenfell-Gardner have previously acknowledged that they are gay.
             
Cook's disclosure was greeted by a flood of congratulatory comments on Twitter.
             
"I have so much respect for this man," a person identifying himself as Andrew Clarke tweeted.

Apple Chairman Art Levinson called Cook "courageous."
             
"(His) decision to speak out will help advance the cause of equality and inclusion far beyond the business world," Levinson was quoted by CNBC as saying.
             
"On behalf of the board and our entire company, we are incredibly proud to have Tim leading Apple."
             
Apple has a long history of supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
             
The company recently criticized an Arizona bill that would permit businesses to refuse service on religious grounds, a measure that critics said could allow discrimination against gay people.
             
"...I will personally continue to advocate for equality for all people until my toes point up," Cook said.
             
"Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I'm gay, and it doesn't seem to make a difference in the way they treat me," he added.

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Samsung seeks smartphone revamp to arrest profit slide

The global smartphone leader's market share declined in annual terms for the third straight quarter in July-September, lagging Apple Inc in the premium market and overtaken by rivals like Lenovo Group Ltd and Xiaomi Inc at the bottom end, research firm Strategy Analytics said.
             
Executives said the South Korean giant would overhaul its lower-tier line-up to boost price competitiveness and use higher-quality components to set its devices apart, after it announced its worst third-quarter profit in more than three years.
             
"The mid-to-low end market is growing rapidly, and we plan to respond actively in order to capitalise on that growth," Samsung Senior Vice President Kim Hyun-joon said during a conference call with analysts.
             
Samsung said its third-quarter operating profit fell by an annual 60.1 percent to 4.1 trillion won ($3.9 billion), matching its guidance issued earlier this month.
             
While the company expects profits to pick up in the fourth quarter on strong demand for televisions and memory chips, analysts still expect Samsung to record its worst annual operating profit in three years.
             
Profit for the mobile division fell 73.9 percent to 1.75 trillion won in the third quarter, its worst performance since the second quarter of 2011.
             
Samsung spent most of the quarter without launching a new flagship device, and continued to struggle in the mid-to-low tier markets against cheaper and value-packed offerings like Xiaomi's Redmi 1S.
             
Robert Yi, Samsung's head of investor relations, said the firm would launch new mid-tier models in the fourth quarter, although he didn't specify what features they would have.
             
Samsung expects average selling prices for handsets will rise in the fourth quarter due to an increase in premium smartphone sales, namely of the Galaxy Note 4, and as demand picks up in the holiday shopping season.
             
Analysts say Samsung will likely have to sacrifice margins to protect its market share. Cheaper phones are expected to drive global smartphone market growth in coming years, meaning a general trend of lower average selling prices.
             
Samsung's chips division was a bright spot, recording a 2.26 trillion operating profit for the July-September quarter to mark the highest earnings since the third quarter of 2010.

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Samsung debuts new Nook tablet with larger screen

Samsung and Barnes & Noble said in June they would team up on the devices and the first-co branded Galaxy Tab 4 Nook debuted in August for USD 179 with a 7-inch screen.
  
Now, the company is offering the tablet with a larger 10.1-inch diagonal screen ahead of the all-important holiday season for USD 299.99.

The tablets are competing in a crowded field that includes Apple's iPad and Amazon.com's Kindle Fire, both available in more than one size.
  
The Nook offers access to both the Nook app store and Google's Play store for Android apps. The new Nook will come with more than USD 200 in free content from the NOOK Store, including a books, TV shows, top magazines and apps.

Both sizes of the Nook are available at Barnes & Noble retail stores and nook.com.

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Google launches new email service dubbed "Inbox"

Google said it was sending out invitations to selected Gmail users to try out the new service. Users can also email the company at inbox@google.com to get an invitation.
             
For now the new service is being provided alongside Gmail, which was launched in 2004. It will be available on the Web as well as on Android smartphones and iPhones.
             
"Inbox is by the same people who brought you Gmail, but it's not Gmail: it's a completely different type of inbox, designed to focus on what really matters," the company said in a blog post.
             
Google said Inbox displays real-time updates to emails – for example, showing the delivery status of items bought online.
             
It also shows reminders in a more accessible way that allows users to more easily keep track of chores and appointments.
             
The company said the new application also enhances features that are already available in Gmail that allow users to view purchases and bank account statements grouped together.
             
Google's shares were up 1.7 percent at USD 547.33 in early afternoon trading Nasdaq.

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Intex launches Aqua Amaze smartphone for Rs 10,690 in India

The dual-SIM Android KitKat powered device features 1.4 GHz octacore processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB memory.
   
With a five-inch screen, the smartphone sports a 13 MP autofocus with flash and 5 MP front camera and 2,000 mAh battery.
   
"It is essential to create something that not only stands out in terms of price but compelling features too. We would like to believe that our endeavour to be a part of such a realm has been achieved with the launch of the Aqua Amaze today," Intex Technologies Mobile Business Head Sanjay Kumar Kalirona said.

Earlier, Intex launched three new smartphones, priced Rs 6,990 onwards under its new 'Star' range as it looks to capture a larger share of the strongly contested Indian smartphone market.

The three new devices- Star, Star HD and Star Power will be available from September 29 onwards priced at Rs 6,990, Rs 7,490 and Rs 8,690 respectively.

"The devices not only offer a longer battery life but also features like USB OTG and clicking selfies through the back camera by using the volume button on the phone. These are interesting features that will appeal to users," Intex Technologies Business Head Mobile Sanjay Kumar Kalirona told reporters here.

In the next one month, the three models cumulatively should sell one lakh units, he added.

The dual-SIM handsets run on the latest Android KitKat operating system and are powered by 1.3 Ghz quad core processor and have 1GB RAM.

The Star features a five-inch display, 8MP auto-focus rear and 2MP front camera, 8GB memory (expandable to 32GB) and 2,000 mAh battery.

The Star Power features a 4.5-inch screen and a 3,000 mAh battery, while the Star HD sports a five-inch screen with 13MP rear and 5MP front camera and 1,800 mAh battery.

"Star Power and Star HD support USB OTG, means customers can connect keyboard and mouse for using on the smartphone. These are some features that will help us differentiate our products from competitors apart from the aggressive pricing that we offer," he said.

Kalirona added that Intex will phase off its i5 range of smartphones over the next few months as the firm expands its smartphone portfolio.

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Samsung, Airtel launch integrated digital TVs

As part of this innovation - Samsung's range of SmartDirect TVs will come designed with an in-built Airtel digital satellite tuner which will enable DTH signal reception without the need for customers to install an external set-top-box (STB), the company said in a statement.
  
Commenting at the launch, Samsung India Chief Marketing Officer Ranjivjit Singh said: "We are thrilled to launch India's First Smart Direct TV with an in-built iDTV technology in India."
  
"We are today excited to announce our collaboration with Samsung to launch the Integrated Digital TV and introduce the Indian market to its next phase of TV viewing experience," Bharti Airtel CEO – DTH & Media Shashi Arora said.

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Philips unveils feature phone at Rs 3,800 in India

Senior citizens are often inconvenienced by the standard phones available in the market due to their small font size, short battery life and fragility, Philips said in a statement.
   
According to Pew Research Internet Group, elderly citizens face several difficulties while adopting new technologies.
  
Two in five elderly citizens indicated that they have a "physical or health condition that makes reading difficult or challenging" or a "disability, handicap, or chronic disease that prevents them from fully participating in many common daily activities", it added.
  
The phone makes use of large font sizes on a 2.4-inch screen to enable easy reading and the keypad also makes use of larger keys for comfortable viewing.
  
It comes with a 1630mAh Li-ion battery capacity and Xenium power saving technology that offers users up to 1,128 hours standby time and up to 24 hours talking time.
  
The handset also comes with SOS function that allows users to set three 'emergency' or SOS numbers.
  
In case of an emergency, users can press the SOS button hidden under the flashlight to dial out the pre-set SOS numbers. The phone will automatically connect to these numbers until the call gets answered by any one of the parties. It also has a flashlight that can be used even when the phone power is switched off.
  
"With changing lifestyles in metros in India and increasing incident of elderly abuse, senior citizens are often left to support themselves by choice or otherwise. We specially designed this phone to make technology more accessible to and user-friendly for the elderly with minimum intervention from others," Sangfei Mobility Country Manager SAARC S S Bassi said.
  
Sang Fei is a subsidiary of China Electronics Corporation (CEC) that owns the exclusive global licence to market and sell mobile phones under the 'Philips' brand.

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