Awaz Apni

CNETAnalysis: Did the world of speech technology begin and end with Apple Siri? Not if you have kept an eye on recent advancements. While the iPhone virtual assistant can read you the weather, she is not perfect. Ask her for flight info and you’ll get a blank stare. For anything vague complex (say, “What is that local exhibit with Egyptian mummies?”) and she will show you a Web page, not provide the answer. Fortunately, speech is advancing quickly. Here are several new speech technology innovations worth investigating. 1. PixelTone One of the most obvious improvements in speech tech has to do with natural language control. In this upcoming iPad app, which is a combined effort between Adobe Research and University of Michigan, you can speak commands like “make the image heavenly” to produce a photographic effect, or say “make John lighter” to lighten a person in the photo. The main benefit is in reducing the steps...

CNETAnalysis: %excerpt% http://www.youtube.com/v/17lherAZH6Y?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata

CNETAnalysis: A group of iOS developers and hackers are reporting they’ve become the target of a malicious attack which overwhelms the Apple iMessage application with spam texts. The attack, which appears to be confined to those directly targeted, sends messages (claiming to be from Anonymous) in such a large volume that the recipient is constantly receiving notifications. The next level is to send a single ‘Zaglo text’ so large in size that the iOS iMessage app cannot cope with the load and crashes. As Apple’s iMessage app does not limit how fast texts can be sent, and does not allow users to block senders, there’s no mechanism in place to prevent their instant delivery. Motivation? This constitues a new kind of DDoS attack, the kind of which we’ve seen hackers and online activists use to bring down government websites in the past couple of years. The iMessage pranksters’ motivation isn’t totally clear...

CNETAnalysis: Apple could launch its long-rumored iRadio service as soon as this summer, finally giving iTunes a streaming music app to take on Pandora and Spotify . “iRadio is coming. There’s no doubt about it anymore,” an unnamed music industry source told The Verge . The report says that Apple is pushing hard for a summertime launch of the streaming music app after making “significant progress” in talks with two top labels, Universal and Warner. Another Apple rumor from today pins the iPhone 5S launch event to June 20 , so the company’s apparent push to have an iRadio app present at the event would make sense. iRadio app negotiations Apple has reportedly low-balled record labels in negotiations, and the record labels have, in turn, allegedly rebuffed the Apple and its ability to launch iRadio. The initial offer from Apple is said to have been as low as 6 cents per 100 songs streamed when the Copyright Royalty Bo...

CNETAnalysis: Apple could launch its long-rumored iRadio service as soon as this summer, finally giving iTunes a streaming music app to take on Pandora and Spotify . “iRadio is coming. There’s no doubt about it anymore,” an unnamed music industry source told The Verge . The report says that Apple is pushing hard for a summertime launch of the streaming music app after making “significant progress” in talks with two top labels, Universal and Warner. Another Apple rumor from today pins the iPhone 5S launch event to June 20 , so the company’s apparent push to have an iRadio app present at the event would make sense. iRadio app negotiations Apple has reportedly low-balled record labels in negotiations, and the record labels have, in turn, allegedly rebuffed the Apple and its ability to launch iRadio. The initial offer from Apple is said to have been as low as 6 cents per 100 songs streamed when the Copyright Royalty Board...

CNETAnalysis: We’ve already been hearing word about LG’s Optimus G follow-up for quite some time, though the rumor mill hadn’t been as busy following CES 2013. An early benchmark revealed some startling specs for a new LG smarpthone, and the Korean manufacturer even teased a possible CES reveal back in January. The phone many believe to be the Optimus G2 supposedly features Android 4.2: Jelly Bean , a 5-inch full HD display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 13MP camera and a 3,000mAh battery. On top of all that, the processor inside could be an ultra-powerful quad-core Qualcomm CPU, the likes of which would blow away the Snapdragon 600 found in the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 . If a brand-new benchmarking is to be believed, the 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 will be the chip, and the Optimus G2 could be a super-power phone for LG. Gotta go to T-Mo According to GLBenchmark , the Optimus G2 (under the codename LG-D801) will featur...

CNETAnalysis: We enjoy iFixit’s now-standard teardowns of new tech offerings. Breaking devices down to their bare bones has often served up some useful tidbits on processor configurations, built in RAM and so forth. Now the site has given the stunning new HTC One handset the controlled destruction treatment and is offering the following advice: Whatever you do don’t break this thing, because you ain’t fixin’ it. Following its somewhat arduous endeavours to turn the gorgeous aluminium-bodied handset into a pile of components, the site has awarded the new flagship handset a repairability score of just one. Out of ten. That’s comparable to the equally irreparable Microsoft Surface tablet , while the iPhone , notorious for its stubborn attitude non-professional repair-folk notched up an impressive 7 on the iFixit scale. Possibily impossible The site claimed opening the device without damaging the rear case was “possibly im...

CNETAnalysis: At its Galaxy S4 launch event a couple of weeks back, Samsung somewhat glossed over the new handset’s octo-core processor, despite it being a world-first for a smartphone. We would soon find out why. In the aftermath of the Broadway extravaganza, the company revealed that the US and UK, would miss out on the Exynos 5 Octa S4 and would have to settle for quad-core – albeit much improved quad-core. Most observers had assumed it was to ensure Brits and Yanks, among others, had a faster phone, but also access to the faster internet too, as the LTE version of the device runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon E50. However, in a post on its @SamsungExynos Twitter feed late on Thursday, the company confirmed that the new Exynos 5 does support LTE on all frequencies. The tweet reads: “Update: The Exynos 5 Octa supports LTE and all 20 bands.” So what gives, Samsung? Supply shortage? Confirmation that LTE support is not a factor seems to...

CNET Analysis: We have great news for those still rocking a Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic Touch 4G on Sprint now, as it has been confirmed that you are getting a surprise official update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean over the Easter weekend. It would be logical for Sprint to focus on newer handsets in 2013, but we’re delighted to hear that they are still committed to making some of their older customers happy as well. This is definitely an official update, as Sprint has now confirmed the news on their website . In the support section of their website, you’ll now find an information page on the Jelly Bean update for the Epic Touch 4G, identified as the GB27 update which is optional to install – but of course all of you are going to jump straight on this. The update has been released officially as of March 28, but we’re hearing that the update is only available via a wired connection due to a large file size, which is thought to be close to the ...

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CNETAnalysis: Microsoft is about to kill Windows RT , according to a report published today. DigiTimes quoted “sources from the upstream supply chain” saying that the Windows RT name will be dead by the time the next major Windows update, thought to be called Windows “Blue,” launches. And Windows Blue could launch into public preview as soon as June , according to the latest report. So why kill Windows RT? We thought you’d never ask. Let us count the reasons Windows RT is the heavily gimped version of Windows 8 that Microsoft launched on devices like the Surface tablet. There are other examples, like Samsung’s Ativ Tab , and one need look no further than that Windows RT tablet’s fate to understand why Windows RT needs to go away as soon as possible. Reports at the beginning of March claimed that shipments of the Ativ Tab were winding down for one reason: weak demand . And given the myriad problems with Window...

CNETAnalysis: The latest issue of tech. – the essential iPad-only magazine from the makers of TechRadar – is out now, bringing everything you need to know about the world of technology, without once having to load up a browser. Issue 18 is a special one as it feature the greatest bits of technology around today – the gear that is pushing innovation and points to the way technology will look in the future. From Tesla cars to Titan computers, the issue is packed with mind-blowing gadgetry. And while we are on a future focus, tech. investigates the swarm of drones which took over the skies of London this week and sees whether virtual reality device Oculus Rift is the next must-have gaming peripheral. Turning the air Blue As always the issue is packed with the most up to date news, features and reviews from the world of technology. There’s a look at the leaked version of Windows Blue, everything you need to know about this year’s Games Develo...

CNETAnalysis: The Disgo 8400G has been officially announced as a highly affordable 3G tablet, looking to bring the Android experience into the hands of the average Joe. The Disgo brand is firmly focussed on delivering low-end, cheap tablets – the sort you see for around £100 in supermarkets and electrical retailers – but the 8400G is the company’s first foray into a 3G enabled slate. It packs a decent set of features including a 7.9-inch 1024 x 768 display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 2MP rear camera, 0.3MP front camera, 4GB of internal storage, microSD slot and runs Android 4.1.3 Jelly Bean . Low cost, low quality As well as allowing you to use a SIM-card to browse the web the Disgo 8400G also allows you to make and receive calls and text messages, much like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 . And then there’s the killer spec: the price. The Disgo 8400G will set you back £149.99, which for a Wi-Fi + 3G enabled tablet is r...

CNETAnalysis: Microsoft has revealed more details about its Windows Blue project, which promises to bring a big update to Windows 8 . The new features for Windows look likely to hit public preview at Microsoft’s Build developer conference in June – quite how that will work in practice remains to be seen, but it’s likely you won’t be able to plug it into an existing Windows 8 install. A private preview is likely in the meantime. The final Windows Blue release date will be late in the year, while there will also be some new Windows Blue hardware. But Windows Blue will not be the software’s official name . Shame. There aren’t likely to be too many massive surprises from Blue, which our writer Kate Solomon says “we feel a bit guilty for passing off as a minor Windows update” now that we’ve seen plenty of Windows Blue screenshots . New Windows 8 apps As well as the operating system itself, Microsoft is...

CNETAnalysis: “What’s his name? You know, he’s the guy from that show about the place. The one with the horse.” Every had a conversation while watching a movie that went like this? Google is hoping to put an end to these cinema frustrations with new info card pop-ups in movies watched through its Play Movies Android app. The new feature will display actor information when movies are paused in Play, similar to the info seen when a celebrity is search for through the standard Google website. Movies need to be updated to have info card data inserted, and so far Google only have about 200 movies ready with the feature. Adverts in disguise Of course, this is just advertising disguised as useful information, with the actor’s filmography linking to rental pages for the movies in the Play Store. Amazon does a similar thing with Kindle Fire tablets and its X-Ray feature . Amazon launched its metadata mining tool at the end of last ye...

CNETAnalysis: Oracle has added two more models to its SPARC server line in the form of the T5 and M5, and made an ambitious claim that the former is based on the world’s fastest microprocessor. The company claims that the SPARC T5 servers, the midrange model in the family, have already set 17 world records for performance. It says the M5-32 is up to 10 times faster than previous generations, and that the T5-8 is the fastest single server for Oracle Database and Middleware. The new servers join the entry level T4 range, and make it possible to scale from one to 32 sockets with one common core, one operating system and a common set of systems management and virtualisation tools. John Fowler, the company’s Executive Vice President Systems, said: “Oracle has refreshed its SPARC family with the world’s fastest processor and launched the fastest single server for Database, Java and multi-tier applications.”

CNETAnalysis: With the emergence of smartphones as the go-to mobile device of choice, more and more people have taken to using social networking sites like Twitter on the go. Twitter is already seeing some large improvements in its ad revenue, but the new mobile dynamic could change the game for the site quite drastically. Though the company’s overall ad revenue wasn’t impacted much at all by mobile ads in 2011, there was a tremendous spike over the past year. Now, not only is Twitter expected to rake in major dollars from advertising, but mobile ads are estimated to account for 53 percent of all ad revenue. Sponsored tweets Market research firm eMarketer is already predicting Twitter will make $582.8 million (UK£385.6, AU$558) in ad revenue this year, with $308 million (UK£203.8, AU$295) coming from mobile. Through 2014 and 2015, that mobile share is expected to increase to nearly 60 percent, with total revenues reaching $950 million (UK£628...

CNETAnalysis: What’s a few million dollars for a company that has plenty lying around? Apple claims they’re being shorted as part of a judge’s recent reduction in damages due from rival Samsung. CNET reported Wednesday that Apple Inc. has called into question at least part of Judge Lucy Koh’s decision to reduce a $1.05 billion judgment against Samsung earlier this month. In a court filing Tuesday, Apple attorneys claim the original judgment was reduced by $85 million too much, the result of two Samsung devices which were sold within the same period already approved by the court. Should Judge Koh decide in Apple’s favor, the move would raise damages owed by Samsung to $685 million instead of the lowered $600 million announced March 1. Motion for reconsideration Attorneys for Apple Inc. elaborated on their claims in a motion for reconsideration filed yesterday, which could potentially raise the number of infringing products fr...

CNET Analysis: When Apple released iOS 6.1.3 update a week ago we assumed this would put an end to the passcode problem . However, this was not the case as the issue still persists, which we already discussed . This is not the only problem though, as we know of 5 other iOS 6.1.3 issues, which have angered users and as such are asking for Apple to rush update 6.1.4 out. Looking over those five issues thanks to GottaBe Mobile , we can see why the release of iOS 6.1.4 update is essential, but we’re certain Apple will take their sweet time and more than likely will be unable to rectify all these issues because they are probably putting more effort into iOS 7 now. While the idea of this will anger iOS users, it kind of makes sense, as Jony Ive will want to forget all about the current mobile OS because it has been considered a failure. So what are these five iOS 6.1.3 issues? Well firstly while the Exchange issues have been vastly improved, they are still...

CNETAnalysis: Our best free antivirus round-up has been fully updated for 2013. Viruses, spyware, hackers, phishing sites – the web is a dangerous place, and every PC owner needs effective, reliable antivirus software to keep them safe. But this can be expensive, especially as you’ll pay again to update the package, each and every year. Fortunately there is plenty of free antivirus software, many of which are just as capable as their commercial cousins. So if you’re tired of annual subscriptions, read on – we’ve picked out eight top internet security tools which deliver great security at no cost at all. 1. Avast Free Antivirus You don’t have to spend long with Avast Free Antivirus to realise why it’s one of the most popular security tools around. The program is simple to install; a straightforward interface makes it easy to use; a quick first scan should identify any potential threats on your PC, and this all...

CNET Analysis: The success of the BlackBerry Z10 in the UK and Canada was a great result for the company, but things have not been as positive in the US since being released a little under a week ago. It seems as though the Canadian phone maker is having trouble competing with their foes Apple and Samsung yet again. After BlackBerry had shouted over the treetops how popular the Z10 has been in the markets it had been released in, news of the inadequate BlackBerry Z10 sales in the US reinforces skepticism shared by many analysts. There is no denying the US market is key to the success of BlackBerry and their first BB10 handset, so hearing about poor sales, which affected stock prices, is not the news BlackBerry wanted to hear. It’s a shame because this is an important handset for the company, but a report looking into the lack of support ( such as Instagram ) from the Z10 is certainly one reason why sales have been a little lackluster. However, there ...

CNET Analysis: Employers have been debating about phones in the workplace since the Saved by the Bell brick phone arrived on the scene. Are employees benefiting in business from smartphones enough to justify mobile phone distractions? Here is a look at some of the pros and cons involved in bringing your own device to work. The Cons: Distracted Co-Workers, Games, & Texts—Oh My! DISTRACTED WORKERS – Mobile phones are a distraction for co-workers in the office. When people are on their phones for extended periods of time, other employees may catch the tail-end of their conversations. This distracts them because they can’t work in peace. In order to keep work efficiency up, rules should be established for employees who take their cell phones to work. Men's Journal did a study on smartphones and found that phone distractions can also cause additional mistakes in the workplace. One example they give is that a distraction of just 2.8 seconds can ...

CNETAnalysis: Delays due to technical issues be damned: AMD had a bevy of graphics cards to unveil tonight and it wasn’t going to let some set-up snags get in the way. After an initial hold up, AMD’s GDC 2013 press conference got off to an impressive start, though the company decided to save the best for last. Just when attendees thought it was over, AMD’s Devon Nekechuk, product manager for high-end graphics, broke out the never-before-seen reference design for the Radeon HD 7990. “This is the world’s first preview of this card,” Nekechuck said. “This is the first public showing ever.” Rad, man As Nekechuk noted, the dual-GPU unit shown tonight was just a preview, but he didn’t skimp on piling praise on the red and black rectangle codenamed “Malta.” “This packs two of our 7990 series GPUs. This is only a preview series today, so I’m going to have to hold back some of the d...

CNETAnalysis: In the final quarter of 2012, Apple and Samsung were pretty much level as far as computer, tablet and phone market share was concerned. Of all the computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets (or, as IDC calls them, smart connected devices) that were shipped in the last quarter of 2012, Apple accounted for 20.3 per cent – just under one per cent behind Samsung’s 21.2 per cent. Shipping devices isn’t exactly the same thing as actually selling them though – it just means that the manufacturers got the products to the companies that would then sell them to the man on the street. Apple pie It’s a significant improvement for Apple and IDC reckons this is down to the double-whammy effect of the iPad mini and iPhone 5 , both of which were released in October 2012. Samsung’s only significant release in that timeframe was the Galaxy Note 2 – but with the Galaxy S4 on its way in April, there’s a chance t...

CNETAnalysis: T-Mobile USA finally lit up its first seven 4G LTE markets today , and decided to celebrate with an affordable new LTE-capable mobile hotspot. As part of a media event Tuesday, T-Mobile announced the availability of the Sonic 2.0, the carrier’s first 4G LTE mobile hotspot. Available to order today from the company’s online store, the Sonic 2.0 Mobile HotSpot LTE will arrive by month’s end at T-Mobile retail stores, select dealers and national retailers. The 4.23-ounce, pocket-friendly mobile hotspot allows T-Mobile customers to connect to available 4G LTE, 4G, 3G or EDGE connections on its network, then share data with up to eight devices via Wi-Fi. Affordable pricing In addition to quad-band 4G GSM and 3G UMTS connectivity, the Sonic 2.0 features a 3000mAh battery for up to seven hours of continuous use, and touted as fully compatible with the latest Windows 8 and OS X 10.8 operating systems. The mobile hotspot featur...

CNETAnalysis: Confession time. I may have got this whole PC performance thing a bit wrong. For some time now, I’ve been putting it about that we’d pretty much reached the end of days for PC performance or more specifically CPU performance. And that’s mostly true. For nearly everything, a quad-core processor from five years ago or so is more than good enough to get the job done. Take games, one of the traditional heavy loads for CPUs. Well, the arrival of the new Sony PS4 makes it very clear that PC processor performance isn’t going to come under any pressure from next-gen games. The simple fact is, the PS4′s CPU is too feeble for that . Indeed, if you look at what Intel has been doing the last few years with its CPUs, you’d have to conclude that it too thinks CPU performance has become less critical. Sandbag CPUs In short, Intel has been sandbagging, sticking with incremental increases in quad-core performance for ...

CNETAnalysis: Good news for Windows 8 and Windows RT users: updates for the Mail, Calendar and People apps are being released on March 26, Microsoft announced today on its official Windows blog. “The features that are part of this update are designed to align with the different habits people have for staying on top of their email and schedule and staying organized,” wrote Microsoft Communications Manager Brandon LeBlanc. Specifically, the March 26 Windows upgrade for Mail will enable users to filter messages so that only unread emails show up, and to create and delete folders directly within the app. For even more Mail organization, it’ll also be possible to select all items within a folder and either move or delete them in one fell swoop. Composing email will get easier with tomorrow’s update thanks to Microsoft improving the “To” field, which includes a contacts drop-down the company calls “smart contact sugges...

CNETAnalysis: Anxious would-be Chromebook owners who’ve been wringing their hands wondering when their Pixel with LTE would ship will need not be patient much longer. According to a listing on the Google Play store, the LTE-only Pixel starts leaving cargo docks (or wherever laptops are stored) April 8. The 3:2 ultrabook in LTE flavor is only intended for U.S. residents and at $1,449, the demand for the laptop may not be overwhelming. The Wi-Fi-only version goes for $1,299, still quite a hefty amount. However, for the extra cash customers do pick up 64GB of storage, so at least there’s a bit of a consolation prize. More prices The Pixel has some very attractive perks, including a dazzling 12.85-inch touchscreen that stores 4.3 million pixels. There’s also a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 chip and 4GB of RAM, plus some strategically placed microphones to cut all the clatter of your surroundings. And though LTE provides a nice boost in performance, ...

CNET Analysis: iOS 6.1.3 Untethered Jailbreak iPhone 5, iPad Mini, iPod Touch 5G and ALL DEVICES (Windows and Mac) Hello guys, apple just released the new 6.1.3 update for … http://www.youtube.com/v/KjYYAnGt9o8?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata

CNETAnalysis: Windows 8 and Windows RT updates for the Mail, Calendar and People apps are being released tomorrow, Microsoft announced today on its official Windows blog. “The features that are part of this update are designed to align with the different habits people have for staying on top of their email and schedule and staying organized,” wrote Microsoft Communications Manager Brandon LeBlanc. Specifically, the March 26 Windows upgrade for Mail will enable users to filter messages so that only unread emails show up, and to create and delete folders directly within the app. For even more Mail organization, it’ll also be possible to select all items within a folder and either move or delete them in one fell swoop. Composing email will get easier with tomorrow’s update thanks to Microsoft improving upon the “To” field, which includes a contacts drop-down the company calls “smart contact suggestions.” Windo...

CNETAnalysis: After gaining an inside look at Microsoft’s upcoming ” Windows Blue ” update to Windows 8, Windows blogger Paul Thurrott concluded that the desktop could really be on its way out. “All the action in this build is in PC settings, and if you were looking for any further proof the desktop being eased out going forward, look no further than this,” Thurrott wrote in his analysis on Sunday. “There are a ton of new settings in there now, including many items that were previously only available in the desktop-based Control Panel interface,” he continued. “This is clearly an indication of how we get from here (Windows to there ( Windows 9 , with potentially no desktop).” Microsoft has already made the desktop literally useless in Windows RT , one half of its most recent OS releases, but could it really kill the desktop altogether in the future? We want two states Windows 8 and Windows RT are...

CNETAnalysis: Update : Samsung has responded to TechRadar, suggesting that the wheels for a sale are very much in motion. It said: “We are currently reviewing many plans, including the sale, but nothing has been confirmed yet.” Original story continues… Samsung is reportedly looking to sell its e-ink company Liquavista to Amazon, suggesting that future Kindles could inherit a colour e-ink display. Liquavista’s “electrowetting” display provides the e-ink look while adding colour that would potentially allow for full internet browsing and video playback. Researcher HIS predicts that E-reader shipments will drop 27 per cent this year, which is probably some of the thinking behind Samsung’s decision. Buyer’s remorse Samsung acquired the Liquavista company in 2011, however the source said that Samsung was making the sale after its acquisition of the Dutch subsidiary didn’t meet expectations. Check out Sams...