5 myths about improving your smartphone battery life

Ah, battery life! The one thing your friends with a feature phone can still ridicule your brand new iPhone, Galaxy S III, or whatever shiny smartphone you have there. Don’t get too involved - there’s little you can do about it - your phone is better, bigger, but it just eats more battery. 

We know you might be tempted, you’ll hear your geeky friends give you plenty of advice about how your battery can last much, much longer. Keep this off, install that, monitor this... truth is, in most cases, you shouldn’t bother. 

Let’s face the facts - there are a couple of things that drain your battery the most. First, it’s that huge screen that shines like the sun on maximum brightness (keep it down). Second, it’s your LTE/3G data running in the background, downloading stuff from the Internet. If none of that applies to you, then you really should just remain calm and let your friends know that you love your smartphone despite the daily charging attention it requires. Then, show them your latest pictures or your favorite game, and let their envy do its thing. 

1. Turning Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth off would prolong your battery life

That’s just plain crazy. Those things make your smartphone smart, if you are that precautious, you’d be better off with a feature phone. Plus, forgetting to turn on your Wi-Fi network and downloading a huge file might have you pay more for yoursmartphone bill than you paid for your phone. 
Let’s make it clear - Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth when they are turned on by themselves don’t drain any battery. What drains the battery is apps running in the background using whatever connectivity you have turned on. So instead of shutting down every window your phone has to the outside world, you’d better check your apps. It’s best if you only have installed what you really need and use. App developers have the habit of including push notifications for who-knows-what in virtually every app, so just installing proven apps that you really need is the best advice. 

2. Using task managers and killers will boost your battery life

Are you a computer science major specializing on mobile platforms, or an app developer? If the answer is no, you don’t need a task manager, unless you’re trying to impress someone. And if you’re trying to impress a girl with that, you’re doing it wrong. So just don’t bother, Android, iOS and Windows Phone are all smart enough to handle task management on their own. And if there is the rare app that acts suspiciously, there is always the built in task managers like the one on Android. The stress is on rare, got it?

3. Using live wallpapers on your Android phone significantly decreases battery           life

So you’ve got that gorgeous live wallpaper that no iPhone or Windows Phone (let alone feature phones) have. You’re extremely proud of your Android device. And then you hear that advice that it really isn’t any good because it drains battery life. Truth is, it isn’t. Or to be perfectly exact, it accounts for around 2% of your battery usage. Forget about it and enjoy the view.

4. You need to let the battery discharge completely before recharging your phone

You don’t, battery memory is a thing of the past. BUT battery makers still advise you to let your phone discharge once in a month. It probably dies anyway, and chances are that it does it more often, so when that happens just plug it in until it juices up completely. No need to worry and schedule the way you charge your phone.

5. Using automatic brightness would save you a ton of battery life

It will save you some, but you’d be better off setting your phone to the minimum comfortable brightness for most cases, and manually set it up to brighter when you need it. Exception: Only if you spend a lot of time outdoors, automatic brightness would actually be a good advice. It uses the phone’s light sensor information to determine whether it’s sunny (brightness needs to go up so you see more) or dark (you don’t need the extra illumination).

YouTube Moodwall Helps You Find Videos by Vibe

YouTube is testing a new feature that lets users select videos based on their mood.

Dubbed “Moodwall,” the feature shows a series of video thumbnails under different categories on YouTube’s homepage. They range from the classic “funny,” “cool” and “adorable” to the more quirky “fast” and “catchy,” U.K. newspaper The Guardian reported.

Google has not officially acknowledged the existence of the Moodwall; it’s supposedly being secretly tested on the public, which makes no sense and yet somehow totally works. Since they haven’t acknowledged that the Moodwall exists, they have not revealed how many users have access to it now or if there’s a roll out timetable for the greater YouTubing public.

IIT entrance exam: JEE-Advanced paper to have only multiple-choice questions

MUMBAI: Putting to rest all confusion over admission to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the joint admission board (JAB) of IITsclarified that the format of the joint entrance examination. JEE-Advanced paper will be the same as that of IIT-JEE in the last few years. 

The ministry for human resource development (MHRD) issued its first ever notification on JEE-2013 for admissions to all centrally-funded technical institutes on August 14. 

 

JEE-Advanced, which will determine admissions to IITs for 2013, will be held on June 2. The JEE-Advanced paper will only have multiple-choice questions which the students will attempt in two sessions, morning and afternoon. 

This will come as a relief for aspirants who had been preparing in keeping with the old format which did not include subjective questions. Several IITs, including the one in Mumbai, were in favour of a subjective JEE. 

The difficulty level of and the marks allotted to JEE-Advanced tests will be similar to that of previous JEEs. 

"We have decided that the format of the test should remain the same as it is too late to introduce changes. However, the notification is just for 2013. The MHRD has also formed an apex board in order to have a smooth JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced this year and in future too," said a senior official from IIT-Bombay. Ashok Misra, the former director of the institute, is the honorary chairperson of the JAB. 

GPS technology finding its way into court

The rapid spread of cellphones with GPS technology has allowed police to track suspects with unprecedented precision — even as they commit crimes. But the legal fight is only now heating up, with prosecutors and privacy activists sparring over rules governing the use of powerful new investigative tools.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit stirred the debate last week when it supported police use of a drug runner’s cellphone signals to locate him — and more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana — at a Texas rest stop. The court decided that the suspect “did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy” over location data from his cellphone and that police were free to collect it over several days, even without a search warrant.

The decision riled civil libertarians, who warned that it opened the door to an extensive new form of government surveillance destined to be abused as sophisticated tracking technology becomes more widely available. On Monday, six days after the appeals court ruling, the U.S. attorney in Arizona cited it in defending the use of cellphone location data to help arrest a suspect accused of tax fraud.

Anna University Chennai May/June 2012 Results

Anna University Chennai May/June 2012 results has been announced and here are the links of different regions - 

ANNA UNIVERSITY,CHENNAI/MADURAI - Link 1

ANNA UNIVERSITY,COIMBATORE - Link 2

ANNA UNIVERSITY,TIRCHY/TIRUNELVELI - Link 3

ANNA UNIVERSITY MARK SYSTEM - Link 4

7 Important Achievement of Google’s in Eric Schmidt Era

Google CEO position officially moved from Eric Schmidt to Larry Page, Google co-founders. For about 10 years of his tenure, Schmidt carved many sweet stories. Here are some products that drove Google’s success in the era of Schmidt:

1. Google AdSense

AdSense in attendance since 2003, makes it easy for websites owner to gain revenue. And on the other hand, this service also be a money machine for Google. As many as 30% of Google’s total revenue in the quarter 4 2010 comes from AdSense.

2. YouTube

Google decided to buy YouTube in 2006 with a huge amount, USD 1.65 billion. For several years, it was rumored this site does not generate profit. But now no longer seem so, YouTube was reported to be a big source of revenue to 3 billion ad views per week.

3. Google Maps

Google Maps is not a big revenue producer, but are the backbone for other Google services such as Latitude, Places and Maps Navigation. Service mapping is crucial for Google to deal with competition.

4. Gmail

Gmail email service is quite popular, though perhaps not as famous as Yahoo. Gmail also become a base for other Google services such as Gchat, voice calls and contacts. When you sign into Gmail, users can access almost all Google services.

5. Android

Google bought Android Inc. in 2005. Having developed some time, this time operating system bearing the green robot is big success, preferred by consumers and other mobile OS to get rid of it first existed.

6. iPhone Search

By partnering with Apple to provide the default search engine on the iPhone, Google is now gripping the dominant mobile search market segment. Because besides the iPhone, Google’s search engine is also mounted on the Android.

7. Chrome

Google Chrome browser, launched in 2008 is still lagging when compared to Internet Explorer or Firefox. But Chrome is stable continues to increase its market share. This browser is also a base operating system OS that Chrome would soon be released on a netbook.

Apple (AAPL)’s iPhone 5, iPad Mini Expected to Debut Separately

All Things D’s John Paczkowski has now confirmed that Apple (AAPL) will hold two separate press events, rather than a single one as has been widely speculated about since July, to unveil its latest iPhone and the iPad Mini.

According to the report, the tech giant will debut the iPhone 5, or whatever it decides to call the next gen smartphone, at an as yet unannounced special media event on Sept. 12, while its smaller iPad Mini — a device which is expected to have a display of 7 – 8 inches diagonally, less than the current 9.7-inch version — will not be introduced until October.

Some have already argued that it’s in Apple’s best interest to separate these two announcements.

Daring Fireball’s John Gruber recently wrote that reports suggesting Apple would unveil its latest iPhone and iPad Mini at a single event were off-base.

“I’m thinking it makes more sense for Apple to hold two events,” commented Gruber this week. “First, an iPhone event, focused solely on the new iPhone and iOS 6. Then, the iPhone ships nine days later, and there’s another wave of iPhone-focused attention as the reviews come out…I don’t think Apple would want reviews of both a new iPhone and new-size iPad appearing at the same time”, Gruber wrote. “Why share the spotlight? Why have another Apple product battling with the iPhone for the top spots in news coverage? … The more I think about it, the less sense it makes for the iPhone to even share the stage at the announcement with any other product. The iPhone is too big, too cool, and garners too much attention — and it’s in Apple’s interest to keep that attention undiluted.”

Gruber is right. The iPhone — Apple’s most profitable device — and iPad are arguable the biggest tech products of the last decade. So, it makes sense for the company to give both devices plenty of undiluted press coverage, particularly since both are likely to be blockbuster events.

So, expect Apple shares (previous close: $663.22) to print the tape higher as its events will be announced in the days and weeks ahead.

Apple iPhone security flaw revealed by hacker

SAN FRANCISCO: A hacker on Friday revealed a security flaw that he claimed could make Apple's iPhone particularly vulnerable to text message cheating.

The flaw has existed since iPhone was first launched in 2007, and is still not solved in the beta version of iOS 6, the next operating system for iPhone, the hacker under the name "Pod2g" said in a blog post, reported Xinhua.

Under the protocols handling the exchange of SMS (Short Message Service) text between mobile phones, the sender of a message can technically change the reply-to phone number to something different from the original number, Pod2g explained.

In a good implementation, the receiver of the message would see both the original phone number and the reply-to one.

But using iPhone's SMS feature, when receivers see the message, it seems to come from the reply-to number, while the original phone number of the sender is hidden.

The loophole means that someone could send iPhone users messages pretending to be from the receivers' banks or other trusted sources, asking for some private information, or cheating them to go to a dedicated website to obtain users' information.

Pod2g called the security flaw "severe" and urged Apple to fix it before the final release of the iOS 6 software.

"Now you are alerted. Never trust any SMS you received on your iPhone at first sight," Pod2g wrote in the blog post.

Apple could not be reached for comments.

Flipkart raises $150m in latest funding round

MUMBAI: South African media giant Nasper is leading $150-million investment in online retailer Flipkart, a deal which is said to secure the company's finances for next three years.

Iconiq Capital, one of Silicon Valley's hottest wealth managers with the likes of Mark Zuckerberg as clients, will be another new investor, while existing shareholders Tiger Global and Accel Partners make follow-on investments in the latest round of fund raise.

The Nasper-led deal values India's e-commerce leader at around $800 million. MIH India, an arm of Nasper, is pumping a little over $90 million into the five year-old Flipkart and becomes its second largest shareholder after Tiger. Flipkart's fund raising was closely tracked after media speculated on the ability of India's e-commerce poster boy to attract big funding in tough market conditions.

Flipkart's future plans are not entirely dependent on an overseas initial public offering (IPO) following the entry of strategic investor like Nasper.

Large private equity investors which looked at the Flipkart deal remained skeptical about the international listing plans. Last month, TOI reported that Flipkart needed to raise $150 million to keep the business running after bleeding heavily in its bid to establish a fully owned logistics network and a brand.

Flipkart's sales in the current fiscal will be nearing Rs 2,000 crore with the company targeting maiden operating profit. "This round of funding would fuel our growth plans, and help us achieve our stated ambition of hitting $1 billion in gross merchandise value by 2015," said Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal.

National Level Technical Symposium @ Park College Of Engineering And Technology, Coimbatore

SHOCKLEYv12.1, Enroll yourself, Be the Fame, Take home a fortune!! 
In a New $TyLe, In a New era !! 
Department of Electronics and Communication , proudly presents NATIONAL LEVEL TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM Shockleyv12.1 !

Here are 3 devices that you might want to buy right now, but shouldn't

So, you’ve decided that you’ve had enough of your phone - you want a new one and you want it now. You hear everyone speaking about how awesome the iPhone is, you’ve probably heard about that extremely cheap Google Nexus 7 tablet, and some of your geekier friends might have surprised you with their huge Galaxy Note mixture of a phone and tablet. So, you’ve made up your mind, got a few hundred dollars to spend and are ready to sign another two years of your life to a mobile carrier. 

And now here i am screaming Wait! from the top of my lungs. Don’t buy that device, it might be a mistake! Not now at least. You might argue that those devices have passed the test of time, but hold your horses, captain! Let us explain why despite all gadgets below being good on their own, waiting just a couple of weeks will guarantee you that you really have the greatest gadget there is and not something you’d fall out of love in weeks.

Don't hesitate to also share this list with your friends who might be planning to get a new gadget now - they will thank you later.

1. Apple iPhone 4S

Hint: iPhone 5 is coming! Yes, the mythical iPhone is all around you, but with the new iPhone expected to get unveiled on September 12th and come very soon after, you’d feel like you made a huge mistake. Why? The new iPhone is believed to become the biggest upgrade since the launch of the original in 2007. It is believed to feature a 4-inch Retina display, LTE connectivity, iOS 6 and a twist of Apple magic.

2. Google Nexus 7

Hint: iPad mini might change the game Yes, the Google Nexus 7 is a steal. Yes, it has a great design. And yes, your conscience will keep on blaming you for rushing to buy it if Apple introduces a brand new 7.85-inch iPad mini. Why not just avoid that unhealthy inner collision and wait a couple of weeks until September 12th to see whether Apple is indeed launching that elusive smaller and affordable iPad. Then, you can still buy the Nexus 7, but get a feeling of relief as a bonus.

3. Samsung Galaxy Note

Hint: Yup, Galaxy Note II will be unveiled in just a week! The Galaxy Note is a phablet, a device for those caring for every additional fraction of an inch of screen space. It’s huge, but it’s nearly a year old! Don’t get fooled by its recent arrival on T-Mobile - Samsung is bringing the new Galaxy Note II in just a week and it will probably have an even bigger screen and upgraded hardware. Wait for August 29th.

Global NI LabVIEW Student Design Competition

Show how you’re incorporating LabVIEW software into your design project for a chance to win cash prizes and trips to NIWeek 2013 in Austin, Texas. From inexpensive medical devices to complex underwater autonomous vehicles,  they want to see how students like you are engineering a better world using the LabVIEW graphical development environment. The possibilities are endless, so submit your design project now.

For more details, follow the link Global NI LabVIEW Student Design Competition

WickedLeak launches 5-inch Wammy Note smartphone at Rs 11K

New Delhi: Wicked Leak has launched a new Android smartphone in the market. Named as Wammy Note, the smartphone runs Google's Android operating system and features a 5-inch large touch screen. The smartphone is priced at Rs 11,000.

The 5-inch touch screen of the phone comes with 800 x 480 pixels resolution. It is also powered by a 1 GHz processor, comes with 512 MB of RAM and its memory is also expandable up to 32 GB with a micro SD card.

Wammy Note has a 8 megapixel camera with flash with auto focus and Burst feature (16 photos can be taken in 5 seconds). It can also record videos and has a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera.

On the connectivity front, it has Bluetooth, WiFi and 3G, Tethering hotspot and comes with a USB port and a micro SD card slot. Wammy Note also comes with GPS, Analog TV and FM radio.

The device measures 144 x 89 x 12mm and it has a 2,500 mAh battery that the company claims will provide up to 8 hours of talk time and 260 hours of standby time. Wammy Note is available in black and white colours.

The Wammy Note will be available from 30th August from Wicked Leak's website.

Google Search Engine

Techno Wall: Google Search Engine: Techno Wall: Google Search Engine : We all use Google search but have you ever wondered how it really works??? How does Google manage to p...

TEDx Coimbatore!

TEDx Coimbatore!: http://www.tedxcoimbatore.org/ Amazing event! Do visit and you can join TEDx on facebook here for more updates! https://www.facebook.c...

Mini project on Mobile Cell Phone Charger

Mobile Cell Phone Charger

Charging of the cellphone battery is a big problem while travelling as power supply source is not generally accessible. If you keep your cellphone switched on continuously, its battery will go flat within five to six hours, making the cellphone useless. A fully charged battery becomes necessary especially when your distance from the nearest relay station increases. Here’s a simple charger that replenishes the cellphone battery within two to three hours. Basically, the charger is a current-limited voltage source. Generally, cellphone battery packs require 3.6-6V DC and 180- 200mA current for charging. These usually contain three NiCd cells, each having 1.2V rating. Current of 100mA is sufficient for charging the cellphone battery at a slow rate. A 12V battery containing eight pen cells gives sufficient current (1.8A) to charge the battery connected across the output terminals. The circuit also monitors the voltage level of the battery. It automatically cuts off the charging process when its output terminal voltage increases above the predetermined voltage level.

Wiki-BlackOut!

This is the day people will remember - "Wikipedia" gt blacked OUT!