Zuckerberg’s Internet.org is unfair: Facebook founder’s pet project faces ire from Airtel, Vodafone

Internet.org is Facebook’s initiative of offering free internet services for apps and services which have partnered with Facebook and various service providers.

In India Facebook has tied up with Reliance Communications in an effort to bring Internet.org to smartphone as well as feature phone users. But at the Mobile World Congress, telecom service providers such as Vodafone, Airtel and Telenor have made their discomfort clear when it comes to offering free Internet services over expensive telecom networks.

According to a report in The Times of India, there was a disagreement between Zuckerberg and a lot of telcos regarding distribution of free internet services at the Mobile World Congress (MWC). The main bone of contention is the billions of dollars worth of investment made by telcos for spectrum acquisition and increasing cellphone tower reach. The main argument leveled by telcos present at the event is that Zuckerberg is serving his own personal business interests by providing free internet access over telecom networks.

At his MWC keynote, Zuckerberg had said, “Our mission is to help people connect. This will help people stay close to their loved ones, and get access to services like health and education.”Internet.org which is available to smartphone as well as feature phone users, does succeed to an extent on that front as it offers free internet services if you are a Reliance Communication subscriber(in India). At the moment, only 33 websites and services are available to users. The bouquet of services span across genres having a healthy mix of news websites such as BBC News, IBNLive, Times of India; educational services such as Wikipedia, Translator, wikiHow; sports websites; Health and welfare services such as BabyCentre, iLearn, Socialblood and so on.

Vodafone chief Vittorio Colao was quoted as saying that Internet.org wasn’t fair. “It is almost like Zuckerberg does philanthrophy, but with my money,” he said. Considering Facebook hasn’t partnered with Vodafone, it is not clear what Colao means when he says ‘with my money’. One can only assume he is referring to the potential loss of customers who may be opting for free internet.org over Vodafone data plans.

Airtel’s Sunil Mittal was also said to have had dinner with Zuckerberg, but had not been impressed with the Facebook founder’s idea of offering free internet calls. This is quite interesting, considering Airtel is the telco Facebook has partnered with in Zambia for internet.org.

That Facebook’s Internet.org programme is in clear violation of the concept of net neutrality, which believes in equal access to all services to everyone, is already under debate. When doing our hands on with internet.org website,under the social media section we just saw Facebook, which left out other social media services such as Twitter or Google+.

Even within Facebook, you could only read status messages, like and comment. If you wanted to view photographs on Facebook, you were prompted to buy one of the many plans offered by Reliance Communications. The very concept of having a limited number of partners or web services, immediately puts competing services or apps at a disadvantage.

Telcos on the other hand are already facing pressure thanks to messaging and VoIP calling apps which have hit their SMS and call revenues. Opposing free internet on a telecom network, is a natural progression for them. Not long ago, Airtel had come out with a circular to have a separate data plan for VoIP calling, but later retracted it. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is supposed to release a consultation paper on issues relating to services offered by OTT (over the top content) players including VoIP services.

As far as India is concerned, it is still early days as far as Internet.org is concerned as it was just launched last month. Telcos other than Reliance Communications might face issues in rural areas where users might just opt for free internet plans using internet.org. The net neutrality debate will keep rearing its head because as philanthrophic as it may sound, there is no denying the fact that Facebook will get more users thanks to Internet.org.

Three reasons why Apple Watch will or will not change the game

No one can argue that Apple has changed the way people live their lives. The company’s iPod, iTunes, iPhone and iPad have shaken up music, phone and computer markets worldwide. Is the Apple Watch going to be able to do the same?

The stakes are big for Apple CEO Tim Cook: the watch is the first brand-new Apple product to be launched without legendary co-founder Steve Jobs. But the market is awash in smartwatches that have gained little traction. Here are three reasons the Apple Watch will finally move the needle in the smartwatch industry — and three reasons it might not.

WHY IT WILL CHANGE THE GAME:

MORE FEATURES THAN RIVALS: Along with email, texts and phone calls, Apple says its watch will present news, health readings and other notifications in creative ways that can be read at a glance. It will have a heart rate monitor and accelerometer, and an internal motor that can signal the wearer with a subtle “tap” on the wrist. And Siri and Apple Pay will be built in. Apple is working with outside companies to create more apps; Cook has talked about using the watch as an electronic “key” for hotel doors or even cars.

A POWERFUL BRAND: The world’s biggest tech company has a reputation for quality and a direct conduit to customers — it operates more than 400 retail stores around the world. And it has deep pockets to spend on advertising — it is showcasing the watch this month with a sleek, 12-page insert in Vogue and other fashion magazines.

APPLE’S TRACK RECORD: This wouldn’t be the first Apple product that revolutionized a market where rivals had struggled to break through. Other companies made digital music players before the iPod, smartphones before the iPhone and even tablets before the iPad. Most of those products failed to catch on until Apple made devices so appealing they set new standards and created new demand, said Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder.

OR NOT

WHAT’S THE NEED?: Most smartwatches — including Apple’s — only work with a smartphone nearby, so you can’t swap one expensive gadget for the other. “What we’ve seen is that it’s not obvious why people would want a smartwatch,” says Gownder. A recent Forrester survey found some respondents didn’t see a reason to buy one because they already owned a less-expensive fitness band or a full-featured smartphone (although it also found Apple fans ready to buy the new watch).

CONSUMERS NOT EXCITED: You can already buy smartwatches made by giant tech companies like Samsung, Sony or LG, or from a tech startup like Pebble, that track your heart rate, show you email and deliver other online services to your wrist. None of them have really caught on. Only about 5 million smartwatches were sold worldwide last year, according to market researchers at Strategy Analytics. By comparison, Apple sold 74.6 million iPhones in just the last quarter.

PRICE AND OBSOLESCENCE: Many of today’s smartwatches sell for $200 or less. Apple plans to sell three models, starting at $349, but Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster predicts the average buyer will pay $550 for a watch and extra, interchangeable bands. Apple’s high-fashion “Edition” model, made with 18-karat gold, is expected to cost thousands. While affluent consumers might pay that for a watch they can wear for years, or even hand down to their children, it’s a lot of money for something that could become outdated if Apple releases a new model every year or so — as it does with smartphones.

Cook will make his case for the Apple Watch at a press event Monday, where he’s expected to show off more features and apps. Expectations are high.

But even the iPhone didn’t become a mainstream blockbuster in its first year, notes Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin. Of the Apple Watch, he says, “people need to understand more about what this product is, and what it does, and I think that will evolve over time.”

WhatsApp scam: Do not accept the invitation to try the ‘calling feature’, it is a malware

WhatsApp users across the world are being targeted by cyber scammers who are circulating fake messages inviting users to test the new calling feature that fills the phone with dangerous malware.

According to the Daily Star, if users click on the link, they are taken to another website where they are asked to take a survey on behalf of the popular messaging service.

However, the survey forces people to download applications and software that might contain dangerous malware.

WhatsApp has not announced the calling feature officially. However, some users claim to have used it.

WhatsApp calling feature is one which is eagerly being looked forward to by everyone. We have read news about how WhatsApp is testing this feature in India. Also WhatsApp had activated the invite-feature for some users for a short period of time last month, so those users can still use WhatsApp calling feature. It has however, not been officially rolled out. By that limited time invite method, a person could activate their friends’ WhatsApp calling feature by giving them a call via WhatsApp. This feature has since been disabled.

It seems like WhatsApp has become a hotbed for cyber scammers. Back in January, one of our team members had got a random messsage with a contact card to call a certain ‘Diya’, whose number gave an Ivory Coast address. Using pictures of women and sending spam links on social media is a fairly tried and tested method of ensuring chaos on the Internet. Very often gullible users tend to fall for such scams and might even go on to add such a person on WhatsApp, which is dangerous as this person could try and get personal information such as bank account details, email passwords by trying to be friends them.

Back in 2012, another message was doing the rounds which promised life time free Whatsapp usage provided the user sent a message to 10 other friends and so on.

Samsung to HTC: At MWC, everyone wants to challenge Apple’s iPhone 6

Samsung to HTC: At MWC, everyone wants to challenge Apple’s iPhone 6

Several big Asian phone companies launched new high-end smartphones and other wireless gizmos on Sunday, hoping to challenge US giant Apple in a big year for wireless gadgets.

Samsung, fellow South Korean firm LG and hip Chinese maker HTC timed their smartphone launches to grab the attention on the eve of the Mobile World Congress, the world’s biggest telecoms trade fair, in Barcelona, Spain.

In a head-on challenge to Apple’s popular iPhone 6 which was released last year, Samsung came out fighting on Sunday with the Galaxy S6, a smartphone with a touchscreen that curves around the edges and has a wireless charger. It also presented the larger S6 Edge, a “phablet” somewhere between a tablet and a phone in size.

LG unveiled a new top-line phone with a curved back to sit snugly in the palm, the LG Flex 2, as well as a range of four new mid-range smartphones and two new luxury internet-connected watches.

At a noisy stage presentation before a crowd of hundreds, HTC chief executive Peter Chou meanwhile presented the HTC One M9, with a grey metallic handset moulded from a single piece of aluminium.

HTC also revealed a new connected “fitness band” body-monitoring bracelet and a virtual reality headset that it said it hoped to sell commercially by the end of the year.

Apple as usual was staying away from the Barcelona show but was reported to be preparing a coup with the launch next month of its new Apple Watch, reflecting a major trend in wearable gadgets this year.

The chief executive of Samsung’s mobile division, JK Shin, said the company aimed to set “a new standard to drive the global mobile agenda”, claiming his phones had the fastest processers and most high-performance cameras on the market.

Samsung is the world’s biggest seller of smartphones but saw its world market share fall last year from 34 percent to 20 percent, according to a report by tech consultancy IDC.

“There’s a risk Samsung’s 2015 flagship devices are insufficient for the company to regain brand leadership among consumers and businesses looking for high-end smartphone experiences,” said Thomas Husson, an analyst at another consultancy, Forrester, in a note after Sunday’s launch. “Samsung’s lack of software DNA will still prevent it from delivering truly differentiated service experiences like Apple does.”

Also present at the congress were two of the world’s other biggest-selling smartphone makers, Chinese companies Huawei and Xiaomi. Joining in the rush for big launches on the eve of the trade fair, Huawei unveiled its first “smartwatch”, a round luxury design that, like LG’s, can display incoming call and message alerts.

The companies refused to cite consumer prices for the new products. Top-end smartphones typically cost several hundred dollars (euros).

Life Straw

LifeStraw is a water filter designed to be used by one person to filter water so that they may safely drink it. It filters a maximum of 1000 litres of water, enough for one person for one year [1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lif... 

Bluetooth logo history

Ericsson's Bluetooth logo named after tenth century King of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth. The logo is a combination of two Germanic alphabets Hagall that is

and Berkanan

which resembles the initials of King's name and both these symbols have been merged to form a logo

logo history of wikipedia

The logo which nobody should miss:

For those of you who thought it was nothing but a potpourri of various letters without meaning, read on.

The logo is an unfinished globe constructed from jigsaw pieces-with some pieces missing at the top—inscribed with glyphs from many different writing systems.

Each piece bears a glyph (letter or character) from a writing system symbolizing the multilingualism of Wikipedia. They include the Cyrillic letter И (“I”), the Greek letter Ω (Omega), the Korean syllabic block위(wi), the Arabic letter و (Waw), the Chinese character維(Wéi), the Hindi akshar वि (Wi) at the left, the Bangla borno উ(U) , the Kannada akshara ವಿ(Vi) at the bottom, the Hebrew (and also Yiddish) letter ו (Vav), the Georgian ვ (Vin) and at the uppermost left the Armenian Վ (Vev).
As with the Latin letter “W”, these glyphs are in most cases the first glyph of the name “Wikipedia” rendered in that language.
The empty space at the top represents the (incomplete) nature of the project, and languages yet to be added.
Source: Logo of Wikipedia