Fighter Aircraft with deadly 'laser weaponry' coming to reality

The US Military technology developer, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is working on two new plans to make laser weaponry a reality, a report said.

DARPA's answer to increasingly sophisticated surface-to-air threats is the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS), the liquid cooled lasers that would be mounted on turrets on combat airplanes to shoot down incoming rockets or missiles.

According to CBS News, DARPA'S description of HELLADS also mentioned "additional capability for offensive missions as well, adding precise targeting with low probability of collateral damage."

DARPA said HELLADS would be ten times smaller and lighter than current lasers of similar power.

According to the report, the second project DARPA is working on is Aero-Adaptive/Aero Optic Beam Control (ABC), the lasers that are designed to shoot backwards, the direction that most oncoming missiles come from.

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Micromax launches A54 smarty: Priced online at Rs. 5, 999

Micromax has announced the launch of another Android-based smartphone, the Micromax A54 Smarty  3.5. Although the smartphone maker has not yet revealed anything about the pricing. But the smartphone is available online for a price of Rs. 5,999.


Online retailer Infibeam.com has priced the device at Rs. 5,999. The smartphone will be made available on major online stores across all major cities. The A54 Smarty is loded with dual-SIM capabilities.

Ranked 12th in the world for manufacturing mobile phones, Micromax has also announced that it will release as many as 30 new devices in the year 2013.

Micromax A54 Smarty 3.5 Specs:

Processor: 1Ghz single core Qualcomm

OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Display: 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touch screen

Camera: 3 MP

Battery: 1,300 mAh, 170 hours on standby and 4 hours talk time

Storage: 130 MB internal memory, expandable upto 32 GB

Connectivity: Bluetooth v2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, micro USB v2.0

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Mahindra named next generation Reva e2o

Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd on Monday named its next generation, future ready, electric car as the Mahindra e2o.

The e2o is the first step in the creation of the entire electric vehicle value chain by Mahindra Group. It is the group's vision of the 'future of mobility', which was revealed earlier this year by Group Chairman Anand Mahindra. It involves the creation of future ready vehicles that meet the 5 C's framework of - clean, convenient, connected, clever and cost effective.

The e2o, which has undergone extensive testing, validation and has been certified as road worthy in India, is slated to be launched soon and will be produced at Mahindra Reva's recently inaugurated plant in Bangalore.

Commenting on the Mahindra e2o, Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive and Farm Equipment Sectors, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd said "We are on the threshold of ushering in a new paradigm across the automotive value chain, by bringing in products and mobility solutions which will bear testimony to our commitment to create a cleaner environment on planet Earth."

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India to launch Mars Mission this year

After its successful unmanned Chandrayaan mission to the Moon in 2008, which brought back the first ever clinching evidence of the presence of water there, India is now eyeing the Mars.

The Indian Space Research Organisation is planning to launch a space mission to the Red Planet later this year. The unmanned satellite, Mangalyaan, will study the thin Martian atmosphere and will take take 8 months to reach the distant planet.

The first model of the Mangalyaan was unveiled at the Indian Science Congress in Kolkata on Sunday. The Rs. 450-crore mission will be launched from Sriharikota using the workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

The government says the satellite which will be placed in an orbit around Mars wilolbe able to carry nearly 25 kg of scientific payload on board. According to ISRO, the tentative objects of the mission will be to focus on remotely accessing life, climate, geology, origin and evolution and sustainability of life on the planet. "This is technology demonstration project, a mission that will announce to the world India has capability to reach as far away as Mars," an ISRO official said. 

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Internet pumps out 830 million tonnes of CO2 in the environment annually: Report

Internet, video and other cloud services, which comprise information communications and technology (ICT) industry, spews out more than 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, researchers found.

Carbon dioxide is also the main greenhouse gas and the emissions from the information and communications industry alone accounts for about two percent of global CO2 emissions, the same proportion as the emissions from the aviation industry.

Researchers note that controlling those emissions requires more accurate but still feasible models, which take into account the data traffic, energy use and CO2 production in networks and other elements of the ICT industry, the Journal Science and Technology reveals.

The researchers suggest, based on their models, that more efficient power usage of facilities, more efficient use of energy-efficient equipment and renewable energy sources are three keys to reducing ICT emissions of CO2.

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World's largest solar telescope to set up in Ladakh

India is expected to start building the world's largest solar telescope on the icy heights of Ladakh to study the sun's atmosphere and understand the formation of sun-spots and their decay process.

The Rs. 300 crore project is expected to come up at either Hanle or Merak, which is very near to the Ladakh's Pangong Lake along the line of actual control with China.

Currently. the world's largest solar telescope is the McMath-Pierce Solar telescope with an aperture size of 1.6 metres in Kitt Peak National Observatory at Arizona in the US.

"Fabrication of the National Large Solar Telescope is expected to begin in late 2013," Siraj Hassan, Principal Investigator for the project, told reporters on the sidelines of the 100th Indian Science Congress here.

The telescope with an aperture size of 2 meters is planned to be completed by 2017 and will be the largest such facility in the world at least till 2020 when US is expected to commission its four meter telescope at Hawaii.

The main objective of the facility would be to study the formation and decay of sun spots, their subsurface structure and why do they have a penumbra and hoe is it formed, Hasan said.

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Tablet computer sales to double in India by 2013: Report

Sales of tablet computers in India are expected to at least double this year to 6 million, the market's third year of growth, as new devices attract business users and low cost tablets grow consumers, research firm CyberMedia forecast.

Sales are likely to have reached 3 million in 2012, up from about 0.5 million in 2011, the firm estimated on Friday, citing data for the quarter to end-September, when companies led by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd sold 1.1 million tablets.

With the launch of low cost tablets running on Google Inc's Android platform by local firms, sales of tablets and smartphones have grown rapidly in the last two years. The slew of global makers of tablets have also entered the market.

India is the world's second biggest telecommunications market with about 900 million mobile phone accounts. But computer penetration is low, and only about a tenth of its 1.2 billion people have access to internet.

The average sales value of tablets during the quarter was about 13,200 rupees ($240), while 63.5 percent of the sales were below 10,000 rupees, CyberMedia Research said.

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Samsung to launch Galaxy S IV in May 2013

Samsung is again readying a big launch for the month of May. The company which unveiled its flagship smartphone Galaxy S III in May last year, is reportedly launching its successor Galaxy S IV in May 2013.

The speculations have been fueled by a post from Samsung Lebanon on Facebook saying that the upcoming Galaxy S IV will not launch before May 2013. Facebook user Anthony Ghattas posted a question on Samsung Lebanon's page on the social networking website, asking, "Hey is there any news for the Samsung Galaxy S IV release?" The reply he received from the company was "The Galaxy S IV won't be released before May 2013."

The current flagship model Galaxy S III, was launched in May 2012, giving the device a full year before it is replaced as the top-of-the-line smartphone in the company's portfolio. Before that Galaxy S and Galaxy S II were rolled out in June 2010 and April 2011, respectively.

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India under the grip of cyber attack: Report

India is under the grip of cyber attacks and there is an obvious peak in the growth of malware and their modifications on mobile devices, especially on the Android platform, according to a report.

Though, PC is still the prevalent target for malware authors, there is an obvious peak in the growth of malware and their modifications on mobile devices, especially on the Android platform, The Quick Heal Annual Windows and Mobile Malware report 2012 released by Quick Heal Technologies, a leading player in India's anti-virus segment said.

As per the findings, there has been a persistent increase in the number of malware attacks on the Google Android platform and mobile applications have become the easiest way to compromise devices, the report said.

According to the report, social engineering still remains one of the most coveted ways of spreading malware. Cyber criminals continue to use it as a convenient way of exploiting human behaviour and platform vulnerabilities.

The report reveals that India is under the grip of cyber attacks with increase of almost 90 percent in Windows malware and a mind-boggling increase of 170-percent in its modifications and the bad guys are also winning the war in the mobile platform.

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Tata Nano Facebook fans crosses 3 million mark

Tata Nano, the diminutive and cheapest car in the world was officially launched by Tata Motors in March 2009. Since than it has taken no time to becoming one of the most loved vehicles and its fans on Facebook are testimony to this  fact. Tata Nano has become India's first auto brand to possess a fan following on Facebook way above the 3 million mark.

It has taken Tata Nano just 1 year to achieve this status drawing the attention of fun loving youth with fun Facebook apps such as Nano Expert Quiz, Drive with MTV and Nano Student of the Year. Tata Nano has also visited colleges in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore with activities such as the Malhar Annual Fest at St, Xavier's College, Mumbai and the NH7 weekender at Pune and Bangalore.

Besides being declared as the most responsive brand in India to have their own online merchandise store on eBay.in from where fans can purchase their favorite Nano memorabilia.

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Samsung unveils full-HD touch-screen monitor optimized for Windows 8

Samsung has unveiled the series 7 SC770  Touch Monitor optimized for Windows 8.

The 24-inch series 7 SC770 Touch Monitor is Samsung's first multi-touch display optimized for Windows 8. It supports upto 10 points of simultaneous multi-touch, letting users drag, rotate or select objects on the monitor using their fingers.

The full-HD monitor provides a contrast ratio of 5000:1 and viewing angles of 178 degrees/178 degrees . It also comes with a USB host and in-built speakers.

"We are committed to serving an expanding market of aspiring young professionals with the professional grade monitors that match their needs," said Junghhwan Kim, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. "As the industry leader for seven consecutive years. Samsung is exploring new technology that provides discerning users with affordable, cutting-edge monitors that deliver a differentiated user experience."

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