Smart driving assistant..

Smart Driving Assistant Comes To Android With Safety-Focused “Do Not Disturb” And Crash Alert Features

Automatic, the smart driving assistant that combines a small hardware device that plugs in your car and a mobile app that provides drivers with data about their vehicle and their driving habits, is now available on Android. Previously an iOS-only application, this release also delivers a couple of new features as well, including an Android-exclusive “do not disturb” mode and a Crash Alert functionality.

The Crash Alert feature, which is currently in beta, is arriving on both iOS and Android for testing purposes. The idea is to offer the conveniences that an integrated system like OnStar would provide in terms of emergency assistance, but bundled into a mobile application instead. With Crash Alert enabled, Automatic will be able to detect if you’ve been in a serious crash and will notify the local authorities with your location even if you can’t.

In addition, someone from Automatic will also reach out to your family and other loved ones on your behalf to let them know what has happened, and that emergency responders are on their way.

The company says that this focus on safety came to the forefront of the team’s mind when they began working on the Android release, which is what also prompted them to introduce the feature that will silence the phone while driving, so users are not bothered by rings or incoming texts. Rather, the app integrates deeply into the Android operating system in order to auto-replies to rings, texting callers back with an automated message that tells them you’re currently driving.

The Android app is here on Google Play. The app itself is free, but as with its iOS counterpart, it works in conjunction with a hardware accessory which plugs into your car’s data port. This is a one-time fee of $99.95. There are no ongoing subscription fees, however.

Top 5 free Antivirus software

Free antivirus software 2014-Top 5

1. Avast Free Antivirus

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 has minimal impact on your system performance.

Avast Free has some useful extras, too. A Software Updater alerts you to program updates you've missed, for instance, while its Browser Cleanup tool provides a simple way to remove unwanted add-ons from your browsers.

Avast recently added a "Grime Fighter," which the company says supports 12 additional languages and offers an advanced console for more user control.

 

2. Panda Cloud Antivirus Free

Small and simple, Panda Cloud Antivirus is a lightweight tool which provides free real-time antivirus protection, and can be used alongside many other security tools without problems.

It's the free version of a commercial product, and so has a few missing features. The Pro edition helps to protect you at public wifi networks, for instance, while its "USB Vaccine" function reduces the risk of malware infecting a USB drive.

Panda recently released version 3.0, which includes a bevy of new features for Pro users. However, users of the free software will be able to access a new interface, the ability to schedule scans, and automatic USB vaccinations.

 

3. ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall

We have one or two concerns about ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall, notably that its antivirus database is only updated daily (hourly updates are reserved for the commercial version), which leaves you more exposed to the very latest threats,

The program does provide plenty of functionality, though, with a capable, AV-Test-certified antivirus engine, an easy-to-use firewall and some browsing protection. 

The database update means it wouldn't be our first choice, but if you're a fan of ZoneAlarm, or just want a firewall and antivirus tool from the same company, this could be a good choice.

4. Avira Free Antivirus

A strong antivirus engine (rated highly by independent labs for its file detection rates) constantly monitors your PC, looking for and eliminating threats.  

If you choose to install the Avira toolbar then you also get some web tools (an antiphishing tool, ad blocker, social networking protection), although this also replaces your default search engine with an Avira page.

 

5. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition

Bitdefender's antivirus engine is one of the best around, and a favourite of the independent testing labs, so getting a free version sounds very appealing indeed.

The program is ultra-compact, downloading and installing in less than a minute on our test PC (although it does demand removal of any incompatible products first). A very basic interface then provides effective on-demand and automatic scanning, real-time antivirus and antiphishing protection.

There are very few manual controls here: no settings, no options, no scan types, no scheduling, nothing at all, perhaps an issue if you like to fine tune your security. But if you prefer simplicity then Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition is an excellent choice.

 

 

Six amazing facts of computer

Six amazing things you didn't know about your computer

 BITS, BYTES AND SIZE

Every gigabyte, there's 1,024 megabytes; 1,024 kilobytes in a megabyte, and 1,024 bytes in a kilobyte. Breaking it down to the lowest level, you've got 8 bits in a byte.

Why does that matter? Because on a flash drive, each bit of data is made up of eight separate floating gates, each comprising two physical transistors, which can record themselves as either a '1' or a '0'. That means that an 8GB iPod Touch has 549,755,813,888 gates arrayed inside that svelte aluminium body.

EVERYTHING ON NET IS ON YOUR COMPUTER

Every time you stream a video or the week's latest Top 40 off the web, it's actually, technically playing off your computer. Every Internet media file has to make a local copy of itself on your machine, first. Ever wondered what that white buffering bar means on YouTube or Netflix? It's the amount of video that's been copied to the local cache, a.k.a. the amount you can still watch if your Net decides to up and die. 

THE DISTANCE DATA TRAVELS 

A quick experiment for you: click this link, which should take you to Wikipedia. With one click, you've just fetched a bunch of data from servers in Virginia, 6,000 km away. Your request has travelled from your computer, through a local Wi-Fi router or a modem, up to a local data centre, from there onwards (under the Atlantic Ocean, if you're in the UK), all the way to Virginia, and back again - in around 0.1 of a second, depending on how good your Internet connection is. Think twice before you complain about 'bulky' Ethernet again.

COUNTING STARTS AT ZERO

Thanks to the way its intrinsic circuitry works, every action that takes place at a base level is happening in binary, where things are either a 1 or a 0, with no shades of grey in between. This actually translates up to a neat bit of programming trivia - in the computer science world, all counting starts at zero, not one.

THE WORK THAT GOES INTO A CTRL+C, CTRL+V

The amount of copying that solid state drives do is a rather under-appreciated fact. Because of the complicated way it works, over-writing a block of old data with some new data isn't as simple as just writing the new stuff in with a bigger Sharpie. Rather, the storage drive has to do some complicated shuffling. In practice, this can mean that writing a tiny 4KB file can require the drive to read 2MB, store that temporarily, erase a whole tonne of blocks, then re-write all the data. It's rather labour-intensive, so think before you juggle your files around next time.

 

Wipro-Den

Wipro to offer cloud services to cable-service provider DEN Networks

IT giants Wipro has bagged an order to provide cloud-based managed services to digital cable and broadband service provider DEN Networks.

The deal will enable DEN to transform into a B2C (business-to-customer) from B2B (business-to-business) firm.

"The 10-year-long contract will enable DEN to provide its customers, local cable operators and partners with real-time services, ensuring continuous engagement and zero downtime," the global software major said in a statement here Monday.

The order will also help DEN to deploy its next generation services and provide quicker service activation, accurate rating and billing through seamless connectivity and integration.

The deal envisages DEN offering SMS and BSS (business support system)-user friendly solutions to allow cable operators to deliver personalised services to their subscribers at improved delivery time.

Working as partners, both firms will meet the changing needs of their customers, provide more choices and market solutions, using onboard and cloud-based distributed analytics.

"Our user-centric architecture and expertise in the broadband & cable space will help DEN engage with customers at a deeper level," Wipro vice-president and business head of global communications Anil K Jain said.

The cloud-based platform will use an extendible patented model to consolidate subscriber, product, service and infrastructure-based operational data.

The platform will also allow operators to create and manage a range of residential and business products for operational efficiency and greater user experience.

As a part of the deal, the cloud-based service will automate DEN's backend processes for seamless subscriber experience and build customer loyalty.

 

cloud future in India

The cloud is calling, but is India ready?

Considering that the concept of 'zero' actually came from India, you would think that data, basically a huge combination of numbers, will be of great importance in this country. Well, in many ways, it is true.

There are more than a billion people in this country whose records are stored in public archives. There are academic records, stored in the archives of schools, colleges and universities. Moreover, the blooming healthcare industry in India also collects and stores new data every single second. But what's unique about the data situation in India is that, till the 90s, most of it was stored in hard copies - paperwork that could fill up football stadiums.

The need for data security

US accused China of backing hackers who allegedly stole crucial information that could hamper America's trade prospects. On the other hand, the NSA in America has been accused of similar crimes when they admittedly intercepted personal messages from China Telecom to learn more about the Chinese military. Therefore, it is high time that India should hugely invest in data security. Being a developing nation, cost is an issue, though. And that is exactly why Cloud-based computing might be one way to go about it.

Is India Cloud-ready?

Now that is the million-dollar question, isn't it? In India, Microsoft Office 365 is available for a price of Rs 330 per month or Rs 3,299 per year. According to reports available from Microsoft, its goal for India is to have at least 25 million users for Cloud services. And with the growing love affair of Indians with their smartphones and tablets, such a goal is not at all unreachable. But is India ready for such an overwhelming change?

The Asia Cloud Computing Association came up with a Cloud Readiness Index for 14 nations across the continent this year and the previous one. While Japan topped the list both times, India came in 9th last year but slipped to 13th in 2014. The areas where India scored the lowest points are international connectivity and data centre risk. IPR protection in India also needs a serious overhaul. When the report came out earlier this year, it stated that India did not have a pro-ICT (Information and Communication Technology) business environment. But now that the country has a new leadership, one that is said to be business friendly, things may turn for the better.

Cloud computing is big and it is here to stay. Also, India has extremely skilled resources.

Wearable Technology Really is The Next Big Thing

Journalists have been predicting that wearable technology will be the “next big thing” for what seems like forever. With milestone releases like Google Glass, the Pebble Smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Gear and the Nike+ Fuelband SE, it just might be time to finally crown wearables as the official “next big thing”. It’s at the point where the once-rumored, but still unannounced iWatch is almost a given in 2014.

      Hard Drives Filled With Helium

Besides just sounding cool, the new helium-filled hard drives introduced by Western Digital this year are a game-changer in storage technology. To put it simply, because their new highly efficient hard drives are filled with helium rather than air, they can now cram 6 TB of capacity into a single drive. You probably won’t be buying one of these any time soon, but with big cloud-centered companies taking part, you just might feel the benefits as a consumer of services like Netflix (especially now that 4K streaming has been announced).