Sony unveils waterproof Xperia ZR

Sony is launching a new Xperia smartphone designed to be dunkable.

Announced on Monday, the Xperia ZR phone can stay under as much as five feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Using the phone's 13-megapixel camera, you can shoot underwater photos and videos in full HD. The dedicated camera key also allows you to quickly take a shot even if the phone is locked.

The camera takes advantage of Sony's Exmor RS for mobile image sensor with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for both photographs and videos. The company promises that photos and videos are automatically captured with the best settings. You can also turn on a burst mode to snap an unlimited series of photos at 15 frames per second.

"The Xperia ZR pushes the boundaries on where and how consumers can use the full potential of their smartphone," Calum MacDougall, director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications, said in a statement. "By combining Sony's leading camera technology with the highest level of water-resistance, you will never miss another moment."

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, the Xperia ZR offers a 4.6-inch HD Reality screen with Sony'sMobile Bravia Engine 2 technology. Equipped with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the phone also provides 4G LTE connectivity.

Google's capacity to store your files will jump by a factor of three, the company said Monday, rising from 5GB to 15GB shared across Google+, Drive, and Gmail.

Google made the announcement just before Google I/O developers conference begins this week. The changes will "roll out over the next couple of weeks," Google said in a blog post.

The new amount of storage space will give people who use Google services the most generous storage capacity of any player in the free online-storage game. A quick look at competitors shows that Dropbox currently starts free subscribers at 2GB, Microsoft SkyDrive users get 7GB, and Apple iCloud, Amazon Cloud Storage, and SugarSync offer 5GB for free. The announcement follows a Google Drive update from last week that allows you to save files from the Web directly to Drive.

There's no doubt that the 15GB is a game-changer in the free storage market. The question is, why did Google do it?

Nevermind "do no evil," Google -- as we all know -- is in the business of making money. If Google is offering you more storage, then there is something that extra storage helps you do that will help Google make more money.

What that is, Google is not saying -- yet.

It's possible that at I/O, Google will reveal that Drive or Google+ will incorporate a more multimedia approach. Or perhaps it's simply nothing more than a shot across the bow of Dropbox: you now get 15GB because Google can give you 15GB.

Either way, it makes Gmail, Google+, and Google Drive that much more appealing to serious Google services users.

Expectations of Google I/O

Google's hotly anticipated annual developer conference will kick off in just a couple days in San Francisco. And conference-goers and Android fans are excited about the possibility of new products the company may announce and/or give away.

But Android fans may be a bit disappointed if their expectation is brand new hardware. While the 2012 Google I/O conference saw the introduction of the new $199 Nexus 7 seven-inch tabletand the Nexus Q streaming media hub, the 2013 conference is likely to feature no brand new Android hardware. Instead, it's likely that Google will refresh some existing products and possibly provide more details on some of its upcoming Android hardware.

That said, Google is expected to focus a great deal on software and we could see a new version of the Google Android software. Whether it will be an updated version of Jelly Bean or the new Android 5.0 version Key Lime Pie is still unknown.

Nexus 7 update

Word on the street is that Google is planning tounveil an upgraded Nexus 7 tablet. According to KGI Securities analyst Mingchi Kuo, whose report was picked up by the blog site 9to5Google, the updated Nexus 7 includes a faster Qualcomm APQ 8064 processor, a 1,920x1,200 7-inch display with narrower bezel, a 5-megapixel camera, wireless charging, and a body that's 7.5mm to 8.5mm thick. The new tablet is also expected to be lighter than the previous version. Google is also expected to keep the same $199 price for the upgraded tablet, according to Kuo. The new tablet could ship in June or July

Google has never revealed sales figures for the Nexus 7, but there's no question that the $199 mini tablet has been a hit. The product has competed well against Apple's own iPad Mini, which is roughly the same size but costs at least $130 more than the Nexus 7. The upgraded camera and display and overall lighter weight of the upgraded Nexus 7 will put the new mini tablet on par with Apple's product.

Nexus 4 update

Google's Nexus 4 is the fourth smartphone to get the Nexus moniker and to provide the pure Android experience for wireless subscribers and developers. The smartphone, which is very similar to LG's Optimus G, was only released in late October, when Google took the wraps off the latest version of its Android software Jelly Bean Android 4.2.

This fact makes it somewhat unlikely that Google would release a completely new device so soon.

But there have been rumors flying around over the past several weeks suggesting that Googlewill upgrade this device, giving it both more internal storage and faster 4G network access. Google makes the current version of the Nexus 4 with either 8GB or 16GB of internal memory. The phone is meant for a worldwide audience and supports GSM technology. But it does not support 4G LTE. This fact alone has made it a big disappointment to U.S. smartphone consumers.

The updated version is likely to have 32GB of internal storage plus 4G LTE support. The big question will be whether Google is able to maintain its inexpensive pricing for this device. Today the 8GB version of the phone sells for $299, while the 16GB version sells for $349 in the Google Play store.

Motorola X Phone details

It's been nearly a year since Google closed its $12.5 billion acquisition of handset maker Motorola Mobility. Since then, eager fans have been expecting a new Google-built phone that sports not only homegrown Google Android software but hardware as well. There have been rumors of the new so-called Motorola X Phone for months.

It's hard to know at this point if the supposed X Phone is an extension of Motorola's previous smartphone products or if it's been tailored made with Google influence.

While many fans would love to see the X Phone launched at Google I/O, it's unlikely the product will be announced and given away to developers at the show. That said, there is a chance that Google will give developers more information about the new product. Some of the rumors floating around suggest the device will have a 4.8-inch touch screen and a Snapdragon 800 processor running at 2GHz. Some say the X Phone will be virtually indestructible sporting a hardened case and display that is even tougher than Gorilla Glass.

Google Glass details

Google Glass had its big coming out party at Google I/O last year. And while only a prototype at that time, the wearable Net-connected technology got Google fans excited.

A year later, Google Glass recently began shipping to early developers and press. Google's CEO and founder Sergey Brin has said that pricing and availability of Google Glass will be announced by the end of the year. Perhaps he'll reveal more details at Google I/O.

Aside from shipping details and pricing, there is still so much to say about Google Glass that it's very likely Google will use the conference to talk up how exactly people are expected to use Google Glass. As a result, there's a good chance that Google may reveal some third-party apps that are being developed for Google Glass. Hopefully, we will get to see some cool demos during the big keynote.

University student crafts app that helps blind smartphone users snap photos

Dustin Adams, a Ph.D student at the University of California at Santa Cruz, has teamed up with colleagues at his school in order to craft an app that helps visually impaired users line up the ideal snapshot. The project started out as a quiz, asking 54 people with varying degrees of ocular impairment what they found most difficult about taking photos. From there, he essentially boiled that down into requirements for a smartphone program. For starters, the app does away with a conventional shutter button, instead relying on an upward swipe gesture to grab a frame.

Moreover, it integrates face detection and voice accessibility, enabling the phone itself to talk to the photographer and alert him / her as to how many faces are detected and in focus. The app also captures a 30-second audio clip whenever the camera mode is activated, which helps remind users of what was going on during the capture of a shot. Unfortunately, there aren't any screenshots or videos of the app in action just yet, but that's scheduled to change when it's formally unveiled at the Pervasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments conference in Greece later this month.

Your very own drone, to follow you home

Imagine carving your way down a particularly challenging slope, your skis kicking up clouds of snow, trees flying by, your death-defying stunts captured perfectly on camera. And you're all by yourself.

How would you pull off such a feat?

Short of those with a film crew on hand, or at least a buddy with a GoPro camera tracking your every move, it's hard to imagine it being possible at all, let alone while you're alone.

But you may not have to imagine it for long.

Next week, a startup called Universal Air will finish shipping out its entry level R10 quadrotors, a drone whose advertised combination of low price, reliability, and durability inspired more than 400 people to fund the company's Kickstarter campaign to the tune of almost 15 times its financial goal. UAir, as it's known, had hoped to raise $15,000 and ship 30 R10's, according to co-founder Max Bruner, but ended up bringing in $220,000 and facing one of the problems many super-successful Kickstarter projects experience: the inability to quickly satisfy demand.

Bruner said that the R10 was initially meant to be a prototype, but with so much interest, UAir had no choice but to ramp up to a production-quality drone. And now, those who ordered the UAV will soon be getting their hands on an aircraft said to be ideal for allowing amateur photographers and videographers to shoot from the air, yet which users can fly with an Xboxcontroller or an RC transmitter.

Cool as the R10 might be, though, it's not up to the task of autonomously tracking you while you barrel down a ski slope.

But while the R10 is meant to appeal because of its low price and its durability, UAir is hoping that initial UAV is just the beginning. The company is readying its next drone, a slick and easy-to-use aircraft expected to go on sale in July that stands apart from competing consumer products like the Parrot AR Drone, and a number of expensive hobbyist kits with more functionality, by offering both a low price and the ability to carry a payload like a GoPro camera. The Parrot, by comparison, shoots HD video with a built-in camera, and Bruner believes users are going to want better optics than that, but without paying the hefty prices of more sophisticated but harder-to-use hobbyist rigs.

Yet UAir's ultimate product isn't its next drone. Rather, it's the UAV the company hopes to get off the ground sometime in the first half of 2014. That, said Bruner, will be a fully-autonomous quadrotor aimed at the adventure sports market. The idea? Allow someone to go skiing, or rock climbing, or high-diving, and know that their drone is following them the whole way, thanks to an on-board tracking beacon, shooting HD photos or videos the entire time.

As with the current-gen Parrot AR Drone 2.0, UAir's future UAV is expected to feature Wi-Fi connectivity that allows a user to take the drone with them and count on it staying close by, regardless of whether or not there's an accessible Internet connection. As long as a user can establish a Wi-Fi connection between their mobile phone and the drone, "you're good to go," Bruner said

Amazon Developing a 3D Smartphone

While Amazon has been quite successful with it’s Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets, it has been rumored since long that the company will foray into the smart phone segment as well. 

Now, according to a latest report, Amazon is working on not one, but two smart phones, one of which will be a high-end 3D smart phone, featuring a glassless 3D display. The smart phone will use a retina-tracking technology, using which the 3D image on the smartphone will refocus as per the movement of user’s eyes, allowing users to easily view content in 3D at all angles.

Using the same retina tracking technology, users will be able to navigate through content on the smart phone, just like we’ve seen on the Samsung Galaxy S4. 

Interestingly, the report says that the two smart phones are only a part of the larger hardware push by the company, which also plans to introduce an audio-only streaming device. Other than that, Amazon is also building a set top box for streaming movies and TV shows.

The report adds that Amazon plans to introduce the new devices in the coming months, but says that some or all these devices might also be dropped pertaining to issues related to the performance of these devices or other financial reasons. 

If Amazon does introduce it’s own smart phone, it will bring the company in a direct competition with the likes of Apple and Google. 

New Nexus 7 may debut at Google I/O with same $199 price tag

The follow-up to the Nexus 7 tablet may get a slew of upgrades, but still keep its $199 price tag.

That's the opinion of KGI Securities analyst Mingchi Kuo, who believes that Google may unveil the upgraded tablet at its Google I/O conference next week.

The upgrades include a faster Qualcomm APQ 8064 processor, a 1920 by 1200 7-inch display with narrower bezel, a 5-megapixel camera, wireless charging, and a body that's 7.5 millimeters to 8.5 millimeters thick. It expected to be lighter. Web site 9to5Googlepicked up on the analyst's report.

The analyst also believes Google will keep the price tag at $199 despite the higher end components, and may end up eating $5 to $10 per unit. The new Nexus 7 could be ready to ship in June or July, and Kuo believes Google and Asus could ship 5 million units in the second half of the year.

The Nexus 7 was a well-regarded tablet that was praised for its low price and set of features. Given the success of the Nexus 7, many are eager to see what Google has for a second act.

Recruiting firm CyberCoders has released new data about the skills most in demand for the highest paying technology jobs this year. The company analysed over 10,000 tech companies and their hiring requirements to compile the list of the hottest skills in the tech space. 

Data from CyberCoders reveals that candidates who have experience with iOS development,cloud computing programming and front-end development skills are most in demand in today's tech career landscape. 

The top 10 tech skills for 2013, as per CyberCoders are listed below: 

1. Mobile development (iOS, Android); 2. Cloud computing (AWS, Azure); 3. Front end development (HTML5, CSS3, Javascript); 4. UX/UI design; 5. Big Data (Hadoop, MongoDB, NoSQL); 6. C#; 7. Ruby on rails; 8. Java; 9. PHP; and 10. Linux 

"A common theme among these technology skills is the need for open source, mobile, cloud or big data technologies, like iOS, Azure and Hadoop," said Matt Miller, CTO of CyberCoders.

How to send, share heavy files

Email service providers limit the size of the files you can attach to 25MB. That becomes a problem if you have too many photos or videos to send. Most people get round the problem by sending the files in batches, though it is annoying for the sender as well as the receiver. 

Cloud-based storage systems have made the task easier. Users of Google Drive, SkyDrive of Microsoft and Dropbox can share files uploaded to them with another user. So no need to send any file. You can also attach a file directly from Google Drive to Gmail. 

SkyDrive offers free storage space of 7GB, Google Drive 5GB and Dropbox 2.5GB which goes up gradually as an incentive with usage. 

Yahoo recently tied up with Dropbox to make the task simpler. The attachments received on Yahoo Mail can be saved to Dropbox, and files in Dropbox can be attached to Yahoo Mail. Attachments more than 25MB can also be attached to Yahoo Mail but sent via Dropbox. 

YouSendIt is another popular cloud storage device. Users upload photos to it, and send the link to the receiver, who can click on the link and download the photos to his or her computer.

Cheaper Apple iPhone confirmed for 2013

After launching a smaller, cheaper version of the popular iPad last year, Apple is looking to up the ante in smartphones too. The world's biggest technology company will launch the much-speculated cheaper iPhone this year, according to a report by ETrade Supply.

As per a source of ETrade Supply in Foxconn, which manufacturer iPhones, Apple is gearing up to launch a budget smartphone. Last year, ETrade Supply sources had leaked accurate information about upcoming Apple products, including the front panel of iPhone 5.

Recently, JP Morgan analysts Gokul Hariharan and Mark Moskowitz said that Apple's cheaper iPhone is unlikely to be a budget device. Rather, it will be a mid-range product that will hurt the business of Samsung Galaxy series by capturing 25% of the segment within a year of launch.

As per technology blog Tactus, a leaked Apple internal document reveals that the cheaper iPhone would be priced approximately $300-$400. According to an alleged leaked image of the cheaper iPhone, the upcoming device will have a glossy plastic back.

Speculation is also rife that Apple will launch the cheaper iPhone as well as the upgraded version of iPhone (likely to be called iPhone5S) together on June 20.

Jaguar Bringing F-Type To India In July

Jaguar is planning on bringing its new convertible supercar, the F-Type, to India in July this year. Creating waves around the automotive world, the E-Type’s spiritual successor is trying to head Jaguar in a new and refreshing direction. Breaking from the tradition of building elegant, luxurious sedans, Jaguar is trying to carve out its place in the sports car segment with the svelte and feline F-Type, promising supercar performance with gorgeous looks.
The F-Type will reportedly be launched in India in two variants. The F-Type S has a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 under the hood producing 375 bhp and 460 Nm of torque. It can get the F-Type from 0-97 kmph in 4.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 275 kmph. The top of the line F-Type V8 S has a massive 5.0-litre supercharged V8 power plant under the hood producing 488 bhp and a tire-shredding 625 Nm of torque. This translates from nought to 100 kmph in 4.3 seconds and on to a 300 kmph top speed. Both models have the engines at the front sending all the power to the rear wheels, and are mated to 8-speed automatic transmissions with paddle-shifters offering manual override. The V6 employs a mechanical limited-slip differential and the V8 an electronic limited-slip differential to manage the F-Type’s raw power most efficiently. The F-Type has a double-wishbone front and rear suspension with adaptive dampers and adjustable suspension settings to allow the driver to tweak ride and handling.

The first thing that strikes you about the F-Type however, is surely the way it looks. The F-Type is almost identical to the C-X16 Concept and that’s a good thing because it looks stunning. Beautifully proportioned and quite compact, the F-Type has done away with the oval front grille. The shark gill openings on either flank of the new grille are very modern and give it an edge. The shape of the hood and the taillights resemble those of the iconic Jaguar E-Type. The rear diffuser and integrated tail pipes (dual on the V6, quad on the V8) add to the aggressive looks but with plenty of elegance. A hidden spoiler pops out at speeds over 90 kmph and goes into hiding when speed drops below 60 kmph. The F-Type is built with extreme care and quality, and the interior is very luxurious and tasteful, typical of Jaguar.

There’s no doubt that the F-Type looks the part, and goes like it too. However, it’s expected to lighten your wallet by Rs. 1.3-1.5 crore, and in a highly competitive sports car segment, it remains to be seen if the Jag can hold its own among traditional supercar giants such as the Porsche 911, the Audi R8 and the Aston Martin Vantage. We’ll surely find out in the months to come.

Skype Beware,Viber past 200M user

Add Viber to the list of insanely popular messaging services that have more than 200 million users.

The 2-year-old mobile messaging and VoIP service, developed by Viber Media, announced the new stat Tuesday, saying that it has 200 million members spread across 193 countries. The company also revealed Viber Desktop for free calling and messaging on PCs and Macs.

Viber, which specializes in mobile apps for iOS, Android, and most other operating systems, lets people use their mobile numbers in place of usernames and allows for free calls and multimedia messages over cellular or Wi-Fi connections. Viber Desktop carries the once mobile-only experience over to PCs and Macs, and introduces desktop-to-desktop video calls.

The service's iOS and Android apps were also refreshed Tuesday to allow for a hiccup-free experience when switching between mobile and desktop. The redesigned apps also come with video messages, additional stickers, and support for more languages. Viber now supports 27 languages in total.

Viber joins Facebook, WhatsApp, Kik, and others in disrupting the messaging market with over-the-top offerings that eat into carrier profits. WhatsApp suggested last month that it was beyond the 200 million user threshold.

Viber, now with a striking presence on the desktop, also looks like a formidable challenger to more entrenched VoIP calling providers such as Microsoft-owned Skype, which has more than 280 million users.

Micromax A120 Canvas HD Pro

Micromax A120 Canvas HD Pro, the successor of the popular A116 Canvas HD is all set to make its way to the big stage. Micromax is trying to compete against the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and LG Optimus G Pro.

The upcoming A120 Canvas HD Pro will sport a 5.5" full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a quad-core Cortex A7 processor around 1.2 GHz, PowerVR Series 5XT GPU and 2 GB of RAM. The main camera will do 13 megapixel stills and will feature a dual LED flash, while the front-facer will have a 3.2 megapixel sensor. Internal storage is rather limited at 8 GB, but you can expand it by up to 64 GB via the microSD card slot.

The dual-SIM MicroMax A120 smartphone will run on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and will be powered by a 3,000mAh battery.

The Micromax A120 Canvas HD Pro is rumored to be launched on June 30 and with a price tag of INR20,000 (about $384).

Nanoparticle Water Purifier Could Bring Clean Water to Rural Areas

A water purification system that uses nanotechnology to remove bacteria, viruses and other contaminants may be able to deliver clean drinking water to rural communities for less than $3 a year per family, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai, India, developed a purification device that filters water through a specially crafted mixture of nanoparticles to removeharmful contaminants.

The device, which is currently being tested in communities in India, could offer an affordable way to provide small families with at least 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of safe drinking water per day, said study co-author Thalappil Pradeep, a professor in the department of chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

Silver ions to the rescue

To develop this system, scientists first had to figure out how to remove impurities from water retrieved from wells and other local sources.

"We had to look at several problems with water: One is microbes. Another is bacteria and viruses, and then chemicals, like arsenic, lead and pesticides," Pradeep told LiveScience.

The researchers designed a water filter composed of a grainy mix of nanoparticles — so-called composite nanomaterials — that release a continuous stream of silver ions to destroy microbes in the water.

Silver ions, which flow from nanoparticles when oxidized (a conversion process in which an element or molecule becomes more positively charged), have long been known for their ability to effectively kill bacteria.

Other composite materials in the filter cartridge were added to remove arsenic, pesticides, lead and other heavy metals from the water.

"By combining several materials together, we can have an all-inclusive purifier," Pradeep said. "Everything goes through the filter, passes through these materials, and you finally get clean water."

Will it work?

The filtration process takes approximately an hour, and the researchers' current prototype containers can hold up to 10 liters of water.

"For a family of five in a rural Indian village, you probably need some water in the morning for cooking and some water for drinking," Pradeep explained. "We figure 9 to 10 liters is good enough for those purposes. Then, you can fill it up again, and you now have 20 liters for the day."

Eleven percent of the global population, or 783 million people, lack access to improved sources of drinking water, according to the World Health Organization and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation.

The water purifiers are currently being tested in communities in India, but Pradeep sees potential for them to be used in other rural locations around the world. 

"We're implementing this already on a community scale, looking at regional water problems," Pradeep said. "But arsenic is a big problem in Africa and other places, and we are interacting with people about it."

World's First 3D-printed gun makes its debut

In an unprecedented technical feat, the first fully 3D-printed gun has been successfully fired. The gun fired a .380 calibre bullet in Texas on May 4.

Made almost entirely out of plastic, the gun, dubbed “the Liberator”, is the result of a year of trials and errors by controversial group Defense Distributed. The shot fired was a .380 bullet.

The company is led by 25 year-old self-described “crypto-anarchist,” tech enthusiast and gun rights activist Cody Wilson. He told the BBC: “There are states all over the world that say you can’t own firearms – and that’s not true anymore. I’m seeing a world where technology says you can pretty much be able to have whatever you want. It’s not up to the political players anymore.”

3D printing costs are rapidly decreasing. The second-hand 3D printer used on Saturday cost 8,000$ (6,100€). 3D printers work by laying down layers of material, often plastic or melted polymer, that harden to form solid objects.

The Liberator is made out of 16 3D-printed plastic pieces with the only non-plastic working piece of the gun being a common store nail, in lieu of a firing pin. Wilson also included a 6 ounce piece of non-functional metal in the body of the gun to make it detectable by a metal detector, as it is required by the Undetectable Firearms Act.

Defense Distributed benefits from the rapid evolution of the 3D printing technology as well as from the structural and financial support of the Internet. It raised funds online so efficiently that Wilson now claims that 99% of the company’s assets are in Bitcoin, a crypted digital currency, Forbes reported.

Defense Distributed made the Liberator’s CAD files, its digital blueprint, available for download onDEFCAD.org. This platform has been set-up after a top hub for 3D printing took down firearms-related files, a move criticized by Defense Distributed as “censorship.”

New legal challenges

Defense Distributed is no rookie when it comes to printed weapons. Wilson starred in a Vice Magazine’s Motherboard video documentary where he shot several hundred rounds on an AR-15 rifle using a 3D-printed grip, lower receiver and magazine.

A few weeks after President Obama’s push for gun control was shelved by the Senate, 3D-printed firearms are set to create more headaches for gun control activists; a comment on the Liberator’s DEFCAD page says: “Kudos to all involved in this project for making the Second Amendment a physical right. You’re on the right side of history.”

If the ATF, the United States firearms’ regulatory body, grants Wilson a federal firearms licence to manufacture the AR-15’s pieces, two US senators have already called for new legislation banning 3D-printable guns. “A terrorist, someone who is mentally ill, a spousal abuser, a felon can essentially open a gun factory in their garage,” Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said in a press conference on Sunday.