Wireless power today is mostly about convenience; not having to fish out a cable and get it the right way round when you plug it in. But once it becomes ubiquitous, it will change the way devices are designed; they can have smaller batteries or save space by not needing the power port at all.

This year at CES, as we have seeing the latest wireless power products and the next step in wireless charging technology, we also got some good news on getting more users and businesses on board with wireless power - 2014 will definitely be a big year for wireless charging.

There are over 60 different phones that have Qi wireless charging (the inductive charging standard) built in today - and 40 million of them have been sold - and because it's a standard, you can put your phone down on any Qi charging surface and it will just start grabbing power.

If your phone doesn't have Qi built in, Incipio introduced a line of wireless charging pads and protective cases at CES that add it (including Lumia models like the Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 1520 that have a connector designed to simplify adding a charging case).

That surface doesn't have to be a pad on your desk either. It could be a light or a mouse mat: silicon valley startup Kudos Tech had prototypes for both, although no dates for putting them into production yet.

You don't have to only charge a phone; IDAPT has added a Qi charging module to its clever Modulo battery system, which lets you connect up to five external 2000mAh batteries to charge your phone or tablet.

Snap on as many batteries as you need to take with you and drop it onto a wireless charger to keep them topped up before you leave.

Or it could be a car cradle (Nokia has a wireless charging cradle already and Tylt was showing off a prototype of its own at CES, with a perpetually sticky surface to hold your phone in place) or a tray built into your car. Both have NFC which can trigger your phone to launch a specific app, like GPS navigation, or pair with the car's Bluetooth automatically when you start charging it.

The Jeep Cherokee will have a wireless charging shelf in the 2014 model, Toyota will put it in the Avalon and Prius and the German auto consortium that advises Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi and BMW is recommending Qi, after a three year study on wireless charging.

We even saw an FAA-approved wireless charger for use on planes; expect to see it in private jets first rather than on your next economy flight though.

Making wireless power resonate

So with a standard like Qi and products already in the market, why is wireless charging still not common?

Expert says that confusion over standards has been slowing adoption. Yes, there's the Qi standard, but there have been plenty of other wireless charging launches that haven't been part of Qi. Even Qualcomm has its own wireless charging system for electric cars (it charges the motor, not your smartphone, but still, it's something else to confuse people).

The WPC is trying to tackle that by bringing new wireless charging developments into the Qi standard,

Today Qi uses near-field coupling, between the coil antenna inside your phone and the one inside the charging mat; you have to either put multiple coils in or rely on people lining up devices in just the right spot.

The latest Qi mats give you a little more freedom of movement but to be able to put devices down anywhere on the surface and to be able to fit the charging pad underneath a thick surface like a table or a kitchen worksurface requires the next technology to be included in the Qi standard, magnetic resonance.

Resonant charging lets you put the phone off to one side of the charging spot or have something else in the way and still get charge.

We saw a new charger from Convenient Power that has resonant charging that's fully backwards compatible with Qi, so you will be able to stack two notebooks on the charger and put a Nokia Lumia on top of them and have it charge.

Convenient Power also showed us a five-device charger that automatically detects the power requirements of the phones and tablets you put on it and delivers the right charge, and again you don't need to worry about lining them up neatly.

New Zealand wireless power experts PowerByProxi also creates resonant chargers, although it will licence its designs to other companies rather than selling them directly like Convenient Power. Phones will need to have a new charging antenna but they'll still charge on older Qi pads.

The big advantage of the PowerByProxi system is that it puts devices in charge of setting the power level they need, and it can send different power levels to different devices. That means your almost-flat tablet can get lots of power instead of just the trickle of power needed to top up your almost-fully-charged phone

Getting new developments into a backwardly compatible standard like this is vital if we want to see wireless charging on offer at Starbucks and every hotel the way wireless networking is – something that would really make wireless power ubiquitous

Infrastructure has been stalled because it's a very conservative market. A hotel wants maximum usability and long life before they're going to put this on every night stand. There needs to be an experience that adds value beyond charging," experts says.

The new chargers that can be bolted under tables without having to chisel out a slot will help, as with more freedom of positioning. "You just put the phone down on the charger; you don't have to get the placement just right."

And so with management software that shows which devices are sitting on a table, charging, and whether the power is getting through to them properly. Making wireless power easy to fit, easy to support and easy to use could be what we need to see it everywhere in the next couple of years.

Yahoo Ranked as most-trafficked Web site

While Yahoo's earnings haven't been exactly stellar over the past few months, its Web traffic certainly has. According to new data from analytics firm ComScore, Yahoo had more than 195 million unique US visitors from desktop computers in December -- that puts the site ahead of Google, Microsoft, and Facebook
ComScore released its list of the top 50 most trafficked Web sites from desktop computers in the US on Monday, showing that search engines, news sites, and social media pull in a heavy load of visitors. The total desktop Internet audience is more than 224 million unique users. ComScore's list doesn't include mobile traffic.

After Yahoo, coming in second place was Google with more than 192 million unique visitors, in third place was Microsoft with more than 175 million unique visitors. These three companies seem to have been shifting around the top three spots for the last couple of years. Typically Google takes the No. 1 ranking, but Yahoo dethroned the Web giant in July 2013 and has kept a strong-hold on this position ever since.

Of social media sites, Facebook ranks the highest -- taking the fourth spot overall with more than 140 million unique visitors. And, of e-commerce sites, Amazon seems to be doing the best with sixth place overall and more than 116 million unique visitors. See the full top 50 list below.

The technology giant ( Intel ) explains how switching is done with Android, Windows 8.1 dual-OS devices.

The Asus Transformer Book Duet TD300 tablet can run both Android and Windows 8.1.

Intel was keen to show off its new dual-OS switching technology that's been implemented in collaboration with Asus.

It takes about three and a half seconds to switch between operating systems, as Intel demonstrates

The switch can be done with either a hardware or software key.

What Intel enables is the rapid switching, but the way the switching and file- and memory-sharing is implemented is a proprietary Asus technology. That will likely apply to other dual-OS devices from other manufacturers also.

The Asus Transformer Book Duet TD300 tablet is a 13.3-inch detachable that separates from the keyboard base to become a standalone tablet.

Asus will also be bringing out an 11-inch model capable of running Windows 8.1 and Android.

SPECIFICATIONS*Transformer Book Duet TD300

• Dual-OS - Windows 8.1 Standard / Android 4.2.2
• 13.3-inch Full HD IPS multi-touch display
• Up to Intel® Core™ i7 processor
• 4GB DDR3L 1600 RAM
• Up to 128GB SSD in Tablet
• Up to 1TB HDD in Dock
• 38WHr battery, estimated battery life around 5 hours in Windows 8.1 and 6 hours in Android 4.2.2.
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR
• Tablet ports: Micro SD card, Headphone jack, DC jack
• Keyboard dock ports: 1 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, 10/100Mbit/s LAN, HDMI 1.4, audio combo jack, DC jack

How To Load Android Apps On Z10

The BlackBerry Z10 is the only smartphone that has a built in Android emulator allowing it to run some Android applications as well as BlackBerry 10 applications. Since BlackBerry 10 is a new platform, it is lacking in the available applications department. This was probably why BlackBerry built support for Android apps to run on BlackBerry 10 through an emulator, so it could say that there would be over 70,000 applications at launch in BlackBerry World. Of those 70,000, 1,000 are native BlackBerry 10 applications and the rest are all Android ports and Web apps.

GoodEReader has put together instructions and a step by step video on how to install Android applications on the BlackBerry Z10. You'll need to put the Z10 in Developer's Mode and create a password that you'll remember. Once you've done that you'll need to connect your Z10 to a PC via microUSB cable. You'll need to visit GoodEReader's Playbook and BB10 App Market to download the apps; you will not be able to install standard Android .APK files on the Z10. The apps in GoodEReader's App Market have already been converted to BAR files which will install on the Z10.

BlackBerry made a wise move in building an Android emulator for the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry 10. It allows them to have a decent number of popular applications available to users, even if they're not native BlackBerry 10 apps. A new platform is only as good as the apps available to run on it, so adding Android apps into the BlackBerry 10 mix makes some very popular apps readily found in BlackBerry World.

BlackBerry World to Allow Android Apps

BlackBerry is a company in the middle of some major transition. After an initial money-injecting purchase of the smartphone company was cancelled, they installed a new CEO and the new man in charge put forth a new vision for the company, which has struggled to stay relevant as iOS and Android devices continue to take over the mobile market. As a way to stay in the minds of current and potential customers, BlackBerry is trying something different.
It was announced that BlackBerry phones will begin to support Android apps, a move that could help the beleaguered company. The upcoming 10.2.1 update for Blackberry hardware will also have other things that will be included within the additions for Blackberry users. "The Android Runtime team has been hard at work this year, bringing many new improvements to the runtime, such as support for Jelly Bean 4.2.2, hardware acceleration and performance updates," said Matt on the BlackBerry Developer Blog. "The team is continuing the quest to improve the overall compatibility of the runtime and add support for many highly requested features and APIs." Here is everything that will be included in the update.
 Android Native Support: Android apps that use shared libraries written in native-code, such as C and C , will now be supported on BlackBerry 10 OS. Support is limited to the recommended system headers and APIs as documented by Google. Headers and APIs outside this scope may not function correctly.

Bluetooth: Android applications using Android Bluetooth APIs will now work on BlackBerry 10 devices. Bluetooth Low Energy for Android is planned to be supported in a future OS release. As a reminder, Bluetooth LE is supported in the BlackBerry 10 Native/Cascades SDK.

MapView v1: Applications that use MapView from Google Maps v1 API are now supported using OpenStreetMaps. Support for MapView v2 API is being planned for a future release.

- Share Framework: Android applications that register with the share framework in Android will now also appear as share targets on the BlackBerry 10 share menu.

- Spellcheck: Applications that use text input can now leverage support for spell checking and correction, and the ability to add words to the BlackBerry 10 dictionary.

New BlackBerry CEO John Chen wrote in November that the company is still "committed to delivering high quality products and services to the millions people who rely on us globally" but the problem lies with the fact that no one really takes the BlackBerry brand seriously. BlackBerry, once a company that shipped 51.5 million units in 2011, is predicted by many to run through it $2 billion cash reserves within 18 months. In 2009, BlackBerry owned approximately 50 percent of the handset market but now are struggling against the likes of Apple and Android products. Heins' reign as CEO saw the launch of the newest BlackBerry phones which included the BlackBerry Z10, which lost the company close to $1 billion due to poor sales.

This is the second change for BlackBerry in last few months as in September BlackBerry made their BBM messenger service available for iPhones and Android devices.

Super Mario On Android/iPhones?

If you've been hoping and praying that Nintendo enters the mobile market and you can play Mario on your iPhone, well, the time is coming. But be careful what you wish for. Because Nintendo going mobile won't happen out of business acumen, but out of sheer desperation. During a conference Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the company is going to have to consider some new strategies to staunch the bleeding caused by (presumably) the failure of the Wii U. Bloomberg reports that Nintendo lost $240 million in 2013.

We are thinking about a new business structure," Iwata said. "Given the expansion of smart devices, we are naturally studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business. It's not as simple as enabling Mario to move on a smartphone."

Actually, it may be just that simple if the scores of jailbreakers out there putting ROMs on iPhones is any indication. Nintendo is already sitting on a goldmine of classic titles, most of which require less memory than your standard weather app. A quick and easy fix for Nintendo could be as simple as a "Best Of" app for iOS and Android that features a handful of Super Mario titles, the original Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong for something like $14.99. Nintendo could go franchise specific and launch all the Mario games in one app, all the Zelda games in another and all the Pokemon titles in a third. If it's looking for quick cash, I think that's it.

There's also the long road, which would have Nintendo developing completely new IPs featuring its classic characters. This, I think, is far riskier. Nintendo needs to make money, not spend money. And if it decides to invest serious capital in developing an exclusive Super Mario mobile title, it cuts into the profit margin. Not to mention it would take resources away from developing titles for the 3DS, a.k.a. the only thing keeping Nintendo afloat right now.

The success of the 3DS seems like the reason Nintendo has avoided the mobile gaming market. It would be creating its own competition, really. If they launch a super cool Mario game for mobile platforms than what's the incentive to buy the next super cool Mario game for 3DS? Or even buy a 3DS at all? Because if Nintendo is going to start making high-quality, original IPs for mobile then that's the question fans will be asking.

Nintendo needs to swallow its pride and put out some quick, cheap games that bundle the NEWS/SNES classics together. Start re-releasing the games for $2 each. Old school fans and newer, younger devotees will both embrace the opportunity to play some serious classics on mobile devices. Stop the bleeding, Nintendo, and stay afloat long enough for the fence sitters to finally buy a Wii U once that epic new Zelda comes out.

Lab Grown Meat

If you're wondering what you're actually eating at McDonald's, those questions may increase within the next ten years. Lab grown meat is a process that is constantly being developed and perfected. Scientists have grown their own beef and eggs, reaching edible stages.

Professor Mark Post of the University of Maastricht, the scientist behind the first in-vitro burger, believes that test tube meat will be better for us. “We gain greater control over what the meat consists of, for example its fat content,” he says. “And the reduction in the number of farmed animals reduces the chance of zoonosis,“ or infectious diseases that spread from animals to people. So how exactly could meat grown in labs be better for our health than the meat that is grown in cows? and also what about the taste factor?

The Cuddlebot

Think Angry Cat is creepy? Try petting the Cuddlebot. Created to relieve stress, this piece of fur features the natural movements that we feel when petting an animal. Who knows when Cuddlebot will transform and go after our real pets.

These days, human-machine interaction is a pretty hot topic of academic study. Whether it's the psychological effect of drone warfare on pilots or the emotional toll of killing a pleading animatronic, the rise of a robots of all shapes and sizes in our everyday lives fascinates academics and merits research.

Cuddlebot looks a little like the fluffy creature Tribble from Star Trek, and is similarly covered in a shaggy coat of ultra-sensitive fur. Perhaps more precisely, the Cuddlebot is a well wired mat of fur. The fur and the piezoelectric sheath beneath lets the creature sense and differentiate between 9 kinds of touch gestures. It can tell if someone’s stroking it or tickling it or scratching it, and, after a while it can tell who those gestures were coming from.

Like A Fish Underwater Breathing System

Special technology dubbed as “Like a Fish” will allow humans to breathe in water, transfer the oxygen out and swim with the fishes. Once the technology is mastered, who knows how many underwater cities will develop and territorial ownership problems will begin.

Since Ancient times man has sought ways to go below the sea level. Aristotle describes the first depictions of underwater devices. The devices Aristotle described resembled a jar turned upside down, in which a diver thrust his head. During his descent to the sea floor, the diver breathed the air that remained inside the jar. In the last 60 years, the technologies for underwater breathing have progressed rapidly.

Several potential methods exist for the development of artificial gills. One proposed method is the use of liquid breathing with a membrane oxygenator to solve the problem of carbon dioxide retention, the major limiting factor in liquid breathing. It is thought that a system such as this would allow for diving without risk of decompression sickness.

They are generally thought to be unwieldy and bulky, because of the massive amount of water that would have to be processed to extract enough oxygen to supply an active diver, as an alternative to a scuba set.

To overcome the limitations in Underwater Breathing, an Israeli inventor, Alon Bodner, turned to fish. Fish do not perform chemical separation of oxygen from water; instead they use the dissolved air that exists in the water in order to breathe. In the ocean the wind, waves and underwater currents help spread small amounts of air inside the water. Studies have shown that in a depth of 200m below the sea there is still about 1.5% of dissolved air. This might not sound like much but it is enough to allow both small and large fish to breathe comfortably underwater. The system developed by Bodner uses a well known physical law called "Henry's Law

Exoskeletons

Iron Man can exist! Except that when the military starts implementing all of these exoskeletons into battle, the only victims will be innocent bystanders as the violence and attacks increase to try and destroy the machines.

Bionics designs, develops, and commercializes exoskeletons, or wearable robots, which have a variety of potential applications in the medical, military, industrial, and consumer markets. Exoskeletons are ready-to-wear, battery-powered robots that are strapped over the user's clothing, enabling individuals to achieve mobility, strength, or endurance not otherwise possible.

You might be surprised to learn that, someday soon, an only slightly less incredible version of Iron Man's suit may enable U.S. soldiers to run faster, carry heavier weapons and leap over obstacles on the battlefield. And at the same time, it'll shield them from the effects of bullets and bombs. The military has been working on the concept of the powered exoskeleton, a technology designed to augment the human body and its capabilities

Energy Spray

Spray tans were one thing, but now spray caffeine is starting to hit the market. Not only will people get quick energy boosts, but other things like spray alcohol will likely follow.

Sprayable Energy is a revolutionary spray-on caffeine applied to your skin for a smooth focused boost of energy, Sprayable is clear, unscented and effective, Sprayable enters your system at a steady rate - giving you the exact amount of energy you need for hours Sprayable Energy, it’s an unscented mix of caffeine, water and a derivative of tyrosine, which is one of 22 naturally occurring amino acids that cells in the body use to synthesize proteins. They say the spray usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes to take effect. While there haven’t been any long-term studies on how in-taking caffeine through the skin compares to ingesting it

 If you Use Google Chrome as your main browser on Android or iOS, you'll want to keep an eye out for a Chrome update that'll be rolling out in the coming days, because it'll contain a new feature that will stretch your data bucket farther.
Google announced that it's rolling out a new data compression feature in Chrome for Android and iOS that can reduce data usage by as much as 50 percent. The feature has been available to select for some time now, but today Google will begin pushing it out to everyone. Chrome's data-saving feature also brings with it safe browsing tech to protect users from malicious websites. To begin saving some megabytes while meandering around the web, Chrome users simply need to head into Settings > Bandwidth management > Reduce data usage. 

On that note, this data compression feature, Google is baking a couple of platform-specific updates into this latest Chrome release. The Android crowd will gain the ability to add shortcuts to their favorite websites right to their device's homescreen by clicking on the toolbar menu and hitting "Add to homescreen." Meanwhile, iOS users will be able to translate web pages that are in a foreign language.

Many wireless subscribers are now signed up for limited data package, meaning that they've got to be more aware of their data consumption than consumers with unlimited data plans did a few years ago. This new Chrome data compression tool ought to help users make their data allotments last longer and potentially save some cash, which is something that I'm sure we can all get behind. If you're interested in cutting down on the amount of data you consume while browsing on your phone, hit up the links below to download the Android and iOS flavors of Chrome.

Via Google Chrome Blog, Google Play Store: Chrome Browser, Apple App Store: Chrome

Airtel NG telecommunication industry have introduced yet another package for opera mini users
This new package can sustain you till the end of the month regardless of the device you are using.
Those who are always data cap conscious, this new package might suit you since you no longer need to worry about in sufficient mb. I’m pretty sure every mobile device, uses opera mini browser, which uses data compression technology on thier server just like blackberry, which automatically means that this new airtel package is suitable for many.

How Can I Get The New Opera Mini Bundle?
The new opera mini bundle from airtel only goes for #300 monthly and to get yours, just

Load #300 on your airtel sim

Dial *885*1# and the plan will be activated for you.

Dual BBM on one Device

Even the original creator of BBM cannot use dual bbm on blackberry device but Android devices have just broke the embargo of using only one bbm on your android device with the use of BBM3.

BBM3 is the secondary app of BBM that can be run on the same device bbm is installed. It will allow you to have two different Pin in one device. In short, you can run up to 5 bbm on one device. 

Requirements:
>Make sure you’ve installed the original bbm
>Make sure you are running android 4.0 and above 

Installation steps

1. Download BBM3 Here:   
2. Run and install it,
3. Sign in or Create a new/different Blackberry ID (Recommended)
4. Wait until it finishes and you will have 2bbm running on one android device.

Can I run more than one bbm on Iphone/iPad or Blackberry Device ? we have to wait and see, research is still on 

We're about to take you on a journey through the likely, possible and down right ludicrous tech advances which you may witness in your communication device of the future - be that in the next few months, years or even decades.

Our smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and other mobile devices are evolving at a rate of knots, but it's still unclear where we'll be at the end of this year, let alone in five or 20 years time.

Will the smartphone still reign supreme or will the tablet-smartphone hybrids have killed off the mobile we know and embraced today? Maybe wearable technology is the future, or perhaps even our own bodies will see communication devices fused into them for that truly personal touch.

The future

It's a little easier to predict what the big phones of 2014 will bring us, as we've had hints from various companies on the technology they are working on.

Smartphone displays are always a hot topic and there's constant talk of 2K and 4K displays (twice and four times the resolution of full HD respectively) arriving this year - Qualcomm's processors already support the resolution, so it's technically possible right now.

Handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 can already shoot 4K video, so in a way it makes sense for you to be able to watch your video back at the full resolution.

There are however, concerns over the cost of this technology, whether the human eye can actually discern the difference and more importantly, the effect these super screens will have on battery life.

Battery life is something we're desperately hoping will be improved in 2014, as we're all getting a little tired of the daily charging ritual - remember the days when your Nokia 3310 would last almost the whole working week on one charge?

Another key development you can expect to see in phones this year is in the camera department. 2013 gave us the 20.7MP Sony Xperia Z1 and the impressive 41MP Nokia Lumia 1020 - so what's next?

Well, Qualcomm has revealed that its Snapdragon 800 SoC (system-on-chip) has support for cameras up to 55MP - so we can't wait to see what adorns the rear of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC M8.

Another step forward we witnessed in 2013 was fingerprint scanners worming their way into our pockets. Apple kicked things off with the excellent Touch ID on the iPhone 5S, which was closely followed by a digit reader on the rear of the HTC One Max

.The likes of Samsung, LG and HTC are all rumoured to be working on integrating the fingerprint technology into their 2014 flagship phones, and if done well, it's a feature which could genuinely be one of the most useful additions to handsets in recent years.

Security could be stepped up even further with talk of retina scanners being built into our smartphones - the tech has been linked to, the Galaxy S5 too.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 can already track the movement of our hands, face and eyes, while Android allows you to unlock handsets with your face, the step up to retina recognition hardly seems like a big one.

If we look a little further into the future we could see wearable tech becoming more and more relevant.

Items such as the Nike FuelBand SE, Samsung Galaxy Gear and Sony Smartwatch 2 are already with us, offering up our first taste of the wearable market - but there's much more to be had.

Pretty much every manufacturer is being linked with a smartwatch or some type of fitness band at the moment, but the one everyone is waiting (and hoping) for is the iWatch.

If Apple embraces the wearable technology market you can expect the sector to explode over the next two to five years, much in the same way we saw smartphones and tablets rapidly evolve post-iPhone and iPad.

Flexible phones are another hot topic and thanks to the launch of the LG G Flex the hope of having a fully bendable mobile is becoming more likely over the next few years.

While flexible screens are already available, it's the other components in our phones which need to get loose - LG is currently developing a variety of flexible batteries which could make their way into phones, tablets and wearable tech in the not too distant future.

The edge of human creation

Now lets go even further into the future - what will our phones be like in 10 to 20 years time?

Perhaps Google Glass will be the norm, with everyone living in some odd sort of virtual reality 24/7 - or maybe we'll see technology embedded into our own bodies.

That might sound very science fiction, but biometrics could easily play a much bigger role in our phones of the future.

There's already technology being developed in Germany which harnesses the power of bone conduction, beaming calls or notifications right into your head without the need for a Bluetooth headset.

Meanwhile the folks over at Disney Research can pass an audio message from one person to another with the touch of a finger, using low electrical pulses instead of bone conduction.

If you're addicted to getting inked, then MC10's Biostamp may be more up your street - a stretchable piece of silicon containing tiny circuits and an antennae and when applied to the skin, it looks a bit like a tattoo.

All this technology already exists, so just think what it'll be able to do in a decades time.

Microsoft Surface 3 To Come With Tegra K1 Processor

As it happens with almost all devices, a newer and better next-gen device replaces the old one, and the same thing is going to happen with Microsoft Corporation. A popular Microsoft news leaker on Twitter has indicated that Microsoft will be releasing the Surface 3 tablet during late Q3 or early Q4 2014. However, the exciting news is that Surface 3 will be featuring the newly-announced Tegra K1 processor from NVIDIA. For those who don’t know, this is NVIDIA’s recently announced SoC, built on a 64-bit platform and featuring a Kepler GPU with no less than 192 cores.


As per early benchmarks, Tegra K1 SoC is faster than the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 and Apple’s A7, which in a sense makes it the best performing mobile processor in the market. This third-generation Surface tablet will feature full Windows 8.1, while lower-end Windows RT version is unconfirmed at this time.

Twitter user MSFTNerd also revealed that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is indeed working on new Surface Mini tablets which will compete with such 7 and 8-inch Android tablets and iPad Mini. The Redmond company surely won’t want to miss the small tablet market, as the mini version works great for many. In fact, 7-8 inch tablets have become popular because of their small size and portability that 10-inch tablets can’t offer. This new Surface Mini is expected to offer Full HD 8-inch screen, 4G LTE connectivity and motion sensor. The source reveals that 2014 will be the year of mini tablets and LTE.

Overall, it seems that 2014 is going to be a year of Windows 8.1 for tablets, NVIDIA Tegra K1 and Surface Mini. Amidst all these, how can we forget that Microsoft Corporation is going to hire a new CEO this year? Indeed, this will be a busy year for the Redmond-based company.

Microsoft OS May Become Free

As Microsoft Corporation prepares to release Windows 9, which goes by the code name “Threshold,” and the software firm tries to move past Windows 8, an interesting question is swirling: will the Seattle, WA based giant give away its operating system?  Windows and Office are two of the firm’s cash cows, providing a revenue annuity that is the foundation of the firm’s earnings, which could impact overall earnings.

In a research note dated January 10, JPMorgan’s John DiFucci noted additional challenges to the core operating system.  “We believe that for Microsoft Corporation, despite being attractive from a valuation perspective, the core businesses of Windows and Office—from which the company derives about 80% of total profits—remain vulnerable to cannibalization from tablets,” the note said.  JPMorgan maintained a $30 price target.  The stock is trading just above the $35 level on Monday.  “We anticipate that this trend could accelerate in the coming years as Android tablets and Apple Inc, iPad gain even wider adoption,” the report said. “Meanwhile, Microsoft’s own tablet offerings based on Windows 8 have been met with limited success to date.

On the plus side, DiFucci noted that recent anti-piracy efforts, if successful, could improve performance, particularly as a larger piece overall PC market, Microsoft Corporation  growth is expected to come from emerging markets.  This is a double edged sword, the research note points out, as “the higher levels of piracy, if not successfully countered, could imply lower client growth than that exhibited by the overall PC market.”

While JPMorgan noted that Microsoft Corporation Xbox franchise continued its market leadership, revenue contribution from this business line “remains inconsequential.” The research note sounded what is a familiar theme of competitive threats from open source software and software as a service business models, specifically mentioning free open source operating Linux and Google.

Brad Reback, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, noted that “Microsoft is the only vendor that explicitly charges for the OS software. We believe this could prove untenable in coming years, forcing Microsoft to give away the OS and attempt to monetize Windows usage/support via various methods depending on the end-customer. We believe this is the single biggest challenge Microsoft’s new CEO will face in coming years.”  Talk of giving away the operating system centers on the consumer markets, as the expectation is that enterprise customers will continue to pay for the operating system.

It should also be noted that:

• Apple Inc doesn’t charge for its Mac OS anymore.
• Google Chromebooks have become more popular.
• PC makers are now adding Android desktop systems because they can customize and probably get better margins.
• Price will be king in the PC market and Android and Chromebooks could be counterweight to Microsoft.
• Mobile operating systems are driving computing.
• Windows 8 was a black eye for Microsoft and it’s going to be a challenge to come back from a Vista-ish flop twice.
• The PC market is being splintered into multiple operating systems.

Chromebooks have become more popular and functional, Android is emerging as a PC option. Both of Google Inc, computing operating systems are free to hardware makers. Microsoft can pitch Windows as a premium OS, but the margins will be increasingly difficult to defend. The move for Microsoft Corporation will be to off Windows free to hardware makers and profit from the ecosystem—subscriptions, apps and other revenue streams. Here’s the problem: Windows is a huge business. Microsoft will have to preserve and navigate a move to free with precision timing.

Mosquitoes not only interfere with outdoor leisure activities, but also spread disease, such as dengue, malaria, filariasis and encephalitis, in both animals and humans. More than 3,000 mosquito species exist worldwide, out of which about 175 species are known to exist in the United States, according to American Mosquito Control Association. You can keep mosquitoes at bay by taking simple precautionary measures.

Chemical repellents

These chemical formulations are safe for application on exposed skin. Though most chemical repellents do not kill the insects, they help you avoid mosquito bites. Repellants are sold in various forms — creams, liquids, sticks, sprays and aerosols. N-Diethyl-3-Methylbenzamide, or DEET, is one of the most common ingredients used in these formulations.

Products containing permethrin should not be used on skin, but are suitable for camping gear, bed nets, clothing and shoes. Clothing retains the permethrin even after repeated washing. Permethrin is effective in repelling and killing mosquitoes.

Essential oils

Burning citronella oil spreads vapors that repel mosquitoes. However, it is not as effective as chemical repellent and cannot be used in windy areas. You can also apply diluted lemon-eucalyptus oil sparingly on exposed skin. Avoid applying essential oils on small children, because they can cause skin irritation.

Mosquito traps

Light traps, bug zappers or insect electrocutors attract mosquitoes and trap or kill them by using suction or electrocution. However, based on the wind direction, the efficiency of the traps and where the traps are placed, at times they may attract more mosquitoes than the traps can catch. It is advisable to use a mosquito repellent along with a mosquito trap.

Spray guns

Household aerosol spray guns are effective in killing mosquitoes indoors. Aerosol sprays work just for a short length of time and may not be suitable for outdoor locations, because the insecticides quickly disperse in air and are not effective enough to kill mosquitoes. Keep windows and doors closed for about 10 minutes after using a spray gun.

Remove stagnant water

Mosquitoes need stagnant water to complete their life cycle. Mosquito larvae grow and develop in stagnant water. Hence, removing standing water can get rid of the larvae’s habitat. Do not allow water to stand in flower pots, tins, old tires or buckets. Clean out rain gutters to ensure water flow. If you have a birdbath in your garden, change the water at least once a week. Introduce minnows in ponds to eat any mosquito larvae that is present. All these measures will help to reduce the number of mosquitoes in your garden and home significantly.

Precautions

Never inhale repellents or bring them in close contact with your mouth or eyes while spraying them. Avoid applying high concentration repellents on your skin, and never apply these chemicals on open wounds. Contact your doctor if you see any adverse skin reaction after applying repellents. Pregnant women and nursing mothers should use repellents only sparingly after consulting their doctors.

Are Mosquitos found in your country/ environments?

New Discovery Could Extend Human Lifes By 30

These days humans are living longer than ever. Our ancestors often died from illnesses such as polio, rubella, cholera and tuberculosis. Today all of these are rare and, if contracted by an individual, easily curable.

Many modern deaths are not caused by viruses or bacteria, but instead the effects of human lifestyle choices. Chillingly referred to in medical circles as ‘the silent killer’, one of the most prolific of these is high blood pressure – which often leads to illnesses that cut short a person’s life by 10, 20 or even 30 years.

According to the CDC (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention) “69% of people who have a first heart attack, 77% of people who have a first stroke, and 74% of people with chronic heart failure have high blood pressure.” More alarming is the fact the CDC estimates that “1 in every 3 American adults” suffers with high blood pressure, and those above the age of 35 are at greater risk.

The problem is, lowering one’s blood pressure to safe levels often requires big lifestyle changes – changes that can be very difficult to make and sustain. This can include dramatically altering one’s diet, implementing regular exercise routines and reducing the amount of alcohol, coffee and cigarettes consumed. And while doctors generally agree that sensible changes to one’s lifestyle can make a huge difference, many people try to make changes too late in life after the damage has already been done.

Fortunately, similar to thousands of other conditions science has found a solution for over the centuries such as asthma (steroids), infections (penicillin) and malaria (quinine), a recent breakthrough means science may have provided the answer yet again. This time, for high blood pressure.

Scientists are claiming they have isolated a unique ingredient in a rare form of seaweed discovered by local fishermen off the coast of South Korea. According to their research this ingredient offers a wide range of health benefits – including the ability to restore blood pressure to normal levels.

Renowned biochemist, Dr. Haengwoo Lee, is heading up a huge fifteen year multi-million dollar project dedicated to exploring the properties of the ingredient, Seanol.

Dr. Lee explains “Seanol works at the cellular level slowing down the main causes of aging and disease. This anti-aging product prevents the cells from starving by supplying micro-nutrients. It also removes the toxins and frees radicals in the body that have been accumulating for many years.”

The company behind his research, Marine Essentials, have produced a short video presentation explaining how the public can gain access to a safe supply of this ingredient in the form of a supplement called Marine D3.

In the video they reveal how the natural properties of the supplement can restore your blood pressure levels back to normal, plus other potential health benefits. Click here to watch the video now.

Windows Phone Store hits over 200k apps

Microsoft has posted an update on its Windows Phone Developer Blog which outlines that the number of Apps on the Windows Phone store has surpassed 200,000 and that it is growing from strength to strength.

We recall that the company hit the figure of 100,000 apps on the store last June. Windows Phone 8 launched in October, 2012, so it’s taken 8 months to move to 100K and another 6 months to add an additional 100K.

The tech-giant also confirmed that it currently has over 12 million app transactions a day. But it's not clear what proportion of the download apps are free and how many are premium.

Microsoft also gave details on the reach of the Windows Phone Store, which is now available in 190 different countries across the world.

The holiday shopping season and all the great promotions are parts of the excitement, and we’re already seeing momentum build with the Store surpassing 12 million transactions per day and Windows Phone Store surpassing 200,000 apps” said Todd Brix of Microsoft.

He added “"The best news is that we’re just getting started. In the new calendar year we’ll introduce creative new approaches to help you reach users in your app developing. Stay tuned,"

The vast majority of Windows Phone 8 devices are made by Nokia so its likely that a large percentage of the transactions have come from owners of Nokia Lumia smartphones and tablets.

One thing Microsoft omitted to include was the number of downloads its Switch to Windows Phone App has had. It would have been useful to see how many users were taking advantage of the app to switch from Android to Windows Phone.

BlackBerry Messenger for iPhone and Android finally made its debut in October 2013 following a month-long delay, and after the apps finally launched made it to market, BlackBerry teased its plans to load them up with new features like BBM Voice and BBM Channels. The company shed some more light on its plans for those additions as well some other goodies that it's got coming up.

On its official Inside BlackBerry blog, BlackBerry revealed that both BBM Voice and BBM Channels will be coming to its BBM for iPhone and Android apps in 2014. BBM Voice is exactly what it sounds like, allowing two BBM contacts to conduct a free voice call anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, BBM Channels is BlackBerry's new social network-y feature of BBM, allowing users to follow brands and people and also interact with them. BBM Channels officially came out of beta for BlackBerry devices last month.

BlackBerry also detailed some new features that are coming to its chat service this year. First is the ability to share things with BBM contacts quicker and easier. That includes photos, voice notes and a location sharing feature that will show the user's location on a map for a set period of time. When the timer runs out, the user's location is made private again. BlackBerry also says that it's got 100 new emoticons coming soon.

Overall it sounds like BlackBerry's got some nice new features headed for its BBM apps in 2014. The only downside is that it's not clear exactly when in 2014 these goodies will be launching. Folks that are champing at the bit to give them a go will be glad to hear that BlackBerry plans to beta test the new features on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry 10 sometime "in the coming months," so that's something to keep an eye out for in 2014