Some Cool Things About iOS8

It's going to be difficult to get an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus immediately, but you can get some of the new phones' cool features right now. On Wednesday, Apple's new operating system, iOS 8, is released to the public.iOS 8 is chock full of new features and it's available for the iPhone 4 and up for the sweet price of $0. Here's a small taste of what you'll get when you upgrade to iOS 8:

1. Easier Emailing

Email is a lot simpler with iOS 8. Before, if you swiped left on an email your only options were "More" and "Archive." Now, when you swipe left you'll be able to hit "More," "Flag" or "Trash." By swiping right, you can "Mark as Unread."

2. Autocorrect Revolution

Say goodbye to bad autocorrects with the new QuickType feature. iOS 8 will recommend words as you type in iMessage or email. It will learn the kinds of things you usually type and try to imitate your style.

3. Voice Texts!

Once you've got your precious iOS 8, there are some fun features to check out.First, look at your iMessage. With iOS 8, you'll be able to send voice messages through iMessage. You just press and hold the little record button in the bottom right of your iMessages to record a message and send it to a friend. To listen to a voice message through iMessage, just press the play button or hold the iPhone up to your ear.

4. Better Group Messaging

You can name your group iMessages now and remove yourself (and others) from group messages. Hallelujah!

5. Fitness Tracker Magic

If you've got a fitness tracker like a FitBit, you'll also be excited to try out HealthKit. HealthKit puts all of the data from your fitness tracker(s) right onto your iPhone and can easily share them with someone like a doctor.Are you dying to get these sick tools? Here's how to get a whole new phone for free:

How to Get iOS 8

Make sure all of your photos, music and whatever else you care about exists somewhere besides your iPhone, just in case something goes awry in the download process. You can back your iPhone up to the iCloud if you dare, or you can connect your iPhone to your computer.Once iTunes recognizes your iPhone, press the "iPhone" button in the top right corner of your iTunes library.Then press "Sync" on the bottom right of the screen. Keep your iPhone plugged in during the entire process; it might take a few minutes.

Make sure you have enough storage

iOS updates take up a bit of room on your phone, so make sure you clear out whatever you can before you download anything. There's an easy way to see how much storage you have left and determine what apps are taking up the most space. Here's how:First, go to Settings. Then hit General.From there, hit Usage.Give it a moment to load, and then you'll see exactly how you're using your phone's storage.Now you can go in and delete old messages, photos, songs, podcasts and books so you won't have to worry about it later.

Download iOS 8

Go to Settings, then General again. From there, hit Software Update.If iOS 8 is available, you'll get an option to download it. Do that when you have the time to be without your phone for a while. It will take some time to update, so just plug it in and leave it be for a while.

India is the least expensive destination for foreign education

This is according to HSBC's latest survey-The Value of Education:Springboard for success

SanDisk launches 512GB SD card

Global memory storage maker Sandisk has launched a 512GB SD card used in cameras, which has the ability to write data at 90MB per second making it useful for those shooting the high resolution 4K videos.

SanDisk also launched a 64GB micro-SD card, generally used in mobile phones, which can write data at the same 90MB per second and help users produce 4K content.

The 512 GB SD card is priced at Rs 51,990, while the 64 GB micro SD card will be for Rs 9,700, it said.

The company also said that in the last 11 years, it has witnessed a 1,000-times increase in the storage in the same SD card, from 512MB to 512GB.

SanDisk said it is working with Indian authorities to clamp down counterfeit products, which is leading to losses on revenue and brand equity.

"Because our brand is so well-recognised and trusted, we pay the premium of lot of counterfeiting on it. These are fake products," SanDisk country manager Rajesh Gupta told on the sidelines of a company event here.

The company has been raiding such market places and streets along with the police where it finds such counterfeit products being sold, Gupta said, adding that in Mumbai it raided a street outside the iconic CST railway station twice along with Government Railway Police in the last six months.

Apart from the raids, the company has also notified the Customs Department giving names of the four companies who are authorised to import Sandisk products, so that action against the rest becomes easier.

It can be noted that with the spurt in smartphones and increased usage of digital cameras, the demand for memory sticks has increased substantially in the country and hence, there is the proliferation of such fakes on the streets, which are available at a tenth of the cost of the original products.

Gupta hinted that sale of some scrap material by the company may have a role to play in this. "There are certain pieces of flash memory, which also comes out of our manufacturing, that we scrap because we feel it is not a sustainable flash," he said.

Apart from raiding, Gupta said the company is also working on building awareness through the social media and conducting programmes for genuine retailers.

Job cut of 15% in Sony mobile unit

TOKYO: Sony chief executive Kazuo Hirai said on Wednesday his company would cut 15% of the staff in its mobile unit in the current fiscal year ending in March 2015. 

Hirai, speaking to reporters, said Sony had aimed to expand the mobile division, but was now revising its strategy. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Sony deepened its net loss estimate to $2.1 billion and said it would not pay a dividend this fiscal year for the first time since it listed in 1958, stung by an impairment charge for its struggling smartphone division.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to visit India later this month

Microsoft CEO SatyaNadella will be making his first visit to India later this month. The visit, coincidentally, will happen on the day when Microsoft will launch a technical preview of Windows 9. 

And it comes within two weeks of that of Sundar Pichai, Google's head of Android, Chrome and apps. Nadella and Pichai are today the two biggest Indian American names in US techdom. Nadella will be part of two events organized in Delhi by Nasscom on September 30, including one focused on startups and another focused on digital. On the same day, he will also participate in a Microsoft event that will discuss how to ensure more participation of women in technology. 

The visit comes at the same time that PM Narendra Modi is in the US. Sources said Nadella will make a visit to his home town Hyderabad. 

Microsoft declined to comment on the visit. 

India, China sign three Gujarat-specific pacts

Trade and co-operation in focus as three MoUs inked with Chinese President

On the first day of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Gujarat, three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between China and the state, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The first MoU was signed between the government of Gujarat and Guangdong Province in South China. The second MoU is for a twin-city project between of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. The third one was signed between the China Development Bank and iNDEXTb (Industrial Extension Bureau) – a State government body for facilitating investments.

The MoUs are aimed at sharing governance experiences, building industrial park and other initiatives in the area of trade and co-operation.

Besides Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi, Chief Minister Anandi Patel and her Cabinet colleagues, members of Chinese delegation and several top businessmen from the state were present at the event.

Freaky Robotic Cheetah Runs & Jumps Almost Like The Real Animal

If the thought of a large robot running straight at you freaks you out, here's one video you might want to miss. It shows a robotic cheetah that can almost run like the real thing.The cheetah bot isn't new, but according to a written statement released by MIT, the researchers behind its development havedevised an algorithm that allows their creation not just to run at speeds of up to 10 mph but also to jump over obstacles -- all without being tethered to anything.Here it is in action:Eventually MIT's cheetah robot should reach speeds of up to 30 mph, the researchers say. That's faster than legendary sprinter Usain Bolt.The cheetah robot, which is funded by the U.S. military, is still a work-in-progress. But the researchers say it's already steps ahead of many of its competitors.Unlike some quadruped robots, MIT's revised cheetah doesn't need to be tethered to a power source. And thanks to the new algorithm -- which causes each of the robot’s legs to exert just the right amount of force at the right time -- the robot no longer needs external support.“Most robots are sluggish and heavy, and thus they cannot control force in high-speed situations,” Sangbae Kim, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the university, said in the statement. "That’s what makes the MIT cheetah so special: [With the new algorithm] you can actually control the force profile for a very short period of time, followed by a hefty impact with the ground, which makes it more stable, agile, and dynamic.”And maybe a bit scary.As a recent Gizmodo article about MIT's revised cheetah botput it, "Yep, it's time to start getting seriously concerned."

Steve Jobs Did Not Allow iPad Usage by His Children

 Steve Jobs was a pioneer in the digital age, bringing a revolution in tech products, changing the way everyday people listened to music, used their phones and watched television. Creator of the iPhone, iPad and Mac computer, Jobs told reporter Nick Bilton in a 2010 article in the Sunday New York Times that he did not allow his children to spend much time behind a screen. “So, your kids must love the iPad?” Bilton asked Jobs as the companies first tablet was just hitting the shelves. “They haven’t used it,” responded Jobs. “We limit how much technology our kids use at home.” Walter Isaacson, author of “Steve Jobs” said “Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at the big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things,” Isaacson said. “No one ever pulled out an iPad or computer. The kids did not seem addicted at all to devices.”

UK has 4 univ in top 5 univ

IIT-Bombay ranked 222 and IIT-Delhi at 235 while those in Kanpur, Madras and Kharagpur are in the 300 range.

Not a single Indian higher education institution has made it to the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings, which were released on Tuesday morning.

The first Indian presence on the list is the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, ranked 222.

IIT Delhi comes in second at 235 while those in Kanpur, Madras and Kharagpur are in the 300 range.

Delhi University comes in the 420 to 430 band.

Other Indian institutions that have made it to the rankings are Calcutta University, Benares Hindu University, Pune University, the Indian Institute of Science and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

All the top 10 positions in the rankings list are taken by the U.S. and U.K.-based universities with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology retaining the first position for the second year running.

The National University of Singapore leads the pack as far as the Asian continent is concerned and is ranked 22nd.

The poor showing of Indian institutions in world university rankings has become a cause of concern among educationists in the country and efforts have been under way for a couple of years now to evolve an India-generated ranking system.

A ranking committee – set up by the United Progressive Alliance government – has already submitted its report.

As per the proposal, an India-generated ranking system would ensure that the large set of institutions across the country are properly ranked and placed in proper perspective, factoring in aspects that are peculiar to India like the quota system.

Besides providing an Indian benchmark that can be used by world ranking lists as an indicator, a domestic ranking list would also help students and parents make a more informed choice instead of just going by lists brought out by media houses.

Leonardo DiCaprio Will Promote Climate Action At UN Summit

Leonardo DiCaprio's movie roles have made him an international star, but his long and little-known commitment to preserving the global environment has led to his new role — as a U.N. Messenger of Peace.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Tuesday that the 39-year-old American actor will join 11 other prominent world figures who advocate on behalf of the U.N. as Messengers of Peace including Stevie Wonder, Michael Douglas, George Clooney, Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, primatologist Jane Goodall and conductor Daniel Barenboim.Ban told a news conference that the Dicaprio "is not just one of the world's leading actors" but he has "a longstanding commitment to environmental causes."He said DiCaprio will focus his U.N. role on climate change issues."His global stardom is the perfect match for this global challenge," the secretary-general told a news conference.Ban said DiCaprio's first act as a Messenger of Peace will be to address the climate summit he is holding next Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting, which 120 world leaders are expected to attend. Ban said the aim is to promote commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions and pave the way for a global climate agreement in 2015.DiCaprio established a foundation in 1998 with a mission to promote the Earth's last wild places and build a more harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world. According to the U.N., the foundation through grants, media projects and public campaigns and appearances by DiCaprio, has brought attention and funds to three areas — protecting biodiversity, conservation of oceans and forests, and climate change.DiCaprio said in a statement that he is honored to be a Messenger of Peace and support the secretary-general "in his efforts to address one of the most important issues we face as a global community.""I feel a moral obligation to speak out at this key moment in human history — it is a moment for action," he said. "How we respond to the climate crisis in the coming years will likely determine the fate of humanity and our planet."DiCaprio gained international fame for his role in "Titanic" and has been nominated for five Academy Awards, including for "Aviator" and "The Wolf of Wall Street." He won Golden Globes for his performance in "Aviator" and "The Wolf of Wall Street."