Indus OS, World’s first regional operating system

India’s homegrown operating system, Indus OS, is a multilingual Android fork developed for the regional languages users in the country. Touted as the world’s first multilingual operating system, Indus OS supports 12 major Indian languages at the moment.

Launched in 2014, initially as Firstouch, Indus OS arrived on the scene when it raised $5 million in Series A funding round in January 2015 and in mid-2015 when domestic smartphone maker, Micromax, partnered with the company and announced few smartphones powered by Indus OS instead of stock Android like it had done always. Now, five of the top Indian OEMs – Micromax, Celkon, Swipe, Karbonn, and Intex – have launched over 30 smartphones with Indus OS.

According to Counterpoint Research, Indus OS is now India’s second-most popular smartphone platform with a 6.3 percent market share, behind Android, while being ahead of Xiaomi’s MIUI and Cyanogen, as well as iOS.

As the smartphone penetration in India grows, the English-based operating systems with translated UI elements or regional language keyboards aren’t enough to tap into the market that is as lingually diverse as India. Indus OS pivots towards that demand from the next wave of smartphone users of a local alternative that speaks their language, literally. It is designed for vernacular users who will be using smartphones for the very first time, and have resisted the switch due to the language barrier.
Highlights of Indus OS

The focus of Indus OS is to overcome that language barrier and so far, it supports 12 regional languages – English, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Bengali, Urdu, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Tamil, and Assamese.

Unlike stock Android and other custom Android skins with support for Indian languages, in Indus OS, menu items, icon texts, et al too appear in the chosen regional language. Also, since it is targeted at first time smartphone users, the UI is smart and intuitive.

There’s also a customized launcher, messaging app, and dialer so the users are at home and not intimidated with a complex user interface or with UI elements in mixed languages. The Indus Messaging app pack in a ‘swipe to translate’ as well as a ‘swipe to transliterate’ feature. Rest of it is pretty much stock Android. Indus OS also supports a regional language keyboard that comes with prediction as well as transliteration – both very important for the audience.

There’s also built-in Text-To-Speech and live translation allowing users to listen to text in a message received or on a webpage in a different language. It also aids the illiterate with limited reading ability.

One of the highlights of Indus OS is the company’s own app store, the App Bazaar, that allows you to download apps without the need to sign-in using an email ID or Google Account. There are over 30,000 apps – including the primary apps like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, as well as Candy Crush – on the store. The fact that the store listings too are in the chosen regional language is a testimony of the company’s exhaustive and comprehensive focus on lingual convenience. Of course, since it is Android at the core, you can also head to the Google Play store for more apps and games.

The big win of the App Bazaar is the support for carrier billing, allowing users to download paid apps and games via their mobile balance (pre-paid) or get billed for it (post-paid). It’s mighty convenient for consumers and a great motivator for app developers and publishers.
What’s next?

In an interview with Techcrunch, Rakesh Deshmukh, one of the founders of Indus OS shared their plans to cover all Indian languages over a period of time and be available in other geographies too. “We don’t want to limit ourselves to menu text. We want to go more deeper and that is why it takes us time to add new languages,” he said.

With deals with several top Indian handset makers already in their kitty, Indus OS will now focus on international brands vying for marketshare in the growing market that is India.

Our goal is to get OEMs to sign up. Now we want to go ahead and work with Chinese and international brands.

– Rakesh Deshmukh, Co-founder and CEO, Indus OS

The company is also developing a Software Development Kit (SDK) for developers to get on board Indus OS, and put their apps on the App Bazaar. They’ve also tied up with the Government of India’s Department of Electronic and Information Technology (DeitY) to develop better text-to-speech algorithm and content platform.

Owner of world's biggest piracy site Kickass Torrents arrested

WASHINGTON: A Ukrainian alleged to be the ringleader of the world's biggest online piracy site, Kickass Torrents, was hit with US criminal charges Wednesday, accused of distributing over $1 billion worth of illegally copied films, music and other content.

The Justice Department unveiled a criminal complaint against Artem Vaulin, 30, of Kharkiv, Ukraine, who was arrested in Poland earlier in the day and is being sought by US authorities for copyright infringement, money laundering and other charges.

Vaulin is alleged to own Kickass Torrents or KAT, which in recent years has eclipsed Pirate Bay and others to become the world's biggest source of pirated media.

The criminal complaint said the website offers "a sophisticated and user-friendly environment in which its users are able to search for and locate content" which is protected by copyright.

KAT, which distributes films, video games , television programs, music and other electronic media, is estimated to be the 69th most frequently visited website on the internet , according to a Justice Department statement.

"Vaulin is charged with running today's most visited illegal file-sharing website, responsible for unlawfully distributing well over $1 billion of copyrighted materials," said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell.

According to the Justice Department, KAT's website "purports to comply with the removal of copyrighted materials" but evidence showed it did not remove content requested by organizations such as the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America and Entertainment Software Association.

The move comes with US officials in a long battle to extradite the head of Megaupload, another major piracy site shuttered by the FBI in 2012.

According to the Justice Department, KAT's website "purports to comply with the removal of copyrighted materials" but evidence showed it did not remove content requested by organizations such as the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America and Entertainment Software Association.

The move comes with US officials in a long battle to extradite the head of Megaupload, another major piracy site shuttered by the FBI in 2012.

The head of Megaupload, known by the pseudonym Kim Dotcom, is free on bail in New Zealand pending the extradition effort, and recently vowed to revive his operations.

His extradition appeal is set to begin in the High Court in Auckland on August 29 and is expected to last four to eight weeks.

Pirate Bay meanwhile has been able to keep operating despite jail sentences handed down in Sweden against its founders, and the seizure of its web domains.

Authorities say they can seize or shut down illegal file-sharing sites but that the operators often reopen with servers in different jurisdictions.

conclude - Although kickass torrent came back with new domain name DXTORRENT after suspension of its main domain name.
So Start your business again.....

What Is MU-MIMO, and Do I Need It on My Router?

More and more, the internet becomes central to everything we do at home. Watching movies, playing video games, and video chatting with family all require constant access. But with so much extra bandwidth necessary to push data to your wireless laptops, desktops, streaming devices and Smart TVs, will the routers of today be able to handle the demands of tomorrow?

Enter MU-MIMO technology, a new feature that our soon-to-be overtaxed routers will need to evenly divide bandwidth among your devices. But is MU-MIMO currently worth the cost? Can your household even take advantage of everything it has to offer?

What Is MU-MIMO?

“MIMO” stands for “Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output”, and it refers to the way bandwidth is broken up by a router and pushed to individual devices. Most modern routers use “SU-MIMO”, or “Single User, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output”. With these routers, only one device can receive data at any given time. This means that if you have one person watching Netflix and another watching Youtube, if you were to start both those streams at the exact same time, one device would get priority while the other had to wait until the first had buffered a few bits of data for itself.

Usually, you won’t notice a slowdown. Even though SU-MIMO routers can only open up one stream at a time, they do so in very rapid succession, which to the naked eye looks like a solid stream of data. To borrow an analogy, think of it like a Pez dispenser strapped to a carousel: everyone standing around the circle is eventually going to get a piece of candy, but the carousel still needs to make one full rotation before all the members of the network are satisfied.

“MU-MIMO” routers, on the other hand (“Multiple User, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output”) are able to break up this bandwidth into separate, individual streams that each share the connection evenly, no matter the application. MU-MIMO routers come in three flavors: 2×2, 3×3, and 4×4, which refers to the number of streams that they can create for each device in your household. This way, the MU-MIMO carousel can simultaneously send Pez flying in four directions at once. Without getting too technical, this is like each device getting its own “private” router, up to four total in 4×4 MU-MIMO loadouts.

The main benefit here is that instead of each stream being periodically (albeit very, very briefly) interrupted by the time it takes for the carousel to spin around once, a MU-MIMO router can keep its signal constant for those four devices, and fairly distribute the bandwidth to each without compromising the speed of any of the others at the same time.

The Drawbacks of MU-MIMO

All this sounds great, right? It is, but as with most network-related features, there’s one big drawback: in order for MU-MIMO to actually work, both the router and the receiving device need to have full MU-MIMO compatibility in order to communicate with one another.

Currently, MU-MIMO routers are only able to broadcast over the newer 802.11ac wireless protocol, a signal that many devices haven’t been updated to decode just yet. Even fewer devices actually have MU-MIMO. As of this writing, there are a only few laptops that have MU-MIMO-ready wireless receivers, and a select number of smartphones and tablets that come with a Wi-Fi chip that knows what to do with a MU-MIMO stream (like the Microsoft Lumia 950).

That means that even if you drop the extra coin on a router with MU-MIMO capability (usually about $50 more, depending on the model), it will likely be a number of years before every device in your home is able to use the feature as intended. Yes, you can buy a compatible MU-MIMO wireless USB dongle for desktops or laptops, but they’re quite a bit more expensive than regular SU-MIMO receivers, which could prevent some users from taking the plunge.

Also, there’s the issue of maxing out your available streams. Right now MU-MIMO tops out at four streams, which means that if you add a fifth device to the network, it will have to share a stream with another device in the same way a SU-MIMO router would, which sort of defeats the purpose.

Last, there’s the fact that MU-MIMO broadcast signals work on a directional basis, and can only be split up when devices are in different locations around the house. For example: if you’re streaming a movie to the living room on the TV and your kids are connecting their Nintendo 3DS on the couch only a few feet away, by default both devices will be forced to share the same stream. Because of the way that MU-MIMO streams work, there’s currently no workaround for this, which means if you live in a small apartment or do most of your browsing from the same room, MU-MIMO won’t provide any extra benefits over SU-MIMO.

Do I Need It On My Router?

If you have four or fewer MU-MIMO compatible devices connecting simultaneously from opposite ends of the house, then a MU-MIMO router could be a good pick for you.

For example, if you’ve got a hardcore gamer in one room sharing a connection with someone else who’s trying to watch a 4K Netflix stream in another, MU-MIMO could be worth it in the long run. Of course, this would only make sense if both the streaming device and the laptop have the ability to decode a MU-MIMO signal at all.

However, if you’re still on DSL and don’t even have that much bandwidth to go around in the first place, no router (MU-MIMO or otherwise) will be able to increase the base download/upload speeds you get from your ISP. MU-MIMO is simply a bandwidth management tool, one that only works within the parameters of the speed you’re already getting from the jack coming out of the wall.

For the time being, MU-MIMO will probably be reserved for packed households with devices that demand a lot of individual bandwidth, and do so in separate rooms. Otherwise, the increased cost of the newer technology will be prohibitive for the standard buyer until these types of usage patterns become more common and router manufacturers can bring the price down.

Google's Unknown Features

Many Features You Probably Don’t Know.

Google is more than just a search engine. Yes, you already know Google owns Youtube, and all about Google Glass…but how many of Google’s interesting and underutilized features do you know about? Google has a bunch of extras ranging from useful learning tools to simple fun.

Some of the awesome things you can do with Google include:
(just click on the name of fact to try)

Set a timer

Explore Mars

Take a virtual flight through Google Earth, press CTRL + Alt + A

Get a bunch of resources on anything in one page

Find new, free fonts

Plan your Wedding (google terminate this)

Learn how to pronounce long numbers

Search flights and avoid airline websites

Hand-write characters you can’t type to translate

Build stuff with LEGO

Explore beyond our galaxy

Have Google fetch your info

Learn some geography trivia

Play Atari Breakout

Compare the popularity of words through history

Ask for reminders for things you search with Google Now

Look at high resolution pictures of famous art

To open a task manager specifically for Chrome, press Shift + Esc

Always know how long the drive is with Google Now

…and never forget where you parked

Featured photo credit: PageRank/Google Inc. via velocityagency.com

Google Beta Testing Program

If you’d like to get the latest and greatest features in the Google app as they’re pushed out, now you can. Google has just opened up beta testing for the Google app on Android, which means you’ll get first dibs on the newest tweaks as they come out.

This news comes to us from some folks on Reddit, who noticed a Google Now card that recommended they sign up for the beta test because they have shown an interest in technology. If you don’t see the Now card in your feed, there’s no need to worry – we have the sign up page for you linked below.

So, how do you sign up? Just like with many other beta testing programs, all you need to do is head to the beta testing link attached below, then press the button that reads become a tester. After that, head to the Google Play Store, and an update to the Google app should be waiting for you. If an update isn’t yet available, that’s okay. Just wait a few minutes and an update should pop up or it may be take one or two days.

I’ve just installed the latest beta version and I’m not seeing any differences so far. If you’re seeing anything new, be sure to let us know in the comments below!

• Head to this link to become a beta tester

What Is IoT ?

The “Internet of things” (IoT) is becoming an increasingly growing topic of conversation both in the workplace and outside of it. It’s a concept that not only has the potential to impact how we live but also how we work. But what exactly is the “Internet of things” and what impact is it going to have on you if any? There are a lot of complexities around the “Internet of things” but I want to stick to the basics. Lots of technical and policy related conversations are being had but many people are still just trying to grasp the foundation of what the heck these conversations are about.

Let’s start with understanding a few things.

Broadband Internet is become more widely available, the cost of connecting is decreasing, more devices are being created with wifi capabilities and sensors built into them, technology costs are going down, and smart phone penetration is sky-rocketing. All of these things are creating a “perfect storm” for the IoT.

what is the Internet of things?

Simply put this is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from cell phones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of. This also applies to components of machines, for example a jet engine of an airplane or the drill of an oil rig. As I mentioned, if it has an on and off switch then chances are it can be a part of the IoT. The analyst firm Gartner says that by 2020 there will be over 26 billion connected devices…that’s a lot of connections (some even estimate this number to be much higher, over 100 billion). The IoT is a giant network of connected “things” (which also includes people). The relationship will be between people-people, people-things, and things-things.

How does this impact on us ???

The new rule for the future is going to be, “anything that can be connected, will be connected.” But why on earth would you want so many connected devices talking to each other? There are many examples for what this might look like or what the potential value might be. Say for example you are on your way to a meeting, your car could have access to your calendar and already know the best route to take, if the traffic is heavy your car might send a text to the other party notifying them that you will be late. What if your alarm clock wakes up you at 6 am and then notifies your coffee maker to start brewing coffee for you? What if your office equipment knew when it was running low on supplies and automatically re-ordered more? What if the wearable device you used in the workplace could tell you when and where you were most active and productive and shared that information with other devices that you used while working?

On a broader scale the IoT can be applied to things like transportation networks “smart cities” which can help us reduce waste and improve efficiency for things such as energy use; this helping us understand and improve how we work and live. Take a look at the visual below to see what something like that can look like.




The reality is that the IoT allows for virtually endless opportunities and connections to take place, many of which we can’t even think of or fully understand the impact of today. It’s not hard to see how and why the IoT is such a hot topic today, it certainly opens the door to a lot of opportunities but also to many challenges. Security is big issues that is oftentimes brought up. With billions of devices being connect together what can people to do make sure that their information stays secure? Will someone be able to hack into your toaster and thereby get access to your entire network? The IoT also opens up companies all over the world to more security threats. Then we have the issue of privacy and data sharing. This is a hot button topic even today so one can only imagine how the conversation and concerns will escalate when we are talking about many billions of devices being connected. Another issue that many companies specifically are going to be faced with is around the massive amounts data that all of these devices are going to produce. Companies need to figure out a way to store, track, analyze, and make sense of the vast amounts of data that will be generated.

At the End !
Conversations about the IoT are (and have been for several years) taking place all over the world as we seek to understand how this will impact our lives. We are also trying to understand what the many opportunities and challenges are going to be as more and more devices start to join the IoT. For now the best thing that we can do is educate ourselves about what the IoT is and the potential impacts that can be seen on how we work and live.

Ref.: wikipedia.org, IoT Asia

Free IDE for C and C++ Programmers

If you are a C or C++ Programmer, and looking for a great IDE(Integrated DevelopmentEnvironment)
 for running, testing and building some fine codes, with great ease, then you are at the right place. 
IDE's have evolved over time and now we have many of them with features like syntax highlighting, 
code completion, debugging support etc.

So here we have 8 Amazing and Free Integrated Development Environment Softwares, best suited for C and C++ programmers.

 1. Eclipse CDT
The CDT project provides a fully functional C and C++ Integrated Development Environment based on the eclipse platform. It includes features like, support for project creation, standard make build, source navigation, call graph, macro definition browser, code editor with syntax highlighter, folding and hyperlink navigation etc. This is the best IDE for C and C++, you can ever find.

2. BloodShed Dev-C++

Blood shed Dev-C++ is a fully featured IDE for C/C++ programming languages. It uses Mingw port of GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) as it's compiler. Dev-C++ can also be used in combination with Cygwin or any other GCC based compiler.

3. Code::Blocks

Code::Blocks is a free C++ IDE built to meet the most demanding needs of its users. It is designed to be very extensible and fully configurable with a consistent look, feel and operation across platforms.

4. NetBeans IDE

NetBeans IDE, as we all know is a well known Java IDE, but many of us might not be aware about its use as C/C++ IDE. You can work with and create C/C++ applications with dynamic and static libraries, and you can also create C/C++ projects from existing codes.

5. Microsoft Visual Studio Express

This is probably the best C++ IDE available, but it cannot be used for free for more then 30 days. After the 30 days Free trial version you need to buy the complete version to avail its services. Now, Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 is also available for Windows 8 platform.

6. CodeLite

CodeLite is an open source, cross platform IDE for the C/C++ programming languages, build and tested on Windows XP SP3, Windows 7, Ubuntu 11.10/12.04 and Mac OSX 10.5.8.

7. Borland C++

Borland C++ is a C and C++ programming environment for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. It is the successor to Turbo C++, and includes a better debugger, the Turbo Debugger, which was written in protected mode DOS.

8. Turbo C

Turbo C/C++ is the oldest IDE for C and C++ programming. Its earlier versions are available freely over Internet. Originally developed by Borland, in 2008 it was taken over by Embarcadero Technologies. Recently they came up with an all new C++ Builder, which is a Rapid Application Development (RAD) environment for writing programs in C++ programming language.