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Google turns on HTTPS for all Gmail messages
After Edward Snowden revealed the massive scaled of the NSA secret surveillance programmes, many tech companies were said to have helped the security agency with their spying. However, soon there were to be denials and outrage.
Remember Google employees and bigwigs lashing out against the NSA and its allies after it was revealed that they can secretly access all your Gmail communication? Google had vowed to fight back by making Gmail use an encrypted HTTPS connection in the future. Starting today, Google has flicked the switch on to make the move final.
“Your email is important to you, and making sure it stays safe and always available is important to us. As you go about your day reading, writing, and checking messages, there are tons of security measures running behind the scenes to keep your email safe, secure, and there whenever you need it,” Nicolas Lidzborski, Gmail Security Engineering Lead, wrote in a blog post on the official Gmail blog.
It must be noted that HTTPS is not a new technology for Gmail and has existed since its launch. In 2010, Google made HTTPS default, but users could still opt to communicate over insecure lines. But now that’s no longer an option. “Today’s change means that no one can listen in on your messages as they go back and forth between you and Gmail’s servers—no matter if you’re using public WiFi or logging in from your computer, phone or tablet.”
Having said that all’s not well just yet. If, for example, you have a lot of communication with non-Gmail users, there’s no guarantee that your emails to them will be encrypted too. It’s still wiser to use an encryption service for your emails as that’s far more effective. And even if Google says all emails on their servers and in their data centres are encrypted, that doesn’t mean they cannot be intercepted in the middle through different means such as tapping into undersea cables, which the NSA has been known to have used from time to time, as an earlier report points out. All this means is that your Gmail is a little more secure than it was before.
Google also taken additional steps to ensure greater transparency in the light of accusations of scanning through your inbox for purposes other than tailored ads. Now emails will be encrypted even while moving internally within Google’s data centres. “This ensures that your messages are safe not only when they move between you and Gmail’s servers, but also as they move between Google’s data centers—something we made a top priority after last summer’s revelations.”
Lidzborski is referring to the revelations made by Edward Snowden last year, which shone the light on a number of US government secret surveillance programmes. NSA and its allies reportedly had access to all of Google’s servers, but the company has maintained that it has never colluded with authorities for mass surveillance programmes and only hands over data after court orders. At TED 2014, Google co-founder Larry Page railed against the NSA tactics and called their methods a threat to democracy. The company is one of the many tech giants who have teamed up to force the US government make reforms in how the NSA obtains data.
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Facebook logo is seen in this file photo.
Facebook Inc will allow more marketers to run video advertisements on its website, provided the world’s No 1 social network deem them to be of high-enough quality.
Facebook and social media rivals like Twitter are increasingly trying to grab a slice of lucrative TV-marketing budgets as they try to sustain rapid growth. That market is considered crucial to supporting Facebook’s growing market valuation and poses a potential long-term threat to traditional TV networks.
Facebook has moved cautiously to avoid annoying users. Social media players like Twitter are typically careful not to clutter up their users’ pages with unwanted material.
The 15-second video ads, which appear in newsfeeds and will play automatically with sound muted, will become available to a limited number of marketers over the next few months, Facebook said on its official blog on Thursday. It first tested video ads with a single advertiser in December. Facebook said that video ads will be available to a “a select group of advertisers,” without details.
The price that marketers pay to run a video ad on Facebook will be determined by the size of the audience as measured by measurement firm Nielsen, Facebook added. Marketers will be able to choose specific times of day for their spots and will be able to target ads according to age and gender.
However, Facebook said it would review the creative quality of any video spots that appear on its website, assessing ads for criteria such as watchability, meaningfulness and “emotional resonance.” Such reviews will be done in partnership with video analytics firm Ace Metrix. “We’re taking this step in order to maintain high-quality ads on Facebook and to help advertisers understand what’s working to maximize their return on investment,” Facebook said in the post.
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Nokia ordered to give guarantee for around $572 million
Supreme Court today dismissed Nokia’s appeal challenging a lower court order over transferring ownership of its local mobile phone plant, which is the subject of a tax dispute, to Microsoft. The Supreme Court upheld a verdict by the Delhi High Court and ordered Nokia to give a guarantee for Rs 35 billion.
Nokia, which is selling its mobile phones business to Microsoft in a 7.2 billion deal, last month appealed to the Supreme Court saying the Delhi High Court had imposed “new conditions” over the transfer of the plant, after previously lifting a freeze on the assets.
The case, which has been ongoing for quite some time, came back into the limelight soon after Microsoft announced the acquisition of Nokia’s devices and services unit. Yesterday, the SC has ordered Nokia to submit a valuation report of its domestic entities to ensure sufficient funds to secure the interests of the Income Tax department.
The apex court added that the government would gain nothing by sending company officials to jail. This after, the IT department had moved the Supreme Court seeking to stop the transfer of Nokia’s Chennai plant assets to Microsoft pending resolution of a tax dispute, arguing that the company was being evasive about its valuation of the plant, according to the Financial Express.
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How Facebook plans to use WhatsApp's data
Privacy advocates have asked US regulators to halt Facebook Inc’s $19 billion acquisition of messaging service WhatsApp until there is a clearer understanding of how the company intends to use the personal data of WhatsApp’s 450 million users.
WhatsApp, a service that allows mobile phone users to send each other messages, has had a longstanding commitment to not collect user data for advertising purposes.
But there’s no guarantee that that commitment will hold true once the service becomes part of Facebook, according to the filing to the Federal Trade Commission by the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy, both non-profit groups.
The complaint asks regulators to investigate the deal “specifically with regard to the ability of Facebook to access WhatsApp’s store of user mobile phone numbers and metadata.”
Facebook, the world’s No.1 social network with 1.2 billion users, generates the majority of its revenue by showing ads that target users by age, gender and other traits.
“As we have said repeatedly, Whatsapp will operate as a separate company and will honor its commitments to privacy and security,” Facebook said in a statement in response to the filing. The FTC declined to comment.
Facebook stunned the technology industry last month when it announced its intention to buy the five-year old WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock. WhatsApp does not show ads on its service, charging some of its users a $1 annual fee to use the service.
WhatsApp stores users’ mobile phone numbers, but unlike many online services, it does not collect user names, emails, and other contact information.
Despite assurances by WhatsApp and Facebook that the privacy policies will not change, the groups that wrote the FTC filing note that Facebook has in the past amended an acquired-company’s privacy policies, such as the Instagram photo-sharing service that Facebook acquired in 2012.
Regulators must require that Facebook “insulate” WhatsApp user information from access by Facebook’s data collection practices, reads the complaint.
“WhatsApp users could not reasonably have anticipated that by selecting a pro-privacy messaging service, they would subject their data to Facebook’s data collection practices,” reads the filing.
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The whopping $19 billion that Facebook is paying for the service is also unusual
Marking one of the biggest acquisitions so far, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for a whopping $19 billion last month. While we’ve been hearing the rags to riches tales around its creators Jan Koum and Brian Acton, here’s yet another feather in their cap. The duo has now secured a place in Forbes’ list of imminent billionaires.
While 38-year-old Koum takes the 202nd rank in the Forbes list, 42-year-old Acton takes the 551st spot. According to Forbes’ estimate, Koum holds about 45 percent stake in the company, while his co-founder Brian Acton’s stake is estimated at over 20 percent. That makes Koum worth $6.8 billion and Acton worth not less than $3 billion.
The duo are also known for their transformation from strugglers to billionaires. “37-year-old Jan Koum, born in the Ukraine, went to the US when he was 16-years-old. His family struggled living on food stamps, venture capitalist Jim Goetz revealed had said in a blog post. His house had no electricity or hot water. In fact, Koum’s family picked up their food stamps only a couple of blocks away from WhatsApp’s offices in Mountain View, California, said earlier report by Wired’s David Rowan.
Acton’s story shows us that persevering in spite of rejection worked miracles for him. In 2009, Facebook turned Acton down for a job. But Facebook wasn’t the only one to miss a golden opportunity, as Acton, who formerly worked at Yahoo, also appears to have been rejected by Twitter in 2009. Five years later, here they are.
In 2009, amidst the aftermath of the financial crisis, Koum and Brian Acton, longtime Yahoo employees, went on to create a messaging service that they hoped would become the biggest cross-platform in the world. Koum reportedly came up with the idea for his company in 2009 after his gym banned the use of cell phones.
Both are among the 26 new comers to join the list that also includes $3 billion worth Twitter’s Evan Williams. Bill Gates takes the top spot with a fortune worth $76 billion, but Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg is said to have most money in the past year. The list also includes 42 women billionaires.
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You can't miss these updates (Image credit: Getty Images)
It’s been a rather busy week for apps with some getting new features, new clients and new platforms and some shutting down. Have a look at some app stories you cannot afford to miss this week.
Facebook Messenger for Windows desktop:
The desktop client of Facebook Messenger is shutting down come March 3. The app has started showing a link saying, “We’re sorry, but we can no longer support Facebook Messenger for Windows, and it will stop working on March 3, 2014. We really appreciate you using Messenger to reach your friends, and we want to make sure you know that you can keep chatting and view all your messages on http://www.facebook.com.” The move comes only days after it was announced that Facebook Messenger was coming to Windows Phone soon.
Goodbye, desktop. Hello, mobiles
WeChat gets a Mac client:
Cross platform messaging app WeChat is stepping up its game, and how. After completely revamping its Android client, WeChat has introduced a Mac app, available both in English and Chinese. WeChat had been available for use on the web earlier, by way of scanning a QR code, but this is the first time a native app has been unveiled. There’s a good chance that a Windows client could be released next. Get hold of the WeChat Mac client here.
Line will let you sell your own stickers:
Speaking of cross platform messaging apps, Line has now announced a new platform called the Line Creators Market. Starting April, you will be able to sell your own stickers on the app. You can make sets of 40 stickers at 100 yen, but you will need Line to approve it. The app will keep a 50 percent cut of all your sticker earnings.
Sell your own Line stickers soon
Skype-Microsoft Integration complete:
Updates galore! Skype has not only updated its Windows Phone app to support Microsoft accounts, it will also let you sign up for its services using a Microsoft account. Essentially, you won’t need to remember multiple IDs and passwords for your services, and get an optional two-step verification from Skype. Win-win?
Google+ for Android:
The Android version of Google+ has received a nifty little update that will improve your photo experience on the app. Now if you start editing a picture on one device, you can continue doing so on another one. Essentially back up full-resolution pictures and then edit them from wherever you have.
Along with this, Google has pushed out some new filters inspired by Snapseed and tools like better crop and rotate too. There’s also a new “All” view display for your entire photo library as well as browse them by date. Get the Google+ update for Android here.
New and improved Hangouts for iOS
Google Hangouts for iOS:
Not just Android, Google’s showing some love for iOS too! The newest version of Hangouts for iOS is bringing along a brand new look and feel, and easy navigation. You can now sent animated stickers to your contacts, record and send short video messages as well share your location. The app is now also optimised for the iPad.
Of course, it will still allow you to make all those free voice and video calls. There are also some major performance improvements. Head on to the App Store to download Hangouts 2.0 for your iOS devices.
Oggl for iPad:
Hipstamtic’s photo editor Oggl is now available for iPad. Which, of course, means being able to edit and view your images a lot better on the bigger screen. The app does not look like an oversized version of the iPhone app, which is a good thing.
Oggl comes to iPad
The app also brings along a new SurfMode on Air Play, which you can use to present an Oggl feed onto an Apple TV and have a live photo stream running. The Surf Mode works well on just the iPad too. There’s now a notifications ticker, that pretty much gives you information on all the love and reposts your pictures get on Instagram, Facebook, Flickr and more. Get the Oggl for iPad app from the App Store.
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If you haven’t heard by now, Facebook just made its biggest move ever, buying the messaging service WhatsApp in a deal worth some $19 billion. That’s 19 times what Facebook paid for Instagram two years ago.
The WhatsApp Service run by the team of just 32 engineers, handles more than 50 Billion messages daily, and approx 385 million active users.
WhatsApp acquisition has also brought out fresh criticism over security for the billions of messages delivered on the platform. Security Researcher at Praetorian Labs identified several SSL-related security issues in WhatsApp application using Project Neptune, a mobile application security testing platform.
"WhatsApp communication between your phone and our server is fully encrypted. We do not store your chat history on our servers. Once delivered successfully to your phone, chat messages are removed from our system." Company said in a blog post.
But researchers found that WhatsApp is vulnerable to Man-in-the Middle attack because the app has not enforced SSL pinning and hence user credentials can be easily stolen. SSL pinning prevents the user of the application from being a victim of an attack made by spoofing the SSL certificate. SSL pinning won't prove a great solution is not validated properly.
WhatsApp does not perform SSL pinning when establishing a trusted connection between the mobile applications and back-end web services. Without SSL pinning enforced, an attacker could man-in-the-middle the connection between the mobile applications and back-end web services. This would allow the attacker to sniff user credentials, session identifiers, or other sensitive information."
WhatsApp is allowing its backend servers to use weak 40-bit and 56-bit encryption schemes, which can be easily cracked using brute force attack. 'This is the kind of stuff the NSA would love,' researchers said.
WhatsApp team has confirmed that they are actively working on adding SSL Pinning to their app, but still that is not enough to protect our privacy.
Facebook and WhatsApp assured that nothing is going to change after the acquisition and WhatsApp will continue to function as an independent service, but is that statement satisfied? May be we can trust Facebook, Google, WhatsApp.. But we really can't trust the U.S. Government and the Security agencies like the NSA, that don't respect our privacy and freedom of speech.
Mobile messaging apps often used to deliver sensitive data or used for personal and corporate communications, so the data stored by the service provider should be encrypted end-to-end, which is not yet in the case of WhatsApp.
But there are many other free secure chat applications are available like Telegram, Surespot, Threema, TextSecure, RedPhone etc., that you should use to keep your data private and Secure, until WhatsApp will not adopt end-to-end encryption.
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Nokia X and X+ announced
Nokia has finally made many a dream come true with the announcement of its first ever Android-based phone at the MWC in Barcelona. But unlike what we expected, Nokia arrived on the scene with three new Android-based phones. The Nokia X and X+ will be four-inch budget smartphones, while the Nokia XL will be the 5-inch phone that’s set to be the flagship X series phone.
Nokia has not announced India-specific availability or price, but says the Nokia X will start retailing for 89 euros (approx Rs 7,600), the X+ for 99 euros (approx Rs 8,400) and will hit stores in Q2 this year. Both phones have appeared on the Nokia India website with a coming soon tag.
While both phones run Android, Nokia has tied up the login and app data to Microsoft’s cloud services. The phones run a version of Android Open Source Project, with access to sideloading of apps, third-party app stores and Nokia’s own store. You will find Microsoft essentials such as Skype, Outlook and OneDrive on these phones, while search is powered by Bing. Users will get one month of free Skype calls to mobiles and landlines when they purchase the Nokia X.
Will feature Nokia’s Fastlane user experience
The specs aren’t the full story here, but we’ll go over them. The Nokia X and X+ feature a 4-inch display with a 800×480 pixel resolution. Nokia did not announce the chipsets on stage, but the two phones have a Snapdragon S4 SoC. That’s the same chipset that powers the ultra-popular Moto G. The dual-core processor is clocked at 1GHz. There’s 512MB of RAM on the Nokia X, while the X+ gets 768MB of RAM. Both have 4GB internal storage and the ability to take in micro SD cards up to 32GB in capacity.
The camera on the Nokia X won’t be winning any awards. The Finnish company has decided to go with a 3-megapixel primary shooter, and there’s no front-facing camera. That’s a bit of a disappointment for the selfie-obssessed and Skype users. Both phones get a 1500 mAh battery, rated for around 13 hours of talk time on 2G and 17 days standby time. In terms of connectivity, the X and X+ have dual SIM slots, 3G cellular data, Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0.
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Voice calling Coming This Year
Following its acquisition by Facebook for $19 billion, WhatsApp is about to take its first major evolutionary step. The popular cross platform messaging app will be getting a voice calling feature come Q2 of 2014.
With the Mobile World Congress playing as the backdrop, WhatsApp’s CEO, Jan Koum has announced that the service will be adding a voice service to the app soon. “We are going to introduce voice in WhatsApp in the second quarter of this year,” he said. It’s interesting to note that the announcement’s come not only a few days after Facebook acquired WhatsApp but also on the service’s and Koum’s birthday. WhatsApp has turned five today, with the service having been founded in 2009.
Koum also announced that WhatsApp had now crossed 465 million monthly active users, a pretty impressive post-acquisition figure. There are also 330 million daily active users,a 15 million jump from the figures released just before Facebook acquired the service.
The CEO stressed on the need for WhatsApp to grow steadily while keeping competition at bay. TechCrunch has reported that WhatsApp first aims to bring Voice to Android and iOS first, followed by some Nokia and BlackBerry phones. Koum also stressed on the fact that there will be no planned changes to WhatsApp post Facebook’s acquisition; at least not yet. He said that there are still no plans of marketing and the company would continue doing service the way it has always done.
Both Koum and the WhatsApp team seem to be unperturbed on the service’s fifth birthday, despite having faced the biggest outage in the company’s history over the weekend. The service went down for a good three hours on Saturday following a network router outage, something that reportedly earned rival service Telegram 4.95 million followers.
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Five-year-old WhatsApp currently has about 450 million users globally and has been adding a million daily.
NEW YORK: WhatsApp's 450 million worldwide users were unable to access the smartphone free-messaging service on Saturday, three days after Facebook declared it was lavishing up to $19 billion on it.
"Sorry we currently experiencing server issues. We hope to be back up and recovered shortly,"WhatsApp said in a message on Twitter that was retweeted more than 25,000 times in just a few hours and provoked ridicule because it comes so soon after Facebook's hefty acquisition.
Some WhatsApp users found they were unable to connect to the app, while others complained their messages were not going through.
WhatsApp has not indicated how long the outage would last or when it began.
However, the specialist website techcrunch.com suggested the problem might be down to "a surge of signups and usage that has overloaded its servers" after the publicity the app garnered after Facebook's announcement on Wednesday.
Facebook is betting huge on mobile with the eye-popping cash-and-stock deal for WhatsApp, which was only started five years ago but has quickly grown as a free alternative to text messages.
It is Facebook's biggest acquisition and comes less than two years after the California-based Internet star raised $16 billion in the richest tech sector public stock offering.
Neither WhatsApp nor Facebook were immediately available for comment. However, the outage was the source of much amusement -- as well as anger -- on Twitter.
"I expect you are all away from your desks on the ales drinking some of that Facebook cash!" one user, "leonclarance," replied to WhatsApp's tweet about the blackout.
Another simply tweeted: "Turn down Facebook's offer guys!"
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The skirt features 35 Nokia Lumia 1520s
It’s not often (more like never) we get to write about skirts on our site, but Nokia has made this one possible.
The company has teamed up with Fyodor Golan Fashion House to create a skirt made out of 35 Nokia Lumia 1520 units with images changing according to the wearer’s movement. The skirt made an appearance at the London Fashion Week 2014.
A bespoke app was made for the purpose of changing images according to the wearer’s movements
Design house KIN employed a combination of sketches, 3D-printing and software programming to help Nokia with the technological aspect of the skirt. The phablets will display pictures that will change hue and pattern according to the wearer’s movement. “As the skirt moves, images on the screens change color, creating a synchronised shimmering effect that emulates real-world fabric. To form this illusion, a bespoke app was conceived that employs GPS technology to align the wearer’s movements with the skirt’s sparkle,” Nokia’s Conversations blog says.
GPS technology monitors the movements
When asked what it was that prompted this move, KIN said, “It was the opportunity to work with Windows. We’ve developed on lots of platforms over the years, but by far the most technology we’ve built is for desktop PC’s running Windows. The opportunity to develop for the mobile version opened up interesting new possibilities for us.”
Don’t expect to go dancing in this dress
Congratulations to Nokia for this unique project, but since we are feeling wicked this Saturday, we can’t help but think this is just a way to use some of the unsold Lumia 1520 stock. In any case, if you are looking to get this skirt in your wardrobe, you might have to shell out more than a pretty penny, considering one 1520 costs around Rs 46,000. We did the math; 35 x Rs 46,000 equals Rs 16,10,000 and we aren’t even factoring in the design cost. In any case, there’s no word about whether this skirt will go up for sale post the Fashion Week debut.
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Satya Nadella is the new Microsoft CEO. Image from Microsoft.
The search for Microsoft’s CEO is over. The company has confirmed in a press release that India-born Satya Nadella is the new CEO of the software giant. Microsoft Corp said in a press statement that the board of Directors has appointed Satya Nadella as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors effective immediately.
Nadella was previously the company’s Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group.
“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” said Bill Gates, Microsoft’s Founder and Member of the Board of Directors in the press statement.
“Satya is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together. His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what Microsoft needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth,” Gates added.
Nadella joined the company in 1992, and was in charge of major strategy and technical shifts across the company’s portfolio of products. Of course the most notable service he’s known for is the company’s move to the cloud and the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world for supporting Bing, Xbox, Office and others.
“Microsoft is one of those rare companies to have truly revolutionised the world through technology, and I couldn’t be more honored to have been chosen to lead the company,” Nadella said.
“The opportunity ahead for Microsoft is vast, but to seize it, we must focus clearly, move faster and continue to transform. A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers more quickly,” he adds.
“Having worked with him for more than 20 years, I know that Satya is the right leader at the right time for Microsoft,” said former CEO Steve Ballmer, who announced on 23 August, 2013 that he would retire once a successor was named.
“I’ve had the distinct privilege of working with the most talented employees and senior leadership team in the industry, and I know their passion and hunger for greatness will only grow stronger under Satya’s leadership,” he said.
Born in 1967 in Hyderabad, Nadella got his Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication from the Manipal University, in India. He soon moved to the US in order to continue his education and received his Master of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Nadella also went on to get an MBA degree from University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Prior to his stint at Microsoft, Nadella worked as a technology staff member with Sun Microsoystems.
Microsoft also announced that Bill Gates, previously Chairman of the Board of Directors, will assume a new role on the Board as Founder and Technology Advisor, and will devote more time to the company, supporting Nadella in shaping technology and product direction.
John Thompson, lead independent director for the Board of Directors, will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors and remain an independent director on the Board.
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The Indian-American could soon be Microsoft's CEO
In his university days in India, Satya Nadella, likely the next chief executive officer of Microsoft, was a relentless questioner. “When all other students will quietly listen to what I would teach, he will ask a lot of questions – ‘why does it have to be like this, why can’t we do it like this?’,” said Harishchandra Hebbar, who taught digital electronics to Nadella at Manipal University.
“Sometimes it felt like he was just testing my patience,” said Hebbar, laughing. That questioning nature has served Nadella well in his 22-year career at Microsoft, the world’s largest software company. Last year he was promoted to run the company’s fast-expanding cloud, or Internet-based, computing initiatives. His elevation to the top spot at Microsoft would end a five-month search for a tech-savvy heavy-hitter to lead the company co-founded by Bill Gates. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday that Nadella’s appointment was likely, although the board had not yet met to finalize it.
Nadella grew up in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, a technology hub that is home to the biggest Microsoft research and development center outside of the United States. His father was a member of the elite Indian Administrative Service and a member of the Planning Commission during 2004-2009 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. His father, B. N. Yugandhar, who still lives in Hyderabad, declined to speak with Reuters when reached by phone.
Born in 1967, Nadella attended the prestigious Hyderabad Public School, where he met his future wife. Nadella studied electronics and communication engineering, at Manipal University, where people who knew him at the time described him as friendly, modest and well-spoken.
Manipal is a mid-ranking private institution, and does not have the cachet of the elite Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) where many of India’s global power players were educated. If he gets the top job at Microsoft, Nadella would join the growing list of Indian-born executives to head a major global corporation. They already include PepsiCo Inc CEO Indra Nooyi and Deutsche Bank co-CEO Executive Anshu Jain.
After graduating in 1988, Nadella, like many ambitious Indians, moved to the United States to study, earning a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Ganesh Prasad, a classmate of Nadella at Manipal who remains in touch with him, recalled a conversation in 1991 when Nadella was working at Sun Microsystems.“We were having a conversation and talking about Sun as the future of hardware … and he was like: ‘you know where I need to go? I need to be in software and I need to be in marketing and I need to be in Microsoft’,” Prasad recalled by phone from Bangalore, where he now lives.
Prasad, who worked for 20 years in the United States with Intel Inc, said Nadella started with a base in technology and then became interested in how to market it – a skill set that will be called upon in his new role. By comparison, Microsoft’s previous CEO, Steve Ballmer, was regarded more as a salesman and cheerleader than a technology visionary.
“While he comes from a very strong technology background, his outlook over the years has changed to: ‘so, what, what am I going to do with this thing? How do I position it? How do I make sense of it all?’,” said Prasad.
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More than 200 Shortcut keys of Windows 8 operating system are listed below,Be an Windows 8 expert buddy :)
General Key Board Shortcuts F1 - Display Help F2 - Rename the selected item F3 - Search for a file or folder F4 - Display the address bar list in Windows Explorer F5 - Refresh the active window F6 - Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop F10 - Activate the menu bar in the active app Alt+F4 - Close the active item, or exit the active app Alt+Esc - Cycle through items in the order in which they were opened Alt+underlined letter - Perform the command for that letter Alt+Enter - Display properties for the selected item Alt+spacebar - Open the shortcut menu for the active window Alt+left arrow - Back Alt+right arrow - Forward Alt+Page Up - Move up one screen Alt+Page Down - Move down one screen Alt+Tab - Switch between open apps (except desktop apps)
Ctrl+F4 - Close the active document (in apps that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
Ctrl+A - Select all items in a document or window Ctrl+C (or Ctrl+Insert) - Copy the selected item Ctrl+R (or F5) - Refresh the active window Ctrl+V (or Shift+Insert) - Paste the selected item Ctrl+X - Cut the selected item Ctrl+Z - Undo an action Ctrl+Y - Redo an action Ctrl+plus (+) or Ctrl+minus (-) - Zoom in or out of apps pinned to the Start screen Ctrl+scroll wheel - Zoom in or out of apps pinned to the Start screen Ctrl+ mouse scroll wheel - Change the size of desktop icons Ctrl+right arrow - Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word Ctrl+left arrow - Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word Ctrl+down arrow - Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph Ctrl+up arrow - Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph Ctrl+Alt+Tab - Use the arrow keys to switch between all open apps Ctrl with an arrow key+spacebar - Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop Ctrl+Shift with an arrow key - Select a block of text Ctrl+Esc - Open the Start screen Ctrl+Shift+Esc - Open Task Manager Ctrl+Shift - Switch the keyboard layout when multiple keyboard layouts are enabled Shift+F10 - Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
Shift with any arrow key - Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document
Shift+Delete - Delete the selected item without moving it to the Recycle Bin first Right arrow - Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu Left arrow - Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu Esc - Cancel the current task
Ctrl+plus (+) or Ctrl+minus (-) - Zoom in or out of apps pinned to the Start screen Ctrl+scroll wheel - Zoom in or out of apps pinned to the Start screen Windows logo key+C - Open the Charms Windows logo key+C - Open the commands for the app Windows logo key+F - Open the Search charm to search files Windows logo key+H - Open the Share charm Windows logo key+I - Open the Settings charm Windows logo key+J - Switch the main app and snapped app Windows logo key+K - Open the Devices charm Windows logo key+O - Lock the device orientation Windows logo key+Q - Open the Search charm to search apps Windows logo key+V - Cycle through notifications Windows logo key+Shift+V - Cycle through notifications in reverse order Windows logo key+W - Open the Search charm to search settings Windows logo key+, - Temporarily peek at the desktop Windows logo key+Z - Show the commands available in the app Windows logo key+spacebar - Switch input language and keyboard layout Windows logo key+Ctrl+spacebar - Change to a previously selected input Windows logo key+Tab - Cycle through open apps (except desktop apps)
Windows logo key+Ctrl+Tab - Cycle through open apps (except desktop apps) and snaps them as they are cycled
Windows logo key+Shift+Tab - Cycle through open apps (except desktop apps) in reverse order
Windows logo key+PgUp - Move the Start screen and apps to the monitor on the left (Apps in the desktop won’t change monitors)
Windows logo key+PgDown - Move the Start screen and apps to the monitor on the right (Apps in the desktop won’t change monitors)
Windows logo key+Shift+period (.) - Snaps an app to the left Windows logo key+period (.) - Snaps an app to the right
Dialog Box Shortcut Keys F1 - Display Help F4 - Display the items in the active list Ctrl+Tab - Move forward through tabs Ctrl+Shift+Tab - Move back through tabs Ctrl+N (Number 1-9) - Move to Nth tab Tab - Move forward through options Shift+Tab - Move back through options Alt+underlined letter - Perform the command or select the option for that letter Enter - Replace clicking the mouse for many selected commands Spacebar - Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box Backspace - Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Opendialog box Arrow keys - Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons
Windows logo Key Shortcut Keys Windows logo key+F1 - Open Windows Help and Support Windows logo key - Display or hide the Start menu Windows logo key+B - Set focus in the notification area Windows logo key+C - Open the Charms Windows logo key+C - Open the commands for the app Windows logo key+D - Display and hides the desktop Windows logo key+E - Open Computer Windows logo key+F - Open the Search charm and search file Windows logo key+G - Cycle through gadgets on the desktop Windows logo key+H - Open the Share charm Windows logo key+I - Open the Settings charm Windows logo key+J - Switch the main app and snapped app Windows logo key+K - Open the Devices charm Windows logo key+L - Lock your PC or switch users Windows logo key+M - Minimize all windows Windows logo key+O - Lock device orientation Windows logo key+P - Choose a presentation display mode Windows logo key+Q - Open the Search charm and search apps Windows logo key+R - Open the Run dialog box Windows logo key+T - Cycle through apps on the taskbar Windows logo key+U - Open Ease of Access Center Windows logo key+V - Cycle through notifications Windows logo key+Shift+V - Cycle through notifications in reverse order Windows logo key+W - Open the Search charm and search settings Windows logo key+X - Opens the Quick Link menu Windows logo key+, - Temporarily peek at the desktop Windows logo key+Z - Show the commands available in the app Windows logo key+Pause - Display the System Properties dialog box Windows logo key+Ctrl+F - Search for PCs (if you’re on a network) Windows logo key+Shift+M - Restore minimized windows on the desktop
Windows logo key+number - Start the desktop app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. If the app is already running, switch to that app.
Windows logo key+Shift+number - Start a new instance of the desktop app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number
Windows logo key+Ctrl+number - Switch to the last active window of the desktop app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number
Windows logo key+Alt+number - Open the Jump List for the desktop app pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number
Windows logo key+Ctrl+Shift+number - Open a new instance of the desktop app located at the given position on the taskbar as admin
Windows logo key+Tab - Cycle through open apps (except desktop apps)
Windows logo key+Ctrl+Tab - Cycle through open apps (except desktop apps) and snaps them as they are cycled
Windows logo key+Ctrl+B - Switch to the app that displayed a message in the notification area Windows logo key+up arrow - Maximize the desktop window Windows logo key+down arrow - Minimize the desktop window Windows logo key+left arrow - Maximize the desktop window to the left side of the screen Windows logo key+right arrow - Maximize the desktop window to the right side of the screen
Windows logo key+Home - Minimize all but the active desktop window (restores all windows on second stroke)
Windows logo key+Shift+up arrow - Stretch the desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen
Windows logo key+Shift+down arrow - Restore/minimize active desktop windows vertically, maintaining width
Windows logo key+Shift+left arrow or right arrow - Move a window in the desktop from one monitor to another
Windows logo key+spacebar - Switch input language and keyboard layout Windows logo key+Ctrl+spacebar - Change to a previously selected input Windows logo key+Enter - Open Narrator
Windows logo key+PgUp - Move the Start screen and apps to the monitor on the left (Apps in the desktop won’t change monitors)
Windows logo key+PgDown - Move the Start screen and apps to the monitor on the right (Apps in the desktop won’t change monitors)
Windows logo key+Shift+period (.) - Snaps an app to the left Windows logo key+period (.) - Snaps an app to the right Windows logo key+Tab - Cycle through opens apps (except desktop apps)
Windows logo key+Shift+Tab - Cycle through opens apps (except desktop apps) in reverse order
Windows logo key+Ctrl+Tab - Cycle through opens apps (except desktop apps) and snaps them as they are cycled
Windows logo key+/ - Initiate IME reconversion Windows logo key+Alt+Enter - Opens Windows Media Center Windows logo key+plus (+) or minus (-) - Zoom in or out (in Magnifier) Windows logo key+Esc - Exit Magnifier
File Explorer Shortcut Keys Alt+D - Select the address bar Ctrl+E - Select the search box Ctrl+F - Select the search box Ctrl+N - Open a new window Ctrl+W - Close the current window Ctrl+mouse scroll wheel - Change the size and appearance of file and folder icons Ctrl+Shift+E - Display all folders above the selected folder Ctrl+Shift+N - Create a new folder Num Lock+Asterisk (*) - Display all subfolders under the selected folder Num Lock+plus (+) - Display the contents of the selected folder Num Lock+minus (-) - Collapse the selected folder Alt+P - Display the preview pane Alt+Enter - Open the Properties dialog box for the selected item Alt+right arrow - View the next folder Alt+up arrow - View the parent folder Alt+left arrow - View the previous folder Backspace - View the previous folder Right arrow - Display the current selection (if it’s collapsed), or select the first subfolder Left arrow - Collapse the current selection (if it’s expanded), or select the parent folder End - Display the bottom of the active window Home - Display the top of the active window F11 - Maximize or minimize the active window
Taskbar Shortcut Keys Shift+click on a taskbar button - Open a app or quickly open another instance of a app Ctrl+Shift+click on a taskbar button - Open a app as an administrator Shift+Right-click on a taskbar button - Show the window menu for the app Shift+Right-click on a grouped taskbar button - Show the window menu for the group Ctrl+Click on a grouped taskbar button - Cycle through the windows of the group
Ease of Access Shortcut Keys Right Shift for eight seconds - Turn Filter Keys on and off Left Alt+Left Shift+PrtScn - Turn High Contrast on or off Left Alt+Left Shift+Num Lock - Turn Mouse Keys on or off Shift five times - Turn Sticky Keys on or off Num Lock for five seconds - Turn Toggle Keys on or off Windows logo key+U - Open the Ease of Access Center
Magnifier Shortcut Keys Windows logo key+plus (+) or minus (-) - Zoom in or out Ctrl+Alt+spacebar - Preview the desktop in full-screen mode Ctrl+Alt+D - Switch to docked mode Ctrl+Alt+F - Switch to full-screen mode Ctrl+Alt+I - Invert colors Ctrl+Alt+L - Switch to lens mode Ctrl+Alt+R - Resize the lens Ctrl+Alt+arrow keys - Pan in the direction of the arrow keys Windows logo key+Esc - Exit Magnifier
Narrator Shortcut Keys Space or Enter - Activate current item Tab and arrow keys - Move around on the screen Ctrl - Stop reading Caps Lock+D - Read item Caps Lock+M - Start reading Caps Lock+H - Read document Caps Lock+V - Repeat phrase Caps Lock+W - Read window Caps Lock+Page Up/Down - Increase or decrease the volume of the voice Caps Lock+plus (+) or minus (-) - Increase or decrease the speed of the voice Caps Lock+spacebar - Do default action Caps Lock+left or right arrows - Move to previous/next item Caps Lock+F2 - Show commands for current item Press Caps Lock twice in quick succession - Turn Caps Lock on or off Caps Lock + Esc - Exit Narrator
Narrator touch Shortcut Keys Tap once with two fingers - Stop Narrator from reading Tap three times with four fingers - Show all Narrator commands (including the ones not in this list) Double-tap - Activate primary action Triple-tap - Activate secondary action Touch or drag a single finger - Read what’s under your finger Flick left/right with one finger - Move to next or previous item Swipe left/right/up/down with two fingers - Scroll Swipe down with three fingers - Start reading on explorable text
A page about Blogging Tricks and Computer, Android, Hacking, and Windows Tricks.
In this tutorial I'm going to teach you how to create a Task Manager disabling virus. This virus will disable Task Manager using Registry Editor i.e. regedit. Read this post and share it with your friends help us grow!!
In this tutorial we are going to create a virus .bat file which will disable Registry Editor, and I'll give you full explanation of the code. So lets start,
1) REG add -it used to add registry to the windows.
2) HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesSystem :- path of the registry
3) REG_DWORD :- data type
4) 0: it is default value and means fasle. 1 stands for true.if the dword value is 0 the registry DisableTaskMgr is false and task manager will work. if the dword value is 1 the registry DisableTaskMgr is true and task managaer will be blocked.
5)So just change 0 and 1 to enable/disable the task manager. NOTE:-This tutorial is for educational purposes only,Use at your own risk.
Tips&101Tricks is not responsible for any type of loss caused due to this information!!
A page about Blogging Tricks and Computer, Android, Hacking, and Windows Tricks.
You can always enable Internet Connection Sharing & Create a WiFi Hotspot in Windows 8 natively, but if you are looking for a 3rd party freeware to convert your Windows PC into a wifi hotspot, you may want to check ou mHotSpot.
mHotSpot:
mHotSpot is a free software which enables you converting your Windows laptop or PC into a virtual WiFi Hotspot.
Without even installing the freeware, you can turn your Laptop into virtual Wi-Fi router and share your internet connection with Smartphones, Tablet, PCs or any other Wi-Fi enabled device, notwithstanding the fact that you may have an internet connection through LAN, Data Card, or 3G/4G.
With a simple interface mHotspot can be used by anyone without having much knowledge of sharing internet connections. Even beginners can use it and share their internet connections with other devices. Unlike other such software, mHotspot includes no complicated settings and the user can start using it with just a few basic settings done.
mHotspot allows 10 devices in a single internet connection. With a file size of 400KB, this freeware downloads quickly and then you can set your own hotspot name easily. Once your hotspot is created, you can share any type of internet connection with the Wi-Fi enabled devices.
You can connect devices like iPads, PDAs, Android Smartphones, Tablets, PCs, and Laptops etc. You can also secure your wireless hotspot with WPA2 PSK password security.
Make Your Windows PC a WiFi Hotspot
Go to the network and sharing center and right-click on your wireless networks connection. Go to ‘Properties’ and click on ‘Sharing’ tab. Now tick on “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection”. Click Ok to make the changes work.
When done with these settings, launch mHotspot and
click on ‘Start’ tab. The freeware will then start sharing your wireless
internet connection with other available devices. Which means you can now
connect your computer system with multiple Wi-Fi enabled devices. mHotspot will display the list of available wireless connections.
This is all you have to do. You can then connect various devices
to the internet connection running on your computer system.
If mHotspot does not work properly for you, try restarting your computer system for the best functioning of the program Overall, mHotSpot is a very useful freeware for those who want to create a wireless hotspot at home or office. The only drawback I found here is it works only with Windows 7 and Windows 8 devices.
You download mHotspot from its official download page here.
Enjoy!!!!
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A page about Blogging Tricks and Computer, Android, Hacking, and Windows Tricks.
In this small tutorial i will show you a simple Computer trick. Basically you can not name folder with no name on windows. But this trick will allow you to make folders without any name. How To Make Nameless Folder
Before attempting this trick, try to make a folder with no name and you
will fail to do so. This is what this trick will let you do. Below is
screenshot of folder before and after doing this trick.
1. Make a New folder on desktop or where ever you want.
2. Right click on this newly created folder and select Rename.
3. Erase the text showing "New Folder".
4. Now keep Pressing Alt (i.e alter key) and type 255. If you are on laptop then you need to enable your Num Lock and type from the highlighted number keys not from those below function keys.
A page about Blogging Tricks and Computer, Android, Hacking, and Windows Tricks.
There are some important files or document you want to hide from others
on your computer. To do that you might be creating folder inside folder
to hide such files but in todays tutorial i will change this by teaching
you a interesting trick
to hide files behind images.To hide a file behind a image means that if
any one opens that image he will see the image, but to see the hidden
file we need to open that image in a specific way. So lets get started.
How To Hide File Behind Image ?
In order to do this you should have basic understanding of command line.
1. Select an image to be used for hiding file behind the image.
2. Now select a file to hide behind the image and make it in .RAR format. With the help of the WinRAR.
3. And most important is that paste both the files on desktop. You may do this anywhere instead of desktop if you have some basic understanding of command line.
4. Now open cmd by going to Start > Accessories > Command Prompt and type following commands in it.
cd desktop
cd stands for change directory by typing above command you change your directory to desktop.
