Pandora sued for copyright infringement

Pandora has been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit by major record labels, according to The New York Times. The labels contend that the music streaming service must pay license fees for songs recorded before 1972.

The suit was filed in New York state court by Sony, Warner, and Universal, according to the Times. The labels argue that even though older songs, like James Brown's "I Got You" and the Beatles' "Hey Jude," aren't protected under federal copyright law -- they are covered by state laws.

The record labels claim they lose millions of dollars yearly from Pandora, other streaming music services, and satellite radio companies for playing older songs. Many of these songs are played on streaming stations like "Golden Oldies" and "50s Rock 'n' Roll," and the labels say they should get royalties for these pre-1972 songs.

"This case presents a classic attempt by Pandora to reap where it has not sown," the labels say in the suit, according to the Times. "Pandora appropriates plaintiffs' valuable and unique property, violates New York law, and engages in common law copyright infringement and misappropriation and unfair competition."

The streaming music service maintains it has not broken the law. When contacted by CNET, a spokesperson said, "Pandora is confident in its legal position and looks forward to a quick resolution of this matter."

Pandora's shares fell 1.1 percent, or 32 cents, to $27.02 on Thursday before the news.

Wi-Fi iPad Mini with Retina

You can now save money on the Wi-Fi iPad Mini with Retina if you don't mind going the refurbished route.

Up for sale on Apple's online store, a refurbished Wi-Fi-only Retina iPad Mini cuts the price by $60, $80, or $90 depending on the model you choose. For example, a refurbished 16GB Wi-Fi-only Retina iPad Mini costs $339, down from the $399 for a new unit, while a 64GB Wi-Fi edition will run you $509, down from $599 new.

So far only the Wi-Fi versions are listed, with the link for Wi-Fi + Cellular currently grayed out. Otherwise, all capacities and colors are available with the exception of the 128GB model.

Apple tests and certifies all refurbished products and gives them a one-year warranty as well as a new battery and outer shell.

Alibaba confirms plans to offer IPO in US

China e-commerce giant Alibaba Group confirmed early Sunday that it plans to become a public company in the US.

Alibaba, which controls nearly 80 percent of China's Internet shopping market, is expected to raise more than $15 billion, giving it a $130 billion valuation. That lofty target would challenge Facebook's record Internet IPO, which raised $16 billion in 2012.

Founded in 1999 by former English teacher Jack Ma, the company provides marketplace platforms that allow merchants to sell goods directly to consumers. Rather than selling goods to consumers as US e-commerce giant Amazon does, Alibaba provides listing and advertising services.

The statement appears to snub the Hong Kong stock exchange, which had been competing for the offering with US stock exchanges but objected to some of Alibaba's proposed listing terms. The company said it was keeping its options open for a possible dual listing in China.

The IPO is also expected to a boon for Yahoo, which still owns 24 percent of the China e-commerce giant.

Microsoft offering operating system for free

Microsoft is taking baby steps toward offering its operating system for free or on the cheap -- a necessary tactic in a world dominated by Google's Android and other up-and-coming free operating systems.

As reported by the Times of India this week, Microsoft had been in negotiations with Indian phone companies to "produce affordable Windows Phone devices" since last year.The agreement was "clinched" when Microsoft agreed to offer the Windows Phone OS sans the usual licensing fee, according to the Times.

"It's a calculated risk to see how it works," said Bob O'Donnell, principal analyst at Technalysis Research. The Windows Phone OS has less than a 10 percent share of India's smartphone market, which is dominated by Android, according to IDC.

Microsoft fell behind Android and Apple when it missed the move to mobile, not offering the Windows Phone OS until 2010, long after Google and Apple jumped in the market. Former CEO Steve Ballmer said as much earlier this month. "We would have a stronger position in the phone market today if I could redo the last 10 years," he said, speaking in the UK.

Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion

Facebook Inc will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, as the world's largest social network looks for ways to boost its popularity, especially among a younger crowd.

The acquisition of the hot messaging service with more than 450 million users around the world stunned many Silicon Valley observers with its lofty price tag. It helps Facebook tap teens who will eschew the mainstream social networks and prefer WhatsApp and rivals such as Line and WeChat, which have exploded in size as mobile messaging takes off.

"WhatsApp will complement our existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for our community," Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page. "Since WhatsApp and (Facebook) Messenger serve such different and important users, we will continue investing in both."

As part of the deal, WhatsApp co-founder and chief executive officer Jan Koum will join Facebook's board, and the social network will grant an additional $3 billion worth of restricted stock units to WhatsApp's founders, including Koum.That is on top of the $16 billion in cash and stock that Facebook will pay. 

Bitcoin Gang Inches Towards 100-Member Mark, Hits $13-Billion Value

Enhanced regulatory oversight in India and other countries seems to be having little impact on spread of bitcoins and other virtual currencies, whose number is fast moving towards a century with a total valuation of close to $13 billion.

A number of new entrants, such as bitgem, catcoin, unobtanium and sexcoin, have arrived on the scene even as regulators across the world grapple with risks posed by such currencies and transactions conducted through them.

At least 93 virtual currencies are at present being used by people across the world over the internet, as also for some offline transactions, and their total valuation has reached $13 billion (over 80,000 crore), out of which bitcoin alone accounts for over $9 billion, according to market estimates.At end of December last year, the number of virtual currencies stood at 67.

Microsoft Names India-born Satya Nadella as CEO

Software giant Microsoft named Hyberabad-born Satya Nadella as its new Chief Executive Officer, replacing Steve Ballmer.“As Satya Nadella becomes the third CEO of Microsoft, he brings a relentless drive for innovation and a spirit of collaboration to this new role,” Microsoft said in a statement.

Nadella, 46, is taking over at a time when the world’s largest software company is expanding its focus to devices and cloud infrastructure.“The opportunity ahead for Microsoft is vast, but, to seize it, we must move faster, push harder and continue to transform,” Nadella said in the statement.

“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” Microsoft founder and former Chairman Bill Gates said. Gates said that Nadella is a proven leader with hard-core engineering skills, business vision and the ability to bring people together.

Formerly Executive Vice President of the Cloud and Enterprise Group at the software giant, Nadella was leading the development of one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world. Gates will assume a new role as Technology Advisor and devote more time to the direction of the company’s products and technology.

The New World’s Most Powerful Laser Can Destroy Any Planet Humans Want

Researchers and scientists from around the world are working in collaboration to produce the world’s most powerful laser which can give new insight into how the cosmos was created. The laser is being built in the Czech Republic and funded by the EU.

The High-Repetition-Rate Advanced Petawatt Laser System (HAPLS) is a laser which will emit a beam that is 100,000 times more powerful than all of Earth’s power stations combined. The beam will have an intensity of 1,023 watts per square centimeter and will last for a very short instant (1/100,00th of a billionth of a second). The laser has been nicknamed the Death Star because of its similarity to Darth Vader’s laser-powered base in Star Wars.

The Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) Beamlines project is the lab where HAPLS is being developed and will hopefully be completed by 2017. The system will combine technologies from around the world. HAPL will be made of two interconnected laser systems, designed by US-based Lawrence Livermore Labs, and will require a space of 4.6 by 17 meters, plus an additional 4 square meters for the final laser pulse compressor. It relies on a scheme called “double-chirped pulse amplification” which enables high signal to noise in the output pulses which will seed HAPLS.

HAPLS will deliver extremely short, high-power laser pulses to generate secondary sources of electromagnetic radiation and accelerate charged particles. Scientists are very optimistic that it will enable new scientific discoveries and will provide advancements in the fields of physics, medicine, biology and material sciences.

Windows XP Nears End, Log Into Safe Mode

Hooked to Windows XP? It is time to either upgrade the operating system or buy a new computer. Come April 8 and technical assistance for Windows XP operation system would no longer be available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC.

Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP from April 8, says a company press release.It means no security updates and other patches to keep the system safer from viruses and other malware attacks.

Your Windows XP computer, however, would continue to run but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses.According to company officials, very few older computers will be able to run Windows 8.1, which is the latest version of Windows.

"We recommend that you download and run the Windows Upgrade Assistant to check if your PC meets the system requirements for Windows 8.1 and then follow the steps in the tutorial to upgrade if your PC is able," explained the release.

Here is the solution.
Go for a machine with at least a 1-gigahertz processor, 1 gigabyte of memory, 16 gigabytes of hard drive space and a graphics card compatible with DirectX9. If you don't want to change your Windows XP computer, opt for third-party security software.

Copycat facebook gets thumbs down on its twitter-like trending feature

After hash tag fiasco Facebook is yet to learn its lesson, as it has again aped Twitter and the newly added feature has not gone well with its users. This time it is for introducing ‘trending stories’. The feature displays selected news stories to the users depending on their area of interest. If you are browsing through your desktop, you can notice it at the top right column under the news feed. Many users felt that it was annoying as it contained just some celebrity gossip which was irrelevant to them. Members cannot turn it off too.  Some have resorted to using F.B. Purity (a third-party browser extension) to filter unwanted information. Facebook responded by saying that it is open to feedback.

The social networking website has launched this feature in different countries including U.S., U.K. and Canada, PC World reported. In India, only some select users are provided with this feature and the roll out will be gradual.

S. Shyam Sundar, founder of the Media Effects Research Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University opines that users are benefited as the news that matters to them will find them rather than they looking for it. Some have responded back by saying that they are happy to browse a reliable news website for the same.

Will Intel Conquer The Mobility Space?

 Intel, the world’s largest chip manufacturing company, is all set to take the mobility space by storm this year by partnering with Indian original equipment manufacturers such as Micromax, Lava and Karbonn, and release a series of tablets and two-in-ones.

Anand Ramamoorthy, Director of South Asia consumption sales at Intel said, “We want to be a relevant player in 2014 and the leader in 2015. We have the building blocks, we understand the channel much better, and we have learnt how things are sold in India. What has not worked too well has been our inability to have a sustained product beat rate in the mobility space. Smartphones and tablets are an area where "you have to innovate much faster" and introduce new platforms every six to nine months”.

Intel is betting on Bay Trail, a family of processors and systems-on-chip it released last year, to lead the mobility space.

Photo-Snapping Drone That Fits In Your Pocket

A flying multicopter that is powerful enough to carry a high quality action camera and folds easily in your pocket has been designed in the US.The Pocket Drone is equipped with an action camera for capturing aerial photos and video and a rechargeable battery allowing for flights of up to 20 minutes.

The device, which only weighs around 450 grams, folds up to the size of a small tablet for portability.

The creators claim that the drone is designed for easy use. It can be unpacked and launched within 20 seconds, and is controlled by an included remote or from any Android phone or tablet with a USB port, 'Mashable' reported.

"Until now, most people could not participate in this awesome new technology revolution -- the cost was too great, the drones too bulky, and the software too difficult to operate," creators Timothy Reuter, TJ Johnson and Chance Roth wrote on Kickstarter website.

The Pocket Drone can be purchased for $445 without a controller or $495 for the full package.

New Smartphone App Can Track Your Lost Wallet!

 Imagine, what if you lose your pocket in the middle of the crowded road…many of us would get goosebumps out of fear! But now no worry as the newly developed smartphone app in US is there that tracks the location of your lost wallet using a chip.

The SmartWallit chip is a revolutionary device that prevents people from leaving their wallet behind or losing it, its makers claim.The device connects with your smartphone through bluetooth and works with an app which records the time and place the wallet was lost.


In case the wallet goes out of range of the app, a warning message will flash on your smartphone screen, displaying the last location where the wallet was used. “When you use your wallet, SmartWallit Pro App will record this action using its proximity and light sensor to push a signal to your phone,” its makers said on kickstarter.

The app, developed by New York based SmartWallit Inc, can also help you build an accurate and complete record of the frequency and amount you spend.


When reviewing your monthly spendings, the app will then be able to show you what you have bought over the last week/month/year.The automatic loss detecting functions can be disabled in case an owner is in a quiet location or simply travelling without their wallet altogether

'Greenest' Supercomputer Built at Cambridge University

  An energy-efficient supercomputer which is the "greenest of its kind" has been built at Cambridge University.Named 'Wilkes' after computing pioneer Maurice Wilkes, the machine's performance is equivalent to 4,000 desktop machines running at once.

The computer will be used for development of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) - the biggest radio telescope ever made.The new system has been rated second in the "Green 500" - a ranking of the most efficient supercomputers worldwide. While the first-placed machine, built by a team in Tokyo, used an oil-cooled system, Wilkes is cooled using air, making it the greenest machine of its kind.


Designed and built by the in-house engineering team within the Cambridge High Performance Computing Service, Wilkes' energy efficiency is 3,361 Mega-flops per watt. Flops (floating point operations per second) are a standard measure of computing performance.

Xolo Inks Deal With Liverpool Football Club; To Invest 100 Crore

Smartphone device brand Xolo inked a three-season exclusive marketing deal with Liverpool Football Club for the Indian sub-continent and plans to spend about  100 crore on promoting the game.

Under the partnership, Xolo will be the official mobile handset partner for the football club in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. However, no financial details of the tie-up were disclosed. Over the next three years, Xolo (homegrown handset maker Lava's smartphone brand) will invest
100 crore on activities around the game of football.

"Over the past few years, the popularity of football in the country has grown, especially among the youth. Liverpool FC is one of the most popular clubs in the country and this partnership signifies our long-term intent to promote the game across the sub-continent," Xolo Business Head Sunil Raina told PTI.

The partnership will help us leverage the brand and its assets and allow us to offer users in India content from the football club on their handsets, exclusive merchandise as well as a chance to meet various Liverpool FC players, he added.

'Greenest' Supercomputer Built at Cambridge University

 An energy-efficient supercomputer which is the "greenest of its kind" has been built at Cambridge University.
Named 'Wilkes' after computing pioneer Maurice Wilkes, the machine's performance is equivalent to 4,000 desktop machines running at once.

The computer will be used for development of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) - the biggest radio telescope ever made.The new system has been rated second in the "Green 500" - a ranking of the most efficient supercomputers worldwide. While the first-placed machine, built by a team in Tokyo, used an oil-cooled system, Wilkes is cooled using air, making it the greenest machine of its kind.

Designed and built by the in-house engineering team within the Cambridge High Performance Computing Service, Wilkes' energy efficiency is 3,361 Mega-flops per watt. Flops (floating point operations per second) are a standard measure of computing performance.

LG OLED TVs come to CES in multiple sizes, curvatures and resolutions

LG is out to prove that despite all the hype surrounding 4K/UHD resolution LED LCD TVs, it hasn't forgotten little ol' OLED.

Organic Light Emitting Diode display technology for TVs, long hailed as the successor to thriving LED LCD and almost-dead plasma, was finally introduced to the market in 2013. It's currently available in two curved, first-generation 55-inch models, one each from Samsung and LG, that cost $9,000 and $8,500 respectively.
LG's second generation of OLED is a bit more expansive with multiple sizes and even a flat version, although likely just as expensive--pricing and availability wasn't announced for any of these models.

Xiaomi: We'll double our smartphone sales in 2014

Xiaomi, the smartphone maker whose co-founder Lei Jun has been compared to Steve Jobs, expects to sell many more smartphones in 2014.

In a post on China's Twitter-like service Sina Weibo, Lei wrote that his company will "supply 40 million phones in 2014." According to The Guardian, which earlier reported on the assertion, Xiaomi sold about 19 million smartphones in 2013, which more than doubled the number of handsets the company sold in 2012.

High on the list of Xiaomi's targets for expansion is Southeast Asia, according to Hugo Barra, the former Android honcho at Google who's now heading up Xiaomi's expansion efforts. "I'm trying to find markets and get to them as quickly as possible," Barra said at the LeWeb conference in Paris in December.

Xiaomi has found a sweet spot in its home market of China by offering sleek devices at a low price. Perhaps more importantly, Lei has been able to build hype about the Android-based handsets and offers a relatively small supply of products at launch. That builds up demand and allows the company to sell out of its products in seconds.

Moto X price drops to $399 off-contract

The Moto X now costs $399 off-contract at major US carriers. The new pricing includes customized devices.The Moto X had been listing at $579 without a contract. With a two-year contract at a carrier such as Verizon Wireless or AT&T, the smartphone starts at $99.99.

"We've been hearing a lot recently from people who want a new premium smartphone at a reasonable price without having to wait for a contract upgrade," Motorola said in a blog post Wednesday. "That came through especially loud and clear during our holiday flash sales."

That's not the cheapest off-contract price, by the way. Republic Wireless has been offering the Moto X for $299.

62 Indians shortlisted for one-way trip to Mars

Over 1,000 aspirants, including 62 from India, have been shortlisted for an ambitious private mission to send four men and women on a one-way trip to Mars in 2024 to establish a permanent colony on the red planet.

The Netherlands-based non-profit organization Mars One announced the selection of 1,058 candidates from the applicant pool of over 200,000 hoping to establish human life on Martian soil.

The applicants came from over 140 countries and more than 20,000 Indians had applied for the first round.
According to SPACE.com, of those who made the first cut, 297 are from the US. Canada is the second best represented country with 75 candidates, followed by India with 62 and Russia with 52.

Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp described the shortlisted candidates as "first tangible glimpse into what the new human settlement will truly look like."

"We're extremely appreciative and impressed with the sheer number of people who submitted their applications. However, the challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously," Lansdorp said.

All applicants were notified via e-mail of their application status. For those who were not selected in this round, there is still a chance they could reapply at a later date, which has not yet been determined, Mars One said.