Pictures of the BlackBerry 10 L-Series smartphone, codenamed London, have surfaced online again. This comes just days after RIM CEO Thorsten Heins was spotted using one of the same smartphones during an NBA game earlier this week. Earlier, we had seen pictures of the same phone alongside an iPhone 5, but the new series of photographs see it sitting next to a BlackBerry Bold 9780 smartphone. These pictures showed up on the BlackBerry centric site, Crackberry.com.

According to the rumor mills, the London device will sport a 4.2-inch (1280 x 768 pixel) display and a dual core processor will power it. This will be supported with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, a memory expansion slot and an 8MP camera. The other phone expected to be launched with the London is the one codenamed Nevada, which is said to sport a touchscreen as well as a trademark QWERTY keyboard BlackBerry devices are so famous for. Unfortunately, we have not seen a lot of leaks regarding the same.

• Innovated with high-K, metal-gate and 3D Tri-gate transistors improving the efficiency of Intel processors
• Acquired security firm McAfee
• Introduced Ultrabooks category
• Delivered the first set of smartphones sporting an Intel Medfield SoC
• Grew the vast network of cloud-based computing built on Intel products

Other speculation suggests that the device may also house a 13MP camera. Under the hood, a quad-core Exynos 5450 processor clocked at 2GHz may power the device and we suspect the it will have 2GB of RAM. This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard about rumours of the Samsung Galaxy S IV. In September 2012, the Korea Times reads: “Samsung Electronics plans to unveil the latest in its Galaxy line, the S4, at a European technology exhibition in February,

AMD, the underdog of processors, has announced the availability of its new A-series Accelerated Processing Unit chips for the Indian market. The new processors will be priced between the Rs. 3,000-8,000 bracket and are being targeted at consumers. AMD’s A-series APUs combine the power of multiple-core processing with the power of discrete graphics, all into one processor. AMD claims that these chips are not only power-efficient, but also pack in a decent punch as far as GPU capabilities go. Hoping that these new processors could replace a dedicated graphics card is obviously hoping for too much, but AMD says that they will definitely allow the casual gamer to indulge themselves in some fun activities.

Ravi Swaminathan, Managing Director and Vice President-Sales and Marketing at AMD India furthered that belief at the launch when he acknowledged that “the world is moving around graphics and the APU is something accepted world over with better battery life (around 10 hours). We have launched the first generation APU a year ago and the new generation is an upgrade to it." This is AMD bringing ATI’s graphics expertise to the game, shrinking it significantly and packing it into a processor. For example, the A10-5800K model, the top end A-series APU clocks the CPU at 3.8GHz (4 cores that can scale up to 4.2GHz) along with the power of the ATI Radeon HD7660.

Microsoft's Xbox 720 will unveil a new version of Kinect, a Blu-ray drive, and an A/V port for watching and recording broadcast TV, at least according to details leaked by Xbox World.
Promising "next-gen secrets inside," the penultimate issue of the UK-based magazine dug up several reported specs on Microsoft's next console.

First off, the Xbox 720 will introduce Kinect 2.0. Microsoft has been publicly mum about the next version of Kinect as it has about all details concerning the new Xbox. But a company document leaked in June touted a higher level of accuracy, stereo imaging, better voice recognition, and the ability to track four players at once.

A Blu-ray drive will also be part of the package, a rumor that's been around for a few years now.
Other features will include directional audio, an input and output for watching and recording TV shows, and an "innovative controller," noted gaming news site ComputerAndVideoGames.com (CVG). Last February, Xbox World said that the redesigned controller would come with a built-in HD touch screen.

Anonymous is in the midst of a hacking campaign against a number of Israeli sites in protest of attacks taking place on Gaza. The hacking spree, dubbed OpIsrael and begun early Thursday, has resulted in so many Israeli Web sites being defaced or shut down through methods including denial of service (DoS) attacks, that it's hard to keep count. However, some enterprising hacktivists have begun compiling lists of affected Web sites. Targets have included governmental, retail, and business sites -- some belonging to the automotive and fashion industries.

The Bank of Jerusalem, one of Israel's largest financial institutions, has received particular attention from the hacktivists -- as the cyberattackers crowed on Twitter about deleting the organization's online database. Access to the bank's Web site has been spotty. Trying to access it yesterday afternoon resulted in nothing more than a database error, and though the site reappeared, it seemed to be offline again this morning. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site also appeared on Friday to have been attacked and its database either deleted or tampered with. The Web site seemed to be back up and running this morning.

According to the latest list from Anonymous, 663 sites have been affected. Some of the file dumps contain what look to be the full names, e-mail addresses, and passwords of Web site users, stolen from breached databases.  As the BBC notes, while Anonymous enjoys its hacking spree, the Israeli Defense Force has begun a campaign of its own -- a game called IDF Ranks which rewards frequent visitors to its blog, and content sharers, with different badges and virtual military ranks. The Web site says this is to fight "misinformation" concerning the IDF and Israel. On Wednesday, the Web site began a live link documenting the attacks on Gaza.

Microsoft has officially released Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7. The preview build of the IE10 browser can be downloaded today, with the final build launching some time next year.

On the official IE blog, Rob Mauceri, Group Program Manager, Internet Explorer says, “IE10 on Windows 7 has the same standards based platform for developers to target as IE10 on Windows 8. We built an entirely new browser with Windows 8, with more performance and developer capabilities. IE10 brings improved real-world site performance and additional standards support to Windows 7 that Web developers have been asking for. We look forward to getting your feedback on IE10 on Windows 7, and will provide another update when the preview is available.”

To celebrate the 100 million landmark, Dropbox is inviting users to share their ‘Dropbox story’ and the top 10 favourite stories will get 100 GB storage space for life. Here are some stories, and you can submit your own story on the same page.

According to the latest transparency report released by Google, India ranks second in the world for accessing private details of its citizens, only after the U.S. The Google report lists out requests it received from governments across the world to access details of users of its various services.

President Pranab Mukherjee today unveiled the much-awaited ultra low-cost Aakash 2 tablet PC at an event in New Delhi. Designed, developed and manufactured by DataWind, the Aakash tablet, also dubbed as the Aakash 2.0, will be available to students at a subsdised price of Rs. 1,130. DataWind is supplying the Aakash tablet to the Indian government at Rs. 2,263 per unit.

In the first phase, DataWind is going to supply 100,000 units of Aakash 2 to IIT Bombay, which intends to distribute them to Engineering University and College students in the country.

So far, no information has been revealed about availability of the 32GB version in India. If you are eager to pick up an 8GB model however, you can try your luck on eBay India. The Nexus 7 as the name suggests features a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels, and is powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 1.3GHz processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM. It was also the first device unveiled that ran on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. 

Microsoft is dropping its instant-messaging program and forcing most users to switch to Skype.

Maintaining Windows Live Messenger made less sense after Microsoft Corp bought Skype for $8.5 billion last year. A new version of Skype released a few weeks ago allows users to sign in with a Microsoft account. By merging the two services, people won't have to maintain two separate contact lists. Microsoft says much has changed in how people communicate. There's more use of text messaging and social networking.

Microsoft says that Messenger users who switch to Skype will get benefits such as the ability to call landline and mobile phones and better support on mobile devices. Messenger will be discontinued worldwide after the first quarter of 2013.

Opera has launched the final version of Opera 12.10, with improved extensions and other new features. Opera says the update brings in more customisation features.  With more powerful extensions possibilities in Opera 12.10, combined with Opera's Speed Dial that gives an easy overview of favourite sites and shortcuts, users can apparently now get their favourite content faster and easier. Other updates include basic touch support for Opera in Windows 8 classic and Opera Turbo for slow network speeds.

Opera in its announcement also highlights the new Speed Dial extensions for Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, StubmleUpon, Readbility, Gmail, Google Calendar and TED.  By introducing the Context API, web developers can let the context menu (what most people call the right-click menu) get extended usability for example, start a Tweet by right-clicking a link. The Resource Loader API lets web developers have their extensions interact with advanced CSS and JavaScript on webpage,” says Opera in a release.

Microsoft has lately been on a spree of integrating its various suites together in order to provide a seamless user experience. The Redmond giant famously releases versions of its productivity software across platforms, and recently extended Microsoft the net even over to Android and iOS, with apps like Lync, OneNote and SkyDrive. The “Rooms” feature on the upcoming Windows Phone 8 devices will also allow non-WP8 users to be a part of the Room, allowing them to share notes, images and calendars with other occupants of that particular Room

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has announced a cap of 100 SMSes in a day per SIM at concessional rates. For every SMS sent above the cap imposed by the TRAI, a minimum charge of 50 paisa will be levied.

According to TRAI's principal advisor, N Parameswaran, the move will help stop unregistered telemarketers from misusing the concession SMS plans for sending bulk promotional messages. The restriction however does not apply on registered telemarketers, transactional message-sending entities, and telephone numbers.  The regulator is also considering a new mechanism which will enable telecom operators to block messages with same or similar characters. The proposed mechanism envisages a maximum of 200 SMSes with “similar signatures” are sent in an hour. The service provider can block the source once the cap is breached.

Instagram announced on its blog its plan to go ahead with web profiles, which will allow you to share your profiles over the web. To see your profile, or to explore a friend’s profile, simply navigate to instagram.com/[username].

The header images keep transitioning like live Windows Phone tiles and on first glance they look very similar to the Facebook or Google Plus photo streams. When you hover your mouse over the individual images below the header, you can see date when the image was taken alongwith the likes and comments (below). On clicking on the image, it pops out with the web-based viewer.

Research In Motion (RIM) has said its much-delayed new BlackBerry smartphones are now being tested by 50 wireless carriers around the world. The phones are seen as critical to RIM's survival. The release will come as the company struggles in North America to hold onto customers who are abandoning BlackBerrys for flashier iPhones and Android phones.

The Canadian company called the testing a key step as it prepares to launch the new BlackBerry 10 software and phones in the first quarter of next year. RIM's current software is still focused on email and messaging, and is less user-friendly and agile than iPhone or Android. Its attempt at touch screens and a tablet were a flop, and RIM lacks the apps that power other smartphones. RIM's hopes hang on BlackBerry 10. It's thoroughly redesigned for the touchscreen, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers now expect. A full touchscreen device will be released first followed shortly after by a physical keyboard version.

The new BlackBerrys will be released after the holiday shopping season and well after Apple's launch of the iPhone 5, Apple's biggest product introduction yet. RIM's platform transition is also happening under a new management team and as RIM lays off 5,000 employees as part of a bid to save $1 billion. RIM was once Canada's most valuable company with a market value of more than $80 billion in 2008, but the stock has plummeted since, from over $140 share to around $7. Its decline evokes memories of Nortel, another former Canadian tech giant, which declared bankruptcy in 2009.

Apple on Monday announced it has sold three million iPads in just three days since the launch of its new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad. It is double the number of first weekend milestone of 1.5 million Wi-Fi only models sold for the third generation iPad in March.

The new iPad mini features a 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, and an 10 hours of battery life. The new fourth generation iPad features a 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance.

Both iPad mini and the new fourth generation iPad with Retina display are available in 34 countries including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and the UK, and will be available in many more countries later this year, including mainland China. 

Samsung Electronics has sold more than 3 million Galaxy Note 2 smartphones in a little over a month after its launch, as the company vies to keep its lead over rivals during the crucial holiday quarter. The South Korean firm, which was the world's largest maker of smartphones in the July-September quarter, said it took 37 days for the oversize smartphone to reach the sales figure.

The Note was one of the few 5-inch smartphone in the market when the first model was unveiled last year, making some people believe it would become a "tweener" - neither a tablet nor a smartphone. The Note series is one of the two key mobile devices from Samsung on the high-end smartphone segment, along with flagship Galaxy S3 smartphone, helping Samsung rake in profit for the business division that is responsible for more than 70 per cent of the company's quarterly sales.

The latest iteration of the Note features a screen measuring 5.5 inches diagonally and a digital pen for note-taking. Research firm IDC said Samsung topped the global smartphone market in the July-September third quarter with 56.3 million sales, more than double Apple's 26.9 million iPhone sales.

Internet addictions — especially to social media — have been well documented. And the truth is, we’re feeling like we might have a touch of Facebook addiction. But what’s the psychology behind this disorder? As it turns out, receiving and answering a notification results in a hit of dopamine, a chemical neurotransmitter associated with the motivation and reward response in the human brain. Dopamine is also released in high quantities when we consume drugs or have sex. Social media notifications can have the same addictive effect.

HTC has announced that its first two WP8 handsets, the Windows Phone 8X and 8S, will be released in India this month. The Taiwanese mobile giant also released pricing information for the two devices – the top-end HTC Windows Phone 8X gets an MOP of Rs. 35,023, the mid-range HTC Windows Phone 8S gets an MOP of Rs. 19,260.

The company also announced two other smartphones for the Indian market, the HTC Desire SV, and HTC One X+, pricing them at Rs. 22,590 and Rs. 40,190 respectively.

HTC has launched a mid-range Android smartphone for India, and a few other South East Asian countries. The phone is called Desire SV, and will be priced at Rs. 22,590 (MOP). It is expected to be available in India over the next couple of weeks.

HTC Desire SV Features :
- Dual-SIM phone  (Do note that the SIMs needs to be of the micro-SIM type)
- 1GHz dual core processor
- 68MB of RAM
- 4.3-inch 800x400 pixel (217ppi) Super LCD2 display

Kim Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload, and possibly the most hunted man on the internet, has revealed plans for the successor to his wildly popular file sharing service. Before it was shut down in January, 2012, Megaupload was one of the largest file storage and viewing services in the world, averaging about 50 million hits per day. With over 25 petabytes (25,000 terabytes) of data stored on its servers, the portal was widely known and used, and its shutting down led to great outrage in the online sphere, with many severe responses from the file sharing community, including denial-of-service attacks on a range of websites belonging to the U.S. government and copyright organizations.

A number of government websites including those of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Prime Minister's Office and West Bengal's police department, Directorate of Estates (Ministry of Urban Development), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, and Rehabilitation Council of India have suffered massive cyber attacks.