Google has released its Maps app for the iPhone, in the wake of complaints about Apple's software.

Apple controversially replaced the search giant's mapping service with its own when it released its latest handset, the iPhone 5.

The move was widely criticised after numerous mistakes were found in Apple Maps's search results.

Google's app introduces functions previously restricted to Android devices.

One analyst said it would prove popular, but added that Nokia still posed a challenge.

The Finnish company recently launched its own free maps app for the iPhone.

The firms are motivated in part by a desire to gather data automatically generated by handsets using their respective software, as well as users' own feedback.

This allows them to fine-tune their services and improve the accuracy of features such as traffic status updates.
Android's advantage

Features Google has introduced that were not available in its earlier iPhone app include:

    Voice guided turn-by-turn directions, with estimated travel times.
    Indoor panoramic images of buildings that have signed up to its Street View Business Photos service
    3D representations of the outlines of buildings that can be viewed from different angles
    Vector-based graphics based on mathematical lines and points rather than pre-created bitmap graphics, making it quicker to zoom in and out of an area.

Among the facilities Google's iPhone app lacks that are present in its Android equivalent are indoor maps, the ability to download maps for offline viewing, and voice search.

However, over time, project manager Kai Hansen told the BBC that what was on one platform should be on the other.

"The goal is clearly to make it as unified and consistent an experience as possible," he said.
Ground Truth

One area Apple's own software still has an edge is its integration of Flyover which offers interactive photo-realistic views of selected cities using 3D-rendered graphics within its maps app.

Google offers a similar facility via Google Earth which is promoted in its main maps app, but involves switching into a separate program.

However, for many users the key feature will be the level of accuracy that Google offers.

Since 2008, the firm's Ground Truth project has mashed together licensed data with information gathered by its own fleet of Street View cars and bicycles.

The images and sensor data they collect are analysed by computers and humans to identify street signs, business names, road junctions and other key features. To date, more than five million miles (eight million km) of roads across 45 countries have been covered.

This information is supplemented by the public filing their own reports. iPhone users are encouraged to do likewise by shaking their handsets to activate a feedback function.

"Google Maps, as much as any other map application, lives from the data that we receive," Mr Hansen explained.

"If a road is closed for the next six months, or a road was opened two days ago - these are things that somebody who lives next to the road immediately notices, but if you're not in the area it becomes hard to know.

"The more we can give you the ability to let us know about things that are changing on the map, the more other users will benefit from that corrected information."

He added that once operators verify these reports, changes can be made "within minutes, rather than hours".

Apple is also seeking to improve its own data through user feedback, but risks having less to work with if iPhone users switch to another product.

There had been speculation Apple would reject Google's app from its store for this reason.

But since iPhone sales are at the heart of Apple's fortunes, it may have felt it had more to lose than gain by allowing rival Android handsets to offer a popular app it lacked.
'Neutral' Nokia

Google's launch will also have consequences for Nokia, which recently launched its own Here Maps app on iOS.

The European firm's location division is decades older than Google's, and also has a strong reputation for accuracy.

However, the Here app has had a shaky start with many users complaining about problems with its interface - a consequence of it being written in the HTML5 web language rather than as a native app, specifically for the iOS system.

Even so, one telecoms analyst said it would be premature to write the company out of the game.

"I'm not convinced Nokia as a brand for maps will become a big thing in the consumer consciousness, but what I think is going to happen is that more businesses are going to quietly do deals with it for maps," said Ben Wood from CCS Insight.

"Because of the issues that Apple had, people have suddenly understood the importance of quality mapping and they may also say they don't want to go to Google as all of the data then runs through the search firm, strengthening it as a competitor. Nokia is more of a neutral partner.

"Amazon has already done a deal with Nokia on its Kindle tablets, and I wouldn't be surprised if RIM's new Blackberry devices and Facebook follow."

sorce: BBC

How about using your mobile phone to beam an image or a presentation? There are phones that can be used as mini projectors. This is an emerging technology and is catching on fast. However, big companies are yet to invest in this segment, save for Samsung. There are many options from small handset companies such as Maxx, GFive and Intex. They may offer cheaper alternatives but they are not built very well. Here are some of the good options in this segment.

Microsoft has jumped on the visual device bandwagon and now plans to create their own eyeglasses.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has touted their company's innovative product at star-studded events
throughout the year and in July, news emerged that Apple had received a patent for a wearable display device -- seemingly bearing a close resemblance to Google's Project Glass.

Not to be left behind, sketches filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office show the Redmond,
Washington company has plans to create its own head-mounted display device. Though the patent application was sent on May 20, 2011, it was only recently discovered on fie at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Microsoft's product is described as being distinct from Google's device and Apple's planned version
as Microsoft's 'head mounted display...would provide supplemental information when viewing a live
event,' according to the patent application.

'A user wearing an at least partially see-through, head mounted display views the live event while
simultaneously receiving information on objects, including people, within the user's field of view.'
A drawing of a potential scene shows a user watching a baseball game and how the device could
provide statistics and additional details to enrich the viewing of the sporting event.

At least in the patent application, it doesn't appear that the device would be intended for everyday use - like walking down the street. 'The information is presented in a position in the head mounted display which does not interfere with the user's enjoyment of the live event,' the description added.

It's expected that the device would be operated by either a wrist-worn computer, eye movements or
voice commands. The discovery of Microsoft's foray into the eye wear field comes amid the massive publicity drummed up by the Mountain View, California based company for their Project Glass.

The pet project of Sergey Brin has been marketed as a fashionable yet fully functioning device that
even made its way to the runway in designer Diane von Furstenberg's show at New York Fashion
Week in September. Brin has sported the sci-fi looking accessory throughout 2012 but it isn't expected to be sold as a consumer product until 2013 or even 2014.

The very sight of the Google Glasses and the prospect of incorporating the technology into every day
life has sparked excitement among the industry. The wraparound frame has a tiny display over the left eye, that lets the wearer surf the web, make video calls, listen to music and even take notes.
The user won't even even have to lift a finger since the screen is controlled by voice commands and
even is sensitive enough to respond to the the tilt of the head. A prototype is currently being tested and reviewed by Google employees before the device will be presented to the public.

In a promotional video for the new technology, a person wearing the device walks down the street
and instantly helpful neighborhood tips and information on surrounding landmarks appear on the screen before their eyes.

Additionally, the screen will alert the user to their friends and family in the environs so the person can
pop in and surprise someone they know. Apple is also said to be scurrying its engineers to get its own eye wear available in the near future. Reports emerged in July that the Cupertino based company had filed a patent application for a 'head-mounted display apparatus for a user,' according to the application.

According to early diagrams for the device, the accessory would include one or two LCDs.
Though it is difficult to understand fully how the device would operate, according to the patent
description it would be a 'full immersion' device, not a 'walk around' device like the one developed by
Google. Apple's would likely be easily embedded in anything from a helmet, a pair of glasses, or a visor.

According to the New York Times, the company has been working on projects that could become
'wearable computers' and even hired a wearable computing engineer in 2011.

These days, many people upload their photos to numerous online services and it can sometimes be hard to keep track of them all. ThisLife, an app for iPhone and iPad, is a cloud solution for sharing and organizing your photos and videos. It allows you to import your photographs from web services like Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, Instagram and others, or you can simply upload the images from your computer.

As a company, ThisLife firmly believes that photographs should be treasured memories that need to be protected. This means understanding that organizing all your photos from disparate services isn’t much fun. ThisLife automatically imports your photos, cleverly recognizes duplicates and faces, and even auto-enhances the images for the best image quality.

Its most interesting feature is how it creates a “story” of your images. It adds dates to each photo and it’s easy to include a text or audio note to enhance this storytelling experience. At the same time, ThisLife makes it straightforward to browse and rearrange your photos any way you choose. You can create themed albums, and the app is also clever enough to retain social networking information such as Facebook likes.

Once you are done organizing your images, it’s simple to share them via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or email. However, you can set your albums to private if you don’t want others to see them. The interface is elegant and smooth, even with many photos stored, and the quality of them is impressive. It’s encouraging to see ThisLife store the original images (even if it enhances them) and doesn’t resize them so they lose quality.

The app is free, at least initially. You’ll get the opportunity to store up to 1,000 images and 1 hour of videos with the basic Simple Plan. While that does sound like a lot, you’ll be surprised how many photos you’ve probably stored via various apps once ThisLife starts to dig around. Pay $7.99/month (or $79.99/year) for the Adventure Plan, and your storage is upped to 20,000 images and 10 hours of video at 1080p resolution. That should be enough for most people, but true photo and video fiends will appreciate the so-called Family Plan for $14.99/month (or $149.99/year) which offers 50,000 images and 25 hours of full HD video.

ThisLife is definitely worth a look, especially for free. The web service is effective, but it’s really enhanced by the mobile experience. With ThisLife, it’s easy to show off your photos to people via your iPad or iPhone, and you’re not losing precious storage space on your devices because photos are stored in the cloud instead.

An Android version of the app is expected soon.

The prototype cycle combining an electric drive and muscle power along with tech used on Audi cars was showcased at the Worthersee Tour in Austria.

Audi e-bike is an extremely emotion-inspiring sports machine.The prototype cycle combines an electric drive and muscle power. Head of Design Wolfgang Egger comments: “As a high-performance e-bike for sports and trick cycling, it features the Audi core competences of design, ultra, e-tron and connect.” The Audi e-bike Wörthersee puts in its first major appearance at this year’s Wörthersee Tour, the 31st meet for Audi, VW, Seat and Skoda fans; trial biker Julien Dupont and downhill specialist Petra Bernhard will demonstrate their stunts and streetbike skills. 

The uncompromising dynamism of the bike prototype is fully visible at first sight. “When developing the Audi e-bike Wörthersee we drew on motor racing design principles for inspiration,” explains Hendrik Schaefers, one of the designers at Concept Design Studio Munich. “The e-bike appears incredibly precise, highly emotional and strictly functional. Indeed, the design effort focused on its function as a sports machine. All design elements are thus firmly aligned to the technical features.”

The frame and the swinging arm that holds the back wheel are made of carbon fiber- reinforced polymer (CFRP). The same material is used for the 26” wheels, which feature an innovative “Audi ultra blade” design with broad flat spokes for an optimized transmission of pedal power. “We were able to demonstrate with the choice of materials just how closely design goes hand in hand with expertise in ultra lightweight construction,” Hendrik Schaefers comments.

BANGALORE: Tablet sales in India are expected to cross 1.6 million units this year, a growth of 40% over last year and way above the 16% growth registered by personal computers.

According to the apex body for information technology hardware Manufacturers Association of IT, tablets are emerging as the preferred device for entertainment and content consumption.

As per MAIT, the average price for a tablet sold in India is about Rs 24,000 and Apple's iOS, Google's Android, Blackberry lead the way in platforms.

MAIT estimates that tablet market will grow to 7.3 million units by 2015-16.

"The tablet market is the new blue-eyed growth opportunity in India. With the introduction of several national and international brands of tablets in India, the market is witnessing a revolution of sorts," said MAIT President Alok Bharadwaj.

According to a recent study by CMR India Research, Micromax's Funbook led the Indian tablet market last quarter with an 18% market share, followed by Samsung's Galaxy Tab at 13% and Apple's iPad at 12%.

In contrast to tablets, desktop sales grew only 11% and notebook sales grew 26% in last 12 months.

In another development, MAIT announced that HCL Infosystems Chief Operating Officer JV Ramamurthy will take over as the new president. Amar Babu, managing director of Lenevo, will take over as vice president.