OneDrive's downgrading free storage to 5GB

Microsoft starts downgrading OneDrive's free storage to 5GB. You might have to say goodbye to your 15GB camera roll bonus, too.

Heads up: if you didn't sign up to keep the 15GB worth of OneDrive storage Microsoft gave out in 2014, you'll soon see a big change in your account... if you haven't yet. Redmond is not only killing your 15GB camera roll back-up bonus, it's also slashing 10GB off your account, bringing it down to 5GB. The company started sending out emails about the change earlier this year, with a warning that your unpaid storage capacity would become even smaller than its original 7GB offering by either July 13th or July 27th.

To be fair, Microsoft gave people a chance to keep their bigger storage and camera roll bonus by opting out of the July change. If you remember signing up for that before January 31st this year, there's no need to worry: you'll still get to enjoy both. But if you received an email like the one below, you may want to back up your photos ASAP. Sad, but you do have a lot of other options if you need a cloud service that offers a big free storage capacity. Google Drive, for one, will give you access to 15GB upon signing up.


source: engadget
By: Mariella Moon

Netflix on your Raspberry Pi - DiY

Turn a Rs. 3,500 Raspberry Pi into a solid home theater PC that can stream Netflix on your TV.

Things you need to complete this project are:

      Finally watch the video on how to go about the project:

10 best malware removal tools for PC

It does not matter how proficient you are when it comes to managing your PC, a single malware would be more than enough to create a clutter in your everyday life, especially if you depend upon your PC for professional purposes. Whether you are using some high-end software or simple epub readers, the clutter will effect you. The proverb has it that precaution is better than cure, but this hardly comes in practice when malware are ahead. So, the better way is to regularly check your Windows PC to detect malware and remove them instantly when you’d stumble upon something capable of destroying your system.

Here, to help you accomplish the usually-tough task, we’ve tried to bring you a list of 10 best malware removal tools for PC. In this post, we will cover both free and paid tools.

1. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Being one of the most popular software when it comes to malware detection and removal, Malwarebytes has lots of features that can help both home and business users. The best part is that you do not have to uninstall your antivirus program to run Malware Anti-Malware, but the tool will run smoothly along with most of popular antivirus tools. Although the basic version is powerful enough to find and remove malware, you may opt for the premium version if you wan access to scheduled scanning, phishing & hacking protection etc.

Malwarebytes

Availability: Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista (32-bit, 64-bit), Windows XP (32-bit), Android

2. BitDefender Internet Security
BitDefender Internet Security is not actually a malware-removal-oriented tool, but it can serve the role as well! Being a member of a reputed software manufacturer firm, you can expect both features and quality from the software on a condition that you are ready to pay. However, you will get more than what you expect, including protected browsing and two-way firewall.

Additional features of BitDefender Internet Security include remote management of solution, USB immunizer to get rid of viruses, autopilot, OneClick Optimizer etc.

BitDefender Internet Security
Availability: Windows, Mac, Android

3. Panda Free Antivirus
Panda Free Antivirus is one of the lightest antivirus software you will ever find, given its simple user interface and a huge number of impressive features. Along with the ability to scan for malware and other dangerous files, you would be able to grab features such as process monitor, URL filtering, etc.

Being a light malware removal tool, you shall install Panda Free Antivirus in almost every Windows PC. Thus, if you prefer simplicity along with performance, this is a great solution indeed.

Panda Free Antivirus
Availability: Windows
Price: Free

Read More: Beebom

Google celebrates Mario Miranda’s 90th birthday

Google commemorated the 90th anniversary of Mario Miranda's birthday.

Mario Miranda's 90th birthday
source: Google Doodles

Mario Miranda was a beloved cartoonist, best known for his works published in the Times of India and The Illustrated Weekly of India. Based primarily on the bustling cityscape of Mumbai, Miranda’s works often feature complex, multi-layered scenes. Humanity floods the canvas, and yet each character maintains their unique individuality.

Our guest Doodler today is Aaron Renier, another comic artist known for portraying large crowds. “I approached Mario’s work by pretending I was drawing with him,” says Renier. “I chose his most popular style, very flat with criss-crossing interactions.” In this homage to Miranda, we see a rich litany of people, each unique in their perspective. “That is what I liked most about his work,” Renier explains, “trying to pick out who knows who, who's watching who, who's annoyed by who, who's enamored by who. Hopefully people will see something of [Miranda’s] spirit in it.”

We’re pleased today to honor the legacy of Mario Miranda. His works live on throughout India, and we’re proud to provide another space for this artist’s surging style to rest.

source: Google Doodles

HOW TEENAGERS REACT TO WINDOWS 95

The majority of teenagers alive today weren’t alive in the 90s, meaning the oldest version of Windows they’re likely to be familiar with is Windows XP.

If that tidbit makes you feel old, you might not want to watch the latest React video from Fine Brothers Entertainment, in which a bunch of teenagers are exposed to the wonders of mid-90s computing and Windows 95 for the first time in their lives. They’re not impressed.

It starts with first impressions.

“The fact that the monitor is bigger than the actual computer itself says a lot” said Daniel, 17 years old, who is young enough to only have vague memories of monitors and TVs that aren’t flat.

“I’ve no clue what year this is from, but I feel like it was before the year I was born,” said Geneva, age 18, after seeing the mid-90s Dell. Her math checks out.

The design flaws we all got used to are evident right away. When asked to turn on the computer, everyone hit the big button on the monitor and waited, something we all probably remember doing at some point. When the computer was turned on, the reactions kept coming.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a computer make these sounds before in my life,” said Morgan, age 19, making anyone who felt nostalgic upon hearing the floppy drive click instantly feel 10 years older.

Read more:
source: DIGITAL TRENDS

Why Apple users can Trash their files and Windows users can recycle files?

A Macintosh XL running the Lisa operating system. The jaunty-lidded trashcan is visible at the bottom left of the desktop. (Photo: Gerhard/CC0) 

No individual part of computing delivers the satisfaction of the trash can.

Drag in your junk, command-click, and with an amiable rustle, all those files you don’t need anymore just disappear. No need to lug anything to the curb, or wait for the city to come around.

But the trash isn’t just a useful tool. A garbage-eye-view of computing reveals three decade's worth of compelling history for the humble can—complete with a protracted lawsuit that brought the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft to new, garbage-filled heights. It may be that no icon better embodies the development of modern computing quite like the representation of virtual rubbish.

As Apple developer Andy Hertzfeld relates in an online history of Apple's first user interface, the trash was born in the early 1980s, during a five-year burst of creativity that also brought us desktop windows, text highlighting, scroll bars, and other bits of computing infrastructure most users now take for granted. When the team realized that users needed a way to delete files permanently, they called this new feature the "Wastebasket." And when the company switched over to an icon-based Graphical User Interface, or GUI, they drew up an old-school can to represent it. “The initial trashcan was this beat up old trashcan you’d expect to see in an alley, with the lid half open and flies buzzing around it,” said software engineer Dan Smith in an 1986 interview with Semaphore Signal. "We had actually talked about putting in some sound effects."

This dramatic disposal system displeased “some of the stodgier people on the team,” said Smith, and the Apple Lisa shipped out in 1983 with a less visceral version of the icon, its lid tipped jauntily to the right. Later versions of Lisa software renamed this feature the “Trash.” When Apple’s next project, the Macintosh, took over the market the next year, it featured a closed, corrugated-looking can, designed by iconographer Susan Kare.

This tiny, charming illustration soon came to symbolize everything good about the GUI. “If you can find the trash can, you can run a computer,” promised one early advertisement for the Lisa. It also provided a handy way for early adopters to describe the computing process to those who were scared or skeptical. “Cartoon-like representations, called icons, of computer parts or functions, are displayed on the screen and manipulated with a device called a mouse,” explained technology writer Myron Berger in the New York Times in 1986. “So, for example, to erase a particular program, one can simply ‘drop’ the program’s icon into an illustration of a trash can on the screen.”

Later versions of the Mac operating system added extra features–OS 4’s trash can bulged out when full, and the icon design became progressively more three-dimensional, promising infinite roominess. One optional extension for OS 7 even featured a tiny, pixelated Oscar the Grouch, who popped out of the can singing his signature tune, “I Love Trash.”

The evolution of the Recycle Bin in #Windows

تطور سلة المهملات في #ويندوز pic.twitter.com/nUGvMd2iDl

— Microsoft Egypt (@MicrosoftEgypt) 18 October 2015

Read More: Atlas Obscura
By: Cara Giaimo MARCH 14, 2016

World's Cheapest Smartphone @ Rs.251

Ringing Bells is set to official unveil the Freedom 251 smartphone, delivering on its commitment of launching the cheapest smartphone in India. Bookings for the Freedom 251 - which is priced at just Rs. 251 (approximately $4), making it arguably the cheapest smartphone in the world - begin on Thursday Feb 18th at 6am.

The Freedom 251, which Ringing Bells says has been made 'with immense support' from the Indian government, complies with the government's Make in India program. With such a price point, the little know smartphone maker from Noida is aiming to make the smartphone accessible to everyone.

The Freedom 251 understandably sports entry-level hardware specifications. It sports a 4-inch IPS display (resolution unspecified). It is powered by a quad-core SoC from an unspecified brand clocked at 1.3GHz, coupled with 1GB of RAM. The Freedom 251 comes with 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be expanded via microSD card (up to 32GB).

Other specifications of the Freedom 251 include a 3.2-megapixel rear camera, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 3G support, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a 1450mAh battery. The Freedom 251 smartphone ships with a number of apps pre-installed on it. Some of which include Women Safety, Swachh Bharat, Fisherman, Farmer, Medical, Google Play, WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube. Ringing Bells assures that it has more than 650 service centres across different parts of India, and is giving one-year warranty on the smartphone. If you are wondering how to book the Freedom 251, it will be available for purchase via a website later this week, though it may be June before all shipments are completed.

Thousands of users may not find the Freedom 251 smartphone interesting - after all, it doesn't feature impressive specifications, the main USP of most Android smartphones. However, the specifications provided at the staggeringly low price point of Rs. 251 are certainly remarkable.

A low-cost smartphone such as the Freedom 251 has the potential to make a big impact in the country. According to estimates from last year, only 14 percent of the population in the country has access to a smartphone.

At this point, Indian government's role behind the phone isn't clear - and whether or not the government is subsidising the phone. We expect to learn more about it later on Wednesday evening at the official launch event of the smartphone. The event will see a number of top Indian officials including Sri Manohar Parrikkar, Union Minister of Defence, and Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi, Member of Parliament.






source: gadgets.ndtv.com
by Manish Singh

High School Kid Develops A Wearable Device For Parkinson's Patients

UTKARSH TANDON'S ONERING STARTED AS A SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT. NOW HE'S BRINGING HIS 3-D PRINTED MONITORING DEVICE TO MARKET ON KICKSTARTER.

In 2014, Utkarsh Tandon, at the time a freshman at Cupertino High School in California, developed a machine learning model for his science fair project that collected and classified data on sufferers of Parkinson's disease. He won the fair, and, as part of his first place award, received a grant from the UCLA Brain Research Institute. A year later, the high school sophomore has turned his science experiment into a marketable product. The OneRing, now raising funds on Kickstarter, is a wearable device that monitors Parkinson's patients' tremors and delivers the data to an iOS app in the form of a digestible daily report.

The OneRing, named for the powerful ring at the center of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, is a 3-D printed plastic ring topped with a flashdrive-like box that houses a Bluetooth microchip. Using an algorithm developed by Tandon, the device senses tremors commonly experienced by Parkinson's patients, classifies them based on severity, and generates a daily report that provides time-stamped analytics about the users' movements during each hour of the day. The movement patterns of the hand are divided into three categories: dyskinesia, bradykinesia, and tremor. "With these classifications it can be packaged in these very coherent patient reports that the physicians and the patients can read and interact with in a way that better recommends medication," Tandon says.

Read More:
source: FASTCOMPANY
By: MEG MILLER

WhatsApp and Gmail join the 1 billion user club

WHATSAPP AND GMAIL both announced overnight that they now have a billion members, which means that a seventh of the world's population are using the services.

News of WhatsApp hitting the one billion user milestone was lauded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is likely to be rubbing his hands together at the thought of how much data he'll be able to get his grubby mitts on.

"One billion people now use WhatsApp. Congrats to Jan [Koum], Brian [Acton] and everyone who helped reach this milestone!" Zuckerberg said.

"WhatsApp's community has more than doubled since joining Facebook. We’ve added the ability for you to call loved ones far away. We've dropped the subscription fee and made WhatsApp completely free. Next, we're going to work to connect more people around the world and make it easier to communicate with businesses.

"There are only a few services that connect more than a billion people. This milestone is an important step towards connecting the entire world."

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum said in a post on Facebook that 42 billion messages, 1.6 billion photos and 250 million videos are shared every day on the platform, adding that there are now over one billion groups on the service.

WhatsApp's announcement came just moments after Google revealed that Gmail had also hit the one billion user mark.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared the news with investors and media during Alphabet's Q4 2015 earnings call on Monday, adding that Gmail hit the milestone in the past quarter.
This is the seventh Google service with a billion users, joining Search, Chrome, Android, Google Play, Maps and YouTube.

Pichai also said that smart replies, Gmail's automatically generated suggested responses feature, account for 10 percent of email replies through the mobile app.
Alphabet's market cap rose to around $570m following the earnings call, compared with Apple's $538bn, making it the world's most valuable company.

source: the INQUIRER
By: Carly Page

An Invisible Cloud of Gas is Speeding Towards Us At 700,000 Miles Per Hour

SAXTON/LOCKMAN/NRAO/AUI/NSF/MELLINGER

This visualization of the Smith Cloud shows its size compared to the size of the Earth's moon.

An invisible cloud of gas is speeding toward our Milky Way galaxy at 700,000 miles per hour. But don't worry: It will take about 30 million years to get here.

It's a case of “what goes up must come down," according to Hubble Space Telescope astronomers who say the space cloud likely originated in our galaxy and is boomeranging back. When it returns, they predict "a spectacular burst of star formation, perhaps providing enough gas to make 2 million suns."

Astronomers are aware of many space clouds, but the Smith Cloud is unique because its trajectory is well-known.


“The cloud is an example of how the galaxy is changing with time,” said Andrew Fox of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. “It’s telling us that the Milky Way is a bubbling, very active place where gas can be thrown out of one part of the disk and then return back down into another.

NASA/ESA/A. FEILD (STSCI)

Doctoral astronomy student Gail Smith discovered the Smith Cloud in the 1960s. Researchers believe it is 11,000 light-years long and 2,500 light-years across.


Fox and his team recently used the Hubble Space Telescope to learn about the cloud's chemical composition and origin.

We only have 30 million years until it plows into the Milky Way.

Read more:

source: HUFFPOST SCIENCE 

By: Steven Hoffer