Apple may launch new app that will allow iOS users to 'move to Android'

Apple is said to be working on a tool that will allow iPhone users to more easily switch to Android. As per a media report, the change of heart comes as European carriers continue to put pressure on the Cupertino-based company.

Apple has agreed to develop a tool that will allow users from the iOS camp to migrate to Google's Android haven, reports Telegraph citing an industry source. The iOS app will allow users to transfer data such as contacts, music, and photos from their iOS device to Android.

The change of heart isn't apparently a result of goodwill on Apple's end, the report adds. Instead, it is because major European telecom operators believe that the technical difficulties in transferring data from an iPhone makes it hard for users to switch to Android, and as a result, only a tiny fraction of customers ever make the switch.

The iPhone maker is under pressure from mobile operators to make the migration process easier. The carriers, the report adds, feel that Apple's refusal to provide its users with an easier way to switch to Android has put them on the disadvantageous side, reducing their negotiation power with Apple.

To recall, Apple released an app called Move to iOS last year which allowed Android users to easily transfer their data to an iPhone. The company's first Android app didn't receive the most welcoming reception with thousands of users plastering a one-star rating against the app.

While it isn't known how many iPhone users switch to Android, as per Apple, around 30 percent of the record number of iPhone sold in the fourth quarter last year were users who previously owned an Android handset.

At this point it is hard to digest that Apple would ever make an app or tool to allow users to ditch iPhone. The company has long tried to keep its users within the ecosystem. It will be interesting to see if Apple ever releases the purported app, and in case it does, what it has to say about the move.

India will launch its fifth regional navigation satellite on January 20

India will launch its fifth regional navigation satellite on January 20,
a top official of the country's space agency said on Monday.

Once
launched, it will help in disaster management, vehicle-tracking and
fleet management, mapping and geodetic data capture, visual and voice
navigation for drivers and others.

"We are loading fuel in the
rocket for the launch of the fifth regional navigation satellite system
(IRNSS-1E) on January 20 from our spaceport," Indian Space Research
Organisation director M. Annadurai told IANS at the Indian Science
Congress here.

The space agency's spaceport is at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, off the Bay of Bengal coast, about 80km northeast of Chennai.

The
space agency will put the sixth (IRNSS-1F) and seventh satellites
(IRNSS-1G) in the earth's lower orbit in mid-February and by March 31
respectively.

The first four satellites were placed in observational orbit between July 2013 and March 2015.

The
44-metre polar satellite launch vehicle, a workhorse weighing about 320
tonnes at lift-off, will be used to carry the 1.4-tonne fifth
spacecraft into orbit.

"The system's first four satellites are
already in use," Annadurai said after addressing delegates on 'Space
Science, Technology and Applications' at a plenary on the second day of
the five-day annual science fair.

The Indian navigation satellite
system will be similar to the global positioning system of the US,
Glonass of Russia, Galileo of Europe, Beidou of China and Quasi Zenith
satellite system of Japan.

"The system will provide two types of
services – standard positioning services to all users and restricted
services to authorised users," Annadurai added.

The space agency
has set up ground stations for generation and transmission of navigation
parameters, satellite control as well as ranging and monitoring across
the country.

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Gujarat to Get Its First Solar, Stellar Observatories

Gujarat is all set to get its first-ever solar as well stellar observatories, with government-recognised Indian Planetary Society (IPS) selecting Kutch district for embarking on this project at a cumulative cost of Rs. 12 crores.

The Solar Observatory would be utilised to study the Sun as well as the Solar System, while the Stellar Observatory will collect crucial information by studying various galaxies, planets and stars, said IPS CEO Akshay Malhotra, who is at present in Kutch for a detailed study of possible locations in that area.

"This is for the first time when IPS is embarking on a project to set up its first solar as well as stellar observatories. We have decided to set up these observatories in Kutch, as the sky is very clear here, which is very essential for accurate results," he said.

"There are such observatories in different parts of India being run by the government, while we are an independent NGO recognised by the government. This is for the first time when Gujarat will get such observatories, as there are none at present here," said Malhotra.

Apart from having a clear sky, which is necessary for night observation of galaxies, the Tropic of Cancer passes from here, which gives ample sunlight necessary for solar observation, he said.

"The Tropic of Cancer passes from near Bhuj, which makes this place ideal for solar observation. As of now, we have zeroed-in on two locations, one is Lakhpat and another is Loriya village near Khavda, which is around 80 kms from Bhuj" he said.

According to him, high-efficiency telescopes, along with other high-end equipments, would be installed at these observatories under PPP (public-private-partnership project) model.

"Budget for the Solar Observatory is around Rs. 2 crores, while we may require at least Rs. 10 crores for the Stellar Observatory. We will go for PPP model to execute this project, which will take a couple of years to complete. We will raise funds through donations as well as through government fundings," Malhotra said.

Scientists from India as well as across the world are associated with IPS, having its head office at Mumbai. Scientist Dr J J Rawal is the founder president of this institution, he said.

Rawal has recently published a research paper where he has suggested that there is a great possibility that the Sun is having its radial rings, made of granite rocks, like the Saturn, Malhotra said.

However, more research is needed in that direction and the Solar Observatory would play a crucial role in it, he said.

"Very less information is available with us about various aspects of the Sun, such as solar flares. The upcoming observatory will serve that purpose and throw some more light on solar activities," he said.

According to him, the ground work to establish these observatories at Kutch has been started and search for suitable land is underway.

Source : NDTV

A Technology Wish List for New Year 2016

This past year brought lots of new products, services and features - including a few that even managed to improve everyday life.

For instance, a double tap of the home button on Samsung's newest phones instantly launches the camera, so you're less likely to miss that magical moment. TiVo has a smart way to skip commercials and speed up video playback so that you can watch TV shows and movies in half the time.

But there's plenty more for tech companies to do. Here's a wish list for 2016:

Pick and choose online television

In 2015, HBO and Showtime freed themselves from traditional television shackles. Both now offer app subscriptions directly to consumers - with no cable or satellite TV service required.

It's a start, but lots of worthy channels, including ESPN, remain locked up in packages filled with channels not everyone wants. Even though Dish's Sling TV offers ESPN over the Internet Sony's PlayStation Vue will also do so soon - you can get it only as part of larger packages. I'd love to get AMC, ABC Family and Comedy Central as stand-alone subscriptions, for instance.

Managing your shows

With lots more online viewing options, we need better ways to keep track of what to watch and when shows expire from streaming services. I kept forgetting to watch that "Unauthorized Melrose Place Story" on Lifetime, and now it's too late.

Streaming TV devices from Apple, Roku, Amazon and Nvidia let you search multiple services at once to see what's available, but you don't have any way to add shows to a universal queue. Instead, you have to go to Netflix to see your list of flagged shows on that service, HBO to see its list, and so on. It's as if you needed separate video recorders for each channel. TiVo comes closest to offering a universal queue with its OnePass feature, but it has relatively few streaming TV apps.

Enough with passwords

Passwords are difficult to manage, which is one reason so many are trivial to guess ("password12345," anyone?) and so many people reuse the same weak passwords across multiple services.

Yahoo has an easier way to sign in to its services. Using Account Key, you confirm who you are through a text Yahoo sends to your phone. Google is testing something similar. Other services tap the fingerprint ID technology found on iPhones and some high-end Android phones. A touch of the home button bypasses the password by confirming you're the one holding the phone. We need more such mechanisms that offer both simplicity and security.

Getting along

Companies are getting better at acknowledging their rivals. Microsoft, for instance, made its Office apps for iPhones, iPads and Android before tackling its own Windows phone system. Samsung smartwatches now work with non-Samsung phones, while Apple made its music service available on Android.

It's a start. But animated photos taken with Apple's new iPhones can be viewed only on other Apple devices. And streaming devices made by Apple, Google and AMAZON typically won't play video bought from each other, at least not without using a backdoor relay feature such as AirPlay. So if you have Amazon video, you're stuck with Amazon's device. Amazon even stopped selling Apple TV and Google's Chromecast on its website.

Getting around with no Internet

Google Maps for Android and iPhones now works without an Internet connection, so long as you download mapping data ahead of time. That's helpful when you find yourself trying to leave a remote national park or an underground parking garage - both areas where cellular service is spotty or non-existent. But the offline feature doesn't work with walking or transit directions, so it's not as useful for wilderness hikes or in many subway stations.

Speaking of maps, all services could do better at directing motorists to rental-car centers at airports. Typing in the three-letter airport code assumes you're getting dropped off at the main terminals. The rental-car location might be miles away, perhaps off a different highway exit. It would be nice to see the rental-car location more prominent in map searches. Better yet, how about the closest gas station to refill your tank?

Motorola may have cracked the problem of shattered phone screens. Its Droid Turbo 2 phone ditches glass for shatter-proof plastic. While the glass used in most leading phones is chemically strengthened, it will still crack if it hits a hard surface with enough force. In testing, the Turbo's screen withstood normal drops, though plastic does make the device more prone to scratching.

Sure, there's a trade-off, but it's time to stop assuming that cracked screens are just something we have to learn to live with.

Blackberry Says Will Continue Operations in Pakistan

BlackBerry said it has decided to continue its operations in Pakistan as the government dropped a request for access to users' data.

The company, which has faced similar problems in the past in India, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, had said last month it would delay shutting down its operations in Pakistan until December 30.

State-run Pakistan Telecommunication Authority had in July demanded that the company give access to its BlackBerry Enterprise Services (BES), which encrypts data such as emails and instant messages.

BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion Ltd, said on Thursday it would not provide access to its BES servers.

A report released in July by British-based watchdog Privacy International said Pakistan's powerful military intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was seeking to dramatically expand its ability to intercept communications.

Shares of the company were down 0.46 per cent at C$12.91 on Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.