Micromax Funbook P600 with voice calling, Android 4.0 now available for Rs. 9,499

Micromax is all set to launch a brand new tablet in the Indian market. This tablet is dubbed Micromax Funbook P600 and is already retailing on the deal site Snapdeal.com for Rs. 9,499.Micromax Funbook P600 sports a 7-inch capacitive multi-point touch screen. It is powered by Qualcomm MSM8225A ARM Cortex A5 1GHz dual-core processor along with 512 MB of RAM. The table comes with 2GB of internal storage (of which 0.96GB is user accessible) and can be expanded to up to 32GB through microSD card. Micromax Funbook P600 runs on Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system and it supports voice calling.
For camera, there is a 2-megapixel shooter in the front and back of the device. There is no mention on the battery that is in this device but the company claims, that it will give a talk-time of 10 hours, video playback time of 4 hours and standby time of 224 hours. Connectivity options include 3.5mm audio jack, 3G and Wi-Fi. Micromax Funbook P600 does not support Bluetooth connectivity.
The dimensions of this table are 119.5x193.5x11.5 and it weighs 370 grams.
Micromax had introduced the first tablet in April 2012 in the form of Funbook. It is a 7-inch tablet that has a display of 800X480 pixels. It comes with a 2800 mAh battery and runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Micromax Funbook is powered by 1.2 GHz processor with 512 MB of RAM.
Micromax is also offering a 10-inch Micromax Funbook Pro tablet. It has a display resolution of 1024X600 pixels and 8GB of internal memory, which can be expanded up to 32 GB. There is also a VGA front camera on board. It is a Wi-Fi only tablet that runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
Key specs of Micromax Funbook P600

• 7-inch capacitive multi-point touch screen
• 1GHz dual-core processor
• 2-megapixel rear and front camera
• 2GB internal storage, expandable to up to 32 GB
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• 119.5x193.5x11.5
• 370 grams

Supercomputers to keep age-related ailments at bay

Supercomputers are helping tweak antioxidants to stave off age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's, shows a study.The research team, led by Leo Radom and Amir Karton from the Universities of Sydney and Western Australia, respectively, has used sophisticated quantum chemistry and supercomputers to design more powerful antioxidants.
Antioxidants work by scavenging free radicals and other oxidative species, preventing them from damaging the body's tissues and organs, the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Nature Chemistry reports.
"The supercomputer modelling allows us to probe deeply into the molecular structure and helps us to understand just why carnosine (found in meat, fish and eggs) is such an effective antioxidant. Armed with this understanding, we are then able to design even better antioxidants," said Radom, according to a Sydney and Western Australia statement.
The research team, working alongside Michael Davies, and David Pattison from the Heart Research Institute, investigated carnosine's effectiveness in scavenging the oxidant, hypochlorous acid.
Hypochlorous acid benefit the body when it is used as part of our immune system to fight off invading pathogens. However, in excessive levels it has been linked to the development of heart disease.
"While most people consume wine, berries and chocolate for an antioxidant boost, we turned on our computers! We were able to use supercomputers to improve the power of natural antioxidants and this may provide future benefit to the health industry," said Karton.

US security firm alleges massive hacking by Chinese military unit

Cyberattacks that stole information from 141 targets in the U.S. and other countries have been traced to a Chinese military unit in a drab office building in the outskirts of Shanghai, a U.S. security firm alleged Tuesday. China dismissed the report as `'groundless."

The report by the Virginia-based Mandiant Corp. is the most explicit suggestion yet by a Western security company that China's military might be directly linked to a wave of cyberspying against U.S. and other foreign companies and government agencies.

Mandiant said it has traced the massive amount of hacking back to a 12-story office building run by "Unit 61398" of the People's Liberation Army, and that the attacks targeted key industries including military contractors and companies that control energy grids.

The unit "has systematically stolen hundreds of terabytes of data from at least 141 organizations," Mandiant wrote.

"From our observations, it is one of the most prolific cyberespionage groups in terms of the sheer quantity of information stolen," the company said, adding that the unit has been in operation since at least 2006.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei did not directly address the claims, but when questioned on the report Tuesday, he said he doubted the evidence would withstand scrutiny.

"To make groundless accusations based on some rough material is neither responsible nor professional," Hong told reporters at a regularly scheduled news conference.

In a reiteration of China's standard response to such accusations, Hong said China strictly outlaws hacking and said the country itself was a major victim of such crimes, including attacks originating in the United States.

"As of now, the cyberattacks and cybercrimes China has suffered are rising rapidly every year," Hong said.

China has frequently been accused of hacking, but the Mandiant report contains some of the most extensive and detailed accusations made public so far. The group said its findings led it to alter the conclusion of its earlier 2010 report on Chinese hacking, in which it said it was not possible to determine the extent of government knowledge of such activities.

"The details we have analyzed during hundreds of investigations convince us that the groups conducting these activities are based primarily in China and that the Chinese government is aware of them," the company said in a summary of its latest report.

It said the hacking was traced to the 2nd Bureau of the People's Liberation Army General Staff's 3rd Department, most commonly known as unit 61398, in the Shanghai suburbs.

China's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to faxed questions about the report, although it has in the past labeled such allegations as groundless and irresponsible, and has demanded that evidence be presented.

News of the report spread Tuesday on the Chinese Internet, with many commentators calling it an excuse for the U.S. to impose greater restrictions to contain China's growing technological prowess.

Apple TV listed on Apple India website for Rs. 7,900

Apple looks to be getting ready to launch Apple TV in India, as the streaming media player has found its way to the official Apple India website. The listing quotes the price of the device as Rs 7,900. It was first spotted by BGR India. However, Apple has not issued a formal press statement. We also contacted an Apple premium reseller to check availability but they were not aware of the launch.

Apple TV is a media streamer that lets users play content from popular services like YouTube, Netflix and Hulu Plus, as well as some other services like Vimeo. It also offers access to Apple's iTunes Store, through which users can purchase or rent movies, or buy music. Following the launch of the iTunes Store in India, Apple TV had started offering Indian content. Apple TV also have access to content shared on the local network via iTunes Home Sharing.

One of the major highlights of the Apple TV is support for Airplay which allows users to stream content wirelessly (over Wi-Fi) from any iOS device or iTunes (Mac as well as Windows) to the Apple TV. It can also be used to wirelessly mirror the display of iOS devices as well as Macs.

Apple TV supports up to 1080 pixel resolution, and features an HDMI port, a micro-USB port, Ethernet port, a built-in IR receiver (for the remote) and supports WiFi connectivity. The device is powered by an Apple A5 processor, and comes with 512MB RAM and 8GB NAND Flash memory for caching content.

Apple TV will compete with cheaper offerings from Western Digital and a host of other cheaper Android and custom-OS based media players/ streamers. While these media players are great for playing content you may have acquired from 'other' sources, Apple TV has seamless iTunes Store integration going in its favour.

HTC One aka HTC M7 Black and White press renders leak

With just a day to go for HTC's simultaneous events in New York and London, a press render of the the company's unofficial HTC One (M7) has been revealed in a Black/Grey variant, courtesy @evleaks.

Unwired View reports that apart from the new colour there is no additional information, except that the location in the widget reads as New York as opposed to London, which was seen earlier in theSilver/White variant of the smartphone.

Twitter user @evleaks also posted another image on the microblogging site, with both the Black and White variants placed next to each other, giving users a better idea of the device's design.

The image reveals the same thin bezel and two capacitive touch buttons, Back and Home, instead of the usual three or even four buttons that are found on typical Android phones, identical speaker grills on the top and bottom with the top also having two noise-cancellation microphones on the left and the front-facing camera on the right with curved corners in an all metal body.

Last week @evleaks tweeted that the "HTC M7 (is) coming to market as simply the HTC One". The device was recently spotted on the banner ads, which clearly read "HTC One" and were placed in the Champions League football match between Celtic of Scotland and Juventus of Italy.

The device is also being teased in a couple of flashes on the company's official website running in the backdrop of a countdown timer ticking towards the event.

Previous specs rumours suggest that HTC One may come with 4.7-inch full-HD display, making it an incredible 468ppi. Other alleged specs include a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a 2-megapixel one in the front. It likely runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) along with the latest version of Sense 5.0 UI. The smartphone is also expected to come with a 4.3 ultrapixel rear camera.

Murmurs on availability and pricing details suggest that the device will be available in UK from March 8 and make its way to the  United States on March 22, 2013.

Further reports indicate that the 32GB version of the HTC One will be available through major telecom operators such as AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint for $199.99 with a two year contract, while the 64GB version which will cost $299.99 with a two year contract. There is no information regarding the device's availability in Asia.

Speculations doing the rounds hint at two more smartphones likely to be introduced by the Taiwanese manufacturer. The HTC M4 and G2 devices could either be announced at the said events or may debut at the Mobile World Congress 2013 next week.