85% enterprises will adopt Windows 10 by 2017 end

Nearly 85 per cent of enterprises are expected to adopt the Windows 10 operating system by the end of this year, market research firm Gartner predicted on Tuesday. According to the survey that involved six countries including India, most of the organisations are recognising the need to migrate to Windows 10.

“Large businesses are either already engaged in Windows 10 upgrades or have delayed upgrading until 2018. This likely reflects the transition of legacy applications to Windows 10 or replacing those legacy applications before Windows 10 migration takes place,” said Ranjit Atwal, Research Director at Gartner, in a statement.

Forty nine per cent of respondents said that the security improvements in Windows 10 drove them for the migration, while 38 per cent of the respondents said that it was cloud integration capabilities that prompted them to adopt this OS.

However, budgetary approval is not straightforward because Windows 10 is not perceived as an immediate business-critical project. “It is not surprising that one in four respondents expect issues with budgeting,” said Atwal.
The survey further noted that respondents’ intention to purchase convertible notebooks increased as organisations shifted from the testing and pilot phases into the buying and deployment phases.
Reffers from financial express

Google targets ‘fake news,’ offensive search suggestions in search

Google is making changes to its search in order to fight fake news, and offensive suggestions in auto-complete. Google has sprinkled some new ingredients into its search engine in an effort to prevent bogus information and offensive suggestions from souring its results.

The changes have been in the works for four months, but Google hadn’t publicly discussed most of them until now. The announcement in a blog post Tuesday reflects Google’s confidence in a new screening system designed to reduce the chances that its influential search engine will highlight untrue stories about people and events, a phenomenon commonly referred to as “fake news.”
“It’s not a problem that is going to go all the way to zero, but we now think we can stay a step ahead of things,” said Ben Gomes, Google’s vice president of engineering for search.

CORRECTING AUTOCOMPLETE

Besides taking steps to block fake news from appearing in its search results, Google also has reprogrammed a popular feature that automatically tries to predict what a person is looking for as a search request as being typed. The tool, called “autocomplete,” has been overhauled to omit derogatory suggestions, such as “are women evil,” or recommendations that promote violence.

Google also adding a feedback option that will enable users to complain about objectionable autocomplete suggestions so a human can review the wording.

Facebook, where fake news stories and other hoaxes have widely circulated on its social network, also has been trying to stem the tide of misleading information by working with The Associated Press and other news organizations to review suspect stories and set the record straight when warranted. Facebook also has provided its nearly 2 billion users ways to identify posts believed to contain false information, something that Google is now allowing users of its search engine to do for some of the news snippets featured in its results.

WHY GOOGLE CARES

Google began attacking fake news in late December after several embarrassing examples of misleading information appeared near the top of its search engine. Among other things, Google’s search engine pointed to a website that incorrectly reported then President-elect Donald Trump had won the popular vote in the US election , that President Barack Obama was planning a coup and that the Holocaust never occurred during World War II.

Only about 0.25 percent of Google’s search results were being polluted with falsehoods, Gomes said. But that was still enough to threaten the integrity of a search engine that processes billions of search requests per day largely because it is widely regarded as the internet’s most authoritative source of information.
“They have a lot riding on this, reputation wise,” said Lucy Dalglish, who has been tracking the flow of false information as dean of the University of Maryland’s journalism department. “If your whole business model is based turning up the best search results, but those results turn up stuff that is total crap, where does that get you?”

To address the problem, Google began revising the closely guarded algorithms that generate its search with the help of 10,000 people who rate the quality and reliability of the recommendations during tests. Google also rewrote its 140-page book of rating guidelines that help the quality-control evaluators make their assessments.

GOOGLE AS REFEREE
Fighting fake news can be tricky because in some cases what is viewed as being blatantly misleading by one person might be interpreted as being mostly true by another. If Google, Facebook or other companies trying to block false information err in their judgment calls, they risk being accused of censorship or playing favorites.

But doing nothing to combat fake news would probably have caused even bigger headaches.

If too much misleading information appears in Google’s search results, the damage could go beyond harm to its reputation for reliability. It could also spook risk-averse advertisers, who don’t want their brands tied to content that can’t be trusted, said Larry Chiagouris, a marketing professor at Pace University in New York.


“Fake news is careening out of control in some people’s eyes, so advertisers are getting very skittish about it,” Chiagouris said. “Anything Google can do to show it is trying to put a lid on it and prevent it from getting out of hand, it will be seen as a good thing.”

Although it also sells ads on its other services and independently owned websites, Google still makes most of its money from the marketing links posted alongside its search results. Google says its new approach isn’t meant to placate advertisers.
Refers from ie Technology

Microsoft Windows 10 Cloud minimum specs requirement leaked ahead of May 2 launch

Microsoft's rumored Windows 10 Cloud-based notebooks will compete with Google Chromebooks.

Microsoft is gearing up for an event in New York on May 2 where the company is expected to make some major announcements. While the company has been tight-lipped about the announcements it is going to make, the invite sent to media hinted at the unveiling of products aimed at the educational market. Ahead of the event, a leaked document is doing the rounds on the web that claims Microsoft is working on a cloud-based version of its Windows 10. It further reveals the company will be launching a reference hardware that will be competing with Google’s Chromebooks.

Microsoft’s much-anticipated Windows 10 Cloud is believed to be a stripped down version of the main operating system, built specifically for students. A leaked screenshot from Microsft’s document titled “Windows 10 Cloud performance”, published by Windows Central, reveals details about minimum specifications required by a hardware to run Windows 10 Cloud and the same have been compared with Chromebook specifications as well.

The benchmarks for a device, conveniently dubbed as ‘CloudBook’, running Windows 10 Cloud includes a battery life of over 10 hours and a quick 20-sec boot-up time. Other noteworthy minimum specifications required are a quad-core Intel Celeron processor or above, 4GB of RAM, 32 GB or 64GB internal storage and Fast eMMC or Solid State Drive (SSD) for storage. It also includes an optional pen or touch-support.

Refer from BER

Best Chrome Extensions to Block Ads

All publishers need to run ads to keep the lights on, but sometimes we can go too far. Opera CTO Bruce Lawson recently quoted a report to say that over 50 percent of all Internet traffic is just ads. That means that half of your limited FUP is probably wasted on advertisements. If you want to take control of this and lower your bills, then you've probably thought about installing an ad-blocker.

If you're wondering about how to block ads on the Internet, the best option is to just install an ad-blocker on your browser. For this article, we're specifically looking at ad-blockers for Google Chrome since it is the most popular Web browser, but the options and steps are pretty simple and pretty similar even for other browsers such as Safari, or Firefox.

On your phone, many popular browsers such as the Opera browser and UC Browser come with built-in adblockers, but on your PC you'll need to install an extension. We looked at some of the most popular adblock extensions available by seeing what all was being recommended by others online, looking at user reviews, and then trying out the extensions ourselves.


Here are the ad block extensions for Chrome that we liked, and why we liked them.

1) AdBlock Plus
One of the best known ad blockers on the market is AdBlock Plus or ABP. It's available on most browsers and has its own Android app as well. Setup is fast, and after that you can forget about it altogether.

ABP does allow some ads through - the advertisers have to meet some requirements to be 'non-intrusive' but you can change this in the settings. ABP also blocks video ads in YouTube, and all noisy ads, and you can set it to block tracking, malware, and social media buttons.

Get AdBlock Plus on the Chrome Web Store.

2) AdBlock

Both AdBlock, and then AdBlock Plus, came up as two separate adblockers for Firefox. When Chrome came along, AdBlock was launched for Chrome by another developer, before the AdBlock Plus team started to support the browser. And so, despite not being connected, the two most popular adblockers ended up with similar names.

AdBlock works a lot like AdBlock plus. Install, leave the defaults on and just get browsing. With AdBlock, malware protection is on from the start. You can also disable AdBlock on individual pages, not just sites, and you can see all the resources it is blocking. It also allows you to whitelist specific YouTube channels, so you can support the creators you want to.

Get AdBlock on the Chrome Web Store.

3)  Ghostery

Perhaps the most comprehensive tracker blocker available, Ghostery has a slightly involved setup process. Once you've added it to your Chrome browser, you're taken to the setup page, and shown all the different types of trackers that it can watch for, and given the option of choosing which ones to block.

Most users will typically opt to block all, but do note that this can also disrupt some site functionality, such as chat assistance on sites, or comments sections. Ghostery is extremely popular, not just for the blocking, but also the analytics it does - at any time, you can click on its icon to see how many trackers are on the site you're visiting, and get updates on what these trackers do.

Get Ghostery on the Chrome Web Store.

4) Privacy Badger

Created by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit digital rights group based in the US, Privacy Badger isn't exactly an ad-blocker. Instead, it focuses on disallowing any visible or invisible third party scripts that can track you over the Internet. As it happens, most of these trackers are used for advertisements.

This means that Privacy Badger does not block ads that are not otherwise harmful or tracking you. As a result, some ads will still show up. But at least you'll know that companies you've never heard of aren't spying on you through ads.

Get Privacy Badger on the Chrome Web Store.

To install any of these extensions, just go to its page on the Chrome Web Store, and click on the + Add to Chrome button. Follow the on-screen instructions (if any) and you're set. Once again, publishers depend on advertising to stay in business, and if there's a publisher whose content you like, whitelist it in your adblock.

Refer from gadgets 360 

Microsoft Brings enhancements to Windows ten Mail and Calendar for Gmail Users

Microsoft recently announced that it has started rolling out new features to its Windows 10 Mail and Calendar apps for Windows 10 for Gmail users. The company has promised that the new Windows 10 and Calendar apps will start rolling out over the next few weeks to users under Windows Insider Preview programme, and will be rolled out to all Windows 10 users.

The Redmond giant is bringing features like easily tracking travel and shipping deliveries, more actionable emails, easily tracking sports events, faster search, and more for Gmail users. Notably, Microsoft had rolled out a similar update earlier for its Outlook.com accounts.

"We're now excited to bring these features to our users with Gmail accounts, so you can enjoy the best of what Windows 10 Mail & Calendar have to offer," said Vivek Kumar, Product Marketing Manager, Windows 10 Mail and Calendar apps in a blog post.


For Windows 10 Mail app, Microsoft will introduce Focused Inbox for Gmail accounts that essentially segregates mails in two folders - Focused and Others. The Focused section will include all the important mails, while the Others section will house all the not-so-important mails like newsletters, brand discount announcements etc. This is similar to Gmail's methods of segregation into Primary, Social, and Promotions sections in its mail service.

Kumar explained that the new features will be made available to Mail and Calendar users who part of Windows Insider program though adds that "not all Insiders will see the new experience on their Gmail account right away." The update will be gradual and should be available in next few weeks.

"You'll know the new experience is available for your account when you are prompted to update your Gmail account settings.
Reffers from gadgets 360

Digital India: Soon you will be able to purchase Wi-Fi data at a kirana store

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) has developed a ‘public data office’ (PDO) technology solution to deliver low-cost Wi-Fi solutions. The mass PDO solution is priced at Rs 50,000.

Ever thought you could buy Wi-Fi data from your ‘kirana’ shop? Soon, that would be a possibility.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) has developed a ‘public data office’ (PDO) technology solution to deliver low-cost Wi-Fi solutions. The mass PDO solution is priced at Rs 50,000, says an Economic Times report.

C-DoT is a government-owned telecom research and development centre.

Small stores like local kirana shop – with help of PDO – will be able see Wi-Fi data through vouchers. These vouchers coukld be priced as low as Rs 10 also.

“The concept of PDO will enable even a thelawallah to sell low-cost Wi-Fi-based broadband services anywhere. Even a nearby kirana shop can resell data services for as low as Rs 10 or even less," C-DoT's executive director Vipin Tyagi told ET.

The vendor will get a tech solution pack including both software and hardware elements. It will include a Wi-Fi access point with e-KYC, one-time password authentication and a mechanism to manage service vouchers. A billing system will also accompany the package.

According to the report, the service will be available over a license-free ISM (industrial, scientific and medical) band.

For commercial production of the device, C-DoT plans to transfer the technology to nearly 20 manufacturing partners including Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) and Himachal Futuristic Communications (HFCL).
According to C-DoT, in semi-urban or rural areas, the technology will be available in 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHZ bands, which do not require any regulation for access.

Last month, the telecom regulatory authority of India (TRAI) had asked the Department of Telecom (DoT) to modify the internet service provider (ISP) permit rule and make cheap Wi-Fi devices in line with the government’s Digital India move.

The TRAI had recommended ‘public data offer aggregators’ (PDOAs) for license-free public Wi-Fi services. These could work with small public data officer for penetration of Wi-Fi.

Reffred From: moneycontrol

India ranks third in the world for most number of startups in technology

In the basement of a Bangalore building, hundreds of young Indians sit in neat rows of desks typing furiously, all dreaming of becoming the new Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg. A quarter of a century after liberalization kick-started India’s economic transformation, a new generation of young people are capitalizing on their parents’ hard-won financial security to try their luck in the risky business of tech startups.

“It’s really picking up,” said Aneesh Durg, a young Indian-origin student from Chicago who came to the southern tech hub of Bangalore to help develop a device that helps blind people read written text. “It’s actually not what I expected it to be. I thought that they would be a little bit behind, but they are actually working just as hard and there’s really cool stuff coming out of India these days.”

More and more young people in the country of 1.25 billion people are opting to go it alone, in stark contrast to previous generations that valued the stability of employment above all else. India now has some 4,750 tech startups — the highest number in the world after the United States and Britain, which it is fast catching up. Success stories include Flipkart, Amazon’s rival in India, and online supermarket Big Basket.

Global product

From robots and mobile apps to smart kitchens and a cocktail-making machine the cavernous Bangalore office, which houses one of India’s biggest startup incubators, is a veritable ideas factory. Every meeting room bears a photo of a successful technology entrepreneur.

Vikram Rastogi is a robotics expert who set up a small incubator named Hacklab after visiting the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014. “I saw the kind of hardware work they were doing. We could also do the same kind of hardware work in India, it’s just that people do not pursue it much further,” he explains. “So I thought let me start with something in India and try to make global product out of it,” Rastogi adds.

The engineering graduate is currently working on ways to enable drones to operate as part of a fleet in order to harness more information, an application that could be used to gather data over large areas such as the vast farms of Australia or Brazil. But the path to building the next Google or Apple is not always smooth. “When I started this we had a lot of people who came to us with startup ideas,” Rastogi says, but he admits that some give up over time often due to family pressure to get a salaried job.

New generation

Sylvia Veeraraghavan, one of the millions who have migrated to Bangalore for work since the 1990s, is watching this new generation of self-starters with interest.
When she moved there, the city was becoming a outsourcing hub for Western technology companies seeking a cheap and well educated workforce through companies such as Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro.

“For me, for the people of my time, getting a job was a very big deal. The kind of values that we used to have are very different from the values that people have today,” said Veeraraghavan, who now works for a charity after a 25-year career in IT. She believes the rising prosperity of India’s middle class has given young people the freedom to experiment.

“They are not constricted, or restricted, having to take up a job, or finding their next meal,” she said. “They can be innovative, they can be imaginative.” It is a trend that looks set to continue — according to forecasts, between 200,000 and 250,000 people will be working in tech startups by 2020, nearly double the current number, according to software industry association Nasscom.

Traditionally there has been a well-trodden path from Indian IT institutes to a master’s degree in America and then on to a plum job in Silicon Valley. But US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration — including a proposed restructure of the H-1B working visas often used by tech firms to recruit foreign skilled workers — may mean even more of India’s tech stars opt to carve a new route to success at home.

It remains too early to say what impact Trump’s planned immigration reform could have on India, but for Aneesh the answer is simple. He is already confident that when he finishes his studies in Chicago, he will be heading back to India not California.