BLOG FROM RAKESH KUMAR JHA

NEW DELHI: The government may go to the extent of asking foreign handset makers  to set up servers in India as the next step in ensuring the protection of user data, following concerns about security breaches, especially as most Chinese smartphone vendors have servers in their home country. Officials in the electronics and IT ministry said while the issue of apps sweeping up excessive user data was worrying, the broader issue remained that of the security of information that could be going to third parties outside the country. "There have been voices raised for the past several years that by virtue of servers being outside of India... data processing has become the new field (of commercial exploitation)," said an official. The government has already asked 21 smartphone companies, most of them Chinese, for protocols used by them by August 28 to ensure the security of mobile phones sold in the country. Chinese handset makers led by Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Lenovo and Gio...

NEW DELHI: India  and Japan  have reaffirmed their commitment to a secure and accessible cyberspace during the Second India-Japan Cyber Dialogue held here on Thursday, the External Affairs Ministry  said in a statement on Friday. "Japan and India reaffirmed their commitment to an open, free, secure, stable, peaceful and accessible cyberspace, enabling economic growth and innovation," the statement said. "In particular, both sides reaffirmed that existing international law is generally applicable in cyberspace and that no country should conduct or support ICT-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to its companies or commercial sector," it stated. According to the statement, the areas of discussion included domestic cyber policy landscape, cyber threats and mitigation, mechanism on bilateral cooperation and possible cooperation at various intern...

BENGALURU: IT major Infosys  in association with  , the governing body of men's professional tennis circuits, today announced the launch of a new 'PlayerZone' app and website. The revamped PlayerZone, an extranet portal for ATP players, their support teams, coaches, and others in the ecosystem, allows users to engage with each other and access information across a wide range of operational aspects related to life on Tour, the company said in a release. It said the PlayerZone is developed with best-in-class technology to be intuitive and more convenient, offering biometric login on the app. It also provides information on tournament entries and withdrawals, automated updates on match scheduling and results among other things. The ATP is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP World Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour . "With the launch of this new app, we believe we have set a new benchmark in offering th...

NEW DELHI: Microsoft  has launched a mobile-only product called Kaizala, designed for organisations' communications and work management. The company claims that the tool makes it simple for organizations to seamlessly communicate, collaborate and complete tasks, bringing together desktop users and mobile-only users. Along with this, the company also launched its enterprise version Kaizala Pro that integrates with Microsoft Office 365. Microsoft Kaizala helps enterprises connect with large numbers of people inside and outside their system, easily coordinate tasks across the value chain, and gain actionable insights. The users can simply connect using their mobile phone numbers as their primary unique ID. Microsoft Kaizala is powered by Microsoft cloud platform Azure. Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India , said, "The Digital India initiative is focused on harnessing technology to help India transform. Microsoft Kaizala, a made for India product, brings together th...

TORONTO: Keep your smartphone at bay if you want to curb that urge to splurge, say scientists who found that people are more likely to indulge in guilty pleasures while shopping online using a touchscreen than a computer. "Touchscreen technology has rapidly penetrated the consumer market and embedded itself into our daily lives. Given its fast growth and popularity, we know surprisingly little about its effect on consumers," said Ying Zhu, assistant professor at The University of British Columbia's Okangan Campus in Canada . "The playful and fun nature of the touchscreen enhances consumers' favour of hedonic products; while the logical and functional nature of a desktop endorses the consumers' preference for utilitarian products," Zhu said. Researchers also found that participants using touchscreen technology scored significantly higher on experiential thinking than those using desktop computers. However, those on desktops scored significantly ...

Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications has launched a new dongle+data offer at Rs 5,199. As part of this offer, users get a 4G sim card that offers 1GB per day for 356 days along with the Wi-Fi dongle called Wi-Pod worth Rs 3,200 for free. The telecom operator has also listed an EMI  plan for users starting at Rs 500 on different bank credit cards. In terms of specs, the Wi-Pod dongle measures 95x57x16mm and weighs 80g. Powered by a Qualcomm  MDM9307 processor, it comes with one-year warranty as well. Powered by a 2,300mAh battery that delivers five hours of battery backup, it offers download speed up to 150Mbps. It also comes with a micro-USB port and microSD card slot up to 32GB. Last month, Reliance Communications rolled out a new offer for its postpaid customers for different price categories. The postpaid plans that fall under this offer are: Rs 699, Rs 499, and Rs 299 which will now be available for Rs 499, Rs 399, and Rs 249 respectively. The R...

NEW DELHI: HMD Global is all geared up to launch its latest Nokia branded Android  smartphone - Nokia 8 on August 16. The company has scheduled an event in London, where it will unveil the device. Two weeks before its launch, a new leak about the pricing of the smartphone has surfaced online. According to a leaked document of Vodafone Romania, Nokia 8 will be priced at Euro 520, which translates to Rs 39,3174. If the rumoured price is accurate, then this will be costliest Android powered Nokia smartphone. According to earlier rumours and leaks on the Web, Nokia 8 will run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out-of-the-box. The smartphone recently made an appearance on Geekbench smartphone benchmarking website, revealing some of its key specifications. The benchmark listing suggests that Nokia 8 will sport a 5.3-inch QHD screen. It could be powered by Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 835 processor, clubbed with 4GB/6GB RAM. The dual camera setup is expected to have two 13MP sensors. ...