iPhone 5 rumor roundup

As we wait for the official announcement of the next iPhone, we only can guess about what we're going to see. Apple, after all, always generates a ton of gossip in the absence of real details about upcoming devices. Some of the rumors about the new handset contradict each other--one camp suggests a minor update with an iPhone 4S, while another predicts a big update with an iPhone 5--but disagreement, after all, is often what the rumor mill is all about.

Since all that conflicting information can be hard to track, we offer this handy timeline of iPhone 5 rumors so far in 2011. We'll add to it as we go along, and please let us know if we've left any juicy tidbits out.

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Yes, Google really should worry about Facebook

The algorithm is the key to success.

That's how Google replaced Yahoo as the Web's best search engine in 1998. Google became the font of the online world's information by both finding more information online than any other search engine, and by figuring out what of it was the most important to the Web's users. Google algorithmically connected the Web to people.

Facebook, by contrast, has always been about connecting people to each other, but as the the latest version of the Facebook platform illustrates, the company is now about using that information to do what Google has traditionally done: connect people not just to each other, but to things, ideas, and media.

The algorithm is a big part of today's announcement at the F8 developers' conference. The algorithm can determine what you're likely to like based on who you like, what you do, where you go, which apps you use (and how), and so forth--all of which is information that Facebook will now collect through its own service and all the apps that are being built to run on it.

 

Google also knows what you do online, but it doesn't have close to the same depth of personal information that Facebook has, for two reasons. First, Google's core service, search, is a way station, not a destination. Google knows where you're going because you transit the site and because you may be tipping it off through your browser's search bar or through ads on the sites you visit. But Facebook is a destination. People go to Facebook and stay there. And communicate. And like. And so on. All the while, Facebook collects the data.

Second, Facebook knows who your friends are. In addition to the fact that you tell it this when you "friend" people, how and with whom you communicate on the site is more data that Facebook's algorithm can use to classify your connections to other people. When you respond to what Facebook is now calling "lightweight engagement" activities in the Ticker--when you decide to listen to a song alongside a friend, for example--Facebook files away this information, building, bit by bit, a dossier on your preferences and the people who are most likely to influence you.

For advertisers, this data is more valuable than Google's. Facebook will be able to cluster likely interest groups together and sell marketers access to those people. The company will be able to work with media companies to make advertising on their pages more effective. This is a serious and credible threat to Google's position as the Web's premier advertising provider.

For users, Facebook will, probably quickly, learn what each of us is likely to like by watching what we do on the site. This will help solve a big problem on a Web overloaded with novel information: discovery. By mining the "data exhaust" collected from the activities, links, likes, and so on that we all generate, Facebook should be able to predict, with increasing accuracy, what we're most likely to engage with, be it music or grocery ingredients.

If Facebook gets this wrong, users will continue to complain about the new design of the site as being too cluttered and confusing. But if the algorithm starts to feed people links to things they like but didn't know they'd like, it means the algorithm is working and Facebook is on its way to becoming the source of the most valuable information on the Web: who likes what, who they influence, and how to reach the people most likely to influence others (hint: go through their friends).

It's scary to see one single company own this database, but Facebook is coating this pill in sweet candy. We will find music we love through it. We will connect with friends to go on hikes with it. We will learn things from publications using Facebook because we see our friends reading them. And we'll make the whole thing easier for our friends, and Facebook itself. But stuffing Timelines full of personal resumes of preferences and activities.

There will likely be privacy missteps along the way, as Facebook turns on the algorithm and makes the data available to more developers through its platform. One might be tempted to step away from Facebook or to try hard to not engage with the flow of attractive links and media that comes through it. But I think it's going to be hard for people to say no to what Facebook will soon be offering.

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Paravoor sex case: Kollywood production controller held

Three persons, including a Kollywood production controller, were arrested by the Crime Branch on Wednesday in connection with the Paravoor sex case in which a 14-year-old girl was allegedly sexually abused by over 150 persons. The arrested are Shiva, 32, of Anna Nagar in Chennai, Moitheen Kutty,40, of Kuttanad, Pattambi, and Sabu,39, of Ayyapankavu, Ernakulam. Shiva is the production controller. According to the Crime Branch officials, it was the girl's father who provided the girl to Shiva. The girl was allegedly sexually abused by the production controller at a lodge in Kannur. The other two accused had also taken the girl to various places for allegedly sexually abusing her. The Crime Branch has so far arrested 85 persons in connection with the case. 

Pan masala sachets seized: The Kochi City Shadow Police team on Wednesday seized a large quantity of pan masala sachets which were being smuggled out from the city to evade sales tax. The police said that the seized goods were worth Rs 80,000. They were kept concealed in an Ambassador car. A person identified as Sumesh, 29, of Pathanamthitta was arrested in connection with the incident. The shadow police team was able to unearth the concealed goods from the car during a routine combing operation at Marine Drive. The accused used to source large quantities of pan masala products from various places in the city and smuggle them to various parts of the state. The goods and the accused were later handed over to the commercial taxes wing which imposed a fine of Rs 25,040 on the accused. 

Forum to help Lakshadweep natives: In protest against the exploitation of natives in Lakshadweep by officials, a forum called Lakshadweep Citizens Forum for Justice has been formed. The forum activists will take out an awareness march from Bitra on October 2. It will end at Kavaratti on January 26, 2012. The forum activists will discuss the issues with the people on their way to Kavaratti. A memorandum of understanding to construct Agatti hospital, which will cause a big loss to the treasury, corruption in the construction of complexes of Lakshadweep Development Corporation Ltd and problems regarding travel will be discussed during the march.

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2G turmoil: PM backs Chidambaram

New York/New Delhi, Sept 22 (IBNS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said there was no discord in the union cabinet over the 2G controversy and he backed Union Home Minister P Chidambaram whose name was dragged into the turmoil following the publication of an adverse note okayed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

The Prime Minister, now in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, was quoted in media from USA denying reports of infighting in the cabinet even as Chidambaram said on Thursday he would speak on the issue after the Prime Minister returned from New York. 

The PM also said that since the 2G matter is subjudice he would not comment on it now. 

Amid clamour for his resignation by the Opposition, Chidambaram issued a statement saying: "Friends from the media have asked me why I remain silent. 

"As reported in the media, the Prime Minister called me last night from Frankfurt and spoke to me," he said. 

"The Finance Minister called me from Washington and spoke to me. I have assured the Prime Minister that I shall not make any public statement on the subject until he returns to India." 

The 2G scam debate took a new dramatic turn where the ruling Congress is now apparently pitted against itself after a controversial note of March 2011 okayed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee dragged Union Home Minister P Chidambaram into the controversy. 

The note of controversy that was sent by Mukherjee´s department to the Prime Minister had said that Chidambaram as then finance minister (2008) when the spectrums were allocated could have prevented the scam by sticking to a policy of auction of spectrums as against the decision of a first-come-first-serve basis policy by then telecom minister and now jailed DMK lawmaker A Raja.

Pranab Mukherjee had okayed the note (a 14-page document) sent this March by the Deputy Director in the Finance Ministry PGS Rao to Joint Secretary in the PMO Vini Mahajan on 2G spectrum and pricing. 

RTI activist Vivek Garg has obtained the note now, triggering the latest controversy.

Earlier, the BJP and AIADMK said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram should resign over the latest developments on the 2G scam or he should be removed by the Prime Minister, even as an emboldened DMK said they stood vindicated on the issue. 

Congress has defended Chidambaram and tried to put up a united face.

"Mr Chidambaram is deeply involved in the 2G scam. He should immediately resign or the prime minister should remove him," said the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) supremo, soon after the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded the resignation of Chidambaram. 

Chidambaram, who was in Sikkim overseeing quake relief, had refused to comment but later issued the brief statement. 

Turning the 2G heat again on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the BJP said Chidambaram should resign from the government.

"Either he should resign himself or he should be dismissed, said BJP senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi. 

He said even the Prime Minister was misled on the 2G issue. 

Joshi said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) must take up the case against Chidambaram. 

"I want to know why the CBI did not act yet against Chidambaram," said Joshi. 

BJP senior leader Arun Jaitley said the government is facing a kind of civil war situation with its own ministers now against each other. 

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "Today the voice of dissent is coming from within the government and Chidambaram has a lot to explain."
Pranab Mukherjee, who is now in New York to attend a US-India investors´ meet, said he would not make any remark on the note since the matter is now subjudice. 

"The whole matter is under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court of India. We cannot make any comment on any matter that is subjudice," Mukherjee said.

But Joshi said Pranab Mukherjee must comment since the note of his ministry is not subjudice. 

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) , the discredited partner of the Congress in the UPA over the 2G scam, is happy with the latest development as it said that 2G spectrum allocation was a policy decision of the government and it proves that Raja had not violated the directives of the Prime Minister or Finance Minister.

"We are vindicated and it has come as a big relief," DMK leader Khushboo said, adding that Raja always maintained that he had not taken any bribe. 

Later DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi said said Raja had always maintained that the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister were in the loop in the 2G licencing policy. 

Karunanidhi said it is for Chidambaram to decide on resigning if he is found guilty, according to TV reports. 

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the party was united and behind Chidambaram. 

"The party does not doubt Chidambaram´s integrity and it is now not right to pass judgement on the sub judice issue. We do not, in any manner, accept the allegation made by Subramanian Swamy against him (Chidambaram)," said Singhvi.

"The party does not doubt his integrity. This precise issue has been raised by Dr Swamy in the apex court and is sub judice," Singhvi said speaking to a TV channel. 

There is a mischievous attempt, he said. 

He said any division in the party on the 2G issue is a figment of imagination of the media. 

DMK leaders like A Raja and Kanimozhi are languishing in jail for several months in the 2G case. 

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the auditors of the government, has pegged the 2G allocation loss to the government at around Rs 1.76 lakh crore, making it the biggest financial corruption case in independent India.

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Ameesha Patel Returns to the Acting Biz

Luck seems to be on actress, Ameesha Patel’s side and now the actress is getting back into the biz. First her production company had a good kick start, and now we hear she’s bagging a few acting roles.

The movie will be titled, Shortcut Romeo and is a remake of the 2006 Tamil movie, Thiruttu Payale. The movie will see Ameesha paired with actor Neil Nitin Mukesh for the first time.

Here’s want an ecstatic Ameesha said, ‘I am extremely happy and excited to do such a thrilling film. It's a very intelligent script and a step forward from the same genre of suspense thrillers that I have been part of before.’

Previously we’re seen Ameesha starring in thriller movies like, Humraaz and Ankahee and will also be seen in the sequel to the 2008 movie, Race.

So should Ameesha return to the big screen? Or were you never a fan of her? 

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Ganguly, Sachin differ on ODI format

KOLKATA: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly is not on the same page as his former opening partner Sachin Tendulkar, who has suggested revamping of the one day international cricket format.

Unlike Tendulkar, Ganguly feels the current ODI format is here to stay.

"We already have a 20-over format, so why another 25 over game? The 50 over game has done well. We saw such a hugely successful World Cup in India. The format is doing wonderful which was evident in the recently concluded India-England series," said Ganguly.

Ganguly thinks the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected Tendulkar's proposal not for any cricketing reasons, but because it came from an Indian.

"It is no surprise that it (Sachin's suggestion) has been rejected. There is a huge idea or belief in world cricket that India is the power and dominates world cricket. At the moment it just gives me a feeling that oh! It has come from them, so lets put it on hold, India are too big," said Ganguly at a product launch event.

Earlier, cricketing legend Tendulkar sent a letter to ICC chief Haroon Lorgat suggesting the current ODI format of two innings of 50 over each be changed to four innings of 25 over each.

The ICC on Wednesday dismissed the suggestion saying there was no scope for change in the format at the moment.

Ganguly, the new designated chairperson of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) technical committee, toed the board's line saying the Umpire Decision Referral System (UDRS) needs to improve a lot to become acceptable.

"The UDRS is an issue and I completely agree with BCCI's thought on the system. From what I saw in the India versus England and Australia versus Sri Lanka Series the system needs a lot of improvement. It needs lot of updating before it becomes foolproof," added Ganguly.

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Suriya’s 7aam Arivu is all set to release on Diwali

Red-Giant Movies’ Udayanidhi Stalin has stated that ‘7aam Arivu’ is a Diwali release.
Suriya fans are extremely wanting to see their icon on the watch’s screen and also have been tweeting producer asking him concerning the film’s release.

So, all you guys might have been waiting for the audio release from long time and to reduce some of your excitement and eagerness we have brought you the track list of the film.
Harris Jayraj has given exceptional music and the album has total of six songs including a Chinese track. The Chinese song is the special attraction of the album which was sung by mandarin singer Hau.
Here 7 am Arivu Track List
1. 7am Arivu
Singers: Karthik
2. Kadhal Mayam
Singers: Naresh Iyer & Varshini
3. Circus Circus
Singers: Benny Dayal & Shruthi Haasan
4. Indru Oru
Singers: Shruthi Haasan, Sriram Parthasarathy
5. Yamma
Singers: S.P.B

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G (AT&T)

Four months after making its U.S. debut on Verizon Wireless, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G is now available on AT&T. Not much has changed. In fact, it's nearly the same exact smartphone. But on AT&T it's sporting a bargain bin $49.99 price, a free multimedia dock, and good Internet speeds on AT&T's HSPA+ 21 network. So while the Xperia Play was a good phone for Verizon gamers, it's an even better choice on AT&T.

Physical Design, Call Quality, and Web
One thing that certainly hasn't changed is the physical design. The Xperia Play is still big and bulky at 4.7 by 2.4 by .6 inches (HWD) and 6.2 ounces; most of that weight is for the gamepad. The phone is made of somewhat cheap-feeling dark blue and silver plastic. The 4-inch, 854-by-480 screen looks sharp, but it's dim, even with the brightness set to its highest setting (which it is by default). That's probably to help save battery life, which was an incredible 9 hours 18 minutes. You should be able to do some serious gaming before this thing needs another charge.

The screen slides horizontally to reveal an absolutely wonderful gamepad. There are four directional buttons, four PlayStation action buttons, two analog trackpads standing in for the PSPs joystick, Select, Start, and Menu buttons, and two "flippers" on the top edge of the phone. The buttons mirror the PSP's layout, though they're a bit smaller and tighter than the ones on the PSP. They feel solid and ready for extended gaming sessions.

AT&T also includes a multimedia dock with the Xperia Play, which allows for easy charging and connection to a home stereo system (via included 3.5mm jack). When docked, the phone automatically launches a desktop alarm application, so it also doubles as an alarm clock.

With such a major focus on gaming, it becomes easy to forget the Xperia Play is also a phone. Luckily, it doesn't disappoint in that department. The Play uses AT&T's HSPA+ 21 network and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi. The phone also works as a tethered modem or Wi-Fi hotspot with the right service plan. I got some pretty respectable speeds using the Xperia Play. Downloads averaged 4-5Mbps down, while uploads were around 1-1.5Mbps up. That's faster than we've seen on other "4G" AT&T phones such as the Motorola Atrix 4G, which don't support HSPA+ 21.

RF reception was good, and call quality was above average. Calls sound rich and clear in the phone's earpiece, with just the slightest trace of fuzz from time to time. On the other end, calls made with the phone sound sharp, though noise cancellation is lacking; you can hear almost everything happening in the background. The speakerphone sounds good, and goes loud enough for outdoor use, but just barely. You probably won't be able to hear it on a noisy street. Calls sounded good through an Aliph Jawbone Era Bluetooth headset ($129.99, 4.5 stars) and voice dialing worked fine.

Gaming
The main reason many people will be interested in the Xperia Play is for the games. There are a few ways to download them. The first, easiest way, is to load up the Play Games app, conveniently located on the phone's home screen. It's a scrollable menu of game titles from Gameloft, EA Mobile, and the Android Market. Tapping on a game will punt you over to the Gameloft or EA mobile site, or directly to its listing in the Android Market. You can also go to the Android Market yourself and do a search for "Xperia Play Optimized," but this will turn up plenty of titles that aren't really optimized.           

Downloading titles from the Android Market and EA are easy, but every time I tapped on a game from Gameloft, I was directed to a generic Gameloft page that wasn't specific to the game I wanted to see. You can tap your way through a few more pages to find it, but it should be linked directly. Once downloaded, though, I didn't experience any problems.

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