Google has initiated a new form of advertising into Gmail

Summary: Gmail ads now appearing as emails into a new type of email popping up in the Promotions tab

Recently Google has upgraded gmail service by sorting emails into tabs. There are five types of tabs at this time; these are Primary, Social, Promotional, Update and Forum. It appears at the setting. Primary is for newsletters and correspondence; Promotions is for marketing offers and deals, such as Catch of the Day, Social is for updates on social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook.

However, users have been noticing a new type of email popping up in the Promotions tab: paid-for-placement advertising. These are in addition to the ad bar that shows up at the top of the page and column on the right-hand side when you open an email.

They are differentiated from regular emails by a shaded background and the word "ad" appearing below the sender's name; users can open them and read them like a normal email, with information on the promotion inside with links and videos. You have the option to forward to a friend or dismiss the ad; if you dismiss it, you won't receive that particular promotion again.

Source: Gmail ads now appearing as emails

Apple Developer Website Hacked

Summary: Apple revealed that its Developer Center website was breached by unknown hackers and was taken offline last Thursday as a precaution.

Apple on Sunday addressed a multi-day outage afflicting its developer site, acknowledging that its systems were hacked.

In an email to developers, Apple wrote:

“Last Thursday, an intruder attempted to secure personal information of our registered developers from our developer website. Sensitive personal information was encrypted and cannot be accessed; however, we have not been able to rule out the possibility that some developers’ names, mailing addresses, and/or email addresses may have been accessed. In the spirit of transparency, we want to inform you of the issue. We took the site down immediately on Thursday and have been working around the clock since then.

In order to prevent a security threat like this from happening again, we’re completely overhauling our developer systems, updating our server software, and rebuilding our entire database. We apologize for the significant inconvenience that our downtime has caused you and we expect to have the developer website up again soon.”

Apple did confirm to Macworld that the website that was breached was not associated with any customer information; all customer information is securely encrypted, a company spokesperson said. The attacker also did not have access to app code, or the servers where app information is stored, Apple told Macworld. The company declined to comment on whether legal authorities were involved in its investigation of the hack.

Source: Apple hacked

Gmail’s new compose now offers a full-screen option

Summary: Gmail's new compose rolled out to everyone in March now it add new feature default full screen

When default full screen option is enabled, the compose window is centered in your inbox and expands to fit on your screen.  In addition, the formatting toolbar is on by default.  You can click on the expand button in the top right to switch to full-screen or set full-screen as the default by selecting Default to full-screen in the more options menu in the bottom right.

Some users have gotten used to, or simply prefer how Gmail worked before, because not everyone will like the new compose and reply windows, that’s a given fact. If you have chosen the new view but want to go back to the old experience, here’s what you’ve got to do.

•             Click “compose” at the bottom corner of the message panel

•             Click the “more” menu icon

•             Select “Temporarily switch back to old compose”

Google is flaunting the following features especially for these people:

•             Fast: You can write messages right from you inbox

•             Simple: redesigned with a fresh, sleek look.

•             Powerful: You can check e-mails while typing, lessen drafts for later, and even create two messages at once.

Source: Default full screen

Google Motorola acquisition first mobile Moto-X coming August

Summary: Moto X smartphone will be released across multiple carriers in August

Motorola on Friday sent invitations for a press event in New York City on August 1st where the company will publicize its highly predictable Moto X smartphone. The latest rumors suggest the device will be equipped with a 720p display, a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and a 10-megapixel camera. Along with being the first smartphone manufactured in the United States, the Moto X will be the first handset that users will be able to customize with different colors and custom engraving options. The Moto X is expected to arrive on multiple carriers by the end of August.

Source: Moto X

Digg Founder Kevin Rose Uploads Video of Himself Throwing Raccoon That Attacked His Dog

Summary: Digg founder Kevin Rose has uploaded a video to YouTube that shows him throwing a raccoon down a flight of stairs in an attempt to save his dog from attack.

The video contain a disclaimer that says Rose does not "encourage animal violence," and adds that Rose's dog Toaster was okay aside from some claw and bite marks. The video has been posted to Reddit

Source: Business Insider

Firefox OS 1.1 now available for Geeksphone devices

Betting on Mozilla's mobile operating system? There's a good chance, then, that you're kicking around a Geeksphone, one of the few devices known for running Firefox OS. Owners of the company's Keon and Peak handsets can now manually upgrade their devices to Firefox 1.1, which -- according to enthusiasts on the Geeksphone forums and Twitter -- speeds up boot times, patches an assortment of bugs and tacks on minor navigational and display improvements. Naturally, users interested in trying the build will have to download and flash it themselves.

Source: engadget

Men Dominate the Tech World

Summary: According to Business Insider report “23 statistics that prove men dominate the tech world"

The lack of women in technology conversation is nothing new.

Over the last few months, the topic has been fueled by events like "Donglegate" and its backlash.

It's since become common knowledge that women are underrepresented in tech jobs, but what about their representation in the tech world as a whole?

Here are statistics that shed some light on both:

In the U.S., women are actually more likely to use social networking sites. In December 2012, 71% of women compared to 62% of men surveyed were using social networking sites, according to Pew Internet.

Stat 1: LinkedIn: 63% men and 37% women

Stat 2: Google+: 71% men and 29% women

Stat 3: Reddit: 84% men and 16% women

Stat 4: Regarding Reddit, men are also twice as likely as women to be Reddit users, according to Pew

Stat 5: 8.5% of Wikipedia editors are women. The total percent of women editors has increased somewhat over the years, but Wikipedia recognizes that its editing community suffers from a lack of women editors. 

Stat 6: 1.3% of venture-backed startups have a female founder.

Stat 7: 6.5% of venture-backed startups have a female CEO.

Stat 8: 20% of venture-backed startups have one or more female C-level executive.

Stat 9: Women represent less than 10% of high-level venture capitalists in the U.S., according to the Kaufman foundation.

Stat 10: Only 12% of angel investors in the U.S. were women in 2011, according to the Center for Venture Research.

Stat 11: Cisco: 44 out 225 officers or managers are women.

Stat 12: Dell: 27 out of 125 officers or managers are women.

Stat 13: eBay: 10 out of 55 officers or managers are women.

Stat 14: Ingram Micro: 47 out of 236 officers or managers are women.

Stat 15: Intel: 6 out of 41 officers or managers are women.

Stat 16: Women make up about 11.5% of all game developers, according to the International Game Developers Association.

Stat 17: As of 2009, there were 7,430,000 workers in STEM jobs in America. Male workers held 5,640,000 of those jobs. 

Stat 18: Women hold less than 25% of STEM jobs, according to the ESA. Among women in STEM jobs, 27% of them are in computer science and math jobs and just 14% are in engineering jobs, according to the ESA.

Stat 19: There about 600 million women online compared to 800 million men in developing countries, according to a 2012 report from Intel.

Stat 20: On average, nearly 25% fewer women than men have access to the Internet, according to Intel.

Stat 21: The gender gap jumps to nearly 45% in regions like sub-Saharan Africa.

Stat 22: About 35% fewer women than men in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa have Internet success.

Stat 23: Nearly 30% fewer women than men in parts of Europe and North Africa have Internet access.

Source: Business Insider Report 

Malaysia bloggers hauled up for sedition

Summary: Malaysian couple has been charged with sedition due to sexual explicit of their blog, after posting a Ramadan greeting on Facebook which led to public outrage.

A couple in Malaysia who gained notoriety for their sexually explicit blog has been charged with sedition, after posting a Ramadan greeting on Facebook which led to public outrage.

Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee on Thursday pleaded not guilty in a Kuala Lumpur district court, where they faced charges for distributing or publishing "seditious" content. Bail was denied, so the couple will remain in jail until the next court date which is set for August 23. If found guilty of sedition, they face a jail term of up to three years.

According to court officials, the bloggers also face other charges of causing disharmony on religious grounds and possessing or producing obscene content, which can lead to a jail term of up to five years.

The couple angered many after posting a photo, marking the start of the Muslim Ramadan fasting month, of the pair eating pork--a meat which is forbidden in Islam. The photo included a hala logo used to indicate foods certified and permitted to be consumed by Muslims.

Following a public outcry, the duo apologized but Malaysia's Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin on Monday rejected the apology and called for the bloggers to be punished. The country's prime minister, Najib Razak, also issued a rebuke. "The insolent and impudent act by the young couple who insulted Islam showed that freedom of expression and irresponsible opinion can jeopardize the community," he said, in a report by The Star.

Najib also took the opportunity to highlight a new law the Malaysian government was looking to introduce to replace the current sedition act, but which had been criticized as a way to stifle political dissent.

Tan and Lee first gained notoriety last year when the bloggers posted photographs and videos of their sexual exploits, including close-ups of their genitals. Both are Malaysians, but Tan is a former law student on Asean scholarship at the National University of Singapore, which terminated his scholarship following the public outrage over their blog.

iknife can tell cancerous from healthy tissue in seconds

Summary: A new kind of surgical 'Intelligent' knife can tell tumor from healthy tissue and may assist get better tumor taking away in the operating room.

iKnife, the tool analyses the vapour given off as surgeons use electrical current to cut away tissue - and it reports in real time whether the tissue is cancerous or not

Tests in 91 human patients have shown the "tool's diagnoses were extremely accurate," and may be "reliable enough to begin widespread use in operating rooms," said the study in the US journal Science Translational Medicine

The iKnife uses mass spectrometry to examine the surgical smoke given off by evaporating tissue, alerting the surgeon in three seconds as to what it contains.

Other current techniques - which include sending removed tissue to a pathology lab for analysis - are "costly...frequently inadequate," and take about 20-30 minutes, said the researchers from Hungary and Britain.

"Remarkably, there are almost no technologies in routine clinical practice to assist the surgeon in improving the accuracy of cancer tissue clearance," said the study.

Source: iknife

PayPal mistakenly credits man $92 quadrillion

According to CNN report: Pennsylvania man gets a PayPal statement saying his account contains $92,233,720,368,547,800. "This is obviously an error and we appreciate that Mr. Reynolds understood this was the case," PayPal said in a statement.

When Chris Reynolds opened his June PayPal e-mail statement, something was off.

The Pennsylvania PR executive's account balance had swelled to a whopping $92,233,720,368,547,800.

That's $92 QUADRILLION (and change).

Money that would make Reynolds -- who also sells auto parts on eBay in his spare time -- the richest man in the world by a long shot.

Rich, as in more than a million times richer than Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim. And he's worth $67 billion.

Oh, if only.

"It's a curious thing. I don't know, maybe someone was having fun," Reynolds said.

So he logged online, and reality bit back. His account balance read $0. The correct amount.

PayPal admitted the error and offered to donate an unspecified amount of money to a cause of Reynolds' choice. 

Wristband can monitor sleep!!!

Summary: Human life can be control by using technology. "Lark" is a wristband wireless connected with smartphone that is designed to assist sleep better.

Most people in America suffer from insomnia. Julia Hu, the 28-year-old CEO and founder of Lark, told the Huffington Post. "We have cured it in a way that nothing has been able to, without drugs."

Lark is a wirelessly connected wristband with smartphone that is designed to help sleep better. "It's a silent alarm clock," Hu said. "It does tiny little tickles to nudge you awake. It's a wireless sleep monitor, and it's a personal sleep coach."

"Fast forward two months," says Hu. "We decided, wouldn't it be amazing if we could turn the top sleep experts into an automated program on your phone? And that was the real beginning of turning this into a product."

After a while, Lark became the official product of the National Sleep Foundation and began selling in Apple Stores.

Source: Lark wristband

Technology companies call for more NSA transparency

Summary: Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and more join forces to request NSA data is made public.

After having their reputation damaged by the National Security Agency controversy earlier this year, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and many more are joining forces to demand more transparency regarding NSA requests and surveillance (via AllThingsD).

The 63 companies, investors, and non-profit organizations are pleading with the U.S. government to allow Internet, phone, and other service providers to share the requests that they receive for user data, including:

·         The number of government requests for information about their users

·         The number of individuals, accounts, or devices for which information was requested

·         The number of requests that sought communications content, basic subscriber information, and/or other information

“Basic information about how the government uses its various law enforcement–related exploratory authorities has been published for years without any apparent distraction to criminal investigations,” a copy of the letter obtained by AllThingsD reads. “We seek permission for the same information to be made available regarding the government’s national security–related authorities. This information about how and how often the government is using these legal authorities is important to the American people, who are entitled to have an informed public debate about the suitability of those authorities and their use.”

Apple and Google have both made their thoughts on the NSA scandal and user privacy clear, with Google even beefing up encryption on some of its services.