Nokia Music Store is coming to Asha 501 soon

Nokia’s Asha 501 already has its own fan base thanks to its new UI, colorful body and a battery that keeps going on. But it is set to get even better as it is set to get the Nokia Music Store on it as well. Nokia spokespersons confirmed to BGR India that the Nokia Music Store is coming to its most high profile Asha phone. They refused to give any timeline for the launch but said that it will come soon. It is not clear at the moment whether new Asha 501 users will get any free subscription period or not. Nevertheless, having the option to buy and download legit music from one of the biggest music stores will be a great feature to have on the Asha 501.

LG to match Samsung with 2K resolution on upcoming G3 smartphone

It looks like LG’s next-generation flagship phone for 2014 might have something a bit more impressive to tout than buttons on the back of the device. According to a report from ZDNet Korea, LG may have leaked the specs of its next generation flagship phone, the LG G3. It is rumored to have a 1,440×2,560-pixel quad HD display. Quad HD is another name for 2K resolution, which refers to a display that has a horizontal resolution (or vertical resolution, in the case of smartphones) of more than 2,000 pixels. The rumor does not specify how large the display will be, but LG showed off a new 5.5-inch quad HD display this August. ZDNet Korea’s report also says that the G3 will feature a 16-megapixel rear camera and an eight-core processor. The G3 isn’t expected to launch until the second half of 2014.

Qualcomm’s first 64-bit chipset targets Rs 10,000 4G LTE smartphones for China and India

It was only a matter of time before Qualcomm announced its 64-bit processor for smartphones after Apple introduced the world’s first such processor for the iPhone 5S. However, instead of aiming for the top-of-the-line smartphones, Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon 410, its first chipset with 64-bit processing architecture, will power “high volume” smartphones. Targeted squarely at China (and to a lesser extent India) where 4G networks are just getting commercial deployments, the Snapdragon 410 will support all major 4G LTE bands and modes, while also supporting all 3G bands.

The Snapdragon 410 is based on 28nm process, and will come with support for dual and triple SIM card slots, which is of crucial importance for both markets. Other supported features include Adreno 306 GPU, 1080p video playback, up to a 13-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC and FM radio. The chipset will begin sampling in first half of 2014 with devices expected to be commercially available in the second half of the year. Qualcomm is also providing its OEM partners a reference design to hasten the process and lower their R&D expenses.

Huge security vulnerability reportedly uncovered in Samsung phones

As giant and dominant as Samsung has become in the global mobile industry, the company still hasn’t quite cracked the enterprise market to the extent that it hoped to in 2013. Samsung made enterprise a key focus over this past year and launched the Knox security platform intended to add a new layer of secure services for businesses on top of Android, but it’s unclear how much traction the company has had. Now, a new hurdle has seemingly emerged as cybersecurity researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev claim to have uncovered a huge security vulnerability in the Galaxy S4 and other devices that run Samsung’s Knox security software.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the vulnerability could allow malicious hackers to ”easily intercept” secure data on Knox-enabled Samsung smartphones. “The new unveiled vulnerability presents a serious threat to all users of phones based on [Knox] architecture,” Ben-Gurion University security researcher Dudu Mimran said. The security hole can apparently be used to monitor and steal data communications and also to track emails sent to and from handsets like the Galaxy S4.

Ousted Windows boss predicts phablets are the phones of the future

There’s no doubt that smartphone display sizes have been getting bigger ever since Samsung first introduced its original Galaxy Note phablet in 2012 — but are phablets just a niche product or do they have a grander destiny? One-time Microsoft Windows boss Steven Sinofsky, who now serves as a professor at Harvard Business School, has written a post on what he thinks will be 2014′s major technology trends and one of them is the rise of Galaxy Note-sized devices as the de facto size for smartphones.

“Today’s phablets seem like a tweener or oddity to some — between a large phone and a small tablet,” Sinofsky writes. “In practice the desire to have one device serve as both your legacy phone (voice and SMS) as well as your main ‘goto’ device for productivity and communication will become increasingly important. The reduction in the need for legacy communication will fuel the need to pivot closer to a larger screen all the time.”

Uber turns on surge pricing in Delhi

Premium on-demand car service Uber has received a positive response ever since it launched in Delhi and Bangalore earlier this year and Hyderabad more recently. But now Uber is turning on its ‘Surge Pricing’ model in the country, starting with Delhi. We are not sure whether this will have any significant impact considering Uber currently operates only in small swathes of the city and its current pricing is already considered to relatively low considering the premium cars one gets.

Uber explains its surge pricing model saying, “When the supply of cars gets tight, we will raise the price in increments over time and conversely as supply opens up, we’ll lower the price.” So essentially at peak times like New Years, expect the tariffs to be higher than usual. In fact, Uber says that Delhi customers should brace themselves for a 1.25x price rise. Users will be notified about this rise on the app whenever surge pricing kicks in. In order to ensure there is no backlash, Uber will require customers to manually input the surge price on the app before they can order a ride.

There was a lot of hue and cry in the US, when Uber increased its tariffs on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The rates were nearly 8 times the usual post surge pricing. US blog ValleyWag published a scathing piece accusing Uber of giving into greed and putting money ahead of its customers.

Xiaomi Mi Portable Wi-Fi router announced

Xiaomi is all set to launch its portable Wi-Fi router, the MI Portable Wi-Fi next month. The portable routers will come in a choice of six colors as teased on the company’s Twitter page.

Xiaomi has not mentioned any of the specifications for this new portable Wi-Fi device and has not yet listed it on its official site. All we know is that the device would be coming early in January.

Micromax Canvas Juice A77 launched for Rs 7,999

A month after the Canvas Juice A77 smartphone was spotted online, Micromax today has made it official for Rs 7,999. The company mentions it will launch this phone later today in an exclusive partnership with HomeShop 18.

The Canvas Juice A77 is a dual-SIM phone which comes with a 5-inch display WVGA (854×480 pixels) display. It is powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, 4GB internal memory which is expandable by up to 32GB using a microSD card. It sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and has VGA front facing camera. Connectivity options in the phone include 3G (HSDPA), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS/AGPS support. The Canvas Juice A77 houses a 3,000mAh battery which is expected to offer up to 10 hours of talk time and up to 250 hours of standby time.

On the software front, it runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and features Micromax’s in-house apps and app store.

The phone will compete against the recently launched Gionee P3 smartphone which dons a smaller display at 4.3-inch but comes with a quad-core processor. The rest of the features including Android version, internal storage and camera too are similar in both the phones. The Gionee P3 is priced for Rs 7,499 in India. Other options against the Canvas Juice A77 include the Karbonn Titanium S2, which has a similar display, but runs on a quad-core processor and sports an 8-megapixel rear camera. The phone is available at a similar price point.

Nokia launches the Asha 500, Asha 502 and Asha 503 in India priced between Rs 4,499 and Rs 6,799

Earlier this year in October, Nokia had unveiled three new Asha devices at Nokia World 2013— Asha 500, Asha 502 and the Asha 503. Today, the Finnish company has launched the Asha 502 in India for Rs 5,969 and also revealed that the Asha 500 will be launched sometime next week and the Asha 503 sometime next month. Though we are a few days away from the launch, Nokia has revealed the prices of both the devices with the former priced at Rs 4,499 and the latter at Rs 6,799, IndianExpress reports.

Talking of hardware, the Asha 502 features a 3-inch QVGA (320×240 pixels) display, 64MB of RAM, 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, expandable memory using a microSD card, FM Radio and a 1,010mAh battery, which the company claims is good enough to last 13.7 hours of talktime and 24 days on standby mode.

Connectivity options include dual-SIM card slots, Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM, AV jack, Wi-Fi and micro-USB port. The device listed on Nokia’s India Store last week for Rs 5,969. Nokia has also announced that Idea Cellular users who buy the Asha 502, will get 500MB of free 2G data every month for a period of three months.

As far as the rest of the devices are concerned, the dual-SIM Asha 500 will be launched sometime next week. It features a 2.8-inch QVGA (240×320 pixels) display, 64MB of RAM, 2-megapixel rear camera, expandable memory up to 32GB using a microSD card, FM Radio, connectivity options like Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, and a 1,200mAh battery, which the company claims is good enough for 15 hours of talktime and up to 840 hours on standby mode.

Gionee Elife E7 launched in India, 16GB priced at Rs 26,999 and 32GB at Rs 29,999

Gionee today launched its new flagship device, the Elife E7 in India. The company has priced the phone for Rs 26,999 for 16GB variant and Rs 29,999 for 32GB variant.

The Elife E7 comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p display with 400ppi. It is powered by a Snapdragon 800 chipset clocked at 2.2GHz with Adreno 330 GPU. The smartphone’s RAM varies according to the internal memory, with the 16GB variant featuring 2GB of RAM and the 32GB variant featuring 3GB of RAM.

This is a camera-centric phone, with a 16-megapixel autofocus rear camera with a pixel size of 1.34µm, and an 8-megapixel front-facing snapper. The company claims that the primary camera of the phone provide best results even under ambient lighting conditions and works well under daylight and low light, and that the secondary camera on the phone works better than the iPhone 5S.

Best Indian Mutton Recipes

Tender, flavorsome, succulent, sensational!

If these words are enough to get you salivating, then these recipes are definitely going to take you to the 7th heaven.

Soothe your taste buds with these hearty meat dishes which beat any other preparations. You just can't stop at one bite.From the classic lamb curry to exciting new flavors, be inspired by our finger licking mutton recipes.

Each serving of mutton provides 4 milligrams of iron. The meat is rich in a variety of minerals and vitamins, but it contains more fat than very lean cuts of beef. In moderation, mutton can be a beneficial component in an overall healthy diet.

Goat meat is a healthy alternative to beef and chicken because of its lower calorie, fat and cholesterol totals.  If you're looking for a leaner alternative to traditional meats then goat meat could be the answer.

Here are our 10 best mutton recipes which we think are a must try!

We love salads, come rain or shine. Toss in your favorites and conjure up a perfect mid-meal entrée. 

And if you are wondering salads are not just for the healthy eaters, they are also for those who love a burst of flavors in their mouth. Fireworks on a plate, not to be missed.

Breezy and hassle free salad make for a wholesome yet light meal. Throw in your favorites and toss up a meal in minutes.

Here are our 10 best salad recipes that we think are a must try.



Panzenella
Recipe by Ritu Dalmia

Panzenella is a Tuscan bread salad, ideal for summer which does not follow a particular recipe. The two ingredients that do not change are tomatoes and bread. This salad is great with a chilled glass of Prosecco and lots of sunshine.


Watermelon, Olive and Feta Salad
Recipe by Vicky Ratnani

The perfect summer salad of melon, olives and feta cheese with toasted pumpkin seeds.


Carrot Salad with Black Grape Dressing
Recipe by Preah Narang

Why buy salad dressings off the rack that are full of preservatives? Preah Narang whips up a quick carrot salad with raisins and almonds and a quick black grape dressing.


BBQ Potato Salad
Recipe by Vicky Ratnani

Potato salad with a twist. This one has some cola flavored BBQ sauce as a dressing ingredient. But if you do not like the cola punch, add your everyday BBQ sauce.


Thai Soyabean In Cabbage Cups
Recipe by Divya Burman

It's vegetarian, it's low fat and filled with flavor. Try this Thai soya bean salad with bean sprouts, chillies, the crunchiness of vegetables and the zing of lemon juice.




Chilled Indian Udon Noodle Salad
Recipe by Vicky Ratnani

As refreshing as it can get, a chilled salad of udon noodles with an Indian twist of curry leaves, cashew nuts, mustard seeds, coriander and turmeric.

NASA astronauts wrap up successful spacewalk on Christmas Eve to fix station

AFP

This December 24, 2013 NASA TV still image shows astronaut Mike Hopkins on the robotic arm (Lower-R) and Rick Mastracchio (front) during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS).

Washington:  Two NASA astronauts wrapped up successful repairs at the International Space Station on Tuesday after a rare Christmas Eve spacewalk to fix an equipment cooling system.

Americans Rick Mastracchio, 53, and Mike Hopkins, 44, floated outside the orbiting lab for seven and a half hours to replace an ammonia pump whose internal control valve failed on December 11.

"We have a pump that is alive and well," said a NASA commentator on the US space agency's live television feed after a successful jumpstart test on the newly installed pump module, a bulky piece of gear the size of a refrigerator.

More checks will be done later Tuesday, but the pump appeared to be "in good shape" and would be fully activated in the coming hours, a NASA commentator said from mission control in Houston.

Despite recent concerns about leaking spacesuits, neither astronaut reported any problems.

The suits "have functioned perfectly and have been bone dry throughout the course of today's spacewalk," a NASA commentator said.

Best Indian Dessert Recipes

A typical Indian wedding is judged by the people, on the basis of the vast buffet of desserts. There is no denying the fact, dessert are very important for every Indian. Especially Indian desserts, ranging from Galub Jamun's to Payasam to Kulfi, this article brings to you, the top 10 best Indian deserts.

These easy to make recipes are definitely a try. Who would, in their right mind not want to try these amazing desserts with such easy recipes!

So take the yum factor up a notch with these invincible classics. And get lost in the divine tastes of these Indian classics which portray Indian culture, richness and diversity in the best possible way.

So shut your eyes, and enjoy the incredible tastes of incredible India.

Bring to you, this is our take on the top 10 best Indian desert recipes that we think are a must try! 

On your marks, Get set. And COOK!


Gulab Jamun
Recipe by Aditya Bal

The old favorite made with khoya, flour and dipped in sugar syrup infused with saffron.


Gajar Ka Halwa
Recipe by Akhtar Rehman

Pakistani style grated carrot and condensed milk pudding.


Sandesh
Recipe by Niru Gupta

Bengal's super hit sweet, made with sweetened cottage cheese and flavored with cardamom and kesar.


Modak
Recipe by Shilpa More

Sweet flour dumplings stuffed with coconut, jaggery, nutmeg and saffron. Steamed to perfection. A famous Indian dessert consumed highly during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.


Aam Shrikhand
Recipe by Karan Suri

Mildly sweetened yogurt sprinkled with mango pieces, served with a zesty mango salad.


Payasam
Recipe by Kishore D Reddy

A delicious rice and milk pudding with cashews and raisins. Also called as kheer or payesh in different parts of the country.


Kaju ki Barfi
Recipe by Niru Gupta

Cashew nut and milk based sweet traditionally served at special occasions, topped by silver leaf.



Shahi Tukda
Recipe by Marut Sikka

The earliest visitors to India called it the land of milk and honey. Marut Sikka whips up a rich, saffron infused shahi tudka from Awadh. 


Phirni
Recipe by Vicky Ratnani

Pista and elaichi flavored phirni great for a festive occasion. served in 'mitti ke kasore' or mud pots.


Kulfi
Recipe by Niru Gupta

Popular kulfi recipe but with a twist, flavored with mango. Sinfully rich and creamy.


Other Indian dessert recipes.

Caramel Shortbread

Caramel Shortbread

Recipe Cook Time	:	45 Minutes
Recipe Rating	:

Tags: caramel, desserts, kids, shortbread, tea time

Add to CookBook

3

Ingredients

• 300 gm flour
  
  125 gm castor sugar
  
  200 gm butter
  
  
  For Caramel:
  
  100 gm butter
  
  100 gm castor sugar
  
  2 Tbsp golden syrup
  
  1 large tin condensed milk
  
  
  Topping:
  
  200 gm melted chocolate

Method

For the shortbread, combine flour and sugar in a bowl.

Rub in the chilled, diced butter. Knead until mixture forms soft dough.

Roll out on a floured surface. Line a 12x9" tin with the dough.

Bake at 180 degrees C for 15-20 minutes or until golden in color.

Remove from oven. Cool.


For the Filling:

Melt butter, stir in remaining ingredients.

Heat gently until sugar dissolves. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring continuously.

Pour over shortbread. Allow it to set.

When cool, spread melted chocolate over caramel.

Cool, cut into squares and serve.

Santa Claus is on schedule as NORAD tracks flight path

Santa's sled is escorted by a pair of fighter jets in this still image taken from an handout NORAD animated video released November 27, 2013. (Reuters)

New York:  Santa Claus has made an on-time departure from the North Pole, at least according to a U.S. military command that has made it a tradition to track the progress of Santa's reindeer-guided sleigh for millions of children.

Santa was "sticking to the same flight plan as he provided us," Lieutenant Commander Bill Lewis, stationed at the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said on Tuesday.

For nearly 60 years, NORAD has tracked Santa's flight path in a popular Christmas tradition that last year drew 22.3 million visitors to its website www.noradsanta.org and generated 114,000 calls.

NORAD says it can keep up with Santa's swift pace by using satellites and an "infrared sensor to detect heat signatures from Rudolph's nose," as the lead reindeer helps pull Santa's sleigh across the sky.

This year, NORAD said it was sending animated warplanes alongside the sleigh, a move that drew criticism from some child advocates who said children might worry if they believed Santa was vulnerable to attack.

NORAD says it began depicting jets following the sleigh in the 1960s and the planes would only be deployed to help Santa enter North American airspace. He would then be "on his own to do his work" Lewis said.

Spreading Christmas cheer, the cheerleaders' way

Even as temperatures dip across the United States, the mercury seems to be going up inside stadiums in the country. Here's how...

All images courtesy AFP

HTC Desire 400 dual-SIM Android smartphone with 4.3-inch display unveiled

HTC has expanded its Desire range with the introduction of a new mid-range smartphone, the Desire 400 dual-SIM. The Taiwanese handset maker quietly listed the Desire 400 dual-SIM on HTC's Russian and Ukrainian sites. However, there is no word on the availability and pricing of the Desire 400.

The HTC Desire 400 dual-SIM runs Android Jelly Bean OS with HTC Sense UI on top featuring BlinkFeed. However, it's not clear at this stage whether the OS version in the Desire 400 dual-SIM smartphone is Android 4.2 or Android 4.3.

The HTC Desire 400 dual-SIM as the name suggests comes with dual-SIM functionality and supports micro-SIM instead of regular SIM. It comes with a 4.3-inch WVGA display with a 480x800 pixels resolution. It is powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 processor along with 1GB of RAM, according to the Russian site, which also lists an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and BSI sensor, apart from a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera.

However, the Ukrainian HTC site features slightly different specifications, listing the Desire 400 with a dual-core processor (unspecified chipset), and a 5-megapixel camera instead.

The HTC Desire 400 dual-SIM packs an 1800mAh battery that according to the listing gives up to 12 hours of talktime and up to 435 hours of standby time. Connectivity options on the device include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G.

Bitcoins: RBI cautions users of potential risks

More From Forex

• Rupee ends at 61.79 per dollar, gaining for third day

• Rupee rises to 61.83 per dollar; seen in tight band

• Betting on Bitcoin

• BSE currency turnover crosses Rs. 10,000 crore mark

• As Fed tapers, don't count out emerging market currencies

• RBI to issue Rs. 10 banknotes with rupee symbol shortly

Mumbai: With growing interest and reporting about virtual currencies like bitcoins, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has  said these are highly speculative and unregulated instruments, cautioning users about the potential financial, operational, legal security risks.

(Also read: What bitcoin really is and how it is used)

The RBI said in a release on Tuesday that the creation, trading or usage of "decentralised digital currency" or "virtual currency" (VC), including bitcoins, litecoins, bbqcoins and dogecoins, as a medium for payment is not authorised by any central bank or monetary authority.

"No regulatory approvals, registration or authorisation is stated to have been obtained by the entities concerned for carrying out such activities," it said, adding that it is keeping tabs on the developments.

Stating that virtual currencies have no underlying or backing of any assets and their value seems to be a matter of speculation, the RBI said, "The users are exposed to potential losses on account of volatility in value."

Since virtual currencies are stored in digital or electronic media - called electronic wallets - they are prone to losses arising out of hacking, loss of password, compromise of access credentials and malware attack, the apex bank cautioned.

Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party picks its ministers, sends six names to Lieutenant Governor

New Delhi:  Arvind Kejriwal, set to be the next chief minister of Delhi, has refused to move into the government bungalow he is entitled to as the head of the government. His party today finalised six cabinet ministers and recommended the names to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

HERE ARE THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

1. Manish Sisodia, who is among the Aam Aadmi Party's 28 newly-elected legislators, is expected to get an important portfolio. (Pics: Meet Team Kejriwal's ministers) The 41-year-old journalist-turned-activist-turned politician trended on Twitter earlier this week after he stood by Mr Kejriwal's side to announce that the AAP will form the government.
2. Rakhi Birla, 26, will be the youngest member of the cabinet. She defeated heavyweight Rajkumar Chauhan, the Public Works Department Minister in the outgoing Sheila Dikshit government, by about 10,500 votes. (Read: Kejriwal to head youngest Cabinet with first-time MLAs)
3. The AAP placed second in the Delhi election - a King Kong political debut for the one-year-old party.
4. The BJP was in first place but did not manage a majority and said it would not try to form the government. The Congress - which had governed Delhi for 15 years - was relegated to a paltry third place, and is supplying external support to AAP. (Read)
5. Today, senior Congress leader Janardhan Dwivedi admitted that a large section of the party does not believe it should support the AAP.
6. Senior AAP leaders have said they expect the Congress to work against them, and pull the plug on the government.
7. In a video released in seven languages on YouTube, Mr Kejriwal has justified why he decided to accept the Congress' support and form the government.
8. AAP says that a public referendum it held last week proves that voters want it to take a shot at governance.  
9. Mr Kejriwal has refused police security and a large house as chief minister. He says he wants to live in a small flat instead in the capital. (Read) He has repeatedly asserted that his to-do list includes decimating the "VIP culture" that politicians are attuned to. (Foreign media on Arvind Kejriwal's "no thanks" to VIP perks)
10. As Mr Kejriwal met Delhi's Lieutenant Governor yesterday to stake claim to form government, a workshop was held to give the party's MLAs a lesson in "swaraj" or good governance.