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       London:  In what may help save thousands of lives worldwide, scientists have launched a project which they claim could predict exactly when and where earthquakes will happen.
                  A team of British and Russian scientists has signed an agreement to work together on the project in Moscow.

                  The TwinSat project involves the launch of two satellites -- one of which the scientists say is about the size of an old TV set and the other smaller than a shoebox -- which will orbit the Earth a few hundred miles apart, 'The Independent' reported.

                         The two linked satellites will monitor zones with high seismic and volcanic activity, such as Iceland and the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia. Data from the satellites will be collated with data from the ground as the scientists try to understand what natural warnings are given prior to earthquakes.

                        "As stress builds up in the Earth prior to an earthquake, subtle electromagnetic signals are released that can be read from the upper atmosphere.
                      "We want to try to work out how these signals differ from all the other things that are present at any given time," said Prof Alan Smith of University College London who launched the project.

                       Prof Vitaly Chmyrev of the Institute of Physics of the Earth in Moscow, one of the Russian partners, said the possibilities for progress in quake research were exciting and the project will "benefit both Russian and British science in addition to making the Earth a safer place".

                  "They're facing a challenge that's akin to what happened with Windows vs. Macintosh back in the 80s and 90s, where one very well-heeled challenger offered its operating environment to many different users at many companies to build its products,'' Young told Canada's CTV network in a morning interview from San Francisco Friday.
                  "The same thing is happening now in the tablet and iPhone markets, where there are many different players and many products all competing against Apple with its integrated platform,'' he told the network.
                  Young said he won't say that Jobs will not return to lead Apple again. But his departure will have "significant" implications for the company, he added.
                  "Not so much in the short term - I think Apple will continue to execute and deliver the products. I think the real risk for Apple is in the mid-term, in the next couple of years, because it's facing a major challenge from Google and Android in both the tablet and the iPhone markets.
                  "That's going to require the kind of insight and foresight that the company will be hard pressed to deliver without Steve there.''
Apple currently sits on a pile of cash to the tune of $60 billion and its share closed $350.56 on Wall Street Friday - down 2.16%.

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                      Porsche has just designed a 911 GT3 R hybrid with “Facebook” colors to celebrate 1 million fans on facebook. Here, names of 27,000 fans have been written, leaving rest of the 973,000 fans very unhappy. The GT3 R Hybrid produces 480 bhp from a 4.0 litre flat six-cylinder engine in the rear, that is complemented by two electric motors on the front, capable of pumping out 80 bhp each. This custom-made model is now on display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

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                   The external features seem at its best, with tail lamps placed at higher levels and the bumper has been redesigned. The sporty looks on the mini SUV was created with the fitting of the spare tire to its tailgate. The front looks and the side profile of the Mahindra mini SUV was designed to appear compact, it seems that the design team really worked to make it special. The height and tract is the same as it is.
                              The other display enhancements could be done on this car, such as Mahindra can experiment with colours, the pillars could make it more attractive. Other features have to be the alloy wheel, which plays a crucial role. It certainly stands out of the crowd. However, the looks as mentioned are not one of those head turning models.
                               The Mahindra mini SUV Xylo is expected to be priced between the 4.5-6.5 rupee price bracket and ready to take on the hatchback or the super mini market, also making it the direct competitor to Premier Rio. The mini SUVs less than four meter length will attract only 10% duty as compared to 22% central excise levied on bigger cars. This tricky treat from Mahindra is expected to go on sale in Q1 2011.

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                   Microsoft Office Web Apps has been launched in India. Web Apps is Microsoft's equivalent of Google Docs, which lets users create, access, edit, and share documents from the Office suite, which includes Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote, from any PC equipped with an Internet connection. The best part is that the service is absolutely free. 
                    "Office Web Apps are a key piece of Microsoft's overall cloud strategy. Features like ease of sharing and high document fidelity make Office Web Apps a powerful enabler of productivity in the cloud for modern information workers and consumers alike. Moreover, this tool helps students collaborate on their school and college projects in a seamless way," said Sanjay Manchanda, Director, Microsoft Business Division.
                              All you need to run Office Web Apps is a Windows Live ID on SkyDrive or Hotmail to access Microsoft Office Web Apps from any of the supported web browsers like Internet Explorer 7 or later, Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or later, Google Chrome and Safari 4. The documents ported to and fro retain their style, formatting, embedded objects like images, and other meta objects. Office Web Apps is a boon for creating and maintaining collaborative documents, and features interoperability between the PC and Mac platforms.

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              HP, the world’s biggest technology company, has announced a new tablet computer and two new phones. The challenge to Apple and Google’s growing range of products will see Palm’s webOS making a comeback in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
                 HP’s TouchPad – a 9.7” tablet – will “transform how people think, how they feel and how they connect," said Todd Bradley, executive vice president of HP's personal systems group.
                     The TouchPad’s WebOS will also include wireless printing to compatible HP printers, mirroring the features offered by Apple’s AirPrint technology. The Pre3 and the TouchPad will also be able to communicate with each other by tapping the two devices together.
                     It will be accompanied by a small phone, the Veer, with a screen that’s just 2.6”. HP claims that it will offer an alternative to “jumbo phones”, while also offering a 3.6” alternative, the Pre3.
                    Both phones feature slide-out keyboards, video calling capability and 16 or 32 gigabytes of storage. There was no mention on how much the devices will cost.

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            Apple has released yet another version of its iOS 4.3 beta to developers and the latest release holds some clues about what the company may be thinking about the future of its social media.

Over at the Mac blog 9to5 Mac, they've found a folder in the new beta called "Media Stream." This folder has some information about photo streams to which users can subscribe and share among friends.

In the previous beta of this iOS, there was a lot of interest in something called "Find My Friends," which many speculated would be a feature that let iPhone users find the locations of friends in their address books, presumably through an opt-in service.

Combined with the media streaming capabilities in the new iOS, it seems that Apple is getting ready to make its move into social networking. While the company has Ping, the iTunes-connected social network, and its cloud-based MobileMe, it has yet to combine those features into a full-blown network. 9to5 Mac speculates that, eventually, the new Find My Friends and Media Stream features will expand and let Mac users share music, video and photos over a single network.

The blog also thinks that Apple will hold off on launching these products completely until iOS 5, since there is little information in the operating system itself.

Sound off: Would you be interested in an Apple social network?

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        For several weeks, rumours about the introduction of four-cylinder engines in BMW’s portfolio have become increasingly persistent. Today, the German automaker confirmed those rumours by announcing that the X1 would be powered by a smaller displacement mill.

The most recent addition to the SUV lineup will feature a direct injection, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine generating 245 hp and 258 ft-lb of torque at 1,250 rpm. Consumers will have the choice between a six-speed manual and automatic transmission.

Photo: BMW
The SUV will be delivered standard with the EfficientDynamics all-wheel-drive technology, which includes regenerative braking, a gear shift indicator and a start/stop system.

As is the case for many manufacturers, BMW is looking to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, and the automaker promises the engine will offer the performance of a six-cylinder engine.

According to BMW, the X1 will consume 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds with the manual transmission. The dash will be a tad longer with the autobox, taking 6.5 seconds.

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        London, Jan 14 (ANI): Scientists have designed a new kind of armour that they are calling "bullet-proof custard".

Buzz up!Researchers at BAE systems claim that the lightweight material would eventually replace thick and heavy armours.

Not only would it be bullet proof, but also reduce soldiers' fatigue in lugging around the vest.

The armour is made from a combination of "shear-thickening" liquid and the existing material used in bulletproof vests - called Kevlar - and stops bullets by 'sticking' to them.

"It's very similar to custard in the sense that the molecules lock together when it's struck," The Telegraph quoted Stewart Penny, BAE's business development manager, as telling BBC.

"The Kevlar with the liquid works much faster and the impact isn't anything like as deep," he added. (ANI)

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             Mohali become one of the four cities in Punjab where traffic e-challan system was launched on Thursday. Besides Mohali — the only police district — Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana were the three commissionorates where the new system was introduced.

The four cities were allocated 10 GPRS-enabled traffic e-challan terminals each for operation on a pilot basis. Punjab DGP Paramdeep Singh Gill launched the facility at a special function held at police station at Phase VIII in Mohali. He also inaugurated a new modern Police Control Room (PCR) established at a cost of Rs 1.8 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, Gill said the e-challan system will help keep track of traffic violations and update system database through online/offline mode to retrieve any kind of reports.

Under the system, police personal will issue challan on the spot and generate receipts electronically. The challan will carry all required fields and data inputs will be transferred to the central data online.
Express News Service Tags : e challan system, traffic police , Police Control Room