Cybercrimes shoot up by over 50% across India

NEW DELHI: Cybercrimes registered under the IT Act shot up by over 50% across the country between 2012 and 2013, shows the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The maximum offenders came from the 18-30 age group. Among states, the highest incidents of cybercrime took place in Maharashtra (907) followed by Uttar Pradesh (682) and Andhra Pradesh (651).

The maximum arrests for cybercrimes under the IT Act took place in Maharashtra: 426. Andhra Pradesh was a distant second with 296 arrests. Uttar Pradesh was third at 283 arrests.

In percentage terms, the state that saw the most dramatic increase in cases registered under the IT Act was Uttarakhand at 475% (from 4 cases to 23); Assam a close second with 450% (from 28 cases to 154). Interestingly, the picture postcard union territory, Andaman and Nicobar islands, registered an eye-popping increase of 800% (two cases in 2012 to 18 in 2013) in the same category.

Trends in the report show that the maximum cases of cybercrimes in 2013 were for "hacking with computer systems". Transmission of obscene messages, or "obscene publication/transmission in electronic form" came a distant second in the category. A total 2,516 cases were registered in 2013 for hacking with computer systems with 1,011 arrests. The numbers for "obscene publications/transmission in electronic form", stood at 1,203 cases registered, with 737 arrests. Offences under "hacking of computer systems" are calculated under the two subheads of "loss/damage to computer resources/ utility" and "hacking".

Cyberlawyer Pavan Duggal says that the trends reveal a "maturing of the country's cybercrime economy." "Hacking is no longer done to assert technological superiority, but for monetary gains," says Duggal, pointing to the case of hacker Amit Tiwari from Pune, who was arrested earlier this year for compromising over a 1,000 email accounts both in India and abroad. He was a part of a global network of hackers.

The NCRB data shows that cybercrimes registered under the IT Act rose sharply by 51.5% from 2012 to 2013 and those registered under the Indian Penal Code, by 122.5% for the same time period. If taken together, they would constitute an increase of 63.73 % overall. Delhi Police PRO Rajan Bhagat said that cases where the IT Act and the IPC are used together, are counted within ambit of the IT Act, along with cases exclusively under the IT Act.

Only 23.5%of the cybercrime cases were registered under the IPC last year, while the majority - 76.5% were under the IT Act. Section 81 of the IT Act enshrines what is called the "overriding effect", that is, the IT Act would prevail in case of a conflict between the general law and the IT Act. It reads: "The provisions of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any other law for the time being in force."

According to the NCRB report, of the total 2,098 arrests made under the IT Act in 2013, 1,190 were between the ages of 18 and 30. 45 were below the age of 18. Rakshit Tandon, advisor at the cybercrime cell, Gurgaon Police, says that this is largely a result of the younger generation lacking "cyberhygiene and cyberetiquette."

"I have seen in my interactions and workshops with young people that internet and mobile are the first tools they use for harassment through social media or through pornographic websites. Even for crimes like hacking, there is very little guidance for young people who enroll in 'ethical hacking' courses, and then later get involved in crimes instead," says Tandon.

HP unveils virtual workstation, internet-on-the-go device

MUMBAI: HP announced a slew of new devices at its APJ Summit. The company launched DL380z, a virtual workstation solution that provides remote access to workstation-class applications from a variety of devices including notebooks and tablets. This is done using HP's server technology as well as Nvidia and Citrix's virtualization technologies. 

According to HP, the workstation keeps intellectual property centralized and secure by transmitting encrypted pixel data over LAN or WAN to remote users, thus protecting sensitive data. Organizations can choose pass-through GPU and virtual GPU modes that can be configured as per their requirements. Up to eight users can connect to the virtual workstation at a time 

HP is targeting fields like engineering, CAD (computer-aided design), AEC (architecture, engineering and construction), digital media, oil and gas exploration and education with this workstation. 

Anneliese Olson, vice president, personal computing, HP Asia-Pacific & Japan, said, "HP's new workstation solutions address the technology demands of evolving work styles and heavy graphics workloads by providing creative professionals with the faster storage performance, centralised, secure data access, and enhanced interactive capabilities they need." 

Along with the workstation, HP announced the Z Turbo Drive, a PCIe-based SSD for workstations; the company claims that this drive is two times faster than other similarly priced SATA drives. HP also unveiled the Remote Graphics Software, a real-time collaboration solution that "turns swipes into hot keys, gestures into control keys and pinches into zooms, and features an on-screen mouse that uses the entire screen as a track pad," to increase productivity for remote users of touch PCs or Windows 8 tablets. 

All three products will be available from July. The 256 and 512GB variants of HP Z Turbo Drive have been priced at $499 and $899, respectively. 

HP also unveiled an internet-on-the-go device, named Data Pass, which allows customers to immediately connect to the internet with 3G or 4G LTE mobile broadband service while travelling. It will cover 13 markets globally and offer up to 250 MB every month for two years at no additional cost and without contract; users can increase the data limit via top-ups. The company said that DataPass will make its debut in Hong Kong and Singapore with HP Slate7 Voice Tablet Ultra by the end of 2014.

LG G Pro 2 review

The top-end phablet segment is dominated by Samsung's Note series, but bigger Android manufacturers are trying to wrest sales away from the company. In comes LG's G Pro 2, a phablet equipped with top-end hardware and the latest software.

At its launch price of Rs 49,990 in May, LG G Pro 2 was too expensive an option to consider, especially for a device without a stylus. But with the price now hitting Rs 36,000, it finds its place among top-end phablets you can buy in India without shelling a very steep price.

Should you go for G Pro 2 or spend another few thousands and buy Galaxy Note 3 instead? Does the LG phablet have enough features to offer enough value for money? We find out in our review...

Display

The display, of course, is the highlight of LG G Pro 2. It is bigger than that of its predecessor by 0.4-inch and measures 5.9-inch; both models have Full HD resolution. The screen quality is excellent and it is not possible to discern individual pixels with the naked eye.

Sunlight legibility of the LG G Pro 2 is pretty great too, as we did not face any problems when using the phablet outdoors. The big screen also ensures that two people can easily watch videos on the device without colours looking washed out at either end.

Colour reproduction in LG G Pro 2's screen is, however, not as great as that of Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The Samsung phablet renders colours that are rich and vibrant, while the LG model's display delivers colours that feel relatively colder. That's not to say colours look poor or inaccurate, but they are simply not as vibrant as that of Galaxy Note 3's. It will matter if you are a discerning customer.

Design

Design is one area where G Pro 2 is much ahead of its rivals as well as the predecessor. The phablet is thinner and lighter than last year's Optimus G Pro and is far easier to handle than most big-screen devices.

In fact, the design is among the highlights of G Pro 2. Sure, it does not use metal and relies on plastic in construction, but the attention given to design certainly shows that LG means business. The screen takes up over 75% of the front area and the bezels are very thin, meaning that the device is not too wide at 3.2-inch.

The sides of LG G Pro 2 are bare and the keys have moved to the back panel. LG introduced this setup with the G2 last year and used it again this year with G3. With the keys positioned on the back, the phablet is slightly easier to operate with one hand than both Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and HTC One Max, not to mention Sony's 6.4-inch behemoth Xperia Z Ultra, which is difficult to handle with one hand.

With the keys on the back, you get the camera on top, followed by the Volume Up, Power and Volume Down hardware keys. The power button also functions as an LED notification light so that you don't miss a message, email etc when the phone is placed downwards.

Another remarkable thing about the LG phablet is how light it is considering it has a pretty big screen. Managing the 5.9-inch display and all the regular innards in a body weighing 172 gram is pretty neat to say the least. Of course, Samsung's top phablet weighs 4 gram less, but its display is also 0.2-inch smaller.

On the back of LG G Pro 2, you will find a plastic casing with a wire mesh design that is not too premium, but certainly helps holding the device easier. The bezels around the screen bear a glittery look that seems a bit tacky.

Hardware
Being a top-end phablet, LG G Pro 2 comes with all the features you can think of. Huge display? Big battery? Fast processor? Enough RAM for all your apps and then some? High resolution camera? It's got all.

But every phablet in this price range has these features, so there is very little to differentiate LG G Pro 2 from the rest of the lot.

LG G Pro 2 has a 5.9-inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB RAM, 16GB internal storage (with microSD card support up to 64GB), 13MP rear camera, 2.1MP front camera and 3,200mAh battery. It has all the usual connectivity features like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Infrared and microUSB 2.0.

Software
Android phone makers have always tried to differentiate themselves by changing the user interface of the core software and LG is no different. With the Android 4.4 (KitKat)-running G Pro 2, we see the latest version of the company's Optimus UI available in the market.

Just like on Galaxy Note devices, you get to open two apps on the same display on G Pro 2, something that utilizes the screen size pretty well. The Slide Aside feature, where you swipe an app away by sliding three fingers over the screen is good too, but we feel that the big screen is a bit of hindrance to using it regularly.

To do away with the problem of picking up the phone each time in order to unlock it, you get the Knock Code feature that allows you to tap on the screen to access your handset. While the feature had been available in previous LG smartphones as well, this time it is more refined.

You can set a customized knocking pattern, so that it also acts as a security code. Unless you repeat the same pattern, the device will remain locked (you can, of course, pick it up and hit the Power key). LG says that there are over 87,000 patterns you can use; we tried five patterns and it worked well, recognizing the knocking pattern most of the times, but not all.



LG G Pro 2 also gets Guest Mode, a common feature on many smartphones nowadays. It shuts down access to the app menu and permits others to only use apps that you have previously approved.

The phablet also gets the Q Slide feature, a staple for LG phones. The Q Slide menu consists of apps that can be moved around the screen and minimized or maximized with a single tap. Quick Memo is there too, allowing you to write quick notes with your finger.

One cool thing that some might not give due credit to is the ability to choose the layout of the keys below the home screens; you can either go for the Back-Home-Options or Options-Home-Menu layout.

While it is not as big as a feature as some others are, it certainly helps those who are upgrading from a low or mid-range smartphone to a more powerful one as it lets them continue with the navigation pattern they are used to.

For a phablet nowadays, one-hand operation is a common feature to make it easier to operate. Just like most one-hand operation software, LG's feature also shrinks the content on display to a more manageable size. And just like the feature on other phablets, you can move the screen to either the left or the right side of the display. LG allows you to increase the size of the on-display area as well.

Performance
Being a top-end phablet, LG G Pro 2 does as advertised. It delivers excellent performance on the device, easily matching the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Sony Xperia Z Ultra and HTC One Max.

G Pro 2 is fast, delivering zippy performance on all fronts. Apps open quickly, switching between multiple apps is easy and overall experience is quite satisfying. There is no hint of lag on the device and even the most resource-consuming game or app we threw at it failed to slow it down. Common tasks like browsing the web, editing images or playing videos and audio were a breeze.

Call quality of LG G Pro 2 is pretty good, and it does not lose signals even in areas where other handsets falter. It also latches on to weak Wi-Fi networks.

Media playback is easily one of the highlights of LG G Pro 2. It can play all the commonly used video and audio formats. It, of course, does not play 4K videos even though it can record them. The audio quality is pretty good, delivering loud and less distorted (at high volumes) sound than other smartphones and phablets.

Another selling point of the device is the battery life. The 3,200mAh battery has enough juice to get you through a day and a half without looking for the charger; you can even go two days without charging if you are not a power user.

Camera

On the camera front too LG G Pro 2 scores high marks. The 13MP rear camera delivers photos that are true to life and offers great white balance and contrast as well as colours and details. The best part is that images are captured and processed very fast, so you don't miss another important shot.

 

Like many new smartphones, G Pro 2 also allows you to change the focus in pictures you have already taken. Optical image stabilization system of LG G Pro 2, named OIS+, works as advertised and helps maintain focus and avoid blurs in stills.

Then there's a selfie mode as well, where your face and surroundings are illuminated by placing them in a white frame; this does help make selfies better in low-light conditions.

LG G Pro 2 gets a leg up on its chief rival Galaxy Note 3 with 4K recording, which the Indian version of the Samsung device does not have. You can record movie-hall quality videos (though that will take up a lot of space), but viewing them right on the phone is not possible; you need a special 4K monitor to play them. The phablet, however, downscales such videos to play them.

Gaming

Playing even the most demanding games on G Pro 2 is a pleasure. The Snapdragon 800 CPU and Adreno 330 GPU make sure that there is no lag or frame drop even while handling resource-hungry titles like Riptide GP2, Dead Trigger 2 and Real Racing 3. Graphics are pretty intensive on these games, but the chipset is able to handle everything. With the Full HD display and powerful graphics, you really get to notice each aspect of the game, how the cars move, how the water ripples, how sparks fly when the car hits a wall.

Only after a while of gaming will you notice heating, which is really not that big a problem with this device.

Verdict

If you want a big screen smartphone, then LG G Pro 2 should easily make it to the top of your list of probables. It has whatever you want from a phablet and it's much cheaper than market leader Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 at Rs 36,000.

But this comes with a trade-off as there is no stylus. To make use of the productive side of a phablet, a stylus is a tool that Samsung has used successfully. But most others, including LG, HTC and Sony, have ignored it even though there are quite a few apps that make use of one. Buying G Pro 2 is absolutely fine if a stylus does not have much use for you.

There's no big reason for you to not consider LG G Pro 2 as it offers all the crucial elements of the phablet experience (big screen, fast processor, great camera, powerful battery) at a pretty reasonable price.

Easily Fix These Common Windows 8.1 Frustrations

Blurry Text:

Windows 8 has improved support for high-resolution displays — also known as high-DPI displays, because they have a larger number of dots (or pixels) per inch. Many Windows 8.1 laptops and tablets are now including these high-resolution displays, which make text easier to read and offer better image quality.

Many Windows desktop applications don’t properly support Windows’s display scaling, so Windows 8.1 includes a solution — if a program doesn’t support the native display scaling, Windows just doubles its interface in size. This ensures that the program’s interface isn’t tiny. This doubling makes text blurry in such applications.

If text is blurry in an application, you can right-click the application’s shortcut and select Properties. (If the application is on the taskbar, right-click the taskbar icon, right-click the application’s name in the list, and click Properties.) Under the Compatibility tab, enable the “Disable display scaling on high DPI settings” option for that application. Close and reopen the application — text won’t be blurry anymore, but the application will appear smaller.

Laggy Mouse Pointer

Windows 8.1 changed how mouse input works. This leads to a laggy, stuttering mouse pointer in some PC games — especially older games

To fix this issue, you’ll need to install update 2903939 from Microsoft’s website. This update automatically fixes the issue in some popular games. Run the Fix It tool from that web page to fix the problem for a specific game if the problem isn’t automatically fixed after you install the update.

Touchpad Not Working

Windows 8.1 finally has integrated touchpad controls, so you don’t have to locate a manufacturer-specific touchpad control panel whenever you want to manage your touchpad. You can disable your touchpad from here — so, if your touchpad isn’t working at all, it may just be disabled.

To check for this, open the PC settings screen — press Windows Key + C or swipe in from the right

, tap Settings, and tap Change PC settings. Navigate to PC and devices > Mouse and touchpad and ensure the Touchpad option is enabled

Touchpad Gestures

Touchpad gestures can be obnoxious if you don’t use the new Windows 8.1 features. Swipe your finger in from the right and the charms bar will appear — it’s nice and fluid, but it can just get in the way if you only use the desktop and never want the charms bar to appear.

This option can be disabled on the touchpad settings screen, too. Disable the Enable swiping in from the left or right edge option.

OneDrive File Issues

Windows 8.1′s integrated OneDrive cloud storage system

 tries to be smart. Rather than syncing all your files to your computer, it uses a “smart files” system. Files aren’t actually stored on your PC until you open them or tell OneDrive to store them offline.

This can cause some issues. OneDrive may download too many files you don’t need, taking up too much space. Or, OneDrive may download too few files and you may find yourself unable to use those files while you don’t have an Internet connection.

Recent updates have provided Windows 8.1 with more integrated OneDrive options. You’ll see a cloud icon in your system tray if OneDrive is enabled. Right-click it and select OneDrive Settings. You’ll be able to configure how OneDrive works from here. Select “Make all files available even when this PC isn’t connected to the Internet” to always store all OneDrive files offline, or select “Make all files online only” to free up disk space and remove all copies of OneDrive files from your device. Be sure to run Windows Update and install the latest updates if you don’t see these options.

“SecureBoot Isn’t Configured Correctly”

Secure Boot is a security feature that protects Windows as it boots. It ensures that only verified code can boot, protecting the system against rootkits and other malware that might try to interfere with the boot process and load before Windows. If Secure Boot is disabled, you’ll see a “SecureBoot Isn’t Configured Correctly” message on your desktop.

You can re-enable Secure Boot by entering your PC’s BIOS, looking for the Secure Boot option, and enabling it. Microsoft recommends checking your manufacturer’s documentation for information about accessing its BIOS or UEFI settings screen. However, you can generally access the BIOS on new Windows PCs

 through the advanced boot options menu.

If you just want to hide the message without enabling Secure Boot, you can install update 2887595 from Microsoft. This update hides the message from the desktop.

Touch-Optimized Features

Windows 8.1 has many features that make the most sense on a tablet. This includes the hot corners that activate the apps switcher and charms bar when you move your mouse to the top left and top right corners of your screen.

Such features can be disabled from the taskbar’s properties window. Right-click your taskbar, select Properties, and use the options under the Navigation tab to configure how your system behaves.

It’s Not A Bug, It’s A Feature

All of these frustrating features can also be useful. The display-scaling feature that leads to blurry text also makes small buttons easier to click. The change in mouse input handling improves battery life. The touchpad toggle gives you a way to turn off the touchpad, while the gestures allow you to access the new charms and app switcher more easily. A Secure Boot warning can be a security feature that informs you if SecureBoot was switched off. OneDrive’s smart files can save local storage space on your device. Even all those annoying touch-first features are nice on a tablet.

Want Android " L " Keyboard Then Get It Here

Google’s not going to be ready to release Android L to the masses until the Fall, and that means it’s going to take even longer for Android smartphone manufacturers to roll out updates with all of their “enhancements” on board. Fortunately, the Android enthusiasts of the world have decided that waiting isn’t necessary.

While early adopters from around the world flash Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 devices with an early release of an unfinished OS, you may find yourself desiring a more cautious approach. Or maybe you just don’t own either of the latest Nexus devices. Worry not, fellow Android user, you can still get a bit of that Android L fix courtesy of the Google Play Store.

Google’s Android L keyboard has been extracted and is now available as a standalone app, courtesy of Android modder Shen Ye. The app is free to install, and works just like any other third party keyboard on your phone. They keyboard has nearly all of the same functions as the keyboard in the L preview, and maintains all of the same visual stylings.

You can also find the $.99 Heads Up! app in the Google Play Store. This app has most of the functionality seen during Google IO’s notification presentation, in that it allows notifications to float over the rest of your actions instead of just living in the notification drawer. The app requires you to reboot your phone after activating the service and selecting the apps that you want to pop up in this manner, but after that you’ll be able to see whatever kind of notification you want even when in a full screen app. The notifications can also be dismissed by swiping them away just like in the L preview, and it does not interrupt the app you are currently using.

These are small steps toward creating the L experience on your phone, and in the case of Heads Up! it doesn’t offer a true 1:1 copy of the functionality seen in the preview, but it’s a fun step forward for anyone hoping to get their hands on some of this new functionality and design.

Yamaha working on super affordable motorcycle for Indian market

Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer Yamaha introduced the updated version of its FZ series yesterday. The most noticeable addition to the engine was the introduction of fuel injection which is not a usual sight in a 150cc mass production motorcycle.

In latest news, Yamaha is working on a USD 500 (approximately Rs 30,000) motorcycle. The company, however, has not given any timeline for the launch of this super affordable motorcycle.

Speaking to the reporters, Yamaha Motor R&D India Managing Director Toshikazu Kobayashi said, “The project is on. At this time we are not sure if the end product will cost USD 500, less or more. But we are working on the project keeping USD500 as the benchmark price. We are trying our best.”

When asked about global sales of this USD 500 motorcycle, Yamaha Motor India Sales CEO and Managing Director Asano Masaki said, “It is too early to comment as we don’t know when it will be out but would like to add that India would be the first market for the product.”

Yamaha managed to get a good grip on the 150cc market with its R15, FZ, FZ-S and Fazer. But now, the company is targeting the Hero MotoCorp dominated 100cc segment.

Yamaha Motor India Sales Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Roy Kurian said: “We are working on a top-down approach. We would first like to consolidate our position in the Deluxe segment (150cc) and the scooter vertical before venturing into other segments.”

Yamaha also plans to retain the current FZ and FZ-S in the market and will continue to sell them. Expressing his view, Kurian added, “We will keep selling them. There is a cost difference of around Rs 5,300 between the FZ and FZ-S and the newer variants launched today, so we would like to give customers a choice to buy whichever products suits their budget.”

What do you think of Yamaha’s plan to introduce USD 500 motorcycle? Share your views through comments below.

PAR Health Tip

Jaggery, a safer substitute for sugar?

10 Reasons Why You Should Shift From Sugar To Jaggery.

Jaggery is a traditional Indian sweetener made from sugarcane and is believed to be a healthy substitute for sugar. The process of making jaggery which does not involve any chemical agents has all natural mineral salts retained in it. Jaggery has many health benefits as compared to sugar.

1. Jaggery activates the various digestive enzymes speeding up digestion.

2. Jaggery is used to treat problems such as dry cough, cold and asthma.

3. Jaggery helps in relaxing muscles, nerves and blood vessels, thus enhancing their functions.

4. Jaggery helps to relieve headaches.

5. Jaggery is a rich source of iron and is therefore very good for anaemic people, as it increases the haemoglobin level in the blood.

6. A mixture of jaggery and dry ginger powder taken with warm water can stop hiccups.

7. Jaggery helps in maintaining blood pressure.

8.Jaggery has potassium, which helps in reducing bloating and water retention. High potassium content in jaggery is often associated with its weight loss benefits.

9.Jaggery is loaded with many essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, that play a key role in many metabolic processes.