LimeWire Pays $12 Million To Warner Music, $93 Million to go

No matter how hard you try and deny it, we’ve all downloaded something from LimeWire and some point in our lives and why not, it was one of the most popular P2P file sharing programs till last year, when it shut down due to a court order. The tussle between Warner Music Group and LimeWire finally resulted in a settlement in which LimeWire had to cough up $103 million as part of compensation for all the big music labels. The company handed over a $12 million cheque to Warner Music Group last quarter while the rest of the music labels still await their share of compensation.

Damn and blast! (Image credit: Getty Images)

If you think about it, Warner Music and some of the other labels previously stated that LimeWire was responsible for more than $1 billion worth of damages and as per Warner’s operations, this payout amounts to just 1.7 percent of the label's quarterly revenue. AllthingsD also reported that Warner Music actually saw a rise in revenues from digital sales in the last quarter but somehow managed to suffer a $47 million loss. The fact that the file sharing company was able to gather this large sum points to the fact that they were making a tidy profit from their software but whether they’ll be able to pay off the rest of the settlement remains to be seen.

LG Announces CINEMA 3D HDTV With Nano LED Backlighting

LG has been setting the standard with their flicker free 3D HDTVs. We recently reviewed theLG 47LW6500 and the 42LW5700 and they performed well where the 3D aspect was concerned. The Korean based company has now unveiled the LW980S, which they tout as the newest development in home entertainment. LG claims that the LW980S is a top of-the-class TV that combines LG's advanced CINEMA 3D technology, Smart TV functions and NANO FULL LED all in one sleek package. Really slim bezel Like the models reviewed by us, the LW980S comes with comfortable, lightweight glasses that don't need to be recharged and are easily replaceable. With their latest HDTV, LG claims that they have tackled the issue of not enough content with a proprietary 2D to 3D conversion technology that guarantees a ready supply of shows and movies in high quality 3D. The other main feature of this CINEMA 3D TV are the blacklight levels which boast an extremely high contrast ratio of 10,000,000:1. The HDTV also features Full-LED technology and with LED devices which enable nearly 2,300 screens across the back and keep it sharper and brighter with dense implementation of 3D images. 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio! Through LG Apps which are available by accessing the Internet through the Ethernet port, one can also get 3D Video-on-Demand. Other features of this television include Magic Motion remote control, Smart TV menus as well as built-in Wi-Fi. The LW980S will be unveiled internationally at Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA Berlin) which is a global trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances taking place from September 2-7 in Germany. For more details on this CINEMA 3D TV click here.

Strange but true: Singers who died at 27

British singer Amy Winehouse has been found dead at her home in north London. She was only 27. Amy thus joins The 27 Club - a name give for a group of musicians died at the age of 27. Take a look at the other artists died young.

Amy Wineouse, famed for her black beehive hair, soulful voice and erratic behavior on and off stage, was found dead at her new home in London, losing her battle with drink and drugs.

Brian Jones: Guitarist and multi-instrumentalist of the Rolling Stones drowned in a swimming pool on July 3, 1969

Lead singer of 'The Doors', died of heart failure because of excessive drinking and substance abuse. His fans do not agree with it though. Jim died 2 years after Brian Jones' death, on the same day, same month

Kurt Cobain: The 'Nirvana' singer attempted suicide by gobbling painkillers in March 1994, but didn't succeed though. The next month, he finally made it with a shotgun blast to the head

Jimi Hendrix: He was voted by Rolling Stone as the greatest guitarist of all time in 2003. Jimi died of drug complications - a lethal mix of alcohol and barbiturates

It's Official. Research Proves Internet Explorer Users Are Dumb

Have you been using Microsoft Internet Explorer to surf the web lately? If the answer is 'yes', then according to a report from the AptiQuant Psychometric Consulting Co., you may have a deficiency of intellectual acuity, or in simpler words, you have a low IQ! 

Of course, no one wants to be labeled 'unintelligent' for no reason, and rightly so. But here’s what the researchers down at AptiQuant did to arrive at this result: A Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (IV) test was given to 101,326 people over a period of four weeks. All the subjects were randomly chosen from English-speaking countries over Internet search engines. These subjects then had to undergo a Verbal, Performance and Full Scale IQ test. From the results that were computed, it was observed that most of the individuals who obtained a low IQ score were found to be using Microsoft Internet Explorer.

The proof

All IE (Internet Explorer, we mean) users out there, undoubtedly are up in arms after this apparent insult to their intelligence but wait; the humiliation doesn't end there. According to the same report (see graph above), the lower the version you’re using, the lesser your IQ level, with IE version 6, users being the least smartest in the lot. Clicking the upgrade button already? Talk about adding insult to injury or vice versa. Firefox, Chrome and Safari users seem to be well in a league above IE users. Those using Opera, Camino for Mac OS and plug-ins on their IE with the Chrome Frame seem to have the smartest of IQs.

Does this really mean IE users are unintelligent?!

The second analysis calculated the results in a different dimension. An assessment was made to see how the choice of browser changes, as we go from one end of the IQ scale to the other. The percentage usage of all the top ten browsers was also calculated. It was seen that at the lower end of the IQ level, the number of IE users were maximum. In contrast, barely anyone with a high IQ level used Internet Explorer. Also, Camino and Opera users started off with a relatively high IQ level, as compared to the other browsers.

A simple cross correlation between these two findings simply seemed to confirm that Internet Explorer users didn't seem to express the same amount of intelligence as those using other browsers.

The test was conducted in person and only through invites. If you're looking to prove these guys wrong, you'd either need to be invited or you could opt to pay a fee, which run into hundreds of dollars to take the tests. Whether or not this data can be taken for granted is left up to you. The tests were quite conclusive, though and the bottom line was simply: a majority of those with lower IQ tend to use some version of Internet Explorer.

Go Green - Recycle Your Old Phones With Atterobay

Attero Recycling has announced India’s first ever mobile recycling service, where people can trade in their used, old mobile phones for a voucher or hard cash. This initiative is a step forward in the Green revolution and helps reduce one's carbon footprint. If the phone is not in a working condition, then it's directly recycled, else Attero will fix up the phone and resell it.

Get rid of e-Waste the right way

Just to try it out, I entered my year old Galaxy S, which apart from a few bumps and nicks, works just fine. To my surprise, Attero valued my phone at just Rs. 4,800, if I chose cash and Rs.6,000 if I chose the voucher. Another option is to have a tree planted in my name. Now, I know for a fact that if I sell this phone in a shop, I can expect at least 13 -14K, so I wonder how many people would actually do this. To be honest, It doesn’t really seem like a good idea if your phone is in a good condition. However, if there’s something wrong with the phone or it’s dead, then you might as well give it for recycling, since you won’t be able to sell it anyways.

Attero claim that they will fix up the used phones and 'put it in the hands of someone who needs it. We're not sure if they mean to donate or resell it. There’s also no option on the site to buy a used phone, so I wonder what exactly happens to them. Head on to their site to have a look.

Happy Birthday DOS, You’re 30!

DOS or Disk Operating System (MS-DOS), as it was called back then celebrates its 30th birthday. The MS in MS-DOS stands for Microsoft. The OS was the backbone of most PCs for the following decade or longer. In schools across India, DOS was one of the first things taught in computer classes. While there was no graphical user interface that we’re so used to on Windows, the operating system had everything from text editors to games and mouse support. For example, titles such as Wolfenstein and Doom on PCs originated on DOS. Ever since Windows 95 or so, DOS has been present as a standalone product only to kickstart downed systems. The last operating system to use DOS-based startup disks was Windows XP. The last commercial product used was DOS 6.22.

Three decades and counting...

Three decades later, DOS is still present on Windows systems, often hidden away. You can use it by type CMD in the Run diag box. There are also DOS emulator and free versions of DOS on the web. If you want to go back in history and try out a few DOS apps and games, do check outDOSBox. 

Google and Pottermore Sign Ebook Deal

Pottermore is bringing Harry Potter to the digital format with ebooks and has signed a deal with Google to use their literary services for this purpose. This fall, Harry Potter will make its ebook debut on Google eBooks, which lets users port their purchases to 80 other readers. The ebooks will be available via Google eBooks, as well as its iOS and Android apps. However, since the Kindle doesn't support ePUB or PDF files, it is not clear how the eBooks will be supported on that device. The books, as previously reported, will be DRM free. Buy your Pottermore ebooks via Google Google also said that it will provide the payment platform via Google Checkout and the video platform via YouTube for this digital Harry Potter experience. This means, that you will be paying for the eBooks directly to Google as opposed to other services like PayPal or Amazon Payments. Pottermore is expected to open up in October. Since the release of the last movie in the series, Potter fanaticism is at an all time high and Pottermore seems to be catching fans just at the right time. Google, too, will stand to gain by partnering with the Pottermore website right at the opportune moment.

Pictarine Acts as Aggregator for All Your Online Pictures

Pictarine is a new service that allows you to aggregate all your pictures across various sites like Twitter (photo services like Twitpic, Yfrog and Lockerz), Facebook, Instagram, Picasa and Flickr. This way, your friends can see all your pictures without having to hop across various services. Other services include discovering your friends' photos (especially if they're on Instagram and you don't follow them). Mobile and DSLR photos can be added too, allowing all your pictures to be in one place. This however, doesn't mean that Pictarine is hosting your pictures. The other websites continue to host your pictures.

Put it all in one place

The website seems simple enough. You sign up for a Pictarine account, then add your Facebook, Twitter and whichever other accounts you wish to add. When you add Pictarine for Facebook, it asks you the same questions for authorization as any other third party Facebook app would. You then have what Pictarine calls 'zests'. A zest is a virtual album created of aggregations of photos from your various sites. The service has boost mode, which allows you to upload pictures to the various websites, as well as download from them with a single click. To sign up for Pictarine, click here.

Street View: Google and Karnataka Govt. Discuss Future

It can be recalled that a while back, we had reported that one of Google’s immensely popular services, Street View faced a complete ban in the city of Bangalore, India. Citing security concerns, as one of the key issues that came in the way of Google’s Street View getting a go-ahead, the government added that the recent terror attacks in Mumbai had only made matters worse for Google.

Getting the Street View

According to a report in The Economic Times, a recent meet between the legal team from Google, that included Google's legal expert, Geetanjali Duggal and Venkatesh Hariharan, Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, in Bangalore and BJP’s media spokesperson, S. Prakash, as well as, the party’s lawmaker C.N. Ashwath Narayan, it was discussed that Street View was heavily violating security norms. However, Google’s representatives made attempts to convince the leaders that the Street View services would only display historical monuments and shopping complexes. Post the vicious attack on the nation’s financial capital; all metros including Bangalore were put on a high alert. In such a scenario giving out even the tiniest of details, let alone complete ‘Street View’ would be grave, the leaders added. 

The BJP government in Karnataka has asked Google to approach the Centre for further orders. According to BJP’s media spokesperson, S. Prakash, the Data Protection Act 2000 needed amendments keeping in mind technological advancements that have taken place, since its inception. Both parties are now looking at a third way, that of data protection. Although clashing on most grounds, both Google and the Karnataka government agreed that the entire mechanism needed serious monitoring. 

Google’s authorities now cite further discussions with local authorities as their next logical step. For the rest of us, it’s now a wait and watch game.

Olympus PEN E-P3 Digital Camera

One of the recent developments in the digital camera space has been the introduction of the mirror less, micro four-third sensor cameras. Some of the companies that are really pushing the envelope have been Olympus and Panasonic. There are a bunch of things that make these sort of cameras interesting. They are compact, although not as compact as the smallest point and shoot cameras and yet have the ability to produce SLR quality images. The reason for that is they have larger sensor sizes than point and shoot cameras, which means they have superior image quality.

14-42 mm lens bundled up

Olympus has re-introduced the PEN line of cameras in the digital camera era. Now, there’s a new model. It’s called the E-P3 and it’s the flagship model of the PEN range. Two cheaper models, the E-PM3 and the E-PL3 are yet to follow. The E-P3, like the older E-P1 and E-P2 are targeted at those who are looking to upgrade from a point and shoot camera to a camera with better performance, minus the complexities of a full-fledged DSLR. We first looked at these cameras at an Olympus briefing held in Mumbai, a few weeks back.

Design and Build Quality
The EPL PEN E-P3 has not changed much in design since its predecessors. The PEN E-P3 we received in our labs was a stylish matte black camera with hints of chrome highlights along the edges. Like other PEN cameras, it is compact in design and can fit easily in the hand. It is slightly larger than a standard point and shoot.

40 - 150 mm lens option also available

Unlike the E-P1 and E-P2, this camera comes with a built-in flash that is concealed in the frame of the camera. A simple press of a button next to it is all it takes to deploy the flash that is held inside the body by a set of springs and hinges. These buttons include a dedicated video recording button for shooting videos at 1080i and a Fn1 key  for setting various functions of this camera. Other controls found on the rear of the camera are standard buttons, which are seen on most cameras such as a four way navigational button for flash, aperture priority, auto focus and a timer. The navigational pad also doubles as a scroll for adjusting various camera settings. Besides these the other buttons found are playback, info, menu and erase. A silver jog dial is also located on the back and this is used for adjusting wide-angle and telephoto.

Mode dial on the top

On the top of the camera is a mode dial for changing between the different modes of the PEN E-P3. Other buttons found here are a camera shutter-release button, on/off switch and a secondary function button called Fn2, which can be used to change ISO sensitivity in the manual mode. It has different functions in the different shooting modes.

The camera being slightly smaller than a DSLR isn’t the easiest to grip with one hand. The handgrip on the camera is interchangeable with additional options being made available to users. These can be installed by merely screwing them on to the body. Olympus has bundled a 1150 mAh battery along with the camera and the battery bay is located underneath.

Mini HDMI port available

Features
The Olympus E-P3 uses a micro four-third, 12.3 MP sensor. Its distinct design means there’s no folding mirror mechanism. The screen at the rear is a 3-inch, 6,14,000 dots one. Olympus specifies that the screen used is an OLED. Unlike most other cameras, the E-P3 comes with a touchscreen interface, which is used primarily for selecting focus areas on the screen and also for altering settings.

Spring loaded flash

Olympus provides lens options with the E-P3. The standard kit includes only the stock 14-42mm (3.5-5.6) lens. We received the dual-kit lens kit, which includes an additional 40-150mm (4-5.6) lens. Other than the proprietary USB port, there’s also a mini-HDMI port so you can output videos to a large TV or projector.

Features (Continued) The last major product update, the E-P2 did not include a built-in flash, this one does. HD video recording capabilities are also present. It can shoot videos at HD 1080i using AVCHD and the AVI format. Full zoom on Olympus has taken a slightly different approach with the PEN E-P3. Some of the features include a special art feature, which is basically a set of filters that give you instant results. Olympus has also updated the interface on the PEN series of cameras. The E-P3 specifically has a very minimalistic interface with not too much happening on the screen at any given time. Icons and artwork used on the interface are dense and compact. Olympus has bumped up the amount of filters from six to ten. Hidden in the Scene mode is a 3D feature where it can click 3D pictures and can be viewed on a 3D compatible television. Performance The Olympus PEN E-P3 is bundled with various features and different shooting modes. Images shot outdoors seemed a bit dull in the iAuto mode, though focusing was accurate. Images appeared detailed and no color fringing was noticed. However, those images that were shot at low ISO sensitivities appeared very bright and the color looked off in most respects. Low ISO sensitivity saw color fringing The Olympus PEN E-P3 performed shoddily in images that were shot indoors, with a lot of colour supplementation being noticed. Images shot in iAuto mode appeared crisp and clear but, the colour supplementation was a turn off. Both the 14-42mm and the 40-150mm lens lend themselves well to macro photography. This was a major plus point of this camera. The flash lit up approximately ten feet of a well lit area, which is impressive for any camera flash. The camera allows users to accurately limit the amount of light that leaves the flash. Macro image shot well Focusing isn’t consistent. The camera manages to click photos quickly when there’s sufficient light and the objects are prominent. While focusing on walls or plain surfaces, focusing is slower and sometimes the auto focus system refuses to focus. Olympus bundles a 1150 mAh lithium ion battery along with this camera and they rate the battery at approximately 330 shots, which is quite impressive for a camera with all these features. Flagship model of Olympus Verdict The PEN E-P3 sells at a maximum retail price of Rs. 39,999 for a single lens kit (14-42mm) and a maximum retail price of Rs. 46,999 for a dual lens (14-42mm lens and 40-150mm). While this may be a step up from point and shoot cameras, the PEN E-P3 has its fair amount of quirks for a camera looking to break into the DSLR market share. While it may have a ton of interesting features and packs a ton of concepts into a compact body; this camera is still not competent enough to match up to DSLR when it comes to quality. Looks and flamboyance are this camera’s forte and it does well in the features department too. However, for a price of almost Rs. 47,000, one would rather opt for a lower price ranging DSLR camera and achieve better image results.

Google Buys g.co Domain for a Ridiculous Sum

When companies the size of Google decide to buy domain names and specifically, domain names the size of g.co, they shell out a lot of money. When Google bought this domain recently, they're said to have paid to the tune of $1.5 million for it. Google would most likely use the domain to host its array of apps, everything from Gmail to Google Docs. The .co line of domains belongs to Columbia. A whole bunch of companies own sites on the .co domains including Twitter (t.co) and Amazon (a.co). A compact domain, merely a luxury The CO Internet company is run with support of the Columbian government. As of now, g.co isn’t accessible for any services. Instead, you’re just pointed out to Google’s official URL shortening service - goo.gl. The .co domain range is close to a year old and has some 1 million domains registered as of early June. Not all of these domains are obviously single alphabet ones. Shorter domains are a bit of a novelty. It makes accessing sites a little simpler and quicker. It’s only sensible for dot com moguls the size of Google who can afford to buy such exotic domains considering the user base they have.

Google Adds ZIP and RAR Support to Docs

Google Docs already lets you view 15 types of files in Gmail without downloading them. Now they've added support for ZIP and RAR files. So if someone sends you a ZIP or a RAR file, you just have to click on "View" and you can view the file within the browser itself. This will bring up a view of all the files in the folder and what type of and size files they are. When you hover over the files, you'll get a drop down list of options to View, Save to Google Docs, and Print (PDF). You'll be able to view documents that are supported by the Google Docs viewer and print (PDF) those that offer PDF support.

Check out ZIP and RAR viewability in Google Docs

ZIP and RAR files embedded in other ZIP and RAR files also work. You can have a RAR file inside a ZIP file and you can just click on it to access the embedded archive. This feature is also available in Google Docs for mobile. For each supported file, there is a link that you can click on to view it. Google says that they're continuing to add more types of files to Docs. If you'd like to tell them what additional file support you'd like, post on their forums. To try this feature in Google Docs, click here.

Mozilla Streamlines Passwords, Rolls out BrowserID

In an attempt of the make the user’s online experience of trying out new websites and new services that the Internet offers; Mozilla has launched BrowserID, as per the company's official blog post. The newest technology to have come out of the Mozilla camp allows users to maintain just one password for their several online accounts, and most importantly keep the task of confirming their sign-ins at bay. All that you need? Operating on the Verified Email Protocol, BrowserID basically gives the user of a particular address the authority to prove that particular email belongs to him. The system of BrowserID, completely negates the need of having to enter one’s user name and password for each login, but instead shifts the reliability completely on email ids to do the same. To begin with, users just need to pick the site they want to log into using BrowserID. BrowserID then gives you an option of the email address you choose to sign-in with. While all this is being done, the users’ identity is being verified and taken down to assist BrowserID for the user’s further sign-ins. For beginners who wish to set up BrowserID on their system, a set of email addresses and passwords need to be provided to BrowserID, so that the latter has it stored on its database. After a quick verification, the user is informed via mail that he needs to verify his email address by clicking a link provided in the mail. Once the user verifies his email, he’s good to go. After this process, whenever the user attempts to log-in the registered site using BrowserID, all he’s got to do is decide which email id he chooses to log in with. Mozilla adds, that the best part about BrowserID is that it doesn’t leak back data to even its own servers, let alone to anyone else. However, for now, only the prototype has been readied. But, Mozilla-iites are one optimistic bunch. Others, you could give BrowserID a try here. You could alternately view the video below, and know what BrowserID is all about.

Apple's Upcoming MacBook Air to Have More Storage

People considering to buy the new MacBook Air will be in for a treat. Not only will the new model be coming out with the new Lion OS, but there’s bound to be a bunch of improvements and additions. Reports have suggested that the new MacBook Air will be upgraded from 2GB RAM to 4GB RAM, an upgrade which previously cost users $100.

New MacBook Air

Ming - Chi Kuo, an analyst from Concord Securities noted that the memory upgrades along with the new Lion OS should yield good performance. Kuo also stated that Apple will be upgrading the SSD of the 11.6-inch model from 64GB to a 128GB one. Reports from CNET also state that Apple will sell 128GB and 256GB SSD versions of the notebook. The new MacBook Air will be coming out later this week.

This second generation model will be more refined and will be completely redesigned. It’ll include a high-density screen, an additional USB port and SD card slot. The new Macbook Air will also have upgraded new-generation processors, graphics cards and a Flash-based storage. About the battery life, Apple have stated that it would give users up to 7 hours of usage time and up to 30 hours of standby time. Along with these features, Apple will also include a back-lit keyboard.

Apart from the new MacBook Air, other Macs will also be recipients of the new Mac OS update. Reports note that Apple will be launching Lion, sometime this month, Although so far, no additional information has been given on the official date of release. We did however make a trip to our local Apple retailers and were informed not expect the new MacBook Air with Lion before August.