GPS now accurate to within a centimetre.

The technology will also improve location services accessed through mobile phones and other personal devices without increasing cost.

 The new technology won’t just stop your Uber driver from getting lost, it could also be the key to bringing driverless cars on the road.

Most of us rely on global positioning systems (GPS) to figure out where we’re going on a daily basis, but current technology works on the scale of metres — and although it can usually pinpoint which road you’re on, it often can’t determine exactly where you are on that road.
But that could be about to change, thanks to new research that makes GPS accurate right down to the centimetre level —  so, less than half an inch.
And the new technology won’t just stop your Uber driver from getting lost en route, it could also be the key to bringing driverless cars on the road and even making airline travel safer.
 
Driverless cars to benefit

“To fulfil both the automation and safety needs of driverless cars, some applications need to know not only which lane a car is in, but also where it is in that lane — and need to know it continuously at high rates and high bandwidth for the duration of the trip,” said lead research Jay Farrell, from the University of California, Riverside.
Right now, GPS devices calculate your location and velocity using a network of space-based satellites. By measuring the time it takes to receive signals from four or more of these satellites, they’re able to pinpoint your location to within approximately 10 metres.
A slightly improved system has recently come online, known as differential GPS (DGPS), and this brings the accuracy down to one metre thanks to the use of ground-based reference stations.
But that’s still not good enough if we ever want to sit back and read the newspaper while a driverless car ferries us to work. To fix this, Farrell and his team developed a new technique that supplements existing GPS data with on-board inertial measurements from a sensor. The merging of those measurements in itself isn’t new, but in the past it has required super-expensive computers to combine the two data sources, which meant it was never going to work in your car or smartphone, regardless of how accurate it was. But researchers have now created a new set of algorithms, which reduce the computations and processing power needed to integrate the two systems by several orders of magnitude, making the technology a whole lot more affordable. So affordable, in fact, that we could soon see this centimetre-level GPS used in our personal devices.
“Achieving this level of accuracy with computational loads that are suitable for real-time applications on low-power processors will not only advance the capabilities of highly specialised navigation systems, like those used in driverless cars and precision agriculture,” explains Farrell, “But it will also improve location services accessed through mobile phones and other personal devices, without increasing cost.” The new technology isn’t going to stop your GPS getting all messed up when you’re driving through a tunnel, but it’s going to give the system a whole lot more information to base your location on, and that should make a world of difference for navigation.
— Source: sciencealert, deccanchronicle

WhatsApp could soon get banned in India: Report

WhatsApp’s newly-enabled encryption system could just make it illegal in the country.

WhatsApp recently enabled the end-to-end encryption to the online chat application that could face issues with the security norms here in India.

WhatsApp could have accidentally entered into troubled waters here in India by enabling its end-to-end encryption for all. The new security feature by WhatsApp is not what is required by the Indian telecom rules and WhatsApp could face a ban, if the rules are not adhered to. But not yet.
After Apple’s problems with the FBI over unlocking an iPhone for retrieving encrypted data splat all over the internet, tech giants such as Apple and Google backed Apple’s decision on refraining to help the FBI to unlock the device. The major reason for Apple not helping the FBI was user’s data privacy and security norms. But the FBI managed to crack open the phone without any help from Apple, which is not a big question if the user’s data is even secure and private anymore.
In India, companies need to follow the country’s rules and adhere to specific types of encryption, which WhatsApp does not currently use. WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption on its chat service means that WhatsApp or anyone else won’t be able to crack open its contents.  Only the sender and the recipient are able to read the encrypted data. WhatsApp uses a 256-bit key for encryption of all chat messages, which is only known to the sender and the recipient.

Why is it not possible for WhatsApp to help decrypt users’ messages? "No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us," WhatsApp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton wrote on their blog.
However, as for the Indian rules, online services are only permitted to use up to 40-bit encryption. If they need to use higher encryption standards, they need to seek permission from the government, and the way WhatsApp is setup, it seems a bit too difficult to obtain the same. In order to get the required permissions and green flags from the Indian Government, WhatsApp needs to submit the keys, which sadly, they too actually don’t have.
Hence, indirectly, all those who are currently using the updated WhatsApp app in India are actually using it illegally, says the report.
A report by The Independent  that the Indian government has not yet decided whether they will take any action on the issue and deal with WhatsApp to come to a conclusion.
However, according to the Indian encryption rules, OTT services, such as WhatsApp, do not require encryption standards like telecom operators do. Telecom service providers and internet service providers in India require a license from the DoT to provide encrypted services in India. These include internet telephony and chat services and a usage of up to 40-bit encryptions, only after depositing the decryption keys to the Telecom Authority. Since WhatsApp, Skype, Viber and such services are (over-The-Top) OTT-based and not telecom operations, they are not yet regulated in the country as they do not come under the encryption requirement laws.
The TRAI had released an OTT consultation paper back in 2015, but are yet to issue any such regulations in the matter. In the absence of such regulations, OTT services with such encryptions are presently free to operate legally in the country. However, things could change, citing lack of decryption keys and possibility of illegal activity with terrorist groups and alike on such OTT services.

In other countries, such as France, Skype was made to register with a telecom service provider in order to operate with the encryption standards it holds in place. Similarly, many other countries, including China, Germany and a few others, have also put regulatory systems in place. OTT services are well regulated in countries overseas.

Firstpost mentions Asheeta Regidi, an Indian cyber law specialist, stating, ‘WhatsApp, being an intermediary, is expected to comply with directions to intercept, monitor and decrypt information issued under Section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Complying with such a direction will now be impossible for WhatsApp in view of its end-to-end encryption. Even before the introduction of this, since WhatsApp is not a company based in India, it may have been able to refuse to comply with such directions. In fact, compliance by such companies in regard to data requests from the Indian government has been reported to be very low.’
The Independent further reported that countries like India are currently looking to pass new policies on the new encryption standards. But it is presently unclear whether these new policies will bring new requirements on WhatsApp.
The big question now is that, will India allow WhatsApp to continue in India or will it enforce a new OTT regulation which will put encrypted services like WhatsApp, Skype, Viber and others into the grey zone?
Source: deccanchronicle

Jio 4G services to roll out in December, soft launch expected this month

 
Amid speculation over the actual date of the roll-out of Reliance Jio 4G telecom services, a top global financial services firm, UBS, said while soft launch was expected by the end of this month, the full commercial offering was expected by December.

“Contrary to market belief that Jio has started rolling out 4G SIMs commercially, our channel checks in Mumbai and Delhi suggest that although SIMs have been shipped to the retail outlets, they are not yet available for sale,” the consultancy said in a report.

“At present, Jio SIM cards are only available to Reliance employees, post its beta launch in December 2015. Our speed test on trial SIM cards in Reliance outlets indicate network speed of 18-20 Mbps versus Vodafone’s 4G speed of 8-10 Mbps.”
 
The report said Jio was expected to initially roll-out bundled 4G offering on a limited basis with LYF-branded devices — as also SIM sale on standalone basis — only in the second half of 2016, even as all the market leaders have already launched theirs. Airtel was the first to launch 4G giving it a significant first-mover advantage with footprint in 15 circles, Idea started in 575 towns across its 10 circles, while Vodafone is has a presence in five circles.

“We believe the delay in Jio launch has helped market leaders to strengthen their 4G offerings,” said the report, adding while also suggesting that the market may be overly concerned over Jio’s disruptive impact and ignoring rapid data growth in Indian mobile market. The report forecast the Indian data market to grow nine times to $38bn by 2026.
IANS
Disclaimer: Reliance Jio is owned by Reliance Industries, who also own Network18, the publisher of Firstpost and tech2

Five Fabulous Gadgets Every College Student Should Own!

It’s true that college students today have access to innovative technology but that does not make their life a bed of roses. The syllabus has become more laborious than ever and schedules have become extra strenuous. From struggling to attend early morning lectures to failing in taking notes speedily, a lot of problems are being faced by students today.

Luckily, there are several amazing gadgets available in the market today that will help them streamline their life and make it simpler. In this article, you will find a list of those very gadgets.

Charging backpack

 

One of the most dreaded days in a student’s life is holding dead battery gadgets. It’s time to bid au revoir to that problem by welcoming a charging backpack in your life. A charging backpack will help you charge gadgets such as laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc. anytime and anywhere. It is a much more convenient option than carrying around different chargers and hunting for plug points at various places. This charging backpack holds six storage departments and three USB ports.

Kindle

Gone are those days when you had to carry numerous books with you on a vacation. All you need is Kindle today to carry a world of books with you. Kindle is actually a dream come true for Bibliophiles. From reading your favourite book on it to interacting with like-minded book lovers, Kindle will be one investment which will ensure you get more for your money’s worth. Do not miss out on availing Amazon coupons present on CashKaro to purchase it at the finest price. There are different models of Kindle available from which you can choose one as per your requirement.

Selfie stick

Are you fed up with your hand interfering in your selfies and taking more room than your face does? Do your selfies taken with friends look suffocated? Well, it’s time you bought a selfie stick and made way for attention-grabbing selfies! There are numerous benefits offered by a selfie stick. It allows you to make room for more people without making a selfie look suffocated. It also eliminates the need of carrying a tripod everywhere. It also eliminates blurriness in selfies as your hands aren’t being used directly to capture pictures. Use Paytm coupons and shop from a wide range of selfie sticks available there.

Flying alarm clock

You know the picture: Your alarm goes off. You keep hitting the snooze button until you finally grasp that it is too late. You jump out of your bed and start getting ready. You rush out of your house with a cup of coffee in one hand and a sandwich in another. By the time you reach your class and your teacher refuses to let you in, you realize that you again woke up late. Reverse this situation by purchasing a flying alarm. When the alarm rings in it, the clock starts flying. This means you will have to get out of your bed to catch it.

Misfit Shine activity and sleep tracker 

Someone has rightly said that if you don’t make time for health now, you will have to make time later for daily hospital appointments. College life can get very stressful and over-whelming which makes it vital for you to own a device which helps you stay fit. Say hello to Misfit shine activity and sleep tracker! You can set daily fitness goals on this wearable fitness tracker and also keep a tab on them. The gadget will also track your sleeping pattern to offer you insights so that you can set proper sleep goals and alarms.

Women Special Ride Sharing app. Strictly for women

 
Uber driver Michael Pelletz is launching a new ridesharing service with a twist: All the drivers and passengers will be women. Chariot for Women will be active in the Boston area on April 19. But does the world need another ridesharing service? Especially one so specific? It turns out maybe it does.
“The premise is the same as all the other ridesharing services,” Pelletz said in a phone interview. “There’s a driver app and a client app, except that what makes us unique is our safety feature that other apps forgot to do.” The service’s patent-pending technology gives the driver and the client a code in the app after a ride request has been made. When the car arrives, the driver and passenger make sure their codes match before the passenger gets in the car. Chariot for Women donates 2 percent of every fare to charity, and the company does not use surge charging.
 
In addition to only having women as drivers, Pelletz uses Safer Places, which has a reputation for performing the most stringent background checks. Chariot for Women also requires that all drivers pass Massachusetts’ Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check, the same deep background check used in daycare centers and schools. Chariot for Women pays for the CORI check and will add fingerprinting for its drivers as soon as it’s possible.
The service will also pick up kids of any gender under age 13, as well as anyone of any age who identifies as a woman. “If they’re trans and identify as a woman, they can drive and ride with us, no problem at all,” Pelletz said.
 
There are likely legal difficulties ahead for a service that states outright that it will not serve men. That doesn’t worry Pelletz. “We look forward to legal challenges. We want to show there’s inequality in safety in our industry. We hope to go to the U.S. Supreme Court to say that if there’s safety involved, there’s nothing wrong with providing a service for women.”

That safety issue is making headlines lately, especially for Uber. BuzzFeed obtained screenshots in March showing thousands of complaints against the company seeming to involve rape and sexual assault. In December 2014, an Uber driver in India was arrested on suspicion of raping a passenger. And just today, Uber agreed to pay $25 million for overstating the thoroughness of its background checks.

“We’re doing this because there is such inequality when it comes to security that afflicts driver and rider due to gender,” Pelletz reiterated. “Women are across the world the ones being harassed and assaulted by male drivers. In my eight months as an Uber driver, I didn’t hear any negative feedback from men.”

There’s also the question of whether this is empowering women or patronizing them. So I put the question to social media and, to my surprise, got a unanimous response: yes, if there were a women-only ridesharing service, every woman who answered my question would use it. Women in my unscientific poll mentioned feeling anxious when they get in a car with a strange man, not trusting the vetting process used by current services and the “creep factor.” The enthusiasm for an all-female service ranged from “I would be all over it” to “HELL YES” [caps hers]. And one woman pretty much summed up the issue with her response: “Honestly, yes, probably. I do sigh in relief when I get into a car with a woman.”

“Our goal is that in five years, we want this issue to not even be an issue anymore,” said Pelletz. “We hope other rideshare companies follow in our footsteps to make it safer. Right now, that safety is not happening.”

Tesla's Unbelievable Model 3, All we need to know

And there it is.
After years of speculation, the Tesla Model 3 has been unveiled. We’re live in Hawthorne, CA, where the company has just shown the car for the very first time.
Here’s what we know so far:

• Deliveries will begin at the end of next year, and start at $35,000 for the base model.
• Base model will do 0-60 in under 6 seconds, with versions that go “much, much faster” to be announced later.
• Base model will get at least 215 miles per charge, and Elon said that “these are minimum numbers, we hope to exceed them”.
• Base model is rear wheel drive; dual motor versions are planned.
• All Model 3s will have autopilot hardware built-in — it’s not an additional upgrade.
• Like the Model S, it will have front and rear trunks.
• All Model 3s will come with supercharging support standard.
• The roof area is “one continuous pane of glass”.
• It has a 15-inch horizontal (widescreen) monitor in the dash, as opposed to the 17-inch portrait (vertical) monitor in the Model S and Model X.
• Much of the instrument panel — things like the speedometer — have been moved to the corner of that center dash display, as opposed to the Model S, where it’s on a separate screen behind the steering wheel. That behind-wheel screen, at least in this prototype, is gone.

But what good is a snazzy electric vehicle if you can’t easily charge it? Tesla’s more popular supercharger stations can already get super busy during peak times — add in a sudden onslaught of Model 3 owners, and things might get crazy. Fortunately, Elon also committed Tesla to doubling the number of public superchargers from 3,600 to 7,200 by the end of 2017 — right around the time the Model 3 is scheduled to ship.

Range

The first two real Teslas (sorry, Tesla Roadster, but you were kind of a fat Lotus with batteries), the Model S and the Model X, have ranges between 220 and 300 miles, depending on options, weather, driving conditions, charge, battery condition, and other factors.

Price

The Tesla Model 3 is supposed to officially cost $35,000, but could actually go for as little as $25,000 when you throw in tax rebates, which is damn near Toyota Camry territory.
That price would be for your stripped-out base model, however, so expect a fully loaded one to easily top $40,000 when all is said and done.


Source: TechCrunch