The Malaysian Insider :: Technology

90 million homes around the world to be automated by 2017, says study

Mon, 21 May 2012 01:01:05 GMT

NEW YORK, May 21 — Ninety million residences around the world will have some form of home automation system in place by 2017 according to a study released recently by global technology trend forecasters ABI Research. Home automation systems allow users to control aspects of their home, such as lighting or temperature, and monitor elements such as ...

Twitter joins Firefox effort to thwart online tracking

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:57:05 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 21 — Twitter has taken a stand for online privacy by backing a Firefox web browsing feature that lets people signal that they don’t want their Internet activity tracked. Non-profit foundation Mozilla added a “Do Not Track” option last year that tells websites when visitors don’t want online behaviour noted by snippets of code ...

Apple, Samsung CEOs head to court-ordered play date

Sun, 20 May 2012 14:21:50 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 — The chiefs of Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd are used to running the show at their global tech empires, but they will be in for a different experience when they arrive at a San Francisco federal courthouse tomorrow. Apple’s Tim Cook and Samsung’s Choi Gee-sung, whose companies are embroiled in bitter patent ...

Google says has China’s nod for Motorola deal

Sun, 20 May 2012 10:28:43 GMT

BEIJING, May 20 — Google said yesterday that Chinese authorities have approved its US$12.5 billion (RM37.5 billion) purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings, the last regulatory hurdle to a deal that would allow the world’s No. 1 Internet search engine to develop its own line of smart phones. Google, which will be the newest entrant to the handset ...

Samsung’s mobile chief says could settle war with Apple

Sun, 20 May 2012 09:40:49 GMT

SEOUL, May 20 — Samsung Electronics’ mobile division chief JK Shin said today the South Korean technology giant was still seeking to resolve differences in its international patent war with Apple Inc. “There is still a big gap in the patent war with Apple but we still have several negotiation options including cross-licensing,” Shin told ...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg marries longtime love

Sun, 20 May 2012 02:11:43 GMT

NEW YORK, May 20 — Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg wed longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan yesterday, announcing the nuptials through a status update on the social networking site. The 28-year-old billionaire's wedding took place a day after Facebook's initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange on Friday. More than 280,000 ...

Scott Kelby launches first Google+ Photographer’s Conference

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:38:16 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 18 — A new conference dedicated to helping photographers improve their skills and promote their work on budding social network Google+ (G+) will launch in May. American photographer, publisher and author Scott Kelby is behind the “history making” Google+ Photographer’s Conference. He spoke with Relaxnews about the rise of ...

NEC unveils gesture-controlling device

Fri, 18 May 2012 05:43:01 GMT

TOKYO, May 18 — Japanese technology titan NEC has unveiled a gadget that allows users to control their TV, mobile phone or tablet computer using a virtual input device. The company said a camera that recognises three-dimensional shapes and their movements will combine with a projector that could show the image of an input device — such as a ...

Google revamps US search

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:53:14 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 18 — Google is revamping the way it handles searches in the United States, to give users quick access to answers without having to leave the page, the company said. The new search process is based on what Google calls the “knowledge graph” — meaning that it tries to pinpoint faster the context surrounding its users’ keyword ...

Playing more than just Angry Birds

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:56:38 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — Give a child a tablet, and there’ll be no doubt that they’ll be entertained for hours. The concern for many parents, however, is that the hours spent playing games like Angry Birds could be spent learning instead. Here are a few recently highlighted apps for the iOS and Android devices that could help children do just that ...

LG shows off its second generation Google TV

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:04:19 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 17 – LG is exhibiting its second generation Google TV at Internet Week New York, a city-wide event showcasing the best of the web which runs from May 14-21 in the Big Apple. The LG Smart TV with Google TV G2 Series sports improved Google services, a redesigned user interface that’s easier to use, and LG’s new L9 dual-core ...

What does Facebook’s stock listing mean for users?

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:02:30 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 17 — If you are one of the almost one billion people who use Facebook, you are unlikely to notice any major changes when you sign in this weekend. Facebook’s entry to the stock market — expected tomorrow — will be a timeline-shaking corporate event, but users may find nothing new to like or dislike. Expect the same babbling wall ...

Privacy worries dog Facebook ahead of IPO

Thu, 17 May 2012 03:57:31 GMT

NEW YORK, May 17 — Some 900 million people like Facebook. But when they realise their private information is being bought and sold, some don’t like it so much. The question of privacy and the use of personal data is a key issue for Facebook as the booming social network prepares to list on Wall Street. That is because the freewheeling world of ...

Google Chrome now syncs open tabs across devices in real time

Thu, 17 May 2012 03:40:43 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17 — The newly released Chrome 19 Stable version of Google Chrome introduces live tab syncing across desktop and mobile versions of the internet browser. For users, this means that they can open a website on their home computer and access the same website when they get to work without having to search for the page again. “When ...

Singapore techs face margin squeeze, outlook better

Wed, 16 May 2012 23:54:38 GMT

SINGAPORE, May 17 — Cost pressures are piling up for Singapore’s electronics sector, with some listed companies reporting lower profit margins, but analysts expect an improvement in the second half of the year as the holiday season boosts demand. The slump in the sector, which contributes more than one-third of Singapore’s non-oil domestic ...

Ad execs say jury still out on Facebook as medium

Wed, 16 May 2012 23:48:26 GMT

NEW YORK, May 17 — General Motors Inc’s decision to stop advertising on Facebook may be a wake-up call for the No. 1 social network, but Top advertising executives say it is far too early to know if the site will take off as an advertising platform. “There’s a lot of potential but it’s not a slam-dunk,” said Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP ...

Sources: Apple readies iPhone with larger screen

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:07:19 GMT

TOKYO, May 16 — Apple Inc plans to use a larger screen on the next-generation iPhone and has begun to place orders for the new displays from suppliers in South Korea and Japan, people familiar with the situation said today. The new iPhone screens will measure four inches from corner to corner, one source said. That would represent a roughly 30 per ...

GM to drop Facebook ads due to low consumer impact

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:59:00 GMT

DETROIT, May 16 — General Motors Co said yesterday it will stop advertising on Facebook, even as the social networking website prepares to go public. While GM gave no specific reason for dropping Facebook ads, a source familiar with the automaker’s plans said the company’s marketing executives decided Facebook’s ads had little impact on ...

Opportunity wasted (to send a message)

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:54:21 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 — It is not often that you read about a RM4 billion investment into the country. But that was what German wafer fabrication company Infineon announced last Thursday, May 10. I was thrilled. It means jobs, lots of jobs, well-paying jobs and a massive multiplier effect on Kulim, Sg Patani and even Penang. It also means the ...

Could Apple unveil thinner, lighter MacBook Pro, updated iCloud at WWDC?

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:42:05 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 15 — Apple is working on a new line of thinner MacBook Pro laptops and a significant iCloud refresh according to multiple reports from sources including Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, 9to5Mac and The Verge. The new products and services are tipped to be made public at the start of the company’s Worldwide Developers ...

Nokia’s new cheap models bet on games, web access

Tue, 15 May 2012 12:21:55 GMT

HELSINKI, May 15 — Nokia patched up its ailing basic phones offering today with two models offering access to games, applications and the Internet, hoping to regain its footing in emerging markets. After precipitously losing its position in the smartphone market to Apple’s iPhone and models running Google’s Android software, Nokia has also been ...

Sony, Panasonic in talks to make OLED TVs, say sources

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:09:17 GMT

TOKYO, May 15 — Sony Corp and Panasonic Corp are in talks to develop the technology to mass produce next-generation OLED televisions, sources close to the matter said today, but may already be running to catch up with South Korean rivals in a technology widely seen replacing current LCD TVs. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics plan to sell ...

Lenovo eyes China smart TV market — but sets sight on the world

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:13:48 GMT

HONG KONG, May 15 — First China, then the world. That’s the plan for China’s Lenovo Group as it has been travelling the country over the past week showing off its brand new 55-inch K91 smart TV, a product which is expected to hit shelves by the end of the month. Since first announcing plans to enter the smart TV market back in January, Lenovo’s ...

After complaints, Apple rebrands ‘4G’ iPad as ‘WiFi+Cellular’

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:18:25 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, May 14 — Apple is no longer claiming that its new iPad comes with “4G” connectivity in Australia amid consumer complaints that the device does not support Australia’s current 4G networks. The “WiFi + 4G” tablet, which went on sale in March, is now advertised as a “WiFi + Cellular” device on Apple Australia’s website and appears with ...

Apple rumoured to be debuting in-house maps on iOS 6

Sun, 13 May 2012 03:57:07 GMT

CUPERTINO, May 13 — Apple could drop the Google Maps program which has been running on iOS since 2007 in favour of an in-house mapping system which will debut on iOS 6 according to rumours which hit the net on May 11. According to 9to5mac.com, Apple's ability to produce an in-house mapping application is due to its acquisition of Placebase, C3 ...