Apple Working on Thinner, Lighter 5th generation iPad: Report

If inside sources of a Japanese blog Macotakara are to be believed, then Apple is reportedly planning to introduce the next generation iPad in the upcoming months.

The blog, which has been known for its accurate predictions in the past with Apple products, states that this version of the company's 9.7-inch tablet will be thinner and lighter drawing on elements from the recently introduced 7-inch iPad mini .
The expected dimensions for the device are 4mm x 17mm x 2mm. According to the blog, the 5th generation iPad is likely scheduled for a March 2013 release.

Furthermore, the blog's sources indicate that Apple is also amidst a production trial of the 2nd generation iPad mini. The 7.9-inch tablet is expected to feature a 2048x1536 pixel Retina display translating into a 326ppi pixel density and will likely carry on board the A6X chip as seen in the fourth generation iPad.



It's evident that Apple has picked up pace on the tablet front, proof of which we first witnessed this year with the launch of the 4th generation iPad in October, a move which came just six months after launching a new model, doubling the speed of the processor.

The new fourth generation iPad features a 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance with same 10 hours of battery life.

Coming to the iPad mini, it was introduced at a special event in San Jose, California on October 23rd . The iPad mini features a 7.9-inch 1024x768  display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance and 10 hours of battery life.



The company sold three million iPads in just three days since the launch of its new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad. The number is double the previous first weekend milestone of 1.5 million Wi-Fi only models sold for the third generation iPad in March. So whether or not the next generation iPad and iPad mini create a similar effect is something that we'll keep an eye for.
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Lenovo launches IdeaPad Yoga hybrids starting Rs. 61,790

Lenovo has launched the IdeaPad Yoga series of hybrid devices in India. The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga series features hybrid devices that double up as laptops as well as tablets. The two models launched are the IdeaPad Yoga 13 and IdeaPad Yoga 11.

The Windows 8 running Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 features a 13.3-inch 1600x900 multi-touch display. It is powered by 3rd generation Intel Core processors alongside 4GB RAM (upgradable to 8GB) and integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000. The IdeaPad Yoga 13 sports 128GB SSD storage, webcam, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth, HDMI, 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 USB 3.0 port and a 2-in-1 card reader.

Lenovo claims 8 hours of battery life on the IdeaPad Yoga 13 which is now available for Rs. 84,290.

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 is a Windows RT device that sports a 11.6-inch 1366x768 multi-touch display. It is powered by NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor alongside NVIDIA ULP GeForce and 2GB RAM. It comes with 2 USB 2.0 ports, webcam, HDMI, card-reader, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth, and 64GB SSD storage.

Lenovo says the IdeaPad Yoga 11's 4-cell battery is good enough for 13 hours of usage. The IdeaPad Yoga 11 is now available for Rs. 61,790.

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Mayan Apocalypse Fails : World Still Lives On

Despite all the predictions of Mayan apocalypse, the world will probably not end by Saturday morning. How will the believers cope when life carries on?

The clock strikes midnight, the hallowed date arrives and, once again, the apocalypse fails to turn up on schedule.

For such a cataclysmic event, the projected end of the world has come around with surprising regularity throughout history.

Each time a group of believers has been left bewildered at the absence of all-consuming death and devastation.

If they've taking the warnings seriously enough, they will have sold their homes, abandoned earthly civilisation's material trappings and braced themselves for the arrival of a new era.

The latest date to herald widespread alarm is 21 December, which marks the conclusion of the 5,125-year "Long Count" Mayan calendar.

Around the world, precautions are being taken.

Survival pods built for 21 December in Hebei province, China

Panic-buying of candles has been reported in China's Sichuan province. In Russia, where sales of tinned goods and matches have surged, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has urged his countryfolk to remain calm.

The 2012 phenomenon is essentially an accounting problem; a misinterpretation of some very ancient book keeping.

It is based on the Maya calendar, which counts the days since a date in the mythical past. This count reset after the last creation (on or about 11 August, 3114BC). On 21 December, we will reach that same number of days once again, and many now are concerned that a calendrical reset the following day will mean the end of the world.

But it is not even clear that the Maya themselves agreed on this book-keeping issue. Two ancient inscriptions emphasise the importance of the date. But a third focuses on 13 October 4772, the end of an even bigger cycle that cannot happen if a reset occurs in 2012.

This more detailed text predicts that, at an even later date, the great king K'inich Janaab' Pakal will return to Palenque to rule. If this Maya prophesy is true, then the world will not end in 2012 or even 4772, no matter how the ancient calendar functioned.

Authorities in the French Pyrenees are preparing for an influx of believers to the mountain Pic de Bugarach, where rumours have spread that UFOs will rescue human gatherers.

And one doesn't have to belong to a sect to find these predictions compelling. Humankind's ongoing fascination with the apocalypse is evident in mainstream popular culture.

Films like 2012, Armageddon and The Day After Tomorrow all packed out multiplexes by depicting threats of global catastrophe. The Left Behind novels about a "post-rapture" world have reportedly sold more than 70 million copies.

If precedent is any guide, however, 21 December is likely to prove an anti-climax. Since the dawn of civilisation, humans have often been gripped by certainty that the world was about to end.

The Romans panicked at predictions their city would be destroyed in 634 BC. Millennial fears gripped Europe ahead of the year 1000 AD. During the English Civil War, groups like the Fifth Monarchists believed the end was nigh.

More recent apocalypses have panned out in much the same way. Followers of Nostradamus braced themselves for the arrival of the "King of Terror" in "1999 and seven months". US television evangelist Pat Robertson forecast that "something like" a nuclear attack would occur in late 2007.

The California radio preacher Harold Camping set a date for the end of the world no fewer than six times, settling on 22 October 2011 - a day which, historians may recall, was distinguished by an absence of fire and brimstone.

Harold Camping revised his predicted date for Judgement Day numerous times

For those who paid heed to their dire warnings, learning that life will in fact carry on as normal might be expected to be a deeply traumatic experience.

Surprisingly, however, groups which predict the end of the world have quite a good record of carrying on after the world is supposed to have ended, says Lorne Dawson, an expert in the sociology of religion at the University of Waterloo.

"The vast majority seem to shrug off the failure of prophecy fairly well," he says.

Of 75 groups identified by Dawson which predicted the apocalypse, all but six remained intact after catastrophe failed to materialise.

Indeed, many have gone on to flourish. Jehovah's Witnesses are viewed as having predicted some form of end several times and yet still have more than seven million followers.

The Seventh Day Adventists, who have an estimated 17 million members, grew out of the Millerites, whose failed apocalyptic forecast in 1844 became known as the Great Disappointment.

The seminal study into this phenomenon came in the 1956 text When Prophecy Fails, in which psychologist Leon Festinger recounted how he and his students infiltrated a group who believed the world was about to end with members being rescued by a flying saucer.

When both the apocalypse and the UFO failed to materialise, Festinger found, the leader declared that the small circle of believers had "spread so much light" that God had spared the planet. Her followers responded by proselytising the good news among non-believers in what Festinger saw as a classic case of cognitive dissonance.

In a similar exercise, psychiatrist Simon Dein spent time with a small community of Lubavitch Hassidic Jews in Stamford Hill, north London. For years many Lubavitchers had believed their spiritual leader Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the rebbe, was the messiah.

According to their theology, he would herald the end of civilisation and usher in a new age. Their faith was tested, however, when the rebbe passed away in New York in 1994.

"I was there at the time he died," says Dein. "They were crying. They were mourning. There was a great sense of denial - he couldn't die. Would he reveal himself?"

But, Dein says, these Lubavitchers did not give up their belief system. Very quickly, they took up the idea he was still alive and could not be seen, or that he would somehow rise from the dead.

"There are very heated tensions between those who believe he's alive and those who believe he's dead, but his death doesn't seem to have diminished the number of people in the group," Dein says.

A candle in memory of Menachem Mendel Schneerson

According to Dawson, the 200 Lubavitcher families in Stamford Hill had the most crucial trait necessary to keep a group together after a failed apocalypse - a strong sense of community.

"If the group itself has been pretty cohesive, it's been free of schism and dissent, they can get through," he says.

Continue reading the main story

No apocalypse now

"In 1988 there was a really big apocalyptic scenario. I was 14 and in my freshman year at high school in Amarillo, Texas," says Jason Boylett, author of Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse.

"A former Nasa scientist and mathematician called Edgar Whisenant had predicted the world was going to end in September based on calculations from the Bible. He sent his pamphlets out to hundreds of thousands of churches. My Southern Baptist pastor talked about it from the pulpit.

"I spent that summer really pretty scared, because people who had authority our our lives said this is something that might happen in September. I was afraid this was going to be my last summer. When the dates came round I went to bed thinking this is going to be the last time I see my parents.

"Afterwards, obviously, I was relieved. But it really disillusioned me. I knew then I couldn't always trust my pastor.

"I'm still a practicing Christian and I'm not walking around psychologically wounded. But since then my religious belief has been marked with a lot of questioning, a lot of doubt and a lot of cynicism."

Also important, he believes, is the presence of a decisive leadership who can offer a swift explanation.

"If rationalisation comes quickly, the group can withstand ridicule from outside," he adds.

Some leaders, such as Camping on several occasions, simply offer a new date for the apocalypse. Others apologise to their members for getting the scheduling wrong.

Tragically, some take more drastic action. The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult were found in 1997. They had taken their own lives in the belief they would reach a UFO following the Hale-Bopp comet.

Most, however, find a peaceful way to adjust.

"When you have invested so much in a belief, you have a very strong interest in salvaging something from it," says Philip Jenkins, a historian of religion at Baylor University in Texas.

For Jenkins, the appeal of leaders preaching the impending apocalypse down the ages has always been about far more than the specifics of their prophecies.

"It's a kind of rejection of the order of the world as it is," he says. "It's to do with imagining something far better. After it becomes apparent that the new order isn't going to come, there are ways of adjusting the message."

For true believers, the saga is only just beginning when the clock hands reach 12.Please Share This post to Make Visible .........

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Facebook Charge's $1 per Message

The latest update to Facebook Messages did more than just change a few settings. It's also a sign of the social network seeking yet an opportunity to encourage impulse purchases.

(Credit: Facebook)

Facebook, which began the year with a reputation for caring more about its users than about making a buck, is ending the year with the rollout of yet another way to try to squeeze more money from its members.

This latest money-making effort comes with a revamp of its popular Messages service -- that part of Facebook through which you can message/e-mail your "friends" and, in fact, those who aren't your friends. What's changing -- and a spokesman describes it to CNET as a "small experiment" -- is that Facebook will start charging some people for messages they want to send to people they're not friends with.

The $1 cost seems steep just to shoot someone a message, but no matter. Facebook will surely drop the price if no one uses it. But the bigger point: This latest "test" shows that Facebook, eager to prove to Wall Street that it's building a cash-generating empire, is looking for more ways to add revenue streams not tied to advertising and, importantly, is trying to get more user credit cards on file.

Unlike some other titans of consumer tech -- namely, Apple and Amazon -- Facebook has a vast wealth of data about all of us but relatively few credit cards. Most of the credit card numbers it has -- a number it won't disclose -- it's accumulated from people who play games and pay up for virtual items. But that's far from enough for Facebook's ambitions.

The company has recently added other features that require credit card, and so far Facebook has given no indication for how those are going. In October, for instance, it started letting people pay $7 to promote a post. And earlier this month, it opened up Facebook Gifts to all U.S. users and added a range of new retail partners so that users can send friends everything from wine to clothes from BabyGap -- provided, of course, they enter a credit card. Anyone who's tried it might notice that Facebook doesn't take PayPal. Then, the next time you decide to buy a gift, your information card information pops up and is ready to go.

This is the way Facebook wants it, particularly if it rolls outs more services and offers that people can pay for through their phones. The more credit cards Facebook has on file, the more likely mobile users will send gifts or whatever else Facebook has in store as part of its business plan.

Facebook's messaging effort hardly seems like a slam dunk. To be fair, Facebook seems to be tip toeing into this, probably aware that some people might get annoyed if strangers are suddenly blasting them with messages. The pay-to-message experiment comes as part broader changes to Facebook's messaging system, which today is rolling out to every user worldwide. It's all a bit confusing in that Facebook sort of way.

Before these changes, users could send messages to strangers unless those people set restricted privacy settings, something Facebook says most people don't do. Under the new system, users can message anyone regardless of their privacy settings; the messages end up in a folder labeled "other," which is designed to catch spam. That's where the money comes in. To bypass the recipients "other" folder, users can pay $1 to make sure their messages end up in a person's main inbox. (This is not currently available for Pages, only individual Facebook members).

There is no way to opt out of this newly updated Messages system. The only way not to get messages from strangers is to block them after the fact. While those who don't want to message strangers may find the $1 messaging service odd, there are others who may find the option handy.

Facebook argues it would be useful if you were, for example, planning a surprise party for a friend through Facebook. Four of the five people you are inviting to this party are friends with you as well, but one is not. You could make sure the fifth person gets the invite in their Inbox, instead of the "other" folder, by paying the $1. Additionally, there are people -- recruiters, job seekers, public relations folks or (ahem) journalists -- who use Facebook to network.

Facebook won't say how many people use the messaging now or how many people send messages to users who aren't their friends, but even if a small portion of Facebook's billion-plus members decide this is a worthwhile tool, there's plenty of potential -- both for cash and credit.

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Beware Of What You Post: Political Hooligans Are Reading

Of the many words we associate with the Internet, "freedom" is one of the more obvious ones. That's been changing fast worldwide, with China as probably the best example. But do we Indians, especially those of us who are vocal about our political or religious views, have reason to worry? Does the law actually allow for a citizen to be arrested based on something he/she said online, perhaps casually, perhaps under a nickname? Is it really that easy for political hooligans to bully us and gag us online? We spoke to a legal expert, Advocate Aniket Nikam, to find out what our laws currently allow. If you are the outspoken kind, do read this article in full — it could concern your staying out of jail! First, a bit of background:

Being in a democracy, we have some fundamental rights, one of which is the right to freedom — including freedom of speech and expression. But with great power comes great responsibility, so there is always the danger of getting carried away (or being taken too seriously — but that's a different discussion). This right, too, is and was never absolute. There have always been laws to ensure that the right to freedom does not lead to slander, indecency, and more.

What's more recent, and in mainstream news, is an inclusion under the Information Technology Act – 2000, called Section 66A. The Section was added as recently as in 2008. It is under Section 66A that the Palghar police arrested two girls for a supposedly incendiary Facebook post.

Freedom Of Speech Always Has Limits
While there is national furore surrounding the recent "Facebook arrest," as it were, we must step back and note that the constitutional freedom of speech has never been absolute. Section 499 (defamation) and section 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) have always existed.

The chapter of the IPC relating to defamation is considered draconian: It was laid down by the British to curb public uproar in India. But it has survived for more than a century and a half, because it lays down very clear guidelines as to what is considered slanderous and what is not.

In what is a stark contrast and a sad irony, Section 66A (which is just four years old!) of the IT Act is very ambiguous in comparison.

Advocate Aniket Nikam, whose professional credits include having represented the Indian Army as its Chief Counsel before the judicial commission in the Adarsh Society scam, elaborates: "If you read Section 66A, you will realise that it is very vague. There are lot of loopholes in the section itself. Any person can twist it for his own benefit against another's. It lays down a very subjective test, so it would depend on the investigating officer to decide what would amount to a contentious act, or what would hurt religious sentiments.

"It does not lay down the categories or instances where it can be invoked, so it leaves a lot of room for misuse and misapplication — which happened recently in the Palghar case".

The contrast here is between defamation in general and defamation on the Internet. In our country, the rules pertaining to defamation on the Internet leave less room for argument! As Nikam says, "Sections 499 and 500 of the IPC lay down instances and defences: If you said something in good faith or believed something to be true, then it cannot be called an act of defamation. However, it is not so carved out in section 66A: It doesn't specify any exceptions".

Reading Between The Lines
Section 66A, vague as it is, was appended to the IT Act in 2008 — by which time the ways of the Internet should have been understood by our lawmakers. As a result, we have to wonder about the judicial health of the country. Section 84B of the Act, which talks about abetment of offences, is equally vague.

This means that a mere Like, Share, or retweet can make you party to a crime.

Those who codified the law, Nikam says, "should have foreseen the repercussions of a vaguely-worded section. It is very unfortunate that our parliamentarians did not envisage the misuse or misapplication of these provisions".

Not For Political Hooligans Alone
Can anybody accuse anyone else of abusing free speech online? Yes. Will the police take action every time? It depends on them.

Nikam states, "Under this section, you can lodge a complaint with the police saying that a particular person said something offensive, and ask them to initiate proceedings and take cognizance for it. It is then for the police to decide whether to take action or not. In the Palghar case, there was a lot of political pressure, and the backdrop was such that the police moved to take action."

But what constitutes offensive speech online? There is a guideline regarding this, but it leaves room for subjective judgment. Nikam says that in the Palghar case, the police "thought that whatever was posted by the two girls was of an incendiary nature, and was likely to cause anger. They thought they should initiate action under 66A, but they overreached it. The words used in the statement were not such that it would amount to any kind of anger. If you see the guideline, it says, it should anger a reasonable person, not a person who is hypersensitive".

Punitive Actions: Are They Corrective Or Damaging?
Offences committed under the IT Act are cognizable, meaning that any person booked can be arrested without a warrant. Moreover, there is no scope for a monetary penalty: Prison it'll have to be, for a maximum of three years. In reference to the recent incidents in Palghar, should such a trivial offence attract such heavily punitive actions?

Nikam suggests, "Attaching penal consequences to offences is always going to worsen the situation. For instance, if I lodge an FIR against a Mr X, saying he tweeted this and it will affect public harmony, the police can put him behind bars. The only defence available here is to apply for an anticipatory bail, and Mr X can go for squashing on an FIR lodged against him. It may be proved right or wrong in the future, but the stigma will always be attached."

Outside of the IT Act, the law is more reasonable. Nikam says, "Section 499 [which deals with defamation] is different. If something is true, if something is said in good faith, etc., unwanted arrests can be averted".

 

With the Supreme Court now questioning the legality of the Section, we'll just have to keep watching how many more victims Section 66A will claim — before being fixed for good.

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Android 4.0 Karbonn A30 Dual-SIM GSM Phablet With 5.9" Screen Available For Rs 11,500

Karbonn Mobiles has launched the A30, a phablet running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). This device sports a 5.9" multi-touch capacitive screen, although the pixel dimensions haven't been explicitly mentioned. It is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core CPU, which should provide reasonable processing speed, although the amount of RAM will also be a deciding factor to ensure a lag-free user experience. It supports up to 32 GB microSD card. If features two cameras: 8 mp at the rear with auto-focus, face detection and LED flash, and 1.3 mp at the front for video calling. Being a phablet, the device provides cellular connectivity through dual-SIM slots, one of which supports 3G, while the other works on dual-band 2G. The two SIMs operate in dual-GSM standby mode during voice calls. It also comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Thanks to tethering support, the device can serve as a data modem via USB and as a Wi-Fi hotspot. A 2500 mAh battery is provided, but backup time has not been specified. Here are the specifications:

• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich); Google Play support.
• Dual-SIM GSM Standby; SIM1: Dual-band 2G (GSM 900 MHz\1800 MHz); SIM2: 3G (WCDMA 2100 MHz).
• 1 GHz dual-core CPU.
• Up to 32 GB microSD supported.
• 5.9" multi-touch capacitive screen.
• 8 megapixel rear camera with auto-focus, face detection, and LED flash.
• 1.3 megapixel front camera.
• Wi-Fi with hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS.
• Light sensor, Proximity sensor.
• Package Contents: Handset, Battery, Charger, Headset, Additional back panel, Carrying case, User guide.

There is also an integrated GPS module and the company mentions "Voice assisted GPS", which basically means that the A30 can provide voice guidance for navigation. The company bundles along various apps and games such as Kingsoft Office and Angry Birds. There is also the Popi app to recharge prepaid mobile and DTH, book movie tickets, or even domestic flights. Similarly, there is also the Paytm app to recharge prepaid mobiles and data cards, and also pay mobile, DTH, and utility bills.

Available in silver (with white back panel) and white (with black back panel) colours, the Karbonn A30 is available for Rs 13,000, and can be yours for just Rs 11,500. It comes with a complimentary leather pouch and an extra back panel, which can be useful in case you happen to lose the original. The company has not disclosed details about the amount of RAM, internal storage, the CPU make, and screen pixel dimensions. But this is what buying decision for Android handsets eventually boils down to and until these become known, it is wise to wait and watch. While the company takes its time to declare these details, at least 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage, and pixel dimensions of at least 800x480 will make this a product worth going for.

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Apple Mac Mini, 21.5-inch iMac hit Indian stores

Apple’s Mac Mini and the 21.5-inch iMac, both unveiled alongside iPad mini on October 23, are currently available in India.

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NEW DELHI: Apple's Mac Mini and the 21.5-inch iMac, both unveiled alongside iPad mini on October 23, are currently available in India. However, the company's official website for India shows the pricing for the Mac Mini, but says that the iMac is 'coming soon.'

Apple revisited the seventh generation of iMac all-in-ones and reduced the thickness of the 21.5-inch model by a whopping 80% vis-a-vis existing models. The new aluminium and glass casing of the iMacs reduces their volume by 40%.

The company has removed the optical drive so that the monitor now measures 5mm at the edges and reduces reflection by 75% without compromising on colour and contrast, it claimed. For internal storage, Apple has used a flash drive of 128GB capacity and FusionDrive - a HDD alternate with capacity varying between 1 to 3TB. Users can also opt for optical drives for the two iMac desktop computers.

The two desktop computers are powered by quad-core i5 or i7 processors, Nvidia Kepler graphics, and 32GB of RAM. These two AIOs also have 720p FaceTime HD camera, dual mics and dual speakers, four USB 3.0 ports and three Thunderbolt ports.

During the event, Apple also launched the updated Mac mini with third generation dual-core Intel Core i5 and quad-core Intel Core i7 processors that are up to twice as fast and have up to 65% faster integrated graphics. Mac mini comes with 4GB of 1600MHz memory with support for up to 16GB. The new Mac mini now includes four USB 3.0 ports in addition to its Thunderbolt, HDMI, SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and FireWire 800 ports.

Apple's 21.5-inch iMac with 2.7GHz and 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, available from November, will be priced at Rs 85,900 and Rs 99,900 respectively. The prices of the three versions of Mac mini will range from Rs 39,900 to Rs 65,900.

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Twitter & Facebook Becoming Important Tools in Political Debate : Survey

Social media like Facebook and Twitter have become important elements in political and social discourse in a number of countries, particularly in the Arab world, a survey showed Wednesday.

A 21-nation survey found wide use of social networks across the globe, and that many people, especially in Arab countries, are using these networks to express social and political views.

"Expressing opinions about politics, community issues and religion is particularly common in the Arab world," said the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project survey.

"For instance, in Egypt and Tunisia, two nations at the heart of the Arab Spring, more than six in 10 social networkers share their views about politics online."

That compared with about a third of users overall in the survey, Pew said.

Among social network participants in Lebanon, for example, 68 percent said they shared views on politics and 81 percent on community issues. Similarly high levels were found in Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan.

The survey noted that social networking "has spread around the world with remarkable speed" in both advanced and developing countries.

It found that younger people were leading the way in the use of social networks, and that smartphones were being used widely to connect.

"Globally, most smartphone users say they visit social networking sites on their phone, while many get job, consumer, and political information," Pew said.

"Technologies like these are especially popular among the young and well educated. In almost every country polled, people under age 30 and those with a college education are more likely to engage in social networking and to use a smartphone."

Roughly half of the people surveyed in the United States, Britain, Russia, Spain and the Czech Republic said they used social networks, as did around four in 10 in Poland, Brazil, France and Italy.

In most of the other nations surveyed, around one-third said they used social networks, but the figure was just six percent in India and three percent in Pakistan.

"There is considerable interest in social networking in low- and middle-income nations," said the report.

"Once people in these countries are online, they generally become involved in social networks at high rates. For instance, the vast majority of Internet users in Mexico, Brazil, Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Russia and India are using social networking sites."

The exceptions were in Japan and Germany, the only two countries where fewer than half of all Internet users participate in social networks, the survey found.

In all countries, those in the 18-29 age group were the heaviest users of social networks, with more than 90 percent participating in several countries. Those in the 30-49 age category were generally more active than their peers over 50.

Among those who participate in social networks, commenting on music and movies is a popular activity, with majorities in 17 countries saying they have done this.

In China, 86 percent said they shared views about music and movies on social networks, as did 85 percent in India, 84 percent in Mexico, 83 percent in Greece and 78 percent in Turkey.

Sports, on the other hand, was a less common topic, with half or more of users of social networks in only seven countries India, Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt, Brazil and China saying they have shared opinions on sports.

The report was based on a survey of more than 26,000 people in the 21 countries in March and April 2012.

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Top 10 Tablets , Android Tablets & Best Tablet PCs 2013

Looking for the best tablet to purchase, you have come to the right place. This lens talks about the best pc tablets available in the market these days. Given below are the best android tablets.

iPad 3 - The Third Generation of iPad 3

One of The Most Popular Tablets!

The third generation of Apple iPad, mostly known as iPad 3, is a tablet computer designed by Apple Inc. It was released in March 2012 and was much praised for its retina display and fast processor. The specifications that distinguish it from other tablets available in market include its quad-core graphics processor, 5 mega-pixel camera, multi touch, 1 GB Ram and iOS 5.11.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Samsung Galaxy Android Tablet

Samsung is praised for its Android based tablets. Samsung galaxy Tab 10.1 was released in February 2011in Barcelona. It is an Android 3.2 tab with the largest and thinnest screen available in market. With a weight of just 565 grams, it is the lightest tablet in the world. The tab has the 1280x800 WXGA display with a customable home screen.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Asus Android Tablet

The world's first Android tablet is none other than Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime. The most beautiful and stunning tablet in the market is just 8.3 mm thin, making it the thinnest tablet. It weighs only 586 gram, slightly more than Samsung galaxy Tab 10.1. It has a quad-core processor with Android 4.0. It was announced in December 2011 by Asus.

Amazon Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire Android Tablet

< p>Kindle Fire by Amazon is Android based tablet in just $199. This is surely affordable for many keeping in view the tablet's amazing specifications. The device has 7 inch multi-touch display and was released in November 2011. Kindle Fire is competing with Apple iPad.it has dual-core processor with 8GB of internal storage. This space is enough for 6000 e-books.

Acer Iconia Tab A501

Acer Iconia Tablet

Released in February 2011, Acer Iconia Tab A501 is the cheapest of all the Android tablets available in the market. It is a 4G Honeycomb tablet with a width double than that of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G. This makes it less appealing as compared to other tablets out there. The other big issue with this tablet is its weight. It is 1.7 pounds heavier i.e. heavier than any other tablet. So, if portability is an issue to you, you should keep this point in your mind before you think about buying Acer Iconia Tab.

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet is a powerful Android tab which allows you have more control with its captivating touch functions. With its pen device, you can use your own handwriting to do sketching or mark up images. It has dual core processor, multi-touch display and Android 4.0. It comes with an internal storage of 64GB.

Sony Tablet S

Sony Tablet S

Tablet S is the first ever tablet computer by Sony. It has Android 4.0 operating system and dual core processor with a 9.4 inch multi touch display. It has unique asymmetric design. Through this unique design, the tablet has gained much popularity making it the best Android tablet choice of people. It comes with two different types with respect to internal storage i.e. 16GB and 32GB.

Motorola Xoom Tablet

Motorola Xoom Tablet

Xoom by Motorola is an Android based tablet that was introduced in January 2011. Its Wi-Fi version was released in March 2011. It comes with Gorilla Glass coating and 10.1 inch HD display. Various sensors like barometer, accelerometer and gyroscope are included in the tablet. With Xoom you can enjoy 5 MP camera with dual LED flash. Google mobile services like Gmail Talk, Gmail eBooks and Google Maps, comes along with your Xoom tab.

Toshiba Thrive 16GB

Toshiba Tablet Computer

Though bulky, Toshiba Thrive 16GB has many interesting things to offer you that rightly justify its heftiness. It weighs 1.66 pound and costs $400. It has a 10.1 inch wide multiscreen display, dual core processor and Android 3.1. Though not rightly placed, it has a 5MP camera with auto focusing and 2MP webcam camera. The rubber back plate and lithium batteries are changeable.

Blackberry PlayBook

Blackberry PlayBook Android Tablet

Blackberry Playbook by Research in Motion was released in April 2011. It is the first tablet computer to run on Blackberry OS. Good news is that you can still run Android applications on your PlayBook. It is lighter than iPad with a weight of just 0.9 pounds.

Important!

The Most Important Thing

Now that you have an overview of all the top ten tablets in the market these days, you can buy the one that suits your needs. Every tablet comes with its own specifications but you should buy the one that fulfills your requirements.Please Specify your Comments To CybertipsTricks.blogspot.com

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Google Nexus 10 : Review

When I first turned on Google's new tablet computer, I immediately thought of it as a mere conduit to Google services.

Besides giving you quick access to Gmail and YouTube, the Nexus 10 steers you to digital movies, books and other content available for sale through Google's online Play store.

Because of that, I wasn't thinking of the Nexus 10 as an alternative to Apple's general-purpose iPad - even with a price tag that's $100 cheaper, starting at $399. It took more thought and time with the Nexus to change that perception. After all, apps available for Android smartphones work on the tablet as well.

Still, the Nexus really shines when it comes to media - especially content bought through Google.

For the past year, Google has been trying to challenge Apple and Amazon by selling digital content.

The Play store is Google's version of iTunes for Apple devices. There, you can get a variety of apps, some free and some for a small fee. You can buy or rent movies and obtain books, magazines and music. Google isn't satisfied with building search engines and selling ads. It wants a bigger role in the digital economy.

Over the summer, Google came out with a 7-inch tablet called the Nexus 7. Just as Apple is making an iPad Mini that's about the size of the Nexus 7, Google is now selling a larger version of the Nexus, about the size of Apple's regular iPad. It starts shipping this week.

On the Nexus 10, icons at the bottom of the screen emphasize Google's media products available through Play. Click on a picture of film to watch movies, headphones to listen to music and a book to, well, read books. Another icon gets you to the Play store to obtain more content and apps.

The Nexus has a rubberized back and fits more snuggly on my lap than the metal-backed iPad. In my hands, I don't feel as if the Nexus would slip out and crash on to the hard floor, as I continually do with the iPad.

There are front-facing speakers going up and down both sides of the Nexus, compared with just one tucked in a corner on the back of an iPad. You feel more immersed watching video with sound coming right at you from the entire device. I hadn't considered that a problem on the iPad, but I began to notice it once I played video on the tablets side by side.

The screen measures 10.1 inches diagonally, which is more than the iPad's 9.7 inches. But the screen isn't any larger because while it's about an inch wider in horizontal mode, it's also about a half-inch less in height. This works well for widescreen content, which completely fills the screen. On the iPad, the latest movies and TV shows often have black bars, no matter how you hold the tablet. In some cases, you might see the sides of video cut off to fit the space, as I did watching this week's episode of "Revenge" on Hulu. Again, I hadn't considered that a problem on the iPad, until I began to notice it.

What makes the tablet's shape good for movies makes it less-than-ideal for magazines, though. There's wasted space on the top and the bottom for magazines on the Nexus. But I watch TV shows and movies online more often than I read magazines digitally, so I'll let it slide.

As for books, text on the Nexus' screen comes out sharp. News sites and apps also look nice. The Nexus has a screen resolution of 300 pixels per inches, slightly better than the 264 ppi for the latest full-size iPad (which itself is far better than the 132 ppi on the older iPad 2 model still available).

True, there are other tablets designed as media players, too. Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble Inc.'s Nook HD come to mind, and both have larger versions out this month. But neither has the diversity of apps available for the Nexus and other full-fledge Android devices (The Kindle and the Nook run on modified versions of Android and restrict apps to what's available through their own online stores).

So what does that mean?

Apps on my Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone automatically appear on the Nexus 10 after signing in with the same Google account. I'll note that the Nexus 10 is also made by Samsung Electronics Co., even though it's branded Google.

Three of my apps, for AccuWeather, Citibank and Dunkin' Donuts, aren't compatible for unknown reasons. But those I use most often - Facebook, Instagram, Foursquare and a slew of other weather apps - all work on the Nexus. The companion app for the TV show "Dexter" also works, allowing me to play trivia games and watch video clips.

Not all apps have been specifically adapted for the tablet's larger screen, but they take advantage of the entire screen, nonetheless, thanks to the way Android lets software programmers build their apps in modules. All the content gets blown up and still looks decent.

Apple's store has a far wider selection of apps, though, including a half-dozen apps for exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. A search on Play comes up with only one.

The Nexus comes with the latest version of the Android operating system, version 4.2. It introduces a new feature for sharing tablets, the way family members can share Windows and Mac computers while keeping personalized settings. You no longer have to fight with a kid who constantly changes the volume or moves apps around. Now, just sign in as separate users.

The Nexus is a tad lighter, while the iPad promises longer battery life and has an option for cellular broadband for $130 more, plus the cost of data plans. Neither has a slot to expand memory with SD cards. Both have two cameras - 5 megapixels on the back for taking photos and video, and a lower-resolution one on the front for videoconferencing.

The iPad remains king among tablets, with its ease of use, variety of apps and dominance in the market. But challengers such as Google offer choice. The Nexus 10 is a good choice if you already have an Android phone and use a lot of Google services. That's especially true if you also watch a lot of movies and TV shows, but don't want to be limited to that.

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Facebook takes down Pakistan Taliban page

Facebook says it has taken down a page apparently used by the Pakistan Taliban to recruit propagandists for a new quarterly magazine.

The social media network said its rules banned pages which promoted terrorism.

Terrorist analysts last week said the site had been set up by a media unit affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

A posting on the Umar Media TTP page said: "Pen is mightier than the sowrd (sic). Now you have a chance to use this mighty weapon ... Would you like to be a writer for Ahyah-e-Khilifat [Sign of the Caliphate]?" The account appeared to have been created in September and had just a handful of messages, written in English. It attracted more than 270 "likes" before begin taken down.

A statement from Facebook said: "We have rules that bar direct statements of hate, attacks on private individuals and groups, and the promotion of terrorism.

"We have a large team of professional investigators both in the US and abroad who enforce these rules. Where abusive content is posted and reported, Facebook removes it and disables accounts of those responsible.

"Whenever we become aware of possible violations of our terms, we will investigate these instances and take action if violations of our Statements of Rights and Responsibilities take place."

The TTP is an alliance of militant groups operating in Pakistan's tribal border region with Afghanistan. The TTP is locked in a war with Pakistan's military in the area and has also claimed attacks throughout the country.

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Google: Gangnam Style, Whitney Houston, iPad 3 among top searches in 2012

The world's attention wavered between the tragic and the silly in 2012, and Web surfers searched in huge numbers to find out about a royal princess, the latest iPad and a record-breaking skydiver.

Singer Whitney Houston was the "top trending" search of the year, according to Google's year-end Zeitgeist report. Google's 12th annual roundup is "an in-depth look at the spirit of the times as seen through the billions of searches on Google over the past year," the company said in a blog post Wednesday.

Google defines topics as "trending" when they get a high amount of traffic over a sustained period of time.

People around the globe searched for news about Houston's accidental drowning in a bathtub just before she was to perform at a pre-Grammy Awards party in February.

Korean rapper PSY's " Gangnam Style" music video trotted into second spot, a testament to his self-deprecating dance move. The video is approaching a billion views on YouTube.

Superstorm Sandy, which knocked out power and flooded parts of the East Coast in the midst of a US presidential campaign, was third.

The next biggest trending searches globally were a pair of threes: the iPad 3 tablet from Apple and Diablo 3, a popular video game.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Kate Middleton, who made news with scandalous photos and a royal pregnancy; the 2012 Olympics in London; Amanda Todd, a Canadian teen who was found dead of an apparent suicide in October after being bullied online; Michael Clarke Duncan, the "Green Mile" actor who died of a heart attack in September at age 54; and "BBB12," the 12th edition of "Big Brother Brasil," a reality show featuring scantily clad men and women living together.

Some trending people, according to Google, were the following:

* Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver who became the first to break the sound barrier without a vehicle with a 24-mile (38-kilometer) plummet from Earth's stratosphere;

* Jeremy Lin, the undrafted National Basketball Association star who exploded off the New York Knicks bench and sparked a wave of "Linsanity";

* Morgan Freeman, the actor whose untimely death turned out not to be true.

The internet continued its rise as a popular tool for spreading addictive ideas and phrases known as "memes.''

This year, Facebook said its top memes included "TBH (To Be Honest),'' "'YOLO (You Only Live Once),'' "SMH (Shake My Head).'' Thanks to an endlessly fascinating US presidential campaign, Big Bird of "Sesame Street'' made the list after Republican candidate Mitt Romney said he might consider cutting some funds for public broadcasting.

Yahoo said its own top-searched memes for the year included "Kony 2012,'' a reference to the short film and campaign against Ugandan militia leader Joseph Kony; "stingray photobomb'' for an unusual vacation snapshot that went viral; and "binders full of women,'' another nod to Romney for his awkward description of his search for women cabinet members as Massachusetts' governor.

And people were happy to pass on popular Twitter posts by retweeting them. According to Twitter, the year's most popular retweets were President Barack Obama's "Four more years'' and Justin Bieber's farewell to 6-year-old fan Avalanna Routh, who died of a rare form of brain cancer: "RIP Avalanna. i love you''.

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90% of Indians are Idiots: Markandey Katju

Press Council of India (India) chairperson justice Markandey Katju today said that the only solution to the Kashmir problem is reunification of India and Pakistan under a strong and "modern-minded" government which will not tolerate bigotry.

"The cause of the Kashmir problem is the partition of India on a totally bogus basis - the two nation theory, that Hindus and Muslims are separate nations....I don't recognise Pakistan as a legitimate country because the whole basis is the two nation theory and I don't accept the two nation theory," he said.

"Therefore the one and only solution to the Kashmir problem or the militancy problem in Pakistan is the reunification of India and Pakistan under a strong, central, secular, modern-minded government which just doesn't tolerate bigotry," he said and added that such a government would deal with fanaticism with an iron hand.

Addressing a seminar organised by the South Asia Media Commission here, he said that the two nation theory was encouraged by the British post 1857 to create rift between Hindus and Muslims.

"Many of my Pakistan friends, they agree now that what nonsense this two nation theory is....the entire ploy was by the English and you people are a bunch of idiots," Katju said.

Katju said that "90 per cent of Indians are idiots" who can be easily taken for a ride and added that it was very easy for mischievous people to incite riots even today.

"Before 1857, there was zero percent communalism. Today 80 percent Hindus and 80 percent Muslims are communal. This is the harsh bitter truth, I am telling you," Katju said.

"Why am I saying such harsh things, I don't want to demoralise Indian people, I love Indian people, I love you all. I want you to prosper, I don't want you to remain fools. I want you to understand the whole game," he said.

Katju said that even the educated people in India voted in elections on caste or sectarian lines which showed how backward people are.

"I am saying all this because you need a big blow on your head to bring you to your senses, how backward you are. Unless you come to your senses and realise that you were taken for a ride by the British and later on by many communal forces which kept going on about Hindu-Muslim, the Kashmir problem cannot be solved," he said.

With regard to the Northeast, he said these areas had been ignored for long and employment and job opportunities had to be created there.

Speaking about the role of the Press Council, Katju said that it only had powers to admonish and censure about which not many people bothered. He said that Press Council be given more powers.

At the seminar where several senior journalists like K K Katyal, Kuldip Nayyar, Kumar Ketkar, H K Dua and Vinod Sharma were present, a statement was adopted on 'Reporting Conflict Zones'.

The statement said media persons working in conflicts zones be it J&K or naxal-affected areas face threat to their lives and families.

It said state institutions are expected to provide adequate protection to journalists regardless of their views and that employers should give them a legal and monetary back up.

The statement said there is general apathy, as a result of which there is threat to free flow of information.

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Price of Aakash Tablet to come down to Rs.1,900 soon: Kapil Sibal

Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said the price of Aakash tablet will soon come down to $35 (about Rs 1,900 approximately) from $49 at present.

“Aakash is a tablet which at the moment costs $49. It will come down to $35 very soon. It has all the amenities of any modern tablet,” Sibal said at Reverse Buyer Seller Meet (RBSM) here organised by Telecom Equipment and Service Export Promotion Council.

The minister added that the next version of the tablet will also have Skype, an application used for making voice calls using Internet connection and does not necessarily require a SIM.

“It performs the same function as a $150 tablet,” Sibal said, adding that Aakash is kind of product that two-third population of world needs as they don't have enough resources to buy tablet costing $150.

Explaining on the way price of Aakash tablet drops, the minister said: “The capacitative (touch) screen is imported at a cost of $22 or around $20. The manufacturing cost is $2. If you were to set up that manufacturing unit in India, the cost will come down automatically from $49 to $29.”

He said that government is in process to get Cabinet approval for manufacturing of 50 lakh units of Aakash tablet in India and then float a global tender for its production in the country.

He said the production of Aakash tablet in large volumes will further drive down the cost.

In the last tender, each unit of Aakash tablet costed government Rs 2,263 and it announced 50 per cent subsidy on the tablet for students which finally costs Rs 1,130.

The minister said if Indian industry is able to provide a quality solution for citizen of the country then such solution or product will work anywhere in the world.

“In fact it will be game changer for the world...consumer in Europe, consumer in Japan, consumer in the United States of America would be looking for those solution because he will be getting the same solution at a much lower cost and a very high quality solution,” Sibal said.

The minister said government is giving enormous emphasis to research and development (R&D) for manufacturing of electronics product in the country that are of high quality and reasonably priced.

“We are going to create an R&D fund in which the government will contribute. We are setting up fab so that (electronic) chip manufacturing can be done India,” he said.

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Twitter reveals list of most tweeted events in 2012

Twitter users were busiest during the final vote count for the presidential elections, sending 327,452 tweets per minute on election night on their way to a tally of 31 million election tweets for the day.

An election victory tweet from President Barack Obama -- "Four more years" with a picture of him hugging his wife -- was the most retweeted ever, but the US election was topped by the Olympics as the most tweeted event this year.

Obama's tweet was retweeted (repeated) more than 810,000 times, Twitter said as it published a list of the most tweeted events in 2012.

"Within hours, that Tweet simultaneously became the most retweeted of 2012, and the most retweeted ever. In fact, retweets of that simple message came from people in more than 200 countries around the world," Twitter spokeswoman Rachael Horwitz said.

Twitter users were busiest during the final vote count for the presidential elections, sending 327,452 tweets per minute on election night on their way to a tally of 31 million election tweets for the day.

The 2012 Olympic Games in London had the most overall tweets of any event, with 150 million sent over the 16 days.

Usain Bolt's golden win in the 200 meters topped 80,000 tweets per minute but he did not achieve the highest Olympic peak on Twitter. That was seen during the closing ceremony when 115,000 tweets per minute were sent as 1990s British pop band the Spice Girls performed.

Syria, where a bloody civil war still plays out, was the most talked about country in 2012 but sports and pop culture dominated the tally of tweets.

Behind Obama was pop star Justin Bieber. His tweet, "RIP Avalanna. i love you" sent when a six-year-old fan died from a rare form of brain cancer, was retweeted more than 220,000 times.

Third most repeated in 2012 was a profanity-laced tweet from Green Bay Packers NFL player TJ Lang, when he blasted a controversial call by a substitute referee officiating during a referee dispute. That was retweeted 98,000 times.

This was the third year running that the microblogging site published its top Twitter trends, offering a barometer to assess the biggest events in social media.

Superstorm Sandy, which slammed the densely populated US East Coast in late October, killing more than 100 people, flooding wide areas and knocking out power for millions, attracted more than 20 million tweets between October 27 and November 1.

European football made the list of top tweets when Spain's Juan Mata scored as his side downed Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final -- sparking 267,200 tweets a minute.

News of pop star Whitney Houston's death in February generated more than 10 million tweets, peaking at 73,662 per minute.

Romantic comedy "Think Like a Man" was the most tweeted movie this year, topping "The Hunger Games", "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises."

Rapper Rick Ross who notched his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart this year, was the most talked about music artist.

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Nokia launches Asha 205 with dedicated Facebook button

It is the first Nokia phone that includes such a key, and is also the most affordable querty from the company, priced at Rs 3,499.

BANGALORE: The new Nokia Asha 205 mobile phone now includes a bulit-in dedicated Facebook button.

The new phone has a 2.4inch LCD display with 240x320-pixel resolution. On the back, the newest device in Nokia's Asha series sports a camera having VGA resolution. Asha 205 has 64MB internal memory and supports microSD card of up to 32GB capacity. The device has a 1,020mAh battery that offers talk time of 11hours and music playback time of 30hours. This dual-sim phone works only on 2G networks and cannot access the internet via 3G or Wi-Fi.

The first Nokia phone with a dedicated Facebook key, Asha 205 is also the most affordable Qwerty phone by the company, priced at Rs 3,499.

"Young consumers are increasingly using Facebook for communication, socialising and entertaining. The launch of the Nokia Asha 205 responds to this growing demand and gives a unique option for consumers at an affordable price point", Viral Oza, director, marketing, Nokia India, told reporters here today.

Kevin D'Souza, country growth manager, Facebook India, said Facebook has 65 million active users in this country.

Nokia has also included 'Slam' feature in Asha 205. Slam allows consumers to share multimedia content like photos, music and video with nearby friends almost instantly, Nokia officials said.

Slam works with most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones without the need to pair devices, and without the recipient needing to also have Slam, they said.

"In just a few clicks, people can 'Slam' their content to another device faster than Bluetooth alone and without consuming internet data", Nokia said.

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Top Upcoming Best PC Games 2013

2012 has been an amazing year for gamers so far and 2013 looks like it will be even better. With Heavyweights such as Bioshock Infinite, Dead Space 3, Devil May Cry, SimCity and Crysis 3 amongst others, 2013 is guaranteed to be a splendid year for all Gamers. Watch trailers below and vote for the game you are anticipating the most. If you have any other games to recommend feel free to leave a comment.

Crysis 3

Crysis 3 is a first Person Shooter that is published by Electronic Arts. The game serves as a sequel to 20011's Crysis 2

Players take on the role of Prophet, a mercenary, who seeks revenge after uncovering the truth behind the creation of the Nanodome. After returning to New York City in the year 2047, Prophet is shocked to discover that his home town has been encased in a Dome shaped structure known as the Nanodome. Cell Corporations built the Nanodomes in order to exploit the land, people and technology in their attempt for global domination. With Human enemies and Alien Ceph lurking around at every turn, Prophet spares no soul on his quest for retribution.

Release Date: April 2013

Dead Space 3

Dead Space 3 is a Third Person action game that is published by Electronic Arts. Our main protagonist is Isaac Clarke, a merciless soldier who ventures into space in order to find the location of the first Necromorph outbreak. After Crash landing on the planet of Tau Volantis, Isaac has no choice but to scope the harsh environment for parts and raw materials. The planet of Tau Volantis holds the key to stopping the Necromorph Plague, but first Isaac must overcome evolved animals, harsh environments and brutal elements in order to achieve his objective.

For the first time, Dead Space 3 Players will have the option of playing with a friend; the new game offers a seamless drop in, drop out co-op functionality.

Release Date: TBA 2013

Bioshock Infinite

Bioshock Infinite is a First person shooter published by 2k Games. The game drifts away from the underwater setting of the first 2 games and takes place in a floating city. Our main Protagonist is Booker DeWitt, a retired private detective who decides to take on a new case. His mission is to return a woman, who has gone missing, unharmed. He must now venture into the flying city of Colombia to find and return her safely while taking on numerous opponents.

The latest instalment is neither a sequel nor a prequel to the previous Bioshock games, the game takes place in a different setting and time period, however it does manage to maintain similar themes and gameplay concepts that were evident in the previous game. Bioshock fans are definitely in for a treat.

Release Date: February 26, 2013

SimCity

SimCity is a game that revolutionalised the city building simulation genre. Ever since its inception in 2002 SimCity has been at the hearts of all simulation lovers.

The latest installment is a reboot of the SimCity series. Visually the game looks more realistic; everything has been simulated, from individual families in their homes to drastic changes in weather patterns. The best addition is the multiplayer component. Players will be able to work together on group projects, sharing resources while building a city that is linked to their friends' city.

With an updated game engine and an increased level of realism, SimCity 2013 takes a different approach from previous installments and promises a game that is an accurate portrayal of a real world-like environment.

Release Date: February 2013

Command and Conquer: Generals 2

Command and Conquer is a strategy base game that is developed by BioWare Victory. The game takes place in the near future.

The world's leaders are moments away from signing a peace treaty that would put an end to the war when a terrorist attack launches and kills everyone at the conference. Without any world Leaders, the generals are the only officials left who can assume their roles and put an end to the terrorist threats.

Like previous titles, you will be able to take control of three factions, as you compete for resources and construct an offensive base of operations. With an uncanny sense of realism and an attention to detail, Command and Conquer Generals 2 is the closest thing to a real world war without the consequences.

Release Date: TBA 2013

Company of Heroes 2

Company of Heroes 2 is the latest in the Command and Conquer series, developed by THQ, the game is the sequel to 2010's Company of Heroes 2.

When it comes to depicting the events of World War 2, Company of heroes does a splendid job of capturing the authenticity in ways that felt more realistic, and consequently, more unsettling than other games in the genre. The game will take place in 1941, with the soviets on the back foot after military troops have poured into the Soviet Union. After months of war, nearly half of the Soviet Union's population is behind enemy lines.

Release Date: TBA 2013

Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry is an upcoming hack and slash video game that is published by Capcom. The game is a Reboot of the DmC and it goes back to Dante's early years.

Set in a parallel universe, this installment tells a tale of a teenager and his journey through his home town: Limbo City. The city, once calm and tranquil, transforms into a city terrorized by demons and other monstrous creatures that attempt to kill him at every turn. Using multiple attacks, a wide variety of weapons, and damaging combos, Dante must overcome opponent after opponent while decimating everything in his path.

Release Date: TBA 2013

Metro: Last Light

Metro Last light is an upcoming first person shooter and is the sequel to the critically acclaimed classic Metro 2033.

The game takes place in the post apocalyptic country of Moscow. The last remnants of humankind are forced to live in tunnels underground while mutants and other creatures inhabit the surface of the Earth. As a result the humans that remain form cities underground. Our main Protagonist is Artyom, who must stop a terrorist organization from destroying the society below. .

Delve into the post apocalyptic world of Moscow and experience thrilling combat against enemies both human and mutant. Metro Last Light promises to be even better than its predecessor.

Release Date: TBA 2013

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Patriots

Rainbow Six: Patriots is a First person shooter and serves as the next instalment in The Tom Clancy series.

Players will assume the role of Rainbow, a government agent who faces a new threat known as the "True Patriots", a revolutionary group of terrorist that believe the American government has been corrupted by corporate agendas. Armed with advanced weaponry and close combat skills, players will face several intense scenarios in order to eliminate this new breed of terrorists.

Rainbow Six: Patriots Features an immersive multiplayer campaign in addition to the single player component. The multiplayer campaign will reward players for executing missions as a team.

Total War: Rome 2

Command the most incredible armies, dominate your opponent and become the world's first Superpower.

Total war: Rome was one of the most impressive games in 2004 and this next instalment looks to be even better. Like the previous Total War game, it will take place in the Historical period of the Roman Republic. Players will be able to change it to the Roman Empire if they wish. With a larger campaign map and a new graphics engine, players will be able to view exotic historical cities and colossal armies rendered in incredible detail.

Release Date: TBA 2013

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WWE: Who is the next big thing ..?

Rules of Professional Wrestling, #1: As the Earth does with the sun; every wrestling promotion must revolve around one top star – a name and face that will become your brand, your identity, and your ticket to filling arenas and planting butts in front of television screens.

When you think of The Terminator, you think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, just as the Muppets revolve around Kermit T. Frog and Marilyn Manson conjures up, well, Marilyn Manson. With the exception of a few, almost every wrestling promotion in history has built themselves around one larger-than-life superstar who stands out above all the others. None more so than Vince McMahon with the WWE: In the 1980s, Hulk Hogan WAS pro wrestling, before Stone Cold Steve Austin took the ball in 1998 and redefined the industry. Even today, the WWE cannot function confidently without John Cena selling merchandise, bumping television ratings and keeping live attendance numbers stable. No matter how many stars are in the sky, one always shines brighter than the others.

A small selection of John Cena merchandise available...

The problem with this set-up is that, inevitable, a new superstar will have to be found, created or stumbled upon by accident in order to keep the cycle running. John Cena won’t be around forever, and consensus amongst most wrestling fans is that the WWE need to start creating some new headline names to move the company forward. If Cena is mysteriously pushed down the stairs tomorrow morning (most likely by a maniac who breaks into his home with a sledgehammer, leaves giant nose prints on the doors and then makes their escape in a Triple H-branded tour bus), who is going to take that step up to the top of the ladder and make their mark on the business? Who is the next big thing? Let’s meet the candidates.

CM Punk

If you’re a fan on the internet, chances are that Punk is the very first name that came into your head. That’s probably because you’re an idiot. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because the push of a new straight-shooting cult hero has shown what can happen with the right talker saying the right things at the right time. Given the chance to just go out and talk people into the buildings, few are currently better, if any at all, than CM Punk.

The problem with Punk is the hype that that has been thrust upon him (he was put in front of a thousand screaming internet fans in the Hammerstein Ballroom on his WWE debut and given a hero’s welcome, whilst Money In The Bank landed him in his home city of Chicago against Cena, which propelled him to superstardom for all of one night). The die-hard supporters of Punk, most of whom have occupied the internet since his days in ROH, have repeatedly made their voices heard, even masking many of his shortcomings in the ring. Whilst fluid and realistic  he can also be prone to sloppiness, lacking the finesse and charisma that made Shawn Michaels one of the greatest workers in history. Even the Punk character, whilst striking an initial chord with disillusioned fans, comes off on the wrong side of whiny, and that makes it difficult for many to invest as they did with the last true wrestling rebel, Steve Austin.

Could Punk be the next Austin? With a personality that naturally deviates towards an unlikeable-verging-on-dickish heel persona, it’s unlikely. Someone like Punk will always split the audience, not too dissimilarly to how Cena does. The loss to Triple H at Night of Champions didn’t help his cause much either. However, of everyone who has been given a shot so far, Punk has shown the ability to take the ball and run as far as he can before the writing team reel him in. It’s unlikely that he’ll become a top-level megastar but, like Edge and Chris Jericho before him, he could keep himself on the cusp for a very long time. That’s good for business good for business; not unlike the two legendary Canadians, the wrestling business needs a CM Punk right now and no one plays the role of CM Punk better than CM Punk.

The Miz

Once known as the Marty Jannetty of his tandem with John Morrison, The Miz rapidly made a name for himself as a solo star and enjoyed a lengthy, if not poorly executed title reign at the beginning of the year. A star whose light shone brightly leading into Wrestlemania XXVII, the Awesome One has fallen from grace long before his time.

Where his ring ability may fail him – a decent worker at best, capable of good matches with good opponents but ultimately at a mid-card level of ability – his mic skills are on par with the best in the business. More importantly, Miz has something that the likes of Punk, Orton and even Cena lack: mainstream acceptance. Late night talk shows love having him on their shows (Conan O’Brien gave Miz his stamp of approval, and he won everyone over on Lopez Tonight), gossip sites consider his reality show credentials pre-WWE to be worth keeping him in their sights, and celebrities actually know who he is. Mike Mizanin, the man who once bored SmackDown viewers senseless with his “hoo-rah” catchphrase and failure of hosting the Diva Search, is now the WWE’s meal ticket for every celebrity function in town, as well as the credibility that goes with it.

Yet, celebrity status can only get you so far once you step between the ropes. As a name, The Miz is the closest to The Rock (note: close, not equal) as anyone in wrestling. As an in-ring talent, he’s a step below Cody Rhodes. That may work for a main event of Raw, but try placing it at Wrestlemania and see what happens. In fact, they did do that, and we did see what happened, and now he is jobbing to Air Boom with R-Truth and likely to be mingling with Miss Piggy and Animal come Halloween (which isn’t a bad thing, and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong). Yet, with his speaking skills, his media work and his ability to carry himself like a bona-fied superstar, we most certainly haven’t seen the last of this “most must-see champion” with the title around his waist.

Randy Orton

Considering the story of The Viper so far in his career, it could be argued that Orton should be, by rights, next in line to the WWE throne. Numerous titles and main event spots would back that up, as would his credentials once the bell rings: effortlessly good-to-great matches under his belt with a variety of different wrestlers over the last seven to eight years. With a resume like that, it’s hard to argue against him.

You can therefore imagine everyone’s surprise that Orton has never fulfilled those high expectations, no matter the chances afforded to him. Even when WWE put him over strongly against lower positioned talents who could use the rub of a victory far more than Randy, his popularity and influence still seems to wane in contrast to Cena. For whatever reason, something keeps holding Orton back from taking the final leap towards carrying the company forward.

It’s not his talent, nor his look (which probably does him more favours than anything else). His talking abilities are somewhat limited and a little wooden, but it’s the character that lets him down the most. At his peak of fan interest, he was a villain; possessed with the ability to switch at any moment and take out the biggest superstars without a second thought or subsequent remorse. As a babyface, it’s difficult to balance such a character with being fan-friendly, so it’s easy to forgive Orton for falling a little short. Until those tweaks are made, however, the former Legend Killer will forever be in Cena’s shadow.

Alberto Del Rio

Of what little was known of him before he made his way to the WWE, Del Rio has been a revelation. Taking the best bits of the old John Bradshaw Layfield character, adding an additional layer of talent and employing the services of Ricardo Rodriguez as his personal ring announcer, ADR has become one of the hottest new stars in years. Moreover, his ascension was home-made; the character, the name, and the push were all created by Team WWE, and that is usually the most important factor in guaranteeing a lengthy period of success for anyone, let alone Del Rio.

A now former WWE champion, Del Rio’s biggest test is forthcoming. It’s well known that his initial reign was planned months in advance to coincide with a tour of Mexico, in the hope of capitalising on having a local guy as the company figurehead, as well catching the eye of the American population of Hispanics, which was the main catalyst for Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero becoming as popular in the WWE as they did. For whatever reason (likely ratings-based), the decision was made to put Cena back in the driving seat at Night of Champions, but that could change with Hell In A Cell only a week away. If Del Rio can help the WWE break Mexico and tap into a potentially lucrative market, there’s no reason short of finding a steroid needle stuck in one of his buttocks to pull back on pushing him as a champion again.

With an ever-improving workrate, strong promo work and a character that has caught on with the audience, Del Rio is in a great position. If Mexico takes to him as their national hero, he could solidify his place in the upper echelon for years to come. The company have faith in him, as seen by their rare insistence of letting him beat opponents cleanly in the middle of the ring on a weekly basis, and keeping a cool head on his shoulders would take him above and beyond what Eddie Guerrero managed to accomplish (became champion but ultimately blamed himself for subsequent SmackDown ratings and succumbed to the pressure of his perceived responsibilities). Turning heads in countries beyond America is something no longer taken for granted by the WWE, and Del Rio’s success or failure in these areas will determine whether he becomes the next Rey Mysterio Jr. or Jesus Castillo, Jr. Who? Exactly.

Zack Ryder

Okay, now I’m just being silly.

Or am I? A former Edge lackey who turned on the radio and became the Long Island Iced Z, capitalising on the growing subculture of ‘Guido’ even before Jersey Shore took it to the masses and scarred the image of Snooki into our collective nightmares. Does that sound too far-fetched? How about taking the initiative to make his own Youtube show that not only doesn’t embarrass himself or the company, but actually has managed to get him over with a section of fans that would otherwise never have given a rat’s ass about him with how much time the WWE were investing in his “push”? In effect, he made himself a bigger star on his own accord.

Naturally, you’d expect Vince McMahon to be a vindictive swine and bury the guy six feet under, which seemed to be the plan for a few weeks. Now, though, the company seem to have seen the potential and are throwing themselves behind it, giving the guy plugs on Raw for his Z! True Long Island Story videos, aligning him with professional Wolverine, Hugh Jackman and even giving him the occasional victory as well. He’s not setting the world on fire, but neither did Disco Inferno in 1997, and look how he turned out… wait, what do you mean that was a bad example?

Who do you think has the potential to accept the torch and keep it ablaze without burning the whole company to the ground? Could it be one of the five aforementioned, or maybe someone I’ve forgotten? Maybe they don’t even work for the WWE, and that’s not even bringing up the scary possibility that it may be too late; maybe there will be no new superstar after all. Then what?

Whatever your thoughts, leave them in the comments section Below..,

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