Yahoo Chucks 'Classic Mail', New Upgrade Mandatory

From today, June 3rd, Yahoo will get rid of its "Classic" Mail once and for all. In fact, beginning this week Yahoo! Mail will no longer support older versions. It's either the new, upgraded version of Yahoo Mail or no Yahoo Mail at all. The company has sent out emails informing its users of the same and has notified them of the pending upgrade. Until now, Yahoo had allowed its users to continue using the old versions of the Mail even though the webmail interface was redesigned sometime around last year. But, it seems that this upgrade is more concerned with the refurbishing of the company's goals than the technical up-to-dateness. With the proposed upgrade comes the prerequisite of accepting the Communications Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This grants Yahoo the permission to scan and analyze your incoming and outgoing mails, quite like Gmail does. This automated content scanning is purposed to deliver product features, relevant advertising, and abuse protection to the customers. If you're not interested in contextual-based advertising, you could change the settings using the Ad Interest Manager.

Now, if for some reason, you absolutely do not wish to upgrade, you are left with two options. The first option is to download your Yahoo Mail using IMAP, which will allow you to access your email from a different email program, such as Outlook, Mac Mail, or your mobile app. This, however, does not count as an exception and you'll still have to accept the Communications Terms of Service. If you don't want to do that, then as you might have guessed it, the only option is to close your account and leave. What would you choose?

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Cisco Predicts Major Global Internet Traffic Surge by 2017

At its seventh annual Visual Networking Index, Cisco suggested the possibility of a drastic increase in the global internet traffic. According to the company, a growth rate of 23 percent is expected between 2012 to 2017. This dramatic burst isn't supposed to last but will be enough to aggregate to 1.4 zettabytes (ZBs) of global traffic by 2017. That amount alone is greater than the history of internet from 1984 to 2012 (1.2 ZB). Cisco predicts that by the year 2018, almost half of the world's population will be online. The surge in online activity could be attributed to more users, users connecting more devices, growing network and broadband speeds and more media-rich content in the next few years. With that many users, comes the need of sustainability. The average internet speed is expected to go up too. Mobile connections will target 8Mbps by 2017 and Wi-Fi speeds are anticipated to reach 30Mbps.

Technological advances will broaden the aspects of connectivity with more and more devices connected to the Internet. Cisco also forecasts a potential rise of M2M (Machine to Machine) products. It highlights the increasing interaction of quotidian devices with the real-world. For example, a refrigerator that can talk to people or is able to interact with other machines. 2017 is likely to see a total of 8 billion devices connected as M2M, combined with the support of IPv6-capable devices.

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Acer Iconia W3 Tablet Launched - Tech Specs, Price & Availability Here

Just a couple of weeks back, the tech specs of Acer Iconia W3 tablet were revealed on the company’s Finnish site. And now, ahead of the Computex 2013 showcase event, Acer has launched this Windows 8 featuring 8.1-inch tablet. Acer's Iconia series has been a hit. Coming pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 (that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote), the Iconia W3 belongs the price tag of €139 (approx. Rs. 10,200 in India). The trend of having a keyboard that attached to the tablet, that was popularized by the Microsoft Surface is now being carrying forward by Acer. So, the tablet comes with an optional full-size Bluetooth keyboard that holds it upright for typing. Pretty useful. And of course, there's a virtual keypad, ideal for on-the-go thumb typing.

At tech specs of 540 gms and 11.35 mm thin, the device is slim and light. The 8.1-inch LED-backlit display has a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and the two web camera - front and rear are both good enough at 2 megapixels. Powered by the Intel Atom Z2760 mobile-optimized processor, Acer has suggested that 8 hours of battery life can be expected and extended using the Connected Standby mode. Thanks to Windows 8, using the Live Tiles right on the start page is possible.

The Acer Iconia W3 has support for the 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi networks and hotspots and a micro-HDMI port means that you can connect this tablet to the TV or external display for sharing presentations, photos and video. That tablet is available in either 32 GB or 64 GB variants of internal storage and the micro-USB port is available. As far as the pricing is concerned, the 32 GB version comes at Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of €329 (Rs. 24,000) and 64GB versino at €379 (Rs. 28,000). Available at retail and online stores June onwards, the optional keyboard will be available for a price of €69.- and the case will be available for €24.90 (grey) and €27.90 (white).

In direct cut-throat competition with Asus at the Computex 2013 event in Taipei, it is going to be a war of the tech giants to reveal their extraordinary products and gain maximum attraction. We are hooked to our screens to find out the details. How about you? Share your views, hopes and expectations from the event and the companies in comments below. 

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3D Printing In Space @ Zero Gravity In ISS

3D printing experiment is being done in the space under zero gravity conditions at the ISS. If the experiment is successful, we'll soon see a new era of manufacturing parts in the space. 3D print will use extrusion additive manufacturing that builds objects layer by later from polymers and other materials. NASA and a California based firm 'Mad In Space' have joined hands to begin the experiment in the next year. It'd be the first 3D microgravity experiment to be carried out in the International Space Station.

One of the aims of the experiment will be to test the technology to reduce cargo weight and volume. In future, the astronauts will be able to print the tools or components they need while in space. NASA believes in the potential of 3D printing technology and believes that one day, it will allow humans to manufacture entire spaceship in the space. This would eliminate the design constraints caused by the launch-related restrictions.

The importance of 3D printing technology is growing every day. NASA believes that this technology will be incredibly useful in our mission to send humans to Mars.

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Acer Liquid S1 Phablet - The 5.7" Jelly Bean At €349 In Asia & Europe

Alongside the Acer Iconia W3 Tablet, the Taipei based Taiwanese manufacturer has also launched a first-of-its-kind phablet called the 'Acer Liquid S1'. Designed to be your companion in travel, the huge 5.7" HD (1280 x 720 pixel resolution) screen is supposed to help you increase your productivity levels on-the-go. A 'mobile wireless office' is how Acer describes its self-proclaimed phablet. And if or not rightfully so, this smartphone-tablet combo has support for dual SIM cards and is running over the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Powered by a quad-core 1.5 GHz processor, Acer thinks, and we try to believe, that the phablet's battery sustains a day full of usage.

The company has tried to fit-in a lot many features of its own to make its product appealing for the users who love to multi-task and want to do a lot more with their phone other than making-receiving calls or playing games. The support for AcerCloud Docs lets the business people wirelessly retrieve their files and Acer Remote Files makes sure that users can also remotely access files from their main PC. Th Acer Float User Interface has been set up to allow using several app windows at once. Moreover, by just pressing a key Float Apps shortcut springs up and then the apps on a translucent screen float over the function being used. Other than that, there's a Float Caller notification that pops up when you get an incoming call, while the Acer Auto Profile makes sure you don't have to fiddle with the network settings. Especially when you are at a frequently visited location, Liquid S1 switched among the predefined profiles for networks.

            


If those features have failed to impress you, let us take you through the mundane routine of the general tech specs - Along with support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G, while the photo taking, video recording is made possible using the rear camera, the the front camera with 88° wide viewing angle plus the 24 mm lens can capture Wide Front Shot and do the video calling back home. Thanks to Voice Unlock, users will be able to directly open the apps or interfaces by recording and using personal voice commands. Coming to the audio - there is Studio Sound for an extra-wide stereo image with DTS Studio Sound. The 2-way Live Screen app means users can invite friends for temporary live group sharing.

As Acer puts it, the phone is designed minimally for the target audience of "assertive businesspeople and passionate explorers". And if that involves you, you should know that the Acer Liquid S1 comes in two colors - matte black or white. Starting to ship from third quarter of 2013, the phablet will be available in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, UK and Germany, followed by Spain and Italy. There's no official word about the exact release date or about the U.S. Launch. At a price of €349 (approx. Rs. 26,000), do you think this phone reaches anywhere in the best buy bracket? Let us know your reactions in comments below.

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