BlackBerry to help Google secure Android

BlackBerry Ltd said that it is working with Google Inc to enable its software to manage and secure some of Google's Android devices, a move that builds on BlackBerry's recent partnership with Samsung Electronics Co.
In November, BlackBerry announced partnerships with Samsung and other high-profile technology industry players, broadening the reach of its revamped mobile device management and security platform.
BlackBerry said it is offering a "highly secure mobility solution" for Samsung's Android devices. The new system weds BlackBerry's security platform with the South Korean company's own security software for its line-up of Galaxy devices that are powered by Google's Android operating system.
BlackBerry also outlined a similar tie-up directly with Google, to manage devices equipped with Android for Work -- Google's own solution to securely separate business and personal data and applications.
BlackBerry shares rose 4.3% to $10.71 on the Nasdaq following the announcement.

Vodafone challenges Trai’s lower termination charges in SC

Vodafone India has challenged the decision of telecom regulator Trai to lower termination charges for fixed-line and mobile calls in Supreme Court, seeking a stay on the move that will see consumer tariffs coming down.

The country's second-biggest telecom operator argued that Trai's new regulation on lowering Inter-Connection Usage Charges (IUC) has been taken in "undue haste", which is uncalled for, and at a time when some of the issues pertaining to the matter are already pending before the apex court.

The application, filed in the name of Vodafone Essar Gujarat Ltd, said, the decision will lead to a "grave and irreparable prejudice" to its business interests.

In its application, Vodafone said Trai should be "restrained from acting upon and giving effect" to the decision. "The impugned decision is in violation and contravention... and should be stayed till the appeal is pending."

The matter will come up for hearing on Friday.

On February 23, Trai had announced a reduction in charges that companies pay to terminate calls on competing networks. The measure, which has to be implemented from March 1, will mainly benefit companies giving fixed-line services as they will be able to offer major benefits to consumers such as increased free monthly calls and minutes.

Vodafone does not have a fixed-line business in India and could have been impacted by the decision in a big way, according to industry analysts. Major beneficiaries of lower tariffs in the fixed-line business are state-owned BSNL and MTNL and private companies such as Bharti Airtel, which command a big share in the category.

Trai had reduced the termination charges from fixed-line phones from 20 paise per minute to zero and from mobile phones to 14 paise per minute (a 30% reduction).

When contacted, a spokesperson for Vodafone India declined to comment on the matter, saying it is sub-judice.

Sources said the regulator will challenge the appeal in the court, arguing that it has the authority to pass the order.

Now, app to file corruption plaints against govt servants

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday inaugurated a mobile app for filing complaints against public servants demanding bribe in return for services.

The mobile app developed by the Public Concern for Governance Trust, led by former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro, can be downloaded on any mobile phone.

Fadnavis said the state government fully supports every effort to bring in transparency as it would only strengthen the democracy.

"Today, there is a trust deficit as there is no transparency. The Guarantee to Services Act will bring in transparency and those who do not provide services will be made accountable," he said. The Bill will be introduced in the legislature during the Budget Session.

Director general Anti-Corruption Bureau Pravin Dixit said that the department in 2014 had arrested 1,600 corrupt public officials. He added that the Bombay high court had granted permission for additional district judges to hear corruption cases.

He said to ensure that complainants and the panch (witnesses) do not backtrack on the complaint at a later stage, everything will be video-recorded. "The judiciary has assured us that they will consider such evidences," he said.

Fadnavis said that the government has nearly completed compiling the list of officials who have been convicted and they would shortly be dismissed from service. He added that he was focusing on strengthening forensic evidence.

Govt to launch internet safety campaign

The union government, in collaboration with internet giant Google, will launch an internet safety campaign, particularly aimed at sensitising young adults and children on sensitive and tricky issues such cyber bullying and identity theft. Awareness guidelines will also be issued to government officials.

The government plans to reach out to various departments and ministries for consultations on as well as dissemination of best practices on Internet safety and data security as a part of this campaign. The campaign, according to a PIB release, will be carried out by Department of Electronics and Information and Technology (DeitY) which falls under the union ministry of Communications and Information Technology, in collaboration with Google and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In).

The date of launch, however, has not yet been specified.

To this effect, the first roundtable was held in the capital on Wednesday, hosted by MyGov, CERT-In and Google. Over 650 ideas pitched by citizens on digital safety on the MyGov were debated and presented. There were also over 200 creative entries in the form of posters on Internet safety.

"Government departments today are implementing e-governance initiatives, not just in urban areas but also in district and sub-district levels. It becomes important to exercise Internet safety measures to secure government and citizen data," MyGov CEO Gaurav Dwivedi who was present at the roundtable told TOI on phone, adding that children and young adults, who are among the most intensive internet users, will be made aware of common problems on social media use, such as cyber bullying and identity thefts.

Over the next few weeks, said Dwivedi, there will be discussions with more ministries and government departments to create crisp guidelines on Internet safety.

The meeting was, attended by officials from the DeitY, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Google India, NCERT, CBSE, Cert-In, and the new media wing of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. According to the government's official communique, DeitY additional secretary Tapan Ray suggested a year-round programme to raise awareness of key policy makers on issues of Internet safety, according to the PIB release. The programme would include roundtables, workshops, "security cafes", and contests for young adults, policymakers, and NGOs.

Citizen-government interaction platform MyGov, in collaboration with all stakeholders, is also expected to "issue awareness guidelines soon on various safety measures, which can be followed by government officials, schools, guardians and other vulnerable sections," says the PIB release.

Microsoft to discontinue support for Google, Facebook chat in Outlook.com

Microsoft has announced that it will be killing off Google and Facebook chat from its Outlook.com email service in the coming weeks.

The company informed Outlook.com users about the change through an email. In the email, Microsoft attributes its decision to drop Google Chat support to search giant's decision to discontinue the chat protocol used by the Google Talk platform.

The email goes on to add, "We understand that this may disappoint some of our customers, but we hope that you'll try Skype for Outlook.com chat, and voice, video calling, so you can take advantage of the more robust ways to keep in touch with friends and family."

This means, going forward, the only chat service available on Outlook.com will be Skype.

The email from Microsoft also clarifies that "This update will not impact the connection to your Facebook and/or Google accounts, which means your People page will stay updated with the latest contact information from the services you have connected."

In all, the decision seems to be latest in the ongoing Microsoft-Google feud.

Bansals get new roles in Flipkart recast

India's largest online retailer Flipkart has undertaken a massive reorganization at a time when the e-tailer is looking to prune its losses and make itself IPO ready. Under the new structure, Flipkart will be split into three verticals to bring a sharper focus on its strategy and help the company tap its next phase of growth.

While the Bengaluru-based company's co-founder and CEO Sachin Bansal would continue to spearhead the e-commerce biggie at the top, he will also take on an additional role of pushing all the new initiatives at the firm. Sachin, who co-founded Flipkart with Binny Bansal (they are not related) in 2007, will reduce the scope of his day-to-day operational involvement in the company, sources privy to the development said.

Binny, who is currently designated as the COO, would be overseeing the logistics and supply chain side of the business, while Myntra's co-founder Mukesh Bansal would drive the commerce platform along with taking care of marketing activities and the marketplace vertical.

Mukesh, who came on board Flipkart after the fashion e-tailer was acquired by its cross-town rival for $330 million in May last year, has seen his influence grow steadily within the company. In November last year, Flipkart had given Mukesh the mandate to lead marketing for the online commerce major and also be in-charge of categories like consumer electronics and computers.

When TOI reached out to Flipkart on its recent reorganization, a company spokesperson said, "As a growing business, we are constantly reorganizing our teams to match the changing environment. Realigning roles and responsibilities helps us keep pace with our aggressive growth and the dynamic environment we operate in. We have done many such changes in the past and will continue to do the same in the future whenever the needs arise."

The company's engineering division is also getting a makeover. It will now be headed by Sameer Nigam, and its chief technology officer Amod Malviya would drive R&D and innovation.

Sources told TOI that the company's decision to split Flipkart into three units was taken at a board meeting held last week and was announced internally to all its employees last week.

Apple poaching employees from Samsung: Report

It appears that Apple is poaching talent from Samsung including technicians and engineers in signal- and visual-processing management, as per a new report.

South Korean publication The Korea Times, cites unnamed Samsung officials as saying that Apple is poaching Samsung's experienced technicians and engineers in fields like signal- and visual-processing management. The experts are lured by 'highly-competitive benefits and large annual paychecks' besides greater independence, as per the officials.

Apple is also hiring Samsung employees from the field of battery technology as the company is reportedly working on an electric car, as per the report.

"As the electric vehicle business is a new one, Apple needs patents and experts in battery technology. Top human resources firms have been approaching Samsung's battery experts, individually, and I think such human exchange moves are a win-win for both," said the Samsung official.
Although Apple and Samsung are rivals, the Cupertino giant relies on Samsung for displays, processors and DRAM chips.