How to reset Android tablets

As with a regular computer, you can wipe all the personal data and programmes from an Android tablet at once. This can be helpful if you want to pass the device to someone else or start over with it yourself. Wiping the device completely erases the tablet, though, so make sure you do not need anything stored on it before you begin.

Steps may vary depending on the version of Android you have, but in general, head for the Settings area. In later versions of Android, go down to the Personal area of the Settings screen and tap "Backup and reset." At the bottom of the "Backup and reset" screen, tap "Factory data reset."

The next screen warns that you will soon be erasing all the data on your tablet's internal storage drive, including your Google account information, system and app data settings, downloaded apps, music, photos and any other personal info. To proceed, tap the "Reset tablet" button and follow the instructions on the screen.

When finished, your tablet should be returned to that out-of-the-box , or "factory," state. If you have additional memory cards for extra storage and did not get an option to erase your external storage as well, you may need to format and erase the card manually — or just pop it out and keep it for your next device.

Email security policy soon: Milind Deora

Seeking to ensure cyber security and keep government documents away from hackers, the government is working on an email security policy.

The policy will be announced shortly, Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora said today.

All public sector employees in the country would be brought on the government domain of National Informatics Centre (NIC) as part of the policy, he told a press meet here.

"Cyber crimes are linked not just to any particular institution, state or nation. We have to tackle it with institutional capacities and with the co-operation of local police and international agencies," Deora said.

"As part of the National Cyber Security Policy, we are trying to create a new email policy for government employees. It will make them move away from foreign email services like gmail and bring onto nic.in, the government's email domain managed by NIC," he said.

Since the country had its own 'cloud', there was no reason for people to depend on foreign services, he said.

Deora, who had a discussion with the officials of BSNL, Postal and C-Dac here, said the ministry was planning to allot three new post offices and a training centre for post office staff here.

He said he would consult with the finance ministry whether the IT industry in the state could provide any additional incentives and tax reduction.

If the state government was ready to provide land free of cost for IT projects, the Centre had no problem in supporting them as it would bring more business in the region, he said.

Expanding IT business to tier-2 and tier-3 cities was good for the overall development of the sector, he added.

Apple to launch big-screen iPhone in May: Report

Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a letter to employees, has said that 2014 will be a big year for the company and customers will love its new products. Many in the tech community have taken this as a hint that Apple will finally unveil big-screen iPhones and iPads. And a recent report gives credence to this speculation. 

Chinese technology website Digitimes, which has leaked Apple gadgets accurately in the past, has reported that the big-screen iPhone is scheduled for a May launch. This upcoming model will have a 20nm chipset made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). 

It has long been rumoured that Apple is working on two big-screen iPhones - one with a 4.7-inch display and the other with a 6-inch panel. 

The report also says that a big-screen iPad, with display sizes measuring 12.9-inch or 13.3-inch, will be unveiled in October next year. It is likely that Apple will pick the 12.9-inch screen size for final production; this falls in line with an earlier report that Apple will launch a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 4K resolution in October. 

Apple is working with Taiwan's Quanta Computer to manufacture this upcoming tablet. This large-screen iPad will replace the 11-inch Macbook Air, says the report, citing sources.

Aakash tablet remains my unfulfilled dream: Sibal

Calling low-cost tablet Aakash his unfulfilled dream, telecom minister Kapil Sibal said he has pursued the project despite not getting support from some government departments and that the tender for manufacturing the latest version will be finalized in January. 

"Aakash was my dream but it was not fulfilled, I tried hard... some departments of my government did not support me... despite that I continued to strive and then I brought the project in my ministry and now specifications for Aakash 4 have been completed," Sibal said at the launch of 'e-inclusion' project here. 

"Some departments did not support me but despite that we are bringing the Aakash," Sibal said. 

The Aakash project was Sibal's brainchild when he was the HRD Minister. The idea was to provide low-cost computing device at subsidized rate to students to enable them access internet for educational purposes. 

Canadian company Datawind had bagged the contract to produce the first and second versions of the Aakash tablet. 

"The specifications of Aakash 4 has been finalized. DGSD has floated a tender, which will be finalized sometime in January. All those entities which will meet the tender conditions will be entitled to manufacture the Aakash and depending on the volume of production, it will be available to anybody who wants to buy it," Sibal said. 

The Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGSD) procures products for government supplies. 

Asked about the price of the tablet, Sibal said: "We will see what the price is. Originally what we wanted was around Rs 2,500 but that is without excise, without any of the other transportation costs and other things. So once you add those on I don't know what it may come to," he said. 

He, however, added those who can afford it can buy and those who cannot, the government departments like Human Resource Development Ministry and Rural Development Ministry can provide subsidy if they wish to. 

"Those who can afford it can buy, those who cannot afford it, if government departments intend to buy it and give subsidies they can give it," he added.

McAfee reveals top 12 'Christmas scams'

McAfee released its annual "12 Scams of Christmas" list to educate the public on the most common scams that criminals use during the holiday season to take advantage of consumers as they shop on their digital devices. 

Cybercriminals leverage these scams to steal personal information, earn fast cash, and spread malware. 

Industry estimates suggest that In India, out of 150 million internet users around 10 million internet users are shopping online. 

A report by Assocham states that e-shopping during festive season in India for 2013 has witnessed a 65 per cent increase in comparison to last year for products like mobile phones, e-tablets, consumer electronics, home appliances, home decor, furnishings, apparels, etc. 

Though banks and various agencies are repeatedly propagating the cause of safe online transactions remains a potential challenge in India. 

"The potential for identity theft increases as consumers share personal information across multiple devices that are often under protected," said, Michelle Dennedy, Vice president and Chief Privacy Officer at McAfee. "Understanding criminals' mindsets and being aware of how they try to take advantage of consumers can help ensure that we use our devices the way they were intended - to enhance our lives, not jeopardize them." 

To help consumers stay alert for greedy Grinches as they surf the web for holiday travel deals and seek out gifts for their loved ones, McAfee has identified this year's top "12 Scams of Christmas": 

Not-So-Merry mobile apps

Official-looking software for holiday shopping, including those that feature celebrity or company endorsements, could be malicious, designed to steal or send out your personal data. Criminals can redirect incoming calls and messages, offering them the chance to bypass two-step authentication systems where the second step involves sending a code to a mobile device.

Holiday mobile SMS scams

FakeInstaller tricks Android users into

Heavy Internet users show symptoms of addiction

Young adults who are heavy users of the Internet may also exhibit signs of addiction, scientists, including Indian-origin researchers, have found.

Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Duke University Medical Center and the Duke Institute of Brain Sciences compared Internet usage with measures of addiction.

The research, presented on December 18 at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Advanced Networks and Telecommunications Systems in Chennai, India, tracked the Internet usage of 69 college students over two months.

It revealed a correlation between certain types of Internet usage and addictive behaviours.

"The findings provide significant new insights into the association between Internet use and addictive behaviour," said Dr Sriram Chellappan, an assistant professor of computer science at Missouri S&T and the lead researcher of the study.

At the beginning of the study, the 69 students completed a 20-question survey called the Internet-Related Problem Scale (IRPS). The IRPS measures the level of problem a person is having due to Internet usage, on a scale of 0 to 200.

This scale was developed to identify characteristics of addiction, such as introversion, withdrawal, craving, tolerance and negative life consequences.

The researchers simultaneously tracked the campus Internet usage of participating students over two months.

Chellappan, working with Dr P Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Duke University Medical Center, found that the range of IRPS scores among participating students over the two-month period ranged from 30 to 134 on the 200-point scale.

The average score was 75. Participants' total Internet usage ranged from 140 megabytes to 51 gigabytes, with an average of 7 gigabytes.

The subjects' Internet usage was divided into several categories, including gaming, chatting, file downloading, email, browsing and social networking (Facebook and Twitter).

The total IRPS scores exhibited the highest correlations with gaming, chatting and browsing, and the lowest with email and social networking.

The researchers also observed that specific symptoms measured by the scale correlated with specific categories of Internet usage. They found that introversion was closely tied to gaming and chatting; craving to gaming, chatting and file downloading; and loss of control to gaming.

"About 5 to 10 per cent of all Internet users appear to show web dependency, and brain imaging studies show that compulsive Internet use may induce changes in some brain reward pathways that are similar to that seen in drug addiction," said Doraiswamy.

The team cautioned that the current study is exploratory and does not establish a cause and effect relationship between Internet usage and addictive behaviour.