National News

Android developers to converge in Goa

PANAJI: Android app development may soon see a spurt in Goa. Aiming to enable students and professionals to enhance their knowledge of Android, the Google Developer Group of Goa (GDG Goa) and the Goa Android user Group (GAUG) are organizing two Android events- DevFest Goa and NitroDroid 2012.

The DevFest would be held from September 29 to 30 at Hotel Queeny, Vasco, and BITS Pilani, respectively. NitroDroid 2012 will be held on October 6, at International Centre of Goa, Dona Paula.

Facebook takes small steps into e-commerce

Gurgaon-Facebook is taking a small step toward becoming an e-commerce platform by launching a feature for users to buy and send real gifts worth as much as hundreds of dollars.

As of Thursday, users can purchase and ship products from more than a hundred "Facebook Gifts" vendors with a few clicks on the company's website. The products include eyeglasses by Warby Parker, Starbucks coffee, and pastries from New York-based Magnolia Bakery.

The code Breakers

"We're making a version of Hangman using images ," says 21-year-old Sumit Mulchandani. Sumit and his classmates Akshay Sharma and Akash Giri are from the Vellore Institute of Technology and were in the city to participate in a app-a-thon held last week at KTPO in Whitefield, Bangalore. The trio was huddled around laptops as they pounded away on a development program. "We've already built this app for the Windows Phone," said a proud Sumit. "We are trying to tweak it so that it works as well on the larger canvas provided by Windows 8."

Over 95 lakh Muslim students benefited through scholarships till March '12: Government

More than 95 lakh Muslim children benefited under the government's pre-matric scholarship scheme till the end of March this year, the government said Thursday.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs Vincent H. Pala gave the information in the Lok Sabha in response to a question.

The minister said, "More than 95 lakh Muslim children benefited under the pre-matric scholarship scheme from inception of the scheme in 2008-09 till the end of the 11th Five Year Plan, i.e. 31-03-2012".

Uttar Pradesh government to provide financial help to poor girls for higher education

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh government today gave clearance for providing a consolidated one-time Rs 30,000 financial help to Class XII pass out girls, hailing from weaker economic background, for their higher education.

The government today issued a Government Order (GO) stating girl students, who passed intermediate or equivalent examination in 2012 and onwards, would be provided a consolidated amount of Rs 30,000 under the Kanya Vidya Dhan scheme, an official release said.

What Indian IT companies Infosys, Wipro, TCS, HCL are not doing right

The top IT services companies have been around for a few decades but, for all practical purposes, they came into being around Y2K, when the world took notice of the Indian technological prowess. Since that historic turning point, the industry has zoomed from under $2 billion in 2000 to $70 billion in 2012. While that growth trajectory continues, albeit at slower rates, there is something amiss.