TechTalk: Exploring the Latest Technology News, Updates, Reviews, and Gossip

Japanese cellphones to turn into 'robot' buddies TOKYO (AFP) - For those who feel a bit lonely just talking on the phone, a Japanese company is offering a cellphone that turns into a robot buddy ready to chat. Softbank Mobile Corp.'s new mobile line looks like a small humanoid with attachable arms and legs, with the screen showing various faces. The PhoneBraver will be released in April after a character in an upcoming television drama series entitled " Cellphone Investigator 7." The telephone comes with enough artificial intelligence to learn the user's habits. If the user calls a particular person many times, a text phrase such as "You're calling her often these days, aren't you?" might appear coming out of the face's mouth, according to Softbank Mobile spokesman Katsuhide Furuya. The user could carry on conversations with the phone by responding "yes" or "no" or with other

Microsoft optimistic on Yahoo merger: senior executive TOKYO (AFP) - A senior Microsoft Corp. executive expressed optimism Thursday about the software giant's takeover bid for Internet firm Yahoo, saying the two companies' top managers were in close discussions. " We continue to have a very close dialogue with Yahoo's shareholders (and) Yahoo's management," Microsoft senior vice president Jean-Philippe Courtois said. "We simply hope for what we think is a very nice merger in terms of economies of scale, research and development, innovation, data centers...(and) to play a major role in the world," he told AFP after a press conference here. Yahoo spurned Microsoft's 44.6-billion-dollar bid for the veteran Internet firm on February 11. Courtois declined to comment on prospects of a hostile offer. Microsoft is currently offering a combination cash and stock deal initially valued at 31 dollars per share but whi

Telecoms firms treated better in Belarus than Brussels: mobile operator LONDON (AFP) - Mobile phone companies are treated better in Belarus than in the European Union, the head of Telekom Austria said in an interview published Friday. Speaking to the Financial Times, Boris Nemsic criticised EU plans to implement regulation if mobile phone companies do not cut their roaming charges for text messages and Internet use by July. " We have been much better treated in Belarus than in Brussels ," he told the business daily, after his company bought a 70 percent stake in a Belarus mobile phone operator. " That's not a political statement. That's a business statement . " EU communications commissioner Viviane Reding told mobile phone company chiefs at the industry's annual trade show in Barcelona earlier this month that they would not be allowed to "rip off" EU citizens who travel in the 27-member bloc. The EU has

A first for Filmfare: Darsheel for Best Actor New Delhi, Feb 26 Talented child artistes in Bollywood can now dream big and aim for laurels. For, 11-year-old Darsheel Safari's performance in 'Taare Zameen Par' has opened many doors. As the loveable dreamer with a learning disability in Aamir Khan's directorial debut, he won the critics' prize for best actor in the Filmfare Awards last week. Darsheel was nominated in the best actor category, the first such honour for a child in the 54-year-old film awards. Never before had a child artiste competed with established actors like Shah Rukh Khan for the best actor's crown. ' The award has certainly opened a new door for child artistes in the country. It provides a complete new platform for children,' Darsheel's mother Sheetal Safary told IANS on phone from Mumbai. Although Shah Rukh bagged the best actor's prize, Darsheel and his mother are happy with the fact that the industry has started recognisin

Shah Rukh to play 'Spiderman' for son Mumbai, Feb 25 (IANS) After getting six-pack abs to please his son, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has another dream for the boy. He wants to do an Indian version of the 'Spiderman' as a gift to Aryan who is a big FX and SRK fan. And the director chosen to put together what is arguably the most expensive movie ever made in Bollywood is Anubhav Sinha. The superstar is gung ho about the project. The two are writing the script. Though Sinha is not willing to reveal more details about SRK's 'superhero' project , the film will require a 12-year-old boy to co-star with the actor. At the moment, the hunt is on for the boy, who will get the opportunity to join Shah Rukh's fantasy of donning a cape and flying across the sky at supersonic speed. The director, credited with action movies ' Dus' and 'Cash' , is ready to take on the biggest challenge of his career. ' I'm surprised at how accessible Sha

Microsoft email prepares workers for Yahoo takeover SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - A Microsoft executive on Friday sent workers an upbeat email outlining a vision of how the software giant expects to take over Yahoo and merge the companies' cultures and resources. Yahoo spurned Microsoft's 44.6-billion-dollar bid for the veteran Internet firm on February 11. Microsoft is reportedly planning a hostile takeover bid if Yahoo's board of directors doesn't change its mind. In a message to employees, Microsoft platform and services division president Kevin Johnson shared " a perspective of the process going forward. " " We look forward to a constructive dialogue with Yahoo's board, management, shareholders, and employees on the value of this combination and its strategic and financial merits ," Johnson wrote. " Once Yahoo and Microsoft agree on a transaction, we can begin the integration planning process in par

Japan successfully launches high-speed Internet satellite TOKYO (AFP) - Japan successfully launched Saturday an experimental satellite aimed at providing high-speed Internet access across Asia, even when terrestrial infrastructure goes down, the space agency said. The domestically developed H-2A rocket carrying the Kizuna satellite was launched at 17:55 pm (0855 GMT) with no glitches from the Space Centre on Tanegashima island off the southern tip of Kyushu Island, southern Japan. The communications satellite, expected to be in use for five years, separated from the rocket approximately 35 minutes after the launch, said an official of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) during a live broadcast. The 342 million dollar-Kizuna will allow super-high speed data communications of up to 1.2 Gbps, which would make it the fastest in the world, the agency said. That rate would translate to 150 times that of the average high-speed ADSL connectio

Pakistan blocks YouTube for 'blasphemous' content: officials ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan has ordered all Internet service providers to block the YouTube website for containing "blasphemous" content and material considered offensive to Islam, officials said Sunday . An inter-ministerial committee has decided to block YouTube because it contained " blasphemous content, videos and documents ," a government official told AFP. " The site will remain blocked till further orders ," he said. Other officials said the site had been blocked because it contained controversial sketches of the Prophet Mohammed which were republished by Danish newspapers earlier this month. One major service provider, Micronet, said in an email to subscribers that the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority had directed all ISPs to block access to YouTube " for containing blasphemous web content/movies." "Meanwhile Internet users can write to YouTube.com to remove the