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Mozilla to launch Firefox OS phones in July            Mozilla, makers of the popular Firefox internet browser, is preparing to challenge Google and Apple's grip on smartphone software.        A new Firefox operating system for mobile devices is set for a July release after winning the backing of 13 wireless service providers around the globe, including Spain's Telefonica, China Unicom and America Movil.      Mozilla   is betting there's room for a software developer-friendly mobile platform alongside Apple's and Google's Android, which together power the majority of mobile devices on the planet.       The new software is based on open web standards and is capable of operating on devices with much lower hardware requirements than today's existing crop of smartphones, according to Mozilla.        Because the   Firefox OS   is open-source and web-based, third-party developers will be free to sell mobile applications without needing to share r

Google Mapathon India contest kick started     Winners of the contest, which is meant to improve Google Maps, to be awarded Android tablets, smartphones, gift vouchers or Google merchandise. Google has begun its crowd sourcing initiative in India which will help improve its Google Maps service further. The initiative that has begun in form of a competition, called Google Mapathon 2013, on February 12 involves users adding data to Google Maps via Google Maps maker application. Users can help improve the existing service or can also add newer points of interest to the mapping service. Once the entry is submitted with Google, the entry will be scrutinized and will be added to the mapping data. Jayanth Mysore, product manager, Google India said, "Google aims to provide better maps for India by building better maps for the users, by the users. Today, citizens across India can participate in this great project through Mapathon 2013." Top 1000 contributors to th

Relief fo r Smart Phone Battery Problem Now, a lithium-ion battery that charges in 10 minutes                     Researchers have developed a new lithium-ion battery that can recharge within 10 minutes and hold thrice as much energy as its existing counterparts.The new batteries could be used in anything from cell phones to hybrid cars.The design, currently under a provisional patent, could become commercially available within two to three years."It's an exciting research. It opens the door for the design of the next generation lithium-ion batteries," said Chongwu Zhou, professor at the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering, who led the team that developed the battery, the journal Nano Research reports.Zhou worked with graduate students Mingyuan Ge, Jipeng Rong, Xin Fang and Anyi Zhang, as well as Yunhao Lu of Zhejiang University in China, according to a Sourthern California statement.           Researchers have long attempt