Tech N Tricks

5 Reasons Why I Hate HD Console Gaming

2009-07-06T12:17:00.002+05:30

The next-gen of gaming, also known as HD Gaming, started with the introduction of the Xbox 360 way back in November 2005. It is another thing that PCs were capable of HD gaming much before the consoles, it's just that they picked up much later. Coming back; I spend good 25-30 hours a week playing on my Xbox 360 and PS3, and occasionally on the Wii -- that just means that I do enjoy my consoles. But the fact is that like most things in life, console gaming isn't perfect. So much so that I've come up with a list of reasons for the same.Whether you agree or disagree with my list, let me know in the comments section.
5) Highly Visual Centric (Xbox 360 and PS3): A good looking game can really turn heads -- MGS4, Gears of War, Bioshock and Uncharted; they're stunning games, and have been praised universally for the same. But it takes a lot of talent to makes such games, which not only look great but play just as well.

However, these days every developer wants to make games that look really good, but in their quest for visual supremacy, they lose out on the basics -- the games just aren't fun to play! NFS Undercover, Assassin's Creed, Afro Samurai, Face Breaker, need I say more? Nintendo's Wii is an exception in the visuals department, but most of its games get boring very soon.

4) Expensive (Consumer): I know PC gaming ain't cheap, but the same applies to consoles as well; in some cases consoles tend to be more expensive. Let's take the Xbox 360 for example, the HDD, the Wi-Fi adapter, headset -- all freaking expensive!

"Xbox Live" is a godsend and there are no two ways about it, but I am forced to pay to play a multiplayer game, which is insane. I can buy an original PC game from my local store for about Rs. 1000 ($20), but the same game on the PS3 costs me Rs. 2500 ($50).

3) Expensive (Developer): I don't really care how much the developers pay for making a good game, but if that leads to developers churning out weak games, I get livid! Developers can't risk millions of dollars and expect a small return, for every $1 they spend they need to make $10, which means low risk and minimum innovation. I was really impressed by Electronic Arts (EA) when they tried new games like Dead Space and Mirror's Edge, and I hope EA stays on this course. Making a new AAA title is really expensive but with the right amount of time and effort, we do get games like Fable II.

2) PC gaming is messed up: The biggest reason why PC gaming is dying is due to piracy, everyone likes free stuff and the internet is filled with torrents. But take a look at MMORPGs, there is a huge population that pays top dollar for these games, which means gamers will pay for a quality product. A game like World of Warcraft takes years to develop and is best experienced on a PC. But console gaming has lead to a new breed of "easy-gaming", you can't quick save on a console, so developers make sure you don't die that often (Prey, Bioshock) and in some cases you don't die at all (I am looking at you, Prince of Persia). I'm sure that most of you will disagree but let's face it, console gaming is a breeze compared to the old-school offerings on the PC.

1) The Fanboy-ism: I enjoy playing games on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 and on the Wii (occasionally) but I hate the fanboy-ism. There are no issues when you support your favorite brand but it's getting a little out of hand. Every decent forum is now filled with PS3 supporters, Xbots and the elite Wii squad. What surprises me the most is the fact that people take the console war so seriously, from ridiculing games on metacritic to starting anti-PS3/Xbox/Wii websites. It's truly insane and brings to notice the repercussions of a quarter life crisis.
These are mine reasons, What's your reason?

Red Faction Guerilla [Xbox 360 Review]

2009-07-06T12:10:00.002+05:30

Many of us are destructive by nature, some more than the others. There is a reason why we love playing video games that include a lot of explosions and a lot of killing, because we simply enjoy it. If you are one of those demented, sadistic maniacs, this is the game for you. Red Faction Guerilla has more explosions and mayhem than all the Michael Bay movies put together, and in keeping with tradition, the story sucks just as much.
Alec enters a fully colonized Mars to start working as a mining engineer and to reconnect with his brother. Within no time Alec realizes that Mars is a place filled with grief and slavery and is under the tyrannical rule of the EDF or Earth Defense Force. Alec's brother, Daniel, explains to his brother the situation and asks him to join in an oppressive movement led by some of Mars' residents. Alec has no such intention but it all changes when Daniel is shot down by the EDF.
Not too long after his brother's death, Alec too faces an aggressive EDF squad, but is saved in the nick of time by the Red Faction Guerillas. This is the same group that Daniel was working for. They give Alec a chance to complete what his brother started and he readily accepts it.
If any of you remember the original Red Faction, you will surely remember that the EDF was never the enemy, but with time and two sequels the tides have changed. The game's plot is very simple and follows Alec and the other guerilla as they fight and win back Mars, part by part. The plot is very basic, so don't expect anything more than your usual twists and turns.
RFG stands out for its technical achievement, the GeoMod engine ver 2. This amazing technology gives the player complete freedom to destroy virtually every man-made structure in the game. It's a third person action game, a far cry from the original Red Faction, which was an FPS, but both games feature GeoMod Tech.
What's really fascinating about the GeoMod tech is that it allows players to tackle the same situation in multiple ways. In a standard FPS/TPS, you follow a very linear format; see enemy, run and shoot, whereas in Red Faction Guerilla your options are limitless. When there is no solid obstruction to contain you or keep you cornered, you tend to think differently.
The game supports a cover system similar to Gears of War, but unfortunately isn't as smooth. Sticking to solid objects is easy but switching and moving to other points of cover is not as simple as Gears of War. Overall it's a standard open world action game; there are six separate areas that are controlled by the EDF, all of which need to be cleared of enemies. You have a map and GPS that lets you mark vital EDF structures, which when destroyed yields more power to the RFG and lesser control to the EDF. Your objective is to win all the six areas over time by destroying key structures and defending Red Faction Guerrilla bases.
The system does get old over time, but luckily there are simple side missions that include blowing up big structures in limited amount of time, which adds a bit of fun to the routine. The game also features some really ugly vehicles, but they are good enough to traverse the terrain and ram into EDF soldiers. The most interesting vehicle is a worker mech known as the Walker. This towering metal monster can rip apart an entire building block, as if it were made of paper. The Walker can be hijacked and then used to create havoc on Mars, trust my words; the Walker is a ton of fun.
The multiplayer component makes full use of the destructible environments, with most game modes revolving around causing destruction. The game features standard modes like CTF, deathmatch and a really cool mode called Siege. In Siege, the players have to destroy a set of buildings that are vital to the enemy and the first team to destroy all the structures first wins.
This mode also features a special weapon called the Reconstructer, which allows you to reconstruct destroyed structures. The MP also uses experience points that can be used to change the player's avatar and unlock more game modes. You also get access to special backpacks that give the player a special ability for a limited period of time. You will be able to run much faster or destroy a wall by merely running into it.
The game doesn't boast of jaw dropping visuals but looks good enough. One has to judge the game based on the superior tech and not merely on the visual appeal. The game plays at a smooth frame rate throughout without any major lag, which is quiet commendable. The explosions look great and you won't be bored even on your second play through. I recommend this game to anyone who wants a good action game, wants to blow up a lot of stuff and wants to relax with some really good multiplayer.
Good : GeoMod engine is amazing, blowing up stuff never gets old, a good action game, great multiplayer modes
Bad : Boring plot and voice acting

Microsoft Zune HD

2009-07-03T22:46:00.004+05:30

Microsoft officially announced plans to release a touch-screen version of the Zune portable media player, intended to compete with Apple's iPod Touch. The new device is called the Zune HD, and offers several features not found on the iPod Touch, including an OLED display, HD radio, and high-definition video playback (using an optional dock accessory). Long-standing Zune features, such as a photo viewer, games, podcast management, and Zune Pass music subscription integration, will continue to be supported, as well.
The Zune HD will be the first Zune to include an Internet Explorer Web browser, complementing its other Wi-Fi features (song sharing, Channel streaming, and Zune Marketplace browsing). The Zune HD's browser is optimized for the touch screen with an onscreen keyboard, but there's no word on whether it will be capable of streaming Flash media (used by sites such as YouTube and Pandora), a capability that is currently lacking in the Safari browser for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Microsoft also unveiled plans to dramatically beef up the video download selection of its Zune Marketplace online store, and use the improved storefront to power the movie and TV downloads available to the Xbox gaming console. No word yet on whether the new storefront will support movie rentals that can be transferred to Zune hardware (similar to iTunes movie rentals), but Microsoft has already proven very capable of managing media DRM with its Zune Pass subscription music service.
The Zune HD isn't the first MP3 player to offer a 3.3-inch touch-screen OLED display or high-definition video output, but it is one of the first portable audio devices with announced plans for an HD radio tuner. Beyond the added fidelity of HD radio, the format also lends itself well to transmitting artist and song data, which is useful for the Zune's existing FM radio song-tagging and download feature.
Zune HD specification
Zune HD will have 3.3 inch OLED display capacitive touch screen with 480x272 16:9 resolution).The HD video can be taken out via AV Dock to external HDTV or compatible device .
Flash memory 16GB and 32 GB models.
Built-in accelerometer for landscape mode and screen rotation
HD radio tuner (receives FM only).
Wi-Fi connectivity for accessing Zune market place and webpages using internet explorer 6 mobile.
Unicode Support.
Zune HD will be available in Black and Silver-Bronze colors.
Zune HD price and launch date
Microsoft has confirmed the official launch date of Zune HD as September 8 2009 . The expected price for 16 GB and 32 GB Zune HD model will be 199$ and 299$ receptively . So India ,when converting the price will be around 10000-15000 INR.

Acer eMachines EL1600 Desktop [Review]

2009-07-03T22:13:00.002+05:30

eMachines is a very popular brand in the U.S. that is sold through retailers and e-tailers alike. They are well-known for providing cost effective solutions to the end user and that's exactly the kind of solution we'll be reviewing today. Acer has launched the brand in India with a small palette of products to begin with. Today we'll be taking a look at an entry-level desktop or Nettop as Asus calls it. Inspired by the Eee Box, the EL1600 too is based on the same idea but irons out some of the shortcomings of the EeeBox making this a lot more practical. The PC is powered by Intel's Atom processor, so you can expect a typical Netbook configuration with 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. This time around Acer has thrown in an optical drive as well.
Bundle Includes : Power cord, Keyboard and mouse, Driver DVD, Mouse pad.
The keyboard has a pretty average build and the keys are smaller than a regular keyboard, so it feels a little weird at first. The mouse has a better build but again it's more of a laptop mouse so the size may not suite everyone.
Design and Construction
While unpacking it from the box, the first thing you'll notice is its stylish looks. It's not as small as the EeeBox but it's definitely a lot smaller than a regular desktop. The front has a full gloss finish with the eMachines logo placed at the top. There are four ports in the front and an audio jack. The big 'E' badge is actually the power button that lights up green when powered on. That's Acer's color, which could also be interpreted as an effort at making 'green' product, as the desktop consumes less power. Very clever indeed!
Let's finish up with the connectivity first before we go inside. The rear features the power supply at the top, where a standard power cord plugs in. There are nice big ventilation holes on the side, so there's very little chance of overheating. For the bundled keyboard and mouse we have two PS2 ports, a Serial and Parallel port, four more USB ports, a 10/100 LAN port (no Gigabit LAN) and the audio connector. Just below are two expansion slots, which mean adding a Wi-Fi or Sound card is possible.
At the heart of the El1600 lies Intel's Atom N230 processor on the 945 chipset. We still have 1GB of DDR2 800MHz, which is a little less. The SATA-II hard disk is 160GB, which is still enough for an average user. But the best part is that Acer has used a regular 3.5-inch HDD, which means better performance (7200 RPM) and cheaply replaceable as compared to a laptop hard drive. There is one free IDE port, but no more place to add anything else in the chassis, so it's wasted. There are just two SATA ports both of which are occupied. The DVD writer has a LabelFlash feature similar to LightScribe to burn DVD labels.
Analysis
The EL1600 comes with Windows Vista Home Premium, which came as surprise, as I expected XP. Being the resource hog that it is, Vista is not the best choice for this sort of PC, which essentially is a Netbook. Still it wasn't as bad as I hoped. Navigating through Windows was quite spiffy and even Flip 3D worked smoothly. Launch any application and it begins to choke a bit, and takes longer than usual to launch. Office 2007 wasn't much of a strain, so using Word and Powerpoint shouldn't be a problem.
Photoshop CS4 I know this is a bad idea but what the hell. We tried Photoshop CS4, and though it worked, it was very slow because of just 1GB RAM. Loading a 500MB image is a little overwhelming for the system, especially with a lot of layers. Needless to say if you need to perform any serious Photoshop tasks then this is not for you.
Gaming Everyone plays an odd game or two once in a while, so it's important to see what this one can handle. A small game like 2D side scrollers is not a problem; in fact CounterStrike 1.6 works well too with toned down settings. Even Quake or Unreal Tournament should work but don't expect high frame rates.
Power Consumption Being an Atom based computer you know the power consumption is going to be lot more relaxed. On idle the EL1600 consumes 36W, which is good considering the desktop components used instead of notebook parts. When put under stress, the PC shoots up to 42W, which again is quite low. This can be the perfect second PC for the kids' bedroom or can be used as a download rig.
Pricing
Since this is targeted at the entry-level segment the pricing has to be reasonable enough to attract the target audience. This desktop is priced at Rs.10,000 (INR) which is exactly what the Eee Box should have been priced. This is quite an aggressive price coming from Acer and the lack of Wi-Fi should not be a big problem since you can add one later in the spare PCI slot. All you really need is a monitor to start surfing.
My Verdict
Acer has teamed up with eMachines to bring their entry-level desktops to the masses and they've hit the right price point going head-on against Asus and their EeeBox. Where it loses out is the size and compactness compared to the EeeBox, but it more than makes up in the choice of components.
All those who were crying about the lack of optical drive may rejoice as we have a standard desktop DVD burner along with a 3.5-inch desktop hard drive that can easily/cheaply be swapped for a higher capacity drive. There's also a free expansion slot for a Wi-Fi card or a sound card making it upgradable.
The design is quite stylish, so you can proudly display it next to your monitor. There's very little to complain about here. The build of the desktop is solid and so are the bundled keyboard and mouse. Wi-Fi could have been included just to complete the package but that's not a major put off.
Specifications
Microprocessor : Intel ATOM N230-i.6 Ghz, 512 KB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB
Memory : 1 BG DDR2, 667 MHZ Optical Drive : Labelflash DVD Writer
Hard Disk : 160 GB SATA HDD @ 7200 RPM Graphics : Intel GMA 950 graphics
Audio : Embedded high defination audia
LAN : 10/100 LAN Keyboard : PS2 keyboard Mouse : Optical Mouse
Housing : New Emachines By Acer Extra Small Form Factor (8.5L)
I/O Expansion Slot : PCI Slot

Top 10 Tips N Tricks For Long Battery Life

2009-06-28T22:33:00.001+05:30

1. Recalibrate a laptop battery to regain life
It's a shame, but laptop batteries can lie to you about how much juice they have, or can really hold. The New York Times explains in a Q & A the most straight-forward means of getting the real truth. Turn off all your interrupting apps, like screensavers and the like, put your computer to sleep, and plug it in until you know it's good and charged. Then turn it back on, make sure your power settings are such that the system won't try to sleep or hibernate, then run your computer all the way down on battery power. Charge it back up one more time, and you'll know whether you really need to start shopping at Laptop Battery Express, Laptops for Less, or check with your manufacturer to get a new lithium stick.
2. Make your system smarter about power
Windows and Mac OS X both know when you're using a laptop, and presumably want to help you save power. Except, in the case of the Mac, sleeping and hibernating isn't done with remaining battery power in mind, and on Vista, well, all those Aero effects and background processes suck up power too quickly. Enter Vista Battery Saver, which kills the Aero effects, sidebar widgets, and other power sinks, and SmartSleep (OS X), which gradually transitions from sleep, to sleep-and-hibernate, to full-on, session-saving hibernate as you start winding down from 20 percent charge. Both are nearly necessary downloads for road warriors lugging either OS around.
3. Get long-term battery life
An inquiring reader asked how to keep his batteries delivering on-the-go power for the long haul, rather than watch his investment be eaten away by age. As is so often the case, our readers came right back with answers. A MetaFilter thread linked by one helpful reader suggests using the battery fully if you're going to use it, then re-charge when it runs down. A Battery University link offers more tips, and Apple's guide to batteries suggests a few tips on what to do with unused or spare batteries—store them in a cool place at about 50 percent charge, for instance.
4. Stash your gadgets out of your pockets
It's the most natural place in the world for your cellphone or iPod, but the heat your pocket picks up from, well, your hips can decrease the overall life of lithium-ion batteries. Not so much that you absolutely have to get one of those I'm An Important Person belt clips, but if you've got a coat, purse, or other place to put a battery-powered gizmo, consider offering it a little more ventilation than your body-warmed cotton wraps. While you're thinking cool, try stashing your batteries (just your batteries, mind you) in the freezer if you're trying to conserve every last drop while you're away from your charger.
5. Extend your not-so-hot iPhone life
A lot of lists out there offer to help extend your iPhone's battery life. This one's a lot like them, except it's written by our sibling site Gizmodo and based on extensive testing done during the run-up to the iPhone's launch. And it goes so far as to suggest what the others don't—playing games with 3D and vibrate, for example, is a power killer, both in actual juice and in how long you'll end up playing without realizing you've been sucked in. And if you're just checking weather, emailing, and making calls, keep your 3G switched off until it's needed.
6. Watch movies from hard drives, not DVDs
Simple, sure, but not always obvious. On many planes and trains, laptops serve as little more than portable DVD players with bigger screens, but forcing your laptop to spin the discs and read from them eats up more power than reading a file off a hard disk—or, perhaps even better, a USB drive. How to get there? We recommend HandBrake for most any system, though Adam's got a pretty good thing going with his (Windows-based) one-click DVD ripping solution.
7. Turn off your digital camera's screen
Having a view of the whole scene you're shooting is one of the digital camera's big advantages over film-based models, but powering that tiny little LCD takes quite the toll on your little batteries. If you're running low, or know you're going to be without a recharge for some time, turn the screen off and shoot through the optical viewfinder. You'll save battery time, and might find a new perspective on focus and framing.
8. Get serious rechargeable batteries (and a charger)
It's a help to the environment, and your checking account, to use rechargeable batteries instead of letting your Wii remotes and other gadgets eat through AAs. But the grocery store brands and accessories often don't seem worth the hassle. Blogger Jeff Atwood does know what works, though, and he details the circuit science and recommends the good stuff in the post linked above. If you're stuck with Energizer and Duracell choices, though, here's Gizmodo's faceoff of the big brands.
9. Keep your iPod "held" and updated
If you haven't hit the "Update" button since you got your iPod, old or new, fire up iTunes and do so—the newest firmware, in many cases, can boost your battery life. Once you've done that, run through Playlist Magazine's battery saving tips, which include keeping backlighting, the equalizer, and Sound Check features off when they're not needed. Also, keeping the "Hold" switch in place when you're not actively using it saves you from accidentally playing your whole collection, and wasting another charge cycle.
10. Turn C batteries into Ds with quarters
Only a few things ever need D batteries, but who has them handy when you need those things? If you've got some slightly more handy C batteries around, you only need a few quarters to turn them into makeshift Ds. You won't get the same longevity, and you'll have to part with up to $1.50 for a bit, but it works, and it might just turn you into the family hero when you rescue that seemingly useless big-lens flashlight.

Trine : Demo Impressions

2009-06-28T22:24:00.002+05:30

Some of my most memorable gaming experiences have come in the pre-pre HD era. 2D side-scrollers like Contra, Mario, Sonic, Strider and Double Dragon made gaming on 8 bit consoles so much fun. Luckily some developers' still believe in old school gaming, and Capcom's Bionic Commando Rearmed is a fine example. It sold quite a few copies and was well accepted by critics. A game called Trine caught my attention a few months back, this Action/Puzzle title showed a lot of promise with its unique take on co-op gaming.
Trine is an action title that combines platforming and puzzle elements to create a rather unique game. In single player mode you control three different characters; Knight, Wizard and Thief. Each character is special and equipped with distinctive abilities. The knight is a powerful fighter, and the thief is agile and can latch on to solid objects, whereas the wizard can create solid objects out of thin air. The idea is to use all the three characters together to overcome various obstacles that the game offers.
As mentioned before in single player mode, you need to switch characters, whereas in co-op, up to three players can play together. I spent a little more than 20 min with the game but I'm already mighty impressed; it's fun to play and challenging at the same time.
You will be constantly fighting undead enemies, who give you health and experience. The knight is best at fighting the undead followed by the thief. The wizard on the other hand is better off solving puzzles. Listed below are some important features of the game:

1) Physics play a very important role in the game, especially when it comes to solving puzzles.

2) The wizard can create solid objects and then levitate/move them. This is a useful ability when one needs to open trap doors, or jump to a high structure.

3) The thief's ability to latch on to solid objects is really useful to scale high structures as well as jump over long distances.

4) The knight has a very practical block ability that works wonders against the undead enemy. He works best against the undead; his fast attack moves combined with the block ability enable you to clear a roomful of enemies very easily.

Overall the demo was a lot of fun. I faced some interesting scenarios that were easily overcome using all the three characters. Visually the game is stunning, with clean vibrant textures and really good character animation. The plot sounds very simple but is good enough to hold the game together. I couldn't experience co-op play in the demo, which was unfortunate, as I can already sense a great co-op game in Trine. The game is exclusive to the PS3 and will be available in the first week of July, but you can try the game by clicking on this link. You can also visit the homepage and check out gameplay videos by clicking here.

Uncharted 2 : Multiplayer Preview

2009-06-28T22:18:00.005+05:30

The original Uncharted took many by surprise; the game was an unexpected hit selling over two million units on the PS3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves looks really promising and offers better visuals as well as new multiplayer mode. The multiplayer beta has been active for the past three weeks and it's quite popular as you will always find people queued up for a match.

To be honest I was a little surprised when Sony announced multiplayer for Uncharted 2, as they didn't really need a multiplayer component since Uncharted was a stellar single player experience. But these days developers' don't believe in a core single player experience anymore, hence UC2 will ship with some traditional and some not-so-traditional multiplayer. The multiplayer beta offers two game modes; competitive and co-operative. Competitive mode consists of traditional Team deathmatch and a CTF inspired mode called Plunder. The deathmatch is pretty standard stuff, with two sides, permanent spawn spots and an abundance of weapons. The shooting mechanism is very similar to the original UC, with a similar control scheme.

You have standard weapons like rifles, snipers, shotguns and pistols, with applicable real life physics like recoil, so it's not just run-and-gun. You can take cover behind most solid objects, which adds a little depth to the game. The cover system slows down the game as you won't find people running around aimlessly. However, players tend to use the cover mechanics a lot. The deathmatch is fun but be prepared to die a lot, since the maps aren't too big and players tend to chuck grenades. On the other hand Plunder is a very team centric mode, and requires some really good co-ordination. Players need to infiltrate and pick up a heavy gold statue, which needs to be carried back to base. The carrier slows down and is limited to using his pistol, so it's up to his teammates to protect him. What's really cool is the option to pass on the statue to a teammate or leave it on the ground, finish off the enemies nearby and then proceed.

The 'Plunder' mode is really addictive and although it follows an age-old formula, it works like a charm. The players can choose special abilities in competitive multiplayer. You have two slots that can be filled with abilities that range from more accuracy while shooting to carrying more ammo. The other winner is the co-op mode, which is a welcome addition to UC2. The co-op mode features Nathan, the new female lead Chloe as well as Sully (your old companion). The game randomly assigns you a character though all players have equal attributes, so no one has an unfair advantage. The co-op level is about 10 min long and features many co-op events. These are very simple acts that need to be performed by at least two teammates. These include helping teammates scale high structures or helping them over a wall. The game makes it challenging to carry out these acts as there are enemies constantly firing at you, but it's the challenge that makes the co-op mode fun.

One thing that I noticed in co-op was that, enemies tend to jump out from all sides, so you always need to watch out for yourself and your partner. If one of the players is killed, the mission goes on but once the remaining players clear the area and reach a checkpoint, everyone joins back. The co-op mode takes a lot of inspiration from games like Gears of War and Resident Evil 5, so you will face situations when you need to revive your teammates when they are down and bleeding. The co-op works smoothly and provides a very good experience.

Overall the new multiplayer component in Uncharted 2 looks very good and will add to the overall appeal, thus making UC2 even more exciting.

iPhone Vs gPhone

2009-06-26T22:59:00.002+05:30

Has T-Mobile Blown It?

The iPhone 3G came out recently! But wait...when is the Google myTouch 3g releasing to public? Hype about the Google phone is virtually nonexistent. Is it T-Mobile’s marketing ineptitude? Is it some production delay? Have there been bureaucratic pitfalls? We have no idea, but while everyone is foaming at the mouth over the latest iteration of the iPhone, news on it’s Android competition is conspicuously hard to come by.

Did T-Mobile and Google miss the boat by not promoting a new Android?

Apple told everybody what the iPhone does and when we could get one weeks ago. What’s more, despite the fact that ‘what it does’ is pretty much the same as ‘what the old one already did (but faster)’ they still made enough people want one that the pre-sale models were gone almost a week ahead of release.

So...my question is...When does this new Android device come out? we don’t really even know the name of the thing. MyTouch 3G, G3, gPhone, ION, HTC Magic... I mean really. Forget about the tech specs (which would also be nice to be able to talk about), we don’t even know what to call the damned thing. Apple deserves a lot of credit (I guess?) for being good marketers. Of course what have they had to work against? It’s not hard to out market something that isn’t being marketed. What is the new iPhone competing with? The new Google phone we know nothing about aside, we’ve got the Palm Pre from Sprint and what? Who has seen a single Pre commercial or ad? Who’s left? Verizon’s touchscreen trainwreck ‘Storm’? Please. Nietzsche said; “At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid.” It definitely fits here.

While Google/T-Mobile are hiding little details, people are running as fast as they can to the next shiny object, which just so happens to be the iPhone 3Gs. I’m not saying Google’s new phone doesn't have a chance, but the way things are going, they aren’t even making Apple break a sweat.

Michael Martin, who maintains a Google-approved blog for Android called Google And Blog, talked with WebProNews about the upcoming Google phone. Michael likened the iPhone and gPhone to the Mac vs. PC conflict in the 1980's. When asked what he thinks Apple’s response will be to Google’s (what he calls) "ION", Michael says “we'll see what happens”. As for his predictions on consumer reaction to the Google phone vs. iPhone, he says; “there is a trash-bin not too far away, so if you have an iPhone you can put it in there and pick up an Android." Not that we have any idea WHEN we can pick one up - or even what to ask for... Just for the record, Michael Martin gave us more information about this mystery phone than T-Moblie has, so we actually owe him a thank you.

To me the most frustrating and baffling aspect of all of this is the fact that the HTC Magic (which will be renamed to ‘something’ in the USA) has already been out for weeks in Europe. The good news is, if you dig around hard enough, you can find specs and even some (mostly positive) reviews of the Google phone. So, all the more reason to wonder why most people in America have no idea about the thing.

The truth is, I’ve heard non-stop chatter about the iPhone but until my manager mentioned Google's new phone, I didn’t even know there was such a thing. After researching Android a little, I found that any information on it was unreasonably difficult to come by. By contrast, type in iPhone 3g into Google and anything you want to know is right in front of you.

Google is clearly motivated and highly interested in encouraging application development for Android. This was made clear a couple of weeks ago when they gave away a couple hundred of the new handsets at the I/O conference. Certainly that did some good insofar as generating some Buzz, but they (or maybe T-Mobile) have made little or no effort to engage consumers. They just let Apple have a free ride with the new iPhone without putting so much as a bug in the public ear about their competing product.

Would the announcement of a Google Phone have effected your decision to buy a new iPhone?

T-moblie has not done well (to put it mildly) with marketing their product and really needs to get the ball rolling if they expect the newest Android to compete on any level with iPhone. Understand, I find Google's up and coming phone very intriguing (from what i have seen), I just don’t think it’s ideal from a marketing standpoint that I have to look so hard for information about it.

Ray T65 [Review]

2009-06-26T22:52:00.005+05:30

The Ray T65 phone that I am reviewing today is imported and sold exclusively by Mobile Store in India. It has a large 2.8-inch touchscreen display, a 3.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, expandable memory and many other features at a very competitive price. We got a sample to see for ourselves how well the phone performs and whether it is worth your money.

Bundle Includes : Ray T65, Battery, Charger, Headset, Data Cable, User Guide, Software CD.

Design & Construction

The ray T65 has a standard candy-bar design. It measures 110 x 58 x 12.2 mm and weighs 113 gm. The phone is rather large and unnecessarily so as you can see there is plenty of wasted space around the display and the keypad. The front side has the call speaker at the top. Below is the display that is sunk too deep into the phone to prevent accidental presses from your face during a call. But it also ends up collecting a lot of dust around the edges as it is hard to clean that area.

Below the display are the navigation keys and the soft keys along with the call end keys. The navigation keys allow you to use the phone completely without having to bother with the touchscreen. The keys are very large, perhaps a bit too large, and thus very easy to use. The backlight is a bit pale but visible in the dark. The front side has a nice brushed metal finish and the edges have chrome lines that make the phone look somewhat upmarket.

On the right side of the phone, at the top, is a switch that allows you to toggle between still camera, video camera and image viewer modes in the camera application. Below is a miniUSB port under a flap, which is responsible for all connections to the phone, including the charger, the headset and the data cable. I would have preferred if the phone had used a standard 3.5mm or even a 2.5mm headphone jack for the audio out, as it is difficult to get a converter for the miniUSB port. Below the port is the camera shutter key.

On the rear side of the phone is the camera lens at the top with an LED flash and the loudspeaker grille beside it. Below lies the battery cover. Underneath the batter cover, you'll notice the memory card slot (accepts up to 2 GB of cards) along with the SIM slot and of course the battery itself. The position of the memory card does not let you remove or add it without removing the battery, which is very inconvenient. Build quality-wise the phone is very good. It has a nice solid feel and does not feel fragile. The weight is also manageable and it never feels bulky despite its size. The design however was universally proclaimed to be unattractive and not something that you would want to be seen with. Over the time it does tends to grow on you but people who see it for the first time never seem to like it. Clearly the design is the biggest chink in the phone's armour.

Display

The Ray T65 has a 2.8-inch 262k QVGA Touchscreen TFT LCD. Now there are two major things in the previous line; it is a 2.8-inch display and also a touchscreen. Now it is a big deal to have a 2.8-inch display at this price and the fact that it is a touchscreen is an even bigger deal. The display quality is pretty good as well and if you ignore the fact that stretching QVGA resolution to 2.8-inch makes the text a bit blocky, then you'll notice that the colors are also good, and so is the visibility under sunlight. The biggest surprise was the sensitivity of the touchscreen. Placing the display quite deep in the body of the phone has allowed the manufacturer to have a really high level of sensitivity for the display. Just a slight touch on the display is sufficient to register an input. This makes the phone much easier to use.

UI & Navigation

The UI design of the T65 is fairly simple and easy to use. On the home screen you can see the digital clock and the network name on the bottom left of the screen. On the top is a row of icons. You cannot interact with these icons with the help of the touchscreen. For example, you cannot press on the profile icon and change the profile or press on the Bluetooth icon and switch it on or off. The soft key functions are visible at the bottom at all times. The sensitive touchscreen and fast user interface makes using the phone a pleasurable experience. My only complaint is that the UI has been optimised for usage with the navigation keys and the stylus, while using the fingers can be a bit difficult at times.

Connectivity, Calling and Messaging

The Ray T65 is a Dual Band GSM 900/1800 MHz phone. Why it is just dual band and not quad band or even tri-band remains a mystery. However if you don't roam much then it won't be a big deal. For data connectivity the phone supports GPRS as well as EDGE. For shorter range there is Bluetooth v2.0 (with A2DP support) and USB 1.1. The call quality and network reception on the T65 was just fine. The call speaker had plenty of volume on offer. The loudspeaker was also quite loud and the vibration strength was good as well. File transfers over Bluetooth went smoothly and the phone worked well with our Bluetooth Stereo headsets. The USB connection, being only v1.1, was painfully slow however and I would recommend you get a card reader for yourself. Messaging on the T65 turned out to be a pain. The on-screen QWERTY keypad was miniscule and only usable with the stylus. Even when using the stylus, aiming and pressing on the tiny keys required the precision of a neurosurgeon!

Multimedia

The camera on the Ray T65 is a 3.0 mega pixel CMOS sensor with auto-focus. The camera also has an LED flash for assistance in low-light conditions. The lens however is not protected and thus exposed to dust and scratches. The phone has a two step shutter key. Depending on the position of the sliding camera switch on the side, pressing and holding the shutter key either launches the still camera, the video camera or the image viewer. Just like other apps on the phone the camera app starts immediately. The camera app allows you adjust the resolution, the image quality, exposure level, the ISO level, the white balance, color mode, frames and other such settings. Most of these settings can be changed from the viewfinder mode with the help of the on-screen icons. The quality of the camera was pretty good, much better than I expected. The details were not exactly mind blowing but quite decent all the same and the colors were excellent. The only major problem was blown highlights in areas of high brightness. Indoors the flash takes care of objects placed within 1m of the lens but anything beyond and the flash is useless.

The phone can also record videos in QVGA resolution at 15 FPS. The quality of the videos is average and nothing to write home about. The music player on the T65 supports MP3, AAC and WAV. Some of the problems with the music player include its inability to find music from folders other than the dedicated music folder, inability to sort them into categories such as album, artist, etc., and the inability to display album art. The phone also has a built-in FM radio. The best part about the radio is that you can record the radio broadcasts. The reception strength was good but the audio quality was not, thanks to the supplied headset. The video player is capable of playing back videos in QVGA resolution at 30 FPS in 3GP or MP4 format. You can watch the videos in full screen as well. You can even increase or decrease the speed of the video and take screenshots of it. Videos look pretty good on the large screen of the T65.

Battery Life

The Ray T65 has a 1000 mAh Li-Ion battery. During my testing period, which involved some calls, messages, GPRS usage and music playback over A2DP among other things, the phone lasted for two days on a single charge. This is a respectable figure considering that I kept the display on full brightness at all times.

My Verdict

I must say the Ray T65 turned out to be much better than what I expected it to be. The design can hardly be called good looking but the build quality was just fine. The display quality, especially the touchscreen response was very good. Even better was the response of the UI, which was blazing fast. The overall multimedia performance of the phone, especially the camera performance was also quite decent. However, the best part is the price. Priced at Rs. 6,999, the Ray T65 is terrific value for money that makes you overlook the minor flaws that it has. Overall, if you are on a tight budget and want a maximum bang for your buck kind of a device, and don't mind the boring design, then I suggest you give the Ray T65 a good hard look.

Go Green: Save Power with LED Technology

2009-06-26T22:29:00.006+05:30

Going green, it's the latest fad in today's times with everyone sporting the 'Green' tech certified label on their products, but how can we be certain if they are really helping the environment? Green tech needn't require a label on the box to be certified. For instance something as simple as using a Phillips Long Life light bulb instead of a regular one can save you a lot of power, while at the same time last you longer.

Besides fridges, which need to run continuously, there is another appliance in every household that's almost constantly on. It's none other that out favorite idiot box which has evolved from black and white CRT's all the way to LCD technology, and now LED TV's paving the way for OLED TV's and god knows what else. So why are we banking so hard all of a sudden on going green?

How does it work? LED vs CCFL

Let's start off with the traditional backlighting method known as CCFL or Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp lighting. Here the LCD panel is lit up by a cold cathode lamp placed behind the LCD with the diffuser evenly distributing light across the TV. These are usually placed at the top and bottom of the screen, which is why at time you'll notice some bleeding at the top and bottom sections when you have a black background. CCFLs normally have a life span of 10,000 to 20000 hrs, which is shorter than that of LEDs. Some of the biggest known drawbacks of CCFLs can be seen in cold weather when the light output can drop down by almost 60%. Also, their life span can be reduced greatly by vibrations, sometimes up to 50%, so it should be handled with extreme care.

One of the main advantages of LED backlighting is low cost, longer life, low operational voltage, immunity to vibration and more precise control over the intensity. There are two methods of implementing this technology; one is Edge lit and the other Array lit. Fortunately we've happened to test both these technologies and see them working first hand. First up is the Samsung 40-inch LED TV that uses the Array Lit LED technique. Here the LEDs are mounted uniformly behind the display, which then pass through a diffuser to spread the light evenly. Since there is no cathode lamp, the overall width of the panel is considerably reduced. And because of the array of LEDs, when a dark scene is displayed the LEDs in that area can be dimmed or turned off, thus saving you power and giving you a deeper black. The disadvantage is the slightly more power needed to drive these LEDs as compared to Edge lit. In order to achieve the 'slimmest TV in the world' title, Sony went for the Edge lit technique in the Sony BRAVIA 40-inch LED TV. The LEDs here are mounted on the side and focused on to a diffuser. It consumes lower power and is slimmer, but the backlight is not as even as an Array-lit LCD. You'll clearly notice small patches of light around the edges, especially with a black background.

Are we really saving power?

With all this fancy talk about this technology I guess the real question is does it really work? Is the power consumption really lower as compared to a regular LCD TV and if so how much power are you really saving? We've taken the power rating of the Samsung and Sony LED TV, along with a couple of other regular LCD TV's and computed the power consumed per month considering the TV is used for 10 hours a day. For instance if the TV consumes 200W and your average watching period is 10 hours a day, then the total power consumed would be 2000W or 2kW. Now multiply this by 30 and you have your power consumption for an entire month.

For this test, the TV displayed a static screen with the picture mode set to standard.

This is really interesting; the largest LCD TV consumed the least amount of power all thanks to LED backlighting. Even though the Sony was also LED backlit, it ended up consuming quite a lot of power. The two LG 42-inchers were somewhat the same except that the plasma consumed a lot more power, while the Videocon consumed the most for its size. We can therefore conclude that a 46-inch LCD with CCFL backlighting will consume more power.

Conclusion

It's not just hype after all, these new LED TV's are really making a big difference when it comes to saving power. The backlighting is more even as there is little to no backlight bleeding. Also, their pricing is not that exorbitant, in fact, it's actually a tad cheaper compared to the same sized CCFL LCD TV. For now these televisions belong to only the high-end TV segment, but very soon CCFL will be replaced by LED. So what's next? OLED! This is a completely different story all together as we are dealing with a completely different technology that's still nascent, and it'll be a while before it goes commercial.

Sony NWZ-E436F Walkman Player

2009-06-25T22:37:00.003+05:30

Well earlier this month I wrote about the Tips to choose good MP3 player and Headphone. And One of my reader ask me about my pick, so here I am with Sony NWZ-E436F Walkman Player.
The Sony NWZ-E436F Walkman is a very compact and lightweight MP3 player. Sold in two capacities, 2 GB and 4 GB, the little player is capable of playing back videos and photos and also has a built-in FM radio.
Bundle includes : Sony Walkman NWZ-E436F, Stereo Earphones, Data Cable, Dock adaptor.
Design & Construction
The Sony NWZ-E436F has a really compact design. It is slim, small and very light, which makes carrying it around a real pleasure. The front side as the 2.0" display at the top with the Sony logo. Below the display is the Walkman logo and the player's navigation keys. The navigation keys resemble the head of Mickey Mouse with a 5-way D-pad in the centre and the Back and Options key on the top right. The Back key can be pressed and held to go directly back to the main menu and the Options key can be pressed and held to turn the power on or off. The entire front side is covered in glossy black plastic.
The side of our black colored model was finished in glossy hazelnut color, but unlike the front surface it did not attract any finger prints at all. On the right side we could see the dedicated volume control keys, something we fail to see on many music players. Below it is the Hold switch for locking the player's keys. There is not much on the left side apart from the Walkman logo at the top. On the bottom side of the player is the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Beside that we can see the proprietary WM-Port that is used for connecting the data cable and other accessories such as the speaker docks. The top side is completely empty.On the rear side of the player we can see the large Walkman logo in the middle. Below the logo we see a rather ugly sticker with the product information slapped on it. I wonder why Sony did not print the information directly on the player itself like Apple does on its iPods. The sticker can of course be removed. At the very bottom is the reset hole for times when the player software might crash. The build quality of the player is very good. The only problem with the design is the extreme affinity of the front side to fingerprints. You also get the option of having the player in red, blue and pink colors, although I personally feel black looks best.
UI & Navigation
The user interface of the NWZ-E436F is very simple and easy to navigate. You turn the player on by pressing the power key and to turn it off press and hold it again. The player takes its time to scan the library whenever it does a cold start and for that very reason it does not turn off completely whenever you press the power key but rather goes into a low power standby mode. Waking the player from this mode is faster. However, if the player is left in standby mode for more than four hours, it turns off completely.The main menu consists of nine icons arranged in a grid, and reminds of the menu on Sony Ericsson phones. The icons have similar transition effects as you move through them. The interface speed is very fast and there is never a lag or slowdown. The music player sorts the music into categories such as all songs, album, artist, etc. Once inside, if you go in the album view then you can see the album art besides the name of the album names. If you go in the track view you can scroll down vertically through the list or horizontally to quickly move alphabetically through the music from 0-9, A-B, C-D, etc. Scrolling through the list is fairly quick, so even if you have a large library (as large as 4 GB could allow) you can still quickly find the one track that you want. The album art view is a bit small, especially when compared to the new iPod Nano which has a full screen album art with a nice floor reflection, but if you want you can go into the options and view it in a bigger screen. Below the album art is the other information of the currently playing track which includes the artist, album, genre and the year. In the last row you can see the play pause status, the currently elapsed time (if you are in the now playing screen) or the now playing file name (if you are in other menu) and the battery status icon. Pressing options you can select the Play mode (normal, repeat, shuffle, repeat & shuffle, repeat 1), equalizer which includes Normal, Heavy, Pop, Jazz, Unique and two empty presets for you to adjust the 5 band manual equalizer and save the settings. Apart from the equalizer the NWZ-E436F does not have any other sound enhancement feature, not even Sony's Clear Bass or Clear Stereo that can be found in the more expensive Walkmans.The image viewer and the video player are even simpler. In the image viewer you can view the images either in portrait mode or the landscape mode. You can also start a slideshow and select the time interval between each slide. You can have the music playing in the background while you are viewing the images. The video player also has similar settings except you cannot have music running in the background while watching a video.
Performance
The player only supports Media Transfer Protocol and thus instantly appears in Windows Media Player (10 or higher) in the sync mode. You can then sync the player easily with your music. The NWZ-E436F also supports AAC format music along with MP3 and WMA, which won't be visible in the Windows Media Player, so you need to go to My Computer and do a drag and drop the old fashioned way. You need to follow the same method for transferring pictures and videos. The data transfer speeds however were a bit slow and transferring 100 MB of music files took around 75 seconds. The sound quality of the player is excellent. It is after all a Sony Walkman and we really do not expect any less from it. The bass was lush and warm with a nice punch. The mids and highs had perfect clarity to them. With a pair of good efficient earphones, like the Altec Lansing UHP336 earphones that I used the player with, the player can be kept around the 20-22 mark with enough volume to spare. However, when paired with a pair of big headphones, like the Creative Aurvana Live! that I tested the player with, the volume needed to be kept at the 28-30 mark to get decent volume. Some more volume would have been welcome. The player also has just a 5+5 mW R.M.S. amplifier. Compared to that the Cowon U5 has a 32 + 32 mW amp. The NWZ-E436F has Sony's AVLS (Automatic Volume Limiter System). When activated you cannot go beyond 20 on the volume scale.The NWZ-E436F also has a built-in FM radio. The radio sensitivity was good and it even automatically tuned into the weaker stations without any problems. The radio, however, does not get the equalizers.
Battery Life
Sony claims a staggering 45 hours battery life for the NWZ-E436F for audio and eight hours for video playback. During my testing I found that the music player matched the company claimed figures perfectly. What is even more impressive is the fact that the player does not sacrifice design by having a bulky form factor for including a big battery and manages to include all that juice in such little space. The player takes about four hours to get fully charged and two hours for charging 80% over USB connection.
My Verdict
The Sony NWZ-E436F is a neat little music player. It has a really small design with a nice QVGA screen, a simple control layout and user interface. The sound quality is excellent and it also plays back videos and images pretty well. There is also a built-in FM radio. And last but not the least is the superb battery life. The only things that I was not happy about was the display size, which is too small for watching videos comfortable, and the lack of a voice recorder but apart from that the little Walkman passed our tests with flying colours. Priced at Rs. 6,490 (INR) for the 4 GB model, the Sony NWZ-E436F Walkman player is highly recommended.

Apple iMac 24-inch 2.93 GHz [Review]

2009-06-25T22:25:00.004+05:30

The iMac range received an upgrade in hardware during the MacWorld expo earlier this year. Instead of the previous two 20-inch models and one 24-inch model, the new line up now includes one 20-inch model and three 24-inch models. We received the 2.93 GHz model (the third one from bottom).
Bundle Includes : Apple iMac, Aluminium keyboard, Mighty Mouse, Software DVDs, Cleaning Cloth, Instructions Manual, Power Cable.
Design & Construction
The design of the iMac has always been its hallmark. The pioneer of the All-In-One (AIO) design, the iMac has spawned many a rivals with similar design from competing brands, which includes Sony, Dell, Lenovo, HP and ASUS. However the iMac design is still the most elegant and beautiful of them all. You just cannot take your eyes away from it. The simple lines, typical of all Apple designs, with plain grey surfaces with the black glossy display and matte black rear looks simply superb.
The entire front body is made of anodized aluminium. The aluminium makes the body strong as well as light. On the couple of occasions that I had to move the iMac around, I was glad that the iMac was light enough to be moved around without breaking into sweat. You might notice that at the centre of the top edge of the display lies the iSight web camera used for video chatting and taking self portraits. The iMac also has a built-in microphone at the top. On the right side of the iMac we can see the slot loading SuperDrive. The iMac can read and write CDs as well as DVDs but unfortunately can neither read or write Blu-ray discs, which in today's day and age is a major omission, no matter what Apple's view on Blu-ray is. Even the ability to read Blu-ray drives would have been better, if not write. Most of the competitors of the iMac have this ability. From the rear, the iMac looks just as good as it looks from the front and clearly Apple leaves no stone unturned to make sure their product looks great from every angle. You can see all the ports, which includes four USB 2.0 ports, Firewire 400, Ethernet and headphone and microphone jack at the bottom left. The stand allows the unit to tilt and has a hole in the centre to route the power cable though it. Unlike some other AIOs that we have seen, the iMac does not have a huge power brick hanging outside and is included inside the case. The fan lies just above the power input and sucks in air for ventilation. The hot air then blows out from the horizontal strip at the top. The iMac does get a bit hot at the top edge, but it is never too much to worry about.
Hardware
The iMac is currently sold in four variants, one 20" model and three 24" models. Each model in the line-up has slightly different specifications than the other. The 20" has a 2.66 GHz processor and 2 GB DDR3 RAM. The graphics department is handled by NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and the hard drive capacity is 320 GB. The base 24" model has similar processor and graphics accelerator but 4 GB of RAM instead and 640 GB of HDD. The third model in the line up, the one that we received for review, is powered by a 2.93 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4 GB DDR3 RAM with NVIDIA GeForce GT120 graphics card and a 640 GB HDD. The top of the line model runs on a 3.06 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 and a 1 TB of HDD. For more details on the specifications of each of the model, visit this link: http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html
The new iMacs come with the new smaller version of the aluminium keyboard. Compared to the previous version the new keyboard does not have the number pad on the right. However, if you want you can also get the one with the number pad. The Mighty Mouse is also part of the standard package that comes with the iMac. The unique part about the Mighty Mouse design is that there are no individual left and right click buttons. The entire mouse is just one big button and depending upon where you press, i.e. on the left or the right, the respective function is performed on the screen. The scroll ball is also a unique part of the design. You can scroll around, say a web page or a large image with it. Scrolling vertically it is same as a scroll wheel on a normal mouse, but when it comes to scrolling in other directions, the Mighty Mouse is unbeatable. It offers full 360 degree scrolling around the screen. When pressed down, it brings to the front your Dashboard with all your gadgets. On the side you have two more buttons. When pressed together it brings up Expose that lets you quickly move through your open windows. All said and done, at this price I would have expected Apple to bundle their wireless keyboard and Mighty Mouse. The Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 has a wireless keyboard and mouse with it, along with a wireless remote for media playback and voice calling.
Software
The new iMac comes with Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard built-in. It also has iLife '09 pre-installed, which includes applications such as iTunes, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools. For professionals, Apple also offers a range of professional applications for image and video editing. You have Final Cut Studio (includes Final Cut Pro 6, Motion 3, Soundtrack Pro 2, DVD Studio Pro 4, Compressor 3 and Color) which is a professional video and audio production suite, Aperture for post-production work on images and Logic Studio, which is a music production suite. You can also go for the iWork '09, which includes Pages- a word processing application, Keynote- a presentation application and Numbers- a spreadsheet application. Or you can get the Mac version of Microsoft Office.
Performance
For everyday computer related activities such as the web browsing, working on office files, etc. the iMac has more than enough juice and runs absolutely smoothly. In fact if these are the things that you are going to use your Mac for, then the iMac would probably be an overkill, as even the Mac Mini has more than enough power for these things. Also remember that the performance is going to get a healthy boost when you install Snow Leopard, which is going to be out soon. Although low level tasks run fine, heavy duty tasks taxes the hardware a lot and it's then that the iMac runs out of steam. What this basically means is that the iMac is only good enough for casual home usage but when it comes to professional level work then you better get yourself a Mac Pro.
I tried gaming on the iMac. Since there are not many Mac based games, with hardly any popular titles, I installed Windows XP on it through Boot Camp and installed some games on it. First I tried Crysis, widely known for its ability to bring the mightiest of computers to its knees while rendering its photo realistic graphics. On moderate settings at native resolution the game ran just fine. However, the hardware was not powerful enough to run the game at max settings. When I tried Call of Duty 4, the iMac ran the game at native display resolution on full settings, however there was a bit of lag. When a couple of parameters such as the anti-aliasing were toned down, the game ran perfectly fine. This means that at moderate settings the iMac has enough juice to run even modern games comfortably. The only problem could be the Mighty Mouse, which is not particularly conducive to gaming.
My Verdict
The iMac is a brilliantly designed piece of equipment. It has one of the best displays that I've seen on a computer and enough processing power to keep any home user happy, whether he likes to watch HD movies, do some gaming or casual image and video editing. Priced at Rs. 1,04,000 for the 2.93 GHz 24" model, it is too expensive, especially when you compare it with Windows based rivals. And I am not even bringing assembled PCs into the equation which would beat the iMac hollow when it comes to price to performance ratio. The iMac also lacks some features such as a Blu-Ray drive and wireless keyboard and mouse, which are expected at this price. Thus on a value level the iMac does not make too much sense, however if you are in love with the design and want something that is as sleek and elegant on your desk, and don't mind paying for it, then the iMac is your best bet.

Top 40 Best Free Windows Mobile Applications

2009-06-22T23:02:00.006+05:30

Windows Mobile cell phones are alive and well despite the proliferation of iPhones, BlackBerrys and Android-equipped devices. And along with Microsoft’s mini operating system come a host of applications. I've gathered the top free Windows Mobile apps and presented them below in alphabetical order.

AIM Mobile Beta - Featuring a slick User Interface, color emoticon support, and support for Windows Mobile 5 and 6, this app is like having AIM’s desktop IM client on your phone.

Dashwire - This app lets you back up your phone’s contacts, text messages, videos and photos online where you can access them using your PC’s web browser. The app lets you share photos and videos or upload them to your Flickr or Facebook accounts.

File Explorer Extensions– Here’s a great alternative to the default Windows Mobile File Explorer. This app features resizable headers for easy sorting by file name, date of last modification or size, tree view of folders, and icon views. In addition, the app offers an image preview function.

FingerSuite - This app is a cool alternative to the standard menu and message box on Windows Mobile phones. It provides attractive and easy-to-use menus.

FlashLight - Who says only the iPhone can turn into a flashlight? This app gives you access to various light applications including LAMP, strobe, fader, disco, pen, lighter, and more.

Google Sync - If you’re a fan of Google’s web services such as Gmail, Calendar, and online contacts manager, then you’ll want this app. It syncs your phone to all of your Google accounts.

Group SMS - We are all fond of sending messages to multiple recipients, right? Group SMS makes it easy letting you send a text to a large group without keying in phone numbers one by one.

GSPlayer– This app is a great way to manage your MP3s.

HelloTwitFace– This is one of the best looking Twitter clients for Windows Mobile phones, letting you view and update your Twitter and Facebook status.

iContact– This is an intuitive Windows Mobile contact chooser that supports VGA skins of any screen size.

iDialer– This app serves as a dialpad for your phone, allowing you to make calls using your virtual number from Google Voice/Grand Central, Phone.com or Jajah. The app features various interchangeable skins and supports VGA and QVGA skins in both portrait and landscape modes.

iFonz - If you don’t want to get an iPhone but want to experience its home screen interface, then you might want this app. If doesn’t offer any new functionality outside of replicating the appearance of Apple’s phone.

iPlayer - This app lets you browse and stream contents from BBC’s iPlayer. It features a finger-friendly user interface and lets you browse content by highlights, popularity, category and more.

Kevtris - Looking for a nice little game to play on your Windows Mobile phone? This Tetris hybrid can be addicting once you get used to using your phone’s small buttons.

Magic Button – This task management app is located on your phone’s title bar. It hides automatically when you don’t need it and blends well with your phone’s theme.

mDigger - This app is similar to a mobile RSS reader. It also allows you to select the format of those feeds - text, images, videos or podcasts – and tailor-fits content to your phone’s screen.

mLock - This phone lock app starts running the moment your phone goes to suspend mode. You can customize its function and its appearance. The app features portrait and landscape orientation, supports QVGA and WQVGA resolution and more.

MobilePad - This light and speedy text document editor that lets you create quick notes and long journals. This app also lets you exchange files or text messages. It features auto-save, landscape mode, text zooming, search and replace capability, and more.

MSN Direct - Since we’re talking about Windows Mobile app, a Microsoft app should be on the list. MSN Direct sits right on your phone’s home screen and gives you access to up-to-date news, stocks, and weather information all coming from the MSN website.

MyMobiler - Want to remotely control your WinMo phone? Then this app is a must download. With it you can use Active Sync connection to remotely access your phone from a computer.

Newsgator Go – This is a good RSS news reader app that integrates with the online NewsGator service. The app features good navigation interface and the ability to clip articles for reading later.

Opera Mobile – This is a great alternative to the default Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer. It offers faster web browsing and better panning and zooming.

PDAcraft Paint - If you have a touchscreen Window Mobile phone, this app is a fun download. You can draw directly on your phone’s screen using a stylus and manipulate bitmap graphics in the same environment as the popular Paint program.

PhoneLog - This simple app records all your calls (including their duration) on the phone’s calendar. It also logs incoming SMS messages.

Pocket Digital Clock - A better alternative to the default Windows Mobile default digital clock, this app offers a larger, easy-to-read white-on-black digital clock display that sits atop your phone’s Today screen.

Pocket DivX Player - Pocket DivX Player lets you play DiVx, Mpeg-4, Mpeg-1 videos, Mp3, and OpenDivX video formats. The app features a 10-band equalizer, a playlist editor, playlist support, web streaming, brightness control, and more.

PocketCM Keyboard - The iPhone’s finger-friendly virtual keyboard is great. But who says you can’t have the same on a Windows Mobile phone? With the help of this app you can compose text messages and do other things using your phone’s screen.

PocketQuake - Who could ever forget the classic game Quake? Certainly not the developer of this Windows Mobile game. This pocket version is reminiscent of the original 3D shooter game, replete with quality graphics and addictive gameplay.

PocketRAR - We all need a pocketable file extraction utility on our phone, and this app fills that need well. It offers a good graphic interface and can compress, decompress and delete files in both RAR and ZIP archives.

Pointui - This app makes your phone’s interface simple and fingertip friendly. It increases the size of your phone’s home screen icons allowing you to access the phone’s functions quickly.

Scrub - This app lets your detect missing information like email addresses, phone numbers and birthdays from your contacts by quickly scanning your phone and groups the information to let you identify what is missing from your contacts’ entries.

SKTools Lite - This free version of SKTools lets you delete old or obsolete files, cleans your phone’s registry, fixes shortcuts, and frees vital RAM.

Skyfire beta - A free version of the powerful Skyfire app, Skyfire beta lets you watch Flash videos, listen to music, and enjoy a desktop interface on your phone’s screen. It also supports AJAX, Silverlight and Quicktime formats.

Skype - Before the Skype iPhone app, there was the Windows Mobile version. Use it to make voice calls over Wi-Fi, free Skype-to-Skype calls and affordable landline and mobile phone calls.

Slick – This app lets you send instant message through Google Talk, Jabber, AIM, ICQ, MSN and Yahoo. It also features text messaging, emoticons, message history and more.

SmartTouch – This is a mobile widget platform providing seamless access to branded content and services including Facebook and Google. It features a simple scroll-and-click text messaging system shortcuts.

ToneThis – Use this app to create customized and unlimited ringtones from your CD, MP3, WAV, iTunes, and video files.

Windows Mobile phones are alive and well despite the proliferation of iPhones, BlackBerrys and Android-equipped devices. And along with Microsoft’s mini operating system come a host of applications. We’ve gathered the top free Windows Mobile apps and presented them below in alphabetical order.

WorldMate - If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll find this app very useful. It features Itineraries Manager, which provides information on flights, meetings, public transportation, car rentals, and hotels. It also lets your import booking confirmation e-mails from your PC to your phone.

YouTube Player - YouTube fans will certainly enjoy this. The app features a minimalist interface suitable for a small screen.

Source : How To Tricks

Top 40 Best Free BlackBerry Applications

2009-06-22T22:40:00.005+05:30

So you just got a new BlackBerry but don’t know what applications to install? Look no further. We have gathered 40 of the best free BlackBerry apps available anywhere and posted them below in alphabetical order. Click on the links to open the app’s download site.

Amazon Shopping Application - This app lets you shop using Amazon’s one-click ordering. Also use it to track packages, modify orders, receive personalized recommendations, view editorial and customer reviews, receive the Gold Box Deal of the Day, and access your Wish list.

BBNotePad - If you find the default BlackBerry MemoPad a little short on features, BBNotePad offers an alternative. As a text editor, you can use it write full-length documents or code anytime, anywhere. It features three font sizes and allows you to save file as .txt, which you can open directly on any computer. It also allows you to send notes and memos using Bluetooth to other handheld devices.

BBScreenShooter - An image capture software for BlackBerry devices, this app was developed by programming a small graphical user interface, which takes advantage of JavaLoader.exe. This can be a rather complicated screen capture program. To learn how to use if efficiently, read more details about the app at the download site.

BBScreenStream - The second BlackBerry app from the developer of BBSCreenShooter allows you to constantly capture your BlackBerry’s screen and display or record it on your PC.

BeeTag – This is a 2-D barcode scanner that uses your BlackBerry’s camera to scan barcodes on almost anything, be it product brands, ads and more. After scanning the app displays product information, text and URL info for the products.

Beyond 411 – This is a fast way to look up business listings, driving directions and white pages on your BlackBerry. It also works with your BlackBerry’s GPS giving you exact details of various locations.

BlackBerry Messenger– This app allows you to stay in contact with your BlackBerry-using friends without getting charged for text messaging by your cell phone provider. It uses the BlackBerry OS’s PIN to send messages back and forth.

Bolt Browser - If you find the default BlackBerry Web browser too slow, Bolt is offering a faster alternative. This browser loads fast and utilizes similar shortcuts as the Opera Mini to scroll, zoom, and navigate through Web pages.

Caffeine Finder Freeware - If you’re a coffee fanatic like me, you’d find this app very useful. It lets you search for the nearest coffee shops or cafes from more than 45,000 locations. Like Fast Food Finder, the app also features directional map and addresses of the coffee shops.

Capture It – This app lets you capture images of your BlackBerry’s screen and saves them as .jpg file. After installing the app, you must set it as a device convenience key than launch the app through the Options Icon.

Facebook - Another essential app for road warriors, Facebook has got to be the most ported social networking sites out there. For BlackBerry devices, this Facebook app displays your home screen notifications, like status updates, and even allows you to poke, write a message or leave a comment on the walls of your Facebook friends. You can also view your list of friends and their status updates. You can also use the phone’s camera and upload images instantly to Facebook.

Fast Food Finder Freeware - Looking for a place to grab a bite or get a drink? This app will help you find the closest fast food chain using your phone’s GPS. It provides maps, address and directions to the fast food where you want to go.

Gmail Client - Next to Google Talk, Gmail client is the next most useful and must-have Google app for your BlackBerry. This app gives you almost the same functionality as the Web-based Gmail by giving you access to your contact list, sent and archived mail as well as the labels functionality.

Google Latitude– This geo broadcasting software app tells you where your friends are and lets you share your current location. Making it even more powerful is the fact that Google Latitude is integrated with Google Maps. The app also lets you set different levels of location sharing.

Google Maps– This is not as powerful as the Web-based Google Maps app and the iPhone apps, but it manages to bring Google Maps service effectively to your BlackBerry.

Google Mobile - This application gives you the whole Google experience right on your BlackBerry device. It has Gmail, Google Maps and Google Sync plus links to Google’s mobile-optimized Web services such as Web search, Google Reader, Google Docs and Picasa.

Google Talk - You also need to communicate with your non-BlackBerry using friends. This app sports an interface similar to the BlackBerry Messenger and is as robust as other paid IM client for the BlackBerry.

GridMagic Community Edition - This useful spreadsheet app for your BlackBerry, lets you run complex calculations and organize some information into tables. It also lets you do the usual spreadsheet functions like freeze pane, select row or column, and copy-and-paste. You can email the spreadsheets as Excel .xls attachment using your BlackBerry’s email functionality.

iSkoot - If you’re a Skype user, you’ll want this app. It puts Skype on your mobile phone and allows you to send and receive voice calls to and from Skype users. The app imports all your Skype contacts, and offers an instant messaging function.

Jaikuberry– This is the social networking site Jaiku on your BlackBerry, allowing you to share blog posts with your friends no matter where they are in the world.

JapbLite BlackBerry Personal Money Manager– This is a robust personal finance app for your BlackBerry. This app features multiple accounts, investment tracking, future balance calculations, net worth calculation, foreign currency accounts with automatic revaluation, regular transactions, standing orders, and default and user-defined categories.

Ka-Glom! - Definitely a time killer, this Tetris-type game is one of BlackBerry’s finest.

Mobipocket Reader - Given the fact that BlackBerry devices are not the best for eBook reading, this app fully utilizes the devices display to bring you a decent reading experience. And since it supports the .mobi format, you are assured that you’ll have plenty of eBook titles to chose from and download on your BlackBerry devices. You can also convert PDFs or Word files on your PC and transfer them to your BlackBerry device.

Opera Mini - Web browsing through any mobile device wouldn’t be complete without the Opera Mini, right? For its BlackBerry version, Opera Mini processes page requests through Opera’s servers and offloads much of the processing away from your BlackBerry. It also caches Web pages allowing you to load web pages on your BlackBerry device quickly.

PocketMac for BlackBerry - iPhone is not the only mobile device that syncs well with your Mac. PocketMac is a robust app that synchronizes your address book, calendar, tasks, notes, and email between your BlackBerry and Mac.

Poynt– This local search application allows you to run Yellow Page searches to find businesses, movie listings and theater screenings. It lets you browse by genre and even review the current top 10 movies. The app also supports GPS location search and integrates with BlackBerry Maps.

Quick Pull - If you don’t have the patience to manually pull out the battery to give your BlackBerry a rest from time to time, Quick Pull will do it for you. It offers the same functionality as pulling your battery.

Ramble IM– This is a work-around to having the native AOL Instant Messenger for the BlackBerry. It’s an open-source IM client for the BlackBerry generously made available by the open source community.

Slacker Radio for BlackBerry– This site gives you a personal Internet radio app with unlimited free music from 100 pre-programmed "genre stations". The app works through EDGE and other 2.5G data connection as well as through Wi-Fi. You’ll need a free Slacker account before you can use the app.

Stock Viewer - This BlackBerry app lets you continuously retrieve stock quotes coming from NYSE and NASDAQ. It also gives you some headline news. The app is designed to work with BlackBerry 7xxx, 8xxx, 9xxx models.

Talklock - This app locks up your BlackBerry device when making a call and unlocks it when your call is finished. This prevents you from touching the screen and activating another application while making your call.

Tiny Tweeter - Another Twitter app for your BlackBerry devices, Tiny Tweeter lets you tweet throughout the day and keep updated with the people you are following. You can customize your Twitter interface as well by setting font settings, sync settings, UI settings and more.

Twitterberry - How good would a BlackBerry be if you couldn’t tweet using it? Thankfully, we have this free app. It allows you to update your Twitter feed and view friends/public timeline without getting charged for text messaging.

Viigo - If you’re looking for a powerful RSS feed reader for your BlackBerry, look no further than this app. Viigo lets you add multiple RSS items from sites you visit regularly. It allows you to add as many as 2,500 subscriptions.

Vlingo - This app turns your BlackBerry devices into a voice-enabled mobile phone that allows you to do voice-dialing, voice-texting and voice emailing. To use it, you must assign one of your BlackBerry device’s key to activate the app. It also allows you to update your Facebook status, create tasks and memos as well as open built-in applications and other third-party applications by using your voice.

WebMessenger - This app will let you chat with friends whether they are on AOL, Google, ICQ, Jabber, Skype, Yahoo and MSN. It imports your contact list from those IM clients and allows you to set your status, see who’s online and of course chat with them for as long as you want.

Where for BlackBerry - A GPS-based local search app for your BlackBerry, this app lets lets you connect with businesses in the area around you. You can also use it to check on gas prices, events, locating specific establishments, and more. It works with Bold 9000, 8800, Curve and Pearl BlackBerry series.

WorldMate Live - A useful app specifically for the road warriors, WorldMate Live delivers content and services to your BlackBerry device including itineraries, flights, hotel information, meetings, public transportation and car rental information. It allows you to export travel information including e-mail confirmation, corporate calendars and more. The app also provide current time and weather for one set location, a weather function offering five day forecast for any major city, and a currency converter for U.S. dollars, Euros or Japanese Yen.

Yahoo Go - Although this app only works on newer BlackBerry models, it does so in an impressive fashion. Featuring a slick interface, this app brings Yahoo’s news, weather, sports, finance, and entertainment news feeds, driving directions and mapping to your BlackBerry. It also supports Flickr and lets you do various Flickr activities in the comforts of your BlackBerry screen.

Yahoo Messenger Client

- Not wanting to be outdone by Google, Yahoo also released its own free BlackBerry IM client. And it works and function similarly as the Gmail client. This app is a must have for YM fans.

Super Cool Gadgets For Your Workspace

2009-06-20T12:54:00.003+05:30

Are you one of those who have a very dull and boring work space? Does work time get so stressful at times that you wish you could break free for a while? Now that you spend about eight to nine hours at work, why not make your space more tasteful. Today I have for you a couple of accessories that can make your office space more fun. Whether you're working at home or a small cubical, these gadgets are sure to make you want to come to work on a Monday morning.
USB 'Pen' drive
We all carry a pen to work, so how about one that doubles up as a USB drive and a video recorder. I managed to find this one on eBay where it sells for Rs.1,385(INR). This pendrive comes with 2GB of internal memory that can store an AVI movie file of CIF resolution (352x288). The built-in Lithium-Ion battery powers the video camera and supports continues recording. Its tiny size makes it very easy to carry around in your shirt pocket or suit.
STYSEN B01 i-knock B01 Personal Instant Messaging Notifier
It is not possible for you to stay put in front of your computer at all times, so how would you know if you receive an important IM or if someone logs in? Here is a gizmo that can solve this problem. The I-Knock sends out aural and visual alerts whenever you get a new IM or someone logs in. This device from Stysen is available in a range of fun figurines and designs. The I-Knock works with Skype, MSN, Yahoo and most other IM's. You can customize the MP3 sounds and special alerts for over 20 Emoticons! It is available for Rs.1,950 (INR).
Stress Buster Pillow Cushion
If you're a victim of backaches due to a sedentary job profile, this 'stress buster' should be able to ease your pain. The battery operated stress buster pillow cushion houses a motor that gives you a soothing back massage. It features pressure spots that help relax those tired muscles, so you can work better. Available on eBay for Rs. 990 (INR), this is one product that I'd definitely recommend.
Cordless keyboard and mouse
Are wires tying you down? Give yourself more flexibility with a cordless keyboard and mouse, like the EX90 from Logitech. This desktop combo communicates via radio frequency and is plug and play, so no need for drivers. The keyboard and the mouse both have a low profile design and the black color hides dirt and dust well. The Logitech EX90 Cordless Desktop sells for Rs.1,500 (INR).
iDock Universal iPod Charger
The iDock charger not only lets you charge your iPod but also protects the base from scratches since it sits vertical on the dock. The dock can be placed on your desk instead of an ugly cable sticking out from behind. Not only this the dock also features a TV-out port and comes with the necessary cables. This particular iPod charger retails for Rs.1,500 (INR).
Headphones
Not everyone cares about having the best music player with plenty of storage on their phone. One of the reasons being they are expensive. But why spend more when you have a 200GB hard drive sitting in front of you to dump all your music. Obviously you can't use speakers, so the next best thing is a good pair of headphones. The Sennheiser HD202 is one headset that comes to mind offering good sound isolation and is light enough to be carried around. The 40mm driver gives nice deep bass with a frequency range of 17Hz to 23KHz. You can find this headset for around Rs.1,500 (INR), which makes it a really good buy.

Rock Solid Phone - Samsung Xplorer B2100

2009-06-20T12:50:00.002+05:30

Samsung has unleashed yet another low-end mobile handset for the masses. The latest device to be officially announced is the Xplorer B2100, displayed at the Communicasia 2009 held at Singapore.
The Explorer is capable of enduring extreme shock and temperature variations. It can last for up to 30 minutes in water, one meter deep, and still survive.
Wearing that weatherproof shield, the B2100 has pretty basic specs. It sports a 1.8 inch 120x160 pixel screen, comes with a music player and FM Radio with RDS. A decent 1.3 megapixel camera (I've not heard of a 1.3 camera for a long time now!) and 7MB of memory to store all those photos and music. This one sports a memory expansion slot with Micro SD card support. For connectivity, there is Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support. The phone also offers Quad band device with EDGE support. Now, the good news: a little birdy has informed us that the rugged B2100 is expected to be available in India in the first week of July.
At 103 grams, this is slightly on the heavier side-for a low-end phone. That however, is the price you pay for being a toughie! The phone will be available for sale starting next month. Expect it to be priced at around the 100 Euro mark [Rs. 6,800 (INR)].

Wireless Technology Evolution of a 125-year-old technology

2009-06-20T12:41:00.002+05:30

What is wireless communication? In layman's language it can be described as using technology to transfer information over a distance without using any wires. Wireless communication is not new and has been in use for well over 125 years now. Through this article we trace the origin of this technology and its evolution to its present form. Here is the time line of wireless technology.

1887 The principle of wireless communication was presented by German physicist Heinrich Hertz in the year 1887. Hertz demonstrated how electromagnetic waves could be transmitted across free space. This was an expansion of the theory of electromagnetic theory of light put forth earlier by James Maxwell and Michael Faraday. Though Hertz managed to demonstrate it, he never tried to take it any further, even remarking that it would be of no significance.
1893 Nikola Tesla transmits radio waves in St. Louis, Missouri.
1897 Guglielmo Marconi is awarded the British Patent for 'Improvements in transmitting electrical impulses and signals and in apparatus there-for'. What this effectively means is that he was granted the rights to the Radio.
1898 Nikola Tesla demonstrates a remote control boat. It would be amusing to know that people watching this demonstration thought Tesla was controlling the boat using his mind, as nobody seemed to have any information about radio waves at that time.
1906 Amplitude Modulation (AM) is used by Reginald Fessenden to broadcast his voice over the North Atlantic. This mode of radio transmission is the same as Shortwave and Medium wave in use today.
1915 First transatlantic transmission takes place. AT&T achieves this radio transmission from Arlington, Virginia to Paris using the Eiffel Tower to hold the receiving antenna.
1921 Shortwave (SW) radio is developed. It is called Shortwave because the wavelength of light is shorter than visible light due to the higher frequency. Shortwave Radio (also known as High Frequency or HF radio) has a frequency of 2.310 Megahertz to 25.820 Megahertz. The benefit of Shortwave radio is that the waves can bounce off the ionosphere (the layer of atmosphere consisting of ions or charged particles), enabling transmission to the other side of the world without actually having a direct line of sight.
1931 Frequency Modulation or FM is developed by Edwin H. Armstrong. FM transmission is less prone to noise associated with AM transmission and therefore results in a clearer broadcast. Also, it is possible to transmit stereo signals, making it suitable for musical radio broadcasts.
1982 The GSM (Groupe Special Mobile) group is formed and decides on a digital system for its cellular systems.
1983 After decades of stagnation in wireless communication technology, 802.3 standard is created by IEEE and additions to its specifications are made regularly.
1987 GSM Technical details are worked out in this year. A narrowband time division multiple access (TDMA) system is also planned.
1990 L-band radio is demonstrated (digital radio). The Global Positioning System (GPS) operates in the L-Band. Also, first GSM specifications are released.
1991 The first GSM call is made in Finland (March) on the Radiolinja network, which got its GSM license in 1990. This is the precursor to Wi-Fi developed by NCR Corporation in the Netherlands with speeds up to 1-2 Mb/s.
1992 First GSM network outside Europe network is launched in Australia on April 27 providing service to 53% of the Australian population.
1997 IEEE 802.11 (also known as Wi-Fi) standard is created. This original 802.11 specification has a maximum bandwidth of 2 Mb/s.
1998 The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed in September of 1998 by Ericsson, Intel, IBM, Toshiba and Nokia. The formal announcement of the SIG takes place next year on May 20, 1999.
1999 IEEE 802.11b is added to the 802.11 standard. Transmission speeds up to 11 Mb/s are possible. Bluetooth 1.0 (IEEE 802.15.1) specification is released. In this, all hardware identifies itself in the handshake process and renders anonymous data reception and transmission impossible. EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) is developed by Qualcomm.
2000 The first consumer Bluetooth product - a wireless headset and phone adapter for mobile phones is released by Ericsson.
2001 The first 3G network is commercially launched in September by NTT DoCoMo, Japan. In December, IEEE 802.16 standard, also known as WiMAX, is created.
2002 The first UMTS network is launched allowing high-speed applications such as mobile TV and video calling.
2003 EDGE is deployed by AT&T on Singular network in the USA. IEEE 802.11g is added to the 802.11 standard, allowing transmission speeds up to 54 Mb/s. Bluetooth specification 1.2 is released. This new specification includes Adaptive Frequency-hopping (AFH), which reduces RF interference.
2004 Newest version of IEEE 802.16 is added and it completely changes the WiMAX standard. This has a new scheduling algorithm, which makes WiMAX much more scalable than Wi-Fi. Instead of the random way in which subscribers compete in Wi-Fi, they compete once for a time to call when they connect to the network, thereby reducing collisions when transmission occurs at specified times. Bluetooth specification 2.0 is released. This new specification is not only backward compatible but also introduces Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), which allows transmission of data up to 3 MB/s.
2009 802.11n - the latest in Wi-Fi standards will be formally approved in November 2009 (although devices sporting this standard are already available, they are not necessarily conformant with the final specifications).

Searching Tips

2009-06-18T22:20:00.005+05:30

How 2 Find EVERYTHING Uploaded On Rapidshare

All rapidshare.de Downloads:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=+.*+site%3Arapidshare.de

Apps Rapidshare.de Downloads:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=.cab+OR+.exe+OR+.rar+OR+.zip+site%3Arapidshare.de&btnG=Search

Movies rapidshare.de Downloads:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=+.Avi+OR+.mpg+OR+.mpeg+site%3Arapidshare.de&btnG=Search

How To Find MP3s Real Quickly

Another good way of finding MP3s (or other formats) is using Google and typing the following:

parent + directory + mp3 + OR + wma+ #dido#

Replace #dido# by whatever artist you wish to find, for example:

parent + directory + mp3 + OR + wma+ #Lamb#

You should get plenty of directories with MP3s or WMA files (you could add OGG, etc, to the query)

Source : How To Tricks

Review-Samsung GT-S5600 Star

2009-06-11T22:25:00.004+05:30

Almost a month back Samsung announced three touchscreen phones for the Indian market- Star S5233, Star S5600 and the Samsung Beat DJ. Today I review one of them, the Star S5600. Going by the success of the LG Cookie I must say that the Star Phones do have a lot of scope. The recent price cut of the Cookie to less than 10K suggests that they feel a bit threatened by the aggressive pricing strategy of Samsung for marketing these touchscreen phones. Let's see if the S5600 we have with us today can steal the show from the lower-end touchscreen phones.

Build & Design

The Samsung Star does not look extraordinarily good though it's pretty decent for its price. The phone is slim and lightweight, and is about 13mm thick, while weighing just over 90g. The phone is not too large and is very pocketable. Coming to the layout of the phone; on the face of the phone we have an earpiece and a secondary video camera for 3G video calling. The face of the phone has glossy edges, which add to the looks, but doesn't help in getting a good grip on the phone.

It's followed by a 2.8-inch screen with a resolution of 240x320 pixels, which I feel should have been higher given the size of the screen. The low resolution on a large screen results in a bit of pixilation. However, the sunlight legibility of the screen is decent. The screen doesn't attract scratches easily but picks on fingerprints.

At the top behind a dust cover is a multi-purpose port, which can be used for charging, headset connectivity as well as USB cable connection. At the top behind a dust cover is a multi-purpose port, which can be used for charging, headset connectivity as well as USB cable connection. Looking inside the battery compartment we see that the placement of the memory card slot is under the battery pack. This makes it necessary to turn off the phone before you can switch the memory card. The back of the phone has a matte finish, which feels good and also provides better grip. But for people with sweaty palms this phone is sure going to slip out of their hands. Overall I liked the looks of the phone but it could have done with something for better grip.

Interface

The Samsung Star S5600 is a touchscreen phone. There is no stylus provided, so it is completely touch operated. Samsung have used their own proprietary interface TouchWIZ to power the operations of this Star phone but it is showcased differently. The phone has 80MB of internal memory of which you get about 50-60MB usable. The internal memory depends on the application package bundled which defers from country to country. The phone has a smooth interface, let's take up each aspect one by one.

What's new in the Star's interface is the use of three home screens. The provision of throwing widgets from the widgets side bar onto the screen comes really handy. With the small screen size and the low resolution it wouldn't be possible to have too many of them on the main screen. So now that we have three main screens, they can be slid left or right. You can have widgets dropped onto either sides or the center. The background of the main screen isn't static like in most phones. It uses widescreen wallpaper; you can select a particular part of an image available on the phones memory and it will auto maintain the aspect ratio and resolution needed to place it on the main screen.

The widget side bar now has many more widgets. You can add and remove them from the Widget Settings widget present in the side bar making it really convenient. On the quick access bar below we have the Phone Keypad, Photo Contacts and Menu. This quick access bar is present even inside the main menu with the Menu option replaced with the Widgets option. The Photo Contacts option is a neat addition. This list is populated with the contacts that you are mostly in touch with. You can then choose if you wish to add a photo or not. The photo contacts are displayed neatly in a semicircle scroll design. Tapping on the contact brings it to the center of the list and you can see three options pop up; Call, Message, and E-mail.

Input

The Samsung Star has a very simple touch input. They haven't included any QWERTY touchpad but have maintained the standard keypad design with a touch input. I expected it to go QWERTY at least in the browser as the orientation of the browser uses the built-in accelerometer and changes orientation. However, there is no QWERTY keypad here and instead you get the standard keypad but placed towards one side of the screen making it possible to type only with one thumb with the phone held in landscape mode.

Applications

The phone comes with quite a good number of pre-installed applications. There is an Application to Share-pix on several online image portals like Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, Friendster, and MySpace. You can also add more blogs to this list. The other applications include FM Tuner, Voice Recorder, Timer, Stopwatch, and RSS Reader. There is a 'Games and More' folder in the Applications menu that holds several pre-installed java games, while all java apps that you install will show here.

GPS

The Samsung Star is supposed to have built-in A-GPS feature. However, this is questionable as the pre-loaded Google Maps wouldn't start at all. I decided to reinstall it and even after doing so it still wouldn't start. Other applications worked fine but Google Maps had an issue. So I'm guessing it wasn't able to activate the GPS module.

Network

The Star S5600 that we received for review didn't seem to be network friendly. At times I was unable to receive and send SMSes. Also, missed calls would pop up when there were no incoming calls. My guess is that Samsung send us a prototype of the Star S5600 instead of sending us a retail handset. So this shouldn't occur with retail handsets. If you own this phone and are facing the same problem please do leave a comment below.

Audio& Video

The S5600 has a similar player that we have seen on all of its TouchWIZ touchscreen phones. You are provided with a set of equalizer presets but no manual preset option. There are playback modes like Shuffle and Loop and also Album art is displayed. The player is accompanied by a simple library where music is sorted by Artist, Album, Genre, Recently added and Tracks. The Music Player also comes with the Shazam Find Music feature, so you can get info about a song being played.

The Samsung S5600 has a not-so-video-friendly resolution considering its screen size. Videos didn't seem to look that bad but at times it gets pixilated, which doesn't make it all that good for watching video. The Video player supports H.246, H.263, MPEG4 and WMV as well

Camera

The Samsung S5600 has a 3.2 MP camera with LED light assistance. The camera isn't really all that good. Images captured in good lighting conditions had a noticeable amount of grains. For low light situations the camera was assisted by the LED. But overall since the camera is slow the quality of images isn't all that great. The video recording capability of the camera is good as it records in QVGA and more over you also have the option to turn on the LED while recording a video. The quality of recorded videos was pretty decent.

Battery Life

The Star S5600 has a 1000mAh battery. The phone lasted me for a day and half which included about three hours of talktime and an hour of GPRS usage. This was obtained with the screen brightness set to medium. However, I didn't get a chance to see how much it would last with a couple of hours of music playback as the headset wasn't provided. If you take that into consideration the phone would last you not more than a day.

Price & Verdict

The Samsung Star GT-S5600 sells for around Rs.12,600 (INR) with a one-year warranty. The pricing of this touchscreen phone is good. It's very competitive given the fact that it's a 3G device and sports a good interface. The only problem I see is that Samsung does not provide a memory card in the bundle. The review sample we received did not seem to be a retail handset, as the phone seemed faulty. The phone had poor network coverage, kept hanging up from time to time and the center button would jam frequently.

Well All said and done the Samsung Star S5600 is a good phone if the flaws I just mentioned aren't seen in the final/retail version of the handset.

The First Look - Nokia N97

2009-06-11T22:20:00.002+05:30

Looks like Nokia is high on the heels after the success of the XpressMusic 5800 - its first full touchscreen operational phone. Now, the Finnish handset maker has ventured out to create a masterpiece of a handset based on the same touchscreen concept. The handset is titled the N97. Since then, the phone has been much awaited. After its appearance in a music video (Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling), the handset's specs, expected dates and suspected prices have emerged on the web. I can say that Nokia has truly developed a flagship of a handset, since I've the Nokia N97 with me at the moment. So here's a quick round up of what are my first impressions of the phone before I give the complete low down on it.

Even with the battery in the phone, the device doesn't feel all that heavy. The Nokia N97 starts up in the traditional 'Nokia Connecting People' style. The phone hardly takes time to startup, i.e. once you're done with the initial setup that's prevalent in all phones for the first time it's used. The phone has a very premium feel to it. The use of chrome and high quality rubberized plastics give a great and comforting feel to the handset. The most noticeably things of the N97 physically are its large screen and an odd menu button on the face of the phone along with two touch calling buttons. There is a keypad lock switch on the right. Also, there is a micro USB port which can be used for connectivity as well as charging. However, this port is left unprotected.

There is a 3.5mm jack for plugging in your choice of headphones or earphones. The memory card slot for further expanding the huge internal storage of 32GB is placed under the battery cover.

Well, something is greater than just a touchscreen phone when it it's empowered with a keypad and with the N97, it's a slide out QWERTY keypad. The slide-out mechanism of the N97 is commendable, the thought and the development of this slide-out is plain and simply put - fascinating. The slide-out is well distinguished and the keypad pushes itself out once it is nudged and does it with a soft click of confirmation. The slide-out is designed in such a fashion that the screen tilts upwards pushing it up in a comfortable reading angle. The angle is set in such a manner that it's not only comfortable to read off the screen when holding the phone in your hand, but also when it is placed on a table.

The hinge of the N97 is put to good advertising/flaunt use with the top features of the handset mentioned there. The mechanism showcases its true brilliance when going in back to turn into a bar type form factor. Again, in the same way, a nudge and the screen moves in back to smoothly parachute onto the QWERTY keypad.

Speaking of the QWERTY keypad, it is one that I haven't come across previously with all the handsets that I've used for the past three years. The 5-way D-pad is situated on the left and space bar is towards the right instead of center. If you are wondering how easy it is to get used to this one, I will let you know once I've spent enough time with the handset.

Since this is a final version of the handset that will be released across 75 countries in the current and the next month, we can also have a look at the new special interface of Symbian Series 60 5th Edition showcased in the N97. Widgets are now the trend and the best till date I've seen are from Samsung. The Nokia N97 has widgets on its main screen. The screen is filled with the basic Time, Date, and Profile widgets. Along with that, you have Messaging, Web Browser, Music Player, Nokia Maps, 4 Favorite Contacts, Facebook, Weather Updates, and Various E-mails all now at the touch on the screen without having to go through several levels of menus. These widgets can also be edited and you can move them around and arrange them on the screen.

Going through the levels of menus, I noticed Guitar Hero in Games and several applications that come pre-installed like JoikuSpot Premium, Facebook, Youtube and Boingo. We'll get into the details in the final review of the N97 but for now all I could notice is that the interface is fast; much slicker than seen on the 5800.

Well that's all for now folks. I'll get back to you with a complete review of the handset soon. Stay tuned and keep checking this space regularly.

Western Digital Dual-drive 4TB External HDD

2009-06-11T22:19:00.000+05:30

Western Digital has introduced yet another fat storage 4TB external hard disk with dual-drive system for creative professional and Mac users. WD's new My Book Studio Edition II offers four interface options.

WD's new 4TB My Book Studio Edition II boasts of consuming 30 per cent less power than standard drives and functions quietly without any fan requirements. This drive is Mac formatted and is entirely compatible with Apple Time Machine software. WD packs special software and set of instructions to make it Windows compatible.

Currently priced at $649 {Rs. 31,200 (INR) approx.} at the company's site, this dual-drive supports RAID 0 configurations. Also the four interfaces make it friendly for creative professionals, enterprises, small office home office folks, and other storage hungry folks. Of the four interfaces, eSATA and FireWire 800 offer maximum performance along with USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 for flexibility.

WD's 4TB My Book Studio Edition II package also contains software with automatic and continuous backup functions. Also the capacity gauge makes it visible to user about the space available inside the drive. This external HDD can only be used with Windows Vista only as Windows XP doesn't support HDDs above 2TB.

Create A media Enabled Network At Home With Cisco's Dual-Band Wireless-N Router

2009-06-11T22:16:00.000+05:30

Cisco has unveiled the Linksys by Cisco Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router (WRT320N), designed for consumers to create a media enabled network at home. Equipped with Cisco's media optimized networking technology, the WRT320N is ideal for users that demand more from their wireless network, such as streaming a movie wirelessly.

The WRT320N is equipped with Gigabit for wired connections and 802.11n grade wireless operating in either the 2.4GHz wireless band or the wider 5GHz band. Operating the router in the 5GHz band is ideal as it is less crowded than the 2.4GHz band and hence is better suited for carrying latency sensitive data like video and audio. The WRT320N is shipped with Linksys EasyLink Advisor (LELA), which helps users to get their network up and running and helps keep their network updated and secure.

The router also comes with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) support that is designed to make devices on wireless local area networks more secure and to make the set up easy. The WRT320N features a button that enables consumers to add additional devices to their network by pushing it and the corresponding button on the other certified product.

The WRT320N is designed so that network performance is fine-tuned to give priority to High-Definition video without the need for manual configuration. PC users can customize their networks to give priority to certain devices, like gaming consoles, over others.

The Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router WRT320N is planned to be available in India in late June at a manufacturer's sales recommended price (MSRP) of Rs. 8,999 (INR).

Top 10 Netbooks Around

2009-06-11T10:03:00.005+05:30

Confused about which netbook to buy? then just take a look on this quick review of Top 10 Netbooks available in the market.

1.Asus EeePC 1000HE

Price : $399

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 35 Good

* Overall Design : Very Good

* Tested battery life: 7:09 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280

* 10-inch wide screen

* 3.2 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : Asus deliver a more refined take on its Eee PC and manages to do so for less than $400.

2.Samsung N1110

Price : $470

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 36 Very Good

* Overall Design : Very Good

* Tested battery life: 8:23 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270

* 10.1 inch wide screen

* 2.9 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : Take everything we liked on the samsung NC10 and fix the mouse buttons, and thats what the N110 is all about.

3.Acer Aspire One AOD150

Price : $349

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 35 Good

* Overall Design : Good

* Tested battery life: 6:38 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270

* 10-inch wide screen

* 2.9 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : This bigger Aspire One improves on the original, most notably with a larger screen and batter battery life.

4.Lenevo IdeaPad S10

Price : $449

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 41 Superior

* Overall Design : Very Good

* Tested battery life: 2:35 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270

* 10.2 inch wide screen

* 2.7 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : Faster then its netbook brethren, the S10 offer enough perks to make it a top pick for serious mobility.

5.Samsung NC10

Price : $440

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 35 Good

* Overall Design : Good

* Tested battery life: 6:54 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270

* 10.1 inch wide screen

* 2.9 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : This boxy Samsung netbook is a good first try, but a few design flaws in the mouse buttons annoy you.

6.Acer Aspire One

Price : $349

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 34 Good

* Overall Design : Very Good

* Tested battery life: 2:16 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270

* 8.9-inch wide screen

* 2.3 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : Considering it bargain price, the Aspire One is is a stel-that is untill you realize you need the six cell battery.

7.HP Mini 2140

Price : $529

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 26 Poor

* Overall Design : Very Good

* Tested battery life: 6:05 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270

* 10.1 inch wide screen

* 2.6 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : The HP Min 2140 improves on the earlier Mini 2133 but retains the awkwardly positioned mouse buttons.

8.Asus N10Jc

Price : $649

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 36 Very Good

* Overall Design : Very Good

* Tested battery life: 5:03 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270

* 10.2 inch wide screen

* 3.5 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : As a mobile business machine, the N10Jc is a fantastic choice. As a netbook, however, it's a little pricey.

9.HP Pavilion dv2

Price : $749

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 45 Superior

* Overall Design : Very Good

* Tested battery life: 2:58 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.6 GHz Athlon Neo MV-40

* 12.1 inch wide screen

* 3.8 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : The dv2 carves out a solid niche between netbook and laptop, delivering good performance at a fair price.

10.HP Mini 1000

Price : $540

Performence

* WorldBench 6 score : 30 Fair

* Overall Design : Very Good

* Tested battery life: 2:47 Hrs

Features & Specifications

* 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270

* 10.2-inch wide screen

* 2.25 pounds

BOTTOM LINE : HP' consumer netbook feature sleek lines, but some problen still holds the Mini 1000 back.

NOTE: Price and rating are as of June-2009.

Bluetooth 3.0 Has A Wi-Fi Twist

2009-06-09T13:58:00.001+05:30

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has launched Bluetooth 3.0 with some big claim for the updated short range wireless standard. The largest of these is a speed jump from current Bluetooth versions top transfer rate of 3 megabits per second to 24 mbps in version 3.0

Behind the fast speed is 3.0's use of the 802.11 radio protocol, which allows the Bluetooth protocol to piggyback on a Wi-Fi signal when transferring large amount of data(videos, music, photos for example).

Michael Foley, executive director of Bluetooth SIG says that the average user will experience transfer rates of between 22 mbps and 26 mbps with 3.0. This is a great advantage of device that uses an adhoc connection, because it permits two devices to transfer data at high speed without needing a USB cable or formal log-on to a Wi-Fi network.

Other new Bluetooth features Unicast Connectionless Data, for improved responsiveness and battery life; and enhanced Power Control, which reduce the incidence of disconnect caused by movement such as placing a cell phone in a pocket or purse.

Give An Old PC New Life With Fast Presto Linux

2009-06-09T13:53:00.002+05:30

Want to RERURRECT an old PC that's collecting dust? Wish you could almost instantly boot your laptop or netbook for a quick peek at your e-mail or web page? Presto promises exactly that kind of convenience.

It's a compact fast loading Linux operating system that installs in windows(no pesky boot CDs to burn) and runs along side it (the installer adds a dual-boot menu to your system, so you can pick which OS to run at start up).

In other words, Presto gives you a fruit of Linux without the usual hassles. I've been test driving the OS for several weeks, and I'm seriously impressed. It has its limitations, but it definitely succeeds in delivering the most accessible version of Linux ever.

And perhaps the seediest. I install it on a three year old Acer laptop takes a good 2.5 minutes to boot Vista. Time to boot Presto: under 20 seconds. The OS comes preloaded with some basic applications like - FireFox, OpenOffice, Skype and IM client Pidgin, but you can add loads more via Presto Application Store site.

So , what's not to like The price. Granted, Presto's $20licence fee won't break anyone's bank, but it still feels a bit sacrilegious to be paying fox Linux - especially considering how many free variants are out there.

Still, I highly taking Presto foe a spin(it has a seven-day free trial period). it's incredibly simple to install. Just download the installer file from the site, Double click that file, and follow the wizard. And Presto is totally noninvasive, in that uninstalling this OS is as easy as Uninstalling any Windows program.

Google Vs Bing

2009-06-05T18:33:00.003+05:30

Bing, earlier known as the Kumo is finally here. Announced at the recently concluded D: All Things Digital conference, the Bing is Microsoft's first dedicated attempt to challenge Google's domination in the search arena. And prima facie, it seems to be a very good attempt indeed if we are to go by the worldwide reviews received soon after launch. Bing is all set to replace Windows Live Search and will be fully operational, starting Wednesday - although it's available in most countries now.

It's now time for us to take a first look at Bing. Does it really have what it takes? Will it ever replace that Google homepage of yours? Before we delve further into this, let's just try to shake off our prejudice (is that the right term?) most people have for anything that originates from Redmond. That, coupled with the unshakable faith in Google, makes for a nice combination, which usually ends up in most of us writing off any competition (to Google) even before actually trying them out. Remember Cuil? Anyone? So, has Bing managed to catch Google with its pants down? Or is it a product you can pass? Read on.

The Look

First off, what strikes you is the look of the Bing homepage. It's loaded with nice wallpapers that seem to change on a daily basis. On a closer look, you notice that you can find the story behind the wallpaper by hovering your mouse over various "locations" on the image. The interface is quite basic and intuitive - as good as Google.The only complaint here is the image that some people might deem is an unnecessary addition. For others, this might be a welcome change from the white, too minimalist, simple Google page.

Searching

The most important function of any search engine is the way it displays search results and Bing does it pretty well. The good thing about Bing is the way it throws the information at you in a much uncluttered, unconfused manner. The keywords you feed in are further used to "suggest" you more results. There is a related searches bar on the sides, similar to Google. As for the results, it does come up with what you are actually looking for most of the times. However, this one actually needs some time for you to "settle" in. Maybe a month down the line, we can comment if Bing can really replace Google, or even Yahoo for that matter, which if you're not aware, is in second position in the search engine segment.

What we liked about the web results are the "snippets" of information that you see beside every search result link. To get an idea of what I am talking about, take a look at the image below. Once you search for a term and get a page with the search results, all you need to do is to hover your mouse over the thin line on the side of the list, and it will display what else is there on that page. Although I am not very fond of these mouse hover initiated things, this one does it in a very unobtrusive way. Nice!

Video, Images and Others

Bing also comes with the expected Video, Image, Maps and News search. You can "personalize" your image search by choosing categories like size, color and even people. In addition, if you click on any of the images, it opens up the image -- but at the same time, it shows rest of the images in a pane at the left. This lets you avoid hitting the back button for looking more images. The infinite search functionality does away with multiple pages and search results are added as you scroll down. This might be good for faster connections and PCs. As for videos, it has also been in the news for its ability to play explicit (amongst other) videos right from within the search results page. This has drawn sharp criticism from certain quarters. Well, coming to think of it, even though Google doesn't allow you to play videos right from within the results page, it is capable of displaying explicit content by just changing the preferences. This also holds true in case of images. Bing comes with a similar option and it leaves me perplexed why only Bing is being singled out. You can search videos by length, screen size, resolution and source. Pretty neat! If you are in India and are checking out Bing, it is interesting to note that you simply cannot search for things using keywords that Bing thinks might return sexually explicit content. Therefore, if you search for something as simple as "sex", you will get no results. Period. If that was not all, there is no option to change your preferences so that you may complete the search using the aforementioned keyword. If you are really looking for something, the only option now is to switch to one of the other localized pages (preferably U.S.) and you will get what you want there (ahem!). I am unsure if this is a bug or whether Bing India considers these words taboo!

Verdict

Bing sure is a good, robust search engine. Some of the features it has come up with are downright revolutionary when you compare it to Google and number two, Yahoo. Credit is due for Microsoft for providing users a capable, well thought-out search engine. You might take some time getting used to the "new set of search results" though. They have also managed to create a buzz around it and all that needs to seen is whether people will start using the service regularly. Technology enthusiasts and certain sections of this niche community might like the service and may even use the service, but replacing Google with Bing is a huge decision even for them. To replace what has become synonymous with search might be difficult and we do not see Google losing any market share in the near future. What Microsoft is looking at is the adoption of Bing by the layman, your average Internet user who still swears by Google and in some cases, is simply unaware of the fact that there is another option out there! Microsoft has had a good start with the Bing by creating the buzz around what is actually a nice search engine. However, it has a long, weary road to traverse before it could be a Google replacement. Microsoft however does seem to have Yahoo in its sight first!

Top 40 Free iPhone Software Applications To Download

2009-06-05T17:49:00.004+05:30

I have gathered up 40 of the most interesting ones to give you a jumping off point, and hopefully save you some browsing time.
Please note that all of the links in this list are direct iTunes links, so it will launch your copy of the program when you click on it.

Communication Applications

AIM: This application brings you the best features of AIM to the iPhone such as switching between multiple screen names, receiving SMS alerts to new IMs, staying logged in for up to 24 hours even when the app is closed plus other features.

Fring: Fring allows you to communicate with your contacts on AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, MSN Messenger, SIP, Skype, Twitter and Yahoo! Messenger. You can also make Skype VoIP calls via the application.

Nimbuzz: Nimbuzz is another multi-protocol instant messaging program that allows you to interact with your contacts on AIM, Facebook, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, Hyves, ICQ, Jabber, MSN Messenger, MySpace, Skype, studiVZ, Twitter and Yahoo! Messenger. It also gives you the ability to use the VoIP capabilities of Google Talk, MSN, Skype and Yahoo!.

Skype: The official Skype application allows you to make free calls to other Skype users over a Wi-Fi connection, and discounted calls to landlines & cell phones in other countries. When not around a Wi-Fi hotspot, you can still use the application to instant message with your contacts.

Yahoo! Messenger: The dedicated Yahoo! Messenger application allows you to share photos with your contacts, pass on emoticons, use the app in landscape mode and more.

Entertainment Applications

6500+ Cool Facts: How can you pass up learning information such as “Did you know that a cup of gasoline, when ignited, has the same explosive power as 5 dyanimite sticks?” Well, you would if you downloaded this free application.

F-MyLife: A popular website for venting frustrations with the surreal events of one’s day, and the app allows you to reply to postings, make your own, share them on sites like Twitter and more.

Lightsaber Unleashed: Lightsaber Unleashed is one of the most useless apps out there, but there is something fun about hearing that familiar lightsaber sound coming out of your iPhone or iPod Touch as you swing it around. You can also customize which saber hilt you want and you have complete control over the color of the blade with color sliders in the settings area.

Movies: This handy application will allow you to locate movie theaters near your current location and then show you the schedule for the films it’s showing. You can also access trailers for current movies to see if there is one that interests you.

Miscellaneous Applications

A Fake Caller: Need to get out of a meeting? Want to make sure a call comes during that awkward first date? A Fake Caller will let you set up a fake phone call to pop up on your iPhone at a time of your choosing.

Dictionary.com: This application gives you 275,000 definitions and 80,000 synonyms in your pocket, along with audio pronunciation guide for each word, example sentences, non-standard uses. Do be warned that this is a large application weighing in at over 35 MBs.

PayPal: Access all the important aspects of your PayPal account with this handy application such as sending payments, checking your balance, glancing at the latest history and a few other features.

The Weather Channel: While the iPhone OS comes with a weather application, it is pretty limited in the information it delivers. The Weather Channel app allows you to see forecasts for up to 10 days in advance, see videos from the channel, check out radar maps and a lot more.
Music Applications

Last.fm: The music site that mixes in aspects of a social network is in the palm of your hand as you make your way through the day. Check out bios on your favorite artists, share tracks with your friends, create playlists, view upcoming events and a whole lot more.

Pandora Radio: Pandora is one of the most popular free streaming music sites on the Web, and this application makes all of your favorite features of the service go with you anywhere you are. While you can just listen for free, if you already have an account on their site you can sign in and have full access to your account and personalized channels.

Public Radio Tuner: The Public Radio Tuner allows you to enjoy your favorite Public Radio stations while you are anywhere in the world, or if you’re travelling the USA for business, simply enter you location and find the station that is closest to you at any given time.

Slacker Radio: Slacker Radio is another popular Web music app that has made the transition to mobility and kept all of your favorite features. You can listen to unlimited streaming music on its over 100 pre-programmed genre stations, create your own, or fine tine an existing one. In a nifty twist, if you’re a subscriber to the pay version, the app will even deliver lyrics to your mobile device as you listen.

News Applications

All Things Digital: Odds are that if you are an iPhone or iPod Touch user, than you probably like technology news, and there aren’t too many sources more trusted than Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at All Things Digital. This app delivers all of their blogs, articles, breaking news, video interviews and more from their very popular site.

BBCReader: The BBCReader delivers BBC stories from all around the world, and uses a caching system to store them so that you can read them even when you have no access to the Internet.

NYTimes: The New York Times application won the 2009 Mobie Award for Best News Application due to its many features. You can save articles, search, read articles offline after syncing and a whole lot more.

USA Today: The only national newspaper in the United States allows you to consume news from a variety of sections such as News, Money, Sports, Tech and more. It also allows you to share stories you find interesting via email, text message, Twitter or Facebook so that you can always let your friends and family know the latest news that may effect their lives.

Social Networking Applications

Facebook: The Facebook app brings all of the best features of the popular social network to your iPhone or iPod Touch. Check your inbox, see what your friends are up to, check out your wall, see the latest tagged photos and more. Basically it’s everything you need to stay in touch with Facebook from no matter where you are.

LinkedIn: LinkedIn has become an essential tool to not only social networking gurus, but professionals of all kinds in all fields of work. While it isn’t a network you need to check as often as something like Facebook, being able to look up your contacts while out of the office can be very handy.

Loopt: A social network that uses your current location to see what other members may be around you at any given time so that you can meet up with them for coffee, go to clubs, take in a movie or just about any thing else you can think of.

MySpace Mobile: Remember when MySpace was actually a fun place to visit, and you didn’t find your senses being assaulted by glittery/blinking images that tell you to “Cheer up!” or “Have an awesome day!”? Well, the MySpace Mobile app brings back some of that by separating people’s profiles into easily navigated sections that cleans up the interface considerably, and brings back a bit of that original feel of the site.

Television Applications

Joost: Get access to the complete library of videos on Joost from iPhone or iPod Touch and watch complete episodes of shows like Star Trek, Transformers, The Beverly Hillbillies and thouands of more. The service works only on Wi-Fi connections and not over 3G or EDGE.

TV.com: TV.com is a production of CBS television networks and delivers full episodes of series from their various channels such as CBS, The CW, Showtime and more. You can subscribe to specific shows if you like to always receie the newest episodes, browse by channels and more.

Travel Applications

Cheap Gas!: An essential tool while you are travelling to find the cheapest gas prices in your surrounding area.

Google Earth: While this application can be a bit sluggish, it gives you access to the wonders of Google Earth and even lets you change the topography view depending on how you are tilting your device.

Taxi Magic: Simply tap a button while in one of the 25 major cities they service, and a cab will be on its way to your location. You can also track where your cab is, and even pay for your ride securely via credit card using the application.

Travelocity TravelTools: Even if you didn’t use Travelocity to book your trip, this app will let you know of airport delays, security wait times, locating hotels in your general vicinity and so on. If you did book through them, then you can view your past, current and future travel itineraries.

Twitter Applications

Twitter Trend: Twitter Trend serves up the latest hot topics on Twitter as a tag cloud that allows you to explore what is being said on the hot subject by simply clicking on the word.

TwitterFon: TwitterFon focuses on a clean interface and gives you easy tab navigation to flip between the different timelines so you can get to what you want quicker.

Twittelator: This app allows you to not only browse the public timeline and your friend streams, but you can also post photos and maps of your location.

Twitterrific: This winner of the Apple Design Award for Best Social Networking Application allows you to manage multiple Twitter accounts, keep an eye on trends, has a unified timeline for all of your communications and more.

Twittervision: A popular Twitter mashup Web application that allows you to see recent Tweets from the public timeline overlayed on a map so that you can see which parts of the world they come from.

Utility Applications

Flashlight: This free application turns your iPhone or iPod Touch screen into a flashlight by turning the screen completely white. You also have the option to change the screen to all black, blue, green or red.

iHandy Level Free: Turn your gadget into a functioning level to help you hang pictures, build cabinets or anything else you might need it for.

Units: This application allows you to convert units of measure for things like weight, speed, distance and so on into other formats.

Wi-Fi Finder: Either use your GPS to set your location, or enter it by hand, and you can find both free and paid Wi-Fi hotspots around you in countries all over the world.

Chat with Yahoo, MSN Buddies Using Gtalk

2009-06-02T22:15:00.001+05:30

Instant messaging is the most popular means of communications over the internet today. A few years ago, there were only a handful of messaging services to choose from, but now there are so many that it has become increasingly difficult to keep track of and chat with all your buddies who use different messaging services.
Google has its own messenger known as Google Talk, but it also allows users to chat right inside the internet browser. The chats get saved and became searchable in the mail, which is one reason why many people moved to Google Talk. A couple of years ago, Google Talk opened up their chat protocol to Jabber networks, which has paved the way for Google Talk users to chat with their buddies on AIM, MSN, Yahoo or even ICQ. Read on to find out how it can be done.
You require Psi, which is a free Jabber client, and Google Talk to achieve this. Psi can be downloaded from Www.psi-im.org, and Google Talk, which can be downloaded from Www.talk.google.com. Install these two IM clients and follow the following seven steps.

1. Launch Psi. Enter Google Talk as the Name and do not check the box next to Register new account in the Account setup window (which will launch if you are using Psi for the first time). Click Use existing account.
2. Alternatively, if you have already been using Psi, you can right-click on the Psi icon in the System Tray, mouseover to Psi and select Account Setup.
3. The Account Properties window will show up and here you should enter your full Gmail address including @gmail.com into the Jabber ID field. Check all the four checkboxes, though it is not necessary to do so to achieve our purpose.
4. Click on the Connection tab. Keep the settings as shown in the screenshot. Enter "talk.google.com" in the Host field and leave the Port field to 5223. Please note that if you can't connect using port 5223, try using port 443.
5. Get your Google Talk account online by right-clicking on the account name in the main window, mouseover Status and select Online. Now right-click on the account name again and click Service Discovery. You now need to find a Jabber transport server that will help communicate between Google Talk and non-Google Talk chat applications.
6. A good place to start this search is Jabber/XMPP Server List at http://www.jabberes.org/servers. We used the server jwchat.org (and there is one more such server - talkonaut.com), since it had transport servers for AIM, ICQ, Yahoo as well as MSN. Enter this name into the Address field (initially containing the name gmail.com) and click on Browse. You will see a list of transport servers being populated in the box below.
7. To set up your IM account, right-click on one of these servers (in the above case, it is Yahoo) and select Register. Enter your user name and password for the service selected and click Register.
Do the same for other IM accounts such as for Live Messenger using the same procedure. Psi will ask you to confirm all your newly transported contacts in your Google Talk account. After this is done, they'll all be automatically available through your Google Talk account. You will even be able to add buddies from that service, right from your Google Talk client. To confirm this, open Google Talk and you will find all the contacts from the other service inside Google Talk buddies list. To add a friend from another service, just make sure that you follow the format screenname@transport_server_name.JID, for example if the Yahoo ID of your buddy is mybuddy@yahoo.com, and jabber.darkskies.za.net is the JID of the transport server darkskies.za.net, you should add the contact from within Google Talk as mybuddy@yahoo.jabber.darkskies.za.net.

There have been reports of unreliability of quite a few transport servers, but I found the above two mentioned servers to be quite reliable, though your experience may differ from mine. I urge you to search and try different servers from the server list to find which one is the most reliable. I must also mention that when you use a transport client, you trust your information to a third party server, which may not go well with you if you are very particular about your privacy. Nevertheless, that is a risk you need to take to make Google Talk a universal chat client.

Tips To Choose a Good Head Phone

2009-06-01T22:35:00.001+05:30

Ok when I say headphones, I don't just mean the big, over-the-head ones but also the small in-ear earphones as well. Different people prefer different kind of headphones. Some like them big, some like the in-ear ones while some prefer the behind-the-neck ones. Whatever the form factor, there are some things that remain common and that is what we list here to which you should pay attention before buying a pair for yourself.
Budget
Headphones can start from 100 rupees and can go all the way to six digit figures as far as price is concerned. So you better decide how much you're willing to spend. Once again the same things apply here as in the MP3 player. If you really care about the quality and want a pair that'll last long then you need to ramp up your budget. Do remember that the more expensive the headphone is the better it sounds, there are a few exceptions though. You can also get a good sounding set without breaking a bank.
Comfort
There is a reason why comfort is a higher priority than sound quality when it comes to headphones. There is absolutely no point in having high quality headphones if you cannot have it on your ears for more than a few minutes without feeling fatigued. You also need to take the form factor into account as not everybody is comfortable with everything. Many people don't like the feeling that in-ear earphones give when you plug them in while others don't enjoy the having big headphones covering their ears. So pay attention to the comfort factor as it can make or break the headphone.
Sound Quality
Now we come to the other important aspect and that is the sound quality. A headphone with good sound quality will let you enjoy your music the way it is supposed to. It'll also bring out the most from the MP3 player that you have. Having a low quality headphone will make even the best MP3 player out there sound lame.
Build Quality
Headphones are often treated with little respect and undergo a lot of rough usage. Hence it is important that they are well built. The cables in particular need to be strong. Once the cable snaps there is no way to fix it and you end up with some expensive mufflers for your ears. The build quality of the speakers also needs to be solid. Cheap headphone speakers often produce a jarring sound when playing back bass at high volumes. This can happen over a period of usage and sometimes right out of the box. So it is important you get your headphones from a respected brand, which ensures that such things won't happen and if it does then you can always get it fixed under warranty.
Wired or Wireless
We all dream of a future where everything will be wireless. As far as headphones are concerned, we already have wireless headphones that free you from the shackles of the rubbery wires and let you enjoy your music freely. But due to certain problems they are not as popular as they should be. Firstly, they are too expensive, which puts them out of most peoples' budget. Secondly, due to the lossy nature of the compression techniques used while transmitting sound the audio quality is often not as good as wired headphones.
If you are going wired, you need to see if the wires are of the Y-Type, wherein the wire splits up near the speakers and each wire goes into either speaker or of the single-side kind where there is only one wire going in one of the speakers and the wiring for the other one goes through the headband. The latter is an infinitely better and more convenient option and the one to consider.Also take into account the length of the wire. Some of the earphones have a short wire of about a foot long and then a longer extension cable of around 3 feet.For an MP3 player you should ideally get a headphone with 3-4 feet cable only.

So that's all folks. If you follow this guide then I'm sure you'll make a 'sound' decision when buying your next headphones.

Tips To Choose Good MP3 Player

2009-06-01T22:33:00.001+05:30

Sony was the first to introduce portable music player with their Walkman range of cassette players, which became an instant hit, and then Apple took over with their iPod range of MP3 players.They are now smaller, support more formats and even have additional features such as video playback and web browsing. With so much variety to choose from it is important that you pick the right MP3 player and this guide will help you do just that.
Budget
Budget is the most important thing to consider before you set out to buy your MP3 player. Consider this as the superset while everything else is the subset. There is no point in thinking of other features if you don't have a budget in mind. If you are not going to be changing your player often then it would be a good idea to pay more and get something better, something that will be future proof and will last for a long time. Also, while deciding on the budget don't forget to factor in the cost of the headphones you'll need to buy.
Most players come with really poor quality headphones and it is always advisable to get a better pair from a renowned brand as soon as you get the player, preferably along with the player. If you are the kind who likes to accessorize your player then you might need to take into account its price in your budget as well.
Sound quality
It does not matter how many features it has, or how slim it is, or even if it comes with a free Ferrari if the sound quality is bad. OK, so maybe it is fine if it comes with a free Ferrari, but otherwise you should stay away from it. You should always try and get the best sounding player in your budget.
Most players come with a range of sound enhancement features such as equalizers, bass boosters and what not. Truth is if the sound quality of the player is good by default and if you have a good pair of headphones then you should never need to use these features. They only come into play when either of the above is not up to the mark and you then need to make up for it. Well I always test players with all the enhancements switched off so that I can paint an accurate picture how the players really sound. But if you must need to use these enhancements then it is always best to go for a player that has a manual equalizer. Unlike presets, a manual equalizer allows you to fine tune the frequencies to your tastes and not to what the manufacturer thinks is right for you. Things like 3D surround, stereo widening and reverberations just mess around with the sound without really improving them, so it is best to ignore them.
Battery Life
Truth is it doesn't matter how good your player is if it is only going to last a few hours and then start crying for a recharge. Battery life is very important and something that should not be ignored when buying an MP3 player. Most manufacturers advertise their player's battery life figures. These figures can be quite optimistic sometimes and the actual battery life of the player could be much less.
Memory Capacity
There is no such thing as enough memory in this world. You should never think that "I wouldn't need more than 1 GB anyways". Digital memory always has its uses and sooner or later you'll find yourself running out of the memory you once thought was more than enough. Our music libraries are constantly increasing and as such it becomes a pain to decide later on which song goes into the player and which does not when you have very little space available on the player. If your budget is restricting you from getting a high capacity player, then consider one which has expandable memory, such as the Creative Zen, Cowon D2+ or the SanDisk Sansa. This will allow you to put in a memory card in future and increase the capacity of the player. This is a better option than sticking with the limited built-in memory or getting a new high capacity player altogether.
Additional Features
This is the least important thing to consider while purchasing an MP3 player. Things such as video playback, Wi-Fi, web browser Bluetooth, contacts, calendar, etc. don't have anything to do with the core functionality of the player, which is playing back good quality music, but they are good to have, especially if don't have spend extra to get them. But make sure you don't compromise on the previous points in getting these features, as it is equivalent to getting a car with fancy alloy wheels and leather seats but with a weak engine.

So that's all folks. If you follow this guide then I'm sure you'll make a 'sound' decision when buying your next MP3 player.

LG KM900 Arena

2009-06-01T22:21:00.003+05:30

The LG KM900 Arena is one powerhouse of a handset, managing to incorporate almost everything that you can imagine in a mobile phone. A large capacitive touchscreen, 5 Megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, 8 GB built-in memory DivX/XviD playback, accelerometer, you name it, the Arena has got it. On top of that is LG's new touch interface, which they call the S-Class interface, and you have in your hands a complete all-round device. Well that's on paper at least.
Design & Construction
The front side is dominated by the large display. Above the display you can see the phone's sole loudspeaker and beside it is the video calling camera. On the left side of the LG logo is the proximity sensor that switches off the display when you bring it close to your face during a call so you don't accidentally trigger something on-screen. Besides it is the ambient light sensor for adjusting the display brightness.Below the display are the three touch sensitive keys. One is the Call key, one is the End key and the one in the middle is the multitasking key. You press the multi-tasking key and then you can choose between the four different desktop screens. Press and hold it and you get a list of running apps from where you can switch or end them.On the left side is the LG proprietary connectivity port, which is covered under a neat sliding flap, and is much better than the hinged ones that hang out once opened. On the top is the power key, the 3.5mm headphone jack and the latch for the battery cover.
Display, UI & Applications
The LG KM900 Arena has a 3.0" 16 M colour, 480 x 800 pixel WVGA capacitive touchscreen display. Compared to the size of the display, the resolution is enormous which gives it incredible pixel density. The display looks amazing indoors with bright sharp colours and superb brightness. The icons, wallpapers, videos and everything else looks brilliant on it. However take the phone outdoors under sunlight and you'll find hard too see what is there on the screen.The touch sensitivity of the display is excellent. Even the lightest of touch is registered and multi-touch gestures work fine as well.
The Arena uses, what LG calls, the S-Class UI. It has been optimised for full finger based navigation and seems to be heavily inspired by the iPhone UI.The Arena has four home screens, each with a different functionality. The first one allows you to have up to nine of your favourite apps as shortcut on the screen for quick access. The second one offers several widgets such as a calculator, weather, notes, etc. on the desktop screen. The third one allows you to put your favourite contacts on-screen for quickly calling or messaging them. The fourth one allows you to put 20 of your favourite music tracks and images on-screen.
Communication, Calling & Messaging
The LG KM900 Arena has almost every form of connectivity that can be imagined. First of all it is a GSM Quad band handset supporting GSM 850/900/1800/1900 bands. It is also 3G HSDPA enabled. Then there is GPRS and EDGE Class 10, A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth v2.0 (with A2DP) and USB 2.0.The GPS and Wi-Fi worked well. The Bluetooth however felt much slower while transferring data with some phones, even though they were v2.0 compliant. There are two keypads, a standard one that is available when the phone is in portrait mode and a full QWERTY when the phone is in landscape mode. The standard keypad has large enough buttons and you can use it without many typos.
Camera
The LG KM900 Arena has a 5 megapixel CMOS camera with autofocus and Schneider Kreuznach optics. The camera also has an LED lamp for low light photography. Apart from that it is also capable of recording videos up to 720 x 480 resolution at 30 fps.The quality of the captured images was above average. I have definitely seen better quality images from 5 megapixel phones before, such as from the Nokia N82. The images had an over-sharpened look. Many a time you can see jagged edges around the subject. Also the details were sacrificed to reduce the noise levels. The colors were also over exaggerated to look more appealing. There was also a bit of noise in the images. While in macro mode the camera often refused to focus on the main subject.
Music
The music player supports MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, WMA and WAV formats. The interface is different from other touchscreen phones I have used and somewhat similar to the other LG phones. The player does not have a Now Playing screen. The track starts playing right in the playlist itself. When you press play on a track in the list, the playback controls pop-up from the bottom and the track name you clicked on expands and shows the full track info along with the progress bar, album art and the time. You can change the visualization that runs behind the track name. To change the list from album to tracks, to artists you have to press on the button on the top and select from the list. The button on the top left gives additional options such equalizers, etc.
Web Browsing & GPS Navigation
The LG KM900 Arena comes with a good web browser built-in. It can open full fledged PC websites quite well. The speed of page loading was not as good as the Opera Mobile found in the Windows Mobile phones or the S60 browser however. Also, the LG browser does not open full YouTube PC site and you have to rely on the mobile version of YouTube whose videos look tiny on the screen of the Arena. Another thing that looks tiny is the fonts while browsing and you have to zoom into the page to read or select links. You can browse the web on either GPRS/EDGE, 3G or the Wi-Fi, but you cannot stream videos over Wi-Fi and you need to rely on the GPRS/EDGE connection (or 3G if you are one of the lucky few in India) which can be quite expensive for those on a limited data plan.
The GPS can be used from the Google Maps software that comes pre-installed. The GPS takes a while to get a lock-on on the satellites. In my testing it took about 5 minutes initially to make a cold start but after a while it would lock on quickly. There is no option for voice navigation though as in Nokia phones so the GPS is not used to the fullest and only restricted to the Google Maps and geo-tagging of images.
Battery Life
The LG KM900 Arena has a 1000 mAh Li-Ion battery. Compared to the plethora of features that the phone has a 1000 mAh battery was never going to be enough. Considering this the battery life of the Arena can best be described as poor.

Conclusion
The LG KM900 Arena is a really attractive and classy looking device that manages to catch attention when you use it in public. The display quality indoors is top notch, right from the picture quality or the touch sensitivity, which makes using the phone a pleasure. The audio quality is also commendable and combined with the built-in 8 GB memory and the memory card slot it can act as a good portable music player.
The camera quality however is not the best, especially the video recording. The interface design although heavily inspired by the iPhone is very easy to use. What works against the phone are the glitches in the UI, the weak camera flash, the display performance outdoors under sunlight and its battery life. The Arena is not on sale yet, but will be launched at Rs. 24,990. At that price, the Arena offers really good features, however the implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

High Capacity Compact Discs reality in a Decade

2009-06-01T15:53:00.000+05:30

I had only recently, on one of my previous post, covered a new technology being developed by GE, the U.S. based electronics giant. It talked about holographic storage that will allow users in the near future to straddle a staggering 470GB of data on a singe disc.
Now, I have another team from Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, in collaboration with Samsung who are working on a new technology that can help create discs with a capacity 10,000 times greater than current generation DVDs. The technique allowed them to store an incredible 1.6 terabytes of data on a singe disc - with the potential being believed to be in the vicinity of 10 terabytes! To give you a fair idea on how large this is, a singe terabyte of storage space would be enough to hold 300 feature length films or 250,000 songs.
The technology will use a nanostructured material incorporated onto a disc in such a way that the researchers would be able to increase capacity without increasing the physical size of the disks. This is achieved by "adding" two more spatial dimensions on to the discs in addition t the existing ones. The new dimensions are the spectral and polarization dimensions. These new additions helped researchers to significantly up the storage capacity of the discs.
As for issues, the most daunting one is to find a way to write data on to the discs without having to wait for long periods of time. In any case, it would be a while since these discs would ever make it to the consumer market. We envisage a serious medical and military use of this one as this can be used for storing large amounts of data with encryption - a thing made easier, thanks to the increased data density.

New Spam To Haunt Social Networkers

2009-05-28T23:25:00.000+05:30

Have you been hit like million of Facebook users by a new fishing scam that can result in crashing your computer or mobile phone and stealing our passwords? If not, beware, do not open the file ending with “.at” or “.be”.
The phishing scam is being run through the spam message which steal t he sensitive information of the user. In the attack the message is circulated with a subject line of “Hello” and prompt to checkout “areps.at” or other URL sending in “.at”
The mail with the subject line loo at this and link like – “goldbase.be”, “greenbuddy.be”, “silvertag.be”, “picobant.be” leads to malicious websites, which if visited, could download malware into computers through a “Drive by Download” application.
The URL connectivity before being block direct the visitor to a fake Facebook page and the mail ID and password are stolen as soon as it is logged-in again according to the blog.Facebook the password in such case should be changed immediately and the same message should be sent across to one’s Facebook acquaintances..

Microsoft Kumo search

2009-05-28T22:29:00.002+05:30

Can new search engines finally challenge Google?

The release of Wolfram Alpha Inc's WolframAlpha fact engine last week and the expected unveiling of Microsoft's new Kumo search engine today are creating some unease for longtime search champ Google.
The unusual activity in the search engine business has analysts looking less on the specific capabilities of WolframAlpha or Microsoft's new Kumo tool, and more at how Google will respond. The search giant's name has become synonymous with search, but Google has rarely faced the hype surrounding WolframAlpha or the marketing and advertising muscle of tech behemoth Microsoft.
"Microsoft has had lots of time to study what users want and need in search, and given a compelling product, it's possible that they can grab some share from Google," said Dan Olds, an analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group." Google is definitely under pressure from Microsoft and Yahoo in the short term and from WolframAlpha in the longer term.
"However, it's hard to overstate the strength of [Google's] current position," Olds added. "They have a huge share of the search market and they will be hard to unseat. That said, Google can't become complacent. That's the kiss of death in this business."
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is on the agenda to speak at theAll Things Digital Conference in Carlsbad, California, today. He's widely expected to unveil the company's new search engine, the successor to Microsoft's less-than-beloved Live Search. Various reports have hit the internet in the past few days, noting that Microsoft will officially dub the new search engine Bing.
Microsoft, which has not even confirmed the upcoming release of the search engine, has been keeping Kumo - or Bing - well under wraps in the last several months, despite persistent rumours and speculation.
Microsoft is expected to include some of the features of thePowerset search engine it acquired last June from San Francisco-based startup Powerset. The Powerset technology attempts to understand the full meaning of phrases people type while searching, and then returns results based on that understanding.
Jim McGregor, an analyst at In-Stat, said Microsoft seems to be working hard to create technology that can provide users with the information they need with fewer clicks and to apprise them of information they might not have even known existed.
He added that the new tool is part of Microsoft's long-term plan to move beyond its stronghold in the PC operating system business and capture a more significant web presence. "They need this for their future growth," said McGregor. "With everyone moving toward a lightweight, mobile internet, people don't need a PC or a big operating system. It's a big change. Microsoft doesn't need to unseat Google but they do need to get a web presence."
And both McGregor and Olds say it's a good thing that Microsoft isn't looking to quickly knock Google off its top perch. The software giant may be taking aim at Google's stranglehold on the search market, but there's little chance that the search leader will be hurt anytime soon.
"Google has done a great job of keeping its eye on the ball and not becoming sidetracked," said Olds. "They know that search is their bread and butter, and will do whatever it takes to defend that turf. In my view, the renewed thrust by Microsoft, and Yahoo is welcome. It will spur Google to up the ante with new developments of its own."
McGregor agreed "Google is not going to sit back and let competition come after it," he added. "They'll innovate. I think that with all this competition, we'll see some pretty cool new search features and tools."

Your Home Page Never Being Changed

2009-05-25T20:56:00.004+05:30

Some websites illegally modify your registry editor and set their website as default home page, for stoping this,

1. Right-click on the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop and select "Properties".

2. In the "Target" box you will see "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE".

3. Now by adding the URL of the site to the end of this it overrides any Homepage setting in internet options:

"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" www.techtrikx.blogspot.com

Microsoft Hands-Free Games

2009-05-25T12:27:00.001+05:30

The ultimate computer game that banishes hand held controls and allows players’ gestures to dictate action on screen is to be launched by Microsoft. The Microsoft Xbox 360 uses 3-D camera technology, and is aim at challenging the dominance of the Nintendo Wii. Allowing user kick a virtual football, drive a car or practice dance moves with a computer generated partner simply by monitoring an individual’s movement s, the entertainment system will become a must have for any child or even youngster.

The Microsoft camera, which is first to be able to sense 3-D is based on technology developed by 3DV Systems, an Israeli company recently acquired by Microsoft. It uses infrared light to detect real life gestures and the players’ distance from the camera. This information the converted into a related movement on screen. A source close to the Microsoft said: ”By taking away the control altogether the game becomes so easy to operate that even your grand mother can master it.”

Make Your PC Talk

2009-05-21T22:58:00.001+05:30

Open a text file in notepad and write the following or just copy-paste it :

Dim msg, sapi
msg=InputBox("Enter your text","Talk it")
Set sapi=CreateObject("sapi.spvoice")
sapi.Speak msg

Save As (Save AS Type = All Files) the file with a (*.vbs) extension, it will create a VBScript File.
It will prompt you for a text when you open the file, input the text and press ok.
You will hear what you have typed.
This works great in windows XP,may be in Vista also.

Make An Autorun File For Your CD

2009-05-21T20:38:00.002+05:30

If you want to make an autorun file for that CD you are ready to burn, then just read this...

1) You open notepad

2) now you writ: [autorun]
OPEN=INSTALL\Setup_filename.EXE
ICON=INSTALL\Setup_filename.EXE

Now save As (Save As Type = All Files) it but not as a .txt file but as a .inf file.
But remember! The "Setup_filename.EXE" MUST be replaced with the name of the setup file. And you also need to rember that it is not all of the setup files there are called '.exe but some are called '.msi

3) Now burn your CD with the autorun .inf file included.

4) Now set the CD in you CD drive and wait for the autorun to begin.

Can't See Secure Sites ?

2009-05-20T23:35:00.001+05:30

Fix the problem with seeing them secrue sites (banks or online stores) I found this very usefull to me at my work.
Any way... what you need to do is make a new notepad file and write in it the followng DLL's. Just copy-paste these

regsvr32 SOFTPUB.DLL
regsvr32 WINTRUST.DLL
regsvr32 INITPKI.DLL
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 Rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 Cryptdlg.dll

and save it as > all file types, and make it something like securefix.bat.
then just run the file and your problem should be gone.

Top 10 Fast And Free Security Enhancements

2009-05-20T23:09:00.001+05:30

Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will protect you against the most common threats.

1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly; have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.

2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate and ZoneAlarm offer free versions.

3. Install a free spyware blocker. My Choice was SpyBot Search & Destroy. SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.

5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.

7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition. And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners.

8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.

9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security Supersite at http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats quickly and can take proper precautions.

10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."

Appetizer - Application Launcher

2009-05-14T22:46:00.003+05:30

Appetizer is a free application launcher, or dock, for Windows. It allows organizing and launching your applications and other shortcuts into a convenient dock. The app is skinable and entirely customizable. It is available in several different languages.
The application also supports the PortableApps USB format. So if you use Appetizer on a USB key in the PortableApps format, the application will detect it and automatically import all your applications along with the 'Documents', 'Videos', 'Music' and 'Pictures' folders.
Features:
Fully customizable dock
"Vertical" and "horizontal" mode
Resizable
Support for small and large icons
Support for multiple skins
Available in multiple languages (and you can easily add your own)
"Multilaunch" functionality
Support for PortableApps.com format

Download Size: 1.78MB

Dell's Inspiron Customizable Desktops

2009-05-14T22:39:00.004+05:30

Dell has added two new slim desktop computers to its Inspiron Desktop line of computing devices. The Inspiron 535, Inspiron 545 slim mini-towers are available in eight 'vibrant' colors and designed to appeal to the youth.

Dell India offers extensive personalization options for its Inspiron 535 and 545 desktop computers. Customers can choose processors, form factors and colors to build an Inspiron desktop that appeals to them. The company is sure the versatility offered here will make its
computers a better fit into a customer's lifestyle and budget.

Features:

Option to choose color, size (slim or mini-tower) and configuration
Intel Pentium, Intel Core2 Duo and Intel Core2 Quad options
Integrated Intel or ATI Radeon graphics on select systems with discrete graphics options available
Up to 8 GB memory on select systems
Up to 750 GB storage (slim tower) or up to 1 TB storage (mini-tower)
Optional 19-in-1 media card reader and optional HDMI connectivity
6 USB ports (2 front, 4 back)
Dual optical options (mini-tower only) including Blu-ray Disc drive
To view the desktop images and read more about them, visit the Dell products page.
Pricing and Availability
Starting at Rs. 25,400 (including delivery), the systems will also be available through retail outlets later in May. Inspiron 535 and Inspiron 545 desktops are available in India for purchase through www.dell.co.in

Top 5 Camera Phones Around

2009-05-14T22:10:00.006+05:30

Sony Ericsson K810i
Easily one of the best camera phones that the Swedish company made; the K810i still rocks even after two years of being in existence. The K810 has wonderful picture quality, which is complemented by the awesome xenon flash that makes it a great tool for photographing in the dark. Colors are natural and exact, which will definitely please the purists. Macros, which have always been a forte of Sony Ericsson phones, are delivered with aplomb.
The 3.2 megapixel resolution might not seem much, but for all practical purposes it is more than enough for a mobile phone. You also get a convenient lens cover, which will start the camera when slid open and protect the lens when closed. Only major flaw that I can point out is the low resolution video recording. But apart from that this phone lives up to the Cyber-shot brand name, and at Rs. 10,000(INR), you cannot get a better camera phone.

Motorola ZINE ZN5

Motorola shied away from camera phones for a long time, conveniently ignoring it and equipping its phones with the same old boring 2 Megapixel camera. But then they finally thought enough was enough and decided to make an entry into the camera phone market. And what a device they chose to make that entry! The picture quality rocked and even taught long time camera phone makers Sony Ericsson and Nokia a thing or two about making camera phones. Motorola partnered with Kodak for the software part but the hardware is their own. The 5 megapixel sensor captures superb details, but what really impresses are the lush warm colors that bring the images to life. At night the brilliant xenon flash comes to the rescue and the lens cover protects the lens from scratches and dust. Video recording, however, is once again a weak point for the ZN5. Priced at Rs. 15,800(INR) the ZN5 is terrific value for money and a superb camera phone.

Nokia N82

Nokia's best camera phone; the N82 has almost everything that a camera phone should have. A 5 megapixel sensor, renowned Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, xenon flash and a lens cover. All you could have wished for is optical zoom. The N82 produces some fantastic pictures that will at times make you wonder whether it really came out of a mobile phone. Little wonder that it is the most popular camera phone today and the Internet is littered with pictures by N82 photographers.

But what really seals the deal in N82's favor is the superb 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution video recording at 30 FPS. The videos not only look great on the phone but also on the PC screen. What's more, the phone can also use the built-in GPS receiver to Geo-tag the images, so you know exactly where you have taken them. Priced at Rs. 18,800(INR), the N82 is the best camera phone that you can find in this price range.
Sony Ericsson C905
The highest resolution that you can have in a mobile phone camera today is 8 megapixels. Sony Ericsson was the first to bring out an 8 megapixel camera phone; the C905. Along with an 8 MP sensor, they have also armed the phone with autofocus and xenon flash along with a nifty LED flash. This works as focus assist as well as a lamp that constantly stays on for video recording in the dark. A well-designed lens cover mechanism protects the lens from damage.
The quality of the images is really good. The high resolution sensor works its magic in capturing even minute details of the subject. In low-light conditions, the powerful xenon flash can make your images turn out great. The C905 can also Geo-tag its images with the help of the built-in GPS. The only area where you wish its performance was better is video recording, as the C905 still captures videos in QVGA resolution at 30 FPS.
Having said that it would be hard to find a phone with better picture quality, and at Rs. 26,000(INR) the C905 is the pick of the lot.

Samsung INNOV8
In a bid to have everything but the kitchen sink, Samsung included a superb 8 megapixel camera in the INNOV8. The INNOV8 might lose out to the C905 when it comes to having a xenon flash on board, but it more than makes up by having better picture quality during daytime with more details and warmer colors.
What's more, the INNOV8 is also capable of recording videos in VGA resolution at 30 FPS, something the C905 cannot do. It also has a massive 16 GB built-in memory with option to expand it further, so you'll never have to worry about running out of space for your favorite photos and videos. Priced at Rs. 37,000(INR), the INNOV8 is a bit too expensive, but that's more because of the overall package that it offers than just camera performance. Along with the C905, it is one of the best camera phones that you can buy.

Wolfram Alpha To Answer Your Queries

2009-05-14T21:12:00.001+05:30

Wolfram Alpha, a new "Computational Knowledge Engine" developed by British physicist Stephen Wolfram, is all set to revolutionize search with its amazing/innovative ability to give answers to your questions directly - instead of directing you to sources where you "might" get the required information.
The software is still in its initial days of existence and will be available for use later this month. Already touted to be a Google Killer - which most probably it won't be, the Wolfram Alpha has managed to rake up considerable storm even before its launch. It was showcased earlier this week at Harvard University. Many experts consider this to become the "Internet's Holy Grail" once fully operational. It will be able to understand and respond to ordinary queries and give answers to queries in ordinary language, similar to how a person would respond when queries. To give you an idea of what this is capable of, let us take a few examples. Suppose you want to compare the height of the Empire State Building with the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, all you need to do is to type in your query and wait for the software to calculate your results derived from various sources. Once the search is over, you will not only get a detailed answer to your query but also a lot of other related information that might be of interest to you.
Many experts believe this to be a part of the natural evolution of the internet. Additionally, the results that you receive are assessed by experts and are made available only after a thorough verification. This is unlike Wikipedia, which thrives on user-generated content. Wolfram Alpha is incidentally based on Stephen Wolfram's Mathematica software, a standard tool for scientists, engineers and academics for crunching complex maths. Lets see what competition it will give to Google.

Samsung i7500

2009-04-29T19:44:00.003+05:30

Samsung’s upcoming i7500 smartphone may be the first Android phone that will challenge Apple’s iPhone on many fronts. The device will become available in June. However, the phone will only sell in Europe initially. U.S. consumers looking for an Android phone will have to stick with T-Mobile’s G1 for now.
So is this yet another iPhone killer? We all may get a bit tired of calling every new phone that looks like an iPhone an “iPhone killer”, but if the tech specs are any indication, the i7500 may turn into the best iPhone alternative yet.
The device will come with a 3.2” touch-screen, a 5-megapixel camera, 8 GB of integrated memory, 3G (HSDPA) and Wi-Fi connectivity. While further details have been withheld so far, the device is close to the overall form factor of the iPhone and is just 11.9 mm thick, vs. 11.5 mm of the iPhone.
"Samsung is among the earliest members of the Open Handset Alliance and has been actively moving forward to introduce the most innovative Android mobile phone," said JK Shin, executive vice president and head of mobile communications at Samsung, in a prepared statement.
Compared to the success of the iPhone, T-Mobile’s G1 Android phone has been somewhat disappointing. The carrier recently announced that it has sold 1 million G1s so far. Apple sold 3.8 million iPhones in the first quarter of this year and is expected to announce at least one new iPhone in June.

GeForce GTX 275 And ATI 4770

2009-04-28T18:58:00.003+05:30

Inno3D is the latest partner to let us know that it intends on producing a GeForce GTX 275 graphics card with 1,792MB of on-board memory, compared to 896MB for a regular card.
The card will ship at the stock frequencies of 633MHz core, 1,404MHz shader, and 2,268MHz memory. It's clear that NVIDIA's partners have a surfeit of GDDR3 chips on their hands and intend to 'double-up' as the opportunity presents itself with new GPUs.
A number of 896MB-equipped GTX 275 cards are available for £200, proving to be a little more expensive than the cheapest competing Radeon HD 4890 GPUs, so the £275 asking price for the 1,792MB GTX 275s seems rather too expensive.
I really can't see the economic case for the card if priced at >£250. Let's see if Inno3D can bring it in for less than that.

AMD is following the launch of its latest high-end chip, the AMD ATI Radeon 4890 with a graphics card more likely to be affordable the average gamer, the mid-range Radeon 4770. Arriving with a $99 (~£85) MSRP, the 4770 should offer nVidia's 8800 GT 9800 GTX+ GTS 250 dome competition.The RV740 core powering the 4770 is build on a 40nm manufacturing process, and so should offer improved performance-per-watt over the 55nm RV770 core powering the 4800-series. That core packs 128 shader units (640 stream processors) is clocked at 750MHz and pairs with 512MB of RAM running at an effective speed of 3.2GHz on a 128-bit interface. As a result, the 4770 offers 960 gigaFLOPs of computing power, not far off the 4830 Radeon 4850 which just broke through the teraflop mark.

Considering the market and price point the Radeon 4770 is targeting - and the cooler 40nm manufacturing process - the use of a dual-slot cooler is slightly odd. If it means the fan can fun slower and, importantly, quieter that could be a worthwhile trade-off.

Store 100 DVDs to a single disc

2009-04-28T17:38:00.002+05:30

General Electric (GE), the consumer electronics giant from U.S., has achieved a major breakthrough in storage technology with the development of a new technique that will allow large amounts of data on normal discs.
If large amounts of data were a very subjective term, here is what the real deal is. The new holographic storage technology developed by GE allows data worth more than 100 DVDs to be stored on a single disc. Considering the standard capacity of DVDs (4.7 GB), that amounts to a colossal 470GB capacity per disc. Mind you, we're talking about almost half terabyte of data per disc.
The product, which GE hopes to bring to the mainstream technology front in the coming years, is still in its testing phases and needs lots of tests to be done before this one gets its final seal of approval. As mentioned earlier, the technology is based on the principle of holographic storage about which you can learn in detail here. In brief, holographic storage is memory stored in three dimensions as well as in the "normal" binary format. The advantage of this kind of storage is that it allows for more data to be packed in the same surface area than allowed by conventional storage technolog.
Holographic storage has the potential to pack data far more densely than conventional optical technology allows. Although the techniques and basic concepts of holographic storage were etched back in the 1960s, it is only now that it is making a "comeback" of sorts.

Samsung's Propel Pro

2009-04-27T22:55:00.004+05:30

For a smartphone, the design is quite unorthodox; rarely do you see a WinMo handset that looks more like a square than anything else and can easily double as a mirror for the fashionistas. Engineered specifically for those who favor texting but can't afford to live without the luxuries that come with owning a bona fide smartphone with a bona fide data plan, the Propel Pro caters to an interesting niche.

Design

When you first pull this bugger from the box, it's easy to assume that it's just another cheap handset trying to sashay about as a real smartphone. But really, it's just exceptionally light.The slide action is smooth and controlled, the backlit keyboard is ready for 1,000 texts per day and the side-mounted volume rocker is amongst my favorites due to its length and great positioning. As for the 320 x 320 resolution display, it's... um, decent. For starters, I am not huge fans of square displays. I already mentioned that I weren't huge fans of the mushy buttons, but the central joystick is another story entirely. It's easy to maneuver, highly responsive and makes navigating the non-touchscreen display a real joy.

Software

Ah, software. As with pretty much every other WinMo handset hitting the shelves these days, this one also comes loaded with Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, and if you've used it on anything else, you know what to expect. Unlike HTC's offerings, there's no big overlay here to hide or sugarcoat what Microsoft has built. The vertical panels approach works about as well as anything on this phone, with a downward punch of the joystick giving you glances at Application, Media Player, Photo Viewer and Profile shortcuts. Compared to Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1, I found the overall Windows Mobile experience to be far better on the Propel Pro. Lag within menus was minimal (albeit noticeable at times), and application launching was on par with other snappy WinMo handsets.
Usage
All the usual WinMo gripes were here -- screen freezes while trying to connect to WiFi, delayed reactions to incoming calls and texts and sluggish load times when firing up a mildly intensive app -- but the Propel Pro did a remarkable job with mitigating those quirks. In other words, it minimized the lag about as much as it could from a hardware and usage standpoint, and really, that's all we can ask.As much as I appreciated the volume rocker, we lamented the fact that no headphone jack was included. Not a 3.5 millimeter one, not a 2.5 millimeter one. Just a power plug / headphone jack combo that's about as unconventional as it gets. So yeah, you're not buying this phone to double as an MP3 player.
The 3.0 megapixel shooter actually had a decent amount of options (including selectable ISOs, scene options and a video record mode). The microSDHC card slot was also quite helpful, and the oh-so-capacious 16GB SanDisk microSDHC card I had on hand worked like a charm.
It's also worth mentioning that Internet Explorer managed to perform decently at 3G speeds. Should you consider this something you can easily browse complex sites on? Definitely not, particularly with that 320 x 320 display, but it'll definitely handle made-for-mobile news sites.

All in all, Samsung's Propel Pro does WinMo 6.1 about as good as it can be done without any super fancy overlays. The build quality is stellar, it nails the basics and -- just in case you missed it the first go 'round -- it's as cute as a button. To be honest, though, it's a hard sell with the S60-packin' E71x available on the same carrier for $50 less. If you're a diehard WinMo user, you aren't apt to be disappointed, but if you're open to options, I'd have to suggest looking elsewhere with your fifty buks, much to the chagrin of the otherwise fundamentally sound phone.

AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE Processor

2009-04-24T20:08:00.004+05:30

AMD has officially introduced Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition processor for their Dragon desktop platform aimed at enthusiasts and gamers. This quad-core Phenom II X4 955 will compete with Intel's Core 2 Quad Q9550.AMD's 45nm process quad-core Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition processor is clocked at 3.2GHz and isn't much different than the Phenom II X4 940 in terms of clock speed. Deneb core based Phenom II X4 955 will support Socket AM3 based motherboards and DDR3 memory modules.

Phenom II X4 955 CPU has 6MB L3 cache and tops at 1.5V voltage settings. AMD has optimized their 45nm process technology and the quad-core Phenom II X4 955 smoothly hit higher clock frequency without much drastic changes in the voltage settings.

Apart from Socket AM3 support, AMD has made Phenom II X4 955 backwards compatible with Socket AM2+ motherbaords. AMD boasts of new AMD OverDrive 3.0 software that has AMD Smart Profiles for tuning the performance for specific CPU-heavy applications as per the requirement. Likewise, AMD Black Edition Memory Profile will allow enthusiasts to overclock DDR3 memory modules as per their requirements.

AMD Phenom II X4 is listed at price range $259-279 (Rs.13,000-14,000 INR) currently. So if you are planning to upgrade your PC then dare to think beyond Intel.

Ultimate Gaming PC

2009-04-21T22:19:00.005+05:30

Dell's XPS 730x is just a shift in two major parts from their XPS 730. Both the motherboard and processor have been changed to allow for use of the Core i7 processor and the Intel X58 chipset. This gives the XPS 730x the ability to run faster DDR3 memory directly from the processor for improved memory access. The X58 chipset is also the first that allows for either CrossFire or SLI multiple video card configurations.
The system continues to use the very well designed XPS 700 series case with its easy to access and very wide open layout. This makes it one of the easiest cases to get into and upgrade. The downside is that this is also one of the largest and heaviest cases on the market. It comes in a standard silver with solid panel but users can also get several color models with an X-panel for additional airflow.
In terms of performance, the base Dell XPS 730x comes with a setup that is pretty typical for a basic performance gaming system. The Core i7 920 processor with the triple channel 3GB DDR3 setup provides it with some solid overall numbers.
Storage is pretty much what anyone would expect from a desktop system with 500GB of hard drive space standard and a dual layer DVD burner. Upgrades are available for anyone needing more storage space or wanting to support Blu-ray media.One area that is fairly weak is the graphics. The GeForce 9800 GT graphics card is decent, but there are newer and better options available and typically standard in competing systems.

Configuration
Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core Desktop Processor
3GB PC3-8500 DDR3 Memory
500GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
16x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Audio Card
Dual Gigabit Ethernet
Eight USB 2.0, Two FireWire, eSATA
Vista Home Premium 64-bit, McAfee Security Center
Pros
Wide Range of Customization Options
Sturdy Easy To Access Case
Creative Sound Blaster Audio Card Included
Cons
Case Is Very Large And Heavy
Relatively Meager 3D Card For Price
On The More Expensive Side

Wrist Watch Touch Phone LG-GD910

2009-04-10T18:47:00.002+05:30

This is something you expect to see in a James Bond movie.The world’s first market-ready Touch Watch Phone LG-GD910 with 3G Video Telephony (VT) service and GSM Quadband Network capabilities.
It includes a full touchscreen interface, 3G capabilities and video calling. Most importantly, this watch phone will actually be available for purchase.
At first glance, LG’s new Watch Phone appears to simply be a high-end timepiece. LG said it used materials and stylistic elements found in watches from top manufacturers to ensure that people will be comfortable wearing it for any occasion. The Watch Phone has a curved tempered glass face, high quality metal casing and is 13.9 mm thick.
It is claimed to be the first touch watch phone in the world to feature 7.2 Mbps 3G HSDPA compatibility, enabling high-speed data transmission and video phone calls using the built-in camera. The Watch Phone is fully capable of sending text messages, making phone calls, and, of course, keeping accurate time. This is all achieved using the phone’s touchscreen interface on its 3.63cm (1.43-inch) screen and LG’s intuitive Flash Interface.
Voice recognition features, which can be used with or without a Bluetooth headset, make it easier to place calls and look up contacts. Text to Speech (TTS) reads text messages and other information out loud for even greater convenience. The phone also includes stereo Bluetooth and a built-in speaker for playing back music files. A large phonebook and scheduler help with organisation, this is certainly setting trends in the mobile phone industry.

ALL Time Great PS2 Games

2009-04-08T22:36:00.005+05:30

The PS2 reigned supreme for years, for a simple reason, there was nothing like it. It offered some of the best games ever and took consoles to a whole new level. Last week, I did a feature on the PS2 and its recent price cut; today, I list my favorite PS2 games across all genres. We hope that you enjoy reading the list and add your favorite games in the comment section.
1 God of War (Series)
What can I say about God of War that hasn't been said before. It is and will remain the PS2's magnum opus, the greatest creation; a game that pushed the hardware to its limit but delivered a stunning experience, one that will serve as a benchmark for future games.
2 GTA (Series)
The PS2 brand owes a lot to the GTA series. This open-world adventure sold a ton of copies and made car-jacking a national passion. The GTA series on the PS2 were popular for all the wrong reasons, but none can deny that they were highly ambitious games that got better with every offering.
3 Metal Gear Solid 3
Metal Gear Solid 3 is the best stealth/action game on the PS2, period. The game, which revolved around the Big Boss, put you in the middle of a jungle and offered gameplay elements never seen before. You had to hunt for food, mend your wounds, as well as make sure that no camouflaged sniper is aiming at your head. The cinematics, audio, background score, and plot were better than anything that we ever saw, and remain remarkable even today.
4 Devil May Cry
I still feel that the original Devil May Cry was the best game in the series and that DMC 2 should have never seen the light of day, but overall this is a series that satisfied our hack-and-slash needs. The story never made sense but uber-cool Dante made up for it. The series has shifted gears into HD and has even offered a new gunslinger, but DMC was the best on the PS2.
5 Final Fantasy (Series)
Final Fantasy XIII may have defected to the Xbox 360 (which is a good thing, as more gamers will enjoy this fantastic ride), but the series reached its cult status on the PS2. High production values, innovative gameplay, and new battle systems kept the series fresh, and it always surpassed expectations.
6 Burnout ( Series)
EA is known as the evil empire as it is known to milk their franchisees; however, EA gets it right with Burnout each time, which is godsend as we love burning rubber and taking down opponents.
7 Shadow of Colossus
The team behind ICO know how to create great adventures; they know how to create games that are ambitiously designed and they know how to deliver. SOC was so different from any other game out in the market that the world quickly took notice. Not only is the game a visual marvel but also an adventure like no other. You fight titans who breach the sky with limited platforming skills, all for the love of a beautiful princess, taking the Damsel in Distress scenario a tad too far.
8 Guitar Hero
There are way too many rhythm games in the market, but the original Guitar Hero still remains a favorite. This is the game that started it all and the reason it was special was that it was new and innovative. Now there are too many spin-offs and too many sequels, but the original GH remains a must have.
9 Tekken (Series)
There are fighting games and then there is Tekken. Beautifully drawn characters, a very balanced battle system, and a great offline multiplayer experience make Tekken one of our favorite fighting games on the system.
10 Ratchet and Clank (Series)
Ratchet is a lombax who runs around with a highly intelligent robot tied to his back, that is all that you need to know before playing R&C. The series grew popular due to the fun gameplay, quirky one-liners, and innovative weapon design.
11 Pro Evolution Soccer
The football game drew a lot of critical praise and fame due to its realistic gameplay. The football sim took a fair share of FIFA'S market and created a new brand of football geeks, those who considered FIFA inferior. Pro Evo hasn't had a great start in the HD generation, but I am confident they will strike back.
12 Gran Turismo 4
Gran Turismo 4 is the best car sim on the PS2; it looks the part, it plays the part, and it has more content than all other games put together. There are hundreds of cars and more than a dozen real-life locations, and it supports 1080i; this one's a keeper.
13 Shadow of Rome
Another game by Capcom that went unnoticed by many, Shadow of Rome lets you play dual roles. You play a gladiator as well as a frail commoner in Rome. The dual role means that half the time in the game you will be surviving in a large arena, while the other half will go in sneaking around corners and avoiding guards. The game offered both action and stealth and maintained a great balance between the two with a good plot and equally impressive visuals.
14 Prince of Persia (Series)
The re-invented POP was highly successful on the PS2, partly due to the time-bending gameplay and partly due to the highly comfortable controls. The game just felt right on the console and proved to be a top seller. The series enjoyed a lot of success and proved that games of yesteryears can be re-imagined and re-worked and yet are able to make the IPs look timid.
15 Resident Evil 4
RE5 may be ruling the charts today, but it was the genre-defining RE4 that brought the series out of slumber. RE4 used quick time events and a new camera angle to bring a new Resident Evil experience to its fans, and it worked like a charm.

Sony To Cut PS2 Price

2009-04-06T20:42:00.006+05:30

The PS2 price cut was imminent. This is a console that has served millions and is by far the most popular console of all time. Although there are people who are dumping their old consoles and getting shiny new next-gen behemoths, the PS2 does hold its own due to its 1900+ gaming titles that cover all genres of gaming.
The price cut brings the PS2 below the $100 mark, making it the most affordable home console in the market. However, many gamers are disappointed as they think the price cut is irrelevant and come a little too little.
This price cut will eventually hit India and make the console affordable to a larger populace at Rs. 5,500- 5,900(INR). I don't want to add a lot of facts and figures to the article, so click here to read an in-depth report by Mckinsey and Company about the greater buying power of the Indian Middle Class .
Huge library of games will be easily available throughout India.
The PS2 is all about games across all genres. God of War, the GTA series, FIFA, Cricket, Tekken, Okami, Shadow of Colossus, Gran Turismo 4, Buzz, SingStar, the Ratchet and Clank series, Burnout, Guitar Hero, and the Final Fantasy Series, I could go on and on. This is a console that has everything and is adding more titles this year.
Sony (India) is well aware of the potential and is acting accordingly. They recently launched a game called Hanuman: Boy Warrior, which looks decent and will surely create a buzz in the market. Mythology is a safe bet and perfect for launching any new form of entertainment. It worked wonders with animation and I am sure gaming will follow the trend.
Works perfect on standard Televisions: The PS2 was made for standard TVs and it works best on standard TVs. A large population in India still buys CRTs as the prices have dropped drastically, the PS2 just completes the picture , provided Sony can make it clear to the consumers or may be bundle it in some attractive TV deal.
There are many PS2 gaming caf s spread across the country that have kept the brand alive.We have all come across and spent time in a PS2 caf , playing Fifa or Pro Evo for hours. The PS2 gaming cafes have created an underground community of PS2 lovers, who skip school to get their daily dose of gaming! The gaming cafes play host to a lot of 18-24 year olds, who will now be able to purchase a PS2 to chill on weekends.
Nothing is foolproof and there is no guarantee the PS2 will be successful. What I can gauge with confidence is that if Sony takes the right steps they will find a new home for the PS2 in its dying years. Personally, as a gamer, I hope the PS2 finds success in India, as it will create a new brand of gamers in India and finally make India a visible dot in the global market.

Top 10 ERP Software

2009-04-06T20:35:00.003+05:30

1. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009
It's a comprehensive business management solution designed to boost the productivity of mid-sized organizations as well as larger organizations. It's easier to handle for those with used to Microsoft. The Dynamics AX has an easy to use interface, and enables intelligent decision making. With its integrated communication and collboration tools, Dynamics helps to establish better connections with employees, customers, and partners .

2. SAP R/3
SAP R/3 is the former name of SAP ERP. It is an integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software developed by SAP AG. It basically targets the requirements of midsize and large organizations. SAP offers an environment of other products to function upon the foundation of a central component.

3. SAP Business One
Business one is an integrated ERP software targeted at the software requirements of the small and medium sized enterprises. It has an extensive 14 module structure that includes almost every business requirement from Administration module to e-commerce module.

4. Infor ERP XA
That's an IBM System i-based ERP solution. Infor ERP XA the latest release for selected manufacturers. The new solution comes with an upgraded inventory management processes, mixed-mode processes and serves up more system speed, In addition it offers better service and maintenance procedures for the professionals.

5. Net suite
This ERP software is widely used by diverse enterprises and nonprofit organizations in U.S. The major plus with this software is that it involves minimal convolutions and can be implemented instantaneously. Further it can be customized to maximum to meet the clients

6. Exact Software
This software is stands above the rest of the pack when it comes to connectivity. It ensures that the connectivity among the members within the organization and those outside are equal. Exact Software integrates the traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) with customer relationship management (CRM), business activity monitoring, electronic workflow management, project management, and business intelligence. It is designed to sort out contingencies faced by the company. Moreover it lays future guidelines for steps in future.

7. SYSPRO
It's one of the pioneer software vendors to offer enterprise resource planning solution. Contrary to other ERP software, it doesn't have a usual method of setting one uniform procedure for the organization. It assists the companies in developing separate manufacturing process simultaneously.

9. Epicor
This ERP software is popular with manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality and services companies in U.S. It provides a completely inimitable approach to the ERP system. Equipped with innovative service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web services technology, Epicor provides industry specific solutions. It offers comprehensive range of services.

10. Excel ERP
This ERP software scores high for its easy, systematic and risk free implementation. The unique part of Excel is allowing the customer to use a customized piece designed keeping in mind the long term goals.

Magnetic Recording with Heat to Boost HDD Capacity

2009-04-05T10:10:00.003+05:30

Hard drive storage capacities have seen tremendous advancements over the past couple of years. It was not many years ago that we drooled over 200 or 300 GB HDDs that were stratospherically priced. With continuous advancements, manufacturers have been able to significantly bring costs down and boost capacities at the same time.
As of now, we have 1 and 2 terabyte hard drives as the new "high capacity kings." However, there is always a question that lingers at the back of everyone's mind. How long can this process continue? Existing hard drive technology still uses the same basic techniques that were used on HDDs made, say, 10 years ago.
Magnetic recording materials, according to experts, will reach their threshold in about five years' time, and that is when we will need to think about alternate storage options.
Companies involved in the magnetic storage business are working on this, and HDD major Seagate has already come up with a new technology that will boost data storage capacities and might just be able to give magnetic storage a 5-year boost. With the new technology, called heat-assisted magnetic recording, researchers expect to make it possible to record data at densities 50 times greater than that of existing technologies. The idea is to squeeze in more data within the same real estate that they had at their disposal three or four years ago.
Other companies too are on the look out for newer technology to curb storage woes and have another technology ready, called bit patterning, which involves increasing the density and stability of magnetic bits by creating patterned arrays of very regularly shaped, nanoscale magnetic grains.
While many of these technologies have their advantages and pitfalls, there is no doubt that we need a new technology that takes the good points from all the existing and under development techniques to boost the life of magnetic storage.

Shake and Charge Your Mobile Phones

2009-04-04T16:30:00.002+05:30

If a bunch of ingenious researchers are to be believed, the day isn't far when most of your gadgets would be powered by nanogenerators- tiny zinc oxide wires that possess piezoelectric properties.
If that went over your head, let us explain. Piezoelectric properties point toward the capability of an object to generate electricity (albeit tiny amounts of them, at least for now) when the object is bent, stretched or when subject to any physical or mechanical stress.
In short, with this capability added, any object that can "move" can be made capable of drawing power from the movement itself. The nano wires used to power these future gadgets possess the aforementioned piezoelectric abilities and are not only very small in size but also very thin. Each nanowire is 25 times thinner than a human hair!
The lead researcher behind this project, Zhong Lin Wang, believes that the device can be in the future used to power cellphones and gadgets. Imagine, being able to charge your phone by merely moving it or shaking it? Even though these might sound farfetched now, a few years down the line, this might just become routine.
Apart from their use in charging gadgets, nanogenerators could be used in defense technology and biomedical sciences. Wang also demonstrated a video in which a single nanowire attached to a hamster managed to create 70 millivolts (.07 volts) of electricity.
Although this might sound too insignificant now, the team has managed to generate up to 0.2 volts of electricity, and with further improvements expected, the figure is sure to go up. Just to put things into perspective, a USB powered device uses about 5 volts of electricity. So I guess we still have a long way to go.

LED Lighting to be Common by 2012

2009-04-04T16:05:00.003+05:30

You might have already heard about LED lighting, perhaps the most "looked forward to" technology in the lighting sector. Even though we are aware of its inherent advantages, LED lighting has a long way to go before it manages to garner larger public attention. After all, just being environmental friendly and being cheaper to use does not help. That's correct, not withstanding all these advantages, LED lighting has one big problem: They're an expensive first time purchase and are relatively harder to install.
However, the future might not be that bleak after all. With production costs and subsequently, prices seeing consistent drops, many believe that LED lighting could become a force to reckon with by the year 2012. Japan seems to be in the forefront in experimenting and trying out this technology up front. The importance of LED lighting can be attributed to the fact that the electric appliance industry has nicknamed LED technology as the fourth light, after candles, lightbulbs and fluorescent lamps.
The main advantage of LED's is that they consume a lot less electricity, are smaller, durable and lighter. They are already being used in many areas like in traffic signals and mobile phones but are yet to make an impact in the mainstream lighting arena.
In Japan, Toshiba will be releasing a new LED based lightbulb that can be used with "normal" lightbulb mounts. With the same brightness as a 40watt bulb, the device will cost 10,500 Yen (Rs. 5,500), which is still a lot of money for a lightbulb. However, what this price will fetch you is something that has a 40,000 hour lifespan. That's 40 times longer than run of the mill incandescent lamps can last and seven times the rated capacity of existing florescent lamps.
Other companies too are in the fray. Panasonic, for example, has plans to increase its LED products lineup from 80 to 210 starting April. It also has a LED light priced at 25,620 Yen (Rs. 13,300), which gives as much light as a 60-watt bulb. The lifespan is the same: 40,000 hours. Installing one of these can cut electricity expenses by upto 85 percent, according to company officials.

Researchers Creates Artificial Brain

2009-04-04T15:55:00.003+05:30

Prof. Micheal Coleman, a researcher at the Aston University, Birmingham and his team have managed to do what you might have heard of only in science fiction novels.
Apparently, they have managed to reprogram cancerous cells taken from a tumor to create those that are identical to the cells seen in the human nervous system, that includes the brain. The main objective of the study is to enable scientists understand the reasons and look for a breakthrough in the treatment of conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and at the same time, understand the functioning of the brain at a cellular level.
The research has been funded by the Humane Research Trust, a premier organization that advocates alternatives to animal testing of drugs and for research purposes. According to Prof. Coleman, what they have managed to create is an artificial brain capable of processing thought, albeit at the most basic level. He adds that "It is closer to the human brain than anything else around, and in the longer term we hope that our procedure can be used to help us understand how conditions such as Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases develop and ultimately find a cure and develop better drugs."
The scientists "feed" the cells with nutrients every two days to keep them alive. At the same time, the researchers are analyzing data from the research and are using this cellular model as a tool to understand the functionality of the brain.

Apple to Preview iPhone OS 3.0 on March 17

2009-03-16T20:40:00.004+05:30

Apple has sent out invitations for a special media event on March 17. Apple will give a sneak preview of the new iPhone OS 3.0. The preview event will take place at Apple's Town Hall at 10 AM Pacific Standard Time, which would be 10:30 AM (approximately) Indian Standard Time on March 18.

Speculations abound on the web that Apple will introduce much-requested feature in the iPhone 3.0 OS. However, it looks like a development build preview version, which might be publicly shown off to developers at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2009.

What's going to be new in the iPhone OS 3.0?

Here's a quick checklist we've prepared from the tons of feature requests and rants that customers have, and the stuff for which Apple has been in the news for.

Adobe Flash

The hide and seek game between Adobe and Apple to bring Flash support to the iPhone is being played since long. Let's hope that Apple finally manages to bring the support with due help and development assistance from Adobe.

MMS Support

Another much-requested feature is the Multimedia Message Service support, since the iPhone is already capable of sending multimedia.

Cut - Paste

Haven't many of you cribbed and ranted about having no cut-paste support on the iPhone ever since the first-generation iPhone was launched? It's about time that Apple provided iPhone and iPod Touch owners with this feature. Otherwise, they might always be on the look out for an option through jailbreak.

Bluetooth

Despite the fact that the new iPhone 3G has Bluetooth working on a limited number of headsets, let them open up the Bluetooth profile to developers and allow the hooking of the iPhone and iPod Touch to Bluetooth car kits.

Background Process

Support for running more than one application at a time. Basically, a multitasking feature that will, however, stress out the CPU of the iPhone, which is capable of running up to 620MHz. On iPod Touch, game developers would be able to make more graphics-heavy games to put the current CPUs clocked at 532MHz to good use.

Hope this time user will get all the features that they were lookin for in previous versions of the iPhones.

Morange - Check It Out

2009-03-16T20:18:00.004+05:30

The only software that upgrades your phone to the iPhone level,Call Back Service, IM/Instant Messaging/News/Push Mail/Remotepc/pim all in one. Just 400k in size, complete free for individual mobile users. In a single application, Morange connects all the dots in your digital life and brings 'integrated experience' to your phone. For example, you can chat with friends on MSN, Google Talk, read and reply e-mails, read blogs and news all from this thin mobile software.

There are many young people using Morange right this second as you are reading this line, they are real people as you are. You can reach them by a simple search, for example, in Morange you can find numerous girls around you and see who want to chat with you, I bet some definately will.

Apple Brings New Mac Pro To India

2009-03-15T12:48:00.001+05:30

Apple has introduced new updated Mac Pro machine in India along with its revised desktop Mac line up. The new Mac Pro comes equipped with a quad-core Intel Nehalem chip along with an updated system architecture and graphics. Apple offers the new Mac Pro in two variants: quad-core Intel Xeon version and two quad-core Intel Xeon version.

The new Mac Pro is the fastest Mac one ever with Intel's Nehalem microarchitecture-based quad-core 64-bit Xeon processor with 8MB shared L3 cache. Now one can add up to 32GB DDR3 memory modules for wider memory bandwidth.

Intel's Xeon chips pack in an integrated memory controller which allows using DDR3 memory. The basic Mac Pro version comes equipped with Quad-Core 2.66GHz Intel Xeon processor and 3GB DDR3 1066GHz RAM. While the other version comes with two Quad-Core 2.26GHz Intel Xeon processors with 8MB shared L3 Cache per processor and 6GB DDR3 1066GHz RAM.

Apple allows adding up to four Nvidia GeForce GT 120 graphics card with GDDR3 video memory and offers an option of ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics card with 512MB GDDR5 video memory. Also, Mac Pros can now support up to eight 30-inch displays with four Nvidia GeForce GT 120 graphics cards.

Mac Pro come with a 640GB SATA HDD 7200RPM storage capacity that can be updated to 1TB SATA 7200RPM HDD. The Mac Pro also features 18x SuperDrive with double layer support and three PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots for 16-lane cards.

The price of quad core Mac Pro starts from Rs. 1,42,700 while the 8-core Mac Pro version starts from Rs. 1,88,900, not a bad pricing for such configuration.