Motorola's Solar Powered Handsets

Motorola plans to increase the battery life of phones naturally so the battery hogging mobile phones can live a bit longer. The concept is not really new but Motorola is working on it; LCD powered Solar panels.














This way the LCD will be powered as well as the battery will get charged. The hope that this concept will turn into reality is still unsure but will always be most welcome.

5 gadgets to simplify your digital life

With a number of portable storage devices available in the market, the power to transfer data, like documents, photos, music, etc., is now at your fingertips.

Here are the five devices that allow you to do this.

External hard disk













External USB hard disks usually measure about 2.5 inches in width. The USB hard drives are portable, which means you can connect the hard disk to any personal computer. Your PC will recognise the device without installing any driver. These devices come in various storage capacities, starting from a couple of gigabytes to 40 GB, 60 GB, 80 GB, 120 GB and so on. This means that you can store any type of data in bulk in these external hard drives and transfer them to any PC.

Cost
A 40 GB portable hard disk from a good brand costs Rs 3,000 while an 80 GB drive from same brand could cost you less than Rs 4,000. For a little more money, you get double the storage capacity.

Points to note before buying
Connectivity Interface: USB drives do not require any driver installation. These days most external hard drives are USB enabled, so there is not much to worry about.

Speed: The higher the speed at which the hard disk works or transfers data, better the performance. The disks are rated in terms of revolutions per minute, which means the higher the rotations, the faster would be the data transfer rate.

Warranty: Manufacturers usually provide a warranty for a couple of years, but do check out the terms and conditions.

Power consumption: Compare the power consumption of a few devices before finalising which one to buy. If you plan to use the drive with your PC then this should not bother you much as a little increase in power consumption will hardly have much effect on your power bill. However, if you plan to use the device frequently with your laptop then this might be a point to note. In case you are using the battery backup to connect to an external hard disk, then the hard drive will use some of the battery backup.

Pen drive





















Pen drives are really small, keychain-sized storage devices which weigh just a few grams and can easily slide into your pocket. These usually have small storage sizes ranging from a few megabytes, say 256 MB, to a couple of GBs.

Like portable hard drives, these pen drives also do not require any driver installation. You can get a 1 GB pen drive of Chinese make for about Rs 500 to Rs 700, while the 2 GB piece would cost you about Rs 1,000. Your computer will recognise the USB device as an external device to which you can transfer data to and fro.

Points to note before buying:
Check out the warranty/guarantee terms and conditions.
Before making any purchase, check out the memory space you would need.

Music players














Most portable digital music players can also double up as portable media to store data (any kind of file or application). Music players come with memory sizes ranging from just a couple of MBs to 80 GBs and come in a number of designs and sizes.

You can get these music players from local manufactures selling iPod lookalike models (Chinese made replicas) at a fraction of the cost, or from well known brands Like Apple, Sony, Creative and Toshiba.

Unbranded MP3 players cost between Rs 600 to Rs 1,500 (up to 1 GB) while branded ones like the iPod Shuffle (1 GB) cost about Rs 4,000 to 7,000.

Points to note:
Portability: Check whether any software or driver needs to be installed in case the device is simply to be used for storing data. Most USB devices are plug and play compatible, so you do not need to do anything special to turn them into storage devices, but you need to check all the same.

Storage limit: A few devices have limited storage capacity and cannot be used to store data other than music. All branded hard disk-based MP3 players have the data storage feature by default. In case of unbranded devices, it would be best to check with the dealer.

Universal Drive Adapter
















Cannot transfer files from your outdated PC? Don't worry. Here's a nice little device that can help turn your old computer's hard disk into a portable hard disk.

Usually, the hard disks we use in desktops are connected to the computers through a serial port, which are not plug and play compatible - they need some drivers to be installed.

But with the Universal Drive Adaptor, you can make your serial port hard drive USB compatible by simply connecting your old hard disk to the USB 2.0 and the IDE adapter cable to make it plug and play compatible (only for Windows 2000 and XP). Do remember, you would need to supply external power to this device.

Cost: This hardware is available online for $25 plus shipping charges.

Memory cards















Memory cards are compact storage media (hardware to store data). They come in different sizes and need different types of card readers (devices which read and write data to memory cards). But nowadays you can also get card-reading devices which incorporate card readers for all memory cards built into one. Memory Stick, Memory stick Pro, Memory stick Duo, MultiMedia Card, Multimedia card for Mobile, SD Card and Smart Card are some of the memory cards available in the market. Though memory cards are usually used in portable devices like digital cameras, voice recorders, cell phones and music players to store and transfer data, they can also be used to transfer data between PCs. Memory cards can store from 8 MB to 2 GB of data, depending on the type of card.

Points to note before buying:
Do make sure of the type of memory card used in your mobile phone, digital camera or music player. All media cards have different physical sizes, hence if any of your devices mentioned above support memory cards, then they would have slots of varying sizes for the memory card.

BlackBerry Pearl White now available

Research in Motion (RIM) has launched its sleek and stylish "BlackBerry Pearl White" smart phone in the country.

With a sophisticated lustrous White finish, Pearl White is an easy-to-use phone with support for email, messaging, organiser, and Web browser. It comes with a digital camera, multimedia player, and an expandable memory slot.

The Pearl White smart phone has BlackBerry's premium phone features including: speaker independent voice recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD); dedicated send, end, and mute keys, speaker phone, and Bluetooth support for hands-free usage with headsets and car kits as well as other Bluetooth peripherals.

It also includes intuitive call management features such as smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing, and call forwarding, as well as an intuitive user interface with an easy-to-use trackball, dedicated menu and escape keys, and context-sensitive menus that make navigation instinctive and fast. The built-in digital camera comes with 3 zoom levels (up to 5x) and flash, and the multimedia player supports MP3 and AAC music files, as well as MPEG4 and H.263 video formats.

The Pearl White comes with 64MB built-in flash memory; an ultra-bright, high resolution (240 x 260) color display; an innovative light-sensing technology that automatically optimises the screen, trackball, and keyboard lighting for indoor, outdoor, and dark environments.

The BlackBerry Internet service allows access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts. The enterprise server supports Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, and Novell GroupWise environments, and features a new set of IT policy controls for managing the smart phone's features and usage.

The BlackBerry Pearl White is now available at Airtel and Hutch for Rs. 24,990.

(Car Wallpapers) Ferrari Sypder 430-3

(To enlarge the wallpaper, click on the image)

Pages 1 2 3

(Car Wallpapers) Ferrari Sypder 430-2

(To enlarge the wallpaper, click on the image)

Pages 1 2 3

(Car Wallpapers) Ferrari Sypder 430-1

(To enlarge the wallpaper, click on the image)

Pages 1 2 3

(International Trailer) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

World's Most Compact AVCHD Handycam CX7K from Sony

Sony has introduced the new Handycam CX7K (HDR-CX7K), the first Memory Stick capable Handycam camcorder that records high-definition videos and captures up to 6.1 mega pixels of still images in various Memory Stick media including the Memory Stick PRO DUO, Memory Stick PRO-HG DUO and Memory Stick Micro. As the lightest and most compact AVCHD camcorder available in the market, the Handycam CX7K can easily fit into one's palm at only 6.9cm x 6.7cm x 13.1cm . With Sony’s original low power consumption technology, the Handycam CX7K can shoot continuous for 6 hours deemed to be one of the highest stamina for AVCHD Handycam camcorders.

Movie Recording Time:
HD Picture Quality Mode 2GB Memory Stick 4GB Memory Stick 8GB Memory Stick
AVC HD 15M (XP) Approx. 15 min Approx, 30 min Approx. 1 h
AVC HD 9M (HQ) Approx. 25 min Approx. 55 min Approx. 1 h 55 min
AVC HD 7M (SP) Approx. 35 min Approx. 1 h 5 min Approx. 2 h 20 min
AVC HD 5M (LP) Approx. 45 min Approx. 1h 25 min Approx. 2 h 55 min
SD Picture Quality Mode 2GB Memory Stick 4GB Memory Stick 8GB Memory Stick
9M (HQ) Approx. 25 min Approx. 55 min Approx. 1 h 55 min
6M (SP) Approx. 40 min Approx. 1 h 20 min Approx. 2 h 50 min
3M (LP) Approx. 1 h 20 min Approx. 2 h 40 min Approx. 5 h 25 min

Based on the new xvYCC international standard, x.v.Colour technology assures supremely life-like colour reproduction. Compared to conventional camcorders, x.v.Colour approximately doubles the range of colours that can be reproduced, close to what the human eye can see.

It is the one and only camcorder that records high-definition videos on one of the smallest media available, the Memory Stick. Customers can now leverage on the Memory Stick media to playback videos directly from the Handycam CX7K to VAIO notebooks and PLAYSTATION 3 without transferring movies to the hard disk of the devices.















Packed into the compact Handycam CX7K are Sony's original ClearVid CMOS sensor and Enhanced Imaging Processor that deliver clear movies shot in dim environment or in twilight based on the minimum illumination of only 2 lux . It can also achieve Smooth Slow recording for slow-motion recording of objects that are too quick for the human eyes to perceive especially in sports such as a golf swing. A 3-second video recorded can be playback in a 12-second slow motion video with audio recorded in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. The dual recording mode realized by both the ClearVid CMOS sensor and Enhanced Imaging Processor allows both videos and high quality still images to be captured concurrently. With the Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization technology, the Handycam CX7K captures stable videos despite inevitable hand movements.

Similar to the latest AVCHD HDD Handycam SR8, SR7 and SR5, it has a simple-to-use GUI to shoot, review, change in settings and even edit images. Specific sections of the video footage can be split and deleted with the divide function. A favourite playlist can also be created for quick and easy access to the popular videos. Besides the conventional visual index and date index search, users can also search with the new film roll index function by displaying thumbnails of scene captures at specific intervals or the new face index function that displays faces detected by the face detection engine . To avoid the hassle of handling a PC, the Handycam CX7K has an easy one-touch "Disc Burn" function in the bundled Handycam Station that transfers videos directly to an AVCHD or DVD disc.
Alternatively, one can use the Easy PC Back-up function that backups new videos in the PC's hard disk automatically. With the Picture Motion Browser software installed, user can extract still images up to 3 mega pixels from video content, edit videos and save them in an AVCHD or a DVD disc.

The new Handycam CX7K series will be available in Asia Pacific from July.

LG Chocolate Card Phone KE820 launched

Buoyed by the success of its Chocolate Phone (KG800), LG has launched the Chocolate Card Phone, KE820.






















An ultra slim phone the size of a credit card, KE820 features a 2.0 mega pixel auto focus camera, continuous video recording, and Bluetooth, among others.

It also has a MP3 Player with ring tones, graphic equalizer; FM Radio with 12 station memory; and FM via speaker phone.

The phone supports all music formats like MP3, WMA, AAC, and AAC+. With the 256MB memory card, one can store all his/her favorite songs. The phone comes with USB compatibility, a USB Pen Drive, external memory card slot, built-in modem, speaker phone, and tri-band (900/1800/1900).

The KE820 is priced at Rs 14,500, along with free accessories including a 256MB Micro SD Card, Leather Carry Pouch, USB Data Cable, and Stereophonic Headset Kit worth Rs 2,500.

(Video) Nissan Pathfinder commercial

(This video may contain content that may be inappropriate for some viewers.)

Nissan Pathfinder commercial emphasizing the independent front suspension system in the vehicle.

AOL now in India!!

Internet giant AOL launched a version of its portal in India on Thursday, including sections devoted to Bollywood, cricket and international music.

The new site, AOL.in, will have tailored news and entertainment, as well as features such as free email, instant messaging and mobile services.

“India is one of the world’s fastest-growing online markets and our India portal will help us compete for users and advertisers in this important region,” Ron Grant, president and chief operating officer of AOL, said in a statement ahead of the official launch in Bangalore.

The launch comes after an overhaul of AOL’s business model last year, when it decided to give away most of its services for free to boost online advertising sales.

Citing a report from Kaufman Brothers, AOL said the Indian market had about 45 million Internet users at the end of 2006.

The report projected the region’s Internet usage could double to 94 million by 2008 and triple to 147 million by 2010.

AOL also has portals for France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Austria, as well as ones in the United States targeting Latino and Chinese populations.

How to speed up Windows XP's shutdown?

Tips for getting out of Windows more quickly.

Don't Shut Down, Hibernate
There are only two reasons to shut down Windows: to save electricity, and to reset the operating system when it starts acting goofy. If nothing really bad is happening, XP can run reliably for days or even weeks between boots. So instead of shutting down your system, tell it to go to sleep. Putting Windows into Hibernate mode copies the contents of your machine's RAM to your hard disk, then powers everything down, which saves just as much electricity as shutting it down--from the hardware point of view, the two actions are identical. Hibernating XP and waking it out of hibernation take much less time than closing it and rebooting.

Close Programs First
Windows must close every running program before it can shut itself down, which is time consuming. Of course, you could close each program manually beforehand to speed up the shutdown--but unless Windows seems to take forever to close, that won't save you much time. However, if your shutdowns are unusually slow, you could try closing your running programs (both your applications and your system tray icons) prior to turning Windows off. If your system shuts down more quickly, one of those programs is causing the hang-up.

Watch Out for Bad Drivers
Buggy or improperly installed drivers can also cause shutdown difficulties. Check to see if your device drivers need updates by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties, Hardware, Device Manager. Look for entries with yellow question marks or red exclamation points: A question mark indicates that Windows is using a generic driver for that device instead of one designed for it, and an exclamation point means that the device is not working.

The drivers for graphics boards, sound cards, and printers are most likely to need an update. Visit the vendors' Web sites to download the updated drivers to your PC. Then right-click the entry in Device Manager, choose Update Driver, and step through the wizard, selecting "No, not this time" to the Windows Update question, and choosing the "specified location" option when it appears. When you're able to navigate to the driver file, select it and click OK to install it. When you finish updating your drivers, close all open windows.

Terminate Terminal Services
Windows XP's Terminal Services can also cause recalcitrant shutdowns. That's more, if you never use remote desktop, fast user switching, remote assistance, the terminal server, or other Terminal Services, you don't need them. To shut it off, select Start, Run, type services.msc /s, and press Enter. Find and double-click the Terminal Services listing. (Of course, if you don't have Terminal Services installed, your slow shutdowns have another cause.) Change "Startup type" to Disabled or Manual and click OK.

Don't Clear Virtual Memory
If you use Windows XP Pro (but not the Home edition, alas), you can speed up your shutdowns by verifying that you're not clearing your virtual memory whenever you exit Windows. Select Start, Run, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. Navigate to Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options in the left pane. In the right pane, scroll to Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile. If the option is enabled, double-click it, select Disabled, and click OK. (You may not have this option on your system.)

Reduce Windows' Wait Time
You can speed up some shutdowns--and risk losing unsaved data--by reducing the time Windows waits for a program to stop itself properly before taking this job into its own disruptive hands. Then select Start, Run, type regedit, and press Enter. In the left pane navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control. Double-click the WaitToKillServiceTimeout item in the right pane. Set it to a value lower than the default 2000 (or 2 seconds), perhaps to 1000 (1 second). Click OK, and then reboot.

Sony launches PS3 in India at Rs 39,990

Consumer electronics major Sony India on Thursday launched its high definition gaming console PlayStation3 (PS3) at a price of Rs 39,990. The company aims to sell 10,000 units of Playstation3 and 50,000 units of Playstation2 during this financial year.

The Indian gaming market, which includes computer games, mobile games and consoles, is expected to grow to $425 million by 2010 from $50 million (including grey market) at present, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe sales and marketing director Tim Stokes told TOI. “Sony is a leading player in the market and would work towards retaining its position here,’’ he added.














Sony has initially shipped 1,200 units of the console for sale in India. The company plans to sell half of its new consoles through its own outlets ‘Sony World’, while the balance would be sold through retail chains and music stores.

The PS3 comes with the blu-ray disc drive which provides a high definition next generation gaming and movie experience at home, as well as up to 50 gigabyte of data capacity for video game developers to store content—five times the capacity of a DVD. PS3 also features a 60-GB hard disk drive and built-in wi-fi adapter.

Microsoft (Xbox) and Nintendo are the main competitors for Sony in the gaming business. The premium version of Xbox is available in the country at Rs 27,990, while Nintendo is yet to be officially launched.
















Stokes said the company was targeting over five-fold jump in its gaming business in India, which would primarily be driven by earlier versions of its console—PS2 and the portable version PSP.

The company has also slashed the prices of the earlier versions of its gaming consoles. It would now sell PS2 for Rs 7,990 while the portable PSP would be sold for Rs 9,990.

The company’s main volumes will continue to come from the earlier version Playstation2, Stokes said. The Playstation2 was launched in the country in 2003. Stokes said that the company has been seeking lower duties and levies from the existing 35%, to bring down prices for the Indian consumer. At present, the segment attracts an import duty of 10%, a CVD of 16%, besides various state and central levies. The company is also developing India-specific gaming content which will hit the market later this year.

















Sony has sold three million units of PS3 across North America, Japan and Europe since its launch five months ago. Buoyed by the increased buying power of the Indian customer, Sony India MD Masaru Tamagawa said the company is targeting a twofold jump in the consolidated revenues to $2 billion by 2010.

“The group, including consumer electronics, mobile phones, entertainment, music and pictures crossed $1 billion revenue mark in 2006,” he added.

The consumer electronics division, Sony India, closed the previous fiscal at Rs 2,300 crore and we are anticipating a 30% increase in our revenues from this division year on year,” he said.

Free broadband internet connections @ 2Mbps from BSNL and MTNL

The Govt. plans to offer internet connectivity @ 2Mbps for free through BSNL and MTNL.

The government proposes to offer all citizens of India free, high-speed broadband connectivity by 2009, through the state owned telecom service providers BSNL and MTNL. While consumers would cheer, the move holds the potential to kill the telecom business as we know it.

You have heard of free municipal broadband-many cities in the US have drenched themselves in wireless broadband connectivity, freely accessible to residents. The idea is to boost economic activity in general. The Govt. of India plans to achieve free broadband connectivity at a speed of 2 MB per second across the country, with a similar goal. Senior government officials expect to be able to achieve this goal spending only a portion of the burgeoning corpus of the Universal Service Obligation Fund to which all telecom operators contribute 5% of their revenues every year. It is estimated that the unutilised sum from the USOF has touched Rs. 9194.12 crore by March 2007 end.

The current technological trend is for voice calls also to shift to the internet, using voice over internet protocol (VoIP). The Department of Telecom (DoT) will be taking a series of steps to make its plans for free broadband a reality. These include, using the USOF to set up an extensive optic cable network across the country, opening up the long distance sectors to further competition, allowing free and fair access to cable landing stations, permitting the resale of bandwidth, setting up webhosting facilities within the country and asking all the internet service providers to connect to the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).

Experts break internet speed records, twice

A group of researchers led by the University of Tokyo has broken internet speed records — twice in two days.

Operators of the highspeed Internet2 network announced on Tuesday that the researchers on December 30 sent data at 7.67 gigabits per second, using standard communications protocols. The next day, using modified protocols, the team broke the record again by sending data over the same 20,000-mile path at 9.08 Gbps.

That likely represents the current network’s final record because rules require a 10% improvement for recognition, a percentage that would bring the next record right at the internet2’s current theoretical limit of 10 Gbps. However, the Internet2 consortium is planning to build a new network with a capacity of 100 Gbps.

With the 10-fold increase, a high-quality version of the movie The Matrix could be sent in a few seconds rather than half a minute over the current Internet2 and two days over a typical home broadband line.

Researchers used the newer Internet addressing system, called IPv6, to break the records in December. Data started in Tokyo and went to Chicago, Amsterdam and Seattle before returning to Tokyo.

The previous high of 6.96 Gbps was set in November 2005.

Speed records under the older addressing system, IPv4, are in a separate category and stand at 8.8 Gbps, set in February 2006.

The Internet2 is run by a consortium of more than 200 US university. It is currently working to merge with another ultrahighspeed, next-generation network, National LambdaRail.

The announcement of the new record was made at the Internet2 consortium’s spring meeting, which ends on Wednesday in Arlington, Virginia.

(Video) New Earthlike planet discovered Gliese 581

European astronomers have spotted what they say is the most Earth-like planet yet outside our solar system, with balmy temperatures that could support water and, potentially, life.


They have not directly seen the planet, orbiting a red dwarf star called Gliese 581. But measurements of the star suggest that a planet not much larger than the Earth is pulling on it, the researchers say in a letter to the editor of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

"This one is the first one that is at the same time probably rocky, with water, and in a zone close to the star where the water could exist in liquid form," said Stephane Udry of the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland, who led the study. "We have estimated that the mean temperature of this super-Earth lies between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius, and water would thus be liquid."

Most of the 200 or so planets that have been spotted outside this solar system have been gas giants like Jupiter. But this one is small. It appears to have a mass five times that of Earth's.

"Its radius should be only 1.5 times the Earth's radius, and models predict that the planet should be either rocky, like our Earth, or covered with oceans," Udry said in a telephone interview.

The research team includes scientists credited with the first widely accepted discovery of a planet outside our solar system, in 1995. Many teams are looking for planets circling other stars. They are especially looking for those similar to our own, planets that could support life. That means finding water.

"Because of its temperature and relative proximity, this planet will most probably be a very important target of the future space missions dedicated to the search for extra-terrestrial life," Xavier Delfosse, a member of the team from Grenoble University in France, said in a statement. "On the treasure map of the universe, one would be tempted to mark this planet with an X."

Gliese 581 is among the 100 closest stars to Earth, just 20.5 light-years away in the constellation Libra. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, about 6 trillion miles.

It is smaller and dimmer than the sun, so the planet can be close to it and yet not be overheated.

"These low-mass stars are the ones where we are going to be able to discover planets in the habitable zone first," said planet-hunter David Bennett of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, who was not involved in the research.

Bennett cautioned that current temperature alone does not mean water still exists on the planet. It could have burned off ages ago, when the star was hotter than it is now.

Udry's team uses a method known as radial velocity, using the European Southern Observatory telescope at La Silla, Chile. The same team has identified one larger planet orbiting Gliese 581 already and say they have strong evidence of a third planet with a mass about eight times that of the Earth. Future missions, perhaps in 20 to 30 years, may be able to block the light from the star and take a spectrographic image of the planets. The color of the light coming from the planet can give hints of whether water, or perhaps large amounts of plant life, exist there.

Sony Ericsson W999i mobile phone

The pictures of this model from Sony Ericsson are making rounds around the web. The picture below shows a very similar looking handset to be launched.






















The model seems to be the W999i and will hopefully follow the steps of W950i with a smart OS.

The phone has a QWERTY keypad, a lift off from Sony Ericsson's M600.

It is expected that the handset will be of around 12.5 mm thickness and will house a 2 MP auto focus camera.

The phone screen will be 2.4-inch and support a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels.

There is no official announcement from Sony Ericsson as yet.

Spiderman 3 - The most expensive film ever made

Upcoming film 'Spiderman 3' may be the most expensive movie ever made, with reports claiming that more than 500 million dollars could have been spent on its production.

Although sources associated with film production claim that 350 million dollars have been spent on the production of the movie, reports published in Radar magazine say that the total expenses may have crossed the 500 million-dollar mark after the inclusion of the cost of publicity and marketing.

Laura Ziskin, one of the film's producers, however refuted the claims of the 350 million dollar expenditure on the movie that opens on May 4. While she refused to reveal the actual amount spent on the film's production, she did claim that the project was a super-expensive movie.

"I refuse to say the real number because it makes me choke. 'Spider-Man 3' was a super-expensive movie - the most expensive film we've ever made. But there's no way you can get to $300 million," the New York Post quoted her as saying.

A representative for Sony Pictures says that only 270 million dollars have been spent on the movie. The source also told that each day's cost of shooting was around one-million dollars, and that the producers have spent heavily on computer generated special effects.

Palm Treo 680 smart phone launched

Palm has introduced the GSM/GPRS/EDGE quad-band smart phone Palm Treo 680 in India. The Palm Treo 680 smart phone will appeal to feature-phone users who want a more capable mobile-computing device.






















The Palm Treo 680 smart phone has a new design, having an internal antenna; a full, easy-type keyboard, perfect for writing SMS messages and emails; and an optimal 320 x 320 vibrant color screen for viewing Web pages, photos, media, and more.

It has a unique phone user interface (UI) that further simplifies Treo innovations, such as the ability to respond to calls with a preset text message, adding new phone numbers to existing contact information, and three-way calling. The Treo 680 smart phone, can also be used as an MP3 player, and has an integrated digital camera with video-capture support and video player.

Additional features include: 64MB of user-available storage expandable to 2GB; enhanced email and messaging wherein Exchange ActiveSync now synchronizes even contacts besides calendar and email; improved SMS and MMS capabilities for a better user experience; improved Web browser; enhanced multimedia, allowing users to stream music, play MP3s, and manage and share photo albums; built-in dial-up networking (DUN) capabilities; Documents to Go, wherein users can view, edit, and share Microsoft Word and Excel documents, in addition to viewing full-featured Adobe PDF files and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations; plus Bluetooth 1.2 that allows users connect wirelessly with other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Palm Treo 680 smart phone is priced at Rs 25,500.

(Video) Paris Hilton's Hot BBQ Burger ad

(Trailer) Pathfinder

A Viking boy is left behind after his clan battles a Native American tribe. Raised within the tribe, he ultimately becomes their saviour in a fight against the Norsemen.

(Car Wallpaper) Koenigsegg CCX-4

Previous Page

(Car Wallpaper) Koenigsegg CCX-3

(To enlarge wallpapers, click on them)

Previous Page Next Page

(Car Wallpaper) Koenigsegg CCX-2

(To enlarge wallpapers, click on them)

Previous Page Next Page

(Car Wallpaper) Koenigsegg CCX-1

(To enlarge wallpapers, click on them)

Next Page

Sony's new way of looking at digital pictures-2

Pretty in Pink















This is Sony's 7.2-megapixel W80 model. And, like all of the company's W-series offerings, it sports a Carl Zeiss® 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5-inch LCD screen wrapped in a sleek metal body. The W80 model will hit stores in March and cost about $250. It comes in pink, white, black, and silver.

Edgy















The W90 camera is an 8-megapixel gadget and will be available in March for about $300 in black and silver. This and other W-series cameras are compatible with the Sony VMC-MHC1 high-definition component cable for simple connection to an HDTV set.

Super Zoom















For those who like action photography, Sony in late February unveiled the DSC H9 and DSC H7 (8-megapixel) cameras. These come with a “sports shooting mode” that combines high-shutter-speed shooting and sophisticated auto-focusing. The H-series cameras incorporate selectable in-camera editing functions, and the H9 and H7 models will ship in April for about $480 and $400, respectively

Fashionista Camera















This line of slim and stylish Cyber-shot T-series cameras are for the party set. The 8-megapixel T100 camera boasts a powerful zoom lens and 3-inch LCD screen. The T20, also an 8-megapixel model, comes with a 2.5-inch LCD screen.

Fast Printer















Sony has developed a laser printer for its HDTV-compatible cameras that prints quality images in about 45 seconds and is designed to be positioned unobtrusively in a living room. The company is offering a package deal consisting of a 7.2-megapixel W80 camera, a printer and high-definition component cable that plugs into a wide-screen TV for about $400 starting in April.

Previous Page

Sony's new way of looking at digital pictures-1

Sony has rolled out a line of Cyber-shot digital cameras that can transmit images to high-definition TV sets

Digital camera makers have long been engaged in a race to develop more powerful imaging capability paired with killer design. While the megapixel muscle of such cameras has grown over the years, what has been missing is a killer application that would enhance the viewing pleasure given by these powerful gadgets.
















Sony thinks it has come up with an elegant solution with a new line of Cyber-shot cameras that not only deliver mind-blowing images, but a way to display these pictures to full effect on a high-definition TV. The image quality is far superior to viewing digital images on a personal computer, and Sony has designed a system that is easy to set up, comes with a high-speed printer, and will be an attractive added feature to your home entertainment system. Will consumers sign on? Hard to say just yet, but here's a look at Sony's HDTV-compatible camera line.

Plug and Play















Sony's lineup of HDTV-compatible cameras can be plugged into sets via component cable, and the system can also accommodate a laser printer. Even on big 40-inch screens, these are sharp and crisp with none of the blurring around the edges you often see with enlargements. You can also edit your photos on the widescreen.

New Lineup















In late February, Sony rolled out its new line of Cyber-shot cameras aimed at both the fashion-conscious party crowd and more serious photographers. The sleek T-Series feature powerful zoom lenses and generous LCD displays, but are also less than half an inch thick-for those on the move. Sony's new super-zoom digital cameras include the 8-megapixel DSC-H9 and DSC-H7 models.

Compact, Powerful
















Sony claims the W200 is the most compact 12-megapixel camera in the industry. All of its W-series cameras now feature newly added circuitry to generate the kind of fast image processing speeds needed to produce detailed and colorful pictures for true high-definition photo viewing. The silver W200 camera will ship in May, and cost about $400.

Next Page

(Video) 12 year old Taliban boy beheads US spy

WARNING: Although the following video has been edited by authorities, it is still graphic and gruesome and contains visuals which people may find disturbing. Hence, viewer discretion is advised. Please see this video only if you are above 18 years of age.

The only reason why this video has been displayed is to show the depths of depravity to which human beings fall when blinded by religious fanaticism & hatred. The question we need to ask ourselves is: Have human beings forgotten the values of love and compassion which every religion preaches, or are we going back to the dark ages when humans were cannibals and used to kill and eat their adversaries?

The Taliban in Afghanistan have used a boy of around 12 to behead a man they accused of spying for the US.
Parts of a video of the beheading were broadcast on the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV network. The Taliban said the dead man, Ghulam Nabi, had given the US information which led to an air strike in which a senior Taliban commander died.

Bose launches in-Ear Headphones

Bose has introduced in-ear headphones that stay put in the ears, while achieving great balance between audio quality, comfort, and fit. Small and lightweight, the headphones come in an electro-acoustic design made to rest gently in the ears of the listener. Using 3 interchangeable, differently-sized silicone ear tips: small (White), medium (Grey), and large (Black), the in-ear headphones can be customized to suit different needs.






















With Bose's proprietary TriPort acoustic headphone structure, the headphones do not have to be pushed deeply into ear canals to perform as required. The silicone ear tips' allow the headphones to 'rest' in the Concha or outer bowl of the ear. Applying QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling technology to in-ear design, the small ports in the ear pieces allow the headphones to reproduce deep low notes without increasing size. This makes for a more balanced sound, with range and realism.

Besides, these in-ear headphones are compatible with portable MP3 Players, CD and DVD Players, as well as other audio sources. A small carrying case that easily fits into any pocket is included to protect the headphones during transportation and storage, and reduce cable tangling.

Bose's in-ear headphones can be purchased for Rs 5,000 plus taxes from Bose stores, www.boseindia.com, or over toll free number 1800 11 BOSE (2673).

Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold series

Nokia has announced a new 'Gold' edition of its Nokia 8800 Sirocco series.

Dressed in 18-carat Gold plating, the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold is inspired by nature, and will be launched in India this week. Nokia 8800 is a new style statement, combining timeless design with contemporary flair, resulting in an exclusive display of personal style and elegance.

Detailing the look of the phone, Nokia said the 8800 Sirocco Gold pays artful attention to the smallest details and selection of materials. The fine White Gold accents enhance the 18-carat Gold plating, while the Sapphire-coated, scratch-resistant glass display adds to the beauty of the handset. In addition, the crafting of each Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold draws from techniques mastered over hundreds of years by watchmakers and jewelers.

The Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold is a slider phone, featuring a 2 mega pixel camera, an intuitive ergonomic keypad, color screen (up to 262K colors), and 128 MB of internal memory, along with a wide array of messaging functionalities. The overall elegance is enhanced with a coordinating desk stand and matching Bluetooth headset.

The phone will cost upwards of Rs 50,000 and will hit the market by end of this month.

Beam your face online now instead of smileys

Whether it is the cyber or real world, there is no escape from conveying one's emotions. And for those who devote so much time in conversing with their pals through Internet chatting, displaying happiness, fear, anger, etc, is done through animated ‘smileys’.

However, things are now set to change in a big way. A person can use his or her own face instead of a smiley to display feelings. The new software, developed by a group of British programmers , enables an image of a person's face to be transformed to express different emotions, will add an exciting dimension to online chatting.

"I'm into chat sessions and spend several hours catching up with pals in the US and other countries. We often convey our state of mind through animated smileys. But the new software is more appealing, as it would look so real," says a class 12 student.

Anthony Boucouvalas, who along with his colleagues at Bournemouth University created the system, said the software could quickly contort a user's face to convey various emotions, ranging from anger to happiness. Just upload a picture of your face with a 'neutral' expression and the software will manipulate the points to morph the face to express different emotions - happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust.

"It's nice thing. I feel a person like me who is online for 12 hours a day can make optimum use of this software," says an MBA student. With instant messaging platforms offering a wide range of emotions that can be selected and sent across with the click of a mouse, the new software can come in handy for those who don't like to miss out on authenticity.

Sony showcases new display technology

Right up there in the future watch category, Sony recently demonstrated their new display technology that will make the current LCD and Plasma displays obsolete.

Sony’s new FED (Field Emission Display) technology uses a grid of carbon nanotubes to emit electrons that tingle the phosphor dots that create the display.

To display this new technology, Sony used a 19.2 inch monitor supporting a resolution of 1280x960 and a killer contrast ratio of 20,000:1. The good part is that displays using this technology will be cheaper than LCDs because they require fewer components. The bad part is that FED won’t see the light of day till 2009.

How digital cameras are made-2

Pulling It Together
















Suppliers bring printed circuit boards and LCD panels, in the form of modules, that will be assembled into cameras together with lens barrels, image sensors, digital sensor processing and memory chips.

Classy Casings














Cameras must be easy to operate and very comfortable to hold in one hand. Brushed steel cases make cameras look solid, while smooth, rounded contours help users have a better grip. Many compact cameras don’t have a traditional optical viewfinder, and instead feature big LCD panels.

Loading Software














Lens quality, pixel capacity and sensors are critical to generate high-resolution images. However, software plays a big role in improving picture quality and creating a user-friendly interface. Quality software is needed to allow consumers to smoothly transfer pictures to a computer or upload directly to a Web site by using wireless broadband networks. Software is loaded into a digital camera in a dark room.

Shutter Test














A newly developed camera undergoes shutter tests repeated hundreds of thousands of times to make sure the end product is quality stuff.

Primary Colors














These days, clever picture-taking devices are small enough to slip into a purse or jacket pocket, but have the power to offer resolution of at least six megapixels and 3X digital zoom. Each camera undergoes resolution and color tests to make sure the zoom lens is properly focused and color balancing is accurately tuned.

Previous Page

How digital cameras are made-1

Digital cameras continue to improve in terms of resolution quality, connectivity and functionality, pleasing both amateur shutterbugs and photography aficionados. Digital cameras have also emerged as a vital tool for user-created content.


















Rapid progress in digital technology has not only freed photographers from the hassles and cost of using film, but also allows them to experiment with and edit images. For most consumers, pocket-sized, point-and-shoot digital cameras have the power and performance to take great pictures. Major players in the $34 billion digital camera market include Canon, Sony, Eastman Kodak, Olympus, Samsung, and Nikon. Let's have a look at how these gadgets are manufactured.

Design














Like all other consumer-electronic devices, the look and feel of digital cameras often determines whether the device really clicks with consumers. One critical goal is an easy-to-handle user interface that lures new customers. Product planners, designers, programmers and engineers brainstorm day after day to come up with new design concepts. Two big goals these days are longer battery life and the ability to quickly take multiple shots.

Casting Process














Once a new design concept for a digital camera has been decided, engineers use computers and robots to design and make castings for plastic, aluminum and titanium parts as well as casings for the camera. Here, an engineer is monitoring the completely automated process of manufacturing castings for plastic parts.

Lens Crafting














Professionals and serious amateurs use digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras like Nikon's D80 or the Canon Digital Rebel family, geared to specialized photography. Users can change lenses to focus on faraway details, capture action, or shoot broad landscapes. Even for small point-and-shoot cameras, the lens is the most critical part. Lenses are carved from heated glass.

Lens Barrel Fitting














Once a lens is properly coated, it will be fitted into a lens barrel, which gives a digital camera optical-zoom capabilities. Images captured through the lens barrel are conveyed to image sensors, which then are shown on a liquid crystal display.

Next Page

(Video) Virginia Tech Killer, Cho Seung-Hui (taken by himself)

Cho Seung-Hui, the Virginia Tech shooter, took videos and photos of himself purporting to justify his behavior before carrying out the murders on April 16th. These are some of the brand new videos and pictures of Cho Seung-Hui that arrived to NBC via Postal Service. It's reported that during the first and second shootings, Cho sent the package out. It contained 43 pictures, 27 videos, and an 1,800 word written document.

Toshiba introduces its LCD TV Series in India

Toshiba India has entered the Indian LCD TV market, with the launch of its new Regza series. Toshiba's Real Expression Guaranteed by amazing Architecture (REGZA) is the first unified global brand for Toshiba's TVs.

The Regza A3000 HD Ready LCD TV series consists of 4 sizes, within a sleek black frame supported by a metallic V-shaped stand. The series comes with Toshiba's proprietary technology Meta Brain Pro, which packs in 5 core aspects of picture quality- Real, Clean, Clear, smooth and original. Toshiba claims that through these qualities, the picture is realized to its most vivid expression with precise motion.

The Regza A3000 series adopts the advanced 3D color management system for manual and more precise color adjustments. It allows users to adjust the brightness, hue and saturation of the 6 base colors: red, green, blue, yellow, magenta, cyan, according to individual preference.

With the latest version of HDMI 1.3 embedded, Toshiba's new A3000 series is ready for high definition digital broadcasting as high definition video signals and multi-channel audio signals are synchronized one cable and terminal.

The A3000 series also includes the Jet Slit speaker system, supported by the SRS WOW system. Together, this combination promises to produce a clearer and more dynamic sound.

The 42 inch model is priced at Rs.1,20,990, the 37 inch model is for Rs.89,000, the 32 inch model is available at Rs.64,900 and the 26 inch is for Rs.48,300.

The complete range of HD Ready LCD TV will be imported to India by Toshiba India and distributed to the dealers and retailers directly. Initially the REGZA Series will be launched in Mumbai, Delhi, Gujrat and Pune and in the second phase the REGZA series will be sold across India.

Toshiba has also introduced the REGZA 68 series, packed with Toshiba’s new 100 Hz technology, Meta Brain Pro 100, and a full HDTV (1920 x 1080 pixels) version in different display sizes.

Toshiba claims to be the first in India to launch a 100 Hz LCD TV, Toshiba’s 100Hz technology, which is generally found in CRT TVs. The Meta Brain Pro 100 technology promises to recreate and redefine ‘live performances’ by minimizing motion blur images that is commonly found in LCD TV.

The enhancement of the full HD panel (1920x1080 pixel for 47WL68) id designed to reproduce ultra fine images. With the exact scan mode function, it aims to maximize the performance of a full HD panel when 1080p/1080i (50/60Hz) signals are input. Therefore, no scaling is required to guarantee the reproduction.

The new line up is tuned to accept a signal input of 1080iand also a 1080p signal input. These signals are compatible with the HDMI input, resulting in high definition progressive signals that can be reproduced for a full HD experience for both HD broadcasting (1080i/720p) and HD DVD.

The 68E 47 inch model is available at Rs 2, 24,990, the 42 inch model at Rs. 1,75,500, the 37inch model is priced at Rs. 1,15,000 and the 66E 47 inch model is for Rs. 1,84,990.

All the above mentioned models will be available in Mumbai, Delhi, Gujrat and Pune in the first week of April. Toshiba will also launch its Z3000 series of LCD TVs in India in September and the 52-inch and 57-inch LCD TVs in December 2007.

Ailments affecting PC users

Computers surely are technology's biggest boon, making our life simpler, easier and comfortable. However, this tech-box can turn into a bane, if not dealt with properly.

Little do we know that using the computers improperly can lead to a number of ailments, ranging from the short-term discomfort posed by headaches to computer vision syndrome (CVS) to potentially debilitating conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Read on to find out how your computer can hit back at you.

Repetitive Stress Disorder (RSD)
Repetitive Stress Disorder or RSD occurs due to a gradual build up of the small amounts of bodily damage that occurs on a daily basis. The damage usually occurs due to repetitive motions and sustained postures of a fixed group of muscles. For instance, regular activities such as typing, computer keyboarding, using a mouse (more so than typing), and playing computer games can gradually lead to RSD. Repetitive hand action results in swollen tissues in your wrist, which can then compress adjoining blood vessels and nerves, leading to the irritation of nerves and reduced blood supply.

Headaches
Most of us have suffered from vision related headaches. These signal eyestrain and are usually caused by improper workplace conditions. Glare from the computer screen and poor lighting are some of the main culprits. Some of the main symptoms include headaches that occur mostly toward the front part of your head or forehead, and you finding yourself pressing the point between your eyes and upper part of your nose.

Peptic Ulcer
It is a common ailment found among people working at business process outsourcing (BPO) centres. This is caused by irregular and unhealthy food habits.

Lumbago
It starts right smack in the low back and grows hour by hour while you slouch at your computer. Straightening may shoot a stabbing pain in-to the back.The pain may extend to the buttocks, thighs and legs. Lumbago may also be accompanied by other symptoms and signs such as loss of sensation (usually the sole of the foot and posterior aspect of the calf region) and motor function (usually loss of plantar flexion of the foot and toes as well as a diminished ankle jerk reflex) in some areas and back stiffness (pain and rigidity upon movement of the lumbrosacral part of the spine).

Cervical Spondylosis
Several computer engineers develop an aliment commonly known as cervical spondylosis. Cervical Spondylosis is defined by the degenerative changes of the spine at the neck, creating pressure on nerves and spinal cord at the level of the neck. Studies show that people can develop Cervical Spondylosis by sitting in front of the computer screen for extended period of time, tilting the neck forward, head down or with a posture leaning forward.

Computer Vision Syndrome
Computer Vision Syndrome or CVS is characterized by eye irritation, such as dry eye; red, itchy, watery eyes; fatigue, including heaviness of the eyelids or forehead; and difficulty focusing the eyes. These symptoms can cause headaches, backaches, and muscle spasms.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the tendons or ligaments in the wrist become enlarged, often from inflammation, after being aggravated. The narrowed tunnel of bones and ligaments in the wrist pinches the nerves that reach the fingers and the muscles at the base of the thumb. The first symptoms usually appear at night. Symptoms can range from a burning, tingling numbness in the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers, to difficulty gripping or making a fist, to dropping things.

(Video) Cute Accidents - Poor Little Kids

Nokia launches new 6120 classic

Nokia is hoping to quietly introduce the sophisticated appeal of improved convenience over the gaudy glitz of feature-packed glamour with its new 6120 Classic.

The Nokia 6120 utilises HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), a newly integrated technology, in order to deliver music downloads, streamed videos, and Internet browsing, up to 10 times quicker than the performance currently on offer through existing WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) 3G networks.




















Interested consumers can look forward to enjoying not one but two onboard cameras: a 2.0 megapixel camera equipped with a 4x digital zoom, flash and high-quality panorama function; and a front-facing camera that’s perfect for engaging in video calls.

The strengths of the Nokia 6120 Classic reside in its user-friendly convenience, and thanks to the handset’s handy How-To guides and Set-up Wizard, users can gain swift access to e-mail, messages, and Internet browsing. The phone’s Data Transfer application means that users can easily switch contacts, calendars, photos, videos, and files from their old Nokia handset over to the 6120 without even needing the previous SIM card.






















Built on S60 operating software, which allows users to download and utilise additional applications other than those default to the handset, users of the Nokia 6120 can also personalise their phone with extra applications, enhancements, content, and service aspects. Furthermore, the flexibility of the S60 OS means that users can engage simultaneous applications such as surfing the Internet while enjoying the sounds of their onboard music.

The Nokia 6120 Classic is scheduled to ship before the close of Q2 2007 for an estimated $260 USD. In comparison, the Apple iPhone is expected to retail for between $499-$599 USD, whereas Nokia’s own feature-rich N95 smart phone is $750 USD.

Say Yes Boss, but care for Juniors & Peers too

Boss! Of course; subordinates are essential, but peers…The Real Test!!! The boss determines one’s raise, one’s bonus and possibly one’s promotion. It makes sense to literally ‘suck up’ to the boss. We all learn early in the game as to which are the boss’s hot buttons and stay away from them. We put a positive spin to the matters that are close to the boss’s heart and make sure that the boss always looks like a hero…

In our words and in our written presentations, all the credit for any success is carefully ascribed to the boss who is capable only of brilliant insights. The boss simply never does anything silly. The greatest of sovereigns are not immune to flattery. So there is no harm at all in letting your bosses believe that at least in your eyes they walk on water. A happy boss basking in your admiration is a necessary factor for your career to move in a positive direction. But it is by no means a sufficient condition. If you really want to progress there are two very important groups which one can ignore at one’s peril.

The first group is one’s subordinates. They have to respect you. And respect is very different from fear or servility (usually driven by? You guessed it… their selfish considerations!). Subordinates respect you only if they see you as someone who can help them. They do not expect you to know all the details of their job, although such knowledge is definitely a source of respect. They expect you to be in a position to help them when they are in trouble. Nowadays this kind of old fashioned help is known as ‘adding value’.

If competition has cut prices and a salesperson cannot meet aggressive sales goals, you as the manager need to be able to intervene… argue for a price cut in your own organization, deliver some promotion goodies, or when needed renegotiate sales budgets. Subordinates dislike bosses who refuse help. I know interest rates are up, competition is fierce, many things have changed that make the budget goals virtually impossible to achieve, but these are just your problems.

As a boss, all I can do is to yell at you and goad you towards unrealistic goals. Such an attitude is the kiss of death. The Word gets around! You get placed in the category of a ‘zero value add’ supervisor. In the short run, your career might not take a hit because you are secure in your position with your boss, but over time, the whole organization learns to distrust you and your special relationship with your boss actually becomes negative. You are an ‘incompetent sycophant’… and after that happens, in all probability you can forget about that brilliant career.

The second is your own peer group. This is usually more difficult as they are your natural rivals. Even though they may not like you, you should and need to earn their respect. They tend to respect deep technical knowledge and hard work and you cannot fool them with sweet talk. They may judge you harshly at times but in many ways they are fair and the most useful of the lot. From day one in an organization if you work diligently at earning their respect, it pays off in multiple ways.

You can actually work on the ‘content’ of your skills set not just its appearance. You can constructively take their inputs and over time they become your tough teachers. Over the years as one’s career shapes up within an organization or across different ones, the informal peer network keeps track of you, and will play a very important role as far as you future growth is concerned.

That’s why Boss! Of course; subordinates are essential, but peers…The Real Test!!!

Surviving Office Politics

Do you often find yourself at a cross-road between two groups in office? When you enter into a conversation with your colleagues, most of the time it is either back-biting or finding faults with others. And by the end of it you just feel lost and unhappy. If this is what happens to you, then you are also a victim of office politics.

It is differing values, ideas and culture in interpersonal relationship which often breeds politics in office. The worst part is when it leads to a hostile environment and a feeling of enmity. But the ground truth is that office politics simply cannot be avoided. However, you can certainly navigate your way out of this maze with minimal side-effects. To do so, you need to:

Stay Neutral
Experts say the best way to deal with it is to stay neutral. Avoid close association with numerous camps which might be at work in the entire organizational matrix. Mix with all groups but be sure not to be labeled as a member of any camp.

No Gossips Please!
Apart from the fact that gossips consume a lot of your productive time, whatever information you might share then might be used against you in the future. Don't entertain talks which are often complaints. Being silent and listening to such gossip can be easily misinterpreted; get the message right across that you are not interested to talk on such issues. Talk about neutral issues like sports, weather, film, music or whatever interests you.

Be a Transparent Team Player
Whatever you do, be transparent as much as possible. Don't pass on someone else's work or ideas as your own and take credit for it. If you are a team leader, share credit in times of success and take responsibility in times where there is a crisis. This will help you to earn a lot of respect amongst peers and juniors. Treat all co-workers with respect, listen to them and value their contributions.

Don’t Criticize Others
If you are not happy with the performance of your subordinates, make sure that you discuss it with the person in private or in an official manner meticulously. Avoid ticking off a person in public, as it might become a hot topic of gossip and you might become the center of a spicy and negative discussion.

Believe in yourself
If you are a target of gossip; believe in yourself and your abilities. Things will die down on their own. Talk to people who have a problem with you and have an open discussion. Avoid acting superior to colleagues who are on the same hierarchical level. Don’t think of quitting; it’s the same everywhere. Always remember: quit only when you want to, not because you have to.

Robot combines brain surgery and rocket science

Scientists and engineers have developed a robot with a keen sense of touch that will let doctors perform microscopic operations on the brain using the most vivid visuals yet.

A melding of brain surgery and rocket science, the neuroArm allows neurosurgeons to do their riskiest work on patients within a magnetic resonance imaging machine, or MRI, giving a clear 3-D picture of even the smallest nerves.

It is expected to be used in its first operation this summer at Calgary's Foothills Hospital, site of the University of Calgary medical school's research facility. The C$27 million ($24 million) robot was created in conjunction with the company that built a robotic arm called CanadArm for NASA space shuttles.

It will let doctors use surgical techniques on afflictions such as brain tumors that human surgeons are simply not dexterous enough to do. It is major step beyond the traditional view of just doctors and nurses operating on patients.

The neuroArm is controlled from a cockpit-like room, where the surgeon grasps handles that let him feel pressure and texture, preventing blood vessels and other tissue from being squeezed too hard during operations. Years of training and practice give surgeons the steadiest hands, but they can not match the neuroArm, which can be adjusted to take away any unwanted movement. That stands to lengthen the careers of neurosurgeons, who naturally become shakier with age.

The operator watches through a stereoscopic viewer, which provides depth perception, and can glance at a large MRI picture on a nearby computer screen. A doctor can even hear the robot work with microphones located near the surgical instruments. A touch-screen allows a 3-D graphic picture of the arms to be manipulated in any direction.

The goal of this is to make difficult surgeries easier, or impossible surgeries possible. The long-term plan is to manufacture different versions of the neuroArm and sell them to other hospitals, although there is no detailed marketing plan in place yet.

Happiness is a Voyage

Guidelines for downloading the file:
1. Click on the link given below.
2. In the new web page which opens up, click on the "Free" button at the bottom.
3. Wait for the time specified on the page, before the download begins
4. Enter the code displayed and click on the "Download from......" button.

Link: Click here

Motorola W205 - Sleek entry level phone

Motorola has launched its stylishly sleek entry level phone, the W205.

W205 boasts a 65K colour CSTN display, enabling mobile users experience one of the richest user interfaces on a mobile device. The handset is only about 14.9mm thick, supports phonebook memory up to 500 contacts, and can store up to 750 SMS.

The W205 enables users to download 32 channel polyphonic ring tones, and features iTAP predictive text messaging with Hindi read/write capability. It has 1MB of storage, and an office quality speakerphone. It also features a multi character phonebook search function with up to 12 characters, menu colour personalization, lantern capability for dark environments, a calendar, currency converter, and talking alarm clock.

The phone battery supports talk time of up to 470 minutes, with standby time up to 307 hours.

The new Motorola W205 is available at an affordable price of Rs 2,449.

Scientists produce bones using ink jet printers!!

Good old ink jet printers are really versatile machines. Canadian and German researchers are using a slightly modified version of the printer that sits on your desk to build three-dimensional bioceramic bones. They took "advantage of the ink-jet printer's ability to print layer upon layer to produce three-dimensional porous materials using the same building blocks as real bone." The key is that their new process works at room temperature and also is able to produce a great variety of shapes. Anyway, this method will certainly be not used by surgeons and hospitals before many years.

This research project has been conducted by McGill professor Jake Barralet, Charles Doillon of Université Laval and Uwe Gbureck at the University of Würzburg, Bavaria.

Below is a picture showing several examples of complex 3D shapes made in dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD or brushite): a disc with 32 1.5 mm diameter holes, and human skulls made by reducing the scale of CT [computed tomography] data by a factor of 4, one skull is sectioned to show internal detail














"Rather than printing on paper, we’re printing on a bed of cement powder using an acid instead of ink, which reacts with the cement to print whatever pattern we want," explained Dr. Barralet. "It’s similar to a CT scan, in that the image is created one layer at a time. The result is three-dimensional."

Printers are already used for modeling purposes, said Dr. Barralet, but this is the first time anyone has used a modified printer to produce artificial bone made of calcium phosphate at room temperature using the minerals brushite and hydroxyapatite. Because the process takes place at room temperature, the researchers are able to make custom-shaped grafts from materials that decompose at low temperatures.

Will this process be used anytime soon by reconstructive surgeons? Apparently not. "We're a long way from seeing this method used in a hospital setting, but it's an important first step toward a revolutionary change in bone-grafting technology," said Dr. Barralet.

(Video) Anna Kournikova Bikini Photo Shoot

New Story of the Hare and Tortoise

Old Story
Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race.

The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race.

He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ.

The hare woke up and realised that he'd lost the race. The moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race.

This is the version of the story that we've all grown up with.

New Story
But then recently, someone told me a more interesting version of this story. It continues.

The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some Defect Prevention (Root Cause Analysis). He realised that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax.

If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed.

This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.

The moral of the story?
Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady.

If you have two people in your organisation, one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and still reliable at what he does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organisational ladder faster than the slow, methodical chap.

It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable.

But the story doesn't end here. The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realised that there's no way he can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted.

He thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route.

The hare agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river.

The finishing line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the river.

The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.

The moral of the story?
First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency.

In an organisation, if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that enable the senior management to notice you.

If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research, make a report and send it upstairs. Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed but will also create opportunities for growth and advancement.

The story still hasn't ended.

The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realised that the last race could have been run much better.

So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time.

They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back.

On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.

The moral of the story?
It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well .

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.

There are more lessons to be learnt from this story.

Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure.

The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could. In life, when faced with failure, sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort.

Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different. And sometimes it is appropriate to do both.

The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.

When Roberto Goizueta took over as CEO of Coca-Cola in the 1980s, he was faced with intense competition from Pepsi that was eating into Coke's growth.

His executives were Pepsi-focussed and intent on increasing market share 0.1 per cent a time.

Goizueta decided to stop competing against Pepsi and instead compete against the situation of 0.1 per cent growth.

He asked his executives what was the average fluid intake of an American per day? The answer was 14 ounces. What was Coke's share of that? Two ounces. Goizueta said Coke needed a larger share of that market.

The competition wasn't Pepsi. It was the water, tea, coffee, milk and fruit juices that went into the remaining 12 ounces. The public should reach for a Coke whenever they felt like drinking something.

To this end, Coke put up vending machines at every street corner. Sales took a quantum jump and Pepsi has never quite caught up since.

To sum up, the story of the hare and tortoise teaches us many things.

Important lessons are:
The fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady; work to your competencies; pooling resources and working as a team will always beat individual performers; never give up when faced with failure; and finally, compete against the situation, not against a rival.

In Short, BE STRATEGIC!

(Video) Animals Have Fun Too

101 reasons why it's great to be a woman

Guidelines for downloading the file:
1. Click on the link given below.
2. In the new web page which opens up, click on the "Free" button at the bottom.
3. Wait for the time specified on the page, before the download begins
4. Enter the code displayed and click on the "Download from......" button.

Link: Click here

Forget LCD & plasma TV's, Sony now introduces ultra-thin OLED TV's

Sony Corp. plans to start selling ultra-thin TVs using organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology this year, aiming to become the first to market with a TV using the promising next-generation display.






















(A visitor looks at Sony Corp.'s organic light-emitting diode (OLED) 11-inch TV at Display 2007 in Tokyo)

Several companies are investing in OLED technology because it can produce bright, colorful images and does not require a backlight as do liquid crystal displays (LCDs), allowing for a thinner panel. OLED panels are also said to be energy-efficient and good at reproducing fast-moving images.

At a display forum in Tokyo, customers, suppliers and even rival TV makers turned their backs on 50-inch and bigger TVs to throng before Sony's tiny 11-inch OLED TVs.

"LCD and plasma displays look faded in comparison," said a visitor who declined to be named, fighting to take a picture of the new TVs.

OLED displays are already used in digital cameras, cellphones and other devices with relatively small panels. But cost and technology hurdles have so far prevented them from being mass produced for use in larger equipment such as TVs.

The OLED TV to be launched this year will be made by ST Liquid Crystal Display Corp., a joint venture between Sony and Toyota Industries Corp. Sony has invested aggressively in LCD technology and is now the world's largest player in the LCD TV market. It makes big LCD panels in a joint venture with South Korea's Samsung Electronics

Sony would begin by mass-producing about 1,000 of the 11-inch OLED sets a month, a fraction of its LCD TV business, and would aim to keep their price within a few times that of existing flat TVs.

"OLED sets are very expensive, and we mean to begin first by marketing the TVs as a status symbol," said a senior manager of the company's TV and Video business group. "We will see where the business goes from there."

Sony slightly exceeded its target of selling 6 million LCD TVs in the business year ended last month, and reiterated a target to sell 10 million units this year.

Other companies investing in OLED displays include Seiko Epson Corp., Canon Inc., Samsung and a joint venture between Toshiba Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.

Difference between age: 8, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68?

Difference between age: 8, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68?

At 8 - You take her to bed and tell her a story.











At 18 - You tell her a story and take her to bed.

















At 28 - You don't need to tell her a story to take her to bed.











At 38 - She tells you a story and takes you to bed.






















At 48 - You tell her a story to avoid going to bed.

















At 58 - You stay in bed to avoid her story.










At 68 - If you take her to bed, that'll be a story!!

(Trailer) Redline - The Movie

"Redline" is an auto/action thriller that features the personal exotic car collection of the producer, real estate investor Daniel Sadek. Sadek who is financing the $26 million movie used his own cars including a Phantom Rolls Royce, Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari Enzo, Ferrari F430, Ferrari Scaglietti and two Mercedes SLR McLarens. Sadek's $200,000 Porsche Carrera GT is actually crashed during one sequence.

Men to become redundant; prospect of all-female conception

A transplant technique has been devised that could effectively remove men from the process of creating life. Scientists have grown human sperm cells from bone marrow. They say this may lead to groundbreaking treatment for thousands of men, including cancer patients left sterile by chemotherapy.

















But the technique provoked an ethical storm and could soon be jettisoned by the Government over concerns about the safety of using artificial sperm. Critics said the treatment threatened to breach moral boundaries as it would effectively lead to men being made redundant. The technique, which could be adapted to help female infertility by growing eggs in a lab, would raise the prospect of children being born through entirely artificial means. If the technology were abused, men could be completely sidelined.

A forthcoming shake-up of Britain’s fertility laws could see ministers outlaw the use of labgrown sperm and eggs in IVF treatment - even in research. The scientists say it would be wrong to ban such a possibly life-altering treatment before its potential has been established.

Professor Karim Nayernia, of Newcastle University’s North-East England Stem Cell Institute, believes his work offers fresh hope to many of Britain’s 1.5 million infertile men. It centres around stem cells - blank cells which have the power to turn into other cell types, creating a ‘repair kit’ for the body. Removed from the human bone marrow, they were grown in a lab and then coaxed into turning into the cells which produce sperm. These particular cells did not go on to produce sperm but Professor Nayernia, who carried out the research while at the University of Gottingen in Germany, believes this will soon be possible.

Using a form of vitamin A, the scientists coaxed the mesenchymal cells to become primordial germ cells (PGCs) - the first stage in the genesis of sperm. Specific genetic markers showed that some PGCs had further developed into more advanced spermatagonial stem cells. Under normal circumstances, these cells eventually turn into mature, functional sperm that can fertilise an egg. About 3% of the original bone marrow stem cells were able to reach the point of being spermatagonial cells.

He has already shown that fully-functioning sperm can be created in a lab from stem cells drawn from mouse embryos. The artificial sperm fertilised eggs and seven baby mice were born. While they suffered health problems and died prematurely, the research published last summer was seen as an important milestone in the race to find a cure for infertility.

The latest research avoids the ethical problems associated with embryonic stem cells, by using cells taken from the bone marrow. Using a patient’s own cells also removes the possibility of lab-grown material being rejected by the body. So far Professor Nayernia, a professor of stem cell biology, has only created spermatagonial stem cells - the cells that produce sperm in the testes - from human bone marrow. However, adding other cells, called sertoli cells, which nurse and nourish those sperm-producing cells, could overcome this problem.

Professor Nayernia said: "We’re very excited about this discovery, particularly as our earlier work in mice suggests that we could develop this work even further. "Our next goal is to see if we can get the spermatagonial stem cells to progress to mature sperm in the laboratory. This should take three to five years."

If successful, a first use for lab-grown sperm could be in young men left infertile by chemotherapy when children. The research - published in the journal Reproduction: Gamete Biology - could also provide a valuable insight into male infertility, a condition traditionally hard to study. For instance, it could lead to a ‘miracle pill’ to boost fertility.

However, there are fears that lab-grown eggs and sperm could be combined to create children through entirely artificial means. The technology could be used to allow gay couples to have children that are genetically their own.

The fertility White Paper argues that the use of lab-grown eggs and sperm would "raise profound new possibilities such as the possible creation of a child by combining the genetic material of two women".

However, a blanket ban on their use would mean the new technique could not be used to treat cancer patients and the infertile. Scientists would then find it difficult to get funding because their work will have no practical use.

Dr Allan Pacey, secretary of the British Fertility Society, said he could see no ethical reason for a blanket ban and any ban on safety grounds should only be made after all risks associated with any treatment have been determined.

But Mike Judge, of the Christian Institute, said: "The more that parenting moves away from sexual reproduction, the more ethical problems we encounter. "There are many things you can do in science, but just because you can do them doesn’t mean you must do them."

The Department of Health said plans to ban the use of artificial sperm and eggs in fertility treatment was supported by many organisations and the British Medical Association.

(Trailer) Perfect Stranger

Revolution Studios' sexy thriller Perfect Stranger asks the question: how far would you go to keep a secret? When investigative reporter Rowena Price (Halle Berry) learns that her friend's murder might be connected to powerful ad executive Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis), she goes undercover with the help of her associate, Miles Hailey (Giovanni Ribisi). Posing as Katherine, a temp at Hill's agency, and Veronica, a girl Hill flirts with online, Rowena surrounds her prey from all sides, only to discover that she isn't the only one changing identities. The closer we get to learning the truth, the more we understand how far people will go to protect it.

Greg Chappell: I was scared after WC loss

Former Indian coach Greg Chappell has admitted he was scared after the team's loss to Bangladesh that sent them out of the World Cup in the very first round last month in the Caribbean.

However, he said he loved Indian cricket despite fearing for his security, according to Times Now, which quoted an Australian newspaper report of Friday.

Chappell said he was worried about his security after Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's death too. "I feared my security after Woolmer's murder", Chappell was quoted as saying.

According to the newspaper, Chappell said he would reveal his future plans in the next three weeks.

Chappell, who remained the coach of the Indian team for 22 months, quit after the team's World Cup debacle. He had reportedly questioned the attitude of senior players in the team earlier, which led to cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar coming out with emotional outbursts in the media.

There were reports of the Indian cricket board making efforts to have him continue as the coach. Chappell had cited "family and personal" reasons to decline the extension of his two-year tenure as India's coach.

Earlier this month, Greg's elder brother Ian Chappell was quoted as saying that Woolmer's murder may have hastened Greg Chappell's decision to quit as India's coach. "If there was any chance of Greg continuing as coach of India, it probably disappeared when Bob Woolmer was murdered during the World Cup," Ian had said.

Mandira Bedi's Sexiest Pics shot for Maxim magazine

(To enlarge these wallpapers, click on them)

The actual high resolution images (each more than 1 MB size) will be uploaded later

Home

(Video) The most beautiful news anchor in the world

A compilation of video clips of Mélissa Theuriau, the French news reporter, who has been called the most beautiful news anchor in the world. Don't speak French? I doubt you'll care!!

World's Most High-Tech Cars-2

iPod Integration














Multiple Manufacturers
The success of Apple's ubiquitous little MP3 player has made it a lock for serious integration into everyday vehicles. 20 major brands, from Ford to Ferrari, offer high-level iPod integration, allowing drivers to navigate and play their digital music through a car's built-in audio components.

High-End Hybrids














Toyota Lexus
In the wake of the climactic success of the fuel-miser, gas-electric hybrid Prius, Toyota has unveiled a trio of high-end hybrid Lexus vehicles. At the very top, Lexus will sell the LS 600h L, which many say is the ultimate, i.e. most technologically advanced-version of its LS flagship line.

Real-Time Traffic














Acura RL
GPS devices that display a vehicle's position on a map are becoming more ubiquitous by the model year. Through its AcuraLink service, Acura is also piping real-time traffic information into vehicles. That means the navigation system can help plan routes to avoid stop-and-go situations.

Adaptive Cruise Control














Multiple Manufacturers
Manufacturers from Mercedes-Benz to Audi have been steadily improving on the tried-and-true cruise control. Integrated sensors can now detect vehicles ahead of your own and slow you down to avoid an accident. Such systems are currently being expanded to work in stop-and-go traffic situations at speeds below 20 mph, a speed range in which traditional systems don't typically operate.

Infotainment














Chrysler Group
Chrysler's MyGIG multimedia system can store music and photos on a built-in 20GB hard drive. A high-speed USB port facilitates data transfers. The do-it-all setup also incorporates real-time traffic information and voice-guided navigation.

Previous Page

World's Most High-Tech Cars-1

Introduction

From cars that pay attention when you don't, to built-in stereos that can store music and photo collections, high-tech cars are now commonly available in nearly every segment

Blind Spots














Volvo S80
Using mirror-mounted cameras, Volvo's BLIS system, shorthand for Blindspot Information System, alerts drivers via a small blinking light of vehicles entering blind spots.

Night Vision














BMW 5 and 6 Series
BMW's night vision system uses a thermal imaging camera to detect human beings, animals, and inanimate objects out of the driver's range of vision or the headlights' reach.

Departure Warning System














Infiniti Q45, M, and FX
Infiniti's Lane Departure Warning System aims to keep vehicles from straying into the path of other vehicles by using a tiny camera mounted on the rear-view mirror to read the road ahead.

Hard Tops














Volkswagen EOS
Intricately designed and mechanically complex folding hard tops are nothing new on high-end convertibles. But Volkswagen is breaking new ground by offering such technology at a cut-rate cost of under $28,000.

Emissions














Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC
To make diesels burn cleaner and produce fewer emissions, Mercedes has introduced its BLUETEC system, which thoroughly processes particulate exhaust emission.

Next Page

Matsushita to launch world's first 42-inch full HD Plasma TV

Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. said it planned to launch the world's first 42-inch plasma TVs with full high definition panels on April 27 in Japan.

Matsushita hopes to challenge liquid crystal display TV makers by providing a better lineup of full high definition models, which can produce images with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels.

Matsushita is the world's largest plasma TV maker and competes with Sony, Samsung and Sharp in the $84 billion flat TV market.

Plasma TV makers already offer 50-inch and larger full high-definition models, but it has been difficult and often costly to pack this technology into smaller models. Rival LCD TV makers already offer some full high definition models in the sub 50-inch market.

The 42-inch TVs from Matsushita are expected to sell for 410,000 yen to 430,000 yen ($3,449-$3,617), the company said. It plans to manufacture 25,000 units of them a month for the domestic market. The Japan launch will soon be followed by overseas debuts.

Matsushita's plasma TV sales came to an equivalent of about 4 million 42-inch models in the year ended March 31, and the company aims to boost those sales by 50 percent to 6 million units in the current business year, a company spokesman said.

Matsushita, which controls one-third of the global plasma TV market, plans to bring its $1.5 billion plasma display plant onstream by summer 2007 to take on the LCD camp.

Are you a wilfer?

You are checking your emails when you start daydreaming about where to go on your summer holiday. This reminds you to compare the cost of local gyms. Then you suddenly decide to look up venues for your birthday party. You may think you are browsing the internet in a slightly absent-minded manner. You are, in fact, "wilfing".

According to a survey for a financial website, almost seven in 10 internet users admit to the newly named habit. The study of 2,400 people found more than a quarter of internet users "wilf" - a rough acronym of "What Was I Looking For?" - for two days every month.

Stopping yourself wilfing takes a mixture of planning and willpower. These days there are all manner of websites vying for our attention. Internet users need to set themselves a specific surfing goal and time limit to keep on track. Shopping is the online activity most likely to make users wilf. Men are more likely to admit to being wilfers than women. A third of the men questioned said the habit had damaged their relationship with a partner.

The good news is that wilfing is a habit people tend to grow out of. Internet users aged 55 or over were three times less likely to wilf than those aged under 25.

The internet was designed to make it easier for people to access the information they need quickly and conveniently. Although people log on with a purpose, they are now being offered so much choice and online distraction that many forget what they are there for, and spend hours aimlessly wilfing instead.

It's important people do not allow unnecessary online distractions to get in the way when surfing the internet, as it can affect productivity in the workplace and relationships at home. So, are you a wilfer, lost on the internet?

(Video) Miracle of formation of human life in the womb

* (There is no audio in this video presentation)

(Video) Knut - The celebrity baby Polar Bear

This is the first polar bear which was born in Berlin Zoo after 30 years! Knut is a twin, but his brother died 4 days after birth.
Species : Polar Bear
Gender : Male
Birthday : 05.12.2006
Home : Berlin Zoo (Germany)

Porn could be the key to next-generation DVD war

In the battle over next generation DVDs, pornography could prove to be the XXX factor that helps determine a winner.

Thirty years ago, VHS toppled Betamax in part because of the adult film industry, and now some see blue movies playing a key role again as backers of HD-DVD and Blu-ray maneuver to make their formats the standard.

The stakes are high. As prices of high-definition televisions and DVD players fall, backers of the rival -- and incompatible -- formats are looking to tap a home and rental DVD market approaching $25 billion.

Yet so far, neither next-generation format has been able to land a knock-out blow.

In the VHS-versus-Betamax war, porn provided a significant boost for the winning format. The adult entertainment industry has often paved the way with new uses of technology - such as streaming video on the Internet - and porn could help tip the scales in the current DVD format battle.

If the porn industry wanted to break the logjam of HD-DVD and Blu-ray, it could. They have that power.

It is a potential weapon that one side, at least, has ignored. Instead, Blu-ray backer Sony Corp. blocked manufacturers from producing porn DVDs in that format - a move that some say has pushed adult film studios into the camp of HD-DVD camp led by Toshiba Corp.

Steven Hirsch, founder of Vivid Entertainment Group, said Walt Disney Co. also refuses to use DVD makers - known as replicators - that press porn titles. This makes finding a Blu-ray replicator willing to alienate Sony and Disney almost impossible for porn studios because the format requires costly new equipment and there are only a handful of replicators able to make such DVDs. That isn't a problem for HD-DVD because that technology is based on previous-generation standards, which makes it far simpler and cheaper for companies to hire replicators to press their DVDs.

Hirsch said that Vivid - home to adult film stars such as Jenna Jameson, Tera Patrick and Briana Banks - found a willing manufacturer to press "Debbie Does Dallas ... Again," which the company plans to issue in April. But the cost and difficulty of doing so for the sequel to the 1978 adult film classic "Debbie Does Dallas" clouds whether more adult films in Blu-ray will follow, said Hirsch.

"We have been able to find a replication facility to do our title but it wasn't easy and it has deterred us for the most part from releasing titles on Blu-ray," Hirsch said. "That can be potentially problematic for Blu-ray."

Studios like Vivid say they have been shooting films in high-definition for years to build up a library, but so far the number of titles is only a trickle as the industry weighs the advantages of each format. HD-DVD machines are cheaper but Blu-ray has backing of a majority of the mainstream studios and an advantage in that the format is compatible with the PlayStation 3, the latest version of Sony's popular series of video game consoles.

The founder of adult studio Digital Playground - whose films include "Island Fever 3" and "Pirates" - believes Blu-ray backers are erring in not embracing porn as they fight over billions of dollars in royalties.

"The reason they should want to work with us is that they are in a war with HD-DVD and in a war you would want as many people in your corner," said Joone, the Digital Playground founder who goes by one name.

Joone said in an ideal world Digital Playground would offer films in both formats. Instead, he sees Sony and other Blu-ray backers pushing the adult entertainment industry toward HD-DVD, whose supporters he said have welcomed porn producers.

"In general we need to have one format because it cuts down the confusion in the marketplace for the consumer," Joone said. "HD-DVD has helped us tremendously to get titles out."

How to buy an MP3 player?

First there were vinyl record players or more popularly known as the gramophones, then came cassette players and then compact disc players or CD players. A few other devices, such as the MiniDisc players, never really caught on. But a MP3 is different from all this. Whether you want to groove while working or entertain yourself while on your way back home, a portable MP3 player could suit all your musical needs. MP3 players storing thousands of songs supplant the traditional walkman style cassette and CD players. But the dearth of names in the space often confuses buyers.

Storage











MP3 players come in two basic varieties. There are hard-disk based and flash memory-based players. Hard disk players tend to be larger on size and are more susceptible to damage due to the fragile nature of parts within. But on a positive side they have a better storage capacity, from 256MB to 60GB depending on the hard drive technology. On the other hand, flash-based players come with a limited storage, which may later be extended by using external storage cards. They do not suffer the limitations that owners of hard drive-based players face, such as fears of dropping their player or fragmentation. Such players are commonly integrated into USB keydrives. Generally, about 5,000 songs fit into a 20GB MP3 player.

Types of playable files
















This is one of the most important things to keep in mind when buying a MP3 player. Most MP3 players play most audio types. The Apple iPod, for instance, is compatible with AAC, WAV, AIFF alongwith playing the usual MP3 songs. Sandisk’s Sansa series supports WAV, WMA apart from MP3. The series also comes with a FM radio player. Microsoft’s Zune is expected to support WAV, WMA, AAC along with MP3.

The market and the price











The iPod continues to be a favourite among Indian users in this category. There are other players available like the Sandisk Sansa, Creative and Samsung also have their series of MP3 players. Then there is Sony’s Walkman series and Transcend too. The iPod nano can cost you Rs 7,000-8 ,000 depending on the storage size. While its video-enabled range can cost over Rs 15,000. Meanwhile, iRiver’s ranges between Rs 2,000 to Rs 15,000. Creative’s MP3 range is priced between Rs 3,000-27,000 while Samsung’s range starts from Rs 5,000 going up to Rs 15,000. Sony’s flash-based players ranges between Rs 5,900 and Rs 16,000 while it has 6GB MP3 player at Rs 9,900 and 20GB HDD MP3 for Rs 20,000.

Power options
















Mind your power options always. While some flash-based portable players use replaceable alkaline batteries, others alongwith most hard drive-based units feature a built-in rechargeable battery that cannot be removed. While these devices can keep going for tens of hours, if you’re not somewhere near a power outlet or a computer with a USB port, you might find yourself out of juice.

Where to buy music













If you decide you want to buy songs online, then you need to decide what music store you want to use. This can very much dictate what player you get because these tracks are sold with Digital Rights Management, which limits what you can do with the song. For iPod, iTunes stores is a good place to buy songs, while there are also other outlets like the MusicMatch online store or the Microsoft’s MusicLibrary.

(Video) Thousands of sperm cells and one egg cell

Once again, 3d computer techniques and live action meet in this spherical short, which looks at small things with big consequences

(Video) World train speed record of 574.8 Km/h set in France

Duration: 05:43 , Taken: 03 April 2007, Location: Le Chemin (Marne), France

On the 3rd of April, RFF, ALSTOM and SNCF set a new world rail speed record of 574.8 km/h.

(Wallpapers) FEMINA MISS INDIA 2007 BEAUTIES-5

(To enlarge the wallpapers, click on them)

Previous Page

(Wallpapers) FEMINA MISS INDIA 2007 BEAUTIES-4

(To enlarge the wallpapers, click on them)

Previous Page Next Page

(Wallpapers) FEMINA MISS INDIA 2007 BEAUTIES-3

(To enlarge the wallpapers, click on them)

Previous Page Next Page

(Wallpapers) FEMINA MISS INDIA 2007 BEAUTIES-2

(To enlarge the wallpapers, click on them)

Previous Page Next Page

(Wallpapers) FEMINA MISS INDIA 2007 BEAUTIES-1

(To enlarge the wallpapers, click on them)

Next Page

(Video) How to get free drinks at the bar using a geometry trick

If you want free beers the next time you go out, here is a sure bet to win.

(Video) Humor

(Video) Banned Xbox 360 TV Commercial

An Xbox 360 TV commercial made by McCann Erickson has been banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority as it felt that the ad violated TV advertising standards rules regarding ‘health and safety’ and ‘driving standard’. The ad features a man being chased on a rooftop by two men. The man then jumps and a car chase follows. It does contain cautions telling viewers that the stunts have been done by professionals. Judge for yourself.

LCD v/s Plasma TVs: Which is better for you

If you're planning to buy a flat screen TV, then you probably have one big question you want answered: plasma v/s LCD, which is right for me?

The two different camps of flat panel display standard will, of course, gladly tout the advantages of their own standard and the deficiencies of the other. But which type of display, plasma or LCD, is better? And which will give you more bang for your buck?

What's the difference?
Plasma and LCD panels may look similar, but the flat screen and thin profile is where the similarities end. Plasma screens, as its name suggests, uses a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells charged by precise electrical voltages to create a picture. LCD screens (liquid crystal display) are in layman's terms sandwiches made up of liquid crystal pushed in the space between two glass plates. Images are created by varying the amount electrical charge applied to the crystals. Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses, as you'll read below.

Is there a difference in picture quality between plasma and LCD screens and normal CRT TVs? It's not what's happening behind the screen that's important - it's how the screen performs as a television that matters the most. In that regard, both plasma and LCD sets produce excellent pictures, although many home entertainment specialists and gamers still say CRTs produce the best overall images (although plasmas and LCD sets are quickly catching up in terms of quality).

Those same home entertainment specialists will tell you that for basic home theatre-like usage, plasma screens have a slight edge over LCDs. This is because plasma screens can display blacks more accurately than LCDs can, which means better contrast and detail in dark-coloured television or movie scenes. The nature of LCD technology, where a backlight shines through the LCD layer, means it's hard for it to achieve true blacks because there's always some light leakage from between pixels. This is steadily improving with every new generation of LCD, however.

What advantages does plasma have over LCD?















Apart from better contrast due to its ability to show deeper blacks, plasma screens typically have better viewing angles than LCD. Viewing angles are how far you can sit on either side of a screen before the picture's quality is affected. You tend to see some brightness and colour shift when you're on too far of an angle with LCDs, while a plasma's picture remains fairly solid. This is steadily changing, however, with more and more LCDs entering the market with viewing angles equal to or greater than some plasmas. Plasmas can also produce a brighter colour, once again due to light leakage on an LCD affecting its colour saturation.




















Plasma pundits will also tell you that some LCD screens have a tendency to blur images, particularly during fast moving scenes in movies or in sports. While that was true for older generation LCD screens, newer models have improved significantly - so much so that the differences in performance between LCDs and plasmas in this regard is almost negligible (here's a tip -- if you're shopping for LCDs, check the refresh rate. The lower it is, the better the image quality in fast moving scenes).

Perhaps the biggest advantage plasmas have now over their LCD cousins is price, particularly in the large screen end of the market. Plasmas typically come in larger sizes than LCDs at a cheaper price. Plasmas generally run between 42 " and 63 " wide. LCDs, on the other hand, top out around the mid 40-inch mark, and are more expensive than similar-sized plasmas.

What advantages does LCD have over plasma?
















It's not all doom and gloom for LCD though, as it has the edge over plasma in several key areas. LCDs tend to have higher native resolution than plasmas of similar size, which means more pixels on a screen. If you're a true high-def junkie who's keen to see every pixel of a high-res 1080i/p image reproduced pixel-by-pixel (providing you have a source that high, of course), then LCDs are the way to go.



















LCDs also tend to consume less power than plasma screens, with some estimates ranging that power saving at up to 30 per cent less than plasma. LCDs are also generally lighter than similar sized plasmas, making it easier to move around or wall mount. LCD pundits also point to the fact that LCDs have a longer lifespan than plasma screens. This was true of earlier plasma models, which would lose half of their brightness after more than 20,000 hours of viewing. Later plasma generations have bumped that up to anything between 30,000 and 60,000 hours. LCDs, on the other hand, are guaranteed for 60,000 hours.

You might have also heard that plasmas suffer from screen burn in, an affliction not as commonly associated with LCDs. Screen burn in occurs when an image is left too long on a screen, resulting in a ghost of that image burned in permanently. Newer plasmas are less susceptible to this thanks to improved technology and other features such built-in screen savers, but we still hear anecdotal reports here of burn-in with new plasmas.

Which is better value for me right now: Plasma or LCD?
If you're in the market for a big screen television -- and we're talking 42-inches and above -- then we'd suggest plasma as a safe bet. Plasmas give you more bang for your buck at the big end of town, and while LCDs can give you better resolution, the price difference is currently too wide. However, if money's not an issue and you want the sharpest image in town, then a large LCD is for you. At the smaller end of things (15" to 36" TVs), LCD is the only way to go if you want something slim and tasteful. And the best thing is that LCDs are getting cheaper all the time.

Samsung YP-K3 MP3 Player

Samsung has launched yet another Mp3 player—The YP-K3. The model will seem extremely familiar since it's exactly like their previous model the YP-K5, but without the speaker.

The player doesn't have video nor does it have any sort of audio recording capabilities. Another minus for the K3 is that it doesn't support AAC and OGG audio formats. The formats it does support are MP3, WMA, and ASF and PlaysForSure content. The player also has an integrated FM tuner with autoscan and presets. Another function not present is the Alarm clock.


















The K3 syncs with Windows Media Player 10 and 11, as well as various MTP-based jukebox software when connected via the proprietary USB cable. It's just 0.27-inch and is equipped with a 1.8-inch OLED screen. Slight design changes include chrome trimming and the availability of colors viz. black, red, and green.

The K3 is said to be a competitor for the iPod Nano, but doesn’t seem to make par with it. It's priced at Rs. 5175 ($119) for 2 GB and Rs. 7348 ($169) for 4 GB. An 8 GB model will be out in a couple of months.

Who Moved My Cheese?

Who Moved My Cheese?
An Amazing Way to Deal With Change In Your Work & In Your Life
by Dr. Spencer Johnson

Guidelines for downloading the file:
1. Click on the link given below.
2. In the new web page which opens up, click on the "Free" button at the bottom.
3. Wait for the time specified on the page, before the download begins
4. Enter the code displayed and click on the "Download from......" button.

Link: http://rapidshare.com/files/24409799/who_moved_my_cheese.pps

(Trailer) Primeval - You Could be Next

Inspired by a true story of the most terrifying serial killer in history. The hunt begins on April 6th.

The future-perfect home of a Technophile-2

Kitchen














This futuristic kitchen is part chef, part Stepford wife, and all high-tech. Designed for DuPont, the island shows recipes on an LED screen and has a built-in television. The faucet-looking devices deliver fragrances to dispel unwanted odors. Never run out of milk again: The screen by the fridge keeps track of the food stored inside with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags on the products. It can alert users when a certain item is gone, and can even place an order to a store’s delivery service. It displays notes and can alert residents to upcoming chores, such as taking out the garbage.

Washing Machine

















The days of pink-dyed whites are gone. Like its counterpart in the kitchen, this washing machine also recognizes items outfitted with RFID tags, selecting ideal wash settings. The ironing board steams clothes, negating the need to iron or to go to the dry cleaners. The washer and dryer units are connected to the home’s Internet-enabled smart system. The washer can automatically order more soap cartridges when it is running low. And both can sync up with the local electric company to run at low-demand times, rather than when energy consumption is highest for the neighborhood, thus helping to keep energy costs low.

Personal Space














Getting grounded just got better. This room-size piece of furniture serves as an insulated pod from which teenagers can watch television, study, read, play video games, or just stay out of their parents’ hair. The LED fixtures can be adjusted to resemble twinkling stars in the night sky or bright, study-friendly lighting. The pod is independently temperature controlled, helping users save on energy costs by heating or cooling the pod only, rather than a whole room.

Shopping

















The owners of futuristic homes need futuristic places to shop. This model of a futuristic grocery store features self-checkout stations that read RFID-tagged food. Next to the shopping cart is a scale that can match food to stored pictures and identify the correct price without a cashier's assistance. The shopping cart itself has a display, linked to the Internet, that can sync up with the home fridge and guide users to needed items in the store.

Previous Page

The future-perfect home of a Technophile-1

How will technophiles live in the future?















Living Tomorrow, a company that brings together top tech, consumer goods, and design firms to develop innovative products, has some answers. Living Tomorrow is building its first U.S. museum in San Jose, Calif.; the 45,000-square-foot facility, shown here in an artist's rendering, is scheduled to open in 2009.

Bathroom
















Want some guilt with that shave? With the help of a floor tile that functions as a hidden scale, this mirror can display a user’s weight, height, and body mass index and can tell the user if he or she is out of healthy bounds. It can even forward the results to the doctor. Mercifully, the health-monitoring options can also be turned off. Thanks to fingerprint-recognition technology, this mirror can also identify who is on the other side of the looking glass and display personalized data such as local weather, traffic on the daily commute, appointments, and favorite videos.

Health and Fitness














In the future, no one will be pasty—at least, not if they’re bronzing under the solar tanning panels in this bathroom. The panels, which face the bath, let users expose their skin to the sun in small increments—say, for the 10 minutes they shower each morning. That way, the user gets a tan without baking in the real, more damaging sun or frying their skin in harsh tanning beds. The room also has a fitness machine (the metal alloy device in the foreground with attached cables) that folds back into the wall when not in use.

Bedroom














This futuristic bed has sensors that detect a user’s weight and shape. The mattress then adjusts accordingly, pushing up on certain body parts, to ensure the user’s body is flat—for ideal sleeping conditions. The bedroom is also outfitted with voice-recognition technology devices that respond to spoken commands and keywords. For example, uttering “shower” can turn on the water and adjust it to a user’s preset ideal temperature.

Lighting














Light color and intensity can affect mood. So in the future, users will be able to adjust home lights to any color in the rainbow. These low-energy-consumption LED fixtures are built into the wall and can be programmed to change color at specific intervals.

Next Page

Evolution of the computer mouse through time

Since its invention in the 1960s, the computer device has scurried step by step toward better functionality.
















Just like the personal computer, the often-overlooked mouse has had its share of design milestones. Since the first mouse was invented in 1964 by Dr. Doug Engelbart and his team at SRI International, it has been transformed from a one-button, wood-encased device to the multi-buttoned laser-ready versions on sale today.

There is no one company behind the evolution of the device: SRI International, Xerox PARC, Apple, Microsoft, and Logitech all made improvements and small changes along the way. Here’s a look at the design milestones of the mouse.

1964: First Mouse - SRI International















Hoping to find a way to navigate a computer screen, Dr. Doug Engelbart invents the first mouse while at SRI International. The first prototype has a wood covering with one button and, on its underside, two metal wheels, oriented perpendicularly, that communicate movement to the screen.

1973: Xerox PARC


















Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) develops the first computer with a graphical user interface (GUI). The computer set-up includes a new ball mouse invented by Bill English. The large steel ball positioned under the mouse and near the cord is able to track motion, in place of the metal wheels of Engelbart’s model. Another change: The PARC mouse has three different buttons.

1981: Optical Mice


















Steve Kirsch for Mouse Systems Corporation and Richard Lyon for Xerox invent the first optical mice. Both mice are able to detect movement using light image sensors located under the mouse, and thus move the pointer on the screen.

1983: Apple Lisa

















The Apple Lisa is one of the first commercial personal computers to feature a graphical user interface (GUI) and a mouse. Although the Lisa proves to be a commercial failure, the graphical user interface and mouse are used again in 1984 for the successful Apple Macintosh.

1996: Microsoft IntelliMouse





















While the first scroll mouse is sold by Genius in 1995 (as the Genius EasyScroll), the scroll mouse doesn’t take off until the debut of Microsoft’s IntelliMouse in 1996, when applications like Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer begin supporting the scrolling function.

2004: Logitech MX 1000















Logitech introduces the first laser mouse, intended to replace the LED in the optical mice. The laser has increased sensitivity to movement and generates a quicker onscreen response.

Pune Rave Party (Unseen Pictures) 3

(Picture Courtesy: Sunder Perumal)
Disclaimer: No claims are made regarding the authenticity of these pictures or the people represented in these pictures, of the Pune rave party. Believe/circulate it at your own risk.

Previous Page

Pune Rave Party (Unseen Pictures) 2

(Picture Courtesy: Sunder Perumal)
Disclaimer: No claims are made regarding the authenticity of these pictures or the people represented in these pictures, of the Pune rave party. Believe/circulate it at your own risk.

Previous Page   Next Page

Pune Rave Party (Unseen Pictures) 1

(Picture Courtesy: Sunder Perumal)
Disclaimer: No claims are made regarding the authenticity of these pictures or the people represented in these pictures, of the Pune rave party. Believe/circulate it at your own risk.

Next Page

(Trailer) Tara Rum Pum

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee. Produced by: Yashraj Films

Next Generation Ultra-Mobile PC's-2

Pepper Pad 3














The ultra-mobile PC heralds the next generation of do-it-all devices, offering universal remote capability and many easy-to-use applications
Pros: Easy-to-use software for viewing e-books, movies, and more; device can function as TV/stereo remote
Cons: No video camera; 20GB hard drive isn't enough
Bottom Line: A pretty good ultra-mobile PC, but you might want to wait for the next version

Raon Digital Vega













Raon Digital's bulky Vega is affordable, but it's hardly worth the learning curve and lacks a camera and built-in Wi-Fi
Pros: Runs Windows XP; very good video quality; 5.5-hour battery life; 30GB of hard disk-drive storage
Cons: Extremely confusing controls and user manual; lacks a camera or built-in Wi-Fi connectivity
Bottom Line: The drawbacks outweigh the benefits

TableKiosk eo i7210













Somewhere between a tablet notebook computer and a PDA, it offers great connectivity, lots of storage, and a 7-in. touch screen
Pros: Small, easy-to-use; powerful chip, ample storage; range of media options; multiple Net connections
Cons: Pricey, short battery life
Bottom Line: You get what you pay for in this full-featured tablet PC

Nokia's N800












This ultra-mobile PC has cool features, such as easy Web access and online calling, and is a snap to use, but it only works with certain handsets
Pros: Pocket-size. Offers Net access, Web calling, and other features over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connections
Cons: Short battery life. Bluetooth connection can't be established with all phones. Screen smudges easily
Bottom Line: Lots of good features if you're looking for a device to complement your laptop and cell phone

Previous Page

Next Generation Ultra-Mobile PC's-1

More powerful than pocket PCs but smaller and lighter than laptops, a new breed of computers is vying for your attention.















Founded in 2000, San Francisco startup OQO pioneered the placement of a full Microsoft Windows operating system onto a handheld device. OQO's first commercial version of the product won accolades at the Consumer Electronics Show, and a successor was cited by Guinness World Records as the smallest fully loaded personal computer. But OQO kept at it, this year releasing a second generation of its ultra-mobile PC. And some of the biggest names in consumer electronics—including Sony, Samsung, and Asus—are following OQO's lead.

Sony's Vaio UX





















This ultra-mobile PC is certainly sharp looking, but it comes at a steep price- and may not be so mobile after all
Pros: Videoconferencing camera, built-in cellular data access
Cons: Expensive, cramped keyboard and small screen; not truly mobile
Bottom Line: Better designed than most, but cheaper and more mobile alternatives abound.

Samsung NP-Q1















The NP-Q1 works like a dream for multimedia, and its flash memory puts it on the cutting edge. But businesspeople might want to look elsewhere
Pros: Giant screen, flash-memory-based drive less prone to accidents
Cons: No built-in cellular capability like competitors, has only onscreen keyboard
Bottom Line: The Q1 appeals more to tablet PC fans and multimedia lovers than businesspeople

OQO's 02











The innovative company's latest ultra-mobile PC will be useful for those wanting PC features in a small package. But it's not for everyone
Pros: Compact, integrated 3G wireless technology, touch scrolling
Cons: Cramped keyboard, bulky, lacks digital camera and built-in memory card reader
Bottom Line: A great addition to the ultra-mobile PC category, but cheaper alternatives abound

Asus R2H













This ultra-mobile PC is beautifully designed for every activity from word processing to gaming. But some of the software is taxing
Pros: Nifty features like GPS, fingerprint reader, and USB mouse; multiple connectivity options
Cons: Some of the Asus-specific software isn't very intuitive
Bottom Line: A great PC for the geekier of the species, though maybe not the average consumer

Next Page

(Video) Scary Movie 4 Trailer

What do you get when you mix fearless comedic genius with the latest box-office blockbusters? You guessed it. On April 14th, the Scary Movie gang is back with the most hilarious and irreverent installment yet! Scary Movie 4 is set to invade a theatre near you with outrageous send-ups of "War of the Worlds," "The Grudge," "The Village," "Saw" and "Saw II," "Million Dollar Baby" and much more. Legendary comedy director David Zucker ("Airplane!," the "Naked Gun" franchise, "Scary Movie 3," and "Ruthless People") and producer Bob Weiss reunite to take aim at some of the best fright films, the latest box office hits, music, current events, pop culture, and your favorite celebrities. Anna Faris and Regina Hall are back as the loveable, dim-witted Cindy Campbell and her self-serving pal, Brenda, respectively - joined this time around by Craig Bierko ("Cinderella Man"), as the cute-but-utterly clueless Tom Ryan. Together, they battle to save the world from a ruthless alien invasion. And, in true Scary Movie tradition, the outrageous celebrity cameos are non-stop. Those featured include: Carmen Electra, Shaquille O'Neal, Dr. Phil, Bill Pullman, Chris Elliott, Molly Shannon, Michael Madsen, rappers Chingy and Lil' John, Leslie Nielsen returning as our fearless Commander in Chief, plus many, many more surprises. In Scary Movie 4, nothing - and we mean NOTHING - is off limits!

Hack safe your PC

A recent study at the University of Marlyand revealed hackers attack computers every 39 seconds. The computers are attacked, on average, 2,244 times a day. These attacks employ automated scripts that seek out thousands of computers at a time.

In recent years, there has been a huge rise in the number of high-profile security attacks on home computers. These attacks can take many forms — from infecting your computer with a virus, to seizing your bank or credit card account details. And, the most rising attack includes phishing or social engineering and breach of privacy. Here is a simple guide to keeping your home computer — and your data — safe on the Internet.

1. Install and maintain anti-virus software
There are plenty of anti-virus software packages available. Few are free and few need to be bought. This software checks for known viruses by scanning your computer periodically with its own virus database that it updates from time to time. Most will also check for viruses on incoming email. Of course, you need to configure it for the same. It is important to update the software and the anti-virus database. New viruses are discovered almost daily. At least once a week you should check the website of the vendor to see if there is an update available.

Symptoms
PC usually becomes slow as virus consumes a lot of your hardware resources.
Files from your machine get detected as a virus under a virus scanner of some other machine.
Unusual behaviour of your machine.
Few files missing and windows system error messages pop up.

Remedy
Always scan a CD or a Floppy before copying the data into your machine.
Never download a suspicious file in the e-mail attachment before scanning it with an antivirus software.
Never accept executable files from someone on live chat service like messengers; if accepted, do remember to scan it before execution.

Links
AVG AntiVirus: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
Clam AntiVirus: http://www.clamwin.com

2. Install and maintain anti-spyware software
The biggest threats these days to your online privacy are the spywares and malwares that get installed once you open suspicious sites and usually free peer-to-peer software or many of the porn dialers.

Anti-spyware software are similar to an anti-virus software that detects known spywares and malware and tries to eradicate them safely from you system. There are many free anti-spyware software available that a PC user must consider downloading.

Symptoms
Annoying popups while browsing.
Automatic setup of your default homepage in the internet browser.
Disabled task manager and registry tools.

Remedies
Do not open unknown sites, mostly warez, wares, cracks, serials, and porn sites.
Do not open untrusted websites.
Do not download from unreliable peer-to-peer software, which these days are growing source of infection.
Install an anti-spyware software and update it at least once a week and also do scan your system weekly to avoid and remove any infections.

Links
Search & Destroy SpyBot: http://www.safer-networking.org

Free AVG AntiSpyware: http://free.grisoft.com/doc/avg-anti-spyware-free/lng/us/tpl/v5

3. Keep your computer patched against known vulnerabilities
Vulnerability or exploit is a passage to your computer due to improper programming of the software. You might have heard that Windows XP initially released Service Pack 1, then Service Pack 2. Also, you have an option to update your windows via the internet, this feature is nothing but updating your current version of windows to defend against all the exploits and vulnerabilities known.

Symptoms
There are not sure symptoms, as a vulnerability can cause a hacking attack or a virus attack or a spyware attack on your system.

Remedy
Always opt for official version of the operating system and other software.
Update your operating system form time to time.
Update the other software that has a discovered vulnerability.

4. Use of firewalls
Firewall, as the name suggests is a wall that blocks off hacking attacks on your machine. There are n number of hacking attacks that might be faced by you on your system, amongst which the most common are the DOS (Denial of Service), Mail Bombing, Eve Dropping and phishing. Even though the firewall is considered a very advanced technique of programming to counter hacking, it cannot filter all of the phishing or the social engineering attacks.

Symptoms
Your private data is available with someone else, this means your machine might be hacked.
You feel your machine or to be more specific your mouse is been controlled by someone else.
You get disconnected from the net or your network speed drops significantly (this is mostly due to DOS attacks).

Remedy
Enable Windows firewall available with the Windows XP Service Pack 2.
You can also your one of the freeware firewall software.
A proxy server is a very good option that must be adopted.
Unknown or non-trusted software accessing your computer or accessing internet form your computer must be avoided.

Links

Outpost Firewall Free: http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/download.php

Comodo Free Firewall: http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com
Free proxy software: http://www.analogx.com

I suggest you download Mozilla Firefox - a web browser, which is completely free and a very reliable one as far as security is concerned. You can download it from this page itself.

All the solutions and remedies are in no way a complete solution to save your PC from different security threats of the cyber world. As we know, every lock has a key. Similarly, every solution has a drawback that is been exploited by hackers. But using these steps does minimize the chance of your PC becoming the victim.

Salman-Katrina announce wedding on April 18!

Looks like Salman and Katrina are poised to beat Abhishek and Aishwariya in the race to the altar by announcing their wedding on April 18 just two days before the wedding of Abhi-Ash. Salman said that he made the announcement in light of his urgency to get married and refused to comment further. This comes as good news for his fans that have been waiting for their star to tie the knot for many years. However the timing of his wedding is indeed doubtful. We will keep you updated as the story unfolds, until then keep watching this space!

Nokia showcases new Xpress Music Phone - 5700

Nokia has introduced their newest addition to the Xpress Music Series – The Nokia 5700 3G Smartphone. Like the 3250, the 5700 is the second phone Nokia has released with a twist design feature. This phone uses the twist design feature to perform four functions viz. music, camera, video call and the use of the keypad.

The Nokia 5700 XpressMusic adds a new twist to the mobile music experience with compatibility for tracks purchased from many Internet music stores. The Nokia 5700 XpressMusic features a dedicated audio chip for improved music performance which consumers can further enhance by selecting from an ever increasing line of compatible audio enhancements.

















The 5700 is equipped with a 2 megapixel camera and has a display that supports 16 million colors. Music can be heard using Nokia's Bluetooth stereo headphones or any other earphones that have a 3.5mm jack. The phone supports WMA, MP3, AAC and MP4 audio formats. The music player also supports album art, playlists, plus it's loaded with a 5-band equalizer and audio visualizations. The device supports up to 2 GB of external memory.

The Nokia 5700 Xpress Music is based on Series 60 software and runs on a Symbian operating system, thus enabling plenty of personalization.

The phone is expected to retail for EUR 350 (approximately Rs. 20,150) before taxes and will be available during the second quarter of 2007.

Google adds security to new version of Google Pack free software bundle

Google released the new version of their popular free software bundle Google Pack this week. There are two rather interesting and highly useful additions included with this release. Symantec’s Norton Security Scan, a freeware virus scanner, which offers virus protection on a basic level, and the added bonus of Spyware and Adware alerts. There is also PC Tools Spyware Doctor: Starter Edition, an exclusive version of the Spyware and Adware removal tool. Like Norton, the protection offered is basic but useful. It will detect and remove many of the most common threats.

Norton Security Scan will help you evaluate your computer’s vulnerability to security risks. This is not meant as a solid replacement for regular, updated virus protection. What it will do however, is evaluate your system and any malicious files found. There is limited protection, but as a quick scanner, it detects and removes viruses, Worms, and Trojans. The Full System Scan performs a deep scan of the system and hard disc to detect existing viruses, Spyware, and other threats. The scan results summary informs you of what has been detected, repaired or needs your attention. Google and Symantec have also ensured that this tool will receive regular updates.

There is a catch however, “In the event that Norton Security Scan is removed from the Google Pack, the Norton Security Scan service may be discontinued at Symantec's discretion at any point in time following six months after the date of such removal,” reads the fine print. Another catch, Norton Security Scan detects but does not remove Spyware or Adware. Considering this is a free offering the limitations are expected and are minor compared to some of the other fee software out there.

To remove the Spyware and Adware the Google Pack gives you Spyware Doctor: Starter Edition. Spyware Doctor is popular, and on online recommended by many for a quick scan and removal. This version is a stripped down free version of the $24.95 model but it still offers quite a bit despite being free. It will detect, remove, and block all types of Spyware and Adware threats. It offers the same type of ‘Smart Updates’ to keep you covered when new versions of Spyware or Adware are located. It also sports File Guard, and OnGuard, both of which are touted as the best feature in the paid version.

While these two offerings are great and will be of use to anyone who would need them, they are still stripped down versions of the paid product. That is not a knock to the software, just a warning these will not replace what will offer the best protection.

IF FREE is what you want, here are some suggestions:
AVG (www.grisoft.com) is a solid performer in Anti-Virus tests. This software is free, and the Virus protection offered is the same in both the free and paid versions. They also offer free Spyware protection software.

SpyBot Search and Destroy (www.spybot.info) one of the most used Spyware and Adware removal tools and scanners on the internet.

Ad-Aware SE Personal (www.lavasoftusa.com) is another Spyware and Adware protection tool. This one is also well known, but is often overshadowed by SpyBot. It is still worth a look and as an added layer of protection completely worth the download.

Samsung Metallic D840 slider phone now in India

Samsung has launched its Metallic Series premium slider phones in India. Samsung D840 measuring 11.9 mm in thickness and weighing 100 gm, comes in a super-slim form and a metallic silver exterior and is targeted at the youth market.

The D840 has 2 Megapixel (4x digital zoom) Camera, MP3 player with integrated dual speaker, multi-format music player for listening music on wireless Bluetooth stereo headsets, fast forward / rewind option and Direct TV Out function for sharing entertainment while on move.

The phone also has 80 MB of internal memory and external MicroSD memory for data storage. It has features such as 262k TFT QVGA Color Screen, Triband, Bluetooth wireless support, Email and mobile printing for business users.

It supports all popular office formats like MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, HTML, and Standard Image formats. The D840 displays downloads exactly as they appear on the desktop PC to view, manipulate and send. Through the Direct TV Out function, the phone enables business users to make presentations via the handset.

The phone also allows users to read rework documents through Offline mode on flight. The phone’s Auto Time Update feature will automatically reset the time zone and show users the correct local time, when out of the country. The D840 is also secured through Samsung’s mobile tracker, emergency SMS alert and privacy lock.

Samsung D840 is priced at Rs. 13499.