Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Streaming TV served hot on your PC!

Streaming TV served hot on your PC!

Here's a hypothetical situation for you. If you are shipwrecked on a desert island and the only thing that survived besides you, is your laptop. So, would you panic or realise that you can live without water and food for a couple of days, but you can't survive a day without television! Okay, this is a bit far-fetched. On my part though, I would like to be with Tom Hanks, since he did such a great job of getting away from an isolated island in the movie 'Castaway'


But that's beside the point. What can a TV-holic person do in such extreme circumstances is check out a couple of streaming television websites. Here are a few:

1. www.Midihopper.com: This is the where it gets big! With about 1,314 channels listed from every possible country on the planet, this site should definitely make you salivate! Just click on the country that you fancy watching, and each country has atleast 10 more channels listed! Click on the speed you want to stream your video with and then just choose if you want to watch chat shows or go spiritual

2. www.wifitv.com: Mania TV is one channel that you have to check out on this site. Channel 177 has shows with two mindnumbingly dumb anchors and to top it all, plays pop music 24/7! Besides this, wifi tv has a range of other channels to pick from. Although, unlike mediahopper.com, this site isn't free. Take the five minute trial or the 14 day trial, and then choose if you really want to subscribe. Although the paid package also includes utilities like wifi web chat and a virtual dialer, that lets you make free calls over the internet!

3. www.streambox.tv: This site lets you watch most of the Hindi channels like AajTak, Zee TV, Zee Cinema streamed live on your personal computer, but for a certain price.

4. www.willow.tv: Watch the Indian tour of the West Indies on this site, though you'll have to pay for it.
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Hindi movies will soon be available as games

Hindi movies will soon be available as games



Would you be interested in re-writing the script of 'Sholay' wherein you can allow Gabbar Singh to win or kill Veeru instead of Jai? Some Hyderabad-based companies are planning something similar to that. Soon you may be able to do so and without even going to Ramgar! Just sit in front of your computer and using your keyboard, beat the hell out of Gabbar Singh as and when you like.


Suresh Productions, Fx Labs and Spirit have joined hands to produce the game versions of hit films like 'Sholay'. These three firms are already into the gaming business and their products "Inferno" and "Archies Riverdale Run" are scheduled for release in early 2007. They say Indian films have great potential of being converted into games and for the first time, this market is going to be tapped.

President, Suresh Productions, D.Suresh Babu says, "Within a year, you will surely see an Indian film being converted into a game. After that every 3-6 months, we should be able to come out with a game for an Indian film."

According to these companies, over 30% increase in the number of PCs in the country was one of the reasons, that inspired them to make video-games on Indian films.

Managing Director, Spirit, Rana Daggubati says, "Every kid today is associated with computers - he uses e-mail, internet and he plays games on his computer. He will be comfortable playing an Indian game with Indian stars and Indian content or content of a film that he has already seen."

Besides Bollywood movies, video games will also be made based on South Indian movies, especially those featuring Rajnikant in a lead role.
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Sunday, May 28, 2006


Sony Ericsson K-700 i Features and Reviews

The good: Stylish design; high-resolution screen; integrated camera with video; Bluetooth; speakerphone; MP3 support and FM radio; 41MB of memory; world phone.

The bad: OS occasionally sluggish; battery life could be better; no dedicated Talk and End keys; speakerphone activation not intuitive.

The bottom line: The Sony Ericsson K700i offers a good mix of features and style but falls a bit short on performance.



Entertainment

Music machine, radio freedom
Listen to news or tune in to your favorite hit station with the built-in FM radio. With K700, you dont have to leave your music at home. The K700 comes equipped with a Media Player, allowing you to play your own MP3s and even streamed or downloaded video clips.

Gaming satisfaction
Fast download, a Java engine and the fantastic 65K screen: The K700 satisfies your craving for a full gaming experience.You'll find exciting games embedded in your phone, and many more are available for download. And with the 41 MB memory, theres lots of room for fun.

It's a call, it's music
The K700 supports 40 polyphonic voices - so your phone can play many tones simultaneously. Your incoming calls: the sound of music.Your K700 comes with a number of pre-stored ringtones. When you feel like a little more individuality, use the built-in MusicDJto create your very own, personal ringtone.


Multidimensional messaging
Say it in words. Or any other way you like. The K700 supports MMS, allowing you to compose your messages with animations, video clips, pictures and sounds. Great for sending home a holiday greeting, great for asking for instant advice when shopping. And great fun. The K700 also supports EMS, email and SMS.

Video moments
You can also use the VGA camera to record short video clips. Ideal for saving fun moments - the 41 MB memory gives you plenty of storage space. Or share your video clip with friends via MMS.
QuickShare - sharing made easy
Ease of use. That's the basis for OuickShare. This is the fastest, easiest and smartest way to share images with friends and family. A few clicks is all it takes to snap your picture and send it to anyone anywhere in the world.

QuickShare also makes it easy to share with Bluetooth-enabled PDAs, PCs and printers.

Instant Messaging - My Friends
The My Friends feature works as a mobile chat room. You see who's online and you can send messages to entire contact lists or single users.

ConnectivityStay in business
The K700 is in business. Let your K700 be at the core of your everyday work. Take advantage of Bluetooth wireless technology, and combine your K700 with Sony Ericsson Bluetooth accessories: Wireless headsets, in-car solutions and the Media Viewer MMV-100, which allows you to view images (or even PowerPoint slides!) stored in your K700 on bigger screens.
You can also use the K700 as a remote control for your computer. Get your PowerPoint presentation started, and slide through it with your K700.
The K700 can also be used as a modem in combination with your PC or laptop.

Sharing the way it should be - QuickShare We believe hi-tech products should be easy to use. That's why we created QuickShare. Where you are - on a safari holiday, on business in the concrete jungle or simply enjoying a party animal lifestyle in nightclubs - doesn't really matter. Keeping in touch with friends, colleagues and family is never more than a few thumb-clicks away. So, snap your pictures and send them to anyone anywhere in the world instantly. That's what QuickShare is all about: Keeping sharing to a couple of clicks.

Playing your tune Regardless if you fancy jazz or have a passion for pop, the K700s got what it takes to satisfy you. Just tune into your favorite radio station with the built-in FM radio.
So when you need a short break, tune in, close your eyes and get away from the rat race for a while.


K700i

Specifications

Smart camera style
A camera when you need to catch and share that fun moment. A phone with all the easy messaging, entertainment and connectivity you want. Everything you can do with pictures. And plenty of memory. Show where you’ve been and what you like. And when you wish you had a video camera, the K700i has that too.
K700i adds more imaging to your lifestyle. And QuickShare™ makes it easy.

Screen
176x220 pixel
Colour LCD 65,538

Sound
Polyphonic Sounds 40 voices

Memory
41MB memory

Networks
GSM 900
GSM 1900
GSM 1800


Sizes
99 x 46.5 x 19.5 mm
3.9 x 1.8 x .8 inches

Weight
93 g

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Friday, May 26, 2006

MS unveils beta 2 version of two products



NEW DELHI: Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. today announced the availability of beta 2 for 2007 Microsoft Office System and Windows Vista - the upcoming versions of its flagship Office and Windows offerings.

The announcement marks a significant milestone in the development process of these offerings, as it allows the broad customer and partner community to test the product features and provide feedback before the final version of the product is launched.

These offerings represent Microsoft's next generation platform for business computing needs and are expected to be available in the last quarter of this calendar year.

The 2007 Microsoft Office System is a comprehensive and integrated system, which includes programs, servers, services, and solutions designed to work together to help address a broad array of business problems.

Among the path breaking features in the 2007 release of Office are the all new User Interface; SmartArt Graphics; New quick file formatting capabilities - inbuilt PDF file converter and Office XML formats; Live preview capabilities all set to revolutionize desktop user experience.

Commenting on the announcement, Neelam Dhawan, managing director, Microsoft India, said, "Windows Vista and 2007 Microsoft Office System will help businesses become People Ready, allowing them to leverage their most important assets - their people for business success today and in the future. The two products offer path breaking innovation, and today's announcement marks an important milestone towards the delivery of our next generation platform for business computing."

With the public availability of the 2007 Microsoft Office System, Microsoft India has rolled out a host of customer accessibility programs targeted at diverse customer segments.

Windows Vista Beta 2 is available now for MSDN and TechNet subscribers, as well as Technology Adoption Program (TAP) and TechBeta members.
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Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Mozilla - A skillful and secure Web-surfing tool

As more users continue to abandon Internet Explorer, Mozilla's popular Firefox gains traction in the browser space. Version 1.5 of Firefox offers a few notable features, foremost of which is the ability to reorder tabs by dragging and dropping them. You'll also find a tool that lets you quickly clean up your surfing history with two clicks of the mouse or a hot-key combo. The latest iteration of the browser seems more responsive than it has in the past and also is more efficient; with 10 windows open, Firefox consumed slightly less RAM than either IE or Opera.

If you're new to Firefox entirely, you'll appreciate the other features, including the RSS feeds, the JavaScript debugger, the basic download manager, and the ability to search several popular sites (such as Google) directly from the address bar. You can easily create toolbars by dragging and dropping icons. More technically minded users will appreciate that Firefox displays the page source in a new window, using indents and color-coded tags like an HTML editor. The built-in pop-up blocker is still extremely effective, and Firefox's reuptation for tight security is still well deserved. Anyone who's tired of IE will find more than one reason to like this free alternative.
You may download mozilla firefox from the banner displayed on the right side... So get yr copy now..
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Monday, May 22, 2006

Motorola Slvr L7

The good: The Motorola Slvr L7 has an appealing design with improved controls, and it offers a generous feature set, including Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and world phone support. Business users should appreciate the lack of a camera as well.

The bad: The Motorola Slvr L7 has a washed-out display, small keypad buttons, unintuitive volume controls, and no EDGE support. Also, calls placed over a Bluetooth headset were uneven.

The bottom line: Some design quirks aside, the Motorola Slvr L7 is an appealing low-end addition to the Slvr family.


Motorola SLVR L7

Description :
Fine tune your mobile phone experience with the Motorola SLVR – the ultimate in sleek, super slim mobile craftsmanship. Bluetooth® wireless technology provides hands-free connections and Push-to-Talk (PTT)** connects you to work groups and friends with supreme ease. For fun, capture and view still and moving images, which come to life on the mobile’s spacious color screen. With up to 512 megabytes (MB) of TransFlash™ expandable memory, it’s easy to store favorite multimedia files – the possibilities are endless. But, your mobile phone choice is clear.

Key Features :
Sleek, super-thin design without sacrificing advanced functionality
PTT with icon presence indicators for one-touch connections**
Integrated VGA camera with 4x zoom and video capture and playback
Bluetooth Class 2 for hands-free connectivity
MP3 player to store, repeat, shuffle and play favorite tunes; 22Khz polyphonic speaker
Up to 512 MB or removable TransFlash memory
WAP 2.0
Downloadable wallpaper, screensaver and MP3 ringtones*
J2ME™ MIDP 2.0
Integrated hands-free speakerphone
Messaging via MMS*, IM Wireless Village* and email (POP3, SMTP)*
Motorola s SCREEN3 technology solution featuring zero-click access to news, sports, entertainment, and other premium content.*

Features :
Biz WhizWhen it’s time to work, utilize the mobile’s speakerphone for conference calls on the go. The Motorola SLVR features SCREEN3, an innovative technology solution from Motorola that gives you zero-click access to news, sports, entertainment, and other premium content directly from your mobile device home screen – no buttons to push, no browsers to launch. Motorola s SCREEN3 puts fresh content at your fingertips. And, be sure to stay in sync – Bluetooth technology provides wire-free connections to compatible Bluetooth-enabled PCs and PDAs for simple sharing of calendars, contacts and more.

Save It & Play ItCapture events in real time with video and audio and then share with friends and family via Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)*. This savvy mobile is more than just a productivity tool – use it as your vehicle for self-expression. Ultra thin is in.

* Certain mobile phone features are dependent on the capabilities and settings of your service provider’s network. Additionally, certain features may not be activated by your service provider, and/or their network settings may limit the feature’s functionality. Always contact your service provider about feature availability and functionality. All features, functionality and other product specifications are based upon the latest available information and are believed to be accurate; however such product specifications are subject to change without notice or obligation.

**Push to Talk (“PTT”) and the other features indicated are network and subscription dependent features, and are not available in all areas. PTT connectivity requires PTT compatible phones.

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Saturday, May 20, 2006

NVIDIA demonstrates Alienware notebooks






Programmable graphics processor technologies firm NVIDIA Corporation today announced that it will demonstrate Alienware notebooks based on NVIDIA SLI technology at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) here.

Delivering new levels of visual realism at extreme high-definition resolutions of 1680x1050 and higher, NVIDIA SLI technology enables dual NVIDIA GPUs to be used in notebooks based on the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI core-logic solution,” a company statement said.

These notebooks, targeted at one of the fastest growing segments of the consumer notebook market, are among the fastest available dual GPU gaming notebooks in the world.

The Alienware Aurora mALX notebook with a 19” display will be powered by two top-of-the-line NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX GPUs. Dual high-performance GeForce Go 7900 GS GPUs will power the 17” Alienware Aurora m9700.

“With NVIDIA GPUs and SLI technology, Alienware has closed the performance gap between mobile and desktop systems with the introduction of our latest mobile systems,” said Mark Vena, vice president of Marketing for Alienware. “The Aurora m9700 and Aurora mALX give customers two incredibly powerful and exciting new mobile options and these new systems underscore Alienware's ongoing commitment to uncompromised performance at home, the office or on the road."

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Friday, May 19, 2006

Apple, Softbank plan iPod mobile phones



Japanese Web and telecom conglomerate Softbank Corp. is working with Apple Computer Inc. to develop mobile telephones with built-in iPod music players, Nikkei reported on Friday.

The music-playing phones can download songs from Apple's iTunes Music Store, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun said in an article posted on its Web site.

A spokesman for Apple in Cupertino, California, was not immediately available for comment.

The report said Apple and Softbank have agreed to co-develop the phone for sale as early as this year. The device is expected to carry both the Softbank and Apple brands, the report said, without citing the source of the information.

Softbank, which said last month it would buy Vodafone's Japanese mobile phone business, appears to be looking to use the power of Apple's brand to compete against mobile market leaders NTT DoCoMo and KDDI Corp.

Last year, Apple and handset maker Motorola Inc. introduced a music-playing cellphone known as the Rokr that has received disappointing reviews for its design and the limited number of songs that can be stored on the device.

Speculation has mounted that Apple is developing its own mobile phone -- popularly labeled the iPhone -- that will combine the stylish design of its iPod music and video player with mobile phone features.

Pundits from blog rumor sites to Wall Street analysts have speculated on the meaning of a string of patent applications filed by Apple Computer that stretch back several years and could indicate its ambition to build its own mobile phones.

TOUCHSCREEN PATENT

Also fueling speculation about Apple's next potential moves is a newly disclosed Apple patent application for a display screen that detects multiple, simultaneous touches or "near touches" to produce separate signals to a device.

Touch-screen technology is widely used in so-called smartphones that have a variety of functions such as phones, e-mail, contact lists, Internet access and cameras.

Apple's technology would allow users to perform several touch-activated tasks at once, unlike other devices that process only one screen-activated function at a time, according to the application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which was filed on May 6, 2004 and published on Thursday.
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling declined to comment


"Apple is very secretive," said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Inc., a consulting firm in Campbell, California, who cautioned not to read too much into the move. "Apple is very innovative, and if you're a company that's innovative, you may file a patent that you may never use."
But John Ward, a patent attorney and strategist with Greenberg Traurig in Palo Alto, California, said Apple is more selective in its patent filings than other large technology companies.
"They are not a massive application filer," Ward said. "They certainly are more strategic in what they file on."
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Thursday, May 18, 2006

How to keep your CD collection clean


You have a great collection of DVDs and music CDs, but what if you manage to scratch some of them and they refuse to work properly?

There are some handy alternatives at home. Some things like furniture wax, brass polish and toothpaste work fine. Just take any soft cloth, add some of the wax or brass polish to the affected area, and then wipe. Squeeze a small amount of toothpaste on the surface and leave it for five minutes, before wiping it clean with a soft cloth. Wipe from the centre hub to the outer edge.

Remember, the worst CD scratches are the ones that go circularly around the disc. A scratch from the centre to the rim isn't as bad. A CD player can miss a beat and you won't notice it, but if the scratch follows the track pattern of a CD you'll notice a lot more skipping.

The best thing is to never use solvents to clean your CD, as they may cause permanent damage to the disc. But, while solvents are not a good idea, but if you still want to use one, then use a Kodak Lens cleaner and a lens tissue or soft cloth, to clean your discs. Also, make sure the CD is dry before putting it in the player.

But ideally, it's better to be safe rather than sorry, so here are a few handy tips on how 'not' to mess with your precious collection.

1. Always handle your CDs by the edges. Do not touch the shiny side of the disc, as this is the side that the laser reads the information.

2. Cheap plastic sleeves may seem like a good idea at the time, but if exposed to extremes of temperature, the disc and sleeve may stick to one other.

3. Don't eat, drink, or smoke around your CDs.

4. Never use a ballpoint pen to write on your CDs.

5. Do not try to remove labels from your CD. The adhesive may pull off the foil on which the data is encoded.

6. Acrylic jewel cases provide good protection against dust, scratches, light, and rapid changes in humidity.
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Wednesday, May 17, 2006

All About Nokia N80





General
Network
UMTS / GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Announced
2005, 4Q
Status
Available
Size
Dimensions
95 x 50 x 26 mm, 97 cc
Weight
134 g
Display
Type
TFT, 256K colors
Size
352 x 416 pixels, 35 x 41 mm
Ringtones
Type
Polyphonic (64 channels), Monophonic, True Tones, MP3
Customization
Download
Vibration
Yes
Memory
Phonebook
Yes
Call records
Yes
Card slot
miniSD (up to 2GB), hot swap, 128 MB card included

- 40 MB internal memory
Data
GPRS
Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD
No
EDGE
Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G
Yes, 384 kbps
WLAN
Wi-Fi 802.11g, UMA
Bluetooth
Yes, v2.0
Infrared port
Yes
USB
Yes, v2.0, Pop-Port
Features
OS
S60 3rd edition (Symbian OS , Series 60 UI)
Messaging
SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
Games
Java downloadable
Colors
Silver
Camera
3.2 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video(CIF), flash; secondary VGA videocall camera

- UPnP technology- Push to talk - Java MIDP 2.0- MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player- Stereo FM Radio- T9- Voice dial/memo- PIM including calendar, to-do list- Built-in handsfree
Battery

Standard battery, Li-Ion 820 mAh (BL-5B)
Stand-by
Up to 192 h
Talk time
Up to 3 h


Key features:

Brilliant display
Symbian OS
Incredible web browser
miniSD card slot (128MB miniSD card included in the package)
Very good 3
megapixel camera with flash
Excellent audio quality
FM radio
40 MB internal memory
All connectivity options - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IR, USB
UMTS and EDGE support


Main disadvantages:

Rather big dimensions
Top row of the
numeric keypad is hardly reachable
No compatibility between Symbian 3rd Generation and lower versions
FM radio lacks RDS
No automatic keypad lock when slid in
Camera lens is not protected
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Web search sites give new ways to find results


For information seekers, the days of culling Web search pages, ten machine-generated hyperlinks at a time, may be numbered.Yahoo Inc. takes the next step to realize its vision of combining human advice with machine automation to offer more relevant ways of searching the Web.

It is using the millions of human suggestions from its recently introduced Yahoo Answers to complement the mathematically organized features of its core search system. "It's the right time now to augment Web search results with some human touch," said Tim Mayer, Yahoo's product manager for Web search. "We are making search better by allowing users to tap into the collective knowledge of other people."

Meanwhile, Bill Gross, the inventor of paid Web search who sold the system to Yahoo, is set to unveil a new version of his latest project. Snap.com is aimed at broadband users and gives people visual snapshots of Web sites before they click.

These innovations in how to search for information on the Web aim to compete with the dominant search provider, Google Inc., which analysts say still has a big lead in the current generation of Web search technology.
Google's dominance is pushing rivals to seek fundamentally new approaches to searching, and Google cannot sit still either, analysts say.For its own part, Google last week began offering Google Co-op, an early effort at human-organized search to boost its algorithmic page-ranking system.

To begin with, Co-op is working with a very fixed set of experts, such as the Harvard Medical School or the Mayo Clinic in health and Fodor's and Lonely Planet in travel guides. "Some questions need different formats and answers," said Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search products.

VISUALIZING THE WEBSnap.com (http://www.snap.com) has the classic set of 10 links down the left side of its search results page, but each link a user selects is displayed in a half-size screenshot of the Web site's home page.

Thus users can scroll down a page of links using visual cues instead of reading text. It is surfing by pictures, like flipping through television channels using a remote control. The user can skip over bad pages or broken links before they load.


"Look before you leap," Snap.com Chief Executive Tom McGovern said in an interview. "People who are more visually oriented will gravitate to this."

Google runs advertisements alongside search results and only gets paid when consumers click on the ads. Snap.com argues it can take advertising a major step forward by charging only when consumers complete transactions.

But Snap.com also breaks potentially controversial ground in how the site blurs the distinction between sponsored search results and results returned by popular demand. By contrast, major search sites clearly fence-off sponsored results.

Yahoo Answers
An online site where people can ask and have other Yahoo users answer questions, has grown to store nearly 11 million answers related to technical matters or everyday life in more than 800 categories, the company said.


The service has more than 7.2 million users, Yahoo said, citing data from market research firm comScore Networks Inc.The Sunnyvale, California-based company said it is now weaving Yahoo Answers into its core Yahoo Search system. Yahoo Answers, which the Internet media company introduced in December in trial mode, is designed to allow users to ask questions on the Web in plain language. "A lot of people find it difficult to formulate how to come up with the right query," Mayer said.


"Yahoo Answers let others answer that question. This is the actually taking advantage of the enormous power of the Yahoo community," Gartner analyst Alan Weiner said. Yahoo has an audience of more than 400 million users across its network of sites.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Motorola L7 - Features, The good, The bad, The Bottomline

Features:-


General Network GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
Announced 2005, 1Q
Status Available
Size Dimensions 113 x 49 x 11.5 mm, 59 cc
Weight 96 g
Display Type TFT, 256K colors
Size 176 x 220 pixels, 9 lines, 30 x 37 mm
Downloadable wallpapers, screensavers
Ringtones Type Polyphonic (24 channels), MP3
Customization Download, order now
Vibration Yes
Memory Phonebook 1000 entries, Photo call
Call records 10 dialled, 10 received, 10 missed calls
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), up to 512 MB
11 MB total memory
5 MB free user memory
Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
Bluetooth Yes, v1.2
Infrared port No
USB Yes, miniUSB
Features Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML
Games Yes + downloadable
Colors
Camera VGA, 640x480 pixels, video
Push to talk
Java MIDP 2.0
MP3/MPEG4 player
T9
Calendar
Built-in handsfree
Voice memo
Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 820 mAh
Stand-by Up to 350 h
Talk time Up to 6 h 40 min

The good: The Motorola Slvr L7 has an attractive overall design. It also comes with an integrated iTunes player, Bluetooth, a sharp display, a TransFlash card slot, and a speakerphone, as well as solid call and music-audio quality.


The bad: The Motorola Slvr L7's iTunes player is sluggish, and it's burdened with too many usage restrictions. The phone is further hampered by a low-resolution VGA camera, a lack of support for EDGE, tricky controls, no FM radio or stereo speakers, and little integrated memory.

The bottom line: Motorola's Slvr L7 puts a prettier face on the iTunes phone, but its low-resolution camera, its sluggish music-player performance, and the limitations on the iTunes usability are big distractions

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Sunday, May 14, 2006

Nokia to offer Google Talk on Web tablet

Nokia, the world's top mobile phone maker, will unveil on Tuesday a new version of its Internet tablet device that runs Google Talk communications software, sources familiar with the plans said on Friday.

The pact between the Finnish company and Web search leader Google would offer consumers the ability to chat with other users of instant messaging software via the Nokia Wi-Fi device, which relies on short-range wireless networks.
The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, introduced last year, offers wireless access to digital music and video playing on a high-contrast color screen, as well as to check e-mail, surf the Web and read computer documents or play video games.


At a press conference to be held in Stockholm on Tuesday, Espoo, Finland-based Nokia will introduce a new version of the Internet Tablet with upgraded software and hardware elements, one source said.

Nokia's 770 is available worldwide via its Web site. The 770 is a rectangular, 5.5-inch by 3.1-inch device with a big color screen that is slightly bigger than a mobile phone. It has a retail list price of around $400 in the United States.
In contrast to phones, the Nokia 770 relies on unregulated local wireless connections rather than cell phone networks.
Google Talk, which allows users to chat via text or to talk with other instant message users, will be one of the featured applications on the Nokia Internet Tablet, a second source confirmed.


The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.
The deal with Nokia marks the Mountain View, Calif.-based Google's latest move beyond computers and into the mobile communications market.
Earlier this year it announced a plan with Nokia's biggest rival, Motorola, to feature Google search software on Motorola phones.


Google rivals Yahoo and Microsoft are also pushing to have their services featured on handsets. Yahoo is offered on several Nokia phone models.

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Samsung YP-Z5 is no competition to the Nano



Hot off the i-Pod Nano clone bandwagon comes the YP-Z5, Samsung's own ultra slim, shiny, flash-based music player that seems to have a balance of hits and misses. It looks quite slick with the black glossy surface with a shiny metal border, but it just loses its shine when placed next to the i-Pod Nano's signature metal rear.


The YP-Z5 plays back MP3 and WMA audio formats. It employs Samsung's Digital Natural Sound engine (DNSe) which supposedly gives you more accurate and natural sound. The bigger display works better for the user interface, which mimics the i-Pod user interface.
It sorts all the music by artists, albums, genres, composers and playlists, and also lets you view a simple list of filenames, in case you haven't got information to the player. And guess what, you can only transfer music only through a Windows Media Player 10
The player also charges via USB, so no additional adapter is required. The Samsung YP-Z5 2GB costs Rs 10,990 at MRP, which would probably mean around Rs 8,500-9,000 off the street. The 2GB iPod Nano sells for around the same price off the street, making the YP-Z5 a little better an option, when comparing the features.
But its confusing button scheme and the fact that it just doesn't look as shiny, glossy and cool as a Nano, might make the Samsung YP-Z5 miss the target.
Pros: Slim, capacious (2GB), great sound quality, large display, drag-and-drop transfer Windows Media Player 9 and lower).
Cons: Confusing control buttons, no drag-and-drop after installing Windows Media Player 10
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Saturday, May 13, 2006

Google Tips

Google Tips


Phrase your question in the form of an answer. So instead of typing,
"What is the average rainfall in the Amazon basin?", you might get better
results by typing "The average rainfall in the Amazon basin is."



§ T
his is
an old one, but very important: Put quotes around phrases that must be
searched together. If you put quotes around "electric curtains," Google
won't waste your time finding one set of Web pages containing the word
"electric" and another set containing the word "curtains."











§


S
imilarly,
put a hyphen right before any word you want screened out. If you're
looking up dolphins, for example, you'll have to wade through a million
Miami Dolphins pages unless you search for "dolphins - Miami."











§




G
oogle
is a global White Pages and Yellow Pages. Search for "phonebook:home depot
norwalk , ct," Google instantly produces the address and phone number of
the Norwalk Home Depot. This works with names ("phonebook:robert jones las
vegas, NV") as well as businesses.










§


D
on't
put any space after "phonebook." And in all of the following examples,
don't type the quotes I'm showing you here.










§


G
oogle
is a package tracker. Type a FedEx or UPS package number (just the
digits); when you click Search, Google offers a link to its tracking
information.










§


G
oogle
is a calculator. Type in an equation ("32+2345*3-234=").











§


G
oogle
is a units-of-measurement converter. Type "teaspoons in a gallon," for
example, or "centimeters in a foot."










§


G
oogle
is a stock ticker. Type in AAPL or MSFT, for example, to see a link to the
current Apple or Microsoft stock price, graphs, financial news and so on.










§


G
oogle
is an atlas. Type in an area code, like 212, to see a Mapquest map of the
area.










§


G
oogle
is Wal-Mart's computer. Type in a UPC bar code number, such as
"036000250015," to see the description of the product you've just "scanned
in." (Thanks to the Google Blog,








http://google.blogspace.com


, for
this tip and the next couple.)










§


G

oogle is an aviation buff. Type in a flight number like "United 22" for a
link to a map of that flight's progress in the air. Or type in the tail
number you see on an airplane for the full registration form for that
plane.










§


G
oogle
is the Department of Motor Vehicles. Type in a VIN (vehicle identification
number, which is etched onto a plate, usually on the door frame, of every
car), like "JH4NA1157MT001832," to find out the car's year, make and
model.










§


F
or
hours of rainy-day entertainment, visit





http://labs.google.com


.
Here, you'll find links to new, half-finished Google experiments-like
Google Voice, in which you call (650) 623-6706, speak the words you want
to search for and then open your browser to view the results. Disclaimer:
It wasn't working when I tried it. (Ditto a lot of these experiments.)




Technorati Tags:

What's new on Gmail?



Just launched!A picture's worth a thousand wordsWith contact pictures in Gmail, you can pick ones for yourself, see which ones your friends have chosen, and set certain pictures to show up for specific people in your Gmail account. Best of all, you can even send picture suggestions to your friends.
Learn more We're in the process of rolling this feature out to all users, so keep an eye out for it in your account!




Gmail Chat now has sound!Never miss out on a chat in Gmail again. Now there’s a "ping" when people send you a chat.
Learn more


What's been keeping us busy...Ever since we launched Gmail, we've been working hard to make it better. Here are a few of the features we've added:
Gmail ChatGet in touch with your friends instantly, from right inside Gmail! It's the biggest thing to happen to Gmail, since well, Gmail.
Learn more
Delete buttonDelete the messages you really don't want. For the rest, use Archive, which removes a message from your Inbox, but keeps it in All Mail so you can always find it later.
Learn more
Gmail MobilePoint your phone's web browser to http://m.gmail.com to access Gmail from your mobile phone or device. It's easy to use and it's free (but yes, your wireless plan could still charge you).
Learn moreIt also has these cool features:

Automatically optimizes the interface for the phone you're using
Opens the attachments you receive in messages, including photos, Microsoft Word documents and .pdf files
Lets you reply by call to people whose phone numbers are in your Gmail Contacts list
Vacation auto-responderSet an auto-response so that if you're lying on a beach or taking a train across Siberia, your friends will know you won't be checking your email.
Learn more
Contact groupsOne of our most-requested features is finally here! Now you can send messages to a group instead of having to pick out the individual addresses every time.
Learn more
RSS feeds in GmailView your favorite RSS feeds right in Gmail as "Clips" along the top of your Gmail screen. Display clips from blogs, news sites and other online sources. Pick from the latest headlines, random popular feeds, or add any RSS/Atom feed you want.
Learn more
View as HTMLNow you can view Microsoft Office, OpenOffice or .pdf attachments as web pages by clicking the "View as HTML" link instead of downloading. For when you want to see it faster, you're on a mobile device, or you don't want to install software just to view a document.
Learn more
Shortcuts on the rightNow Gmail automatically detects addresses and tracking numbers, and displays useful information such as directions and package tracking alongside your messages. Learn more
Virus scanning is here!For your protection, Gmail now automatically scans for viruses every time you open or send a message with an attachment. We even try our best to remove all the viruses we find.
Learn more
Export contactsExport your Gmail Contacts and save them in a file for back-up or to use in another account or service–great if you're using Gmail's free POP access.
Learn more
Auto-saveSaves to ‘Drafts' as you're composing. Never lose a half-written email again.
Get to Gmail from any web pageDownload the new Gmail-enabled
Google Toolbar. Search your mail or instantly go to your Inbox from any web page with just one click. Learn more
Offline access to messages
Google Desktop lets you search your computer for files, music, photos, chats, web pages you've seen, and now, your Gmail messages too. Even if you're offline.
Gmail on Google.comSee your new messages directly from your
personalized Google.com homepage.
Google TalkIM and make free calls through your computer with
Google Talk. Your Gmail contacts are even pre-loaded. Learn more
Customized 'From:' addressesCustomize the address on your outgoing messages to display another one of your addresses instead.
Learn more
An application for Macs The
Gmail Notifier for Mac OS X even supports plug-in development.
More languagesNow you can use Gmail in 38 languages: US and UK English, simplified and traditional Chinese, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Learn more


More storageStorage is an important part of email, which is why Gmail now gives you over 2.5 gigabytes of free space (and growing every day)! Learn more
Rich text formattingUse fonts, colors, highlighting and other rich formatting options when you compose messages.
Learn more
An easier way to send up to 10MB of photosGmail now works with
Picasa, Google's free photo organizer, so you can easily send photos from your Gmail account. Learn more
Support for more browsersBasic HTML view lets you access your Gmail messages from almost any computer running almost any web browser.
Learn more
Free POP access and automatic forwardingAccess your mail the way you want to. Download your messages. Read them offline. Use your Blackberry or Outlook or any POP-enabled device. Or forward new messages to an email account you specify. You can even switch to other email services without having to worry about losing access to your messages. Think of it as email portability
Learn more
Import ContactsMove all your contacts from Yahoo! Mail, Outlook, and others to Gmail in just a few clicks.
Learn more
Signature optionsFrom the settings page, create a signature that's automatically added to the end of all your outgoing messages.
Learn more

Technorati Tags:

Standard desktop configuration



Intel Pentium 4 @ 3.06 GHz Processor ( 533 FSB )

Intel 915 Chipset Motherboard with 8X AGP Slot

256MB DDR RAM

80 GB HDD (SATA)

52x DVD+CD Writer (Combo Drive )

Onboard Integrated Graphics,

Onboard AC97, 3D Audio

Onboard 10/100 LAN

300 Watt Speakers

Premium Silver Black Cabinet

PS2 Optical Scroll Mouse

PS2 Multimedia Keyboard

17 inch Real Flat Digital Colour CRT Monitor
Technorati Tags:

Standard laptop configuration




Intel Mobile Pentium –M Processor 725A @ 1.6 GHz (2 MB L2 Cache, 400 MHz)
Intel 915 GM
256 MB DDR2 SDRAM
40 GB SATA HDD upgradeable upto 80 GB
DVD+CD/RW (Combo Drive)
(15.4”) WXGA + Wide TFT Display.-WXGA Resolution (1280 x 800)
Original Intel PRO Wireless 2200 BG ( 802.11 b/g) WIFI LAN
Built in 4-in-1 Card Reader.
Built in 56Kbps V.90 Modem
Integrated Internal Stereo Speakers
Integrated 10/100/1000 LAN (GIGA LAN)
Integrated Intel Graphics & Sound
9-Cell Li-ion Battery
Intelligent Glide Pad, Type II PCMCIA Slot, IEEE1394a Port.
Carry Bag.
Technorati Tags:

Sony-Ericsson W800i







Sony-Ericsson W800i CHARACTERISTICS


General Network GSM900 / GSM1800 / GSM1900
Introduced 2005 Q3
Status Available
Form factor Block
Antenna Internal
SAR Value 0.5 W/Kg
Size Weight 99 g (including battery)
Dimensions 100 x 46 x 21 mm
Display Type Graphical
Colours TFT, 256K
Size 176 x 220 pixels
Memory Numbers 510
Shared Memory 34 MB
Ringtones Polyphonic Yes
Networking GPRS Yes
USB Yes
WAP Yes
Infrared Yes
Email Client Yes
Features Vibration Yes
SMS Send / Receive
MMS Send / Receive
Camera Yes, 2 MP, 1152x864 pixels, video, flash
Java Yes
Games Yes (2)
FM Radio Yes
- Autofocus,
- 4x digital zoom,
- Multi-shot
- Mirror
- MP3
- Animated wallpaper
Extended Battery Standby Time 400 hours
Talk Time 9 hours




Technorati Tags:

Sony-Ericsson W550i / W550c










General
Network
GSM900 / GSM1800 / GSM1900

Introduced
2005 Q3

Status
Available


Form factor
Slide



Antenna
Internal


Size

Dimensions
93 x 46.5 x 22.5 mm



Display

Type

Graphical

Colours
TFT, 256K colors

Size
176 x 220 pixels


Memory
Numbers
500

Outgoing Calls

30

Received Calls
30

Lost Calls

30

Shared Memory
256 MB


- 500 x 15 fields, Photo call



Ringtones

Polyphonic
Yes




- Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3

- Composer, download




Networking

GPRS
Yes, Class 10
(4+1/3+2 slots)




Modem

Yes, 32 - 48 kbps



USB
Yes



Bluetooth

Yes



WAP
Yes, 2.0



Infrared

Yes



Email Client
Yes




- Instant Messaging



Features

Vibration
Yes



SMS

Send / Receive



MMS
Send / Receive



Camera

Yes, 1.3 MP, 1280x1024 pixels,
video, flash




Java
Yes



Games

Yes: + downloadable



Clock
Yes



Alarm

Yes



T9
Yes



Multiple Numbers/Name


Yes



- Stereo speakers


- Colors: Vibrant Orange, Orchid White, Universe Blue

- Java MIDP 2.0

- Dedicated gaming buttons

- Wallpapers, screensavers

- Walkman media player

- FM radio with RDS

- Image viewer

- Picture editor

- Organiser









Standard Battery


Type

Li-Ion



Standby Time
400 hours



Talk Time

8 hours 30 minutes

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account login for free hit counter html code