InTechSpot

Blu-ray cracked too..

2007-01-26T19:47:00.000Z

Having already hacked HD DVD copy protection last month coder ‘muslix64’ clearly decided it would be rude if he didn’t do the same with Blu-ray. Much to the joy of the public and the fury of Hollywood execs (another reason in itself for celebration) muslix64 has now announced he’s cracked Sony’s HD optical format too.

Speaking to slyck.com he revealed the much lauded DRM copy protection on both formats was circumvented not by tackling the encryption technology itself but rather by obtaining the relatively unprotected ‘decryption key’ to each disc. Once a user extracts this they can decrypt the encryption particular to each disc and produce copies.

An 18KB tool has been posted by muslix64 which enables users to obtain the keys to Blu-ray discs. For obvious reasons we can’t provide you with the link.

Frustratingly however both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs can have their decryption keys updated so compromised keys can in theory be ‘banned’ and playback software will refuse to run them. Whether Hollywood will want to run the risk of invaliding millions of titles when the new keys can be just as easily obtained is open to debate.

Either way, it is clear that despite all the money thrown at next generation DRM copies will inevitably surface. The bigger question now is whether people can be bothered to download 15 to 30 gigabytes just to watch a movie…

Source : TrustedReviews.

Toshiba Qosmio F30-78AW Notebook

2007-01-26T18:37:00.000Z

Technichal specifications :
-NVIDIA GeForce GO 7300
-2GHz Core 2 Duo T7200
-2GB of RAM
-REGZA digital TV tuner
-Multi DL DVD burner
-15.4” / 1280x800
-5400 rpm 120GB SATA hard disk
-Wi-Fi
-4KG
-2.7 hours
-Vista Home Premium
You can buy it with 1,585 euros at Toshiba web-site!

How to install anything in Ubuntu

2007-01-24T21:07:00.000Z

Having problems installing something on your new Ubuntu operating system? "Where's the EXE?", "Where do I need to extract this to?", "How do I run it?", "Where did it go?" - have you been thinking questions like these? Don't worry, installing software, themes and other things on Ubuntu is actually very easy! This guide will help you understand with screenshots, instructional videos and to-the-point language.

The guide was written for Ubuntu 6.06 - The Dapper Drake using the tools of the Gnome desktop environment as its base. The program names and paths will undoubtedly vary if you're using Kubuntu or Xubuntu.

How to install ANYTHING in Ubuntu!

Top Ten Tips for better Digital Pictures

2007-01-23T19:36:00.000Z

Digital cameras have changed the way we think about taking pictures. With major names like Sony, Canon and Kodak leading the way, the possibilities of the digital image are almost limitless.

The latest cameras enable you to make highly technical adjustments at the touch of a button. They can zoom great distances, focus and flash automatically, add cool effects and display your pictures instantly in the viewfinder for you to edit as you please.

However, even with all these incredible tools at your disposal the single most important factor when it comes to taking great shots is still the same as it always was: YOU. It doesn't matter how advanced the camera is if the photographer is not up to speed. You may have the world's best tennis racket, but that doesn't make you Roger Federer.

Here then are 10 tips to help you get the very best from your digital camera.

1. Take your time
Get to know your camera. Read the instructions. Understand the features and familiarize yourself with what they do. A little time spent getting to know your equipment will go a long way. Then, when it comes to taking pictures, take your time again. Think about the shot you want to take. Visualize it. See it in your mind first, then put it on your viewfinder.

2. Get Close
Just because you've got a hi-tech optical zoom doesn't mean you should be lazy. Ideally, you want your subject to fill up the picture area. This is particularly important with people. Up close you can pick out amazing details of a person's face. Also, remember that old saying about not shooting till you see "the whites of their eyes"? Well, it applies to photos too. Get in close and make sure the camera is at eye level with the person you're shooting. For children, that means getting down to their level. That eye level angle will create a personal and inviting feeling that draws you into the picture.

3. Get Macro close
As someone once said "God is?in the details". You can discover this for yourself by activating the close up or macro mode on your digital camera. This is usually represented by a flower symbol. Turn it on and get as close to the object as possible. Once you see something you like in the viewfinder, hold the shutter button down halfway to allow the camera to focus. When the confirmation light comes on, press the shutter down the rest of the way. This enables you to capture intricate details that the human eye might miss. Found a baked bean that bears the image of the Virgin Mary - snap it in macro mode and get the thing on eBay.

4. Ahh, you've made me look so fat/old/ugly!
As we have all discovered at some point in our lives, certain people can be personally offended if a photo shows them in an unflattering light. There are a number of ways to avoid this. Firstly, pay attention to the light. Bright sunlight looks great on children's smiles but it is not so kind on granny's wrinkles. For kinder images, shoot in softer light, either by moving yourself or your subject or waiting for the clouds to move. Secondly, to avoid that horrible question: "Am I really that fat?", consider cameras such as the new 8.2MP Photosmart R927 from HP, which has a special "slimming feature". Turn on the effect in the Design Gallery in playback and she'll look as much as 5kgs thinner on the LCD screen. Whew!

5. Change your perspective
To avoid the "boring holiday snap" syndrome try playing around with the composition of your pictures. If you're shooting a particular building or landscape feature it doesn't always have to be right in the middle of the shot. Moving your subject slightly to one side will instantly add a bit more interest to the photo. If your viewfinder has a horizontal "tic-tac-toe" grid, use it to place your subject somewhere on the intersection of those lines. Also, if you're shooting a tall object like the Eiffel Tower then why not turn the camera sideways and take a vertical shot. Experiment. Be creative. The people forced to watch your next slideshow will thank you for it.

6. Warm it up
The default white balance setting on most cameras is auto. That's fine for most snaps but it can sometimes take the shine off some of your outdoor shots, particularly where there's already nice sunlight in the shot. To add a bit more warmth and life to your photos try switching the white balance to cloudy. It increases the reds and yellows, giving you a more vibrant shot.

7. Use flash in the daytime
An easy trick you can use to get great professional-looking outdoor snaps is to turn the flash on while shooting in daylight. When photographing people the flash will lighten the face, eliminating dark sun shadows. If the person is within five feet, use the fill-flash mode; beyond five feet, use full-power mode. Wedding photographers have been doing it for years.

8. Use cool filters
If you really want to get arty with your shots then get yourself a polarizing filter. These reduce glare and unwanted reflections, giving you richer, more saturated colours. Don't worry if your digital camera can't accommodate filters, there's a nifty little trick you can use to get more or less the same effect for nothing. Just place the lens from a pair of sunglasses as close to the lens of the camera as possible. Line up your shot in the viewfinder to make sure you can't see the frame of the sunnies and simply press click. Great for moody landscape shots.

9. A flash in the night
Nighttime flash mode is an excellent way of capturing the spirit of a party or night out. It slows down the camera shutter speed, enabling you to catch a glimpse of the background beyond the flash range while illuminating any party animals within 10 feet. Because its so sensitive, the slightest hand movement while shooting will produce wild colour streaks and cool lighting effects. When it works, the results are amazing. When it doesn't, there's always the delete option.

10. Work it Baby
When taking photos of children, family or your mates, don't be afraid to direct the action. Part of the reason professional photographers are able to get such great shots is they're not afraid to say to their subjects: "yeah, that's it, show me love Angelina, give me rage, work it baby, work it". You don't have to go overboard, but a couple of good directions to your girlfriend or mates could make all the difference between a memory you want to keep forever and another boring shot of someone looking at the camera.

Finally
Once you come to putting your snaps onto your hard drive, here's a little tip to avoid having to name each one individually.

First, open the folder and select View > Thumbnails. Click the last picture in the folder that you want to rename, hold down the Shift key, and click the first picture; this will select them all. Right-click the first photo, and select Rename from the drop-down menu. Windows XP will then highlight the filename for the first photo, allowing you to give it a descriptive name, "2006 man of the year world tour" for example. After you type in the name, click the white space outside of the photo and watch as Windows applies the name with a sequential number to each picture in the folder. Easy.

Armed with these tips you'll be ready to start reaching for a better world inside your viewfinder, beginning right now.

Source : Digital Home.

Create and download iPod content with mogopop

2007-01-23T19:19:00.000Z

First there were free homepages. Then blogs. Then social networking. All of these allow people to create, publish and experience media on the Web.
But until now, there’s been no way for people without a lot of technical experience to easily create and publish their own multimedia content for mobile devices. Today, anyone can participate in the future of media.

Mogopop is a free web-based service where members and visitors can create, publish and download multimedia content for iPod. This content that can incorporate audio, video, pictures, podcasts, text – whatever members’ minds can imagine, they can create. Mogopop downloads are like mini-Websites for iPod that anyone can enjoy.

Members create it, everyone enjoys it.

mogopop.
Source : mogopop official web-site.

The PRADA phone by LG with touch screen

2007-01-21T18:32:00.000Z

It may not be as slick as the Apple iPhone, but the new LG PRADA phone with touch screen should grab the attention of fashion conscious consumers. You won't find a conventional keypad on the PRADA Phone by LG, instead there's an advanced touch interface on the extra wide LCD screen. Key features of the Prada phone include a 2 megapixel digital camera featuring Schneider-Kreuznach lens, video player (MPEG4, H.263, H.264), music player (MP3, ACC, ACC+, WMA, RA), document viewer (ppt, doc, xls, pdf, txt ), and Macromedia Flash UI.

PRADA, a high fashion luxury goods company, brought their designer style to LG's electronics know-how and the result is an exciting new mobile phone device that will also have exclusive ring tones, pre-loaded content, leather case, and accessories "inspired by the classic Italian craftsmen tradition."

Additional LG PRADA KE850 specs:
· EDGE Tri-Band (900/1800/1900)
· 98.8 × 54 × 12 mm
· 2M CMOS Camera / LED Flash
· External Memory Slot (Micro SD)
· Innerpack Battery 800mAh
· Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, USB Mass storage

The LG PRADA Phone will be available late February, 2007 in in the UK, France, Germany and Italy at mobile dealerships and selected PRADA stores, and available in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore in late March, 2007. No US release date has been given yet. Prices start from 600 euros ($780)

LG PRADA phone.
Source : Digital Tech News.

Yahoo Messenger and Lotus Sametime are now working together

2007-01-21T18:22:00.000Z

The Yahoo! Messenger interoperability with IBM Lotus Sametime is officially live. Yahoo! Messenger users can now IM with IBM’s ten million Sametime users. Sametime is the world’s best selling enterprise IM software and part of the IBM Lotus software suite. To add a friend who uses Sametime to your Yahoo! Messenger contact list, click the “+” button on your Messenger window. Then enter your friend’s email address and choose the “Lotus Sametime” network from the drop down menu.

This latest interoperability is part of our overall effort to help Yahoo! users connect with more friends, family and co-workers around the world by partnering with the industry’s leading communication networks. The Yahoo! Messenger network currently interoperates with the Microsoft Windows Live Messenger, IBM Lotus Sametime and Microsoft Live Communication Server networks.

Source : Yahoo! Messenger official blog.

Palm provides camera update for Treo 680

2007-01-20T14:05:00.000Z

Palm has identified that the Treo 680 device can experience reduced battery life when the camera is used. The camera may continue to draw power from the battery when the device is in standby mode. Treo 680 users should install the Treo 680 Camera Update to address this issue.

Q : I recently bought my Treo 680 - do I need this update?
A : All Treo 680 users should install the Camera Update.

This patch is intended only for Treo 680 smartphones. It does not work with other devices.

Palm - Support - Treo 680 Camera Update.
Source : Palm official web-site.

Seamonkey 1.1 Released

2007-01-20T13:57:00.000Z

Release Notes - The release notes contain installation instructions, system requirements, what's new, and a list of known issues that you should read before reporting bugs.
Source Code Tarball (bzip, 34 MB) (gzip, 44 MB).
This README file explains how to pull SeaMonkey 1.1 from CVS.

Source : Mozilla official web-site.

Flash Player 9 for Linux Arrives

2007-01-19T12:09:00.000Z

Adobe Systems has finally released the long-awaited Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux. This version of Flash Player was meant to be feature-comparable to Adobe's latest Windows and Mac OS versions, and is the first version of Flash on Linux that really is just as good as the Windows and Mac OS versions. Additionally, a tutorial on how to install it on Ubuntu and on Fedora.

Source : OSNews.

Microsoft announces direct downloads of Vista, family licensing

2007-01-19T11:45:00.000Z

Microsoft announced an expansion to their online sales efforts in the form of direct downloads for both Windows Vista and Office 2007. Starting on January 30, Microsoft will sell the retail editions of Windows Vista and Office 2007 on the Windows Marketplace. Customers will be able to purchase software keys and download the installation software. At launch, the program will only be available in North America, and will only support the English versions of these applications.

"With the consumer launch of Windows Vista so close, we're excited to announce three new ways to make the purchase and upgrade experience easier than ever," said Brad Brooks, general manager of Windows Client Marketing at Microsoft. "These new programs give our customers more flexibility and choice to ensure they get the edition that's right for them."

Windows Anytime Upgrade can be tapped by OEMs who can then set up their own software offerings for their customers. According to Microsoft, these partners can establish their own upgrade pricing, but Microsoft has made the following recommendations: Home Basic to Home Premium $79, Home Basic to Ultimate $199, Home Premium to Ultimate $159 and Business to Ultimate $139.

Family discounts

Microsoft also announced a family license plan for US and Canadian users aimed at giving users reduced licensing costs for multiple machines. Until June 30 2007, customers who purchase Windows Vista Ultimate (upgrade or full version) can purchase up to two additional Vista Home Premium licenses for $49.99, a discount of $350 from the MSRP of $399.99.

It's a shrewd move by Microsoft. Windows Vista Family Discount will give Vista Ultimate buyers with multiple PCs in the home a relatively inexpensive way to upgrade their machines while costing Microsoft relatively little.

Source : Ars Technica.

Build your family tree, for free!

2007-01-18T08:29:00.000Z

Geni is a website that allows families to collaboratively build their family tree. Family members can then use the tree to learn more about each other, share knowledge about common ancestors and relatives, and stay in touch with each other.
Privacy :
Your family network on Geni is private. We follow these rules:

Only the people in your family tree can see your tree. No one outside your tree can see your tree.
Only the people in your family tree can see your individual profile. No one outside your tree can see your profile.
You can further restrict viewing of your profile information by changing your account settings.
We will not provide any user's personal information to advertisers or third-parties. This includes your email address and the email addresses of those you invite.
We will not spam you or your relatives or enable anyone else to do so. Geni may send service notifications that you can opt out of by changing your account settings.

User privacy is of the utmost importance to Geni. For more information please see Help section.

Try it.
Source : Geni official web-site.

New Sony digital cameras array

2007-01-18T06:48:00.000Z

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 17, 2007 — Sony is ringing in the New Year with four additions to its Cyber-shot® digital camera line: the DSC-W55, DSC-W35, DSC-S700 and DSC-S650 models.

The slim, compact DSC-W55 and DSC-W35 models will sport 7.2-megapixel imagers and precision Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar lenses. They combine traditional, eye-level viewfinders with large LCD screens for easy framing and viewing of photos. The W55 camera will make a splash in Caribbean blue, pale pink, elegant black and sleek silver with a 2.5-inch LCD screen wrapped in a metal body, and the W35 camera will shimmer in silver with a two-inch screen.

The new DSC-S700 and DSC-S650 cameras will also feature 7.2-megapixel imagers, and will shine in classic silver. The former model will house a 2.4-inch LCD wrapped in a metal body and the latter a two-inch screen.

All four new models feature 3x optical zoom capability, blur-reduction technologies (ISO), and substantial internal memory for shooting without a media card. Their storage capacities can be expanded further with optional 8GB Memory Stick Duo ™ or Memory Stick PRO Duo™ flash media cards for the W-series models and 4 GB Duo media cards for the S-series models.

“Now that digital cameras are personal items, it’s common to have more than one camera per household,” said Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony Electronics. “Our new models are solid performers that will be easy for novices to digital photography to use and at the same time meet the needs of more advanced users.”

Capture the Mood

High sensitivity is featured on all of the cameras to reduce the chances of taking blurry photos, especially in low light situations. With settings up to ISO1000, you can shoot at higher shutter speeds to capture the candles on a birthday cake or the city lights without using a flash.

On the W-series cameras, Sony's Clear RAW ™ noise reduction technology helps reduce picture noise common to low-light exposures. Sony’s AF Illuminator also facilitates these models’ ability to shoot well in low light. A special light is thrown on subjects before taking a shot so that the camera’s imager can better detect contrast. The end result is well-focused, clear pictures, even in low light.

Shoot At The Speed of Life

These new models feature quick start-up, fast shot-to-shot times, and long battery life – up to 380 shots on a full charge of the W55 and W35 cameras’ Lithium ion battery, and 460 shots on a full charge of the S700 and S650 models’ optional, rechargeable AA batteries. The cameras' sophisticated auto-exposure and auto-focus features work fast so you get the picture right the first time.

No More Guesswork

All models incorporate a function guide and resolution guide. When menu icons are selected, a simple text explanation is displayed on the LCD screen. This function guide is readily-accessible through a convenient mode dial. The resolution guide is helpful when deciding on the best resolution for prints. When you select the resolution in the menu, a pop-up screen provides the ideal print size for that particular setting.

In stores in February, the W55 model will be available for about $200, the W35 for about $180, and the S650 for about $150. The S700 ships in March for about $180. Options will include batteries, travel chargers, lenses, filters, sports packs, and cases. All models can be purchased online at Sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), and at authorized dealers nationwide. Pre-orders begin on Jan. 23 at www.sonystyle.com/cameras2007.

Source : Sony official web-site.

AMD seen close to $5.5 billion chip deal

2006-07-25T06:39:00.000Z

Advanced Micro Devices, the No. 2 supplier of computer processors, is close to a deal to buy graphics chip maker ATI for $5.5 billion, a source familiar with the situation said on Friday.

Any such deal would shake up the processor industry, which is witnessing a battle over market share between AMD and larger rival Intel.

ATI is one of two major graphics chips makers, along with rival Nvidia, and is a big supplier of chipsets - the cluster of secondary chips and interfaces that surround a computer's processor - to both AMD and Intel.

Unless talks break down, a deal could be announced as early as Monday, the source said.

ATI declined to comment, and an AMD spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.

Shares of ATI rallied on Friday on renewed speculation that a deal was close at hand.

After gaining 83 cents, or 5.3 percent, to close at $16.56 on the Nasdaq market in regular trade, the shares jumped another 7 percent to $17.68 in after-hours trading on Inet. On the Toronto Stock Exchange, the stock finished 99 Canadian cents higher at C$18.77.

Rumors that AMD could purchase the Canadian graphics chip maker surfaced in late May when an analyst suggested the move could make AMD more competitive with Intel. The speculation sent ATI shares surging about 10 percent.

Some analysts have questioned the rationale for an AMD-ATI merger, and others were surprised that the speculation received no attention from analysts during AMD's earnings conference call on Thursday.

AMD shares closed at $18.26, down $3.39, or 15.7 percent, on the New York Stock Exchange as investors worried that the company would not be able to continue grabbing market share from Intel.

[Source : CNNMoney.com]

Google's growing list of domains, 520 domains

2006-07-19T07:13:00.000Z

Have you ever wondered how many domain names Google owns? Currently Google owns 520 domain names. Their domain collection has been growing over the last couple years because of all of the companies they started and have bought. Some of these domain names are not in Google's name, but in the company's name that they purchased.

Read the full list [Pronet Advertising]

10 Unknown Windows Freeware Applications You Should Know About

2006-07-19T07:02:00.000Z

There are dozens of well known freeware applications out there. From web browsers to word processors to anti-viruses, there is freeware everywhere. Take a look at these 10 great Windows freeware applications you have probably either never heard of or never fully looked into.
Most of the freeware apps listed are for Windows. Linux users have no need to worry because a list for Linux will be published soon.
1. Circumventor
2. Belarc Advisor
3. Xpize
4. ISO Recorder
5. IrfanView
6. Windows Unattended Edition
7. Hamachi
8. BeamFile
9. CamStudio
10. Abiword

Read the full article [PC Fastlane]

Yahoo! & Microsoft have joined forces

2006-07-15T06:25:00.000Z

It's a great day for the world of instant messaging. Working hand-in-hand with our friends at Windows Live™ (MSN), we've connected our IM communities, making it even easier for you to stay in touch.

From the new Yahoo! Messenger with Voice, you can see when your Windows Live™ (MSN) Messenger contacts are online and send them instant messages. Keep all your friends in one place and IM with them anytime, right from Yahoo! Messenger. How cool is that?

Get It Now
Join the Beta
Home page at yahoo!

With Windows Live Messenger, you can now connect with your Yahoo! Messenger with Voice contacts. Forget needing multiple accounts to talk to your friends. Do it all from Windows Live Messenger. The world's largest IM network has just gotten bigger – and better.

Get it free
Learn more
Home page at Windows Live

Top 10 Strangest Japanese Gadgets and Accessories

2006-07-06T06:14:00.000Z

For our weekend list, we’ve compiled the “Top 10 Strangest Japanese Gadgets and Accessories” for your enjoyment. Which ones are your favorites?

Read the full list [TechEBlog]

Adobe Photoshop tips and tricks

2006-07-04T12:36:00.000Z

List of Adobe Photoshop tips and tricks [Graphic-Design.com]

To do list, simple, easy, fast, sharable: Ta-da List

2006-07-03T08:40:00.000Z

Make lists and get stuff done. Tada!
Simple, sharable, to-do lists. It's just what you need and nothing you don't.

Ta-da makes it easy to :
-Keep track of all the little things you need to get done
-Make lists for other people (co-workers, friends, family)
-Share lists with the world ("My favorite movies of 2004")
-Subscribe to your lists in RSS so you're always on track
-and more!

Wait, how is this free?
Nothing's free, right? Well, Ta-da is free. And here's why: We hope you'll enjoy Ta-da so much that you'll consider upgrading to the more powerful version included with Backpack (plus you'll get all the benefits of Backpack's notes, reminders, photos, and more).

What web browsers are compatible with Ta-da List?
Ta-da requires Internet Explorer 6.x, Safari, or Firefox. Ta-da doesn't work with Internet Explorer 5.x. Other browsers may or may not work, but only the three listed are guaranteed compatible. Ta-da uses some advanced Javascript to reduce the number of page reloads required, and only certain modern browsers can support this.

Ta-da lists.
Sign up for free.

27 Of The Most Useful Mozilla Firefox Extensions

2006-07-02T12:02:00.000Z

Firefox has already more than 1200 extensions. Which ones are useful? After indulging in installing few hundred of them, I choose the 27 best, based on how much I use them every day. I've been impressed by many, but these 27 are the ones I use daily. The order is alphabetical.

To read the full list : 27 Of The Most Useful Firefox Extensions [thanassis blog]

Three free services

2006-07-02T11:58:00.000Z

Use these cool services to generate signs and warnining labels for free :
-Street Sign Generator
-Warning Label Generator
-Warning Sign Generator

Kodak EasyShare V610 digital camera review

2006-06-27T07:01:00.000Z

* Self-timer (Off, 2 or 10 secs, 2 shot)
* Burst (on/off)
* Picture size
* Video size (640 x 480, 640 x 480 long, 320 x 240)
* White balance (Auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, open shade) - no custom white balance to be found
* ISO (Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800)
* Color mode (High color, natural color, low color, black & white, sepia)
* Sharpness (Low, normal, high)
* Metering (Multi-pattern, center-weighted, center-spot)
* AF control (Single, continuous)
* Focus zone (Multi-zone, center-zone)
* Long time exposure (None, 0.5 - 8 secs)
* Reset to Default
* Set Album (Choose, clear all) - pre-select an album for your photos to be put into
* Video length (Continuous, 5, 15, 30 secs)
* Image stabilizer (on/off) - an electronic function that reduces camera shake in movies
* Image Storage (Auto, internal memory) - where photos are stored
* Setup menu

To read a full review : Digital Camera Resource.

Seventeen online backup services, Store It on the Web

2006-06-24T18:30:00.000Z

These 17 free and low-cost services make it easier than ever to back up and share your files online.
All your important files--text documents, spreadsheets, music and videos, you name it--may start out sitting safe and snug on your PC's hard drive. But what if the drive goes belly up, or runs out of room? And what if you'd like an easy way to share those files with coworkers or friends? Web-based storage services let you back up your data, store your files on a Web server, or share them quickly and simply with anyone, often at no cost. Of the 17 services we tried, our favorite backup service is IBackup, while the GoDaddy Online File Folder is our pick of the storage sites. And for sharing files, we like the free 4shared.com service.

Read the full article : PCWorld.

Canon PowerShot SD600 digital camera review

2006-06-22T16:24:00.000Z

Resolution :6.00 Megapixels
Lens: 3.00x zoom (35 - 105 mm)
Maximum 4x digital zoom
Viewfinder: Optical/LCD
LCD Size: 2.5 inch, 173,000 pixels
ISO: 50-800
Shutter: 15-1/1500
Max Aperture: 2.8
Mem Type: SD/MMC ( 16MB card included)
Dimensions: 3.4x2.1x0.9in (86x53x22mm)
Weight: 4.9 oz (140 g)
3x, 5.8-17.4mm lens, equivalent to a 35-105mm lens on a 35mm camera
Automatic exposure control, with Long Shutter mode for longer exposures
Shutter speeds from 1/1,500 to 15 seconds
Maximum aperture of f/2.8 to f/4.9, depending on lens zoom position
Built-in flash with six modes
Power supplied by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack (charger included) or optional AC adapter kit
Print/Share button

Read a full review : The Imaging Resource.

WikiMepia = Wiki + Google maps

2006-05-30T12:31:00.000Z

About WikiMapia
WikiMapia is a project to describe the whole planet Earth.

How to use
Just move the map to find interesting places, click on rectangles. To add an interesting place or object use Add New link. Note: Please only add places interesting to everyone.

Who We Are
Wikimapia was created by Alexandre Koriakine and Evgeniy Saveliev, inspired by Google maps and Wikipedia.

Contact us
Your suggestions, ideas and bug reports are welcome. You may contact us using email: wikimapia@gmail.com

WikiMapia.

Windows Media Photo

2006-05-25T12:38:00.000Z

Windows Media Photo is a new file format for continuous-tone still images that surpasses the limitations of existing image formats. Windows Media Photo supports a wide range of features including:
-Multiple color formats for display or print
-Fixed or floating point, high-dynamic-range image encoding
-Lossless or high-quality lossy compression
-Extremely efficient decoding for multiple resolutions and sub-regions
-Minimal overhead for format conversion or transformations during decoding
Windows Media Photo delivers a lightweight, high-performance algorithm with a small memory footprint that enables practical, in-device encoding and decoding.

Documentation and Tools
Windows Media Photo Specification
The specification for the Windows Media Photo file format contains complete documentation on the container format, metadata, pixel formats, and Windows APIs. The preliminary beta version of this specification is currently available in Microsoft Word format.
Get the Windows Media Photo Specification (544 KB .doc)
Windows Media Photo Device Porting Kit
The Windows Media Photo Device Porting Kit (DPK) contains the complete specification for the compressed bit stream, reference ANSI C source code for the encoder and decoder, and a variety of additional development tools, samples, and documentation. A license (described in the following section) is required to receive the DPK.

Windows Media Photo Licenses
There are no fees or costs to license Windows Media Photo for implementation as a component of the XML Paper Specification (XPS). For more information about XPS implementation and specifications, see Printing - Architecture and Driver Support. At present, Microsoft is only offering a license for Windows Media Photo as a component of XPS. Information on licensing Windows Media Photo for other applications will be provided in the future.
Windows Media Photo XPS Beta License Agreement
The Windows Media Photo XPS Beta License Agreement allows you to obtain the Device Porting Kit, including source code for the Windows Media Photo encoder and decoder for evaluation purposes only. There is no fee to access the source code under this Beta license agreement.
Steps to Obtain the Windows Media Photo XPS Component License
To obtain the Windows Media Photo XPS Component License, follow these steps:
1.To request the license application, send an e-mail message to wmla@microsoft.com with the following subject line: XPS WMPhoto License.
2.Complete and return the application electronically.
WMLA will draft the requested license agreement and send you an e-mail message that contains the draft agreement in PDF format for your review.
3.Review and approve the draft license that you received from WMLA.
4.Submit the draft license for approval using the instructions sent to you in the e-mail message with the draft agreement.
WMLA will send you an e-mail message that contains the approved license for your signature.
5.Print 2 copies of the license, and then complete, sign, and return the original to DMD Licensing via mail courier.
WMLA will review and countersign the agreement, and send you an e-mail message that confirms the executed agreement and provides instructions for downloading deliverables. WMLA will also mail you one original license agreement for your records.
6.After you receive confirmation of the executed agreement, follow the instructions provided by WMLA to download the deliverables, including the Windows Media Photo Device Porting Kit.
Note : WMLA will send a separate e-mail message with the passwords you will need to access the deliverables.

Windows Media Photo.

Nike and Apple Team Up to Launch Nike+iPod

2006-05-23T12:19:00.000Z

Global Collaboration Brings the Worlds of Sports & Music Together Like Never Before
NEW YORK—May 23, 2006—Nike and Apple® today announced a partnership bringing the worlds of sports and music together like never before with the launch of innovative Nike+iPod products. The first product developed through this partnership is the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a wireless system that allows Nike+ footwear to talk with your iPod® nano to connect you to the ultimate personal running and workout experience.

Nike CEO Mark Parker and Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled Nike+iPod at an event in New York attended by seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe.

“Nike+iPod is a partnership between two iconic, global brands with a shared passion for creating meaningful consumer product experiences through design and innovation,” Parker said. “This is the first result, and Nike+iPod will change the way people run. Nike+iPod creates a better running experience. We see many more such Nike+ innovations in the future.”

“We’re working with Nike to take music and sport to a new level,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. "The result is like having a personal coach or training partner motivating you every step of your workout."

The new Nike+ Air Zoom Moire is the first footwear designed to talk to iPod. Nike plans to make many of its leading footwear styles Nike+ ready, connecting millions of consumers to the Nike+iPod experience. With the Nike+ footwear connected to iPod nano through the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, information on time, distance, calories burned and pace is stored on iPod and displayed on the screen; real-time audible feedback also is provided through headphones. The kit includes an in-shoe sensor and a receiver that attaches to iPod. A new Nike Sport Music section on the iTunes® Music Store and a new nikeplus.com personal service site help maximize the Nike+iPod experience.

Armstrong, who is preparing for his first NY Marathon, said, “If you can incorporate time, distance and calories burned together and make it function for both the fitness runner and the high level athlete, it will take working out to a whole other level.”

“I definitely use music both ways,” Radcliffe said. “I listen to faster music if I am doing a workout in the gym to just get the best out of myself, but I also use it to help me relax in the buildup to a big race.”

Specially designed Nike apparel, including jackets, tops, shorts and an iPod nano armband, bring together the Nike+iPod experience with waterproof pockets that accommodate iPod nano and are designed to make it easy to operate while staying tuned to your music during an active workout.

Pricing & Availability
The Nike+iPod Sport Kit is expected to be available within 60 days for a suggested retail price of $29 (US) through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, Apple Authorized Resellers as well as Nike.com (www.nike.com), Niketown, NikeWomen stores and select retail stores in the US.

The Nike+iPod Sport Kit requires a Nike+ shoe and an iPod nano with a Mac® with a USB 2.0 ports and Mac OS® X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 6.0.5; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000, XP Home or Professional (SP2) and iTunes 6.0.5.

Nike, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, which designs, markets, and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for the value retail channel.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online.

Nike and Apple Team Up to Launch Nike+iPod.

Olympus SP-320 Digital Camera Review

2006-05-21T08:06:00.000Z

* Imager: 7.1 Megapixel (effective), 1/1.8" CCD (2.35cm)
* Lens: 8.0 -- 24.0mm (38 -- 114mm equivalent in 35mm photography), 6 lenses in 5 groups, 3 aspherical lenses/4 surfaces
* Zoom: 3x optical and 5x digital combined
* Aperture Range: f2.8 - f4.9
* LCD: 2.5" (6.4cm) Color LCD, approx. 115,000 pixels
* Focus System: CCD Contrast Detection
* Focus Mode: iESP, Auto, Spot AF, Selective AF Target, Manual
* Shutter Speed: 1/2000 sec. -- 15 sec., Bulb
* ISO: Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800
* Metering Mode: Digital iESP Auto Multi-Pattern TTL, Spot Metering, Center Weighted Metering
* White Balance: iESP2 Multi-Pattern Auto TTL, Pre-Set (Overcast, Sunlight, Evening Sun, Tungsten, and 3 Fluorescents)
* Exposure Compensation: 2 EV steps in 1/3 EV steps
* Recording Modes: Still Image: DCF Exif 2.21, JPEG, PIM3
* Movie: QuickTime motion JPEG
* Panorama Modes: Up to 10 frames automatically stitchable with OLYMPUS Master software when using Olympus brand xD-Picture Card
* Sequential Shooting High speed: 2.4 frames per second up to 2 frames
* Normal speed: 1.4 frames per second up to 10 frames in HQ
* Bracket: Aperture Compensation up to 5 frames
* Shooting Assist Functions: Histogram, Frame Assist
* Shooting Edit Effects: Resize, Crop, Sepia, Black & White, Red-Eye Fix
* Movie Mode: QuickTime Movie with Sound: 640x480/30fps, SHQ; 640x480/15fps, HQ; 320x240/30fps, SQ1; 320x240/15fps, SQ2
* Image Processing: TruePic TURBO Image Processor
* Pixel Mapping: Automatic Pixel Mapping (APM) available via menu setting
* Noise Reduction: Set automatically at shutter speeds of 0.5 second or longer
* Image Playback Still Image: Single, Index, Enlargement, Slideshow, Calendar, Album, Histogram, Rotation
* Movie: Normal, Reverse, Frame-By-Frame
* Playback Edit Effects Still Image: Black & White, Sepia, Resize, Rotation, Red-Eye Fix, Brightness, Saturation, Frame, Label, Calendar
* Movie: Frame Edit, Frame Index
* Direct Printing Options: PictBridge and DPOF
* Selftimer: 12 Seconds/Auto
* Setting Memorization: On/Off (Hold changes/Reset to default settings)
* Memory: 25MB internal memory
* Removable Media Card: xD-Picture Card (16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512MB or 1GB)
* Outer Connectors: USB Connector, Audio/Video Output, DC Input
* Power Supply: (2) AA Batteries, AC Adapter (E-7AU)
* Size: 3.9" W x 2.6" H x 1.4" D (99.5mm x 65.0mm x 35.0mm)
* Weight: 6.4 oz. (180g) without battery and media card

Olympus SP-320 Digital Camera Review [DigitalCameraReview.com]

Skype Introduces Free Calls to Traditional Landlines and Mobile Phones in the US and Canada

2006-05-17T12:34:00.000Z

Skype®, the global Internet communications company, today announced that all US and Canadian-based Skype customers can now make free SkypeOut™ calls to traditional landline and mobile phones in the US and Canada. Previously, Skype users in both countries were required to pay for Skype calls from their PCs to traditional telephones. Free SkypeOut calls to the US or Canada will be available to US and Canadian-based Skype users until the end of the year.

Skype has now removed any cost barrier for its American and Canadian customers to keep in touch with friends, family and business associates. Skype anticipates that completely free calling in the US and Canada will expand Skype’s increasing penetration in North America and solidify Skype’s position as the Internet’s voice communication tool of choice. More people will now have the chance to benefit from Skype’s premium services and online calling capabilities.

“Millions of consumers around the world are flocking to Skype every month, and we believe free SkypeOut calling will rapidly accelerate Skype adoption in the US and Canada,” said Henry Gomez, General Manager, Skype North America. “We’re very excited to be bringing Skype’s convenience and voice quality to so many people for free.”

While SkypeOut calls within the US and Canada will now be free, SkypeOut calls to and within all other countries will continue to incur charges. Those charges are unchanged by today’s announcement and remain among the lowest available to consumers.

Last week Skype released a new beta version of its software that adds even more features and functionality to Skype’s voice and video calling options, including: SMS; simplified dialing; payments in Skype; Outlook contact integration; call quality management; simplified registration; shared contact groups; and improved conference calling. On May 1, after just more than two and a half years in operation, Skype achieved 100 million registered users worldwide.
About Skype

Skype is the world’s fastest-growing Internet communication offering, allowing people everywhere to make unlimited voice and video communication for free between the users of Skype software. Skype is available in 27 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Skype generates revenue through its premium offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landline and mobile phones, as well as voicemail and call forwarding. Skype also has relationships with a growing network of hardware and software providers. Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). To learn more visit skype.com.

Skype is not a replacement for your ordinary telephone and cannot be used for emergency calling.

Skype.

Google Notebook launched

2006-05-16T16:54:00.000Z

Google Notebook makes web research of all kinds - from planning a vacation to researching a school paper to buying a car - easier and more efficient by enabling you to clip and gather information even while you're browsing the web.

And since Google Notebook lives in your browser, you won't be left with a scattered collection of notes, Word docs, and browser bookmarks to sort through; all your web findings will be gathering into one organized, easy accessible location that you can access from any computer.

Clip and collect information as you browse the web.

Clip useful information.
You can add clippings of text, images and links from web pages to your Google Notebook without ever leaving your browser window.

Organize your notes.
You can create multiple notebooks, divide them into sections, and drag-and-drop your notes to stay organized.

Get access from anywhere.
You can access your Google Notebooks from any computer by using your Google Accounts login.

Publish your notebook.
You can share your Google Notebook with the world by making it public.

To learn more about Google Notebook, please visit our overview page.

Sample Google Notebooks :

Vacation Planning
Plan out your vacation — from booking flights to finding the best resorts to creating an itinerary of activities.

General Research
Get the most relevant information on a topic to become an expert or make informed decisions.

Online Shopping
Create a wish list, comparison shop and more.

Google Notebook

Toshiba Qosmio F20 Notebook Review

2006-05-10T10:55:00.000Z

There are times when an ultra slim notebook just doesnâ€™t cut it. Times when you wish it had more power and could do more.
The Qosmio F20 is an answer to just such a need, provided you are willing to turn a blind eye to its "slightly" bulky size and weight.

Toshiba Qosmio F20 Design

No one will mistake this notebook for a thin and light. Coming in at size large, this 373 x 274 x 43.2mm desktop replacement reinforces the sense of immobility with a granite slate-textured cover and a 3.6kg heft. The unit is made of high-quality white plastic which feels sturdy yet doesn't convey the sense of class which the black Qosmio G20 eludes.
However, this model doesn't suffer from the high-maintenance required by the fingerprint-prone exterior of the latter.

Toshiba Qosmio F20 Features
One of the most fullyfeatured laptops available, the Qosmio F20 is the Inspector Gadget of mobile computing. The built-in TV tuner and DVD writer combination renders a DVD recorder impotent, while a high-end dedicated graphics card runs almost as smoothly as a gaming console.
Additional touches come in the form of a bright display as well as high-end speakers which complete the sight and sound experience.

Starting with the computing aspect of the Qosmio, the unit comes with three USB 2.0 and one FireWire port. The 5-in-1 reader is able to handle most flash cards in the market, with the recent mini-sized offerings requiring an adapter.
Network connectivity is handled by the ethernet port, modem and wireless card that can link with 802.11b and 802.11g routers. However, we were disappointed that the faster Gigabit ethernet was not implemented,nor the Bluetooth functionality for hooking up to mobile phones.
The PC card slot is compatible with the current PCMCIA devices, but will be unable to use the next-generation ExpressCards for expandability. The F20 uses adapters which allow different composite configurations to use the single input connector.

The built-in TV tuner does a respectable job of capturing local TV channels with acceptable quality. But the killer application is the time-shift recording function which allows the simultaneous capture and playback of television programs. Unable to watch the Amazing Race because you get home late? The F20 can be scheduled to wake from standby mode and capture your show. And should you reach home half an hour into the program, this notebook can play back the previous 30 minutes while continuing to record till the Philiminator eliminates a team. Combined with a DVD SuperMulti double-layer writer, you can archive your favorite scenes into an optical media.

The display is a 15.4-inch widescreen transflective LCD capably of 1,280 x 800 pixels of resolution, down from G20's 17-inch 1,440 x 900-pixel resolution. In contrast with most 200 nits LCD notebooks, the F20 is more than twice as bright with a rating of 420nits. Even under the strongest sunlight, videos and pictures can be seen clearly without irritating reflections, the bane of transflective screens everywhere. Graphics is driven by Nvidia's GeForce Go 6600 chip with 128MB of dedicated video memory which should be adequate for handling resource hogs a.k.a. first-person shooter games. Though gaming while recording television is not advisable unless you like your videos to resemble a series of disjointed images, we had no issues when multitasking video capture and light computing tasks.

[Via : CNET Asia]
Read another Toshiba Qosmio F20 review at CoolTechZone.

Kodak EasyShare V570 - Dual Lens Digital Camera

2006-05-07T09:20:00.000Z

The Kodak EasyShare V570 camera features a fixed focal length 23mm lens on top and a more traditional 39-117mm zoom lens below.
The two lenses are backed by a 5-megapixel CCD each, thus, the V570 gives you both super wide-angle and telephoto power, all in an ultra compact and thin body.

Read the full Kodak EasyShare V570 review : [DCRP]

BT500 Bluetooth Rechargeable Super Mini Mouse

2006-05-06T08:40:00.000Z

With a wireless mouse you will never have to deal with a mess of cords any more.

But what exactly does a Bluetooth mouse offer that a regular RF wireless mouse doesn't? Well..Bluetooth connectivity, and No dongle!

With the compact and elegant design, Bluetake BT500+ Bluetooth®_ Rechargeable Super Mini Mouse is an market approved Bluetooth pointing device with enhanced features.

The BT500+ is equipped with 10 meters radio coverage, 800dpi optical resolution, and super mini size, those features make BT500+ becomes the best Bluetooth HID device for traveling users.

Further more, the USB recharging design and bundled 700mA Ni-MH rechargeable battery provides user the continuous operation time even in the recharging status.

Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard

2006-05-06T05:33:00.000Z

Smart phones and PDAs offer an impressive amount of computing power. But in practical terms, they are not always easy to use. Writing long emails or other documents can frankly be a pain.

Back in 2002,at the CeBIT computer fair in Hanover, Germany,Siemens unveiled a "Virtual Keyboard" that uses a laser to draw an image of keyboard keys on a surface.

The Virtual Keyboard attaches to handhelds and projects the image of a full-size keyboard onto the surface of the desk where the handheld is placed, allowing the user to input text without a physical keyboard.

Imagine how much easier it would be if you had a proper mobile phone keyboard that fits in your pocket...

Now there is a Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard,from i.Tech Dynamic ,The company focuses on the production and distribution of mobile companion solutions and other high-end electronic products, backed up by consumer-oriented design and leading-edge technology. .

Product Features:
* Connects to PDAs Smartphones and Computers using Bluetooth
* Projects a full size keyboard onto any flat surface
* Allows the convinence of regular keyboard typing in a tiny form factor
* Rechargeable battery lasts for 120 minutes of continuous typing
* Tiny size only 3.5 inches high
* Compatible with PalmOS 5,PocketPC 2003,Windows Smartphone,Symbian OS, and Windows 2000/XP. Limited Mac OSX Support.

eye.fi, Your Camera-Always Connected

2006-05-05T19:46:00.000Z

Eye-Fi solutions provide direct connectivity to photo service endpoints, at retail, online, and at home.
Eye-Film, Combines storage and Wi-Fi connectivity into a single card!

eye.if.
More on Eye-Fi (A good review) : Scobleizer.

BlogBurst Goes Live!

2006-05-03T12:34:00.001Z

The day you have all been waiting for has finally arrived. BlogBurst went live today on many of our lighthouse publisher partner web sites. SFGate.com is showing travel blogs, as are the Austin American Statesman and San Antonio Express News. The Statesman is also branching out to other parts of their site to use BlogBurst blogger content in their sports section and life - style and home decor section, where you can find blogs on home improvement and fashion. Houston Chronicle is displaying some of the tech blogs in our network, and it doesn’t stop there. Even local papers, such as the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier (Iowa) and the Santa Maria Times (California), both part of the Lee Enterprises family of papers, as well as the Gannett papers, including the Des Moines Register and Phoenix’s Arizona Republic, are currently testing BlogBurst blogger content on their sites.

Of course, we could not have done any of this without your blogs and your willingness to participate in the BlogBurst network. We raise a virtual toast (imagine the Pluck BlogBurst team of editors, managers, developers and marketers holding up large frosty mugs of Shiner beer) to all of you for helping us get to today’s launch and beyond.

We are now in a position to begin tracking and reporting blogger pick up by publishers, as well as to promote more topical blogs to more content areas of publisher sites. So, we should start seeing a larger variety of blogger syndication in the coming weeks and months. We will also be rolling out more publisher partners and begin displaying your blogs on more of our current partners who are gearing up to start the service, including Washingtonpost.com and Parade Magazine. So keep up the good blogging and we will continue to take your feedback to improve the service.

What is BlogBurst?
BlogBurst is a syndication service that places your blog content on top-tier online destinations. You get visibility, audience reach and increased traffic, while publishers get a wide range of new coverage to broaden their reach and increase page views.
How does it work?
Once you're accepted into the BlogBurst network, just keep blogging as usual. Then, each time one of our publishers picks up your content, you'll reach a whole new audience — and your byline link will drive traffic to your blog.

Pluck's BlogBurst network is an opt-in aggregation and syndication service that brings high-quality, topical blogs together with high-traffic web sites. With BlogBurst, bloggers gain visibility, audience reach and traffic through placement on major online publishers and media destinations in real time.

BlogBurst, The Official Blog of BlogBurst.

Sphere, There's good stuff out there. Find it here.

2006-05-02T17:22:00.000Z

We bring you the good stuff — a very simple idea that takes some smarts to do right. Sphere's advanced search algorithm helps you discover high-quality, relevant, and timely blog posts that match what you're looking for.

Sphere

Rollyo, create your own search engine

2006-05-01T19:13:00.000Z

Rollyo is the fast, easy way to create personal search engines using only the sources you trust.
Are you tired of wading though thousands of irrelevant search results to get to the information you want? Ever wish you could narrow your search to sites you already know and trust? With Rollyo, you can easily create your own custom search engines, and explore and save those created by others.
WHY ROLLYO?
Rollyo puts the power of Yahoo! Search in your hands, by giving you the tools to create your own personal search engines - with no programming required. All you have to do is pick the sites you want to search, and we'll create a custom search engine for you.

Very cool service, if you don't understand it yet, read about it or test our public search engine.
One of its great features is add searchrolls to Mozilla searchbox :

Roll a Firefox™ Search Engine
Firefox™ users can quickly create custom search engines and add them to their browser toolbar in one click. You can include one site that you search all the time or a topical list of up to 25 sites.

Rollyo.

Drupal 4.7.0 released

2006-05-01T18:56:00.000Z

After more than a year of development we are ready to release Drupal 4.7.0 to the world. More than five years, 13 major releases, 30+ servicing firms employing 100+ Drupal professionals, 300+ third party modules, and over 55,000+ Drupal powered sites later, Drupal 4.7.0 is finally here and it rocks!

Drupal is an open source content management platform. Equipped with a powerful blend of features, Drupal can support a variety of websites ranging from the personal weblog of Tim Berners-Lee, interactive sites like Zimmer Twins, podcast sites like TWIT.tv, community driven sites like SpreadFireFox.com, artist communities like Terminus 1525 to large media sites like TheOnion.com, and even sites for NASA.

2005 has been explosive for the Drupal community. Drupal.org usage has almost tripled in terms of page views, downloads, and number of users, and with the release of Drupal 4.7.0 we are seeing this new found energy drive the platform development forward at an amazing pace. There have been over 338 contributors to this latest release with over 1500 patches which is almost triple our previous record with Drupal 4.6 of 523 commits by 50 developers. These new contributions are seen in the major usability improvements, new Drupal core functionality, and expansion of the Drupal development framework that will afford themers and contributing developers even greater flexibility and power.

Drupal.
Drupal 4.7.0.

Download Google videos as AVI files

2006-04-30T19:22:00.000Z

If you want to save videos from Google Video and you use Windows, you have the option to download them as GVI files and play with Google Video Player.

If you want to save the videos as AVI and view with any video player on any platform, use this bookmarklet: Google Videos As AVI. You can save it as a bookmark in your browser or drag and drop it to the link toolbar. Next time when you see a video you like on Google Video, click on the bookmarklet and you can save the video.

Explanation: The location for the AVI file can be found in the source of Google Video pages, but it's hidden for Windows users.

[Source : Google Operating System]

Test Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 without installing it on your PC

2006-04-29T14:05:00.000Z

Step 1
Download Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2.

Step 2
Use WinRar (you can download a free trial) to extract the files from the setup to a folder, for example C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer 7.
If you don't want to use WinRar, run the command prompt, go to the folder where the exe is located and type "IE7BETA2-WindowsXP-x86-enu.exe -e" (or the appropriate setup name). You'll see a dialog that lists the files extracted. You have to remember the folder where the files are extracted, go there and copy it to C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer 7. Don't press OK on the message box that will appear until you have copied the folder, otherwise the folder will be deleted.

Step 3
Create a new file named ie7.bat in that folder, and copy the code below (courtesy of Jon Galloway):

@ECHO OFF
TITLE IE7 Launcher 1.4

ECHO IE7 STANDALONE LAUNCHER 1.4
ECHO Updated for IE7 Beta 2 Preview
ECHO.
ECHO Do not close this window or it will not clean up after itself properly.
ECHO You can pass a URL into this batch file, like this:
ECHO ie7.bat www.microsoft.com
ECHO.
ECHO More info here: http://weblogs.asp.net/jgalloway/archive/2005/12/28/434132.aspx
ECHO.
ECHO When you close IE7, this will remove the registry key and shut itself down.
ECHO.
ECHO Setting up IE7 for standalone mode...
PUSHD %~dp0

ECHO Removing IE7 registry key and set the version vector to "7.0000".
> %TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO REGEDIT4
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO.
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{C90250F3-4D7D-4991-9B69-A5C5BC1C2AE6}]
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{000214E5-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Version Vector]
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO "IE"="7.0000"
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO.
:: Merge the REG file to delete the IE7 standalone entry
REGEDIT /S %TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg

REN SHLWAPI.DLL SHLWAPI.DLL.BAK
TYPE NUL > IEXPLORE.exe.local
ECHO Running IE7...
iexplore.exe "%1"

:: Merge the REG file to delete the IE7 standalone entry
REGEDIT /S %TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg
:: Delete the temporary REG file
DEL %TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg

ECHO Removing IE7 standalone files...
REN SHLWAPI.DLL.BAK SHLWAPI.DLL
DEL IEXPLORE.exe.local

:: Set the old version vector "6.0000".
> %TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO REGEDIT4
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO.
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Version Vector]
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO "IE"="6.0000"
>>%TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg ECHO.
REGEDIT /S %TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg
DEL %TEMP%.\IE7Fix.reg

POPD
ECHO Complete, closing...

Step 4
In the same folder, create a new file ie7.vbs with this code:
Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
oShell.Run "ie7.bat", 0, True

Step 5
Create a shortcut on the desktop to ie7.vbs and run Internet Explorer 7 from that shortcut.

Now you have a standalone Internet Explorer 7 that runs along with Internet Explorer 6.
Known problems: while running IE7, if you type an URL in the address bar of IE6, the page will open in a new window. Another problem is that IE7 won't have tabs. But remember, you just want to test how pages are rendered, not have a full working browser.

Test Internet Explorer 7 Without Installing It [Google Operating System]
Remove IE 7 or run it with IE 6!

Google SketchUp free version

2006-04-28T09:08:00.000Z

Google SketchUp (free) is an easy-to-learn 3D modeling program that enables you to explore the world in 3D. With just a few simple tools, you can create 3D models of houses, sheds, decks, home additions, woodworking projects - even space ships. And once you"ve built your models, you can place them in Google Earth, post them to the 3D Warehouse, or print hard copies.
Google SketchUp is free for personal use. No registration is required.
Learn more about Google SketchUp (free).

SketchUp Home.
Download.
Products.
Support.

Nokia N93 announced

2006-04-27T14:36:00.000Z

Nokia today introduced the Nokia N93 which has a camcorder, rich Internet communication functionalities, a 3.2 megapixel camera, DVD-like video capture and 3x optical zoom.

The Nokia N93 is packed with exceptional camera features that enable high-quality photos and DVD-like quality video. Unfold and twist the main display, and the Nokia N93 is ready to shoot video and photos using the color landscape display as a full screen viewfinder.

Featuring MPEG-4 VGA video capture at 30 frames per second, the Nokia N93 delivers an unparalleled video experience with stereo audio recording and digital stabilization, enabling smooth and shake-free movies. The Nokia N93 incorporates a 3.2 megapixel (2048 x 1536 pixels) camera with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, 3x optical zoom and up to 20x digital zoom, as well as autofocus and close-up mode for amazing clarity and accuracy. Furthermore, the Nokia N93 has an active camera toolbar which displays all available capture features, from exposure value to color tones and white balance. There are dedicated keys for shutter, zoom and flash and also a camera mode key that enables you to switch quickly and easily between image and video capture.

The Nokia N93 features large internal memory of up to 50 MB, which can be further expanded with a hot swap miniSD card of up to 2 GB, allowing users to capture up to 90 minutes of DVD-like quality video or close to 2500 high-quality photos. Furthermore, you can easily transfer your photos and video from the memory card to a compatible PC for storage, and yet always carry a collection of your favorite resized images on the Nokia N93.

Sharing your photos and video clips captured with the Nokia N93 is a snap. Show off your content on the up to 262,144 color 2.4? QVGA display (240 x 320 pixels) featuring a super-wide 160 degree viewing angle. Share your uncompressed photos and video clips instantly via email, Bluetooth technology or by uploading them directly from the Gallery to compatible blogs. You can even share your captured memories with family and friends on a large compatible TV screen, using either the included TV cable or wirelessly over integrated WLAN and UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) technology. Furthermore, from browsing the web to reading your emails and office documents, you can even play games on the Nokia N93 using the screen of your compatible TV.

While editing your photos and video clips directly on the Nokia N93 is simple, you can also easily transfer them to your compatible PC, allowing for more creative control over your video output. The standard Nokia N93 sales pack comes bundled with Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0, which makes it easy to import video clips, photos and music and to start experimenting with hundreds of transitions and effects, as well as create professional looking home videos with customizable templates. And to top it off, you can effortlessly burn those great home movies to DVD and export formats for Web streaming and email.

Part of the Nokia Nseries multimedia computer range, the Nokia N93 offers great functionality in one beautifully shaped connected device. Designed to work on WLAN, 3G (WCDMA 2100 MHz), EDGE and GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) networks, the Nokia N93 provides broadband Internet access for browsing, uploading content, and sending and receiving emails, allowing you to stay connected on the move.

[Source : Gadgetspy]

How to : Windows XP Multiuser Remote Desktop, some tips

2006-04-27T14:34:00.000Z

Remote Desktop ConnectionAn interesting feature, on Windows XP, is the ability to be remote controlled from a second PC: the so called “Remote Desktop Connection” can be used from a dial-up connection or in a local ethernet network.

XP (and Media Center Edition), differently than the Server versions of Windows, has a limit: a single PC can be controlled by a single “local” user (the “real” person on place), OR a single “remote” user. If someone logs into the computer from remote, the local user is disconnected. The following procedure deactivates this block and allows multiple persons to connect and to use a single computer from remote.
Very useful, for example, if you’ve a very strong PC and you want your wife/friend/brother to use an old computer like a “terminal” to use applications on the new one, at the same time of you. Other application of the same technique: you’re at work and you want to connect to your home PC, without blocking your wife that is using the same computer to check email ;)

UPDATE: it seems that XP is limited, also after this modification, to 3 concurrent users. So don’t waste time trying to raise the maximum number of connections over three (see step 5) because, at this time, I don’t think there’s a way to use the same XP PC with more than 3 persons at the same time (e.g. a local user and 2 remote users).

Windows XP Multiuser Remote Desktop [Ricky’s Web Review]

Top 10 Windows XP tips !

2006-04-26T19:08:00.000Z

Despite all the hoopla about the introduction of Windows Vista, the truth of the matter is that the new OS isn't due for at least another seven to nine months — and it will probably be even longer before most of us start adopting it. Meanwhile, we've still got to deal with Win XP.

In order to make the waiting easier, we've decided to assemble the greatest tips in the history of
Windows XP. Here you'll find the tips that give you the most bang for your buck; that are most useful in terms of security, functionality, and PC performance; and that are just plain cool.

One final thought: As you parse our Top 10, consider the following: With any luck, this time next year we'll all be reading Windows Vista tips stories.

And now let's start the countdown.

Tip 10: Halt background services to improve performance.

This tip is one of our favorites because it always works. Running in the background of Windows are scores of services, small processes used by Windows and many Windows applications. The thing is, you don't need all these services — especially for applications you never use — and many of them actually slow your PC down.

Win XP power users have long known that you can easily eke a little extra performance out of your PC by disabling services that are completely unnecessary or that don't need to be running all the time. Here's how it works.

1. Click Start > Run, type services.msc and click OK. This will bring up the Services management console. Click on the Extended tab at the bottom of this window; each background service running on your PC is listed here. Windows includes a fairly detailed description of each service; simply drag the Description column wider to read more of each description, or click on a service to see its full description in the left pane.

2. Double-click a service to bring up a window with several options. In the Startup Type area, you can set the service to run automatically in the background at all times so it's ready whenever it's needed, or you can tell it to run manually, which means you'll have to go into this Services management console and re-enable it if an application needs it.

You can also completely disable the service. In general, you want to disable services tied to applications and/or features you don't use or rarely use. You can find a great list of appropriate services to disable at the Elder Geek's Services Guide For Windows XP.

If you're logged onto the computer as the administrator, you can also pause the service (click the Pause button in the Service Status area just below the Startup Type area), then see how the computer behaves. Danger signs include crashes or other erratic behaviors in your applications, such as running slowly or getting stuck on a query prompt. Click Resume to start up the service again.

Tip 9: Increase available disk space by scaling back System Restore.

It's not perfect, but Windows System Restore is a useful first step in recovering your PC or drive from a major system error. However, it can consume more than 10 percent of your total hard drive space.

If you find yourself desperate for an extra few gigabytes — particularly on secondary storage drives — there's an easy way to reclaim data space by simply limiting the number of System Restore points Windows XP establishes. This one's a snap and there's no tangible increase of risk, which is why we love it.

1. Right-click on My Computer and select Properties > System Restore.

2. If you have just one hard drive, skip to step 3. Otherwise, select the drive on which you want to gain storage space and click the Settings button.

3. Adjust the slider to the left to use less disk space, and Win XP will reduce the number of System Restore points by the appropriate amount.

Tip 8: Scrub your hard drive clean.

Windows Support Tools, provided free by Microsoft, are a suite of some 20+ separate applications that are extremely handy for a number of uses. Ordinary PC users probably won't use many of these apps — they're mostly used by IT pros to troubleshoot and analyze Windows XP. But even if you're not an expert, don't be afraid of using the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility, which will help you remove all leftover files from a failed uninstall of a Windows Installer application.

Download Windows Support Tools from Microsoft's Download Center. (If you're curious about the other apps in the suite, check out the help file included in the Windows Support Tools Program group.)

To run the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility, go to the command prompt (select Start > Run) and type msicuu.exe. You'll see a list of all applications with uninstall data. Select the ones you want to get rid of and click the Remove button. Obviously, you want to use caution here — don't clear the install data for an application unless you're absolutely sure you won't ever need it.

Tip 7: Run two displays on the same PC.

This tip is for the worker bee. Adding a second display to your PC won't quite double your productivity, but it will make your computing life easier. Walk around a cube farm these days, and you'll likely see at least a few power users doubling up.

Thankfully, Windows XP makes it extremely easy.

1. Plug the second display into your computer. (Many video cards today have a second Video Out port; if not, you'll have to install a second video card.)

2. Right-click on your desktop and click Properties to bring up the Display Properties window. Click on the Settings tab.

3. See the grayed-out box to the right of the black box? That's your second monitor. Click on it and then click the check box next to "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" to enable it. From here you can adjust the resolution of the secondary display. The goal here is to have a desktop that spans both of your displays, so if your second screen is physically located to the left of your primary one, drag and drop the #2 monitor to the left of the #1 display.

Tip 6: Force unresponsive applications to close at shutdown.

When it comes to balky PCs, few things annoy us more than the moment when we try to shut down Windows and it tells us it can't because some crashed application isn't responding, and that we have to do it ourselves by clicking the End Now button.

This registry hack changes that. Here's how it works.

1. Launch RegEdit (select Start > Run, type regedit and click OK) and browse to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

2. Find the string called AutoEndTasks. Right-click it, select Modify from the pop-up menu, and change the data value from 0 to 1. (If you can't find this string, create it by selecting Edit > New > String Value and set the data value to 1.)

3. Close RegEdit and reboot.

Tip 5: Automatically optimize your hard drive.

One of the keys to system performance is an optimized hard drive. Typically, you optimize your hard drive using Windows' Defrag utility. But there's a great registry hack that will force Win XP to automatically optimize the location of files when your PC is idle. Here's how it works.

1. Open RegEdit and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersionOptimalLayout

2. Find the string called EnableAutoLayout, and change its data value to 1. (If this string doesn't exist, create it and set the value to 1.)

3. Exit RegEdit and reboot your PC. Done!

Tip 4: Set a custom resolution.

Notice a trend in the second half of this story? If you answered, "They're all registry hacks," you are correct. Windows XP's registry loads an amazing amount of flexibility and customization in a fairly low-risk package.

Tip number 4 on our list is another one of our favorite registry hacks. Windows XP allows you to specify a large number of set screen resolutions based on what types of images your display can accept. However, in a few rare instances, you may want to specify a non-standard resolution for a clearer or more accurate picture. This tip allows you to do just that. It's one of those tips that doesn't seem all that handy — until you desperately need it. Plus, it's just plain cool. If you have a wonky projector or TV screen you want to use with a laptop or PC, you might want to give this a try.

Here's how it works:

1. Open RegEdit and browse to HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO{the address of your primary video card...it often begins with "23A77BF7"}\0000
2. The Default Settings.XResolution data value is the horizontal resolution, and the Default Settings.YResolution data value is the vertical. Double-click the Default Settings.XResolution data entry, select the Decimal radio button, and in the Value Data field, enter your desired horizontal resolution. Then do the same with Default Settings.YResolution to change the vertical resolution.

3. Exit RegEdit and reboot your PC.

If you're scared of tweaking your registry on this one, a handy app called PowerStrip ($29.95, available for a free try-before-you-buy download), allows you similar resolution-changing functionality.

Tip 3: Stay on top of registry changes.

Given the power and flexibility of Windows XP's registry (and the large number of registry hacks in this Top 10), it's no surprise that the number 3 XP tip involves keeping track of any and all changes made to your registry.

But given the prevalence of spyware, rootkits, and other malware these days, knowing what you've done to your registry is a secondary concern to knowing what other applications are doing to it.

For peace of mind — and occasionally, for curiosity's sake — we consider SysInternal's Regmon an essential piece of our OS. It's a freeware application that allows you to browse through all the keys in the registry, filtering in a variety of ways to pinpoint specific registry changes.

For example, you can quickly filter for certain applications. If you're having trouble with Windows Media Player, you click on the Options menu, then Filter. At the menu, type wmplayer into the Include field. When you see the resulting list, you can double-click any entry to open up its registry value.

Because you can search and filter, Regmon is also an excellent method for tracking down hard-to-find registry items.

Tip 2: Recover lost data.

Everyone has accidentally deleted files from their hard drive, and very few feelings are as low as the moment right after you nuke 300 irreplaceable photographs of your kids/dogs/life. Actually, one feeling is worse than that: accidentally quick-formatting your entire drive.

Even if you regularly back up your drives, mistakes happen. That's why this tip is paramount. It's also really simple. There's an excellent downloadable data recovery app for XP called Zero Assumption Recovery that can help. Don't waste another minute — download and install it now.

When you run into trouble, here's what to do:

1. The moment you delete your data, stop using your hard drive. Don't save or install any new applications — they'll be written over your recently departed data.

2. Run Zero Assumption Recovery. You already had it installed, right?

3. Select the hard drive you want to scan. Wait for the scan to finish. (This can take between one and two hours -- part of Zero Assumption Recovery's effectiveness is its thoroughness.)

4. With any luck, you'll see a list of your missing folders and files. The freeware version of Zero Assumption Recovery allows you to recover up to four folders per scan. If you pay $100 for the full version, you get full recovery.

Note: You can also use Zero Assumption Recovery to recover deleted photos from your camera's memory card.

Tip 1: Automatically log when and why shutdowns have occurred.

Love it or hate it, Windows XP is undeniably more stable than its predecessors. But it still crashes, and it still has occasional trouble shutting down. This registry hack logs all shutdown errors, telling you when, where, and why strange and annoying things have happened.

Some folks have the luxury of packing their buggy PC off to a help desk. But if you like to get your hands dirty, consider this essential tweakage.

Here's how to set up logging for unexpected system shutdowns:

1. Open RegEdit and browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersionReliability

2. Set the ShutDownReasonUI data value to 1. (If this string doesn't exist, create it and set the value to 1.)

3. Exit RegEdit and reboot your PC.

To examine the log you've created, open up the Event Viewer, which you'll find by selecting Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer. Click on the System subheading and you'll see a massive list of system events. Errors will be marked with a red X or a yellow exclamation mark. Double-click on the error and you'll see details that may help you unravel the mystery.

[Source : Yahoo! News]

Moving Windows fonts to Linux

2006-04-25T19:13:00.000Z

Fonts are often overlooked when switching or reinstalling operating systems, and when they"re gone, it"s a real hassle to try to get the right ones back again. You can spend hours or days trying to figure out where your favorite anti-aliased serif font came from and how to get it back onto your system, and for some people, not having Windows fonts in GNU/Linux is a dealbreaker. So here"s how to back up your fonts and install them into GNU/Linux.

Moving Windows fonts to Linux [Software in Review]

Download Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2

2006-04-25T15:26:00.000Z

Get downloads for Internet Explorer 7, including recommended updates as they become available.
Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 is pre-release software. Please view the support page for troubleshooting and feedback options.

Got a minute? Get familiar with the improvements made to Internet Explorer 7 that can help make your everyday tasks easier.

Get Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2
Download the latest version of the world's most popular web browser for the following operating systems:
Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition.
Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 SP1.

Internet Explorer Home.
Downloads.
About Internet Explorer 7.

Apple Introduces 17-inch MacBook Pro

2006-04-25T04:34:00.000Z

Today Apple unveiled its new 17-inch MacBook Pro notebook computer featuring the Intel Core Duo processor and an all new system architecture that delivers up to five times the performance of the PowerBook G4. [Apr 24, 2006]

Powered by a dual-core Intel engine. Up to five times the speed of the PowerBook G4. Eight times the graphics bandwidth. With built-in iSight for instant video conferencing on the move. Front Row with Apple Remote to dazzle everyone in the room. Now available in 15- and 17-inch models starting at just $1999.

Apple - MacBook Pro

Windows Vista build 5365 six tips and tricks

2006-04-24T15:37:00.000Z

Earlier this week, Microsoft pushed Windows Vista build 5365 out to its partners and technical beta testers. If you are a part of this group and are looking for some tips and tricks to get the most out of this build, as well as work around some known issues, then this is for you.

Windows Vista Build 5365 Tips & Tricks [digitalfive.org]
For more tips and tricks please read : Windows Vista February CTP Tips and Tricks [digitalfive.org]

Asus PW191 LCD review

2006-04-23T10:31:00.000Z

Asus" develop team obviously does not have to quibble with corporate bean counters when it comes to designing their next-generation LCDs. So at CeBIT, when the Asus folks asked us if we wanted to take a model with us for a sneak-preview test, we jumped at the chance.

The LCD does indeed look greatbut too much concentration on design can sometimes lead a manufacturer to forget the rest. Indeed, it"s not rare to find superb-looking monitors with weak performance and ergonomics. Has Asus avoided that trap?

Asus PW191 LCD: Looks Can Deceive [Toms hardware]

Netgear SPH101 Skype Wi-Fi Phone

2006-04-22T19:01:00.000Z

Its price is $249.99 at amazon, here is some advantages and technical details :

-Call anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the world for free, no PC required
-Make and receive Skype phone calls where you have access to a wireless Internet signal
-Connect to any landline or mobile phone outside of the Skype network for pennies per minute
-Manage your contact list and display who is available to talk
-All calls are secure and encrypted with WEP Wi-Fi security

-Model number: SPH101
-Security: Hardware-based Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) 40/64-bit and 128-bit, and WPA-PSK
-Standard capability: 802.11g standard compliant
-Network connection: Wireless 11g
-Network speed: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 Mbps
-Power supply: Battery pack (included)
-Battery life: Talk time: up to 3 hours; standby time: up to 50 hours
-Input: USB client only for charging
-Output: USB client only for power
-Dimensions: 46 x 110 x 21 millimeters / 1.81 x 4.33 x 0.83 inches (WxHxD)
-Weight: 0.11 kilograms / 0.25 pounds with battery
-Warranty: 1 year
-In the Box: SPH101 Skype WiFi phone, battery pack, power charger, resource CD-ROM, setup guide, warranty/support information card

Netgear's Skype Wi-Fi Phone is the world's first wireless Internet phone that can make free calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world, anytime you have Wi-Fi access, without a PC. It's the first phone to combine the power of VoIP calling, wireless technology, and Skype's easy software. The result is a phone that you can use anywhere in the world there's a Wi-Fi signal available to call other Skype users for free. No monthly fees and no contracts required.
Unlike other devices that must connect with a PC, the Skype Wi-Fi phone works wherever you're connected to a wireless Internet access point--whether it's in a home, office, cafe, open public hotspot, or any open municipal wireless access point. The Skype experience remains the same, in that you can make free domestic and international calls, as well as host conference calls and chat, with other Skype users anywhere in the world, and to non-Skype users for a small fee. With this device, headphones or USB phones plugged into a laptop or PC are not required.
It's pre-loaded with Skype's software and ready to use out of the box with your wireless network. Just turn on the phone and enter your Skype username and password. The Skype software pulls up your full contact list, displays the connection status on the phone screen, and allows you to connect to any other Skype user for free. If you want to call non-Skype users, it costs just pennies per minute with the optional SkypeOut option.

This item will be released on June 30, 2006. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

For more : Netgear SPH101 Skype Wi-Fi Phone [amazon.com]

Olympus FE-110 digital camera review

2006-04-21T17:50:00.000Z

Simplicity is what the Olympus FE-110 is all about. Featuring a 5.0-megapixel CCD, 2.8x lens, and compact size, the FE-110 provides bare-bones digital photography for novice consumers. The FE-110's automatic exposure control and point-and-shoot design leave limited choices for the user to worry over. Combine that with the Olympus FE-110's very low price point, and you have an entry-level digital camera capable enough for most average shooting conditions. Performance is slow, but the pictures are decent. Read on for the details.

Quick Review : Olympus FE-110 Digital Camera [imaging resource]

List of Mozilla Thunderbird tips

2006-04-21T09:12:00.000Z

Even if you use Thunderbird on a daily basis, you probably don't know it inside out. There are still quite a few 'hidden' features not covered in the online help that can significantly improve your emailing habits. And since Thunderbird's functionality can be expanded via extensions, you can add some clever features to it too.

Use Thunderbird like a pro [NewsForge]

List of silent CPU coolers

2006-04-20T11:00:00.000Z

The most important step in creating a quiet PC is without a doubt installing a silent CPU cooler.
By far the loudest component in most PC's is the CPU fan. With higher and higher clock speeds comes the need for larger coolers, and fans that move more and more air.
The main problem with most OEM CPU coolers is this: They are designed with two things in mind: size and performance. This means that they have to be small, so they can be accommodated in the majority of users' PC cases. They also have to perform well at the same time.
The only real solution for this is to use a small fan, usually no more than 60 or 70mm in diameter. Unfortunately, the smaller a fan is, the faster it has to spin to move enough air. The faster it spins the louder it gets.
That's the problem, so what's the solution? There are a few options available, depending on your needs and goals in building a silent PC. We'll cover them separately.
Silent CPU Coolers
The quietest option is to use an entirely fanless CPU Cooler. If you're going for a completely noiseless PC, this is the best route for you.
How does this work? Well, as I said above, OEM designers have to design with size in mind. They don't have to consider those of use who want quiet PC's, and will do what it takes to build a quiet PC. Therefore, Silent PC users have to forego the size consideration, and go with a HUGE cooler, with no fan at all.

Silent CPU Coolers [Build a Silent PC]

Netjaxer, Web 2.0 on your desktop

2006-04-19T11:00:00.000Z

Netjaxer is an easy way to integrate your favorite web apps into Windows.
Create a desktop or quick launch icon.
Load any web page when Windows starts and run it as a tray icon.

Screenshot, Video Demo.
Download it now, it's free!

mon.itor.us, your personalized website monitoring desktop

2006-04-18T12:25:00.000Z

mon.itor.us provides 24×7 website and server monitoring service with personalized interactive drag and drop interface, where you can setup your server performance and availability monitoring. Tests will be performed from geographically distributed servers.

You can get more information visiting our blog site http://blog.mon.itor.us
Benefits to e-business owners, sysadmins, executives and IT managers:

-you know when your site is not available or slow
-you know your website end-user experience from different countries
-you know about server problems before your customers even notice
-you demonstrate to your customers your online service uptime report from the independent source
-you can do real-time monitoring using personalized and user friendly screens
-you can see historic performance of your site
-you can benchmark your web site with your competitor ones
-you get performance data and alerts on 24/7 basis

mon.itor.us

Google all in one and a list of Google services and tools

2006-04-18T12:15:00.000Z

Simply Google is a cool service to use the most of Google services in one page, you can search Web, Images, Groups, News, Froogle, Local, Blogs, http://www.google.com/bookmarks/, Books, Maps, Scholar, Video, Music, Reader, Base, Directory, Finance, Catalogs, Answers, Bookmarks, Linux, Apple, Microsoft and much more, and you can also search Yahoo, MSN, Ask, IMDB, Wikipedia and del.icio.us.

BTW, check this list of all Google services and tools :
List of Google services and tools [Wikipedia].

List of freeware utilities

2006-04-17T11:55:00.000Z

I want a Freeware Utility to ... 300+ common problems solved.
Extremely useful free utilities that do specific jobs really well and save time and money.

eConsultant

Hack the login window for your Mac OS X

2006-04-15T11:04:00.000Z

If you download the latest copy of Cocktail you’ll note that it allows you to change the text of the login window. A nifty feature to be sure (in the olden days you had to invoke the command line, summon pico and muck about to get everything just right) but just not enough for those who want a truly customized login Window (and who wouldn’t). With that in mind I thought it would be nifty to run through a method to change the picture the login window displays. One caveat: I’m sure there are easier/better ways to do this, but this is the way I came up with. Ready? Let’s go! Well, not just yet. If you want to play along you’ll have to install Xcode. It came with your Mac, so no out of pocket expense.

Hack the Login Window [Apple Matters]

Samsung SGH-P300 review

2006-04-15T10:54:00.000Z

Phones like the Samsung SGH-P300 get their appeal from their compact sizes and low weights. While we have seen similar looking "credit card" type phones in the past, none of them have really offered a complete spec sheet that could compete with other normal handsets of their time like the P300 can.

Calculator jokes aside, the P300 shows that Samsung can make handsets that are seriously small and thin - and a bit novel. That"s a nice change for a company known best for a sea of silver clamshells, and more recently for a number of Motorola RAZR/SLVR wanna be devices. The P300"s minimalist design isn"t for everybody, but it will certainly have its appeal to many. The question is, does the device manage to offer more than just the design? Read on to find out.

Before we get into the review itself, though, we"d like to thank Wireless Imports for providing us with the Samsung P300 used in this review.

Review: Samsung"s SGH-P300 Credit Card Phone [MobileBurn]

Apple Releases Aperture 1.1

2006-04-14T20:27:00.000Z

Aperture 1.1, a significant update to the revolutionary all-in-one post production tool for photographers, runs natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs. The update features dramatically improved RAW image rendering and a new set of advanced RAW adjustment controls. Likewise, it delivers impressive speed gains on any Mac. At a new lower price of $299, Aperture is within reach of anyone shooting with a digital SLR camera. [Apr 13, 2006]

Apple Aperture
Aperture 1.1 Update

Google Calendar

2006-04-13T10:49:00.000Z

Wouldn"t it be great to be able to keep track of all the events in your life, coordinate schedules with friends and family, and find new things to do -- all with one online calendar? We thought so, too.

Seeing the big picture
With Google Calendar, you can see your friends" and family"s schedules right next to your own; quickly add events mentioned in Gmail conversations or saved in other calendar applications; and add other interesting events that you find online.

Sharing events and calendars
You decide who can see your calendar and which details they can view. Planning an event? You can create invitations, send reminders and keep track of RSVPs right inside Google Calendar. Organizations can promote events, too.

Staying on schedule
You can set up automatic event reminders, including SMS notifications, and instantly bring up anything on your calendar with the built-in search tool.

Simplify. Organize. (And relax.) Organizing your schedule shouldn"t be a burden. That"s why we"ve created Google Calendar - our free online shareable calendar service. With Google Calendar, it"s easy to keep track of all your life"s important events - birthdays, reunions, little league games, doctor"s appointments - all in one place.

Using Google Calendar, you can add events and invitations effortlessly, share with friends and family (or keep things to yourself), and search across the web for events you might enjoy. It"s organizing made easy.

Calendar home
Overview
Take the Tour
Event Publisher Guide
Privacy Information
Help Center, Support

All you need is a Google Account, if you don't have an account yet you can register a new one : Create a Google Account

BTW, there is a good review you can read it : Google Calendar: Staying organized has never been so easy [The Unofficial Google Weblog]

List of Internet Explorer 7 beta 2 reviews

2006-04-13T10:08:00.000Z

The Internet Explorer 7 team"s rallying cry: "Show "em what we"ve got."
OK. They showed us. And reviewers, in general, aren"t exactly jumping up-and-down and spitting nickels.
Beyond "buggy, buggy, buggy," analysts decry that:
-Editing Favorites requires using classic menus;
-Psychotic graphics rendering renders some sites useless;
-Colors, buttons and alignment of graphics are mismatched;
-The Tabs feature is awkward and severely limited, and;
-Toolbar customization is scatalogical.
On the upside, they think the text zooming tool is really kewl.

Survey of Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Reviews: Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! [Email Battles]

LG U880 quick review

2006-04-12T08:56:00.000Z

While 3G handsets still can"t quite keep up with the benchmarks that GSM handsets set for slimness, they are catching up surprisingly fast - the LG U880 sports a decidedly skinny 18.2mm thickness when closed. The rest of is non to bulky either and if you compare it against something like Sony Ericsson"s basic 3G handset, the V600i, it shorter, thinner and only slightly wider. MP3 and AAC support, along with MPEG 4 compatibility potentially make this handset a bit of media device and the addition of a TransFlash card slot seems to back that up. A nice clear 262k colour screen and swivelling 1.3 megapixel camera suits the handset to those 3G video calls.

Review: LG U880 [GadgetCentre]

Photoflex First Studio Product Kit

2006-04-11T16:57:00.000Z

On the set, the table was laid out with classic silver and precious china. Gene Kester and his partner positioned their softbox above the scene to take some product shots -- but the supporting rod broke in their hands. The replacement rod was just as fragile, so they resorted to an improvised kludge of foam core, sheet metal and duct tape.

Gene was more than annoyed with the soft box he"d bought, so he talked to his buddy Scott Reeves. He made fiberglass rods and turned Gene"s softbox design into reality. And, in a nutshell, that"s how Photoflex was born.

Photoflex First Studio Product Kit [The Imaging Resource]

MacBook Pro XP vs. the PC competition

2006-04-10T18:06:00.000Z

The reader response to Apple"s new Boot Camp utility, which lets you install Windows XP on a MacBook Pro or an iMac Core Duo, has been mixed so far.

Me, though? Man, I"m psyched. This makes my job a lot easier. As a laptop reviewer, I"ve always been frustrated by the apples to oranges (insert Bronx cheer) comparisons I"ve been forced to make when pitting PowerBooks and iBooks against the PC competition. Boot Camp finally provides a baseline for a true head-to-head contest of Apple hardware vs. PC hardware, without operating systems or Rosetta or anything else qualifying the results.

We went out and bought a 2.0GHz MacBook Pro last night (shout out to the Stonestown Mall Apple Store). Then we dug up some good PC competitors, one of which has almost identical specs. This morning, we started testing. Here"s what we found.

Well, first, a disclosure of the specs. For the most part, they match up perfectly. We were using a MacBook Pro running Windows XP Pro and equipped with a 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo (T2500) processor; 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM (666MHz); an ATI Mobility Radeon x1600 graphics card; and a 100GB hard drive spinning at 5,400rpm.

The Acer TravelMate 8200 was also running Windows XP Pro and was equipped with a 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo (T2500) processor; 2GB of slightly slower DDR2 SDRAM (533MHz); an ATI Mobility Radeon x1600 graphics card; and a slightly larger 120GB hard drive spinning at 5,400rpm.

For additional context, we"ve also included the HP Pavilion dv1000t, another solid laptop running the same Intel Core Duo T2500 processor, as well as the original MacBook Pro we tested back in February, which was running the Mac OS on a 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 processor; take note that this MacBook Pro was running Mac versions of all software.

MacBook Pro XP vs. the PC competition [CNET]

List of Mac mini tips, tricks and hacks

2006-04-09T10:41:00.000Z

This article covers 50 ways to get more from your mac mini, ranging from simple tweaks through to extreme customisation.

50 ways to get more from your Mac mini [GadgetSpy]

NeoOffice 1.2.2 Review

2006-04-09T10:18:00.000Z

I originally reviewed NeoOffice/J 0.82 back in 2004. At the time, Apple hadn"t officially released it"s X11 server, so running OpenOffice.org of any type on Mac OSX was quite a challenge. Two years later, the now renamed NeoOffice remains by far the best way to run OpenOffice.org (OOo) on OSX.

NeoOffice is a version of OpenOffice.org for Mac OSX. While a port of OOo exists for Mac OSX, it requires Apple"s X11 server. This means that it doesn"t fit in well with the rest of an Apple desktop, it uses different shortcuts, fonts and printing. In short, while better than nothing, OOo"s X11 port is certainly less than optimal for Apple users. Moreover, Apple"s X11 server isn"t even included in the default OS install, so running OOo on a Mac requires a lot of work by the end user.Enter NeoOffice.

NeoOffice basically replaces the dependency on X11 with a dependency on Java. As Java is a native interface to Mac OSX, this means that NeoOffice can look and feel like a native Mac application. Now, the work is far from complete, but NeoOffice 1.2.1 features Mac-friendly keyboard shortcuts, shares the Apple clipboard, has a top toolbar like other Mac applications, and uses fonts and printers native to Mac OSX. It still doesn"t fit perfectly into the environment, but it"s far closer than anything else. Amazingly, NeoOffice is mostly the work of three people, only one of whom does the majority of the coding. Despite this, NeoOffice is a solid, complete office suite that brings modern features such as spell-as-you-type, word completion, writing to PDF and Flash files, and more to the Macintosh platform in a single package that is easy to use and install.

NeoOffice 1.2.2 Review [Linuxgruven]

Dell Latitude D820 review

2006-04-08T13:58:00.000Z

Type: Business
Operating System: MS Windows XP Professional
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo T2600
Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB
Hard Drive Capacity: 100 GB
Graphics: nVidia Quadro NVS 120M
Primary Optical Drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Wireless: 802.11a/g
Screen Size: 15.4 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
System Weight: 6.5 lbs

The Dell Latitude D820 is a portable desktop-replacement notebook capable of strengthening any workforce. It has a roomy widescreen and options for either Verizon EV-DO or Cingular HSDPA, and is an all-around great piece of hardware for both the deskbound and the occasional traveler.

Dell Latitude D820 review [PCMag.com]

Merriam-Webster Dictionary now available for the iPod

2006-04-07T17:46:00.000Z

Not only can the iPod carry all of your tunes, it can make you smarter. First we heard that Wikipedia would be hitting Apple’s ubiquitous player. Now a dictionary will be available (So you can look up ubiquitous if you need to). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary will be available for download to the iPod, thanks to a collaboration between the publisher and iPREPpress.

The download version includes 40,000 words and definitions, along with an abbreviation guide, pronunciation guide and handbook of style. It’s set up for easy clicking and scrolling with a hierarchical menu and hyperlinked entries. You don’t have to interrupt the playing of your songs to check out a word, either. It will cost $14.95 for a download, but is available at an introductory price of $9.95.

This is just the first of several offerings that will be available from Merriam-Webster. Within the next two months you will also be able to get the pocket thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, pocket atlas and dictionary of quotations.

[Source : Mobile Magazine]

Quick Apple boot camp review

2006-04-07T17:44:00.000Z

It works. Impressively well. With games, even. That's our first impression of Windows XP running under Apple's Boot Camp on our 20-inch iMac. And that's more than you could say a couple of days ago about the promising-but-hacked-together WinXPonMac effort.

Eager to get our hands on a real, dual-booting Apple/Windows hybrid, we ran the Boot Camp installer on a 20-inch iMac and found the process amazingly smooth. It took about an hour. Graphics drivers -- the major remaining performance hurdle under WinXPonMac -- were solid and responsive under limited testing on our iMac.

Review: Apple Boot Camp [digitmag]

Digital Home talks to Toshiba about HD DVD launch

2006-04-06T10:57:00.000Z

Toshiba Canada today unveiled what should be the first high Definition HD DVD players available in this country. The HD DVD, which were originally slated to be released last fall are now expected to launch later this month.

Today, Digital Home publisher, Hugh Thompson had the chance to view Toshiba's top of the line HD-XA1 HD DVD in action and brings us his thoughts.

Digital Home talks to Toshiba about HD DVD launch [Digital Home]

Canon EOS-5D digital camera review

2006-04-06T10:44:00.000Z

Built around a 12.8-megapixel (effective) CMOS sensor, covering the same area as a 35mm film frame, the Canon EOS 5D provides "full frame" digital SLR technology at a much more affordable price point than ever before. "Affordable" is definitely a relative term though, as the Canon 5D's $3500 retail price (at announcement) still puts it beyond the reach of all but the most well-heeled photo enthusiasts and professionals. At the same time, our lens-testing work over on the SLRgear.com site has shown that full-frame cameras like the Canon EOS 5D place much greater demands on lens quality than sub-frame designs like the Canon 20D and Digital Rebel series. -- If you're seriously considering a Canon 5D for your photo kit, you'd better budget several times its cost for the highest-quality "L"-series lenses that you'll need to take full advantage of its potential. The Canon 5D will deliver incredible image quality when paired with excellent lenses, but will quickly expose every flaw in lower-grade glass.

As you'd expect of a high-end digital SLR from Canon, the EOS 5D boasts a full range of photographic controls and custom functions: Read on for all the details, and for a thorough dissection of its imaging characteristics.

Canon EOS-5D [imaging-resource]

RR64 Linux review

2006-04-06T10:38:00.000Z

I am writing this review with the intent to spread the word about this new distribution because I really like it and it's not one of the mainstream distros out there. I don't have any affiliation with the author and have only tried this distro recently. I have concentrated on the high and low points but I have not included an excessive amount of screenshots as for me at least, I find surfing through numerous screenshots to be tedious. If you really want a lot of screenshots I would point you here. For those that don't know me, I work in the law enforcement computer forensics field and use computers and Linux at a fairly high level every day. Co-workers know me as the “Linux guy” and I regularly field questions from them regarding all things Linux. I am starting with a roundabout explanation of my Linux experience and history as I think it provides a good reference for the reader on where I am coming from when you read this review...
So I have generally considered myself a Debian guy by habit. I have no real loyalties to any distribution – in fact – my loyalties lie with whatever distro I find that I can get the most work (or otherwise) done with. I first started out using Linux in about 2000 with Redhat 5 if I remember correctly. I learned linux using the RPM system in Redhat. I grew to love this system and followed over the first years Redhat's progress and eventually started exploring other RPM based distros including SUSE, Mandrake, and other smaller ones.

At that time, I knew of the existence of “Debian” and learned of it's reputation as a more difficult Linux to learn, as well as many in the community being notoriously patronizing to less competent Debianites. Along with this however I also knew about the apt package management system and how it is probably the best package management system around. Too many nights have I been up all hours trying to figure out some RPM dependency hell issue but I digress...

My distro of choice has up until now been Libranet 3.0 which I had purchased and have used faithfully since it's release over a year ago. It is 100% Debian compatible and it's adminmenu is something to behold! Incidentally, I wonder if there is anyone working on a Debian derivative that has SUSE's now open source YAST configuration module installed? That would be most excellent... Anyway, for various reasons, Libranet will likely not be releasing any more versions, and the company looks like it may be going the way of the dodo, thus, I have been back to trying out different distros for the last few weeks in the hopes of finding something new that attracts me for running on my home system.

On we move then to our topic of the day – RR64 Linux! So I have also tried out Gentoo in the past and it's Portage package system is right on par with apt in terms of how successful it is at solving dependency issues. The two systems basically differ in that while the apt system is fast at getting the packages and dependent packages and installing them, they are typically not optimized for YOUR system. This is in contrast to portage where the getting is fast, but the compiling of the packages from scratch may take a while to complete. Yes – go have dinner and a movie while you wait for that larger application to compile on your latest mean machine... The good side is that you will have a piece of software that is compiled specifically for your machine (in my case, and AMD64) and thus a lot faster.

I downloaded the version of RR64 Linux called 3.0b1 via torrent. It is a Gentoo Linux based distro that was released on March 18th, 2006 and is currently sitting in 23rd place on Distrowatch. I learned about this distro after doing some research into different AMD64 versions of Linux that I wanted to try out – after all, I really should be trying to leverage the power of my 64 bit processor and I wasn't getting that from Libranet Linux. It turns out that the only ones I could find that were made for the AMD64 processor that were based on the KDE environment were RR64 (Gentoo based), Kubuntu Linux (Debian based), and SUSE 10 (RPM based). Since I have tried both of the others before; I couldn't swallow using the RPM system again, while Kubuntu felt strangely not-done to me, this left trying a relatively unknown distro called RR64 Linux.

RR64 Linux - My new favorite home desktop distro! [ClintandLisa.com]

Hitachi's new 1TB DVD and HDD media recorder

2006-04-05T10:56:00.000Z

Hitachi announced several new products today, and one of them is a complete range of Media Recorders (DVD and HDD) with storage capacities between 160 and 1000GB (1TB for the DV-DH1000D) and the possibility to record video in the Japanese HD format called Hi-Vision (750p if I recall correctly).

[Source : Akihabaranews.com]

List of del.icio.us tips, tricks, hacks, links and tools!

2006-04-05T10:47:00.000Z

del.icio.us A-to-Z by Functions [eConsultant]
del.icio.us A-to-Z by Platforms [eConsultant]

i-PHONO PLUS bluetooth stereo headphone review

2006-04-04T10:22:00.000Z

Bluetake, the maker of the award-winning i-PHONO mini Bluetooth Stereo Headphone, recently sent us another pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones. Bluetake's i-PHONO PLUS Bluetooth Stereo Headphone (BT420Rx) is designed for the active lifestyle with its sporty ergonomic design. The headphones provide a foldable neck-back band and two large earpiece speakers.

The i-PHONO PLUS gives you the freedom to listen to your music without the wires. It allows you to wirelessly stream stereo music transmitted from your Bluetooth enabled computer, home stereo, MP3 player or any other compatible Bluetooth device. Like all Bluetooth Stereo Headphones, the i-PHONO PLUS uses the Bluetooth A2DP profile to stream music wirelessly from the audio source to the headphones.

The i-PHONO PLUS also allows you make and take phone calls with your Bluetooth enabled cell phone. Switching between music and phone calls is easy. After your call has ended, the music will automatically begin playing again.

We have already had the opportunity to review Bluetake's other pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones, the i-PHONO mini. We were thoroughly impressed by the i-PHONO mini; so our expectations were extremely high for the i-PHONO PLUS. Lets see how it compared to the mini and if it lived up to the high standards Bluetake has set.

i-PHONO PLUS Bluetooth Stereo Headphone Review [BlueTomorrow.com]

HP Photosmart R927 review

2006-04-03T10:18:00.000Z

In digital imaging HP is best known for its inkjet printers. Yet the company has over a half-dozen digital cameras meant for casual picture taking. While not targeted to Ansel Adams wannabes, better HP Photosmart digicams more than do the job for the vast majority of photographers. We were big fans of the now discontinued 5MP HP R707. That model is long gone, replaced—and then some--by HP’s top-of-the-line R927, an 8.2-megapixel point-and-shoot camera with a 3x optical zoom. What really sets it apart is its 3-inch LCD screen, one of the largest you can get. The camera has a number of other pluses and minuses. Does the Photosmart R927 offer more plus than minus? Let’s start shooting and find out.

HP Photosmart R927 [Designtechnica]

BeleniX LiveCD version 0.4.1 released

2006-04-02T11:32:00.000Z

A new release of the LiveCD is available with several improvements, fixes and new software. The salient points are listed below:

Improved bootup time via a variety of mechanisms with further room for improvement in future. For full details see: The BeleniX LiveCD Performance Story
Upgraded to OpenSolaris build 34 and implemented almost complete Non-DEBUG build so the kernel is now leaner and meaner.
Added Stefan Teleman's Port of K3b for OpenSolaris.
Improved Monitor auto-detection code esp for some flat-panel monitors like Laptop ones.

New wallpapers for both Xfce and KDE.
Upgraded existing drivers and added new Network drivers from Masayuki Murayama.
Added 2 more games: Heroes and Lbreakout2.
Added other software like KDE Educational software suite, Cdrdao, Cdrtools, Nasm, Multitail, OpenMotif, HTML Tidy, Numeric Python.
Fixed a problem with some Gimp plugins being corrupted.
Fixed the Xorg Display issue on Microsoft Virtual PC.
Power management for AMD now works again.
Added the missing isnand function to the Math Library.

BeleniX

New Fedora Core 5 reviews

2006-04-02T11:17:00.000Z

Fedora Core 5 [Lunapark6]

Well Fedora Core 5 has hit the download servers and is ready for installation. I installed FC5 on 2 seperate computers and one install went extremely smoothly while the other one, with an Nvidia video card and Nvidia motherboard chipset, was thoroughly a pain to get working. There was enough glitches in the second install, that I can say if you have a Nvidia card or a motherboard with the Nvidia nForce chipset, you should look elsewhere for a linux o.s. or be prepared to do a fair amount of tweaking. Some of the software that Fedora 5 comes with are :

Gnome 2.14
KDE 3.5.1
OpenOffice 2.0.2
Firefox 1.5.0.1
Thunderbird 1.5
Gaim 1.5
Amarok 1.4.beta1
Banshee 0.10.8
Kaffeine 0.7.1
Gimp 2.2.10
K3B 0.12.10

Fedora Core 5 Review [kaiwai's Blog]

Although earlier I mentioned that I might hold off until next week, I have some time spare given that I only have one exam rather than two (sigh of relief), so before I start, I'll give you the specifications of the machine

Two Fedora Core 5 reviews
Fedora Core Project

Happy anniversary Gmail

2006-04-01T11:29:00.000Z

Gmail is celebrating today its second anniversary.
for those who don't have a Google account yet get one now..

Sony Drops HDR-HC3 price to $1500

2006-04-01T09:59:00.000Z

Sony HDR-HC3 review.

It has just been announced today that Sony will be lowering the price of their new HDV 1080i HDR-HC3 camcorder to $1500. The original price for this camcorder was slated to be around $1700. The decision to lower the price is likely an attempt by Sony to attract more consumers to the HD format for video. The camcorder will begin shipping in April of 2006 and will be available both online and in authorized dealers nationwide.

“We hope this price move will encourage more people to embrace high-quality 1080i HD recording of their own personal memories,” said Linda Vuolo, director of camcorder products at Sony Electronics (Published on March 24, 2006).

[Source : camcorderinfo.com]
See some sony HDR-HC3 pictures : ascii24.com.

Toshiba first HD DVD player

2006-04-01T09:44:00.000Z

Toshiba Brings World's First HD DVD Player to the Japanese Market, Toshiba's HD DVD Player to Debut Today in Japan

TOKYO—Toshiba Corporation today took the home video experience to the next, high definition level, as it started the Japanese roll out of the world's first commercially available HD DVD player. The new player, HD-XA1, delivers high definition images and crystal clear sound, bringing home entertainment to a new level.

Toshiba's HD-XA1 is the first player to support the HD DVD format*1 approved by the DVD Forum, the international association that defines and promotes DVD standards. HD-XA1 supports playback of pre-recorded HD DVD, offering consumers stunning digital high-definition picture quality far surpassing that of standard DVD*2. Sound is also enhanced. Along with L-PCM 5.1ch audio, HD-XA1 supports the clarity and realism of three next generation surround-sound formats, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, and sound sources can be output to audio systems via the player's HDMI output or multi-channel audio output. Support for up-conversion of standard DVD to a resolution of 1080i or 720p through HDCP capable HDMI output allows consumers to enjoy current DVD libraries with output resolution scaled to their HDTV or HD displays.

HD-XA1 also goes beyond the capabilities of standard DVD with extensive support for advanced navigation and interactive features offering new and exciting ways to interact with content. The player's "pop-up menu" displays movie chapters with thumbnails while the movie plays, and allows users to navigate menu features without pausing playback. Picture in Picture (PIP) with motion video functions include the ability to play supplementary video over the main program, allowing viewers to watch bonus content, such as a superimposed director's commentary or a documentary about the making of the movie, while the movie plays*3.

Initial shipments of HD-AX1, until April 27, will bundle two complimentary HD DVD movie discs, "Resident Evil" and a Japanese film, "Moonlight Jellyfish".

Over the last year, Toshiba has marked 130 years of operation. During this celebratory period the company has designated certain strategic new products as "T130 Products". HD-XA1 is positioned as a "T130 Product".

Release Candidate 1 for KOffice 1.5 announced

2006-04-01T09:39:00.000Z

March 29, 2006: Release Candidate 1 for KOffice 1.5 announced
The KOffice team is proud to announce the first release candidate in the KOffice 1.5 release cycle. Lots of user feedback from the two beta releases has resulted in a faster and more polished koffice than ever. Please download it and test it out as much as you can. For more information, See the announcement and the complete list of changes.

The KOffice Project

Casio Exilim EX-Z120 review

2006-04-01T09:36:00.000Z

Announced in August 2005, the Casio Exilim EX-Z120 is a new 7 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens. The camera has two very similar "brothers", the Z110, which is an identical 6 megapixel version, and the Z10, which is a slightly different 5 megapixel version. The cameras 3x optical zoom lens is equivalent to 38mm - 114mm in 35mm terms, and has a built in metal lens-cover. The Casio Exilim EX-Z120 is available from £150, this makes it very good value for money as a compact 7 megapixel digital camera. The camera is enclosed in a silver metal body. The Z120 records 640x480 movies with sound at 30fps. The camera is very compact and fits easily into pockets. The camera takes two AA batteries and measures: 90 x 60 x 27.2mm (without protruding parts), and weighs 138g (without batteries and memory card).

Casio Exilim EX-Z120 - Digital Camera Review

Samsung SGH-D800/D808 mobile phone review

2006-03-30T12:03:00.000Z

Samsung is one of the companies that have been pursuing the slim handset style, made popular with the Motorola V3. The company's D810 was criticized as being unoriginal, but nobody could complain when Samsung announced the thin D808. The D808 (also known as the D800) that we are reviewing today was the thinnest slider in the world before it was trumped by Samsung's own D870, announced at CeBIT in 2006.

Review: Samsung's Super Skinny SGH-D800/D808

GNOME 2.14 review

2006-03-29T11:11:00.000Z

Welcome back to Linux.Ars! Quite a bit has transpired in the world of open source software since the last edition. I don't have any code for you folks this time around, but there is a lot of excellent stuff in the pipeline and you will hopefully see some of it on the front page of Ars Technica in the next few weeks. I'm putting together a complete Python/D-Bus tutorial that will include some examples that leverage Gaim 2.0 and libnotify among other things. I'm also working on putting together coverage of Red Hat's big virtualization event. This time I'm going to be covering some assorted news items and exploring GNOME 2.14. As a special treat this month, I also have some comments written specifically for Linux.Ars by Mike Ferris, Red Hat director of security solutions, who talks about Red Hat's approach to integrated security and SELinux.

A look at GNOME 2.14

New Fujitsu 200GB Laptop HDD

2006-03-29T07:15:00.000Z

Rather self explanatory title on this one but Fujitsu – not Seagate for a change – has broken a new barrier: the 200GB laptop hard drive.

No photos have been released (but come on, it’s a hard drive how visually exciting can it be?) though the skinny is as follows:

200 of its very finest gigabytes arranged using perpendicular recording, a 2.5in format, 4,200RPM speed, promises of low power consumption (not specified), super quiet operation and the uninspiring name: MHV2200BT. The release date is mooted for Q3 though prices aren’t even a twinkle in the company’s eye.

As for my two cents I have to say about darn time! Hard drives are one of the few areas where notebooks still seriously trail their desktop counterparts and the gap is actually getting bigger. Given that we saw 160GB HDDs announced way back in June these piddling increases are starting to wear a little thin. Are we expected to wait another 18 months and more before we can buy a 240GB or 260GB drive?

With flash drive capacities doubling every 12 months manufacturers of the old moving parts brigade better get their act together or they’ll be getting serious competition in the next few years. 300GB using moving parts or 100GB of solid state flash? I know where I'd be spending my money...

200GB Laptop HDD Announced

Olympus E-330 Kits Available

2006-03-28T14:24:00.000Z

Hamburg, March 2006 – Whether for travel, medical, macro, nature, architectural or underwater photography – and just about anything in between – Olympus will introduce six kits to accompany the sales start of the E-330 digital SLR, and thereby provide customised, professional solutions for virtually any photographic situation. Key element in each of the kits is, of course, the Olympus E-330 body – a remarkable feat of technology. It is the world’s first digital SLR to provide continuous Live Previews. Now, instead of being forced to frame compositions by looking through the viewfinder, photographers have the freedom of framing while looking at the Live Preview on the camera’s large 6.4cm HyperCrystal LCD. Extending usability even further, the screen can be tilted up 90° and down 45° to provide unparalleled shooting and framing ease. Image quality, speed and sensitivity are second to none thanks to the incorporation of a latest-generation Live MOS sensor with 7.5 million pixels. Naturally, as with all cameras in the Olympus E-System range, the E-330 is equipped with the Olympus-exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter which eliminates the danger of dust entering the camera body and settling on the image sensor. Compatibility with the full range of E-System accessories makes the E-330 ideal for a multitude of applications. And the availability of these six new kits makes this surprisingly affordable.

Olympus E-330 EVOLT review
Olympus E-330 Kits Available

Very cool eight iPod tips, tricks, hacks, and mods

2006-03-28T14:20:00.000Z

The iPod is a deeply personal device. The music, contacts, calendars and notes you store on it reveal much about your personality. From playcounts to playlists, our iPods can tell others what we enjoy, how we think and even who we are. But if you truly want to transform your iPod into an engine of extreme personal expression, why not customize it?

Hacking an iPod—whether it’s modding the case, installing custom software, or tearing it up and doubling the memory—can transform the ubiquitous music and media player into something unique. Once again, Playlist has scoured to net to find the hottest iPod hacks, mods and customizations. As always, you should be aware that trying any of these tricks carries the risk of ruining your device. We present these for the curious, but urge you to exercise caution before even considering any of them. Keep in mind that if you crack open your iPod and destroy it in the process, Apple isn’t going to take pity on you. In other words, don’t try this at home.

Eight great iPod hacks, mods and tricks

Two Fedora Core 5 reviews

2006-03-27T11:05:00.000Z

Fedora Core 5 Review [The Linux Information Resource]

A review of the latest Fedora Core release, code named "Bordeaux", the Fedora Core 5, which has proven itself to be one of the best Linux Distributions out there.

A Quick Look at Fedora Core 5 [OSNews.com]

It's been about 2.5 years since the first release of Fedora Core. And boy has it come long way! The new version of Fedora Core (FC) is featuring a number of goodies and performance enhancements as we describe below (and yes, it even includes a new logo).

New Fedora Core 5 reviews
Fedora Core Project

Fuji FinePix V10 digital camera Review

2006-03-27T10:55:00.000Z

WHAT IS IT?: 5.1-megapixel digital camera
THE GOOD: Great build and compact, lightweight design combined with fast operation, great image quality providing plenty of detail. Superb 230,000-pixel 3-inch LCD screen and simple to use
THE BAD: Very basic manual control, controls compromised to allow for game playability, large LCD needs an anti reflective coating to make it, well, nigh on perfect
WE SAY: As with all things photographic, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and luckily, the V10 produces simply stunning shots, is simple to use and it looks great too

Fuji FinePix V10 digital camera Review

Sony VAIO VGN-SZ170P review

2006-03-26T13:06:00.000Z

Type: Business, Media, Ultraportable
Operating System: MS Windows XP Professional
Processor Name: Intel Pentium M T2400
Processor Speed: 1.83 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB
Hard Drive Capacity: 100 GB
Graphics: nVidia GeForce Go 7400
Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW
Wireless: 802.11a/g
Screen Size: 13.3 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
System Weight: 3.8 lbs

The Sony VAIO VGN-SZ170P ($2,799 direct) is remarkably powerful for an ultraportable, combining sexy looks with dual graphic options and a 1.83-GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 processor, bringing plenty of speed to this 3.8-pound system. Ideal for daily commuters, this system even has a built-in optical drive.

Sony VAIO VGN-SZ170P

Edit text using gestures with your tablet PC

2006-03-26T11:02:00.000Z

You can use gestures in Tablet PC Input Panel and Windows Journal to format and edit text. A gesture is symbol that you draw with your tablet pen to send a command to your Tablet PC.

For example, imagine that you are using Journal to take notes in a meeting. You need to erase a few words quickly so that you don’t miss any other important information from the meeting. Though you can use the eraser tool, the fastest way to make this kind of correction is to use the scratch-out gesture. When you use this gesture, all of the writing beneath the gesture disappears. Then you can continue taking notes. The scratch-out gesture also works in Input Panel.

In Input Panel, you can also use gestures to control the insertion point in a program. For example, you can use gestures for BACKSPACE, SPACE, ENTER, and TAB. When you use gestures to perform these actions, you get the same result that you would get if you pressed the corresponding key on a standard keyboard.

Edit Text Using Gestures
[Via : Lifehacker]

Gibbity, social games reviews and news

2006-03-25T13:54:00.000Z

Gibbity is a People-powered, Tag-driven, AJAX-enabled Game Discovery engine. That description's a bit of a mouthful for first-timers, so let's go through each bit in turn, shall we?

Gibbity is a people-powered, game discovery engine. As a participant, you can either explore the current game listings and review stuff you find, or you could contribute games that aren't there yet and review those. That's basically all there is to it (but you're welcome to check out the lengthier description and explanation here, if you've got time to kill.) Ideally, it allows users to quickly find new (and old) games that other users have picked up and enjoyed. Kinda like Amazon.com's review/recommendation engine, except that it's smaller, simpler and doesn't ask you to pull out your wallet every other page-load.

Gibbity

Manage your images

2006-03-25T13:51:00.000Z

The market value of a photograph is dependent on your ability to get that image into the hands of someone who wants it. All of the work that you do to rate and group your images will add value to them, by making them easier to find and bring to market. And don't forget, sometimes the "client" is you. By applying a sound rating system to your collection, you can get the maximum commercial, artistic, and personal value out of your images.

Managing Digital Images: Applying Ratings and Keywords

Klipsch iFi review

2006-03-24T20:38:00.000Z

What the? Could it be another iPod speaker system? Surely not?! But yes that's exactly what it is and be warned this one is a beast! Klipsch are an American brand you may not be familiar with but they've been around the block and more importantly the iFi has gone down a storm the other side of the pond. There's no pretence of portability this time as the giganticism of iPod accessories continues. So lets see what we make of it here in the (extremely) cold, dull light of good ol' blighty.

Review: Klipsch iFi

Fujifilm FinePix S5200 digital camera review

2006-03-24T20:35:00.000Z

-1.8 inch screen
-5.1 Megapixel (2592*1944 pixels)
-5.7X digital zoom
-4 AA batteries for power
-Built-in flash (6 modes)

Fujifilm's greatest success has been in creating good-quality midrange cameras that sell at very competitive prices, and the new Fuji S5200 aims to continue that success. A couple of years ago, Fuji introduced long-zoom digicams at affordable price levels with their FinePix 2800 and 3800 models. Now, the Fuji S5200 advances the cause even further, with a 5.1-megapixel CCD (up from the S5100's 4.0-Mp CCD), a 10x optical zoom lens, and a host of exposure modes and features. While it still sports a fully automatic mode, the Fuji FinePix S5200 goes beyond basic "point & shoot" capability with Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual modes, as well as a few Scene modes. The Fuji S5200 offers very long-zoom capability and greater exposure control at a surprisingly affordable price.

Fujifilm FinePix S5200 Digital Camera : Quick Review

E-Mail Icon Generator, funny image about your email address

2006-03-23T12:23:00.000Z

Create an icon about your email address for GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo! and much more!, visit it now : E-Mail Icon Generator [For GMail, Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo!, AOL and many more!]
Here are some examples :