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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.

Labels: Blu-ray, News

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!

Labels: News, Notebooks, Reviews, Toshiba

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!

Labels: Linux, Operating-Systems, Ubuntu

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.

Labels: Digital-Cameras, Tips

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.

Labels: Free, iPod, Services

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.

Labels: LG, Mobile-Phones, News

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.

Labels: IBM, Instant-Messaging, Yahoo

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.

Labels: News, Palm

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.

Labels: Mozilla, News, Open-Source

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.

Labels: Adobe, Linux, News

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.

Labels: Microsoft, News, Operating-Systems, Windows

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.

Labels: Free, Services

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.

Labels: Digital-Cameras, News, Sony