LG L224WS LCD Monitor

We have reviewed quite a few LG HDTVs recently, including their frameless plasma. Today we have an LCD monitor by them, a rather basic 22-inch model, with a reasonable price tag.

Design and Features
The monitor is quite straight up in terms of aesthetics, quite a no frills approach. It’s got the usual black bezel, with straight edged borders. The surface is matte black, with a centrally located LG logo on the bottom panel. The buttons are on the right extremity, a single row of flat narrow push buttons. The only unique thing that catches the eye is the power on LED. It's not the regular small blue dot shape, rather it is an L shaped one (inverted L), and aligns along the bottom right corner. It glows a radiant blue, and looks pretty good.

The stand has a different finish, a glossy black one. It’s circular and pretty sturdy and huge. The monitor build quality is also impressive, as the joints between he frame and the stand is not wobbly, it's fixed in well. We received it fixed straight out of the box, though there are screws to attached it.

The monitor has a 16:10 TN panel LCD screen, 22-inch diagonal size, with max resolution of 1680x1050. The contrast ratio is 1000:1 native; brightness is 300 Cd/m2. Response time is 5 ms, while the input is regular 15 pin D-sub.

Motion is really no problem on these TN panels, detail and sharpness was visible right from the text in my word processor, to the action scenes in the film sequences.

There is no Digital video input, which could be one of the reasons the cost is low. The screen has an antiglare coating, plus it is not reflective or glossy which is good for me. There are no extra features like inbuilt speakers, webcam or any thing else of the sort.

Online Networking More Popular Than Email

Are you spending hours and hours on Facebook? If so, you are not alone. Networking and blogging sites account for almost ten percent of time spent on the internet - more than on email.
Time on the sites ranked fourth, after online searching, general interest sites, and software sites, according to a study released by Nielsen Online... "While two-thirds of the global online population already accesses member community sites, their vigorous adoption and the migration of time show no signs of slowing," said John Burbank, the CEO of Nielsen Online.
One in every 11 minutes spent online globally is on networking sites. Between Dec. 2007 and Dec. 2008, the time spent on the sites climbed 63 percent to 45 billion minutes. The figure was even higher for the world's most popular networking site, Facebook, where members spent 20.5 billion minutes, up 566 percent from 3.1 percent the previous year, according to the study. More people are also visiting networking sites.
In the past year, the reach of online networking sites grew more than 5 percent. Brazilians are the most avid fans of networking sites, according to the report. Eighty percent of online Brazilians visit networking sites. They also spend the largest portion of their time online - 23 percent - on networking sites.
Although Facebook is the most popular networking site globally, with 108.3 million unique visitors, preferences differ by nationality. Facebook is the top site in Australia, Spain, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom and Italy. But Americans favor MySpace, in Japan, local site Mixi reigns, and in Brazil, Google's networking site, Orkut, is number one. Many social networking sites were originally geared toward younger audiences, but the sites are no longer just for kids, the report showed.
The biggest growth in Facebook membership comes from the 35-49 year old set. Facebook has added twice as many 50-64 year old visitors as it has visitors under 18. In the United Kingdom, if current trends continue there will be as many 35-49 year olds on Facebook as 18-34 year olds by mid-June 2009.

Source

Website For The Blind Launched in Delhi

A website to create awareness among the blind and people with low vision has been launched in Delhi. The NGO, which took the initiative, claims that the portal is the first of its kind in the country.
The website www.eyeway.org provides information on eye disorders, services, education, rehabilitation, parenting, legal provisions, recreation and career guidance to the blind people.
"The website has been specially designed to create awareness among the visually-impaired people on issues related to them. The problem with the blind people is not their blindness, but the thinking and attitude of their families, the society and of themselves," said George Abraham, head of the NGO Score Foundation, during the launch of the website here Wednesday.
The portal is dynamic and has special accessibility features such as choice of background, font colour, text only options and dynamic search functions. It has three sections - informs, inspires and includes, for the wholesome information requirements of the blind.
The website enables the user to navigate with the help of magnification and talking software. The software has been bought at a cost of $800 from the US.
"We are continuously researching for information that is inspirational and empowering visually impaired people, besides looking for opportunities of reaching out to more and more people," said Abraham, who is also the chairman of Association for Cricket for the Blind in India.
The NGO also runs a radio program in Hindi, which is broadcast from 30 stations of All India Radio. There is also a helpdesk at the foundation that receives calls related to various issues that concern the blind people.
There are over 16 million blind people in the country and a further 28 million are with low vision.

Cover Flow won't show in Safari 4 sans DirectX

As those of you with older PCs may have noticed the hard way, some of the new features in Apple's Safari 4 beta for Windows require a graphics card with at least 64MB of on-board RAM that supports at least DirectX 9. This makes it the first browser I've heard of with an explicit graphics card requirement, but is this really a big deal?



Missing from next to the Bookmark icon is the toggle for Top Sites.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

DirectX 9 has been around since 2004, and you can pick up a card for your desktop that supports it for around 20 bucks. This isn't quite analogous to Windows requiring a massive hardware upgrade for Vista, although it is definitely annoying.

What is strange is that Cover Flow on iTunes will work on these older machines, including the main Windows XP computer I use at work. The graphics card is older, yet, as you can see in the screenshots, Cover Flow works in iTunes and doesn't in Safari 4. This leads to my other complaint about the beta: Safari offers no notification when your graphics card is not compliant. Top Sites and Cover Flow merely don't appear. So if the browser must require an upgrade, when iTunes doesn't, the least Apple could do is include some kind of warning.

Full Post

CES 2009: Sony’s VAIO ‘pocketbook’, ‘Webbie’ HD camcorder, OLED prototypes [day 2]

Sony made their grand debut just prior to Steve Ballmer’s keynote, and boy, they know how to put on a show. Here’s what’s notable (I’ll leave the many Bravia announcements to Home Theater blogger Sean Portnoy, who was in attendance with me and will post tonight).

VAIO P-Series Lifestyle PC

About the size of a woman’s wallet (or a man’s wallet for a suit), this 1.4 lb. Netbook-that-resembles-a-wallet (the P is for Passport) was the biggest announcement. It supports integrated WAN, LAN (incl. Verizon 3G) and Bluetooth, and packs GPS that doesn’t need the Internet (in the U.S. and Canada). The screen is a high-res (1600×768), 8-inch ultrawide LCD intended for viewing entire web pages on one screen, eliminating horizontal scrolling. Oh, and it comes loaded with Windows Vista.

It comes in five colors (red, green, white and two shades of black) and will retail for $900. It’s available now for pre-order and will be at select retailers next month.

Digital Photo Frames

Two new models: First, the 10-inch DPF-X1000, which is 800×480 SVGA LCD (15:9 aspect ratio) and has 2GB internal memory, HDMI output, an alarm clock, and auto dimmer, white balance correction, and is Bluetooth ready. Second, the 10-inchDPF-V100, which includes all the previous stats but has 1GB of internal memory.

Both will be available in March, for $300 and $250, respectively.

HDR-XR520V 240 GB HD HDD Handycam camcorder

The barnburner: Full 1920×1080 HD video and 12 megapixel still image capability. Features a large capacity 240GB HD that holds 101 hours of HD video in LP mode, back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor for low light, photo and video geotagging via a built-in GPS receiver and NAVTEQ digital maps, image stabilization, “Smile Shutter” for photos even when recording video, and face detection. This bad boy will be available in March for $1500.

HDR-CX100 HD Flash Handycam camcorder

For those who prefer flash camcorders, Sony announced this as well. Has Full 192×1080 HD video and 4 megapixel still image capability, plus 8GB embedded memory expandable via Memory Stick PRO Duo. Packs 10x optical Carl Zeiss Vaio-Tessar zoom with Steady Shot up front. Comes in three colors — red, black, silver — and includes Smile Shutter and face detection. Will be available in March for $600.

MHS-PM1 “Webbie” HD MP4 camcorder

Available tonight for $170, this is Sony’s YouTube-friendly device. It captures HD MPEG-4 video and 5 megapixel stills, has a 4 ounce body, comes equipped with PMB Portable software for quick online upload, and has a rotating swivel lens. Expandable storage via Memory Stick PRO Duo, and of course, comes in three colors: eggplant, orange and silver.

The company also had two more things to note: OLED prototypes in various sizes (expect this tech to develop further) and a “major” announcement tomorrow. Stay tuned. (story Link)

Graphics cards 2008: Ati, Nvidia and S3

After there hadn't been a lot of movement in the graphics card market, 2008 was shaped by two new GPU generations. PC Games Hardware summarizes the most important events around Ati's RV770 and Nvidia's GT200.

Full post here

IPod Touch 2nd Gen

Apple has also released the 2nd gen iPod Touch. Yes similar to iPhone 3G. Slimmer, lighter and has a back chrome aluminum case. Wow, that looks nicer than the iPhone 3G back case.
ImprovementBuilt-in speaker ~ lets you hear the music, dialogue, and action without headphones, perfect for casual listening.

Volume controlVolume buttons are built into the left side of iPod touch, giving you easy access to the most frequently used controls.
Longer battery lifeProvides up to 36 hours of audio playback or 6 hours of video playback

Rock ’n’ run with Nike+.iPod touch now includes built-in Nike + iPod support. Just slip the Nike + iPod Sensor (available separately) into your Nike+ shoe and start your run. The sensor communicates wirelessly with your iPod touch, tracking your time, distance, and calories burned. It even gives you voice feedback on your progress.
The new iPod Touch is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB and priced at $229, $299 and $399 respectively.
Video and pictures after the break.

Nikon Wi Fi Headphone

Nikon Corporation in Japan has introduced their latest Media Port UP. It is a wifi-enabled multimedia playback headset device. Nikon combine the display screen, headphones, mobile A/V player, Wi-Fi capability, high-capacity memory, and power source in one compact device. The device is priced around $587, available in the high performance UP300x and the basic UP300.
The UP300x comes with built-in motion sensor that allows hands free operation (volume adjustment, etc…). It features up to 8GB of flash memory, Wi-Fi b/g, USB port, and two Sanyo eneloop rechargeable batteries and supporting the WMV9, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 video files, and MP3, AAC, WMA9 audio files. The unit is compatible with HTML 4.01, JavaScript, Flash Version 7, other media contents are downloadable from Nikon’s service.
Unfortunately, they are only available in Japan.

More pictures after the break.

[via Akihabaranews

Technorati Tags: gadgets,nikon.wi fi

Tech Observer

Spin The Bottle, Video Games, And The Office

Blaise Zerega is not a rational actor.  Studying why people do certain things is all the rage. Best-sellers like Freakonomics, Stumbling on Happiness, and Predictably Irrational are on the desks of executives everywhere. But rather than merely read about the dismal science, you can participate in it by visiting web sites built by a brainy, 10-person Silicon Valley start-up called Bunchball.
Are you a fan of The Office? Then visit Dunder Mifflin Infinity, which Bunchball built for NBC. A high school athlete? Then check out Takkle, undertaken for Sports Illustrated.Or, are you a teenage girl? There's Espin (as in Spin The Bottle) for you and your friends. That's a project Bunchball did with Hearst.
What these sites have in common is the ability to influence user behavior. The result is stickiness and engagement. "What do we know that's more engaging than video games? Nothing," says Rajat Paharia, CEO and founder.
A self-taught behavioral economist and former IDEO designer, Paharia's technology relies on five tools:
1. Points - awarding points to users when they do certain things like post on a forum.
2. Levels - same principle as frequent flier elite status or karate's different belts
3. Challenges - people like to be given a mission, something to go out and achieve
4. Leaderboard - rankings spur persistent engagement. Think of how many quarters you wasted on Space Invader or Asteroids just to see your initials in the Top Ten.
5. Virtual Goods - critical for enabling community members to express themselves creatively and indicative of status. Avatar envy comes to mind...
To see four of our basic human motivations - reward, status, achievement, competition, so nakedly revealed by web sites is striking. And there's something elegantly primal behind Bunchball's business proposition: "Sites have users. Users do things on sites, and sites make money. Bunchball ... gets users to do more of those things, and sites make more money."
Paharia founded Bunchball in early 2005 and in May 2006 received $100,000 in angel money, and in October 2006 raised first round funding from Adobe and Granite Ventures. The company's revenues (undisclosed) are from monthly licensing fees. In the works are revenue sharing agreements with sites whose advertisers want pay-for-performance.

VIA

Making Money With Social Networking

Social networking sites on the internet have really changed  the ways that many people go about their ventures to make money online. If you haven't considered making money with social network websites, such as Yuwie, Facebook or Myspace, maybe it's time that you invest some of your time figuring out how you might be able to increase sales, get more customers, and jumpstart your affiliate marketing adventures.

Many internet marketers are already earning more than enough money through the use of social networking sites' systems in order to get their hands on more cash. Here are some interesting ways that you, can make some money with social networking websites that shouldn't and won't take you very much time at all.

The first step in marketing with social network sites involves actually setting up your account. If you don't already have an account with Facebook, Yuwie, Myspace, or any of the other well-known websites out there, it's time you did. When creating your account, one can either use their real name or a "pen name" of sorts. In fact, many internet marketers actually use a pen name in order to disguise who they really are as well as creating a social networking profile to go along with their real name.

What to sell: The number of products and things that you can sell on Facebook or Myspace is ultimately limitless. Whether you want to promote your own website to gain members and traffic to, or post your affiliate links to other products, anything is generally accepted in these communities.

There are several ways in which the actual selling process can be done. First, social networking websites usually allow members to post bulletins or notes that all the rest of their contacts that are members of the site will be able to see.

These bulletins are where the real money can be made, because pretty much anything can be included in them. For example, you could do a product review of a weight loss product and post it in a bulletin along with your affiliate link in order for your friends to buy. In doing so, your friends will give you commission sales on the products they buy.

The profile page is another way someone could make money using social networking sites. Whether you'd like to promote someone else's products as an affiliate or your own products, this can be done right on your profile by posting affiliate links, product reviews, information, or anything else that will attract a potential sale. Even videos that are essentially product reviews and an attempt to try to sell your own product or your affiliate product can be posted on your social networking member profile.

As you can see, the sales and amount of money that can come from using and exploiting social networking sites can really compound. Basically, the more friends that a person has in their community profile means that the more chances they have and the more members they have available to them in order to market and try to sell their products. All in all, using Yuwie, Facebook, Myspace, or any another social networking community website can definitely pay off in the long run!

Technorati Tags: help,money,guide,social,marketing,earning

100+ Free Applications for Mac OS X

Productivity Tool

1		Think Simple Utility to Help Concentrate On Your Current Activity
2		SketchBox Sticky Notes Manager for Your Mac Desktop
3		Slife Complete Interface for You to Completely Analyze your Activities
4		Todos Dock Expansion to Put All of Your Applications
5		Anxiety To-Do List Application that Synchronizes with iCal and Mail
6		Backboard Application for Easier Taking Notes and Writing Down Tasks
7		EtreTask Small, Fast and Easy-to-Use To-Do List Manager
8		Out of Mind Simple and Elegant To-Do Application
9		Camouflage Tool to Hide All Icons Behind Wallpaper
10		iClockr Tool to Track Timeline for Different Tasks and Projects
11		TaskMate Simple To-Do List Application
12		Appointments Keep Records of Customers, Contact Persons and Related Important Events
13		Evernote Synchronizable Evernote Service for Clipping Webpages, Taking Notes and Creating To-Do Lists
14		SyncMate Synchronizer for Mac to Organize Documents, Text Messages, Contacts, etc
15		PresentYourApps Helps You Hide the Dock and Menu Bar While Opening Cocoa Applications
16		Dock Spaces Extend Spaces of Your Dock Up To 10 Different Docks
17		MindNode Easy Mind-Mapping for Your Mac

System

18		OnyX Multifunction Utility for Maintenance, Optimization and Personalization of Your System
19		Deeper Personalization Utility for Mac OS X which Reveals Hidden Settings
20		EverSave Save All of Your Documents to Avoid Data Loss During Applications Crash
21		Pref Setter Application to Edit Property List Files and Viewing Preference Files
22		MacLoc Log Out from System without Closing Applications
23		Caffeine Prevent Your Mac from Automatically Going to Sleep, Dimming the Screen or Starting Screen Savers
24		SMART Reporter Protect Your Data with System Failure Prediction
25		Loginox Application for Easier Customization of Login Screen
26		Mactracker Mactracker Provides Detailed Information on Every Apple, Motorola, PowerComputing, and UMAX Mac OS Computers
27		SuperDocker Little Application to Help You Modify Your Dock, Dashboard or Safari Loading Bar's Appearance with Simple Drag & Drop

Tools and Utilities

28		Burn Burning Application for Mac OS X
29		Paparazzi! Utility for Mac OS X to Make Screenshots of Webpages
30		Linotype FontExplorer X Font Management Application
31		Growl Notification System for Mac OS X which allows your Growl-supported applications to send you notifications
32		iStat Pro Highly Configurable Mac OS X Widget that Helps You Monitor Your System
33		WeatherSnitch Weather Forecast on Your Menu Bar

File Management

34		AppCleaner Small Application to Allow You Thoroughly Uninstall Unwanted Apps
35		AppFresh Application to Keep All Applications Up-To-Date
36		Punakea Little App to Allow Your Manage Files by Tagging and Bookmarking
37		NameChanger Rename List of Files Quickly and Easily
38		Set Icon Application to Help You Set Custom Icon for Your Drives
39		Carbon Copy Cloner Clone, Synchronize and Backup Your Files
40		Monolingual Application for Mac OS X to Remove Unnecessary Language Resources
41		SpotInside Search and Look Inside Documents
42		SpotLook Graphical Interface to Mac OS X Leopard's Spotlight

Application Launcher

43		Quicksilver A Unified, Extensible Interface for Working with Applications, Contacts, Music, and Other Data
44		Namely Application Launcher that Requires Less Time for Learning
45		TigerLaunch Easy-to-configure Application Launcher for Mac OS X
46		HimmelBar Configurable Custom Folders to Give Extra Space for Launching Applications

Social Networking

47		GarageBuy Client Application for Buying and Searching on the eBay Online Auction
48		Delibar Delicious in Your Menu Bar
49		Gabtastik Site Specific Browser for web chat services such as Facebook Chat
50		EventSync Sync Your Facebook Events with iCal

 

for full article

Making Money With Social Networking

Social networking sites on the internet have really changed  the ways that many people go about their ventures to make money online. If you haven't considered making money with social network websites, such as Yuwie, Facebook or Myspace, maybe it's time that you invest some of your time figuring out how you might be able to increase sales, get more customers, and jumpstart your affiliate marketing adventures.

Many internet marketers are already earning more than enough money through the use of social networking sites' systems in order to get their hands on more cash. Here are some interesting ways that you, can make some money with social networking websites that shouldn't and won't take you very much time at all.

The first step in marketing with social network sites involves actually setting up your account. If you don't already have an account with Facebook, Yuwie, Myspace, or any of the other well-known websites out there, it's time you did. When creating your account, one can either use their real name or a "pen name" of sorts. In fact, many internet marketers actually use a pen name in order to disguise who they really are as well as creating a social networking profile to go along with their real name.

What to sell: The number of products and things that you can sell on Facebook or Myspace is ultimately limitless. Whether you want to promote your own website to gain members and traffic to, or post your affiliate links to other products, anything is generally accepted in these communities.

There are several ways in which the actual selling process can be done. First, social networking websites usually allow members to post bulletins or notes that all the rest of their contacts that are members of the site will be able to see.

These bulletins are where the real money can be made, because pretty much anything can be included in them. For example, you could do a product review of a weight loss product and post it in a bulletin along with your affiliate link in order for your friends to buy. In doing so, your friends will give you commission sales on the products they buy.

The profile page is another way someone could make money using social networking sites. Whether you'd like to promote someone else's products as an affiliate or your own products, this can be done right on your profile by posting affiliate links, product reviews, information, or anything else that will attract a potential sale. Even videos that are essentially product reviews and an attempt to try to sell your own product or your affiliate product can be posted on your social networking member profile.

As you can see, the sales and amount of money that can come from using and exploiting social networking sites can really compound. Basically, the more friends that a person has in their community profile means that the more chances they have and the more members they have available to them in order to market and try to sell their products. All in all, using Yuwie, Facebook, Myspace, or any another social networking community website can definitely pay off in the long run!

Technorati Tags: help,money,guide,social,marketing,earning

Windows 7 equals some strange math

It was the product’s code name, something relatively simple, and it is generally seen as a lucky number (at least here in the United States).But to arrive at the number 7, Microsoft does some strange math, as general manager Mike Nash outlined in a blog posting Tuesday. Nash writes:

The very first release of Windows was Windows 1.0, the second was Windows 2.0, the third Windows 3.0.

Here’s where things get a little more complicated. Following Windows 3.0 was Windows NT, which was code-versioned as Windows 3.1. Then came Windows 95, which was code-versioned as Windows 4.0. Then, Windows 98, 98 SE and Windows Millennium each shipped as 4.0.1998, 4.10.2222, and 4.90.3000, respectively. So we’re counting all 9x versions as being 4.0.

Windows 2000 code was 5.0, and then we shipped Windows XP as 5.1. Even though it was a major release, we didn’t want to change code version numbers to maximize application compatibility. That brings us to Windows Vista, which is 6.0. So we see Windows 7 as our next logical significant release and seventh in the family of Windows releases.

Well, there you have it.

Perhaps more noteworthy is the fact that, although Vista got the version number 6.0, Windows 7 won’t actually be version 7.0. Rather, it will be Windows 6.1.

That goes to the very fine line Microsoft is trying to walk with Windows 7. The company is at once trying to reassure IT folks that it is not a radical departure from Windows Vista and at the same time tell consumers it is a significant upgrade from Vista.

In his blog post, Nash tries to thread that very fine needle as well.

“We learned a lot about using 5.1 for XP and how that helped developers with version checking for API compatibility,” Nash wrote. “We also had the lesson reinforced when we applied the version number in the Windows Vista code as Windows 6.0–that changing basic version numbers can cause application compatibility issues. So we decided to ship the Windows 7 code as Windows 6.1, which is what you will see in the actual version of the product, in cmd.exe or computer properties.”

But he tries to convince consumers that they shouldn’t read too much into that decision. “There’s been some fodder about whether using 6.1 in the code is an indicator of the relevance of Windows 7,” Nash wrote. “It is not.”

Of course, the real proof will come in two weeks, when Microsoft hands out the first Windows 7 code to developers and outlines what the operating system update is all about. Then we will all be able to better judge for ourselves just how big a deal Windows 7 is (or isn’t).

---

Source: v

Windows Vista is alive and kicking

Microsoft has kindly extended its XP “downgrade” program for OEMs by another six months. Rather than appreciating the extension, some people have chosen to mock Microsoft and call for the curtain to close on Windows Vista once and for all.

Even my esteemed colleague Randall C. Kennedy wrote in his column entitled “Die, Vista, die!” (tell us how you really feel, Randall) that for him, “Vista’s demise was a foregone conclusion”. Personally, I get so much hate mail whenever I write something positive about Vista that I shy away from the subject. Well, in the words of Michael Corleone from The Godfather: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

Allow me to share with you some numbers that come from a Vista Tracking Poll conducted by CDW through Walker Information. They used an online survey, and participants included 772 IT decision makers who identified themselves as being familiar with Windows Vista. Here were some of their key findings:

• 48 percent of respondents indicate that their organization is evaluating, testing, or implementing Vista. That doesn’t sound dead to me.
• 30 percent of respondents have organizations that are currently implementing or have already implemented Vista.
• 50 percent of the respondents said Vista is performing “above expectation” on key features.

Given that most of what we read is how worthless Vista is, one must wonder: What could they possibly about this wretched OS that is doomed to retirement at such an early age? Most of the respondents pointed to security enhancements as the No. 1 feature that attracts them to Vista. Performance improvements, search enhancements, improved networking, and patch management — these were all high in people’s list of features they liked about Vista.

It still boggles my mind that people berate Vista, even after SP1. Mr. Kennedy called it a “pretender to the desktop throne.” I’ll agree that it may not be all that it was initially hyped up to be, and hopefully Windows 7 can meet the expectations we’ve been watching and waiting for nearly a decade to see. But how can some of its finest features simply be ignored by critics?

Among them, there are enhancements to Group Policy settings (more than 800 new settings in Vista) that allow for a greater level of administrative control over such items as power use. These days, we are all about going green, and here Vista is an OS that can help us thanks to the added ability to adjust the amount of power your system uses. Other enhancements allow for greater security control within the enterprise, preventing users from plugging in USB devices and other removable media, User Account Control, and more.

Vista also introduces BitLocker protection, which is great for encrypting your entire system. Hundreds of thousands of laptops with confidential company data on them are lost or stolen each year. Without encryption of the drive, it is just a matter of time before a thief can access the contents. With BitLocker, that worry is removed. As a business person — perhaps one who has had their laptop stolen — would you mock that level of protection? Most likely not. Can you get it with XP? No. So, even if you didn’t receive a feature you wanted in Vista like WinFS (which nobody really understood anyway; it just sounded cool) but did receive peace of mind in the event your laptop was stolen, wouldn’t you say that it’s worth having?

I can go on and on with features that are a tremendous improvement over XP, features Microsoft developers can be proud of because they enhance our user experience, as well as make us more secure and more productive.

So is this really just about XP versus Vista, both of which are Microsoft OSes? Vista is clearly the superior OS to anyone who takes the time to really use it with an open mind. Just look at the aforementioned survey results where users point out the advantages over XP. It seems to me that this ongoing criticism of Vista by IT journalists has more to do with a desire to rage against the Microsoft machine than it does to speak about features we can use in the enterprise.

I say that Vista is alive and kicking. Enough blabber about the past. It’s time for — dare I say it? — change. And I don’t simply mean a change to XP or the wait for a change to Windows 7 (which will no doubt underperform when compared to users’ expectations, as seems to be the trend these days). If you truly want a Mac, go get one. Stop complaining about Vista and change. Or take your PC and install Linux. Or downgrade to XP. But stop the Vista bashing. You 20 people who yell like you are 20 million are really starting to get on the nerves of the 200 million Vista-loving PC users out here who would spend more time debating with you, but we are too busy enjoying our Vista OS and don’t have time.

I’m a PC. Better yet: I’m a Windows Vista PC. What are you?

---

Source: infoworld

HTC S740 - Dual Keypad Smartphone

HTC has come out with a design which others have not dared to try. A dual keypad one with a normal keypad on the top like any ordinary phones and the slider opening up to unveil a full scale QWERTY keypad.
The only awkward thing we notice in the phone is the screen when used with the full-scale keypad. It just doesn't fit. When using a QWERTY keypad you need a complete display to view emails and other things but due to the 12-keypad on the front this is not possible.
The data connectivity offered by the HTC S740 is faster than 3G coming up to over 7MBPS. The phone weighs around 140 grams and measures 116.3 x 43.4 x 16.3 mm with a 2.4 inch QVGA display. Normally we would expect a VGA display but due to the small scren size we will have to settle for QVGA. Other features like Wi-Fi which has become customary in all new phones along with 256MB of inbuilt memory, 3.5mm audio jack, and Usb 2.0 port.
The S740 comes with a Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system running on Qualcom MSM7225 , 528 Mhz processor. The phone is WCDMA compatible along with HSDPA and GSM capable. There is GPS and AGPS navigation along with a FM radio built-in.
This HTC smartphone is scheduled to be released in mid September 2008 and could retail for $550 without carrier subsidy.

Sony Ericsson TM506 Clamshell

T-Mobile has come out with a report on the launching of the Sony Ericsson TM506 mobile phone in the United States as early as next month. The phone will retail only from T-Mobile online and retail stores and the price is not yet disclosed.
The phone has a nice compact design and is available with Emrald and Amber color. The phone has a ebony glass type finish and has an external display screen for photo calling.
The Phone supports 3G technology which ensures you good download speed and streaming video/audio. It comes along with a 2megapixel camera for video and still photography.
The SE TM506 measures about 3.7 x 1.9 x 0.7inches and weighs close to 3.5 ounces. The battery of the phone lasts for a reported 9 and half hours on GSm and stand by of 250 hours. The phone is equipped with both UMTS network as well as HSDPA connectivity with Tri-band GSM.

160GB PS3 and PSP coming in October

Details on the new PlayStation 3 have been revealed officially by Sony today. Among the announcements was the crucial release date of 31st October 2008. This launch date is for Europe only, it will hit the streets in the US in November. We could see the new 160GB PS3 coming to India only in 2009.
The new technology in the PS3 includes the wireless keypad which enables you to type on it.
On the other hand the new PlayStationPortable will come with a built-in microphone and an anti-reflective screen.
"Consumers also are utilising PS3 as an entertainment hub for their digital media, placing content such as their entire music collection on the hard drive," said Jack Tretton who is the head of the America Sony gaming division.
The 160 GB PS3 will cost about 450 Euros, and close to $500 in the USA. The PSP will be launched at an introductory price of $200.

BenQ launches E2200HD in India

BenQ corp has launched the first 22 inch or so to say 21.5 inch 1080p Full HD LCD monitor. The monitor is equipped with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution with 300 cd/m2 brightness. It comes with VGA and HDMI inputs with a headphone jack.
The LCD has a 16:9 aspect ratio and has a 10,000:1 contrast ratio.
The E2200HD comes with integrated speakers and can render content from STBs, camcorders and DVD players. The LCD Monitor will be available for only Rs. 13,500 which is a pretty neat price for what you are getting

AMD to spin off manufacturing

On Tuesday, Advanced Micro Devices will announce a long-expected restructuring, according to sources familiar with the deal.

As expected, the No. 2 supplier of PC processors will split into two companies: one for designing chips, the other for manufacturing them. The capital-intensive business of manufacturing chips is weighing on AMD as it reels under a $5 billion debt load.

The investment is expected to allow AMD to remain directly involved in chip manufacturing--crucial for competing with Intel, which has used its manufacturing prowess to great advantage.

AMD would not comment Monday.

The company has secured about $5.7 billion of "confirmed, pledged investment," with some of the money earmarked for a future manufacturing facility in Malta, New York, according to sources.

AMD will own part of the new manufacturing entity, for the time being to be called The Foundry Company, while Advanced Technology Investment Co. (ATIC) will own the rest. One of the investors, Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development Co., invested approximately $622 million in AMD last November.

Mubadala already holds an 8.1 percent stake in AMD. Upon closing the deal, Mubadala will own 19.3 percent of AMD, according to sources.

ATIC--also based in Abu Dhabi--will have equal voting rights with AMD in The Foundry Company and own 55.6 percent of the new entity. ATIC will invest an initial $2.1 billion, of which $1.4 billion will be invested directly in the new company and $700 million will be paid directly to AMD, according to sources close to the deal.

In addition, ATIC will commit a minimum of $3.6 billion and up to $6 billion in additional funds over the next five years for the upgrade and expansion of fabrication facilities in Dresden, Germany, and construction of a new facility in upstate New York, near the town of Malta.

Mubadala, for its part, will purchase 58 million newly issued AMD shares valued at $314 million and warrants for 30 million additional shares, giving it a total stake in AMD of approximately 19.3 percent on a fully diluted basis, sources said.

Source : FULL ARTICLE

AMD to spin off manufacturing

On Tuesday, Advanced Micro Devices will announce a long-expected restructuring, according to sources familiar with the deal.

As expected, the No. 2 supplier of PC processors will split into two companies: one for designing chips, the other for manufacturing them. The capital-intensive business of manufacturing chips is weighing on AMD as it reels under a $5 billion debt load.

The investment is expected to allow AMD to remain directly involved in chip manufacturing--crucial for competing with Intel, which has used its manufacturing prowess to great advantage.

AMD would not comment Monday.

The company has secured about $5.7 billion of "confirmed, pledged investment," with some of the money earmarked for a future manufacturing facility in Malta, New York, according to sources.

AMD will own part of the new manufacturing entity, for the time being to be called The Foundry Company, while Advanced Technology Investment Co. (ATIC) will own the rest. One of the investors, Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development Co., invested approximately $622 million in AMD last November.

Mubadala already holds an 8.1 percent stake in AMD. Upon closing the deal, Mubadala will own 19.3 percent of AMD, according to sources.

ATIC--also based in Abu Dhabi--will have equal voting rights with AMD in The Foundry Company and own 55.6 percent of the new entity. ATIC will invest an initial $2.1 billion, of which $1.4 billion will be invested directly in the new company and $700 million will be paid directly to AMD, according to sources close to the deal.

In addition, ATIC will commit a minimum of $3.6 billion and up to $6 billion in additional funds over the next five years for the upgrade and expansion of fabrication facilities in Dresden, Germany, and construction of a new facility in upstate New York, near the town of Malta.

Mubadala, for its part, will purchase 58 million newly issued AMD shares valued at $314 million and warrants for 30 million additional shares, giving it a total stake in AMD of approximately 19.3 percent on a fully diluted basis, sources said.

Source