ICT World

10 Cool Facebook Status Tips and Tricks

2010-07-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

With Facebook’s ever-changing layout, and the fact that other social sites are encroaching on its real-time update strangle-hold, it’s easy to forget that there are some pretty nifty tricks you can pull using your humble Facebook status.

We’ve pulled together 10 great how-to tips that will help you get the most out of your status update, from official features to apps, Easter eggs, jokes and more.

Perfect for newer Facebook () users, or anyone who is looking for a refresher, read on and let us know the ones you like in the comments below.

1. HOW TO: Add a Dislike Option to Your Status Update

“Like” buttons are everywhere on Facebook, and they’re everywhere on the web. But what if you want to update your status or share something that your friends can “dislike?” We know, your friends can choose to “comment” on your post, but where’s the fun in that?

The clever Status Magic Facebook app can add a dislike button to any status updates posted via the app. And if you wanted to really mix it up you can actually customize the second emotion to anything, such as “love,” “hate,” “disagree” or even “LOLs.”

2. HOW TO: Hide Status Updates From Certain People

Using Facebook’s general privacy settings (find these by hitting “account” on the top right of a Facebook page) you can select whether everyone, just friends or friends of friends can see your status updates. However, there is a way to narrow those options down even further.

You can select specific friend lists to see your status (relevant for work, special interest groups, etc.) or even individual people by name, which is useful for anyone organizing a surprise party.

To take advantage of these options, click the padlock icon just below your “what’s on your mind” box on your wall and a drop down menu should appear. Selecting “customize” will bring up more options such as “make this visible to” and “hide from” with the option to make your selection a default.

3. HOW TO: Pre-Schedule Status Updates

While SocialOomph, Sendible and HootSuite () offer the same kind of service, the simplest way to schedule Facebook status updates is by using the easy, free Later Bro service.

Just sign in with Facebook Connect, select your time zone, type in what it is you’d like to say, set the calendar and clock to when you’d like to say it, and presto!

4. HOW TO: Tag People in Your Status Updates

This was quite a big deal when it was announced this past September, but from the amount of searches on the topic “how can I make someone’s name go blue in a Facebook status?” it seems it’s not universally known.

To mention someone in a status update just type “@” (a la Twitter ()) in the status bar and start typing their name as it appears on Facebook. An auto-generated list will then come up with people in your social circle whose name starts with the letters you’ve typed. The feature also works with pages, brands, events and companies.

Hit the name you want, complete the update, click share and the name will become a hyperlink (you won’t see the @ symbol) and will appear in blue text.

5. HOW TO: Add Symbols to Your Facebook Status

Although there are plenty of emoticons that work with Facebook Chat, typing “:)” into Facebook’s status bar will not magically transform into a smiley yellow face. In fact, the only symbol you can create in a Facebook status update through the shortcut keys is a ♥, by typing “<3."

While this won't bother many Facebook users, others more used to punctuating their missives can copy and paste web-happy, universal symbols into the box, as you can see in the screengrab above.

PC users can also access some symbols by hitting “alt” + various number combinations (on a numerical keypad). So, while smileys are yet to hit Facebook statuses, you can annoy or amuse your buddies with symbols right now.

6. HOW TO: Turn Your Status Updates Into a Word Cloud

There’s a really fun way to visualize anyone’s status updates (even an entire country’s) as a word cloud. The Status Analyzer 3D app will look at what it is you’ve been chatting about lately and generate a list, and then a pretty, colorful, animated cloud as pictured above.

You can share the results with others on the social networking site by posting it to your friends’ walls or by adding it to your profile.

7. HOW TO: Have Fun With Facebook’s Humorous Language Options

While you can always change your setting into more sensible alternative languages, the site offers a couple of fun linguistic Easter eggs.

You can chose to have Facebook display upside down English, or, for anyone feeling a little salty, in “pirate.” Pirate essentially turns your status into your “plank,” your attachments into “loot” and instead of “share” it offers the option to “blabber t’ yer mates.”

Sadly, anything you type in the status bar won’t be upside down, or pirate-y. But with the use of some external sites you can achieve the same effect.

TypeUpsideDown.com and UpsideDownText.com are just two examples of sites that can flip your text, while the Talk Like a Pirate Day site can help you with your pirate translations.

8. HOW TO: See Status Updates From Around the World

If you want to get a glimpse of the thoughts of Facebook users from around the world’s, head over to OpenBook.

Created by three San Fran web developers with a serious privacy message in mind, the site aggregates the status updates of everyone whose privacy levels are set to “everyone.”

You can narrow your searchable results down by gender and keywords to find out what people are saying about a certain topic. Or you can just browse the recent searches.

9. HOW TO: See Your Status Update Stats

Have you ever wondered how many times you have updated your status on Facebook? The Facebook app Status Statistics, can tell you this and more.

The app analyzes your updates and gives you a tidy list of how many you’ve written, the average word count and how many times a day you post. In addition, it generates a graph that shows you what time of day or what days of the week you normally update.

Old statuses are also searchable via the app, so you can find that witty retort you made back in November 2009 without having to scroll back through your history.

10. HOW TO: Play a Trick On Your Friends in Your Status Update

We have a funny one to end on — a way to play an amusing trick on your Facebook buddies.

This clever link “http://facebook.com/profile.php?=73322363″ looks like it could be a URL for anyone’s Facebook profile, actually takes anyone logged into Facebook to their own profile page.

If you try it out, be sure to remove the link preview that Facebook auto-ads. Have fun, and don’t be too mean…

Google Maps Adds 45° Aerial Imagery For All Users

2010-07-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Google has granted all Google Maps users the ability to view aerial photos taken at a 45° angle. Just zoom in at one of the supported locations and you’ll get a better view than you could before.

The feature was previously only available to developers and as part of Labs for Google Maps, a set of work-in-progress features that you had to opt in to. Now anyone who uses Google MapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps can see the aerial images, but the locations are limited to just a few cities in Europe and South Africa, and on the west coast of the United States.

These pictures are taken from the air, not from orbit, so they’re sharper and their angle allows you to appreciate landmarks and buildings as they appear from the side, not just directly above. Microsoft’s Bing Maps has offered similar, higher-quality images by default for some time, so Google’sGoogleGoogle playing catch-up here.

Where It’s Available

Google Maps 45° aerial imagery is only available for a few locations in North America, Europe and Africa at present, but hopefully it will expand to more locations later. For now, the supported locations include places in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg in South Africa; Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara in the United States; Dortmund in Germany and Venice in Italy.

Here’s a map of the support locations. You can browse the map yourself at Google’s website.

8-Bit Video Game Costume

2010-07-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Check out this for a fancy dress costume. It's designed to look like an old 8-bit character from a computer game. It is built from large pixels cut from high density foam. These large pixels are then glued to an articulated cardboard suit structure allowing the costume to be fairly light weight and wearable.

Around 4000 pixels were cut to make this costume although not all were cut for this particular costume as three in total will be made for a video project that is being worked on.

Check out the images below to see more of the 8-bit costume.

MIT Researchers Developing Smartphone App for 2-Minute Eye Exams

2010-07-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

MIT Media Labs researchers are field-testing a smartphone application and $1 plastic lens attachment system called NETRA — Near-Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment — for eye exams.

NETRA is designed for doctors in developing countries that may not otherwise have access to expensive ophthalmological equipment for eye exams.

Using the application and cellphone lens attachment, patients can look into the lens to view parallel red and green lines. Fast Company explains that patients can then “use arrow keys on the phone to adjust those lines until they overlap. After just two minutes of testing, the app spits out an eyeglass prescription.”

The researchers will show off the application and hardware combination at SIGGRAGH 2010 in late July. Then, after testing, NETRA will launch under the umbrella of PerfectSight, a for-profit startup that will “market and produce the device for Asian and African markets.”

The application will run on multiple smartphones. Existing prototypes are being tested on the Samsung Behold II and Google Nexus One.

The video embedded below includes a walkthrough of the idea and technology behind NETRA.

10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics

2010-07-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

Infographics help communicate information in a digestible manner as they creatively present data in an understandable and engaging format. With social media growing at an ever increasing pace, there is now a wealth of data about how people interacting with one another on the web. Naturally, infographics have proven an excellent aid in expressing high volumes of social web information in a clear, visually appealing manner.

Here are 10 infographics that prove as beautiful as they are interesting.

1. Social Web Involvement

This is a global map of social web involvement which illustrates that hundreds of millions of web users are creating and sharing content every month. It provides a clear visualization of the ways in which social technologies are adopted differently across the world, showing the number of active bloggers, social networkers, video sharers, photo uploaders and microbloggers.

Interestingly, it reveals that despite the Twitter hype, microblogging is still not a mass social activity and is nowhere near the size and scale of blogging.

2. Social Marketing Compass

A compass is a device for orientating oneself and guiding physical direction. The social marketing compass points a brand in a physical and experimental direction, allowing them to connect with their customers, peers, and influencers, where those users already interact and seek guidance online.

Created to illustrate social marketing within the book Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web, this infographic was also available as a poster to celebrate the book’s pre-sale.

3. Web Trend Map

The Web Trend Map plots the Internet’s leading names and domains onto the Tokyo Metro map. Domains and personalities are carefully selected through dialogue with map enthusiasts, and every domain is evaluated based on traffic, revenue, and character. As a result, the map produces a web of associations: some provocative, some curious, others ironically accurate.

It’s available as an A0 poster (33.25 x 46.75 inches) and is printed in Tokyo, Japan, on exquisite, heavyweight, matte paper.

4. Conversation Prism

The Conversation Prism is a visual mapping of the shifting landscape of social networks and micro communities. It beautifully represents social media tools for marketing, finance, human resources and more. Each tool is represented by their logo and arranged in a circular, flower-like structure. The graphic will continue to evolve as services and conversation channels emerge, fuse, and dissipate.

It provides a visual representation of the true expansiveness of the Social Web and the conversations that define it and is an update to Version 1.0 which was released in August 2008.

5. Popular Site Demographics

Numerous social media sites have witnessed explosive growth of their user bases in the last several years, but it’s a known fact that user demographics, including age, gender, income and education, vary across different platforms. This infographic maps the demographics of the world’s 7 most popular social media sites.

While there aren’t any quantitative data points listed, it’s definitely worth a quick glance to see how the various sites compare to one another.

6. Social Landscape

This infographic describes and ranks 10 popular social media channels by customer communication, brand exposure, traffic generation and SEO impact, which enables us to get a good grasp of how each tool helps users achieve business goals.

It acts as a roadmap of the social web and demonstrates which social channel will give the most bang for the buck in terms of customer communication, brand exposure, traffic, and SEO.

7. How are Mobile Phones Changing Social Media?

The mobile web is growing at an exponential rate, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. This infographic illustrates the rates at which people use the mobile web for social activities.

It highlights a few intriguing facts, such as that there are more than 100 million active Facebook mobile users, and that those mobile users are twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users. It also notes that 18-34 year olds account for about 50% of mobile social networking usage, with female usage higher than male usage.

8. The Boom Of Social Sites

The explosion of social networking sites over the past decade has facilitated a transformation in the way we communicate with each other. This infographic details some of the social communities with over 1 million users, both active and defunct.

The actual timeline itself is pretty interesting as you can clearly see the explosion of social networks between 2003 and 2006 (with the creation of Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn), and the relative slowdown in their creation after 2007.

9. The Biggest Shift

The Biggest Shift details the importance and extent of social media. Essentially, if you are looking to utilize word of mouth advertising, social media is there to help boost your efforts. By focusing your marketing attention to the top social networking websites, you will see the immediate benefits of “fishing where the fish are”.

It’s difficult to ignore the facts; YouTube is now the second largest search engine on the web; 3.5 billion pieces of content are shared each week on Facebook; and perhaps most significantly, 96% of 18-35 year olds are on a social network.

10. Social Media In Business

This is a closer look into the adoption of social media platforms by global Fortune 100 companies as they look to leverage these networks to reach and communicate with their target audiences.

While Facebook may still be the biggest social networking site, when it comes to business, Twitter seems to be the favorite among the Fortune 100 companies, with 65% owning a corporate Twitter account.

Which infographics do you think best showcase the intricacies of social media?

Series supported by Ben & Jerry’s Joe

This series is supported by Ben & Jerry’s Joe, Ben & Jerry’s new line-up of Fair Trade and frozen iced coffee drinks. Learn more about it here.

[img credit: despair.com]

source:mashable.com

iMovie for iPhone 4 Now Available

2010-06-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Apple [AAPL] launched the iPhone 4 today. Along with that launch the iMovie app for the smartphone was also launched. The iMovie app is for iPhone 4 only and costs $4.99 to buy.

The app allows you to create HD movies and edit them whilst on the move. A number of transitions have been included allowing you to create effects between two videos or between two segments on a video.

Made for Multi-Touch.

• Tap to add or record video right into your project.
• Drag to trim the lengths of video clips and photos.
• Pinch to zoom the timeline and get a closer look.
• Slide to scrub through the video in your project.

Give it a theme.

• Choose from a selection of themes including Modern, Bright, Travel, Playful, and News.
• Each theme includes a matching set of titles and transitions – plus its own soundtrack.
• Instantly change themes or swap themed elements in your project.
• Titles and graphics automatically update with location data from your video.

Add music and photos.

• Select from included music that matches each iMovie theme, or select from your own song library.
• Enable ducking to automatically lower the volume of background music and highlight audio from video clips.
• Add photos from your own library, or take a picture and drop it into your project.
• Customize each photo with a unique “Ken Burns” panning effect.

Share your movie.

• Export your movie in one of three sizes: Medium, Large, or HD.
• Share your movie on the web in a MobileMe gallery or on YouTube.
• Send your movie to friends and family in an email or via an MMS message.
• Easily sync your movie back to your computer.

The iMovie app is available now over at iTunes.

Facebook Comments Getting a “Like” Button

2010-06-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

There’s a small feature on the way that’s about to make another big change to the way people use Facebook: the ability to “Like” comments.

Much like you can currently “Like” status updates, wall posts and other items in the News Feed, Facebook has started rolling out a “Like” button for comments. The feature is not yet live for everyone.

The functionality is much the same as traditional “Likes.” In a blog post, Facebook (Facebook) writes that, “when you click ‘Like’ on a comment the commenter will receive a notification. Other people who can see the comment based on its privacy setting also will be able to see who has liked the comment.”

Already the web’s number one time sink, expect this feature to add a few more minutes per day to our collective use of Facebook.

Hello Kitty Has Her Own iPhone Twitter Client

2010-06-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

After Twitter purchased and relaunched Tweetie for the iPhone (now known as Twitter for the iPhone), many people expected the race for the ultimate iPhone Twitter app to slow down. Those individuals didn’t count on a Hello Kitty Twitter client. Yes, that’s right, we said a Hello Kitty Twitter client.

Developed by Digital Garage, makers of the free Japanese Twitter client Tappit, Hello Kitty on Tappit [iTunes link] is a fully skinned Twitter client featuring everyone’s favorite mouthless cartoon cat. The images are all licensed by Sanrio and the app works in both English and Japanese.

We’ll admit, we originally purchased this $3.99 app for the novelty factor. I mean, come on, a Hello Kitty Twitter client is the sort of thing three-year-old Christina would go completely crazy over. At 27, I still squealed like a little girl.

Here is where it gets interesting: As a Twitter client, Hello Kitty on Tappit is actually pretty awesome.

Advanced Features Plus Hello Kitty

The interface for the app is almost identical to that of Tweetie. The layout of the bottom menu is the same, and the compose menu and multiple account support work the same way.

In addition to being able to upload videos and pictures and shorten hyperlinks, Hello Kitty on Tappit lets you embed what are called “deco-images.” These images are basically little animated icons that can be viewed natively in any Tappit Twitter client or via a hyperlink for users of other Twitter clients. 40 of these deco-images are available in the app.

You can also choose between four different backgrounds for the client itself. We wish we could also change the color of text, as it is difficult to read on certain backgrounds.

Retweets are handled the same way the official Twitter app handles them. You can also use and search by geolocation, and view the latest trends (powered by What the Trend) and user profiles. The only feature that this app doesn’t have is Twitter List support.

Additionally you can customize gesture controls in the app for designated actions. By default, a swipe to the right will create an @reply. You can customize swipes to the left or two finger swipes to perform other actions, including favoriting a message and sending a direct message, retweet or quote.

For kitschy fun — or for users that want a Twitter client with superb Japanese language support — Hello Kitty on Tappit manages to be both adorable and functional.

Mark Zuckerberg on Privacy and the Stupid Things He Did in College

2010-06-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Steve Jobs took the stage and was hit hard with questions on Adobe Flash, the lost next-generation iPhone and Facebook’s increasing competition with Google.

AllThingsD producers Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher definitely didn’t let up the 26-year-old founder. They questioned him on the recent privacy fiasco, instant personalization, his past at Harvard, and his future as CEO of the web’s most important companies.
The Privacy Backlash

Swisher and Mossberg wasted no time digging into the big issue: Facebook and privacy. Zuckerberg started by making it clear that “privacy is very important to us.” He says that Facebook isn’t out to make all of their users’ information public — that’s a misperception. In fact, he drilled deeper, saying that they never changed people’s privacy settings, they just suggested settings where some information is left public.

It didn’t take long for Mossberg and Swisher to turn up the heat, though. Mossberg asked Facebook’s CEO why he’s making people take extra steps to protect their information. Zuckerberg eventually responded that people still have control over their Facebook information, and more than half of the userbase has changed privacy settings at one point, demonstrating that most users understand the privacy tools.

That wasn’t the end of the privacy discussion, though. Much of the conversation became Mossberg and Swisher trying to get answers to one question, but Zuckerberg finding ways to dodge. There was no straight answer from Zuckerberg about why Facebook Instant Personalization was opt-out instead of opt-in. Most likely, we’ll never get one.
Zuckerberg the Kid, Zuckerberg the CEO

There was a lot of focus on Zuckerberg himself during his time on stage. Swisher asked Facebook’s CEO how he felt about the backlash against him and whether he has been accurately portrayed to the rest of the world. His response began with his telling Swisher that he “did a lot of stupid things” when he was in college, and that he doesn’t intend to make excuses for it. He was likely referring to IMs that recently surfaced that took a less-than-serious attitude towards privacy.

More of the focus was on Zuckerberg as the 26-year-old CEO of Facebook. He discussed how it is his job not to make the same mistakes of his competitors, although he once again dodged the actual question (“Who are your competitors in this space?”). He reiterated that he intends to be CEO of Facebook when it goes public, although he wouldn’t reveal when that would happen. Given his tight control over the Facebook Board of Directors, it’s tough to find a scenario where he would be forced out.

As with many of his interviews, Zuckerberg focused less on himself and more on generalities, such as his focus on building a great team and having a clear direction for the company. He didn’t seem to think of himself as the CEO of one of the world’s most important companies, but just the leader of a team that shares his values.

Overall, Zuckerberg likes to talk about the topics that interest him — the social graph, building great products, etc. — and he avoided answering the uncomfortable questions about privacy, controversies, and IPOs. Still, we give him credit for going on the stage of D8 at all.

Cats Can Now Tweet with New Liveblogging Device

2010-06-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

If you love your cat so much that you can’t stand to be away from it — even for a hot second — you’re in luck: Sony Computer Science Laboratories (CSL) Inc has developed a liveblogging device for Mr. Mistoffelees and friends.

This revolutionary new toy, which was created with the help of the University of Tokyo, comes all pimped out with a camera, an acceleration sensor and a GPS, which monitors kitty’s every move, translating actions like walking, eating and sleeping into tweets. Sadly, there are only 11 fixed phrases currently available (I’m guessing, “I left a lovely hairball in your sneaker” is not among them), but Sony CSL is hoping to improve Fluffy’s conversational skills soon.

The device fits easily onto the cat’s collar, so as to avoid hindering its movement, which means your cat can tweet all over the neighborhood.

We’ve seen an influx of novel Twitter functions of late: tweeting trees, tweeting beds and even tweeting cows. While the tech may seem kind of, well, silly, we could see it being of use to people besides lonely cat ladies. For instance, such a collar could be exceedingly useful for zoologists and the like.

What do you think of the tweeting cat collar? Genius or cat-astrophically ridiculous?

Facebook and Google Maps Dominate Smartphone App Usage [STUDY]

2010-06-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Nielsen has released a new mobile application report and its findings showcase not only the increase in smartphone usage, but also what applications are most popular. For its report, Nielsen surveyed more than 4,200 people who had downloaded a mobile application in the last 30 days.

The survey really highlights just how much smartphone ownership trails traditional feature phone ownership, at least in the U.S. Nielsen’s study shows that 21% of American wireless subscribers have smartphones.

Still, even non-smartphone users have heavily embraced mobile apps. Nielsen’s survey indicates that the average number of apps that a feature phone user has on his or her device is 10, while the average number of apps a smartphone user has is 22.

Broken down even further, the average number of installed apps based on smartphone OS looks like this:

BlackBerry: 10
iPhone: 37
Android: 22
Palm: 14
Windows Mobile: 13

Most Popular Smartphone Apps

While the specific applications vary from platform to platform, the most popular apps across smartphones were pretty consistent in this report: Maps, weather, Facebook and music all had strong showings.

Check out this chart which breaks down the five most popular apps by smartphone OS:

It’s interesting to see just how much Facebook dominates the mobile app space; it’s one of the top five apps on each of the platforms highlighted. Still, Nielsen notes that broken down by demographic, MySpace is still very popular among teens and that LinkedIn is strong in the 25-44 demographic.

Do any of these findings surprise you or does this align with your own mobile app usage? Let us know.

source: mashable.com

AT&T Stores Being Prepped for Apple iPhone 4G Launch

2010-06-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

BGR is reporting that AT&T [T] is sending out engineers to corporate store locations to plan and set up new kinds of display in preparation for the next generation Apple iPhone that we are expecting to hear details about next week.

Not much is known about the new displays other than they are a "new kind of display" which we suspect is for the launch of the new handset.

Although there has been a ton of leaks regarding the Apple iPhone 4G, we still don't have all the details such as when it will arrive, what the final model will look like and how much it will cost. We expect to hear the full details at WWDC this coming Monday where Steve Jobs is doing the keynote.

Essential Trait of Embryonic Stem Cells Found

2010-05-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

In a groundbreaking new investigation that could have significant implications for the field of bioengineering, researchers at the University of Edinburgh managed to gain new insight into how embryonic stem cells are defined, and into how they work. The new data could be of vital importance for bioengineers in their quest to produce artificial organs from stem cells. Understanding the behavior of these cells, and also the reasons underlying those behaviors, could advance this field at a fast pace.

The work reveals that embryonic stem cells (ESC) are made up of cells that continuously shift states between precursors of any other cell type in the human body. The investigators believe that this is one of the most important traits for these cells, as this must be the thing that allows them to eventually differentiate into any type of cell in the body. Though this constant shifting has yet to be understood thoroughly, the UK scientists say that they will continue to investigate this behavior further. The end goal of such investigations is to identify the exact time at which ESC exist in a certain form so that experts can isolate them.

If bioengineers want to create an artificial liver, for example, they need liver tissue. Over-simplifying things, they basically need to know when the ESC shift into a state that makes the viable precursors for liver cells. Once they know this, they can either create artificial cells with the same properties, or harvest the needed organic material from lab-grown stem cell cultures. A major implication of the new study is that ESC are not a single type of cell, but rather a collection of such structures, that constantly shift form. Details of the work appear in the latest issue of the open-access scientific journal PLoS Biology. The investigation was funded by the Medical Research Council and the Scottish Funding Council.

“This study changes our view of what embryonic stem cells are and how they behave. Knowing that embryonic stem cells can switch between different founder cell types could help us isolate cells at a point in time when they are primed to become specific cells. This could improve the ability to produce specific cells in the laboratory,” explains University of Edinburgh Medical Research Council Center for Regenerative Medicine expert Dr Josh Brickman.

Google Nexus One Android 2.2 Link Pulled

2010-05-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Google [GOOG] uploaded Android 2.2 for Nexus One users to download and update their smartphone. Today we found out that in fact, the Android 2.2 AKA Froyo available for download, wasn't the final build.

We now learn that Google has pulled the download link and will make users wait for the official and final OTA update to arrive which is expected in the next couple of weeks.

With Google making the link live a few days ago, for a few days, it isn't out of the question that you could probably find a copy of it somewhere on the internet.

If you are desperate to get your hands on a copy of the Android 2.2 build then have a hunt around on Google and you should find it. Alternatively, just hang on a couple of weeks for the final build which might include some last minute bug fixes.

After Facebook, Pakistan Blocks YouTube Over Sacrilegious Content

2010-05-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of Pakistan’s blockade of Facebook due to caricatures of Prophet Muhammad comes the news that Pakistan has also blocked YouTube due to content that’s offensive to Islam.

While the Facebook ban in Pakistan was a direct result of a group calling users to submit drawings of Prophet Muhammad, the YouTube blockade isn’t explained in detail. According to AP, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority simply cited “growing sacrilegious contents” as the reason for the ban.

The ban of Facebook and YouTube is likely to continue until representatives from both sites resolve the dispute with the Pakistani government in a way that “ensures religious harmony and respect.” Facebook representative said the usual way to resolve such issues, if the group in question doesn’t break its terms of service but is illegal in another country, is to restrict the group from being shown in that country.

However, the blockade seems to be much wider, as some of our readers, as well as reports on Twitter, point out that access to Flickr, Wikipedia and other sites has been restricted, too.

Google Nexus One running Windows 3.11 for Workgroups

2010-05-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

It's not often you see Windows 3.11 for Workgroups these days. In fact, the last time I probably used that OS was back in the 90's while at college. One user with a Google Nexus One has managed to get the old OS running on his smartphone.

Although the demonstration shows Windows 3.11 running on a HTC Nexus One from Google [GOOG], you can actually get it working on any Android OS based smartphone that has a decent processor and performance.

Other items used include a Bluetooth Wireless keyboard for sending commands to MS-DOS and a computer to get DosBox running.

If you are familiar with the Android OS, one thing you may be saying “huh?” about at this moment is that there is no HID support within the Bluetooth stack to allow the use of wireless keyboards. But we won’t let that stop us now, will we? Since ADosBox does not yet support the use of the onscreen virtual keyboard, we have no other choice! Don’t worry, there’s a solution that I’ll cover in here shortly.

What you need....

* On your phone:
* ADosBox
* Teksoft BlueInput for Android (this will give us the HID input we need for the iGo Stowaway keyboard… sorta). You will need the paid version because you need use of the Enter key. Also, this software is so buggy and inaccurate that I do NOT recommend it for anything outside of a project like this.

* On your computer:
* DosBox
* An installation image of Windows 3.11

If you have all that then head on over here for full instructions on how to install Windows 3.11 on your Android OS based smartphone. I'm sure it will be fun to use for maybe 30 minutes until you realise how much things have changed since the 90's! One good thing that could come out of this is Minesweeper although I really have no idea if that was included with 3.11 or not.

Apple iPhone 4G Leaked Again

2010-05-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Things can't be going too well for Apple [AAPL] at the moment after another iPhone 4G has been leaked in Vietnam. Perhaps we are looking at the same phone we have seen a couple of times before though. Right now, I've lost track of how many phones there have been captured on camera that all look very similar. I believe it might be the fifth as there was one captured earlier this year before the Gizmodo leak, then the Gizmodo leak, then Vietnam, then France and now Vietnam again. The last three and perhaps the first could all be the same unit though.

Either way, we now have a video of the iPhone running what appears to be some sort of diagnostic screen called Inferno. This looks to be a "bonfire" at the top of the screen with some text at the bottom of the screen showing some sort of USB status and a command saying Run Bonfire.

Some people believed the Inferno screen was just a static image, as in a sticker on the screen or a fake screen. We now see that this is part of the innards of the OS.

It is unclear at the moment where these phones are coming from and if Apple will pursue the factories were they are being built and the individuals who have been seen on previous videos.

Either way, it will certainly be a different product release for Apple with most of the anticipation not being there due to knowing most things about the phone already.

Apple Confirms AT&T Has iPhone Exclusivity Until 2012

2010-05-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

It was speculative before given the lack of independent confirmation, but now apparently Apple has gone on record to confirm that the original deal signed with AT&T for iPhone exclusivity back in 2007 was a five-year deal. That means at least some legal hoops would need jumping through if we’re ever going to see that oft-rumored Verizon iPhone before 2012.

Engadget reports that court documents filed by Apple in a California class-action suit confirm the original AT&T exclusivity deal had a five-year duration. The suit, ongoing since 2007, claims that Apple and AT&T were exerting a monopoly over iPhone service by surreptitiously locking iPhone buyers into renewing contracts with AT&T once their initial two years was up.

On the flip side, there are a number of reasons such a contract might be amended or canceled, so it’s not exactly a total given that the iPhone won’t appear on another carrier before 2012. But given the original terms, it could require some tricky negotiation or legal fancy footwork to get there.

Moreover, the class-action suit also alleges an illegal monopoly over the iPhone App Store, which the court ruled substantial enough to move forward. On both fronts then — consumer market and legal proceedings — it will be fascinating to watch for further details on when the AT&T iPhone exclusivity curtain might drop or even be forcibly struck down.

Do you think we’ll see the iPhone come to another carrier before 2012?

Twitter to Launch Twitter Business Center

2010-05-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

We have confirmed with Twitter that beta testing of its new business features, dubbed the “Twitter Business Center,” has begun.

According to the company, “only a handful of accounts have these features presently,” but it will expand on a gradual business to more accounts. One of the biggest additions: the ability for businesses to accept Twittter direct messages, even from people they don’t follow.

We were able to grab exclusive information and screenshots of the Twitter Business Center thanks to our friend Dave Peck, a social media strategist at LSF Interactive/blogger at New Media Chatter.

Here is an overview of some of the new features that businesses can expect to enjoy in the near future:

Starting Up with Twitter Business Center

A small group of business users are getting emails from the Twitter team, inviting them to test “the Twitter Toolkit.” This is how the invite email begins:

“Congrats!
Your account has been invited to participate in testing one of Twitter’s newest business-centric features, the Twitter Toolkit. We’ll be rolling it out to you within the next few days (if you don’t have it already) for your business or organization’s Twitter account. To get started, visit your business’ Twitter account settings…
http://twitter.com/settings/account
…and look for the “Business” tab. From there you’ll be directed to fill out some information which will help us verify your business or organization.”

Once businesses clicks the link, they have to activate the business features for their accounts. It then takes them to a page where they fill in information such as business contact info and whether they are a small business, large company, or an individual/group:

Digging into the Features

Once a business activates its account, it is automatically verified. This is important because Twitter Verified Accounts have been limited to individuals thus far. It seems like Twitter has finally decided to expand the Verified Accounts program to brands and organizations.

After activation, four tabs appear: Overview, Business Info, Verification, and Contributors. Overview provides basic information about business accounts and Business Info allows a company to change the information that it submitted during initial registration. The Contributors tab, which we revealed several months ago, gives businesses the ability to add multiple users to a business account so that they can tweet on its behalf.

The tab that interested us the most though was the “Verification” tab. Take a look at the “Preferences” section in this screenshot we obtained of the Verification tab:

Twitter has a new feature for businesses: the ability to accept direct messages from any of their followers, regardless of whether they follow that person or not. This is huge for businesses that perform customer service via Twitter: they can get feedback and deal with private customer issues without having to follow the person back first.

The microblogging startup seems focused on getting more businesses the tools they need to effectively manage their Twitter accounts. There are no details yet as to how much Twitter will charge businesses for these features. For now though, the company is refining and testing its Twitter Toolkit before its eventual public debut.

New Samsung S8500 Wave camera samples here to impress

2010-05-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

The Samsung S8500 Wave is one of the most eagerly anticipated devices of the season and its supposed availability has been keeping the mobile world on its toes since last week. But here we aren't going to discuss whether or not you can actually purchase the handset from those stores that claim to have it in stock.

Instead we will give you several camera samples that we created with the latest Samsung S8500 Wave unit that we received. It's not a final market-ready unit but it comes damn close, or at least so it seems from the photos and videos that we are about to show you.

As you know the Wave, the first Bada-running smartphone, captures 720p videos, which is all the rage these days. The nicely saturated colors and the good framerate (those are real 30fps, no duplicated frames gimmicks this time) make up for really pleasing results.

See for yourselves in the samples below.

We also took several 5 megapixel still shots with the Samsung S8500 Wave camera. The pleasing colors are again there for you to see, but the slightly too aggressive noise reduction takes its toll on the fine detail. Still this is only a pre-release unit, we might see further optimizations.

Good Q1 for Samsung, more touch phones and smartphones to come

2010-05-03T19:37:00.001-07:00

We've seen how the other companies did during the first quarter of the year and now we'll have the chance to see how things are going for Samsung. As expected, their Q1 financial report looks pretty well.

After the impresive Q4 here comes the equally strong Q1 for Samsung. The company managed to sell 64.3 million handsets during the first three months of 2010, which makes good 40% increase compared to last year's Q1.

Those brought the company approximately 7.66 billion US dollars which is an 8% sales increase Year-on-Year. The operating profit of nearly 1 billion US dollars marks a 1% decrease Year-on-Year.

Samsung estimate their market share to around 22%, which is better than the 20% in 2009. That guarantees the company's second position in the Top 5 mobile phone manufacturers ranking.

The future looks quite bright for Samsung, too. Due to the economic recovery and the expected increase in the demand the company should ship 10% more handsets than last year.

19% of them are expected to be smartphones, compared to the 16% of last year. 27% of all phones sold in the first quarter of this year were equipped with a touchscreen, while only 12% of all sold mobiles in Q1 2009 were touch-driven.

Samsung see the reasons for their success in the strong product lineup (including an increasing number of touch phones, smartphones as well as China 3G models) and the improved distribution channels in the emerging markets.

Source

HOW TO: Turn Your Android Phone Into a Killer MP3 Player

2010-04-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

So, you’re an Android mobile device owner who also likes music. Welcome to the resistance!

We all know That Other Company has a pretty tight marketing grip on the digital music scene, and all that is cool, but your Hero, Droid or Nexus One is not only your best friend — it’s a killer music-playing device.

Here’s how to transform your Android-powered machine into an amazing MP3 player for you and your friends to enjoy.

1. Grab Your Music

First, you’re going to want to get your massive music collection onto your device. We’ve found great tutorials and step-by-step instructions all around the web for doing this. Here are some good links if you own a Droid, a Hero, a Nexus One, an Eris or a G1/Magic/Dream. If your device isn’t listed here, just do a quick web search for your device’s name and terms such as “get music library.” We road-tested the Droid instructions, and they worked like a charm.

Of course, if you can’t find your USB cable to connect your device to your computer, you can always try WebSharing File/Media Sync. For $2.99, this 4.5-star rated app lets users upload and download files, including music, between a mobile device and a computer through a WiFi connection.

2. Sync With iTunes (Optional)

If you’re already an iTunes user, and you don’t want the hassle of lurking through forums, migrating your library or dealing with DRM issues, we recommend you check out doubleTwist. This genius app, which is billed as “the cure for iPhone envy,” will let you port your iTunes library to any device. Cheeky, just like the app’s ad campaign.

Also, if you’re a really big iTunes junkie and don’t like the Android interface for music, check out bTunes Music Player. This app costs $1.49, is rated 4.5 stars on the five-star scale, and is in the 1,000-5,000 downloads range.

3. Download New Tunes For Free

There are quite a few apps on the Android Market for getting new tunes without visiting the Amazon music store. Music Junk is a popular title with a 4-star rating and between 10,000 and 50,000 downloads to date. This app allows users to search, download and store any song for free.

You could also use TubeDroid, a $1.99, 4.5-star app, to download YouTube videos (or just the audio alone) to your media library.

Of course, use these apps at your own risk — downloading free music from sites in search results and YouTube can be a legal gray area in terms of copyright.

If discovery is your middle name, and you’re into finding new music from indie and underground scenes around the world, you might want to check out New Music Junky. For £2.50 (that’s $3.84), users can get music from unsigned artists “before DJs even get it,” as the creators claim. They also offer to e-mail tracks if needed.

4. Stream Audio

Of course, Pandora for Android is free, popular, and highly rated in the Android Market. Pandora users will have access to their usual stations. PlayMe is another free, streaming solution with a library of three million tracks, all on-demand.

If you don’t mind paying for your streaming media, StreamFurious for $5.99 ranks high on many lists. This app is great if you’re looking for a lightweight app to stream radio content, from music, to ESPN, to NPR and more. DroidLive, a popular 4.5-star app, costs $3.99 and streams music and online radio in a plethora of formats, with great search and tagging capabilities built in as well.

5. Get the Right Peripherals

Whether you’re listening alone or with friends, you want the best sound you can get. Essentially, any 3.5mm jack should work with your device (G1 owners will also need a USB to stereo adapter). From iPod earbuds to top-of-the-line audio docks, you’ve got a wide range of options.

For personal listening, we’ve heard great things about Bang & Olufsen Earphones, which are reputed to be of excellent quality as well as comfortable and stylish. And we’ve always had a soft spot for Skull Candy’s vibrant line of headgear, which includes earbuds and headphones.

When it comes to sharing music with others, you could go for Bose quality for less than $100 with a pair of handsome graphite speakers. If you’re going for something more compact, we love this Altec Lansing speaker.

6. Customize Your Tunes for Your Lifestyle

Want to turn a snippet of one of those tunes into a ringtone? Try RingDroid. It lets you edit your favorite songs or record your own sounds to create custom ringtones right from your phone.

And if you hate waking up to an annoying alarm sound, you’ve got to try the 4 star-rated Playlist Alarm. You can create multiple custom playlists from your device’s library of tunes and wake up in delight every morning… or afternoon, whatever. If insomnia is your problem, you could also try MusicSleep, a $1.59, 5-star app that lets you set a timer and listen to your tunes as you drift into slumber.

Those are a few tips, tricks and apps we can recommend for putting all your iClone friends to shame. Android owners, what are your favorite music apps in the Market? Let us know in the comments.

Google Acquires Stealth Startup Founded by Ex-Apple Employees

2010-04-20T23:01:00.000-07:00

Google has acquired Agnilux, a very secretive stealth startup founded by former Apple employees that reportedly was working on new server technology.

The company was founded by a group of engineers from P.A. Semi, which was acquired by Apple in April 2008 for $278 million — their technology is what powers the Apple iPad’s A4 microprocessor.

After the acquisition, several employees left Apple to found Agnilux, including Amarjit Gill, the former EVP of Sales and Business Development for P.A. Semi. Very little is known about the startup, with a recent report from NYT’s Bits Blog uncovering only that it’s working on some type of server and that it has a partnership with Cisco.

A Google (Google) spokesperson told us the following: “We’re pleased to welcome the Agnilux team to Google, but we don’t have any additional information to share right now.”

Google could be using Agnilux to upgrade or enhance its server technology. The search giant owns hundreds of thousands, if not millions of servers to power the world’s search queries. Any improvement in efficiency would be a boon to Google’s bottom line.

The acquisition was first reported by peHUB. Agnilux’s website has been taken down since the report.

Hitler “Downfall” Parodies Removed from YouTube

2010-04-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hitler “Downfall” Parodies Removed from YouTube

The movie studio responsible for the award-winning, German-Austrian film Downfall (German: Der Untergang) has asked YouTube to take down several videos from the massively popular subtitled “Hitler finds out…” meme, and the site has complied.

Search YouTube and you’ll still find hundreds of Downfall parodies, but click through to some of the bigger ones and you’ll now get the message, “This video contains content from Constantin Film, who has blocked it on copyright grounds.”

According to TechCrunch, the first Downfall parody to be taken down was the one about the iPhone 4G leak, but other popular parodies followed. At four million views, “Hitler Gets Banned from Xbox Live” was one of the most watched and thus among the casualties. The remaining videos might get taken down soon as well.

Each parody video takes a scene from Downfall in which Hitler throws a tantrum when he learns that he cannot win the war. Fake subtitles are then applied to make it appear as if he’s having a tantrum about something else. The topics have ranged from Michael Jackson’s death to Hitler learning that he’s the subject of an out-of-control YouTube video meme.

Downfall director Oliver Hirschbiegel told New York Magazine that he laughs at the parodies. “You couldn’t get a better compliment as a director,” he said. Unfortunately, Constantin Film’s legal team isn’t as easygoing about it.

Xperia X10 Available at Telstra Come May 4

2010-04-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

Wireless carrier Telstra recently announced plans to launch another Android-based mobile phone, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. Australian users will be able to enjoy the features and capabilities of this handset starting with May 4, and those interested in the Xperia X10 can head to the carrier's website now to register for updates on the matter.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 comes to the market with a 4-inch touchscreen display, it is powered by a fast 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and users will enjoy Google's Android 1.6 operating system on it (the platform is upgradeable to 2.1). Popular apps from the Internet giant, including Gmail and Google search, are also present with the device, along with a series of solutions from Telstra, such as Mobile FOXTEL, Whereis Navigator and Yellow Pages Mobile.

“A piano black finish, metal highlights and a stunning 4-inch screen make the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 one of the most distinctive looking smartphones available. Telstra Next G customers will also be able to personalise their Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 by selecting from thousands of free and paid-for applications available from the Android Market - including games, transport apps, productivity tools, fitness apps and news services,” Telstra Executive Director, Mobility Products, Ross Fielding said.

The specifications list of Xperia X10 includes an 8.1-megapixel photo snapper with auto focus, smile detection, face recognition, video recording, or 16x digital zoom, Bluetooth A2DP, TrackID, microSD memory card slot for additional storage space (an 8GB card included in the package), Assisted-GPS, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm audio jack, and support for Microsoft Exchange Active Sync, IM, MMS, SMS. The phone measures 119 x 63 x 13mm and weighs in at 135g.

When launched on May 4, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 will be available for free on Telstra's $110 Ultimate plan, which offers 150MB of data each month, for 24 months. Users will be able to acquire the device for free on the $99 cap plan for 24 months too, while those interested in getting the phone without a contract will have to pay $1099 for it.

“Two apps unique to the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 allow customers to view all of their communication or media in one screen. Timescape displays all of a customer's communication in one view including SMS, email, Facebook posts and tweets making it easier to keep up to date. Meanwhile, Mediascape allows customers to browse and access media content saved on their phone or available online - for instance on YouTube. Unique integration with the BigPond Music service lets customers view and purchase associated songs from inside the app,” Fielding added.

Windows 7 SP1 Early Testing Under Way

2010-04-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

Microsoft is currently cooking the first service pack to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, a release described as a minor upgrade, but an upgrade nonetheless. The first official details on Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2008 SP1 were shared in mid-March, 2010, but it is clear that the Redmond company is doing much more than simply offering information on upcoming SP1 features. Windows 7 SP1 Build 6.1.7601.16537 v.153 being leaked to BitTorrent trackers and warez websites is an indication that the software giant has already kicked off early testing of the service pack outside of Redmond.

After all, confirmation was already offered that the company was gearing up to offer the first taste of Windows 7 SP1. “Microsoft is preparing partners and customers for early testing of Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Windows 7 SP1 will include only minor updates while Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 will offer two significant new features, enabling greater scalability and a richer user experience for desktop virtualization,” a message on the Microsoft Partner Network associated with an article titled “Microsoft Takes First Steps Toward Developing Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2” notes.

Windows 7 SP1 Build 6.1.7601.16537 v.153 (6.1.7601.16537.amd64fre.win7.100327-0053) was compiled on March 27, according to the information in the Build string. Third-party sources claim that this is a pre-Beta release of the service pack, and that Microsoft is working to produce the first fully fledged Beta.

I had a look at Windows 7 SP1 Build 6.1.7601.16537 v.153, and you can read more about this development milestone here, including viewing screenshots of the deployment process and post-installation. The leaked documentation accompanying the Windows 7 SP1 Build 6.1.7601.16537 v.153 contains additional information on the service pack, also available via the link above. Of course, neither Windows 7 RTM nor Windows Server 2008 R2 RTM actually need SP1 in order to be ready for deployment. “Continue to deploy Windows 7 now, and check back for more information in the coming months about SP1,” the company adds on the Microsoft Partner Network page.

Members of the Microsoft Partner Network can access WNS204PAL: Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Overview on the Partner Learning Center for additional details on the service pack.

“On March 18th at the Desktop Virtualization Hour, Microsoft announced that Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 were in development. Alongside this announcement, Microsoft also announced that the Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX technologies will be shipped in Service Pack 1. This live meeting will give an overview of Service Pack 1, the two new features, and how to adjust your sales conversations to take advantage. We will hold additional Academy Lives that will go deep into the new features,” it is noted in the description of the resource.

New Electronics to Fight Off Arrhythmia

2010-03-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

A collaboration of universities in the United States has recently produced a new type of silicon-based, biocompatible devices that could in the near future combat the effects of arrhythmia. This is a condition of the heart that makes the organ skip a beat from time to time, or simply move irregularly. The new instrument the researchers developed, which is based on flexible electronics, is implanted via a minimally-invasive surgical procedure, and is capable of regulating heart beats, potentially saving many lives in the process.

The innovation was developed by a team of investigators led by scientists at the University of Illinois. The group also included scientists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Northwestern University, in Evanston. With the development of this technology, the advent of surgical electronics may not be far off, the group says. Details of how the system works appeared in the March 24 issue of the respected publication Science Translational Medicine, as a cover story.

At this point, there are two main methods of treating this condition, in addition to other, less-used ones. The first revolves around implanting pacemakers into the heart of patients. These instruments regulate the beat of the heart, but relay on internal power to operate. The other method is called cardiac ablation therapy, and it basically works as follows: surgeons identify and mark clusters of cells that appear to be beating to their own tune, and then they ablate, or remove, them from the heart. But some of the challenges facing these methods include the fact that electrodes to sense and stimulate the heart cannot be readily attached to the smooth, round surfaces that the muscle contains.

John Rogers, the Lee J. Flory-Founder Chair in Engineering Innovation at UI, and also a professor of materials science and engineering, led a team that created flexible electronics for this particular use. The bendable sensor array can be wrapped around the heart all at once, mapping large surfaces for electrical impulses. More than 2,016 silicon nanomembrane transistors are included in the array, each of which is perfectly capable of monitoring the flow of electricity that races through the human heart with every beat. The result is a high-resolution, real-time display of the heart's pulsing cardiac tissues.

“We believe that this technology may herald a new generation of devices for localizing and treating abnormal heart rhythms,” explains UP expert and co-senior author of the work, Brian Litt. “This allows us to apply the full power of silicon electronics directly to the tissue. […] these approaches might have the potential to redefine design strategies for advanced surgical devices, implants, prosthetics and more,” Rogers says. The innovation “sets out a new design paradigm for interfacing electronics to the human body, with a multitude of possible applications in human health,” he concludes.

Space Agency Leaders Meet to Discuss the ISS

2010-03-11T22:46:00.001-08:00

Today, March 11, the leaders of all five major space agencies involved in the International Space Station (ISS) project met in the Japanese capital Tokyo, to discuss about the future of the orbital laboratory. Representatives from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) discussed about the opportunities that the nearly-completed laboratory now has to offer scientists, after more than 10 years of construction efforts.

The station is, at this point, about 98 percent complete and is fully capable of sustaining a permanent six-member crew. It can house multiple scientific experiments at the same time, and resupply missions such as the ones conducted on the American shuttles (4 flights remaining) and the Russian Soyuz space capsules, and can easily take more up and return others too. The potential of in-orbit research, which comes with the unique possibility of conducting experiments in microgravity, should be promoted more intensely, the officials agreed at the meeting.

“The Heads of Agency reaffirmed the importance of full exploitation of the Station’s scientific, engineering, utilization, and education potential. They noted that there are no identified technical constraints to continuing ISS operations beyond the current planning horizon of 2015 to at least 2020 and that the Partnership is currently working to certify on-orbit elements through 2028. The Heads of Agency expressed their strong mutual interest in continuing operations and utilization for as long as the benefits of ISS exploitation are demonstrated,” experts at ESA write in a press release on their official website.

All of the top representatives agreed to persuade their respective governments to continue backing up the ISS project until its limits are fully realized. The officials believe that the ISS should remain operational for at least another ten years, given the amount of money, effort and sacrifice that went into constructing it. “This research will deliver benefits to humanity on Earth while preparing the way for future exploration activities beyond low-Earth orbit. The ISS will also allow the partnership to experiment with more integrated international operations and research, paving the way for enhanced collaboration on future international missions,” the ESA statement reads.

Evernote for Android Comes on T-Mobile's Samsung Phones

2010-03-11T22:42:00.000-08:00

Evernote for Android Comes on T-Mobile's Samsung Phones

T-Mobile customers who are also fond of Google's Android operating system can now get more from their handsets by purchasing a Samsung mobile phone that runs under the mobile platform. Evernote announced that they had inked a deal through which all Android-based devices from Samsung going on sale via T-Mobile would have their application pre-loaded.

The Samsung Behold II is one of these handsets and, all of those users who will purchase a new such handset will enjoy the Evernote app already available on their phone. Moreover, it seems that those who already purchased such a handset will be able to enjoy the solution too, via an update that, if not sent to them already, will come in the near future.

“The new Samsung phones come with Evernote for Android, the newest and fastest growing member of the Evernote family. Evernote for Android lets you create text notes, snap photos and record audio memos. You can also upload files, such as PDFs. If you’re a Premium user, then you can attach any type of file, including the videos you shoot with your phone,” the company notes on its website.

Evernote comes with a wide range of features, enabling users not only to create new stuff, but also offering them the possibility to find all the notes they made on their handset, on a desktop PC or on the web. Not to mention that they are also able to search for notes that have been created near their current location. Android phone users can download and install the application for free from the Android Market, as well.

“Evernote is making a major investment in Android this year, and now that so many people will get to see us on Samsung phones, we’re even more motivated than ever to make the Evernote for Android experience as great as possible. Expect lots of new features and improvements in the months ahead,” the company also notes.

Nokia and Intel Unite to Create New Mobile OS

2010-02-15T06:35:00.000-08:00

Unlikely partners Intel and Nokia have joined forces in an attempt to fend off increasing mobile competition from Google, Apple, and Microsoft. The two companies have merged their mobile OSes into one entity: MeeGo. You can expect the first mobile devices running on MeeGo later this year.

MeeGo is a merger of Nokia’s Maemo OS and Intel’s Moblin OS, both of which are Linux-based. Maemo is the platform that runs the Nokia N900, while Moblin runs on phones such as the LG GW990 and netbooks from Foxconn, Acer, and others.

Overall though, both are small fry when compared to Google’s Android platform or Apple’s iPhone OS, which could be part of why Intel and Nokia felt it was necessary to team up.

As for how the thing will work: well, it’ll be built around the Moblin core OS, but it will utilize Nokia’s Ovi Store for its apps. It’ll be hosted by the Lunx Foundation as an open source project. Oh, and MeeGo will not just be for mobile phones either, but is intended to work on netbooks, tablets, and televisions as well.

In some ways, the entire thing just seems like a “too little, too late” attempt by both companies to muscle their way back into the smartphone market that Apple and Google have been taking by storm. Neither Moblin nor Maemo have the intuitive interface of Android or the iPhone OS (or the app catalog of either), and it’s tough to see how a merger will change that.

Still, at least they’re not giving up without a fight — it’s too big of a market to simply surrender. Combining resources and encouraging open source additions will probably help its development as well. We’ll see what the two companies come up with later this year.

FBI’s Most Wanted: Your Browsing Activity

2010-02-06T07:01:00.000-08:00

FBI Director Robert Mueller wants ISPs to track “origin and destination information” about their customers’ browsing habits and store them for authorities’ use for two years, according to a CNET report.

That would mean monitoring the IP addresses, domains and exact websites users visit, and then storing that information for months. If officials who support this measure get their way, federal, state and local law enforcement would be able to access the information via search warrant or subpoena.

Access to exact URLs would require deep-packet inspection, which could be a violation of the Wiretap Act. The courts would end up having to make a ruling one way or the other if authorities try it.

The argument in favor is that the FBI has long been able to do this with telephone call information, but since so much telephone communication has been replaced by web activity, this would just be a preservation of existing powers. And those in favor insist that no actual content would be released to authorities — only points of contact. For example, authorities can see that a phone call was made from one number to another, but they don’t know what was said unless they wiretap.

The FBI says it could use an ISP’s data to investigate suspected child pornographers, but there are obviously potential abuses as well. The good news for privacy hawks who oppose this sort of thing just as strongly as they do the CIA’s alleged use of social networking data is that no significant progress has been made to get this done; consider this more a statement of intent. It’s not the first though; a formal request was sent to congress almost two years ago.

Symbian OS Goes Open Source

2010-02-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

As of today, the source code of Symbian 3 mobile OS (the successor of previous Symbian versions, S60, S40 and others) is open and free to use. Nokia had acquired Symbian back in 2008, turned the consortium that makes the software into the Symbian foundation, and has now decided to make it available to all phone manufacturers. The source code is published under the Eclipse Public License (EPL).

Although it’s the most popular mobile OS, powering some 330 million phones, Symbian has been in some sort of a limbo lately. On one side, it competed against the increasingly popular (and completely closed) iPhone, while many manufacturers, such as Motorola, opted to use the open source Android, which offers a much more similar experience to iPhone than most Symbian phones.

Lee Williams, executive director of the Symbian Foundation, claims that the new, open Symbian has an advantage over Android. Symbian is fully open, he says, while “about a third of the Android code base is open and nothing more. And what is open is a collection of middleware. Everything else is closed or proprietary.”

Still, one can’t help but wonder whether Symbian is a bit late to the game here. Many manufacturers have already all but ditched Windows Mobile and Symbian in favor of Android, and some of them (like Motorola with their Droid) have been quite successful with Android-based devices. Whether the new version of Symbian, together with the move to open source, will be enough to make Symbian interesting to manufacturers, remains to be seen.

Windows Live and Facebook in New Flavors for Windows Phones

2010-01-26T05:38:00.000-08:00

Windows Live for Windows phones

Users of a handset running under Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system can now enjoy two updated applications on their handsets, namely the Windows Live for Windows phones and the Facebook client. However, there seems to be a catch with each of them, as the latter is only available for devices running under Windows Mobile Standard, while the later, although listed at the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, still installs the older version 10.7.0060, it seems.

The new Windows Live for Windows phone version listed in Microsoft's app store is 11.1, dated January 22, yet those who already downloaded and installed the application say that version 10.7 is the one that is actually deployed on their mobile phones. There are great chances that the new version has been listed there before its time, or that the download links haven't been yet updated.

Here's what Microsoft says about this application version: “MUST REBOOT THE WINDOWS PHONE AFTER INSTALL. Before installing, please be sure to manually uninstall any existing version of Windows Live prior to version 11. Now you can stay connected to those that matter most with Windows Live for Windows phone. Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail, Photos and the “What’s New” feed are now all available on your 6.x Windows Phone.”

As for the official Facebook client for Windows Mobile, is seems that the new version of the application that can now be seen in the Marketplace for Mobile is 1.2, though the installation shows version 1.1.0.14. However, the client has been certainly updated, though it should be mentioned that only for Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard Edition (non-touchscreen) mobile phones.

Facebook for Windows phones

While the new version is not yet available for handsets running under Windows Mobile Professional Edition (touchscreen), the guys over at pocketnow gave the available new flavor a try, and came up with a list of new features: “First of all, there are now little icons and numbers representing comments as well as the number of people who “like” each post. There’s a new menu that lets you comment AND read other people’s comments AND “like” things. There’s also a new “Search” command in the menu that lets you easily find new people and add them as friends or send them messages (depending on their security settings).”

Motorola's WiMAX Solution Power FET's 4G Network

2010-01-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

Motorola and FET launch WiMAX network in Taiwan

Motorola announced today that Far EasTone Telecom (FET), a leading telecom operator in Taiwan, has just launched its WiMAX 4G network in Taichung city using end-to-end WiMAX solutions from Motorola Home & Networks Mobility. According to the company, the new network can deliver high speeds and is based on 4G technology that supports various services, including mobile Internet, mobile movies and music or family-oriented digital entertainment.

Motorola and FET signed deployment and expansion contracts in 2007 and 2009 respectively, and the former delivered end-to-end solutions like high-performance WAP 400 and WAP 450 base stations or Connectivity Service Network (CSN) Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA)/Home Agent (HA) solutions. At the same time, the company also revealed that the new network covered almost the entire Taichung city, and that the infrastructure would be expanded and enhanced as usage grows.

“We are excited about the launch of the WiMAX 4G service, which provides many possibilities to expand and tailor services for home and mobile users as well as business users and consumers,” said Jan Nilsson, president and vice chairman of FET. “We are delighted to work with an experienced provider such as Motorola that has designed, supplied and deployed a high-performance and reliable network for FET. Motorola's end-to-end solution and quality services help us to create new revenue streams and attract new subscribers.”

With the launch of the new WiMAX 4G service, FET is capable of delivering mobile connectivity on 2G, 3G and 3.5G technologies. The WiMAX network is expected to deliver a low-cost alternative to home DSL service, so that users can benefit from a new entertainment experience. At the same time, the network also comes with support for “nomadic usage by business users and consumers.” Heavy mobile Internet users are those to benefit the most from the new service, the carrier notes.

“FET is a pioneer in providing state-of-the-art telecom services in Taiwan. We are pleased that our technologies and quality services can support them to move to the new mobile broadband era,” said Dr. Mohammad Akhtar, vice president and general manager, Home & Networks Mobility, Motorola Asia Pacific. “Motorola is a global leader of WiMAX technology, and our expertise and experience ensure smooth and quality deployment of the advanced 4G technology for operators worldwide.”

Egyptian Pyramids Not Built by Slaves

2010-01-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

The conclusion was drawn after investigating some tombs

The funeral complex at Giza was apparently not constructed by slaves, but by free workers, new evidence shows

According to a recent press release, it would appear that the Great Pyramids at Giza were not constructed using slaves, as it was originally thought. Egypt's Chief Archaeologist said yesterday that, most likely, the amazing structures were built by free workers. Zahi Hawass said that the new conclusion was drawn after he and his team finished analyzing a series of tombs in the vicinity, which do not appear to have been built by slaves either, Reuters reports.

In popular culture, all film references that depict an account of how the pyramids were built show numerous slaves working under the intense heat of the desert, only to have their lives taken away without mercy at the end of their efforts. However, the new investigation, which was conducted on tombs built right next to the Great Pyramids, seems to point to a different conclusion. “These tombs were built beside the king's pyramid, which indicates that these people were not by any means slaves. If they were slaves, they would not have been able to build their tombs beside their king's,” Hawass says.

A number of tombs were discovered near the renowned structures in the 1990s, in what was hailed at the time as some of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th and 21st centuries. All of the mortuary chambers were destined for workers who helped construct the pyramids, most notably those of Khufu and Khafre. Additionally, the excavation team also found primitive graffiti on the walls of some of the tombs, in which the people buried inside claimed that they were “friends of Khufu”. This again falls out of line with the hypothesis that slave labor was employed in the construction process.

Further evidence seems to suggest that everyone involved in the Giza project, more than 4,500 years ago, knew that this was a national enterprise. The researchers found documents that showed farmers in the nearby region sent 21 buffalo and 23 sheep daily to the plateau, in a bid to help feed the estimated 10,000 workers that erected the pyramids. As a reward, the people who sent the food were exempted from paying taxes to the government, which further denotes that little to no coercion was used.

Casio Unleashing Its Digital Art Frame with Dynamic Photo Capability

2010-01-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

Casio America Incorporated and its parent company, Casio Compter Co. Ltd, announced the development of a new and revolutionary digital imaging product, capable of transforming digital photographs into works of fine art (cough), namely the Digital Art Frame. Well, this I cannot help saying, you actually need something more than an "ordinary digital photograph" to start with in the first place, but come to think about it, let's not discuss taste.

"We are excited to announce yet another innovative product with unparalleled features distinctive to Casio," said Toshiharu Okimuro, Chairman of Casio America, Inc. "The Digital Art Frame adds personalization and artistic integrity to your conventional digital photo frame."

Embedding a "snapshot-to-painting conversion" function, the Casio Digital Art Frame can render digital photos into creative, and even personalized artistic expression. This digital frame is nothing like other conventional digital photo frames on the market, going beyond the status of a simple decoration that displays favorite photos in a row, in someone's home or office, just because it can develop quite original (by that I mean unique) photographic artwork from digital images.

The conversion is handled by image recognition and image processing algorithms embedded into the Digital Art Frame's software. Users are given the commodity of turning their photos into eight different styles at the push of a button, namely, Water Color Painting, Color Pencil Sketch, Pastel Painting, Pointillism, Air Brush, Oil Painting, Gothic Oil Painting and Fauvist Oil Painting.

If the above are nothing more than simple image filters that one can apply anytime in an image processing software (try GIMP for example, it's free), then Casio ensured its Digital Art Frame follows the company's step, by adding Dynamic Photo, which is a very known function in Casio's digital cameras. What this does is to allow users to create composite moving images, by combining moving characters directly on the frame. Aside from that, one can also use the Art Dynamic Photo function to apply snapshot-to-painting conversion to the Dynamic Photo images.

Technical specifications include a 10.2-inch WSVGA color LCD screen, an internal memory of 2GB, one SD memory card slot, also SDHC compliant, an in-out USB port, built-in stereo speakers and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity. No pricing information yet.

Apple to Ship Tablet Device in March

2010-01-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

I’m not big on the whole rumor thing these days, but the WSJ and a few other sources are reporting that Apple will finally announce their touchscreen tablet computer on January 27th. It will include a 10 to 11-inch screen, and as previously reported run a variation of the iPhone OS and apps. Unfortunately, the computer is said to ship in March, which is relatively unorthodox for Apple as they often like to announce a product within weeks if not days of a ship date.

Looking to build on the momentum of its iPhone and iPod, Apple Inc. will unveil a new multimedia tablet device later this month, but isn't planning to ship the product until March, say people briefed by the company.

While the device's ship date hasn't been finalized and could still change, people briefed on the matter said the new product will come with a 10 to 11-inch touch screen—which would make it closer in size to Apple's line of MacBook laptops than its smart phone.

Apple was working on two different material finishes for the device, one of these people said, ...

World's First USB 3.0 Peripheral Silicon Certification Goes to Symwave's SW6316 USB 3.0 to SATA Controller

2010-01-04T09:33:00.001-08:00

Symwave, one of the many other leading companies in the silicon supplying of system solutions for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 market, has just announced that its SW6316 USB 3.0 to SATA storage controller has reached the point of achieving the World's first USB 3.0 peripheral silicon certification by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). The Implementers Forum had initiated the USB 3.0 Compliance and Certification Program back in September, and of course, this is the gold standard for testing USB products.

“Symwave has demonstrated several SuperSpeed USB 3.0 World’s firsts including a physical layer device (PHY), a single chip USB 3.0 to SATA storage controller, a dual-drive RAID storage controller delivering 400 MB/s, and now the World’s first USB 3.0 device certification. Compliance to industry standards is essential to the successful deployment and broad market adoption of any new technology, and the USB-IF demonstrated great leadership by launching a compliance program early,” said Yossi Cohen, President and CEO of Symwave.

But what does this certification actually mean? Well, just the fact that along with the certification of the company's device, Symwave's OEM customers can imprint the "SuperSpeed Certified" logo on their products, ensuring consumers are provided with the best confidence of interoperability, compliance, and performance as set forth by the USB-IF.

“Working with the USB-IF team over many months at the forefront of the test procedures development was both challenging and rewarding. Our OEM customers' products can now prominently display the 'SuperSpeed Certified' Logo which consumers have come to recognize as assurance that the product meets the highest standards,” added Cohen.

All in all, this is how things work, and come to think about it, actually, how things should work, because there are too many fake products that claim unreal specifications. If all the people that got USB 1.0 instead of the claimed USB 2.0 speed gave me 1 cent, I'd be filthy rich right now.

New UI from Microsoft, Forget about GUI and NUI

2010-01-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

The mouse and keyboard aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, but this is not stopping human computer interaction researchers to push the boundaries of UI and deliver new concepts. While the graphical user interface made the keyboard and mouse the core of a worldwide ubiquitous interaction paradigm, the GUI as we know it represents the past. With Windows 7, Microsoft is ushering in a new era, in which the Natural User Interface changes the way users interact with their machines, through touch, gestures and speech. However, Microsoft itself is exploring additional UI concepts, such as muscle-computer interfaces (muCIs).

According to a patent filing unearth by TechFlash, the Redmond company has asked to be awarded patents for a new method of computer interaction which involves Electromyography (EMG). What Microsoft is proposing is a system for recognizing gestures from forearm EMG signals, essentially using electrical activity from muscles in the hands to deliver instructions for the computer.

The patent filling reveals that Microsoft has been researching a new “approach [designed] to infer user input from sensed human muscle activity. Advances in muscular sensing and processing technologies make it possible for humans to interface with computers directly with muscle activity. One sensing technology, electromyography (EMG), measures electrical potentials generated by the activity of muscle cells. EMG-based systems may use sensors that are carefully placed according to detailed knowledge of the human physiology. Specific muscle activity is measured and used to infer movements, intended or not. While this has been done with meticulously placed EMG sensors under artificial test conditions and finely tuned signal processing, to date, gestures have not been decoded from forearm EMG signals in a way that would allow everyday use.”

At the bottom of this article, you will be able to see a video containing demonstration of muCIs in action (courtesy of BeingManan). The new UI methodology is capable of sensing and decoding human muscular activity and translating the result into computer input. The technology is capable of associating pressure exerted by fingers with certain commands, but also has finger-specific functions and connect functions with certain postures.

“A machine learning model is trained by instructing a user to perform proscribed gestures, sampling signals from EMG sensors arranged arbitrarily on the user's forearm with respect to locations of muscles in the forearm, extracting feature samples from the sampled signals, labeling the feature samples according to the corresponding gestures instructed to be performed, and training the machine learning model with the labeled feature samples. Subsequently, gestures may be recognized using the trained machine learning model by sampling signals from the EMG sensors, extracting from the signals unlabeled feature samples of a same type as those extracted during the training, passing the unlabeled feature samples to the machine learning model, and outputting from the machine learning model indicia of a gesture classified by the machine learning model,” it is added in the Microsoft patent filing.

Windows 7 SP1 Is Cooking, External Testing Build Coming

2010-01-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

Microsoft is gearing up for an important stage in the testing of its first major update to the latest iteration of the Windows client. The Redmond company traditionally releases the first Service Pack for a new Windows OS approximately one year after the platform was finalized, and is currently cooking SP1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. A third-party report indicates that the software giant has started preparing Windows 7 copies for the delivery of the first external testing development milestone of Windows 7 SP1.

According to WithinWindows, Microsoft is following the same strategy for Windows 7 as for previous Beta service pack rollouts outside of Redmond. In this regard, the company began enabling a check within Windows 7 operating systems, which would qualify the respective versions as candidates for testing the SP1 Beta. The process involves refreshes served through Windows Update in order to add a registry key as well as an associated value which will permit members in the Windows 7 SP1 Beta testing pool to download the new bits.

Here is the Key added to Windows 7 RTM machines: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Win7SP1 and this is the value coming with it SPORTM (REG_SZ). At the time of this article, Microsoft had yet to either confirm or deny the fact that external tester had been approached for Windows 7 SP1 Beta testing.

Don’t be deceived by the fact that Windows 7 was released on October 22nd, 2009, when attempting to calculate when SP1 will be delivered for the operating system. Fact is that Microsoft finalized Windows 7 at the end of July. It was on July 22nd that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 were released to manufacturing, plenty of time for the software giant to start working on the first service pack for the latest versions of the Windows client and server platforms.

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Review

2009-11-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

Ubuntu is a community-developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work, Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email apps, to web server software and programming tools. Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business absolutely for free.

Features:

· Ubuntu will always be free of charge, including enterprise releases and security updates.
· Ubuntu comes with full commercial support from Canonical and hundreds of companies around the world.
· Ubuntu includes the very best translations and accessibility infrastructure that the free software community has to offer.
· Thousands of software packages available for download
· Easy to install
· Easy to use

Right after Ubuntu's fifth birthday it was time to celebrate once more, because a Karmic Koala was released, and it brought with it a lot of reasons to upgrade. If Ubuntu 9.10's smart looks haven't convinced you yet, maybe the fast boot times and overall enhanced performance will. You still don't know what Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) is all about? Then read on, we will clue you in.

While writing this review, I tried to put myself in the "shoes" of a new Ubuntu user. This meant that I didn't go on to installing my favorite programs or setting up everything as I like right after installing the operating system, but instead I tried to make do with what Ubuntu provides in the default installation. Also, I tried to stay away from the terminal and, largely, succeeded in doing so. We've tested Ubuntu 9.10 over a period of one week on the following systems:

· AMD K8 nForce 250Gb Motherboard
· AMD Sempron 2800+ Processor
· Nvdia GeForce FX5500 Video Card
· 512 MB RAM
· IDE HDD 80 GB Maxtor
· LG CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive
· 17" LG Flatron L1730S LCD · Intel Gigabyte GA-965P Motherboard
· Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz
· Nvidia Leadtek Geforce 7300GS 256 VRAM
· 1 GB DDR2 RAM
· SATA HDD 80 GB Seagate
· Samsung WriteMaster CD/DVD RW Drive
· 19" DELL LCD

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· Notebook HP ProBook 4510s
· Intel Core2 Duo CPU T6570 2.10GHz CPU
· Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 HD
· 4 GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
· 250GB 7200RPM HDD
· LightScribe DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
· 15.6" WXGA HD LCD · Notebook Fujitsu-Siemens AMILO M1437G
· Pentium M 760 2.00 GHz CPU
· ATI Mobility Radeon X700
· 768 MB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM
· 80GB 5400RPM HDD
· DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
· 15.4" WSXGA LCD

dots

· AMD K8 nForce 250Gb Motherboard
· AMD Sempron 2800+ Processor
· Nvdia GeForce FX5200 Video Card
· 1.5 GB RAM
· IDE HDD 80 GB Hitachi
· LG CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive
· 19" Samsung SyncMaster 910N LCD · Intel Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2 Motherboard
· Intel Core 2 Duo 7500 2.98 GHz Processor
· Nvdia ASUS GeForce 7300GT Video Card
· 4 GB DDR2 RAM Mushkin
· SATA2 HDD 250 GB WesternDigital
· 22" Samsung SyncMaster 2233 LCD
(tested with Ubuntu 9.10 AMD64)

Installing Ubuntu

So, you download this freshly-prepared ISO image, write it to a CD, then you pop that back into the disk drive and reboot your computer. Assuming that your BIOS settings are correct, Ubuntu should start loading and, after a while, present you with an almost empty GNOME desktop. If you just want to see what this operating system is all about, you're free to wander around the menus and try out the applications – since this is a live session, the chances of doing something that will alter or destroy valuable data are slim to none. But if you're talking business, the Install icon is right there on the desktop, waiting for you to double click it. The average installation takes about 15 minutes, depending on the language options that you select and whether you have an active Internet connection or not, but you can be done with it in less than 10 minutes if you install from a USB drive. Most of the complicated partitioning schemes, like dual booting setups, are greatly automatized, and if you want to dedicate an entire hard drive to Ubuntu then your installation will be trouble-free for sure.

Softpedia has covered the changes that the latest Ubiquity installer incorporates, and I think that the feature slideshow is a great addition that gives a brief but diverse overview of what Ubuntu has to offer, just perfect for new users as it may serve as a quick "which application does what" rundown. If you have installed previous Ubuntu versions, you won't have any problems in getting 9.04 on your machine.

First impressions

When the (short) installation process is done, restart the machine and get a real feel for the new and very polished boot process. At first you will get a minimalistic-looking splash screen with the Ubuntu logo in solid white on a black background, but after a few seconds the new X-based bootsplash will kick in. The developers were hoping to design a streamlined boot process that would be able to start XSplash very early and they nearly did just that in Alpha 6, but the kernel output was destroying its smooth and professional look so they decided to cover up the text with a (albeit short) USplash session.

If you didn't enable automatic logins while installing, GDM (GNOME Display Manager) a.k.a. "the login screen" will disrupt the smooth journey to the desktop by asking you to pick a username and provide a password. The overall look is in line with the USplash theme, rendering a minimalistic and unobtrusive appearance, albeit a little too dark for my taste. After the credentials have been supplied, XSplash will return for a little while, which can be quite annoying.

There is a good side to XSplash's extended presence on your screen. By the time GNOME has finished loading in the background, the X-based bootsplash will fade out and you will be given access to a completely ready desktop environment, no hidden load times here. The view to the wallpaper is unobstructed, the graphic itself being quite an improvement over the abstract and brownish ones that were included in previous Ubuntu versions, or the animal themes in the last few releases. At least for me, the golden sand dune can be too bright at times, but that can be mitigated by lowering the Gamma value in your video card control panel or by simply changing the wallpaper altogether, because you have a wide choice of stunning backdrops right from the get-to.

The new icon set complements the minimalistic look that is present throughout various components, and the libnotify popups integrate well with everything else, sporting smooth fades and transparencies.

Initial setup

Probably the first thing that you notice and which you are familiar with is the Firefox icon on the top panel, next to the Help launcher. By using it you can quickly access a browser session, provided by Firefox 3.5.3 (version 3.5.4 was made available three-four days after the official release). As you're probably well-accustomed to this web browser, I won't go on about its security features and the customization possibilities. All you need to know is that it's there, and it's ready to be used.

Let's see what the Ubuntu developers included for instant messaging. In the Internet menu is the Empathy IM Client, it can't be more obvious than that. You start it up and a wizard appears. I was expecting to configure my XMPP account in one go, but apparently Empathy's creators thought that everyone would be using Jabber.org's service, so they didn't provide a way to enter an alternative address in the wizard. The good thing was that the Network Error notification that followed suit had a big "Edit Account" button on it, but unfortunately the server setting was hidden under yet another "Advanced" group.

After you've configured Empathy and your Contact List gets filled with your buddies, it's time to drop them a line and, preferably, some emoticons to express your feelings about this operating system that you have installed. Well, calling the chat window simple would be an overstatement; it's stripped down to the bare basics in fact. There are no formatting controls and, well, no buttons in it. If you want to insert an emoticon (not type one), you will either have to right-click the text area or click the "Conversation" menu and go into the "Insert Smiley" list. For me, that is pretty limited and cumbersome.

When you close the Contact List, it simply disappears. You can access it from the Indicator Applet, but it takes a while to get used to not having a dedicated IM icon in the notification area. Aside from the lack of features, chatting in Empathy works as expected, and I didn't encounter any problems.

Evolution Mail, on the other hand worked flawlessly. I started it up and I was greeted by a setup wizard through which I configured everything, quickly. My e-mail setup requires SSL, and it was right there, along with all the other relevant options. Upon finishing the wizard, my e-mails loaded up and, surprisingly, even my folders and starred items were correctly set up. However, there was no way I could convince Evolution to import my feed list, or to act as a feed reader. Thunderbird is quite a good aggregator, but Ubuntu's default e-mail client is simply not capable of doing that (there is a plugin, but it's not installed by default).

After noticing Empathy's behavior when closing the Contact List, you would think that Evolution works in the same way. In fact it doesn't; once you close the window it's gone for good, and there appears to be no way you can configure it to remain active in the background. If your e-mail client stays opened all the time, like mine, you're stuck with a big window and with an entry in your taskbar all the time.

Productivity applications

With all communication problems sorted, let's figure out how Ubuntu can help us get some work done. In the Office menu you will find a dictionary application, Evolution and the well-known OpenOffice.org software suite.

We knew for quite some time that Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) would incorporate OpenOffice.org 3.1.1. This office suite will take care of word documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, and after you get used to it you will see that it's as good as any other alternative office suite and in some cases better. Proprietary formats are well supported, and the faster startup times will cut down on the waiting period between clicking a document and actually starting to work on it.

I'm not a big fan of Evolution GroupWare, but it seems that it is preferred in corporate environments to the detriment of other similar solutions or software suites. While it lacks some features that would come in handy, it balances them out with the easy setup, no-surprises interface, great stability and low resource usage. It incorporates a calendar, a task organizer and a memo manager, and users can import vCards, .csv, vCalendar files directly. Evolution works with all versions of Microsoft Exchange Server, with the exception of Exchange 2007. It can be synchronized with Palm Pilot devices with gnome-pilot, and OpenSync enables it to be synchronized with mobile phones and other PDAs.

For graphics work we have an old-time classic that has been included in Ubuntu since the get-go. I was hoping that GIMP 2.8 would be ready in time for inclusion into Ubuntu 9.10, but that didn't happen, so instead we have the latest stable version, GIMP 2.6.7, which is about two months old. While it still doesn't feature layer grouping, it is the best free software alternative for graphics and image editing.

Of course, since we are talking about productivity apps, including a good Solitaire card game application is a must. If you're a purist and you want to port your Windows habits to Ubuntu, you will find AisleRiot Solitare to be much more advanced than its proprietary counterpart. It features more than 20 different card games that you can play by yourself, including FreeCell, and if you get bored with it you can choose something else from the collection of logic, puzzle and action games that Ubuntu ships with.

Multimedia support and connectivity

After all this setting up it was time to relax a bit, maybe even watch a video or two on YouTube. So I started up Firefox and I didn't get anywhere fast, because there was no Abobe Flash support. Ubuntu worked on integrating a Firefox plugin that searches and installs the Adobe Flash Player with the package manager, but it appears that YouTube's custom scripts override that function, and instead it will point you to the official Adobe Flash download page. That complicates things a bit, because it misleads a new user into manually installing packages. If the user happens to stumble onto another page that doesn't have any custom scripts, Firefox's Adobe Flash plug-in finder will work correctly and you will be able to choose which Flash support package you want (Adobe's, of course) to install, enter your password and that's it.

The speculation that Banshee will replace Rhythmbox circulated intensely during the initial development of Karmic Koala, but Rhythmbox remains the default music player and media management application in Ubuntu, for now. It is a fairly capable program that can accommodate both novice and more demanding users, and it features play queue and playlist management, multiple playback modes, Audio CD creation and import, podcast support, Last.fm scrobbling and, last but not least, device sync and management. Since some audio formats are restricted, if you load up an MP3 file you will be prompted to start a search for suitable codecs, then you can install them. However, Rhythmbox refused to play the file even after taking those steps, and it was necessary to quit and then run Rhythmbox again for it to work.

Personal Media Players that use the MTP protocol for connecting to the computer have been a constant source of problems, but getting them to work is quite easy if you know where to look. If you plug one of these players into one of your computer's USB ports, you will see that Ubuntu itself recognizes the device and offers a variety of actions for it, but Rhythmbox doesn't appear to detect it. To get it to work you need to enable "Portable Players - MTP" in Rhythmbox's "Configure Plugins" Window, then your will be able to copy music to your player. MSC devices, those that can be manipulated like a regular USB drive, work without a hitch.

One particular problem with Ubuntu's setup is that MP3 files, and possibly others, are set up to open with Totem, the video playback application, instead of Rhythmbox. I think the system is configured this way so that you can preview or listen single files quickly, and if you think they should be part of your collection you will copy them to your music folder. This mode of operation isn't fully configured either, because you will need to configure a music folder in Rhythmbox and eventually enable the new file detection in it. However, you can choose to open a file with another application by tweaking its properties.

Although Totem has a simple interface, it is a powerful multimedia player. When the codecs required to play a file are missing, you will be prompted to install them in the same way that Rhythmbox does. Although I tend to think of media applications as video and audio players, Totem can do a bit of both. It's not a media management utility, but it supports playlists, subtitles, and when you're listening to music it can even display visualizations. A variety of formats are supported, even High-Defintion videos, such as H.264 encoded ones or the popular MKV container.

If you plug in a digital camera, Ubuntu will detect its presence and a helper will be displayed, offering to open a Nautilus window to browse the photos on the camera, or to start up a very functional piece of software called F-Spot. This digital photography management application includes a set of very useful features that allow you to organize, tag, correct, export and, of course, view your photos. Although its interface can get quite busy, with the toolbar, sidebar and filmstrip all occupying a section of the screen, the number of functions packed in F-Spot is well worth it. The timeline slider and the extensions that can upload your photos to various online services definitely deserve being mentioned, and if you need extra functionality, the included extension finder may be able to help.

Large file downloads, like ISO images, are being increasingly delivered through peer to peer networks like BitTorrent. Ubuntu bundles the Transmission application for torrent downloads. While it is a neat and simple to use application, Transmission could be enhanced by adding a first run wizard that will help new users set their download and upload limits so that the torrent traffic doesn't interfere with VoIP or web browsing.

Once you downloaded one of those large ISO images, you will probably want to write it to a DVD or some other optical media. Simple disk creation and duplication tasks like image burning or data backup can be handled by Nautilus, which features a context menu entry for ISOs and a "Send To" item that enables you to add files to a data disk. More complicated tasks, like Audio CD or Video DVD mastering, can be done with the Brasero Disk Burner. It has a very intuitive interface and a lot of useful usage indications, but you won't find any multimedia editing features like DVD menu creation. Also, the annoying "Image Checksum" plugin is still enabled by default, initiating an integrity check of the written data immediately after finishing the burn process. Since most of today's computers and optical drives/disks are reliable enough, I think that the checksum plugin could be disabled by default, or even made to display a prompt asking if you want to check the written data.

Ubuntu on notebooks

Most of the notebooks on which we tested the new Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) had Intel chipsets, but even so, the level of out-of-the-box functionality is impressive. On both the HP ProBook 4510s and the Fujitsu-Siemens AMILO M1475G all the components were correctly recognized, the hotkeys worked, power management was a breeze, and not even using the hardware wireless switches was a problem. The volume wheel and the remote control on AMILO required no additional setup, and I was happy to see that the Bluetooth module on the HP ProBook was already set up and ready to be used.

A very useful feature for notebook users is the home folder encryption option that is available when installing the system, since the data stored on laptops is more valuable than the device itself in most cases. Encrypted Private Directories was introduced in Ubuntu 8.10, but it wasn't enabled by default and, to actually secure data, the files had to reside in a special folder if they were to be encrypted. However, this approach relied on the user to store sensitive data in the private folder, and configuration files like Pidgin's logs or account settings were still vulnerable. Ubuntu 9.04 extended the encryption to cover the whole /home folder, but it still had to be set up manually. In Ubuntu 9.10, this feature is available at install time, and I must agree that it's a very efficient way of protecting your data. Instead of wasting precious resources by encrypting or decrypting common system files that are of no particular interest, it only secures the place in which the user stores its files, the /home folder.

You need to take some precautions when you use the Encrypted Home Folder feature, to ensure that your data won't be rendered useless. By enabling it, the password that you set during setup is used to initially decrypt a much stronger passphrase, which in turn is used to decrypt the data. This generated passphrase is presented to you upon first boot, and it's recommended that you write it down or otherwise store it in a secure place, because it is vital to the recovery of the data, should something go wrong. If you forget your password and lose this passphrase, your files will be locked, and the chances of recovering them with a brute force attack are slim.

Application management

Since there is no feed aggregator preinstalled and Evolution can't do us the favor of fetching the news, the only choice left is to install one. If you have been paying attention to the images on Ubuntu's installer, then you know about Ubuntu Software Center. Add that to the fact that this program is accessible directly from the Applications Menu, and it's not that hard to guess where a new user will go when looking for software to install. So, let's see if Ubuntu Software Center can help us get a feed aggregator. Do a search for "feed," pick one of the listed applications, and in the information page there is an "Install" button that needs to be clicked. After you enter your password the application is installed – it couldn't get much simpler than that.

When the idea of replacing "Add/Remove Applications" first appeared, some voices argued that Ubuntu already had too many different ways to access the repositories and that they should be consolidated. That didn't happen at this time (maybe in later versions), but "Add/Remove Applications" was definitely replaced with a worthy successor. Ubuntu Software Center is a friendly application that has well-defined software categories, built-in search and detailed package information. The Synaptic Package Manager is still included, but its interface and features are aimed at the advanced crowd, so the Ubuntu Software Center is a great resource for new users.

Bugs

I must say that I consider Empahty to be a serious "bug." Although its inclusion into this release is probably similar to the way PulseAudio was adopted, Empathy is seriously lacking in some respects. The audio/video chat function is often unstable or unusable, the configuration options are spartan at best and the account manager and creation tool is complicated and often unintuitive. The latest Pidgin developments have initial multimedia chat support, and the available plugins make it an extremely versatile tool that shouldn't have been replaced so easily.

Conclusion

If you read this review from top to bottom, you will see that many of the software installation/customization tasks were related to the lack of support for some technologies, like Adobe Flash or the MP3 audio format. Support for them, along with many other useful things like fonts, a Java virtual machine and DVD playback can be added to the system by simply installing the Ubuntu Restricted Extras package, with the Ubuntu Software Center app. All those separate knick-knacks could be done away with a single move if the Ubuntu developers created an after-installation prompt that would clearly lay out the associated licensing problems and through which the Ubuntu restricted extras package could be installed at the press of a button.

Aside from that, Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) is a great operating system. The hardware support is excellent, and the resource requirements are lower than in many commercial operating systems. The bundled software package is quite useful and it perfectly fits the needs of a novice or business-oriented user. If you're familiar with the previous incarnations of this operating system, Ubuntu 9.10 will appear to you as a mere visual overhaul over its predecessors, but there are many more subtle changes under the hood.

Taking a look at the bigger picture, the Ubuntu family of operating systems is expanding. You can now base your distributed server infrastructure on the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud, and if you own a Dell netbook you can even try out the Ubuntu Moblin Remix. Last but not least, I personally hoped that Lubuntu, the lightweight XFCE-based community-developed distribution, would be accepted among the officially supported editions, but it looks like we will have to wait until Ubuntu 10.04 for that.

Nokia Siemens Networks Completes First LTE Handover Test

2009-10-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

Nokia Siemens Networks, the worldwide leading infrastructure provider, announced on Monday the completion of the first LTE (Long Time Evolution) handover test in the world, which has been made on a commercially available base station and on software fully compliant with standards. According to the company, the new test is aimed at showing whether the LTE handover procedure is being made correctly by both the LTE test terminal and the Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Multiradio base station.

According to the infrastructure vendor, handover is one of the key features of the mobile radio technology. The newly completed LTE handover test is the first one fully compliant with 3GPP’s March 2009 baseline LTE standard (3GPP is said to be the relevant LTE standards body). The handover in this test has been made between LTE cells of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi Multiradio base station, the company also added.

“Our focus at Nokia Siemens Networks is on commercial hardware and software, not pre-commercial intermediate solutions,” said Marc Rouanne, head of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Radio Access business unit. “We’ve already shipped LTE-capable Flexi Base Station hardware to over 100 customers and this LTE handover on our standards compliant software is another step on the road to the commercial deployment of LTE.“

Nokia Siemens Networks also stated that the handover support was required so as to enable seamless connectivity when the mobile call handling is switched from one mobile cell to another, something that usually occurs when the user is moving. The company also verified handover support on its Evolved Packet Core solution for LTE core networks, such as the Flexi NG and Flexi NS products.

According to the company, the standard compliant LTE network products and terminals are a necessity for the LTE deployments and should offer users the possibility to choose from various products delivered by different vendors. The infrastructure vendor also added that it would sustain the commercial uptake of LTE, offering end-to-end solutions that deliver an easy and cost efficient option to upgrade to LTE.

Windows 7 Logo Built with 7,000 Domino Pieces

2009-10-27T23:37:00.000-07:00

For those who have watched closely the launches of Windows Vista and Windows 7, one thing must be perfectly clear. There is less hoopla when it comes down to the latest iteration of the Windows client compared to its precursor, a smaller footprint Wow as far as marketing efforts are concerned. Nowhere is this more true than in India. While Windows Vista took center-stage at the Taj Mahal, Windows 7 got just a logo built out of 7,000 domino pieces, of course designed to incorporate the number 7 into the launch.

At the bottom of this article you will be able to see the domino extravaganza that went into the launch of Windows 7 from Microsoft India (Being Manan via The Windows Club). Sure enough, the extravaganza was tuned down compared to Windows Vista’s launch. For the official Windows 7 release, Microsoft no longer hijacked the Taj Mahal. Instead 22 company employees at Microsoft’s Hyderabad center built a Windows 7 logo out of 7,000 domino pieces.

In fact, Windows 7’s worldwide launch didn’t even come close to Vista’s, as the Indian release is no exception, but the actual rule. And as ridiculous as the Windows 7 Whopper might have been, as far as meat monstrosities go, it doesn’t even come close to the marketing and publicity stunts Microsoft pulled for Windows Vista.

"Proactive engagement and feedback thereof with partners and consumers was fundamental to the development of Windows 7. It has helped deliver what is the highest quality OS in the history of Windows. It enhances the user experience by its sheer simplicity and caters to their connected lives across work and play. We are delighted by the initial reviews from partners and the technology community. Over 90% of testers from around the world have rated it as "good" or "extremely good" and consider Windows 7 to be responsive, simple to use and stable," noted Ravi Venkatesan, chairman, Microsoft India, on October 22nd.

Google to Launch Self-Branded Android Phone

2009-10-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

In order to spur further growth in the mobile market Google has dedicated a lot of resources to Android, the open-source Linux-based operating system for mobile phones, and the results are starting to be felt with a flurry of new Android-based smartphones hitting the market recently or in the short term future. But it now looks like the company isn't content with letting others build Android phones, as it is apparently close to launching its own device, which should be available at retailers as early as this year.

Google is working with an unnamed smartphone manufacturer and from the details so far it looks like the phone will be one of the most competitive on the market and similar to the highly anticipated Motorola Droid. It may in fact be more powerful than Droid, which is already the fastest Android-powered device to hit the market. The Google phone will sport a Qualcomm processor though it isn't clear if it's going to be one from the Snapdragon family. It will also run the latest version of the Android OS, 2.0, which has so far only made its way into Motorola Droid.

The new phone was revealed by Northeast Securities analyst Ashok Kumar who claims that Google will launch the self-branded phone this year but, in an unexpected though not completely surprising move, the phone will be available unlocked through the retail channel. This comes in stark contrast with the usual way of doing things in the industry as phone makers usually rely on deals with the network operators to sell their phones bundled with a mobile plan.

Not even Apple has been able to move away from this type of deals and it has an infamous exclusive arrangement with AT&T. Google though would prefer to sell the phone without any restrictions to the features and capabilities and is probably one of the few companies that can afford to do so, though the phone's success is far from guaranteed.

What's more, the new Google phone will most likely be available from the mobile carriers too as the search giant has to be careful not to alienate them too much. Google is also in a tricky position with the rest of the phone manufacturers that are using Android, as this puts the company in direct competition with them and there may be worries that it will use its privileged position to favor its own device over the ones from third parties.

Google has been pushing hard into the mobile market recently. As mobile Internet use continues to grow at an accelerated pace, the search giant has its eyes set on the potentially very lucrative market, one that would be a perfect fit for its cloud offerings. The company isn't interested in the devices themselves, which is why it chose to offer Android for free hoping it will spur growth in the mobile space but now it looks like it's taking matters into its own hands to offer an uncompromisable experience, but one that will likely be closely tied to its cloud services and products.

Hands on with Sprint's Hero and Instinct HD

2009-09-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

What a difference a year makes Last September the first Diamonds were trickling into the market while some were holding out for their beloved QWERTY keyboard, but the Instinct still reigned supreme at Sprint. All were fine devices, to be sure, but the landscape has changed drastically since. In June Sprint released the most anticipated device of the year (Pre,) then followed it up with the best BlackBerry ever (Tour,) and maybe the best Windows device ever (Touch Pro2.) Not content to rest on their laurels, the fast-moving company is looking to kick the competition when it's down: enter the HTC Hero and Samsung Instinct HD.

Samsung Instinct HD
The latter is the proper refresh to the original Instinct, bumping the spec sheet in nearly every way. It is the first phone in the US to offer HD video recording, and with an optional HDMI cable content can be displayed on an HDTV. The 5 megapixel camera with flash is a hefty jump up from the original 2MP shooter without. There are proper apps this time around, including the ever-popular Facebook, Twitter, and Google Maps. The interface has been slightly reworked for the better, allowing outlets like weather.com and CNN to deliver content straight to the homescreen. The screen has been upgraded to 3.2" at 320x480 and is much crisper, and an accelerometer lets the user switch to landscape easily. WiFi has been added for those of you who don't live in 3G areas, and the HD marks the first time we've seen the Opera Mobile browser outside of Windows Mobile. All in all, we're really impressed with the upgrades...just not enough to justify the $250 pricetag.

HTC Hero
For a full $70 less you will be able to score yourself an HTC Hero on October 11. Sprint has been on-board with the Open Handset Alliance since launch, but this marks the first Android phone for the carrier. On paper the device is simply the CDMA variant of the European GSM unit, but it has undergone a complete visual makeover. Gone is the distinctive chin, a huge plus in our book, and the the hard lines have been replaced for hand-caressing curves. The buttons have also been mercifully rearranged to be more symmetrical. We wouldn't have minded seeing a dash of color, but the silver-on-gray looks better than it sounds, and the phone feels wonderful in your hands. As for features, Sprint has left the device pretty much alone. Their TV, NFL, NASCAR and navigation apps come preloaded, and visual voicemail has been thankfully included. Beyond that it is the same Sense UI-running Android beast that it was when we first took a look at it. Everything we loved is still there, and the major lag issue seems to be fixed, though some minor lag is still present at times.

So let's review Sprint's lineup again. Best (only) webOS device, check. Best BlackBerry, check. Best Windows Mobile device, check. Best Android device, check. Best (overpriced) dumbphone, check. Best plans, check. Can you hear them now? Check back for a full review of both units soon!

Double-Nucleus Galaxies More Common than Thought

2009-09-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

A Cauldron of Stars at the Galaxy's Center: the central white patch in the image is the dense star cluster at the center of our galaxy
Enlarge picture
Established astronomical knowledge had it that galaxies with two nuclei were very rare. Experts believed that small galaxies had one made up of a star cluster, whereas the more massive ones had a black hole at their cores. But a new study comes to prove that the double-nucleus galaxy is, in fact, not that rare of an occurrence. In the research, which analyzed 50 regular galaxies, 12 were found to have both a black hole and a star cluster at their cores. A paper detailing the finds appears in the latest issue of the scientific journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, ScienceDaily reports.

In charge of the new investigation were Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) Associate Professor Alister Graham and Dr. Lee Spitler. Much to their amazement, they discovered that it was not at all uncommon for regular galaxies to have a black hole at their cores, as well as a cluster containing up to ten million stars around them. The presence of such a significant number of double-nucleus galaxies increases the chance of some peculiar astronomical phenomena occurring, Graham reveals. One example consists of black holes beginning to consume nearby stars.

“When stars get too close to massive black holes, the gravitational attraction is such that they can be devoured. When you’ve got up to a million stars within the immediate vicinity of a black hole, the chance of this occurring increases significantly,” the expert says. He adds that such proximity could mean that there are also more hyper-velocity stars in existence than first estimated. “This is when a star approaches a massive black hole and gets caught in a gravitational slingshot. When this happens stars can be ejected from galaxies at speeds in excess of 500 kilometers per second,” Graham explains.

The team also says that double-nucleus galaxies increase chances that the phenomenon known as gravitational radiation actually exists. “Such emission has been predicted by Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, but has never been observed. It is theorized that when stars spiral quickly around a black hole the motion will create gravitational waves – causing ripples in the space-time continuum,” Spitler shares.

“As part of our study we were able to look at star clusters and black holes and determine their mass in proportion to each other and their host galaxies. This knowledge is going to affect the way astronomers develop models for galaxy formation and evolution. Previously evolution models only dealt with one type of nucleus per galaxy. We now have the rationale and data to develop hybrid models that can account for co-existing nuclei and hopefully explore their dynamic joint evolution,” Graham concludes.

Nintendo Wii Price Cut Imminent

2009-09-15T00:27:00.001-07:00

Sony released a new version of the PlayStation 3, styled Slim, but also cut the price of its gaming console significantly. Microsoft responded the same way, slashing the price of the Xbox 360 Elite version. Nintendo did nothing. Of course, the executives at the company talked about how their device was already well positioned to appeal to a wide array of customers and that it was selling extremely well at the current price point. But it seems that the company is already talking to big retailers about a coming price drop.

Videogame consumer site Kotaku is reporting having access to an advanced copy of an add set to appear in Wal Mart stores in October, talking about a “rollback” for the Nintendo Wii.

Nintendo of America issued its standard response to such rumors, saying that it does not comment on speculation and Wal Mart did not comment on the issue either but it makes sense for the Japanese console manufacturer to first introduce a price cut at big retailers, those that tend to move the biggest amount of devices.

The speculation is that Nintendo is worried about the latest NPD Group numbers, which show a decline for the Wii year over year, while the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 are set to gain traction due to the reduced price. The Wii is still selling for the 250 dollars it has cost since its launch and shaving 50 off that would surely mean that it will become more attractive during the all-important Christmas shopping season.

There are speculations that an announcement would come at the Kyoto Cross Media Experience 2009, an event set to begin on September 26. On its home territory, Nintendo might choose to make a grand announcement and maybe even talk about updating its console through an HD version that should come in the future, countering the attraction that Microsoft and Sony might generate with Project Natal and the motion tracking wand.

Samsung Announces App Store Launch for September 14

2009-09-01T01:40:00.000-07:00

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung has announced today that it plans on opening its on-device application store for all Samsung smartphones on September 14. Already expected to kick off this year, the Application Store is set to be launched in the UK, France and Italy, the company states, mentioning that it will also come to over 30 countries in the near future, including Germany and Spain. At the same time, it should be noted that the app portal will only be available on Omnia and I8910 HD handsets, with Omnia II (I8000) and OmniaLITE (B7300) to see support shortly after the launch.

The new Samsung Application Store comes to the market in line with other application portals launched by leading mobile phone makers and wireless carriers, in a trend that was initiated by Apple's App Store. According to Samsung, mobile phone users will find a wide range of applications available at its app portal, including games, references, social networking, e-books and other solutions. In order to access the store, Omnia users will have to install a mobile client available for download at samsungapps.com, while I8910 HD ones only need to update their software.

The client comes with support for English, French and Italian, and for credit card and phone billing. In addition, the company also says that those who haven't yet signed up as members of the Application Store will still be able to download and purchase apps, only that they will use the phone billing payment option. There will be more than 300 software solutions available at launch, and their number should rise to over 2,000 before the end of the year, the company says.

“Samsung is a proven leader in delivering a fantastic end-to-end mobile experience and continues to demonstrate its dedication to its customers with the new Samsung Application Store,” said Paul Reddick, CEO of Handmark. “As the exclusive content aggregator for the store, we are excited to bring the largest catalogue of both Handmark content as well as popular titles from our extensive network of partners to Samsung customers on day one.” Hosoo Lee, executive vice president of Samsung’s Media Solution Center, added,“The Application Store will expand the service channel, not only on handheld devices but also on PCs through the launch of new PC software. The software will allow customers to download applications and manage them on a PC to maximize service usability

Windows 7 vs Vista VGA game performance

2009-08-22T01:24:00.000-07:00

Windows 7 (Final) vs Windows Vista VGA game performance analysis
ATI and NVIDIA -- Single versus Multi-GPU.

Last week Microsoft released the final build (RTM) version of Windows 7 to MSDN members, yes Windows 7 has gone gold, though you as a consumer might have to wait a while longer (October) for you to be able to upgrade to Windows 7. MSDN members already have access to the final build and as such can prepare and migrate to the new Operating system.

Guru3D received a couple of licenses and as such we started to install our test systems with Windows 7 Professional edition, and we were curious. See, when Windows Vista was released we consumers ran into a stack load of driver issues. I remember Catalysts received WHQL status, yet the drivers secretly missed out on half of their functionality.

But it wasn't as bad as NVIDIA, no Sir. NVIDIA arrived on the scene with their Windows Vista driver massively late and under-developed. In fact "VISTA GEFORCE CRASH" was one of the most popular Google search combos at that time.

Credit where credit is due, once the press started to really tackle the issues NVIDIA and ATI were both nearly ready with some proper drivers. Initially though, overall game performance was still lacking opposed to Windows XP with a 10~15% performance differential. The bugs and negative performance impact was one of the many things that made Windows Vista spin into a negative spiral, from which for the bigger part, Microsoft never recovered. It's a branding stigma similar to say the TLB bug that haunted AMD with the first Phenom release.

Fact remains that over time all these issues ironed themselves out, and to date I consider Windows Vista to be a lovely platform to work and game with. But now there is the pending release of Windows 7; roughly two months ago I had already been contacted by parties like NVIDIA and AMD asking if we wanted to test their drivers with the Windows 7 Beta. I refrained form that offer as I strongly felt it makes no sense whatsoever to publish results based on a beta driver with a beta operating system. Last week Microsoft released the RTM build of Windows 7, this is the final build that is going gold. With ATI and NVIDIA releasing Windows 7 compatible drivers for a while now, we figured now's a good time to see how well game graphics performance is on Windows 7 and how stable the platform actually is.

The good news is that both ATI and NVIDIA for the Windows 7 release did their homework this time around. As such in this article we will check out the current Windows 7 drivers, look at performance in-between Windows Vista and Windows 7 and look at stability.

We can already say that not only do we like Windows 7 very much, but also the VGA drivers are extremely mature and performance is actually right on par with the latest Vista drivers.

Let's start off this article, with a VGA performance overview in-between Windows Vista 64-bit and Windows 7 64-Bit.

PlayStation 3 Gets 3.00 Firmware on September 1

2009-08-19T19:56:00.001-07:00

The new firmware will be launched with the PS3 Slim

The PlayStation 3 is one of the most important consoles on the market being the most powerful one in terms of hardware. As you all know by now, Sony officially confirmed that a new version of the platform, the PlayStation 3 Slim, would be released on September 1.

Also at that time, a new version of the PS3 firmware, the 3.00, will be released for all of the devices out there. It will incorporate some pretty big changes and will bring new features. First of all, the navigation on the platform will be improved thanks to some design changes to the XMB (Xross Media Bar). The system is now even easier and more intuitive to use, according to Sony.

You will now have a new “What's New” option when you will start the PS3 system, which will keep you up to date with everything regarding the console and the PlayStation Network. The section will display the latest and greatest games, videos or other news, as well as recently played titles in an animated format.

A new status indicator will be displayed in the top right corner alongside your user icon, friend icon, number of friends you have online and any other small icons that will let you know if you have any new messages. A scrolling ticker will also be displayed, containing the latest news from the PSN.

The Friends List feature will also receive an upgrade with the 3.00 firmware, as a redesign was implemented. The messages received from your friends will be viewable under each of their profiles, making it much easier to interact with them. Custom themes and avatars will also be supported, which will be free or premium, all available through the PlayStation Store.

Upcoming games will also support a new feature for the Trophy system, which will reveal just how much of a game you went through and what other trophies you unlocked in any additional content for that game.

AdSense to Deploy Improved Contextual Targeted Ads

2009-08-19T19:55:00.001-07:00

The enhancements will be rolled out this week

Google may be a sprawling giant with interests in many different areas but it still makes the overwhelming majority of its revenue from advertising. So, while it may not get much of the spotlight, it takes its advertising products very seriously. The company is now announcing that its affiliate advertising program AdSense is getting some important improvements to be rolled out this week.

“I'm excited to let you know that this week, we'll be rolling out a series of enhancements to AdSense's contextual targeting capabilities, which will more accurately match relevant ads to webpages. You won't need to update your AdSense account or ad code, as these changes will be applied automatically. In many ways these types of improvements are par for the course at Google - but I wanted to let you know about the kinds of improvements we've been focusing on,” Woojin Kim, AdSense product manager, wrote on the AdSense blog.

The contextual targeting technology powering AdSense ads is one of the most important components of the product. It scans and analyzes the pages where the ads are deployed to find which of these are more suitable for the content and thus more likely to be interesting to the users. Interested users means more clicks on the ads, which in turn means happier advertisers and wealthier web site owners. After AdSense determines the type of content on the site it does an automated auction to decide which of the ads that match it to display.

The system, though, isn't perfect, as with all machines trying to understand human behavior, so it may end up serving a less relevant ad, thus not helping anyone involved in the process. The improvements Google will be unveiling this week should help with the relevancy of the ads and the changes should be, more or less, visible as soon as they are implemented. Google also assures its users that the changes are strictly specific to the contextual targeted ads and won't affect other ad types.

New Stem Cell Gene Splicing Method Created

2009-08-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

The field of stem cell gene splicing is now about to really take off, experts at the Whitehead Insitute say

Experts from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have recently managed to overcome a major obstacle in human embryonic stem cell (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell research, when they devised a new method of introducing or modifying genes inside them. While this has been relatively easy to do in mice, altering the human genome proved to be infinitely more complicated, and no technique available until now had such a high success rate as the new one. The experts also authored a new paper detailing the find, published in the August 13th issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology.

“It's not clear where this hurdle of genetic manipulation lies; it could be purely technical, but it could also be an inherent difference between human and mouse cells. Other people have genetically manipulated these human cells, but the process has been extremely laborious and extremely time consuming. Using the zinc finger nucleases makes the process very easy,” explains Whitehead postdoctoral researcher Dirk Hockemeyer, who is also a first author of the Nature paper.

Zinc finger nucleases, the authors say, are a relatively unknown class of proteins, which have the ability to facilitate tempering with, or replacement, of existing genes in the human genome. The new study “is a proof of principle that zinc finger nucleases can be used to swap out many, many additional genes in human ESCs and iPS cells. Now human ESC and iPS cell genetics can catch up to mouse genetics, which has had a 20-year headstart,” adds Rudolf Jaensich, a Whitehead member, and a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

According to Whitehead postdoctoral researcher Frank Soldner, also a first author of the new paper, the proteins can be used to alter just about any gene researchers want. “We can produce zinc finger nucleases that out of about three billion DNA base pairs can identify one specific site. We also spent quite a bit of energy to see if the zinc finger nucleases cut somewhere other than the intended target site, and it was very unlikely,” he says.

The new study, entitled “Efficient targeting of expressed and silent genes in human ESCs and iPSCs using zinc-finger nucleases”, was funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Life Sciences Research Foundation, ScienceDaily reports.

China Unicom says it hasn't bought 5 million iPhones from Apple

2009-08-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

Cupertino-based Apple and Chinese mobile phone carrier China Unicom have been recently rumored to plan on launching Apple's iPhone on the Chinese market as soon as September, yet it seems that the rumors are now proved false. While previous reports pointed towards the fact that a deal between the two had already been inked, the carrier denied them, though confirming that it was in talks with Apple.

State-owned China Unicom also denied reports pointing towards the fact that it already bought 5 million iPhones from Apple. “Talks between us and Apple have been going on for some time, but no agreement has been reached yet,” said Unicom spokesman Yi Difei, cellular-news reports. “There are all kinds of possibilities. There is no particular timetable for the talks.”

The rumor about the closed deal between the two came from the newspaper China Business News, which stated recently that a three-year exclusive iPhone deal between Apple and China Unicom had already been signed, and that the carrier had agreed to pay 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) for a number of 5 million iPhones. “The report is not true,” Yi said, yet declined to provide further details on the talks between the two parties.

Apple seems to have denied the rumors as well, through Tiffany Yang, a Beijing spokeswoman with the company. Even so, the newspaper claims that the information came from a sales manager for Unicom's subsidiary in the southern province of Guangdong, Yu Zhaonan, while also stating that the iPhone is set to become available in the country in September.

For what it's worth, the deal between the two companies will be a win-win, as both of them are trying to rise their profits, and a partnership for the introduction of one of the most popular devices on the market in a country with the largest number of mobile phone users might be just the thing. China Unicom, the second largest carrier in the country, has accounted for a number of 133 million users as of December 31, 2008.

Bing Users Are 55 Percent More Likely to Click on Ads

2009-07-25T09:25:00.001-07:00

Microsoft's new search engine Bing has been a relative success for the company, if not in user numbers, which may have risen slightly in the past month, though sources are often contradictory, then by the large amount of mostly positive press it has been getting almost two months since it was launched. And now there seems to be another reason why Microsoft execs should be patting themselves on the back as data from search-advertising network Chitika shows that Bing users are 55 percent more likely to
click on an ad in a site they are visiting, compared to Google users.

“We at Chitika are quite fond of search engines: since all of our ads serve only to search traffic, they’re our bread and butter in the online world. So with Microsoft’s new Bing decision engine making so much noise, we thought we’d take a closer look at the clickthrough rates of visitors from the three major search players: Yahoo!, Google, and Bing,” Dan Ruby, director of marketing at Chitika, said about the reasoning behind the study.

The study looked at ads on 50,000 sites in Chitika's network, which generated 32 million impressions in a week this month. The findings show that users who landed on the sites coming from a Bing search were more likely to click on an ad, with clickthrough rates of 1.5 percent. Meanwhile, only 1.24 percent of those coming from Yahoo's search engine clicked on ads on the sites, with Google users coming dead last following on ads only in 0.97 percent of the cases.

While the data is interesting in itself, does it really say anything about the ad market or Bing for that matter? One could assume that the fact that Bing users are more likely to click on ads is a characteristic of the whole group and not just an unrelated coincidence. One could even speculate, like TechCrunch does, that they are using Bing in the first place because they are more susceptible to ads, as Microsoft has been pouring tens of millions in an ad campaign for the search engine. Still it may not have anything to do with the product itself but rather with the fact that it has such a small audience.

Samsung to Launch Tegra-Based Smartphone

2009-07-25T09:24:00.001-07:00

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung will come to the market with a smartphone that packs an Nvidia Tegra chip, a company representative has confirmed recently, as reported by laptopmag. While the Tegra computer-on-a-chip has already been known to come in a series of smartphones in the near future, this time it seems that things are moving closer to becoming reality.

The platform should offer a lot of performance in terms of graphics on a mobile phone, yet other capabilities are also enhanced with the use of the chip, it seems. While one of the first devices to come to the market with Tegra inside will be Microsoft’s Zune HD, it seems that a handset to include it won't make us wait too long either.

As many of you might already know, the first Tegra-based mobile phone has already been reported to be on its way to the market in the fourth quarter of the ongoing year, while the possible carrier to have it is either AT&T or T-Mobile. Until now, there were no exact details on which maker would step up first with such a device, yet it seems that Samsung might be the winner.

Some of the details that are available concerning a Tegra-based device, regardless of the maker, include a possible $199 price point, as well as the great support the platform can offer to Windows CE and Android. In case these prove true, we should have on the market a Samsung handset based on Nvidia's Tegra chip that will run either under Microsoft or Google's operating system, while being priced the same as Apple's iPhone.

In case Samsung unveils such a device, users might very well receive an AMOLED touchscreen and a wide range of TouchWiz widgets along with it, which should enhance the user experience quite a lot. The chip can deliver a lot of performance, so everything is for the best, it seems. Hopefully, the phone will arrive this year, so stay tuned to learn more

177 Million Windows 7 Copies to Be Shipped by the End of 2010

2009-07-19T08:43:00.001-07:00

Microsoft will sell approximately 180 million copies of Windows 7 by the end of 2010 is the forecast IDC offered in a study assessing the market impact of the next iteration of the Windows client that was sponsored by Microsoft. The market analysis company indicated that Windows 7 would catalyze a brisk uptake, and that 177 million units would be shipped in the first 14 months on the market. Windows 7 is currently planned for RTM by the end of this month, and for general availability on October 22, 2009.

The numbers offered by IDC indicate that Windows 7 will perform better on the market compared to its precursor, but not by much. According to statistics from Microsoft, over 180 million Windows Vista licenses had been shipped by mid-2008, at approximately a year and a half since the operating system was introduced.

Personally I think that IDC's numbers are a tad conservative, and that Microsoft will ship more than 177 million Windows 7 licenses by the end of 2010. Still, the global economic downturn is indeed a factor that can deliver a heavy impact on Windows 7 shipments.

“Windows 7 will be shipping into a relatively harsh environment. But the launch of a new and better operating system will necessitate new applications, new hardware, new planning, deployment and training, and new services. These will drive much-needed investment that will, in turn, fuel stronger growth in subsequent years,” IDC noted.

Windows 7 Shipments
Enlarge picture
The success of Windows 7 in comparison to its predecessor is intimately connected with that of new OEM computer sales. For the time being the market is not doing all that well. IDC revealed that worldwide PC shipments dropped by 3% in the second quarter of 2009. Over 80% of the revenue of the Windows client division comes from Windows copies pre-installed on new computers from original equipment manufacturers.

“For Microsoft, the launch of Window 7 suggests strong growth in client operating systems again. But the impact of Windows 7 will reach far beyond Microsoft, driving revenues and growth for many of the IT companies worldwide that sell hardware, write software, provide IT services, or serve as IT distribution channels. This growth will do its bit to help economies around the world climb out of the current economic crisis,” IDC added.

IDC expects Microsoft to ship 40 million Windows 7 units in 2009, namely in October (starting with Thursday 22), November and December. This number is forecasted to grow to over 272 million in 2013. Of course, it is important to note that the term “ship” is used, and not “sold,” an indication of the fact that all the Windows 7 copies available into the channel are taken into consideration and not specifically those acquired by consumers.

Better Virus Filtration in the Future, Symbian Foundation Says

2009-07-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Symbian Foundation admitted recently that it needed to improve the process of testing the applications digitally signed for the Symbian-based mobile phones due to the fact that it had allowed a botnet-building Trojan to slip through the filtering process. The Trojan horse program that managed to pass the security test is called “Sexy Space,” and has been available for download up until this week.

Symbian's Chief Security Technologist, Craig Heath, stated on Thursday that the Foundation's process that kept malicious applications off Symbian OS-based phones should be improved, so that situations like this would not occur again. “When software is submitted, we do try to filter out the bad eggs. When apps are submitted, they are scanned. We are looking at how they could be scanned better,” Heath said, cited by ZDNet UK.

In order for an application to be accepted by Symbian devices, the developers need to submit it to the Foundation, where it goes through a checking process. Each software solution that passes the security tests is then digitally signed, so that users are assured that the application they are downloading is a rather safe one.

The testing process has a few stages that applications must go through. The first one is an antivirus scanning, after which random samples are sent for human examination. According to Heath, the Sexy Space Trojan, which is reportedly a low-risk malware, was disguised as ACSServer.exe, a legitimate application, and hasn't gone through the human inspection phase.

Although the Foundation discovered that the app was a Trojan two weeks ago and revoked the digital signature, it seems that it remained available for download until this week due to an error on the servers. Heath also explained that the automated scanning processes would be enhanced, and that the Foundation also planned to improve the human auditing, though it would not expand it due to leveraged costs and the delays it would add to the digital signing process.

New Android Update Unleashed, Android Donut might arrive this summer

2009-07-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Android mobile phone users that own a T-Mobile G1 device should already know that a new software update has been released for their mobile phones. The new firmware version is reportedly coming with “permissions fixes and other bug fixes,” which means that there might not be visible things included in the package. Moreover, Android Central states that the fixes are not meant to influence the regular use of the phone, but that they are something that developers will most certainly notice.

This is supposedly one of the already announced updates that Google's Android operating system is expected to receive during the ongoing year. As already reported, the Android developing team plans to come to the market with a series of major updates for the platform during the ongoing year, while also intending to release a minor one in the meantime.

One of the upcoming updates would be Android 2.0, also known as Donut, which is supposedly heading towards users sometime before the end of the summer. As the new minor update is expected to be rolled out until July 20, this might be the software that preps the Android devices for the near deployment of Donut, some voices over the Web have suggested.

Those who will receive the new update should notice that the build number has moved from CRB43 to CRC1. At the same time, we should also note that this is one of the three Android updates that were reported to come during 2009. As soon as Donut becomes available, users should see another minor update heading their way, one that will most probably fix some of the bugs that Android 2.0 will come with.

Assuming that all goes according to plan, Android should get ready before the end of the year to receive the future updates the developing team has in store. Two of the major Android updates that will come are Eclair and Fran, yet they wil

Windows 7 Professional $99.99 and Home Premium $49.99 Discounts Now Live

2009-06-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

On the same day that it announced officially the pricing of Windows 7, Microsoft also revealed that customers would have the opportunity to buy the two main editions of the next iteration of Windows at discounted prices. The discounts went live on June 26, 2009, and Windows 7 Professional is available for $99.99, while Windows 7 Home Premium can be bought for just $49.99.

One good place to start is the Microsoft Store. The Redmond-based company not only sells the two Windows SKUs at the discounted prices but also offers a list of its partners that do so across North America and Japan. As a reminder, the special offer is only available in the US, Canada and Japan.

“Promotional pricing is available on Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional upgrade versions only. This promotional pricing is a limited time offer, while supplies last, and is limited to three (3) copies per edition per customer,” Microsoft informs. In the US and Canada, the special prices will last until July 11, or as long supplies are still available. In Japan, Microsoft will discontinue the offer on July 5.

What are customers getting? Well, they're getting the upgrade editions of Windows 7 Professional and Home Premium. I have seen questions related to whether a clean install of Windows 7 was possible using the upgrade media. The answer is apparently yes. But the fact of the matter is that with the upgrade, Windows 7 media consumers also get an upgrade license. Meaning that they might install Windows 7 as they see feet, either upgrade or clean install, but only as long as they already have a genuine, licensed copy of Windows Vista or Windows XP. Otherwise, they would be breaking the EULA, essentially pirating.

“Pre-Orders can be reviewed, updated, or cancelled at any time before pre-order items are released,” Microsoft explained. “Prices for pre-order items are covered by the Pre-order Price Guarantee, which describes what happens if prices change after you purchase a pre-order item. A credit card is required for pre-order, but your card will not be charged until your order is shipped or the product is made available for download. If you wish to return an item that was pre-ordered, the 30-day return period begins: when downloadable products are delivered electronically to your account; when physical products are shipped.”

Google Suggest Feature Removed in China

2009-06-21T05:11:00.000-07:00

With all the focus on Iran in recent attempts to block many of the social networks and services and other sites, it is easy to forget that the greatest Dabbles regularly in the control of the Internet and prevent the abuse of web sites, namely, China.

While the recent freeze Twitter, Flickr, and the prohibition of some of the topics on the Google.cn research on the history of the Tiananmen Square massacre had not received any official comment, at least, Mountain View, California-based company made a statement on the recent request from the Chinese government to transfer some of the functions of the search engine.

China has made several previous requests that the company is on the disabled Google feature at the expense of the proposal as it is linked to abusive or suggest content often, and now it appears that Google has complied. New York Times reported that Google executives and officials met with officials from the Chinese government earlier this week to discuss this request.

It appears that Google has warned in April and June, and threatened to impose sanctions, but this reduction did not give any change. Google suggestion feature is completely disabled on the Google.cn site.

"We are conducting a comprehensive review of our services, and to take all necessary steps to correct any problems in our results. This has been a significant engineering effort, and we believe we have addressed the vast majority of this problem results," Google in a statement on the request of the Government.

But Google so far to comment on issues on the history of 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre when the inspection of all containing any reference to the arena, even those not related to the incident, such as tourism, information and pictures of the blocked several days. Search giant says it is trying to remain neutral and open, but so far some controversial moves in China, but the company claims that it was necessary to comply with local laws and regulations.

Sony Ericsson’s new Themes Creator Ver v4.00.b19.7

2009-05-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

With Sony Ericsson’s new Themes Creator you can personalise your Sony Ericsson mobile phone as easily as you customise your computer desktop.

It’s a brilliant free tool that lets you choose the colour scheme, decide on the graphic style, pick the background images … and so on. So now your phone can reflect your mood or your interests; you can make it more flamboyant or minimal, or angular or friendly … or just cooler.

Themes Creator is really easy to use, with three levels to suit everyone from a novice to a professional designer. Just download it to your desktop and start creating your new theme on your computer.

Download: here

Clearing the last user logged on Windows XP

2008-10-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

Every time a user logs into your computer or laptop/notebook, their username is stored, and that name is displayed the next time the classic logon screen is displayed. This can be a nice feature, but it also can be a feature that causes a security problem. Knowing a user’s username is half the battle of breaking into a computer.

If you have sensitive information on your computer, I suggest that you follow these instructions to hide the last user logged on:

Start up the Registry Editor again by clicking the Start menu and selecting Run. Thentype regedit in the box and click OK.

Navigate through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, SOFTWARE, Microsoft,Windows, CurrentVersion, policies, and system. Locate the DontDisplayLastUserName entry.

Right-click the entry and select Modify. Then type in a 1 to activate the feature, Click OK, and you are finished.

If you ever want to reverse this hack, just repeat the instructions above and replace the 1 with 0 for the value of DontDisplayLastUserName.

Renaming the Recycle Bin at Windows

2008-10-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

The Recycle Bin is a great feature of Windows, but it is very difficult to customize the name. Unlike other system icons on the desktop, you cannot just right-click it and select Rename. The only way to rename the Recycle Bin is to hack the Registry. This is not as simple as the method for the other icons, but you can easily get through it.

To get started, let’s assume that you want to rename the Recycle Bin as Trash Box:

Click the Start button and select Run.

Then type regedit in the box and click OK.

When the Registry Editor is started, you will want to expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Software, Microsoft,Windows, CurrentVersion, Explorer, CLSID, and {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} folders.

When you have expanded the last folder, you should see an entry called (Default) that has no value. Right-click that entry and select Modify.

Next, just type Trash Compactor, or any other name, in the box and click OK. If you want to hide the text under the Recycle Bin icon, you will still have to specify a name. Instead of typing in a word, just click the spacebar once and then click OK. You do not have to worry about entering in the ASCII code for a space when editing the registry.

Close the Registry Editor and press F5 when viewing your desktop to see your changes. If that does not work for your computer, then you will have to log out and log in to activate the changes. Now your Recycle Bin is no more. Hello Trash Box!

Digital Channel on INSAT 4B, NSS 6 Satellite - India

2008-10-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Updated on Oct 29th, 2008

Type	Freq(GHz)	Pol	Channel	SR
TV-DIG	10.990	V	DD NATIONAL	27500
TV-DIG	10.990	V	DD NEWS	27500
TV-DIG	10.990	V	DD SPORTS	27500
TV-DIG	10.990	V	DD INDIA	27500
TV-DIG	10.990	V	DD BHARATI	27500
TV-DIG	10.990	V	DD BANGLA	27500
TV-DIG	10.990	V	DD-CHANDANA	27500
TV-DIG	10.990	V	DD GUJARATI	27500
TV-DIG	10.990	V	DD KASHIR	27500
TV-DIG	10.990	V	LOK SABHA TV	27500
R-DIG	10.990	V	AIR VBS	27500
R-DIG	10.990	V	AIR TELUGU	27500
R-DIG	10.990	V	AIR MARATHI	27500
R-DIG	10.990	V	AIR TAMIL	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	DD NORTH EAST	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	DD ORIYA	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	DD PODHIGAI	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	DD PUNJABI	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	DD SAHYADRI	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	DD SAPTAGIRI	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	DD MALAYALAM	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	SHRADDHA	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	SHAKTI TV	27500
R-DIG	11.070	V	AIR GUJRATI	27500
R-DIG	11.070	V	FM RAINBOW	27500
R-DIG	11.070	V	AIR PUNJABI	27500
R-DIG	11.070	V	FM GOLD	27500
TV-DIG	11.070	V	DD RAJYA SABHA	27500
TV-DIG	11.091	H	CGNTV	29500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	KAIRALI TV	27500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	9XM	27500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	TOTAL TV	27500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	TEST 304	27500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	PTC NEWS	27500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	AASTHA	27500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	ETC	27500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	MAKKAL TV	27500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	TEST 309	27500
TV-DIG	11.150	V	TEST 310	27500
R-DIG	11.150	V	AIR KANNADA	27500
R-DIG	11.150	V	AIR BANGLA	27500
R-DIG	11.150	V	AIR HINDI	27500
R-DIG	11.150	V	AIR N E	27500
R-DIG	11.185	V	SuryanFM	20000
R-DIG	11.185	V	SFM - B'lore	20000
R-DIG	11.185	V	SFM Hyderabad	20000
TV-DIG	11.490	V	DW-TV	27500
TV-DIG	11.490	V	KBS WORLD	27500
TV-DIG	11.490	V	NHK WORLD	27500
TV-DIG	11.490	V	NEWS LIVE	27500
TV-DIG	11.490	V	Amrita TV	27500
TV-DIG	11.490	V	INDIA NEWS	27500
TV-DIG	11.490	V	NEWS 24	27500
TV-DIG	11.490	V	TEST 508	27500
TV-DIG	11.490	V	TEST 509	27500
TV-DIG	11.490	V	TEST 510	27500
R-DIG	11.490	V	AIR Malayalam	27500
R-DIG	11.490	V	AIR Assamese	27500
R-DIG	11.490	V	FM Rainbow Chennai	27500
R-DIG	11.490	V	FM Gold Mumbai	27500
R-DIG	11.490	V	Radio Kashmir	27500
R-DIG	11.490	V	TEST	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	Gyandarshan-1	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	Jaihind TV	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	Music India	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	Kalaignar TV	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	DD Urdu	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	Star Utsav	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	TEST 407	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	B4U Music	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	Gyandarshan-2	27500
TV-DIG	11.570	V	Mega TV	27500
R-DIG	11.570	V	AIR Ragam	27500
R-DIG	11.570	V	FM Rainbow Banglore	27500
R-DIG	11.570	V	AIR Urdu	27500
R-DIG	11.570	V	AIR Oriya	27500
TV-HD	11.668	V	TEST HD -1	9500
TV-HD	11.668	V	TEST HD -2	9500
TV-DIG	12.534	V	ZEE JAGRAN	40700
TV-DIG	12.595	V	SMILE TV	40700
TV-DIG	12.595	V	9X	40700
TV-DIG	12.595	V	ZEE TAMIL	40700
TV-DIG	12.638	V	TIME TV	13300
TV-DIG	12.647	H	999 Active	27500
TV-DIG	12.688	V	Playjam	27500
TV-DIG	12.729	V	ZEE TRENDZ	27500

Digital TV and Radio Channel on INTELSAT 7, 10 - South Africa (68.5E)

2008-10-28T20:52:00.001-07:00

Updated on Oct 29th, 2008

Type	Freq(GHz)	Pol	Channel	SR
TV-DIG	10.970	H	Adhoc 3	30000
TV-DIG	10.970	H	iA Virtual 4	30000
TV-DIG	10.970	H	RingT	30000
TV-DIG	10.970	V	iSZone	30000
TV-DIG	11.010	V	Regis	30000
TV-DIG	11.010	V	Guide	30000
TV-DIG	11.010	V	MNET Extra	30000
TV-DIG	11.010	V	adhoc2	30000
TV-DIG	11.010	V	iA virtual 8	30000
TV-DIG	11.010	V	iA Virtual 9	30000
TV-DIG	11.010	V	PubW	30000
TV-DIG	11.050	V	iA Virtual 1	30000
R-DIG	11.050	V	ASAT1	30000
R-DIG	11.050	V	TWR	30000
TV-DIG	11.081	H	Health	14875
TV-DIG	11.170	H	AAP Virtual	30000
TV-DIG	11.170	H	ItvDalVirt	30000
R-DIG	11.170	V	Red1	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	MRAIL	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	AdSa2	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	Clicks	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	AdSa3	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	FreshFM	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	NCRF	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	ORIO2	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	Ack	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	AdSa4	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	ORIO1	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	ORIO3	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	ORIO4	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	Red2	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	FusFM	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	PEP	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	Star1	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	PnP_G	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	ORIO5	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	ORIO6	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	AdSa5	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	Spare4	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	SFM	26652
TV-DIG	11.170	V	SEN3	26652
TV-DIG	11.170	V	SEN4	26652
TV-DIG	11.170	V	SEN5	26652
TV-DIG	11.170	V	SEN6	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	AdSa1	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	Spare2	26652
TV-DIG	11.170	V	EDU	26652
TV-DIG	11.170	V	Test3	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	Test4	26652
R-DIG	11.170	V	Test5	26652
TV-DIG	11.170	V	Kruiskyk	26652
TV-DIG	11.625	V	BOTSWANA TELEVISION GABORONE.	15000
TV-DIG	11.674	V	ITV	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Future3	26652
TV-DIG	11.674	V	GodCh	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Future1	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Future2	26652
TV-DIG	11.674	V	F24	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Cii	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	ClassicFM	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	DWRadio	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Pulpit	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Islam	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	SERON	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Future_13	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	MM	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Spare3	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Rad1	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	5FM	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	RSG	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Lesedi	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Umhlobo	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	R2000	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	SAFM	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Lotus	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Metro	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Phalaphala	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Ikwekwezi	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Munghana	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Thobela	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Motsweding	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Ukhozi	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	Ligwalagwala	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	GHFM	26652
R-DIG	11.674	V	RSG_P	26652
TV-DIG	12.522	H	My TV Promo	26657
TV-DIG	12.522	H	Footschool	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	Faith	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	DBN	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	Apostolic Oneness Network	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	Press TV	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	Supreme Master TV	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	ACBN	26657
R-DIG	12.562	H	CVC Africa	26657
R-DIG	12.562	H	1Africa	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	OMEGA	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	Novo Tempo	26657
R-DIG	12.562	H	IRIB3/IRIB6	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	Iqraa	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	Noursat	26657
TV-DIG	12.562	H	View Africa Promo	26657
TV-DIG	12.575	V	Mana Africa	3378
TV-DIG	12.682	H	VwAfr	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	Day*	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	LoveWorld	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	Dvine	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	TKC	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	3ABN	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	Emmanuel TV	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	Adonai	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	Chosen	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	John 3v16	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	CVV	26657
R-DIG	12.682	H	Divine Radio	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	Solid Rock	26657
TV-DIG	12.682	H	ezekiel	26657
TV-DIG	12.722	V	HOPE	26656
TV-DIG	12.722	V	SWC	26656
TV-DIG	12.722	V	CTV	26656
TV-DIG	12.722	V	CNBC Africa	26656
TV-DIG	12.722	V	SANI	26656
TV-DIG	12.722	V	TCT	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	Future7	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	Future8	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	Future9	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	Future10	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	Future11	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	Future12	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	RPTA	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	TWR	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	Spare5	26656
R-DIG	12.722	V	ChAfr	26656
TV-DIG	12.722	V	G	26656

How to increase network browsing speed

2008-10-20T00:33:00.001-07:00

Speeding Up Your Network

The speed of your network connection does not just depend on the speed of your hardware. Windows is an operating system that is designed to work on a variety of different hardware and network setups. Because of the abstract nature of the operating system, it cannot be optimized.
for user-specific hardware setups.

Increasing network browsing speed

Does your computer slow down when you browse your local area network and connect to other computers that are sharing data? One of the most common causes of this slowdown is a feature of Windows Explorer that looks for scheduled tasks on remote computers. This effort can take some time on some computers and can really slow down your browsing. The window with which you are browsing the network may appear to freeze momentarily, as the system is waiting for a response from the remote computer.

Although this problem is a complex one, the solution is very simple. Instead of having to wait for the remote scheduled tasks, which is useless information to anyone who is not a system administrator remotely configuring scheduled tasks, you can disable this feature. In order to do this, you will have to hack the System Registry and delete a reference to a key so that this feature will not be loaded.To do this, follow these steps:

Open up the Registry Editor by clicking the Start Menu and selecting Run. Then type regedit in the text box and click the OK button.

Once the Registry Editor has loaded, expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key.

Next, expand Software and then Microsoft.

Locate Windows and expand that as well.

You will want to be editing the main system files, so expand CurrentVersion.

Because this feature is a feature of the Windows component known as Explorer, expand the Explorer key.

Next, you will want to modify the remote computer settings, so expand the RemoteComputer key and then expand the NameSpace key to show all of the features
that are enabled when you browse to a remote computer.

In the NameSpace folder you will find two entries. One is “{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}” which tells Explorer to show printers shared on the remote
machine. The other, “{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF},” tells Explorer to show remote scheduled tasks. This is the one that you should delete. This can be done by right-clicking the name of the key and selecting Delete.

If you have no use for viewing remote shared printers and are really only interested in shared files, consider deleting the printers key, “{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}”, as well. This will also boost your browsing speed.
Once you have deleted the key, you just need to restart and the changes will be in effect. Now your network computer browsing will be without needless delays.

List of TV Channel on Satellite INTELSAT 10-2, THOR 2,3,5 - North Europe (359.2E - 0.8W)

2008-08-15T23:57:00.000-07:00

List Frequency of TV Channel on Satellite INTELSAT 10-2, THOR 2,3,5 - North Europe (359.2E - 0.8W)
Last Updated on August 16th, 2008

Type		Freq(GHz)	Pol	Channel	SR
R-DIG		11.229	H	BBC Food	24500
TV-DIG	3	11.247	V	Visjon Norge	24500
TV-DIG	3	11.247	V	BTV-1	24500
TV-DIG	3	11.247	V	On Satellite	24500
TV-DIG	3	11.247	V	Swedbank	24500
R-DIG		11.293	H	The Voice	24500
TV-DIG	8	11.325	H	BBC World News	24500
TV-DIG	8	11.325	H	Gospel Channel Europe	24500
TV-DIG		11.372	V	NRK1 Tegnspråk	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK P1	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK P2	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK P3	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK Klassisk	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK Sami Radio	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK Stortinget	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK mP3	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK Nyheter	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK Folkemusikk	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK Været til sjøs	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK Super	24500
R-DIG		11.372	V	NRK Gull	24500
TV-DIG	13	11.403	V	LifeStyleTV	24500
R-DIG	13	11.403	V	DR Klassisk	24500
R-DIG	13	11.403	V	DR P1	24500
R-DIG	13	11.403	V	DR P3	24500
R-DIG	13	11.403	V	DR P2	24500
R-DIG	13	11.403	V	DR P4 København	24500
R-DIG	13	11.403	V	RUV Ras 1	24500
R-DIG	13	11.403	V	RUV Ras 2	24500
TV-DIG		11.785	H	Music Channel	28000
R-DIG		11.785	H	Radio GaGa	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	BGTV	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	Tiankov TV	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	Speranta TV	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	Travel TV	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	Chance TV	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	Party TV	28000
R-DIG	6	11.823	H	Radio Vocea Sperantei	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	Pro TV Chisinau	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	EU TV	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	Mynele TV	28000
R-DIG	6	11.823	H	Radio Antena C	28000
TV-DIG	6	11.823	H	Fiesta TV	28000
R-DIG		12.054	H	Ylesat 1	28000
R-DIG		12.054	H	Ylesat 2	28000
R-DIG		12.054	H	YLE PEILI	28000
R-DIG		12.054	H	YLEN KLASSINEN	28000
R-DIG		12.054	H	YLE MONDO	28000
TV-DIG	24	12.169	H	City TV	28000
TV-DIG	24	12.169	H	SKAT	28000
TV-DIG	24	12.169	H	Heros TV	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Focus Pirin	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Radio City	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	BG Radio	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	STAR FM	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Njoy	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Focus V Tarnovo	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Radio 1	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Test Radio	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Radio FM+	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	ENERGY	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Radio City 2	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Radio Fresh	28000
TV-DIG	24	12.169	H	Telestar TV	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Z-ROCK	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Focus Varna	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	OMV ROMANIA	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Alpha Radio	28000
TV-DIG	24	12.169	H	McBox	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	HORNET Radio	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Alpha 3	28000
TV-DIG	24	12.169	H	TV LUX	28000
TV-DIG	24	12.169	H	CETV	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	Focus Sofia	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	BG 1	28000
R-DIG	24	12.169	H	HIT FM	28000
R-DIG	27	12.226	V	Hallo Norge	28000
R-DIG	27	12.226	V	Scandinavian Satelite Radio	28000
TV-DIG		12.245	H	FocusSat TV	28000
R-DIG	31	12.303	V	SVT1 Talande Textremsa	27800
R-DIG	31	12.303	V	SVT2 Talande Textremsa	27800
R-DIG	32	12.322	H	P4	27800
R-DIG	32	12.322	H	Radio Norge	27800
R-DIG	32	12.322	H	Radio Paris Oslo	27800
R-DIG		12.380	V	Radio Guerrilla	28000
R-DIG		12.380	V	Kiss FM	28000
R-DIG		12.380	V	Magic FM	28000
R-DIG		12.380	V	Radio Romania Muzical	28000
R-DIG		12.380	V	Radio Timisoara	28000
R-DIG		12.380	V	Itsy Bitsy FM	28000
R-DIG		12.380	V	Activ FM	28000
TV-DIG	36	12.399	H	Nautik	28000
TV-DIG	36	12.399	H	CCTV9	28000
TV-DIG	36	12.399	H	TV Patriot	28000
R-DIG	36	12.399	H	KISS	28000
R-DIG	36	12.399	H	EXPRES mp2	28000
TV-DIG		12.418	V	The Poker Channel	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	Ylesat 1	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	Ylesat 2	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	Scandinavian Sat. R	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	DR P1 Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	DR P2 Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	DR P3 Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	DR P4 KBH Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	DR Klassisk Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	NRK P1 Reserve	28000
R-DIG		12.418	V	NRK AN Reserve	28000
TV-DIG		12.428	V	The Poker Channel	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	Ylesat 1	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	Ylesat 2	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	Scandinavian Sat. R	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	DR P1 Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	DR P2 Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	DR P3 Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	DR P4 KBH Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	DR Klassisk Syd	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	NRK P1 Reserve	28000
R-DIG		12.428	V	NRK AN Reserve	28000
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	DR P1 Syd	17500
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	DR P2 Syd	17500
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	DR P3 Syd	17500
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	DR P4 KBH Syd	17500
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	DR Klassisk Syd	17500
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	NRK P1 Reserve	17500
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	NRK AN Reserve	17500
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	Ylesat 1	17500
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	Ylesat 2	17500
R-DIG	310X	12.520	V	Scandinavian Satelite Radio	17500
R-DIG		12.527	H	Guerrilla	27500
R-DIG		12.527	H	Europa FM	27500
R-DIG		12.527	H	RadioVIBE	27500
R-DIG		12.563	H	Radio Maria	27500
R-DIG		12.563	V	Radio Roadstar	27500
R-DIG		12.563	V	Radio Gaga	27500
TV-DIG		12.607	H	DigiTV Info	27500
TV-DIG		12.607	H	Echo Tv	27500
TV-DIG		12.607	V	A 1	27500
TV-DIG		12.643	H	U	27500
TV-DIG		12.643	H	DDTV	27500
R-DIG		12.643	H	Radio S	27500
R-DIG		12.643	H	Radio 21	27500
TV-DIG		12.643	V	Pratech	27500
R-DIG		12.643	V	National FM	27500
TV-DIG		12.687	H	OTV	27500
TV-DIG		12.687	V	CT24	27500
TV-DIG		12.717	V	Music Channel	18400
TV-DIG		12.735	V	RTV21-PLUS	8800

List Channel Television on Satellite JCSAT 3 (128.0E)

2008-07-03T06:55:00.000-07:00

This list updated at July 3th, 2008

Type		Freq(GHz)	Pol	Channel	SR
TV-DIG	1	12.268	V	The University of the Air	21096
TV-DIG	1	12.268	V	TVE International	21096
TV-DIG	1	12.268	V	Yozemi TV Net	21096
TV-DIG	1	12.268	V	Kit Manzox Club	21096
TV-DIG	1	12.268	V	Green Channel	21096
TV-DIG	9	12.428	V	Perfect Choice	21096
TV-DIG	9	12.428	V	Perfect Choice	21096
TV-DIG	14	12.523	H	Victory Channel	21096
TV-DIG	15	12.538	V	Mondo 21	21096
TV-DIG	18	12.583	H	Shop Channel	21096
TV-DIG	20	12.613	H	QVC Japan	21096
TV-DIG	22	12.643	H	Better Life Channel	21096
TV-DIG	22	12.643	H	Rakuten Shopping	21096
TV-DIG	22	12.643	H	Rakuten Shopping Channel	21096
TV-DIG	23	12.658	V	Club Sukapa! TV	21096
TV-DIG	26	12.703	H	Mall of TV	21096
R-DIG	26	12.703	H	Digital J-Wave	21096

List Frequency Satellite C-Band: ASIASAT 4 (122.0E)

2008-07-02T01:50:00.001-07:00

Last Update at July 2nd, 2008

Type	Freq(GHz)	Pol	Channel	SR
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Nepal-1	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Live India	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	CNEB	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Time Tv	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	India News	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Raj Musix	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	ETV Urdu	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Manoranjan Tv	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Joo Music	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Sanskar	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Sadhana	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Kiran TV	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	FTV	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Kairali	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	MH-1 Shardha	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Chutti TV	27500
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Azad News	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	ZeeTelegu	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Zee Cinema	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Zee Bangla	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Voyages TV	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Zee Trendz	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Enter 10	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Sahara Mumbai	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	CNN	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	MH-1	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	MI Marathi	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Ashirwad TV	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Tv-9 Kannada	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	ETC	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	ETC Punjabi	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	ZEE Kannada	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Play Tv	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	24 Ghanta	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	KTN News	27500
TV-DIG	3.820	V	Win TV	27500
R-DIG	3.857	H	BeiFen	2170
R-DIG	3.857	H	MY Radio	2170
R-DIG	3.857	H	HN LY	2170
R-DIG	3.857	H	HN NC	2170
R-DIG	3.857	H	HN YY	2170
R-DIG	3.857	H	HN XQ	2170
R-DIG	3.857	H	HN JT	2170
R-DIG	3.857	H	HN JJ	2170
R-DIG	3.857	H	HN XW	2170
R-DIG	3.857	H	HN YSWZ	2170
TV-DIG	3.880	H	Zee Smile	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	Sahara National	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	Sahara Bihar	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	Sahara MP	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	Aastha International	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	Jaya Plus	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	Voyages TV	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	Enter 10	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	Sahara Mumbai	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	MH-1	27500
TV-DIG	3.880	H	News Time	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	Star Utsav	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	Sahara UP	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	Jeevan Tv	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	Amrita Tv	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	Jain Tv	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	BTV World	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	VOI	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	Aakash Bangla	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	SS Music	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	Music Tamil	27500
TV-DIG	3.920	H	Azad News	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Zee 24 Taas	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Joo Music	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Zee Sports	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Sadhana	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Kiran TV	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	FTV	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Kairali	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	MH-1 Shardha	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Chutti TV	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Sanskar	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	India TV	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Asianet Plus	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Udaya-2	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	NETV	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Space TV	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	TV-9 Telgu	27500
TV-DIG	3.960	H	Jaya TV	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	CNN IBN	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	BTV World	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	HBO	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	VOI	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	9X News	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	Aakash Bangla	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	9X Music	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	SS Music	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	Music Tamil	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	Zee Action	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	E 24	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	9X ENT	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	Real Estate TV	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	Makkal Tv	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	Power Vision	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	Surya Tv	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	Prgya TV	27500

List Frequency Satellite C-Band: ASIASAT 3S (105.5E)

2008-07-02T01:50:00.000-07:00

Last Update at July 2nd, 2008

Type	Freq(GHz)	Pol	Channel	SR
TV-DIG	3.680	H	CETV-1	26670
TV-DIG	3.680	H	Maharishi	26670
TV-DIG	3.706	H	CNAI PAL	6000
TV-DIG	3.706	H	CNAI NTSC	6000
TV-DIG	3.725	V	BTV WORLD	4450
TV-DIG	3.729	H	TVB8	13650
TV-DIG	3.729	H	AZIO ASIA PLUS	13650
TV-DIG	3.746	V	FASHION TV	2628
TV-DIG	3.751	V	AAJ TV	2823
TV-DIG	3.755	V	Arirang2	4418
TV-DIG	3.760	H	NOW	26000
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Bloomberg	26000
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Muslim TV1	26000
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Muslim TV2	26000
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Al Jazeera International	26000
TV-DIG	3.760	H	TV5	26000
TV-DIG	3.760	H	DW-TV ASIA	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	DW01	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	DW02	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	DW04	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	DW05	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	DW06	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	DW08	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	DW09	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	DW-M	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	RFI Francais	26000
R-DIG	3.760	H	RFI Langues1	26000
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Russia Today	26000
TV-DIG	3.760	H	Supreme Master TV	26000
TV-DIG	3.780	V	STAR UTSAV	28100
TV-DIG	3.780	V	769 STAR Utsav	28100
TV-DIG	3.786	H	Tv One	5700
TV-DIG	3.786	H	WASEB_TV	5700
TV-DIG	3.786	H	News One	5700
TV-DIG	3.793	H	Service 2	3000
TV-DIG	4.000	H	745 XING KONG	26850
TV-DIG	4.000	H	747 Channel [V] China	26850
TV-DIG	4.000	H	743 Phoenix Chinese Channel	26850
TV-DIG	4.000	H	726 Ph'x Info	26850
TV-DIG	4.020	V	Sahara NAT	27250
TV-DIG	4.020	V	Sahara NCR	27250
TV-DIG	4.020	V	Sahara MUM	27250
TV-DIG	4.020	V	Sahara UP	27250
TV-DIG	4.020	V	Sahara BIH	27250
TV-DIG	4.020	V	Aalami Sahara	27250
TV-DIG	4.020	V	Sahara MP	27250
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA Asiasat TV 1	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA Asiasat TV 372	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 373	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 374	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 375	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA Asiasat TV 377	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA Asiasat TV 370	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA Asiasat TV 378	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA Asiasat TV 371	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA Radio 383	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 384	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 385	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 388	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	RFA Radio 390	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB OS Download 8 (DCP)	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA Radio 380	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA Radio 381	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 382	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 391	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 392	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 393	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 394	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 395	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 398	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 401	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	Not Scheduled 402	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	Farda/VOA/RFE Radio 403	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	Farda Radio 404	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 405	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 408	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	VOA IOR TV 409	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB VOA RFE/RL Radio 410	20400
R-DIG	4.040	H	RFA 1 Radio 411	20400
R-DIG	4.040	H	RFA 2 Radio 412	20400
R-DIG	4.040	H	RFA 3 Radio 413	20400
R-DIG	4.040	H	RFA 4 Radio 414	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	AETN TV 340	20400
TV-DIG	4.040	H	IBB OS Download 9 (CCP)	20400
TV-DIG	4.091	V	PTV1	13330
TV-DIG	4.091	V	PTV world	13330
TV-DIG	4.091	V	ATV	13330
TV-DIG	4.091	V	AVT Khyber	13330
R-DIG	4.091	V	Radio Pakistan 2	13330
R-DIG	4.091	V	Radio Pakistan 1	13330
TV-DIG	4.094	H	SUNTV CH1	5555
TV-DIG	4.102	V	PTV USA-UK	2895
TV-DIG	4.107	V	PTV GLOBAL UK	2893
TV-DIG	4.111	H	Test	13650
TV-DIG	4.111	H	i-Horizon	13650
TV-DIG	4.114	V	Ptv National	7000
TV-DIG	4.114	V	PTV-K FEED	7000
TV-DIG	4.114	V	INDUS NEWS	7000
R-DIG	4.114	V	Radio Pakistan 1	7000
TV-DIG	4.140	V	ZEE MUSIC	27500
TV-DIG	4.140	V	ZEE SMILE	27500
TV-DIG	4.180	V	GEO NEWS	26666

List of Frequency Satellite TELSTAR 18 (138.0E)

2008-03-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Type		Freq(GHz)	Pol	Channel	SR
TV-DIG	3B	12.430	V	C2	22425
TV-DIG	3B	12.430	V	C3	22425
TV-DIG	4B	12.490	V	00-BILLBOARD	21593
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	CCTV 4	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	CCTV 9	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	CCTV OPERA	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	BEIJING	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	SHANGHAI	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	JIANGSU	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	HUNAN	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	FUJIAN	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	XIAMEN	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	GUANGDONG	41250
TV-DIG	5B	12.538	V	SHENZHENG	41250
TV-DIG	7B	12.646	V	P1	22425
TV-DIG	7B	12.646	V	P2	22425
TV-DIG	7B	12.646	V	P3	22425
TV-DIG	7B	12.646	V	P4	22425
TV-DIG	7B	12.646	V	P5	22425
TV-DIG	7B	12.646	V	P6	22425
TV-DIG	7B	12.646	V	P7	22425
TV-DIG	7B	12.646	V	P8	22425
TV-DIG	7B	12.646	V	P9	22425

Source: satcodx.com

List of Frequency Satellite NILESAT 101,102, ATLANTIC BIRD 4 (353.0E - 7.0W)

2008-03-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

Type		Freq(GHz)	Pol	Channel	SR
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Hannibal Orient	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	ALJazeera Children	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Press TV	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Test 4	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Test 5	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Test 6	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Test 7	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Test 8	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Test 9	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Test 10	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Test 11	27500
TV-DIG		10.719	V	Test 12	27500
TV-DIG		10.728	H	LIBYA-EDU.	38500
TV-DIG		10.728	H	LIBYA-EDU2	38500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Al Rayah	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Mersal	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Al-Atheer	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Omry	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Test	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Sada TV	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	ALMAJD9	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Al-Shoroq	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Rabet Alkher	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Al Masah	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	OK TV	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Harmony TV	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Sahoor	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Falla	27500
TV-DIG		10.758	V	Al Saeeda	27500
R-DIG		10.758	V	ALKawther FM92	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Tunis 7	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Melody Tunes	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Test	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	I TV	27500
R-DIG		10.795	V	Tunis International	27500
R-DIG		10.795	V	Tunis National	27500
R-DIG		10.795	V	Tunis Culture	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Zagros	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Addounia	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Al Mukhtalif	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Fanoos	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Al Amaken	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	KurdSat	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Oman TV2	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Khalijiah	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	Massaya	27500
TV-DIG		10.795	V	AL Tejariah	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Al Ahd	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Al Iraqia	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Iraqia Atyaf	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Iraqia Sport	27500
R-DIG		10.834	V	Baghdad Radio	27500
R-DIG		10.834	V	Algeel Radio	27500
R-DIG		10.834	V	Shahrazad Radio	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Al Forqan	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Najah 2	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Al Badr	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Cairo-Univ1	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Tunisie 21	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Alseha Waljamal	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Temp1	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Temp2	27500
TV-DIG		10.834	V	Iraqia Mubasher	27500
R-DIG		10.834	V	Iraqia Quran	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	Test	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	Al Rahma	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	Al Hekma	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	Assaa	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	A3mal	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	Afak	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	2M Plus	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	Marina TV	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	LifeStyle TV	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	Melody TRIX	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	Modern Sport	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	MODERN	27500
TV-DIG		10.853	H	Dream Sport	27500
TV-DIG	118	10.872	V	Al-Tawasol	27500
TV-DIG	118	10.872	V	Noorsat Test	27500
TV-DIG	118	10.872	V	Mrhaba-118	27500
TV-DIG	118	10.872	V	Al-Maaref	27500
TV-DIG	118	10.872	V	Soon-Emirates	27500

Source: satcodx.com