When the year winds down, looking back or looking forward is usually the done thing. I clearly prefer the latter. I stick my neck out for five technology things that I believe are likely to storm the world in 2010.
Smartbooks/tablets: A laptop/netbook loaded with SIM card seems like a godsend mixing the twin conveniences of powerful applications on the go and sheer mobility. Apple’s much-rumoured tablet sent its stock surging last week and right here in India, Olive launched a netbook (Internet-friendly cheap laptop) loaded with a 3G facility. I see a future in which people will have two SIM cards, one in a handset and one in a laptop.
E-books: Amazon’s Kindle has only just hit India, while Google has come out with Fast Flip, a technology that enables a real book-like experience on the Web to help us read magazines and books with the old look and feel. I expect e-books and e-readers to catch on and get cheaper.
Android on steroids: Google’s Android platform to make really-loaded smartphones cheap has taken off with brands like Motorola’s Cliq. Google’s own Nexus One is on the way. I expect smartphones at prices as low as Rs. 5,000 to flood the market. Very smart but really cheap.
Branded Cloud: We are already doing cloud computing, thank you. From the free add-on to Salesforce.com that offers companies fairly advanced software platforms on the Web, the business of using the Net as a “cloud” to offer software service is hot. But it is still a vague business, especially for larger, smarter applications. I expect IBM and/or Cisco to leap ahead with a one-stop-shop brand to match.
MS Office 2010: I expect the next Microsoft Office — which is ramping up collaborative features and Net publishing in a big way — to be really cool, with an affordable Web-based “cloud” service.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
TOUCH AND GO (WINDOWS 7)
Raise your hand if you are a keyboard junkie — I know I am. Whether it’s working on a document, putting together spreadsheets, playing computer games or checking email, few things beat the keyboard-mouse combo.
Companies such as Microsoft have tried — and failed spectacularly — to get users to interact with their computers in newer ways. First Microsoft put Windows XP on Tablet PCs in 2001. The screen folded back flat against the keyboard — and you had a giant backlit slate on which you could scribble with a stylus. Of course, no one from Microsoft pointed out how nerdy you looked writing notes on a glowing screen. Then the software company built voice recognition capabilities in Windows Vista. Theoretically, you could bark a command at your computer — but that’s strictly theoretical.
When Apple pulled the rug from under everyone’s feet by releasing a phone with a touch screen that was slick, user-friendly, and for once, did not require users to tap at minuscule icons with a stylus, everyone else scrambled to get their act together. Today, most companies — from laptop to camera makers — offer functionalities on their screens that feel like ripoffs of what’s on the Apple iPhone.
Laptop maker Acer is the latest player to jump aboard the touch bandwagon by releasing India’s first multi-touch notebook, named the Acer Aspire 5738PzG —doesn’t that just roll off the tongue, nice and smooth? It runs Windows 7, Microsoft’s newest operating system. Here’s how it stacks up.
Budget Build
It is a budget laptop with the touch screen gimmick thrown in. In fact, the touch screen seems like a last-minute addition on a new laptop they were about to roll out. Its cheap and plastic-looking build leaves a lot to be desired. Weighing about 2.8 kg, it’s not exactly light.
With an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 GHz processor, a 2 GB RAM and a 512 MB Radeon HD graphics processor purring under the hood, this Acer machine comes with more than enough power to satisfy a large number of users. It comes loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium. A 320 GB hard disk provides plenty of space to store photos and videos.
The glossy, 15.6-inch, high-definition screen capable of a resolution of 1366 -by-768 pixels makes watching movies a
delight. It’s sharp and the colours look gorgeous. Most laptop speakers are infamous for being lousy and this one does nothing to improve that image.
There is a full-sized keyboard with a numeric keypad on the right for the hardcore number-cruncher and typing on it feels good.
Nothing on this laptop, however, gets my goat more than that 2-inch piece of smooth space below the keyboard that passes off as a ‘multi-gesture touchpad’. The idea is simple — just like the multi-touch screen, you can flick your fingers across the touchpad and quickly move between browser pages and manipulate files by pinching and pulling with two fingers.
It all sounds good except that when you actually try it, you find that the touchpad itself is so small that it has just enough space to place your fingers — not move around with them.
Also, the annoying left and right-click buttons take a big effort to press. To make it worse, Acer decided to put the fingerprint sensor right in the middle of the two click buttons — it’s fun to see all work grind to a halt when your finger accidentally brushes against the sensor and launches the fingerprint software on the screen.
Easy browse
Windows 7 lends itself superbly to the touch experience. It’s much faster to scroll through long documents and webpages by simply flicking a finger than using a regular mouse.
The laptop comes bundled with the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7, a series of programs designed exclusively to take advantage of touch screens.
Watch in amazement as running your fingers on a virtual pond on your screen sets off ripples in the ‘water’. Virtual fish scuttle away the moment you try to ‘touch’ them.
Make a collage of your favourite photos by dragging them across the screen with your fingers and resizing them on the fly.
When the novelty wears off, sit back with a cup of coffee, invite the neighbourhood kids over, and indulge in some high-
definition, new age fingerpainting.
Companies such as Microsoft have tried — and failed spectacularly — to get users to interact with their computers in newer ways. First Microsoft put Windows XP on Tablet PCs in 2001. The screen folded back flat against the keyboard — and you had a giant backlit slate on which you could scribble with a stylus. Of course, no one from Microsoft pointed out how nerdy you looked writing notes on a glowing screen. Then the software company built voice recognition capabilities in Windows Vista. Theoretically, you could bark a command at your computer — but that’s strictly theoretical.
When Apple pulled the rug from under everyone’s feet by releasing a phone with a touch screen that was slick, user-friendly, and for once, did not require users to tap at minuscule icons with a stylus, everyone else scrambled to get their act together. Today, most companies — from laptop to camera makers — offer functionalities on their screens that feel like ripoffs of what’s on the Apple iPhone.
Laptop maker Acer is the latest player to jump aboard the touch bandwagon by releasing India’s first multi-touch notebook, named the Acer Aspire 5738PzG —doesn’t that just roll off the tongue, nice and smooth? It runs Windows 7, Microsoft’s newest operating system. Here’s how it stacks up.
Budget Build
It is a budget laptop with the touch screen gimmick thrown in. In fact, the touch screen seems like a last-minute addition on a new laptop they were about to roll out. Its cheap and plastic-looking build leaves a lot to be desired. Weighing about 2.8 kg, it’s not exactly light.
With an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 GHz processor, a 2 GB RAM and a 512 MB Radeon HD graphics processor purring under the hood, this Acer machine comes with more than enough power to satisfy a large number of users. It comes loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium. A 320 GB hard disk provides plenty of space to store photos and videos.
The glossy, 15.6-inch, high-definition screen capable of a resolution of 1366 -by-768 pixels makes watching movies a
delight. It’s sharp and the colours look gorgeous. Most laptop speakers are infamous for being lousy and this one does nothing to improve that image.
There is a full-sized keyboard with a numeric keypad on the right for the hardcore number-cruncher and typing on it feels good.
Nothing on this laptop, however, gets my goat more than that 2-inch piece of smooth space below the keyboard that passes off as a ‘multi-gesture touchpad’. The idea is simple — just like the multi-touch screen, you can flick your fingers across the touchpad and quickly move between browser pages and manipulate files by pinching and pulling with two fingers.
It all sounds good except that when you actually try it, you find that the touchpad itself is so small that it has just enough space to place your fingers — not move around with them.
Also, the annoying left and right-click buttons take a big effort to press. To make it worse, Acer decided to put the fingerprint sensor right in the middle of the two click buttons — it’s fun to see all work grind to a halt when your finger accidentally brushes against the sensor and launches the fingerprint software on the screen.
Easy browse
Windows 7 lends itself superbly to the touch experience. It’s much faster to scroll through long documents and webpages by simply flicking a finger than using a regular mouse.
The laptop comes bundled with the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7, a series of programs designed exclusively to take advantage of touch screens.
Watch in amazement as running your fingers on a virtual pond on your screen sets off ripples in the ‘water’. Virtual fish scuttle away the moment you try to ‘touch’ them.
Make a collage of your favourite photos by dragging them across the screen with your fingers and resizing them on the fly.
When the novelty wears off, sit back with a cup of coffee, invite the neighbourhood kids over, and indulge in some high-
definition, new age fingerpainting.
SUMMARY BOX: FACEBOOK'S NEW PRIVACY CONTROLS
: Facebook is altering its privacy settings to make it easier for its 350 million users to decide who can see the posts, photos and other information they share on the site.
WHY NOW: Facebook users have complained that the site's old privacy controls were cumbersome. The site hopes that a simpler process for managing information will encourage people to share more.
LOOK FOR IT: Facebook will be asking users to review and alter their settings through a tool that explains the changes.
WHY NOW: Facebook users have complained that the site's old privacy controls were cumbersome. The site hopes that a simpler process for managing information will encourage people to share more.
LOOK FOR IT: Facebook will be asking users to review and alter their settings through a tool that explains the changes.
GROUP: FACEBOOK MILK PROMOTIONS BAN AN 'OVERREACH'
Gambling, guns, tobacco and ... milk? Facebook bans the promotion of all four, but a food industry group says it should ease up on the one that comes out of cows and gives you healthy bones.
The Center for Consumer Freedom, a Washington-based group supported by restaurants and food companies, said Friday dairy shouldn't be lumped together with cigarettes and prescription painkillers when it comes to banning their promotions on the site.
Facebook says it's not lactose intolerant, but there are laws prohibiting giving dairy away as a prize. Its guidelines, which are periodically updated and will be again to clarify the milk issue, seek to reflect "state laws that impose penalties for distributing dairy at a discounted rate," said Andrew Noyes, manager of public policy communications at Facebook.
"We're all big fans of strong bones at Facebook and we will soon revise our promotions guidelines to lift the complete ban on dairy and simply prohibit giving dairy away as a prize," he said in an e-mail statement.
When it comes down to it, Facebook can ban whatever they want, but in the dairy case they are simply trying to contend with varying state laws, said Andy Lustigman, a New York attorney specializing in advertising and promotional marketing.
Gasoline giveaways are banned for the same reason.
The Center for Consumer Freedom, a Washington-based group supported by restaurants and food companies, said Friday dairy shouldn't be lumped together with cigarettes and prescription painkillers when it comes to banning their promotions on the site.
Facebook says it's not lactose intolerant, but there are laws prohibiting giving dairy away as a prize. Its guidelines, which are periodically updated and will be again to clarify the milk issue, seek to reflect "state laws that impose penalties for distributing dairy at a discounted rate," said Andrew Noyes, manager of public policy communications at Facebook.
"We're all big fans of strong bones at Facebook and we will soon revise our promotions guidelines to lift the complete ban on dairy and simply prohibit giving dairy away as a prize," he said in an e-mail statement.
When it comes down to it, Facebook can ban whatever they want, but in the dairy case they are simply trying to contend with varying state laws, said Andy Lustigman, a New York attorney specializing in advertising and promotional marketing.
Gasoline giveaways are banned for the same reason.
PRIVACY WATCHDOG FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST FACEBOOK
A Washington-based privacy advocacy group and nine other organizations have filed a complaint against Facebook over the social network's latest privacy changes.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center said Thursday it has asked the Federal Trade Commission to look into the changes Facebook has made to its users' privacy settings and to force Facebook to restore its old privacy safeguards.
The changes, unveiled last week, include treating users' names, profile photo, friends list, gender and other data as publicly available information.
The complaint says the changes diminish user privacy by disclosing personal information to the public that was previously restricted.
Among the groups joining EPIC in its complaint are the American Library Association, the Consumer Federation of America and the Center for Digital Democracy.
Facebook said it discussed the changes with regulators, including the FTC, before making them and that it is disappointed "that EPIC has chosen to share their concerns with the FTC while refusing to talk to us about them."
This is not the first time, and likely not the last, that Facebook is challenged over how it treats the vast amounts of information it gets from its 350 million users.
This year, Canada's privacy commissioner accused the social network of disclosing personal information about users to the hundreds of thousands of outside developers worldwide who create Facebook applications. In August, Facebook agreed to give users more control over such sharing.
In September, the company finally shut down its much-maligned Beacon marketing program, which launched two years ago amid fanfare only to generate a storm of privacy complaints over the tracking of user activities at partner Web sites.
Facebook had agreed to create a foundation to promote online privacy, safety and security as part of a $9.5 million settlement in a lawsuit over the program.
The FTC confirmed it has received the complaint but had no other comment.
WANT PRIVACY ON FACEBOOK? HERE IS HOW TO GET SOME
Over the past week, Facebook has been nudging its users - first gently, then firmly - to review and update their privacy settings.
You may have procrastinated by hitting "skip for now," but Facebook eventually took away that button and forced you to update your settings before continuing to use the site.
After finally accepting Facebook's recommendations or tweaking the privacy settings yourself, though, you might have made more information about you public than what you had intended.
At the same time, Facebook has given users many granular controls over their privacy, more than what's available on other major social networks.
So if you want to stay out of people's view, but still want to be on Facebook, here are some things to look out for as you take another look at your settings.
1. Some of your information is viewable by everyone.
Everyone can see your name, your profile photo and the names of work and school networks you're part of. Ditto for pages you are a fan of. If you are worried about a potential employer finding out about a quirky fetish or unorthodox political leaning, avoid becoming a Facebook fan of such groups. You can't tell Facebook you don't want those publicly listed. Your gender and current city are also available, if you choose to specify them.you can uncheck "Show my sex in my profile" when you edit your profile if you don't want it listed, and you can leave "Current City" blank.
2. Your list of friends may also be public.
Facebook also considers your friends list publicly available information. Privacy advocates worry that much can be gleaned from a person's list of friends - even sexual orientation, according to one MIT study. But there is a way to hide the list. Go to your profile page and click on the little blue pencil icon on the top right of your box of friends. Uncheck "Show Friend List to everyone." Either way, those you are already friends with can always see your full list.
3. You can hide yourself from Web searches.
There is a section for "Search" under Facebook's privacy settings page, which is accessible from the top right corner of the Web site under "Settings." If you click the "Allow" box next to "Public Search Results," the information that Facebook deems publicly available (such as photo, fan pages and list of friends), along with anything else you have made available to everyone, will show up when someone looks up your name on a search engine such as Google. The stuff you've limited access to in your profile will not show up.
This is useful if you want people you've lost touch with, or potential work contacts, to be able to find your Facebook page. If you'd rather not be found, uncheck this box.
A second setting, controlling searches within Facebook, lets you refine who can find you once that person has logged on. Limit searches to friends only if you think you have all the friends you need and don't want anyone to find you when they type in your name to Facebook.
4. Beware of third-party applications.
Quizzes and games are fun, but each time you take one, you first authorize it to access your profile information, even if you have made that available only to your friends. You're also letting the app access some information on your friends.
Under "Application Settings," Facebook lists all the apps you have opened your profile up to. If you no longer want to authorize access to "Which Golden Girl Are You?" you can always remove it by clicking on the "X'' next to its name. Apps you use regularly, such as Facebook for Android if you update your status from your mobile phone, should stay.
Next, by clicking on "Applications and Websites" on the privacy settings page, you can edit whether your friends can share your birthday, photos and other specific information. Remember that applications can access your "publicly available information" no matter what.
The security firm Sophos recommends users set their privacy settings for two of Facebook's own popular applications, notes and photos, to friends only.
5. Go over your list of friends.
The average Facebook user has 130 friends. But many people interact with a much smaller group when commenting on status updates, photos and links. So it doesn't hurt to occasionally review your list of your friends to get an idea of just who can view your status posts, vacation photos and funny links you've shared over the years. Don't feel obligated to add anyone as a friend, even if that person adds you first. For professional acquaintance you don't want to snub, send them to a LinkedIn profile you can set up. Some workplaces and schools have rules about Facebook interactions between bosses and employees or students and teachers.
6. Create custom friends groups.
If you have friended a lot of people, sort them. Think of the groups you interact with in real life - co-workers, college buddies, girlfriends, grandma and grandpa - and organize your Facebook friends in these groups, too. Go to "All Friends" under the "Friends" button up top, click on "Create New List" and fire away. Then decide what aspects of your profile, and which status posts and photos, these people will have access to. Or, simply create a "limited" list for acquaintances or distant relatives and limit their access.
7. Customize your status posts.
Type "I'm hungry" into your status update box. Click on the little lock icon. You'll see a range of privacy controls pop up, letting you either allow or limit access to the post. If you want, you can even hide it from everyone by clicking "Only Me" under the custom settings. Click on "Save Setting." Repeat with each post, or create a default setting for most updates and increase or decrease privacy as you see fit.
8. Let your friends know you have boundaries - in person.
Many of us have woken up on a Sunday morning to find that an overzealous friend has posted dozens of photos from that wild party we barely remembered - the good, the bad and the hideous. Chances are, they didn't do this to embarrass you, though if they did you have bigger problems. Rather, they probably don't know that you don't want these photos posted. Sure, tweak your photo privacy settings on Facebook. But if someone starts snapping pictures of you at a party, ask them to check with you before posting it anywhere.
9. Never assume complete privacy.
Even for the most tech-savvy person, unflattering photos, incriminating text messages or angry status posts about work have a way of worming their way out in the open. Just saying.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
TOP 10 E-MAIL BLUNDERS OF 2009
It is no surprise that the biggest email horror stories this year capitalised on consumer and business fears during the height of the recession, according to Proofpoint, Inc., the leading provider of unified email security, archiving and data loss prevention solutions. With Halloween creeping around the corner, Proofpoint has identified some of the scarier email incidents of 2009 that not only haunted individuals, but businesses as well.
These blunders, attacks and mishaps have wreaked havoc on email systems and caused financial stress for consumers, corporate executives, politicians, and, of course, email administrators.
In no particular order, Proofpoint highlights some of this year's email mishaps below:
1.) Trojan Horse empties bank accounts
In September, it was reported that a banking Trojan horse, dubbed URLZone, had thwarted fraud detection systems, to enable software to actually steal money while users are logged in to their accounts and display a fake balance. Victims' computers were infected either by clicking on a malicious link in an email or visiting a Website that has been compromised with hidden malware.
The Trojan also kept a log of the victim's bank account login credentials, took screenshots, and snooped on the user's other Web accounts, such as PayPal, Facebook, and Gmail.
2.) FBI forgery
The wife of FBI Director Robert Mueller banned him from online banking after he nearly fell for a phishing scam. Mueller received a seemingly legitimate email from what he thought was his bank, which prompted him to verify some information. He even went as far as filling out some of his personal information before realizing it might not be a great idea.
He said he barely caught himself in time before falling victim to the scam. As a result, he changed his passwords and tried to pass the incident off to his wife as a 'teachable moment.' However, that did not stop Mrs. Mueller from sanctioning Mr. Mueller's online activities.
3.) White House adopts spammer tactics
In August, the White House emailed thousands of messages to Americans detailing its stance on the contentious issue of healthcare reform from an email account created to gather and dispel rumors, but some recipients claimed the messages were unsolicited. The White House acknowledged the unsolicited email and blamed third-party groups for the mass email.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done. Critics questioned whether the White House used address-gathering tactics similar to those employed by spammers.
4.) Hotmail phishing
Most recently, more than 10,000 Hotmail accounts were compromised in October and passwords were posted on several Websites where developers typically share programming code. News site Neowin reported it had seen part of the list, which has since been removed, and notified Microsoft of the issue. In this phishing scam, hackers sent out legitimate-looking emails under the letterhead of banks, eBay and other institutions, telling consumers they needed to reset online passwords to their Web sites for security purposes.
It seems that many of the affected account holders could have used a password reset. Security researchers with copies of the exposed passwords reported that '123456' was the most commonly used among them.
5.) Start-up suicide
Back in September, social media advertising and applications start-up RockYou, sent out a mass email to their customers and associates announcing their new site redesign, but instead of using BCC:, they displayed the entire mailing list of over 200 email addresses in the CC: field. Not surprisingly, many of those addresses ended up on a spammer's list.
Two months later, the start-up sent out another mass email using a mailing list. Unfortunately, the email asked contractors to provide information for their W9 tax forms. This resulted in people inadvertently sending personal information to the entire mailing list.
Email may not be as trendy as social networks, but companies still need to use both properly.
6.) Judge orders Gmail account deactivated
In August, Wyoming-based Rocky Mountain Bank mistakenly sent names, addresses, social security numbers and loan information of more than 1,300 customers to a Gmail address. When the bank realized the problem, it sent a message to that same address asking the recipient to contact the bank and destroy the file without opening it.
No one responded, so the bank contacted Google to ask for information about the account holder. U.S. District Court Judge James Ware in the northern district of California ordered Google to deactivate the email account and also disclose the Gmail account holder's identity and contact information.
The Gmail user hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing, but someone at the Bank should be a little more careful when typing in the TO: field in an email.
7.) Payroll panic
Payroll processor PayChoice was the victim of a Website breach in which customers received targeted emails purporting to be from the company, but were designed to trick people into downloading malware. Workers received emails that directed them to download a browser plug-in or visit a Website to continue accessing the Onlineemployer.com PayChoice portal.
Clients were notified within hours and the site was shut down. It was later learned that the emails were sent from a Yahoo! email account and the links were hosted from servers in Poland.
8.) UK tax terror
Britain's tax authority, HM Revenue & Customs, issued a warning about a rash of scam emails that used convincing (but fake) government email address in an attempt to lure recipients into divulging their personal information to receive a tax refund. The scam messages claimed that recipients were entitled to a tax refund and asked for bank or credit card details, so that the fictitious refund could be paid out.
Like most legitimate businesses and government organizations, the HMRC stressed that it would not inform citizens of a tax rebate via email, nor would it invite them to complete an online form to receive a tax rebate.
9.) Death, taxes and phish
In September, a fake email notice that purports to come from the Internal Revenue Service continued to make the rounds, widely ramping up attacks against businesses and individuals.
The attacks were concealed in a bogus email containing a subject line of 'Notice of Underreported Income,' according to US-CERT.
The emails contained a link or an attachment that, if opened, will infect users with the Zbot/Zeus Trojan, a nasty credentials-stealing program that seeks to compromise banking login information.
Proofpoint reports that these phishing emails continued to be widely circulated as the October 15th deadline for filing extended tax returns approached.
10.) UCSD fake-out
28,000 students were turned away from UC San Diego in one of the toughest college entrance seasons on record after a particularly cruel twist in the perils of instant communications. All 46,000 students in the entire freshman applicant pool received the same misfired message of acceptance, which could have led to the largest freshman class at any university globally.
The 18,000 students who were actually accepted breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the rest of the applicant pool had to march on in the grueling college application process.
To view the pictures of TOP E-MAIL BLUNDERS OF 2009
These blunders, attacks and mishaps have wreaked havoc on email systems and caused financial stress for consumers, corporate executives, politicians, and, of course, email administrators.
In no particular order, Proofpoint highlights some of this year's email mishaps below:
1.) Trojan Horse empties bank accounts
In September, it was reported that a banking Trojan horse, dubbed URLZone, had thwarted fraud detection systems, to enable software to actually steal money while users are logged in to their accounts and display a fake balance. Victims' computers were infected either by clicking on a malicious link in an email or visiting a Website that has been compromised with hidden malware.
The Trojan also kept a log of the victim's bank account login credentials, took screenshots, and snooped on the user's other Web accounts, such as PayPal, Facebook, and Gmail.
2.) FBI forgery
The wife of FBI Director Robert Mueller banned him from online banking after he nearly fell for a phishing scam. Mueller received a seemingly legitimate email from what he thought was his bank, which prompted him to verify some information. He even went as far as filling out some of his personal information before realizing it might not be a great idea.
He said he barely caught himself in time before falling victim to the scam. As a result, he changed his passwords and tried to pass the incident off to his wife as a 'teachable moment.' However, that did not stop Mrs. Mueller from sanctioning Mr. Mueller's online activities.
3.) White House adopts spammer tactics
In August, the White House emailed thousands of messages to Americans detailing its stance on the contentious issue of healthcare reform from an email account created to gather and dispel rumors, but some recipients claimed the messages were unsolicited. The White House acknowledged the unsolicited email and blamed third-party groups for the mass email.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done. Critics questioned whether the White House used address-gathering tactics similar to those employed by spammers.
4.) Hotmail phishing
Most recently, more than 10,000 Hotmail accounts were compromised in October and passwords were posted on several Websites where developers typically share programming code. News site Neowin reported it had seen part of the list, which has since been removed, and notified Microsoft of the issue. In this phishing scam, hackers sent out legitimate-looking emails under the letterhead of banks, eBay and other institutions, telling consumers they needed to reset online passwords to their Web sites for security purposes.
It seems that many of the affected account holders could have used a password reset. Security researchers with copies of the exposed passwords reported that '123456' was the most commonly used among them.
5.) Start-up suicide
Back in September, social media advertising and applications start-up RockYou, sent out a mass email to their customers and associates announcing their new site redesign, but instead of using BCC:, they displayed the entire mailing list of over 200 email addresses in the CC: field. Not surprisingly, many of those addresses ended up on a spammer's list.
Two months later, the start-up sent out another mass email using a mailing list. Unfortunately, the email asked contractors to provide information for their W9 tax forms. This resulted in people inadvertently sending personal information to the entire mailing list.
Email may not be as trendy as social networks, but companies still need to use both properly.
6.) Judge orders Gmail account deactivated
In August, Wyoming-based Rocky Mountain Bank mistakenly sent names, addresses, social security numbers and loan information of more than 1,300 customers to a Gmail address. When the bank realized the problem, it sent a message to that same address asking the recipient to contact the bank and destroy the file without opening it.
No one responded, so the bank contacted Google to ask for information about the account holder. U.S. District Court Judge James Ware in the northern district of California ordered Google to deactivate the email account and also disclose the Gmail account holder's identity and contact information.
The Gmail user hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing, but someone at the Bank should be a little more careful when typing in the TO: field in an email.
7.) Payroll panic
Payroll processor PayChoice was the victim of a Website breach in which customers received targeted emails purporting to be from the company, but were designed to trick people into downloading malware. Workers received emails that directed them to download a browser plug-in or visit a Website to continue accessing the Onlineemployer.com PayChoice portal.
Clients were notified within hours and the site was shut down. It was later learned that the emails were sent from a Yahoo! email account and the links were hosted from servers in Poland.
8.) UK tax terror
Britain's tax authority, HM Revenue & Customs, issued a warning about a rash of scam emails that used convincing (but fake) government email address in an attempt to lure recipients into divulging their personal information to receive a tax refund. The scam messages claimed that recipients were entitled to a tax refund and asked for bank or credit card details, so that the fictitious refund could be paid out.
Like most legitimate businesses and government organizations, the HMRC stressed that it would not inform citizens of a tax rebate via email, nor would it invite them to complete an online form to receive a tax rebate.
9.) Death, taxes and phish
In September, a fake email notice that purports to come from the Internal Revenue Service continued to make the rounds, widely ramping up attacks against businesses and individuals.
The attacks were concealed in a bogus email containing a subject line of 'Notice of Underreported Income,' according to US-CERT.
The emails contained a link or an attachment that, if opened, will infect users with the Zbot/Zeus Trojan, a nasty credentials-stealing program that seeks to compromise banking login information.
Proofpoint reports that these phishing emails continued to be widely circulated as the October 15th deadline for filing extended tax returns approached.
10.) UCSD fake-out
28,000 students were turned away from UC San Diego in one of the toughest college entrance seasons on record after a particularly cruel twist in the perils of instant communications. All 46,000 students in the entire freshman applicant pool received the same misfired message of acceptance, which could have led to the largest freshman class at any university globally.
The 18,000 students who were actually accepted breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the rest of the applicant pool had to march on in the grueling college application process.
To view the pictures of TOP E-MAIL BLUNDERS OF 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
HOW TO EXTRACT TEXT FROM IMAGES ONLINE & PDF FILES....$
Recently I had received a report from a company which had stats on the best laptops which was sent by a media company and while reading the report i thought to share a part of the stats with all my blog reader, but well it was not possible because it was a JPEG Image which the report was saved as and there was no option to copy any part of this. Now in order to extract all the text content from the Image i had to use a Online Tool called as Free OCR also means Optical Character Recognition which is a technology used to mechanically or electronically translate images into machine editable text which means into a kind of text which you can use it easily.
FREE OCR
To make you understand this technology in easy format, lets take a example. Whenever you scan some important document, you will find that its available to you to be saved as a Image file and you cannot select any other format in this case, because the scanner would take a photographic screenshot of document and present it to you. Now the OCR Readers would perform the reverse job and offer you a text format of the Image files. In order to get this task done you need to visit the website and browse the Image file on your local computer and click on the send file button, which would upload the file to the free-ocr.com website server where its being converted and then the results are shown on the same window at the end.
There are many chances that the text format is lost, because in the Image you would find the information stored in perfect tables and good layouts, but at the end you can find garbled text, which you need to format manually and still this is a good service because atleast you don’t have to manually type down all the text content from the Image. You just have to take the pieces of text which was downloaded and format it correctly for your usage.
Visit this online Page:- Click here
FREE OCR
To make you understand this technology in easy format, lets take a example. Whenever you scan some important document, you will find that its available to you to be saved as a Image file and you cannot select any other format in this case, because the scanner would take a photographic screenshot of document and present it to you. Now the OCR Readers would perform the reverse job and offer you a text format of the Image files. In order to get this task done you need to visit the website and browse the Image file on your local computer and click on the send file button, which would upload the file to the free-ocr.com website server where its being converted and then the results are shown on the same window at the end.
There are many chances that the text format is lost, because in the Image you would find the information stored in perfect tables and good layouts, but at the end you can find garbled text, which you need to format manually and still this is a good service because atleast you don’t have to manually type down all the text content from the Image. You just have to take the pieces of text which was downloaded and format it correctly for your usage.
Visit this online Page:- Click here
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
CHROME OS FASTER, SIMPLER,SAFER
The biggest disappointment of the much-awaited new operating system from Google, unveiled last week, is that it will not work on regular hard disks. This dampener aside, the Chrome OS promises to change the way we work on computers
The wait is not over yet, not at least for another year. But after Google lifted the veil from Chrome, its next-generation desktop operating system (OS), last week, the first glimpse was enough to announce the arrival of a game changer in the way we use our computers. In a demonstration at its headquarters at Mountain View, California, Sundar Pichai, vice-president of product management, mentioned a few things that are worth noting.
First, the OS is, as expected, a glorified version of the Google Chrome browser itself. The look and feel are pretty much the same, with just more eye candy and features in the Chrome OS.
Second, Google has made the source code for the OS available for download to anyone interested. So basically, both Google and external coders can now work on the underlying operating system at the same time.
Third, and the most important news for consumers, is that this OS will not work on regular hard disks. Google will tie up with hardware manufacturers to offer the new Chrome OS on selected devices—netbooks, tablets, laptops or anything else.
An open-source OS on a closed line-up of devices? Irony, thy name is Google. Pichai stressed that the goals of Chrome OS are the same as that of the browser—speed, simplicity and security.
Need for speed
The new OS is designed to work like a TV—instant on and instant off—and this requires more than just OS optimization to pull off. A Google Chrome OS-based computer will discard most of the bloat in the boot process today, cutting a system down to its essentials.
A computer today wastes precious time looking for hardware—such as floppy drives—which are no longer present. Thanks to the custom hardware, Chrome OS devices will feature custom firmware and a new boot process that ensures a boot-up time of mere seconds.
Pichai and his colleague demonstrated this by booting up an Asus EEE netbook PC which was switched off. Chrome OS was at the login screen in 7 seconds. Pichai says it will take only 3 seconds more to be on the Web and browsing.
Also, the new OS will work only on Solid State Drives (SSD), which are notably faster than normal hard-disk drives, says Matthew Papakipos, engineering director for Google Chrome OS. That’s right, no hard disks with moving parts will be supported. So if you planned to run this on your computer with a dual-boot system, think again.
Simplicity is its forte
To make simplicity a strong factor, the Chrome OS will rely completely on the cloud, with almost no support whatsoever for offline usage. There will be no desktop applications. Not even one. It’s all in the cloud with this one, and aimed primarily at portability with devices such as netbooks.
Applications running on Google Chrome OS will all run off the Web directly, although the OS features something it calls “panels”, which are essentially small widget-like applications that minimize to the status bar area from where they can be recalled. Pichai demonstrated a notepad widget that automatically saves to Google Docs. He also demonstrated Google Talk and an MP3 player widget from its new music search engine.
On the more technical side, HTML5 is a huge centre point for Chrome OS with its advanced video, audio, offline store technologies, and so on. And not surprisingly, the operating system will have full Flash support.
The OS browser also supports multiple open windows. The window switching mechanism is somewhat similar to what you see with Windows 7 with task-bar previews. The windows are thumbnailed, and hovering on one further pops up the tabs opened in it.
In a demonstration of working on documents from external devices, Google showcased how one could open documents from a pen drive. The pen drive contained Excel documents which opened straight in the Excel Live Web app. Did Microsoft just help make Chrome OS work better?
High on security
With the speed and simplicity already accounted for—speed due to the revamped hardware, and simplicity since the entire OS is essentially a browser—we now come to security. Chrome OS touts the security paradigm of a Web application compared with a native application. Unlike native applications, a Web application cannot interact directly with the hardware on a computer, or even do anything outside of the sandboxed environment of the browser.
Furthermore, the OS and the firmware are signed, which means that tampering and malware will be detected during the boot process itself and will trigger an update of the system, bringing it back to normal. Additionally, the entire OS will be auto-updated, ensuring that users have the latest security updates; and since all applications are on the cloud, they will already be the latest versions available.
Finally, all data in Chrome OS is encrypted, so even if you were to lose your computer, your data could not be stolen off it. And since everything is synced to the cloud, you won’t lose your data in case of a theft or disk crash either!
A distant dream
The biggest disappointment about the Chrome OS is that it won’t be available for anyone and everyone. When Google first announced the concept of an open-source OS, it seemed like Linux would finally get the push it needed from a technology giant, and the world would have an OS that could really compete with Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OSX. Unfortunately, that does not look like it will be the case.
Currently, it is possible to run Chrome OS in a virtual machine (a software container in the cloud that works as an independent OS and runs applications just like a physical machine). However, the lack of an official Google-made build means you will need to download the source and build it yourself—a solution best left to hard-core techies. However, the open source community should soon be coming out with enough solutions and guides to let the average tech enthusiast run Chrome OS on his computer.
CONNECT
ViewSonic’S new launch
ViewSonic has launched the VPC 100 (Rs31,999, plus taxes) and VPC 101 (Rs47,000, plus taxes)—all-in-one PCs which offer the entire computer in just its monitor. Both the VPC 100 and 101 come with an 18.5-inch screen, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, 8x DVD writer, a 1.3MP webcam and four-in-one card reader, and both run Windows XP Home. Their main points of difference are that the 101 uses an Atom 230 instead of the Atom 270, and 2x2 watt speakers instead of 2.3 watt. The 101, however, offers a better screen, with a 170-degree horizontal viewing angle instead of the 100’s 160-degree.
Free download
It seems that the success of the Windows 7 Beta has led Microsoft to believe that this is the perfect way to go forward with all new major software releases. It has just rolled out a free download of the beta version of Microsoft Office 2010 Professional. It includes MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access, InfoPath, Sharepoint Workspace, Communicator and Publisher. Microsoft recommends that users uninstall any previous version of Office they have been running, and not use this beta version as a office suite on their primary personal or office PCs. You will need a Windows Live account, and there’s a form to be filled out as well. Following that, you will be given a key to activate the software, and can choose between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The 684MB installer will start downloading in your browser itself through a special Microsoft download package.
New phone from LG
LG has launched the GD900 Crystal in India. The 13.5mm-thin phone, with a transparent, touch-sensitive keypad boasts a scratch-resistant design made from tempered glass and reinforced by a band of liquid metal. The 8MP shutter on the phone comes with autofocus and LED flash, and can also record video at 720x480 pixel resolution. The accelerometer on the 3-inch capacitive touch screen (16 million colours, 480x800 pixels) helps auto-rotate the screen when taking pictures, and even comes with a proximity sensor to turn it off when talking on the phone. The phone retails at Rs26,000.
Unite technology
Have you heard about the Opera’s upcoming Unite technology? It is a new feature in Opera 10.10 which embeds a Web server into your browser. With it, your Web browser becomes less of a consumer of online content, and more of a P2P (person to person) application which allows you to become a true member of the Internet. You can share your music and images, or set up your own website, run a messaging service, or allow people to leave notes on your computer while you are away—and these are just the “applications” bundled with Opera 10.10. The unite sidebar Opera also has a gallery of applications available online, which allow you to do anything, including running a music streaming service.
Do check the other pictures of Google Chrome from this link:
http://publication.samachar.com/pub_article.php?id=6679372&navname=Latest+News%26moreurl%3Dhttp://publication.samachar.com/mint/business/latestnews.php&homeurl=http://www.samachar.com/mostread.php&nextids=6674617|6674619|6680866|6680857|6679372&nextIndex=0
Thursday, November 19, 2009
NEW TECHNOLOGY CAN 'COOL' LAPTOPS
Heating up of your laptop will soon be a thing of the past, for researchers have developed a new technology that could help keep it cool.
Jairo Sinova, physics professor at Texas A and M University, and his colleagues have explained that with laptops getting increasingly powerful and their sizes getting smaller, they are excessively heating up, which tends to become a headache.
"The crux of the problem is the way information is processed. Laptops and some other devices use flows of electric charge to process information, but they also produce heat," Nature quoted Sinova as saying.
"Theoretically, excessive heat may melt the laptop," he adds.
"This also wastes a considerable amount of energy," said Sinova.
And his research could find a new approach towards an alternative way to process information.
"Our research looks at the spin of electrons, tiny particles that naked eyes cannot detect. The directions they spin can be used to record and process information," he said.
He said that for processing information, it is necessary to create information, transmit the information and read the information, but it is not yet know how these are done.
"The device we designed injects the electrons with spin pointing in a particular direction according to the information we want to process, and then we transmit the electrons to another place in the device but with the spin still surviving, and finally we are able to measure the spin direction via a voltage that they produce," explained Sinova.
The biggest challenge to creating a spin-based device is the distance that the spins will survive in a particular direction.
"Transmission is no problem. You can think for comparison that if the old devices could only transmit the information to several hundred feet away, with our device, information can be easily transmitted to hundreds of miles away. It is very efficient," he said.
"This new device, as the only all-semiconductor spin-based device for possible information processing, has a lot of real practical potential," he says. "One huge thing is that it is operational at room temperature, which nobody has been able to achieve until now. It may bring in a new and much more efficient way to process information," he added.
Jairo Sinova, physics professor at Texas A and M University, and his colleagues have explained that with laptops getting increasingly powerful and their sizes getting smaller, they are excessively heating up, which tends to become a headache.
"The crux of the problem is the way information is processed. Laptops and some other devices use flows of electric charge to process information, but they also produce heat," Nature quoted Sinova as saying.
"Theoretically, excessive heat may melt the laptop," he adds.
"This also wastes a considerable amount of energy," said Sinova.
And his research could find a new approach towards an alternative way to process information.
"Our research looks at the spin of electrons, tiny particles that naked eyes cannot detect. The directions they spin can be used to record and process information," he said.
He said that for processing information, it is necessary to create information, transmit the information and read the information, but it is not yet know how these are done.
"The device we designed injects the electrons with spin pointing in a particular direction according to the information we want to process, and then we transmit the electrons to another place in the device but with the spin still surviving, and finally we are able to measure the spin direction via a voltage that they produce," explained Sinova.
The biggest challenge to creating a spin-based device is the distance that the spins will survive in a particular direction.
"Transmission is no problem. You can think for comparison that if the old devices could only transmit the information to several hundred feet away, with our device, information can be easily transmitted to hundreds of miles away. It is very efficient," he said.
"This new device, as the only all-semiconductor spin-based device for possible information processing, has a lot of real practical potential," he says. "One huge thing is that it is operational at room temperature, which nobody has been able to achieve until now. It may bring in a new and much more efficient way to process information," he added.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
GOOGLE UNVEILS NEW ORKUT
New Delhi: Social networking site Orkut has revamped its look and added a host of new features as it tries to regain ground from one of its toughest competitor Facebook.
Google, which owns Orkut, said the new look has a user interface, or homepage, which is faster and easier to use.
'With the new user interface (UI), the user does not have to visit each page for viewing videos, or say posting scraps.
'He gets to see all updates and respond to his friends from the homepage itself,' Google India Head (Products) Vinay Goel said.
It also allows faster uploading of photos and has features like video chat, automatic face detection and a scroll down menu for viewing all friends on the same page.
'We have about 80-100 million users globally and India is the second leading market for Orkut after Brazil,' Vinay Goel added.
Google, which owns Orkut, said the new look has a user interface, or homepage, which is faster and easier to use.
'With the new user interface (UI), the user does not have to visit each page for viewing videos, or say posting scraps.
'He gets to see all updates and respond to his friends from the homepage itself,' Google India Head (Products) Vinay Goel said.
It also allows faster uploading of photos and has features like video chat, automatic face detection and a scroll down menu for viewing all friends on the same page.
'We have about 80-100 million users globally and India is the second leading market for Orkut after Brazil,' Vinay Goel added.
VANISHING E-MAIL ADDRESS
Protect your e-mail ID
Our e-mail addresses are our identity, as it were, and we would like to keep them away from spammers' eyes.
But sometimes, if you want to download data or graphics from a Web site, you are required to fill out a sign-up form, go for Web site subscriptions, which may open the door to unsolicited spam.
Temporary e-mails
How can we avoid such risks and protect our main e-mail IDs?
www.10minutemail.com could be the answer - this will give you a temporary e-mail address valid for just 10 minutes.
10 mins e-mail
More importantly, there is no registration or verification here. Any e-mails sent to that address would show up automatically on the Web page. Keep the Web page open for 10 minutes.
You can read and forward the messages sent to your e-mail address and even reply to the messages. The e-mail address will self-destruct after 10 minutes.
Spam-free
If you want to retain the e-mail address (given by the Web site) for some more time, you can also reset the timer by clicking on ''Give me 10 more minutes.''
For safer surfing, use this (temporary) e-mail address for any forum sign-ups and keep your inbox spam-free.
Click over to the site. You will instantly be given a temporary e-mail address that vanishes after 10 minutes.
Our e-mail addresses are our identity, as it were, and we would like to keep them away from spammers' eyes.
But sometimes, if you want to download data or graphics from a Web site, you are required to fill out a sign-up form, go for Web site subscriptions, which may open the door to unsolicited spam.
Temporary e-mails
How can we avoid such risks and protect our main e-mail IDs?
www.10minutemail.com could be the answer - this will give you a temporary e-mail address valid for just 10 minutes.
10 mins e-mail
More importantly, there is no registration or verification here. Any e-mails sent to that address would show up automatically on the Web page. Keep the Web page open for 10 minutes.
You can read and forward the messages sent to your e-mail address and even reply to the messages. The e-mail address will self-destruct after 10 minutes.
Spam-free
If you want to retain the e-mail address (given by the Web site) for some more time, you can also reset the timer by clicking on ''Give me 10 more minutes.''
For safer surfing, use this (temporary) e-mail address for any forum sign-ups and keep your inbox spam-free.
Click over to the site. You will instantly be given a temporary e-mail address that vanishes after 10 minutes.
'EMAIL COULD BE EXTINCT WITHIN A DECADE'
With more and more teenagers switching to instant messaging and social networking sites for speedy communication, email could be extinct within a decade, says a new report.
The electronic form of contact is losing its charm as millions of teenagers ditch it as their main form of communication, said the study by social anthropologist from the University of Kent.
Although inboxes are still filling up daily all over the world, experts believe emails are dying out because they are too slow, too inconvenient and simply not fashionable any more.
The study commissioned by broadband provider TalkTalk found only 51 per cent of Britons in their teens or early twenties say email is their first choice of communication, The Daily Mail reported.
Email took 20 years to develop into the phenomenon it is now, but could take just half as long to die out again, said report author Professor David Zeitlyn.
Experts reckons people prefer the 'one and done' style of message, which is where a short message like those on Twitter, can be sent to all contacts at the same time.
Other email alternatives, such as instant messaging, texting and social networks like Facebook, are quick and easy and can be done anywhere with modern technology.
The researchers found email has already become 'grey mail' with the most devoted users being pensioners, followed by middle-aged Britons.
It does not mean email is completely abandoned as 86 per cent of 15-24 year-olds do send out messages this way, it's just they use other methods more often, they say.
One of the reasons was that alternatives, like Facebook and Twitter, allow them to send out one message which goes to all their friends at once, saving them time on mailing or texting.
Older generations are however more reliant on email, with 98 per cent of those aged 65 or over using it regularly and 96 per cent of those aged 45-64, said the TalkTalk research.
As users get younger, email becomes less popular with 87 per cent of 25-34-year-olds using it.
'Email has been the dominant mode of communication over the internet for the past 20 years, but that doesn't mean it always will be,' Mark Schmid from TalkTalk said.
'Increasingly people want to send quick, short messages reaching many people in one go, and there are now better ways of doing that than via email.
'Based on the trends we're seeing now, email could well be on its last legs by the end of the next decade.'
The electronic form of contact is losing its charm as millions of teenagers ditch it as their main form of communication, said the study by social anthropologist from the University of Kent.
Although inboxes are still filling up daily all over the world, experts believe emails are dying out because they are too slow, too inconvenient and simply not fashionable any more.
The study commissioned by broadband provider TalkTalk found only 51 per cent of Britons in their teens or early twenties say email is their first choice of communication, The Daily Mail reported.
Email took 20 years to develop into the phenomenon it is now, but could take just half as long to die out again, said report author Professor David Zeitlyn.
Experts reckons people prefer the 'one and done' style of message, which is where a short message like those on Twitter, can be sent to all contacts at the same time.
Other email alternatives, such as instant messaging, texting and social networks like Facebook, are quick and easy and can be done anywhere with modern technology.
The researchers found email has already become 'grey mail' with the most devoted users being pensioners, followed by middle-aged Britons.
It does not mean email is completely abandoned as 86 per cent of 15-24 year-olds do send out messages this way, it's just they use other methods more often, they say.
One of the reasons was that alternatives, like Facebook and Twitter, allow them to send out one message which goes to all their friends at once, saving them time on mailing or texting.
Older generations are however more reliant on email, with 98 per cent of those aged 65 or over using it regularly and 96 per cent of those aged 45-64, said the TalkTalk research.
As users get younger, email becomes less popular with 87 per cent of 25-34-year-olds using it.
'Email has been the dominant mode of communication over the internet for the past 20 years, but that doesn't mean it always will be,' Mark Schmid from TalkTalk said.
'Increasingly people want to send quick, short messages reaching many people in one go, and there are now better ways of doing that than via email.
'Based on the trends we're seeing now, email could well be on its last legs by the end of the next decade.'
Friday, November 13, 2009
GURGAON BOY DOODLES HIS WAY TO GOOGLE
Puru Pratap Singh, a Class 4 student from Gurgaon, won the Doodle for Google competition. Singh’s doodle was chosen from 4,000 entries across India. Log on to Google and you will see the logo
For once, Puru Pratap Singh’s (9) folks will allow him to surf the Net late at night. In fact, his whole family will be up till midnight.
Friday, to see his artwork displayed as an icon on the homepage of Google India.
Singh, a Class IV student of Amity International, Saket, won the GoogleDoodle contest in India, edging out 4,000 others. His will be the search engine’s first “made in India” doodle.
But having won the contest, and a laptop in prize, Singh has other plans for the future: “I want to be a scientist, not an artist as they aren’t very well paid.”
The Gurgaon boy had a little help. His art teacher mother, Arti Singh, pitched in with the artwork while his father, N.P. Singh, helped him think up the concept, ‘My India full of life’.
“The first ‘G’ is in the shape of a peacock; ‘O’ represents the wisdom of our country; the other ‘O’ shows the discovery of water on the moon by India, ‘G’ revolves around Kashmir; ‘L’ is designed as the rifle at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate; and ‘E’ depicts Mahatma Gandhi,” said Singh.
To see Singh’s doodle, a Google India spokesman said, all you have to do is log on to www.google.co.in.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
YAHOO PLANS TO EXPAND, HIRE PEOPLE IN INDIA: CEO
Yahoo! Inc plans to grow its business in India and hire additional people there, its chief executive Carol Bartz said on Tuesday.
Bartz, who was speaking at a luncheon in Singapore, said she was heading from the city-state to India where she would meet the country's prime minister and other senior officials.
She also said Yahoo! is "happy" with its investment in China's Alibaba, although it recently sold a small part of its shares in Alibaba.com, the Chinese firm's listed unit.
Bartz, who was speaking at a luncheon in Singapore, said she was heading from the city-state to India where she would meet the country's prime minister and other senior officials.
She also said Yahoo! is "happy" with its investment in China's Alibaba, although it recently sold a small part of its shares in Alibaba.com, the Chinese firm's listed unit.
Monday, November 9, 2009
GOOGLE TO BUY ADMOB FOR $750 m
Google is to pay $750 million to buy AdMob, a provider of advertising on mobile phones, the internet search leader announced Monday.
The deal is the third largest ever undertaken by Google and underscores the company's strategy of extending its online advertising dominance to the mobile web, where its Android smartphone operating system is becoming increasingly popular. Google said it expected antitrust regulatory review in the US but not in Europe.
AdMob has a system that serves display ads on mobile phones and its purchase could give the still nascent market a powerful boost, analysts said.
'Google could have built this itself, but this gives them a head start,' says mobile analyst Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence. 'It will thrust Google into the forefront of mobile display ads.'
'AdMob is a great Silicon Valley story,' said Google in a blog posting to announce the deal. 'We are looking forward to having them join the Google team and work with us on the future of mobile advertising.'
The deal is the third largest ever undertaken by Google and underscores the company's strategy of extending its online advertising dominance to the mobile web, where its Android smartphone operating system is becoming increasingly popular. Google said it expected antitrust regulatory review in the US but not in Europe.
AdMob has a system that serves display ads on mobile phones and its purchase could give the still nascent market a powerful boost, analysts said.
'Google could have built this itself, but this gives them a head start,' says mobile analyst Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence. 'It will thrust Google into the forefront of mobile display ads.'
'AdMob is a great Silicon Valley story,' said Google in a blog posting to announce the deal. 'We are looking forward to having them join the Google team and work with us on the future of mobile advertising.'
DEADLINE IN GOOGLE BOOK DEAL EXTENDED TO FRIDAY 13th Nov.
A judge has given Google Inc. more time to revise a legal settlement that has drawn government scrutiny because it would give the Internet search leader the digital rights to millions of out-of-print books.
Under a change approved Monday, Google and groups representing U.S. authors and publishers now have until Friday to change an agreement reached more than a year ago. It marked the latest twist in a copyright lawsuit that the authors and publishers filed against Google's digital book project four years ago.
The revisions to the settlement were supposed to be filed by the end of Monday, but Google and its negotiating partners told U.S. District Judge Denny Chin they still needed to address objections raised in September by the U.S. Justice Department. Chin signed off on the extension without comment.
The Justice Department has warned it probably would try to block the current agreement from taking effect because antitrust regulators had concluded it threatened to thwart competition and drive up prices.
Some of the Justice Department's preliminary findings echoed concerns from a chorus of critics that include Google rivals Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.
Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., had insisted the settlement merited court approval until the Justice Department raised red flags.
In its current form, the settlement would entrust Google with a digital database containing millions of copyright-protected books, including volumes no longer being published. The Internet search leader would act as the sales agent for the authors and publishers, giving 63 percent of the revenue to the copyright holders.
The Justice Department believes the arrangement could lead to collusion that would raise the prices for digital books — a format that is expected to become increasingly popular with the advent of electronic readers such as Amazon's Kindle.
Google contends its plan to make digital copies of so many hard-to-find books would benefit society by making more knowledge available to anyone with an Internet connection.
For that reason, the Justice Department has said it hopes an acceptable compromise can be worked out.
GOOGLE PROVIDING BETTER VIEW OF PERSONAL DATA
Google is offering a new privacy control that will make it easier for people to see some of the information being collected about them.
The "Dashboard" feature unveiled Thursday pulls together all the data that pour into Google's computers whenever Web surfers log in to one of the company' services.
That includes summaries of an individual's e-mail, search requests and viewing habits on Google's video site, YouTube. Before, a user would have to check multiple places for all that.
The snapshot doesn't include any activity that occurs when a person isn't logged into a Google service.
Dashboard represents Google Inc.'s latest step to give its users more control over their personal information and appease privacy watchdogs.
The "Dashboard" feature unveiled Thursday pulls together all the data that pour into Google's computers whenever Web surfers log in to one of the company' services.
That includes summaries of an individual's e-mail, search requests and viewing habits on Google's video site, YouTube. Before, a user would have to check multiple places for all that.
The snapshot doesn't include any activity that occurs when a person isn't logged into a Google service.
Dashboard represents Google Inc.'s latest step to give its users more control over their personal information and appease privacy watchdogs.
MICROSOFT INDIA SEEING GOOD RESPONSE TO WINDOWS 7
New Delhi: The Indian unit of Microsoft is seeing a good early response to Windows 7, its recently launched operating system, its chairman said on Monday.
The Indian unit, which employs 5,300 people, has "no significant plans of hiring" this year, Ravi Venkatesan told reporters at the World Economic Forum.
India and China contributed a very small portion of Microsoft's global revenues, but he said "we are seeing good double-digit growth".
The Indian unit, which employs 5,300 people, has "no significant plans of hiring" this year, Ravi Venkatesan told reporters at the World Economic Forum.
India and China contributed a very small portion of Microsoft's global revenues, but he said "we are seeing good double-digit growth".
Friday, November 6, 2009
MICROSOFT TO CUT JOBS WORLDWIDE
Global software major Microsoft will slash hundreds of jobs globally as part of its effort to realign business activities.
The layoffs are expected to be across different locations and businesses. Sources said the number of possible lay-offs could be close to 800.
When contacted, a Microsoft India spokesperson said the impact on the company's India headcount would be in single digits. The firm currently employs about 5,300 in the country.
"We continue to review our business needs and align our resources accordingly, be it our headcount or our spending.
The impact on India remains minimal and in single digit. At the same time, we continue to hire in priority areas," the spokesperson said.
In January, the software major had announced plans to trim 5,000 jobs. At that time, Microsoft said it would cut up to 5,000 jobs in research and development, HR, marketing, sales, finance, legal, and IT.
Four months later, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had warned the company might axe more jobs depending on the impact of the economic downturn.
"As we move forward, we will continue to closely monitor the impact of the economic downturn on the company and if necessary, take further actions on our cost structure, including additional job eliminations," Ballmer had said in May.
The layoffs are expected to be across different locations and businesses. Sources said the number of possible lay-offs could be close to 800.
When contacted, a Microsoft India spokesperson said the impact on the company's India headcount would be in single digits. The firm currently employs about 5,300 in the country.
"We continue to review our business needs and align our resources accordingly, be it our headcount or our spending.
The impact on India remains minimal and in single digit. At the same time, we continue to hire in priority areas," the spokesperson said.
In January, the software major had announced plans to trim 5,000 jobs. At that time, Microsoft said it would cut up to 5,000 jobs in research and development, HR, marketing, sales, finance, legal, and IT.
Four months later, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had warned the company might axe more jobs depending on the impact of the economic downturn.
"As we move forward, we will continue to closely monitor the impact of the economic downturn on the company and if necessary, take further actions on our cost structure, including additional job eliminations," Ballmer had said in May.
MICROSOFT LAUNCHES ONLINE SERVICES IN INDIA
Software giant Microsoft today announced the commercial availability of its online services in India at prices starting from $2 (Rs 95) per user per month which will allow small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and enterprise customers to access Microsoft’s e-mail, collaboration, conferencing and productivity capabilities online.
The services, that include Microsoft Online Services product family, offers Exchange Online (for e-mail) and Office SharePoint Online (portals and collaboration), Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services and Microsoft Office Communications Online (for instant messaging and presence), from Saturday.
"Customers can access a suite of products directly from the company website and pay a use-based monthly subscription fee and thus manage their IT needs efficiently and lower their IT spend 10-50 per cent," said Microsoft’s Business Group President Stephen Elop while launching the services here today.
Microsoft has partnered with HCL Infosystems, Infosys and Wipro to market and offer value-added services around the Microsoft Online Services.
The services, that include Microsoft Online Services product family, offers Exchange Online (for e-mail) and Office SharePoint Online (portals and collaboration), Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services and Microsoft Office Communications Online (for instant messaging and presence), from Saturday.
"Customers can access a suite of products directly from the company website and pay a use-based monthly subscription fee and thus manage their IT needs efficiently and lower their IT spend 10-50 per cent," said Microsoft’s Business Group President Stephen Elop while launching the services here today.
Microsoft has partnered with HCL Infosystems, Infosys and Wipro to market and offer value-added services around the Microsoft Online Services.
MICROSOFT CEO EYES YAHOO PARTNERSHIP OUTSIDE US
Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Thursday the company could look to extend its search engine partnership with Yahoo outside the United States, if it gets regulatory approval.
Earlier this year Microsoft and Yahoo signed a 10-year Web search partnership to challenge Google Inc, a pact that US and European antitrust regulators are evaluating.
"It's possible that we will extend that partnership (with Yahoo) outside the US," Ballmer told reporters at a news conference. "We will have to wait and see if we can get approval and consummate that partnership inside the US first."
Microsoft has said it believes the deal will close in early 2010, and that they can make significant progress on integration in one or two major markets next year.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
WINDOWS 7 SALES TOUCH 3.5 PERCENT
It’s been a fortnight since Windows 7 was officially launched worldwide. It now makes up more than 3.6 per cent of all PCs tracked by research firm Net Applications.
Net Applications tracks operating system (OS) usage statistics through information reported by internet browser software. On October 21, the day before the official launch, Windows 7 usage was at 1.89 per cent, according to Channel Register. By launch day, the number hit 1.99 per cent, rising to 3.67 percent it hit on November 1.
Throughout October, various versions of Windows made up 92.52 percent of the browsing market, with the Mac OS X taking 5.27 per cent, and Linux at 0.96 per cent. Despite the steadily growing Windows 7 share, Microsoft's OS as a whole have been falling as Windows had nearly 94 per cent of the market in December 2008. Share of Mac OS X and mobile browsers appears to have modestly risen in its place.
Net Applications tracks operating system (OS) usage statistics through information reported by internet browser software. On October 21, the day before the official launch, Windows 7 usage was at 1.89 per cent, according to Channel Register. By launch day, the number hit 1.99 per cent, rising to 3.67 percent it hit on November 1.
Throughout October, various versions of Windows made up 92.52 percent of the browsing market, with the Mac OS X taking 5.27 per cent, and Linux at 0.96 per cent. Despite the steadily growing Windows 7 share, Microsoft's OS as a whole have been falling as Windows had nearly 94 per cent of the market in December 2008. Share of Mac OS X and mobile browsers appears to have modestly risen in its place.
INTERNET COULD RUN OUT OF WEB ADDRESSES NEXT YEAR
The world could well run out of Internet addresses next year, unless urgent action is taken to switch to a new generation of net addresses, the European Commission has warned.
According to the commission, businesses urgently need to upgrade to Internet protocol version six or IPv6, a new version of the Internet's addressing protocol, which will hugely increase the number of available addresses.
The IPv6 system has been ready for over a decade and is providing 340 trillion, trillion, trillion web addresses. But, not many companies are actually ready to migrate to the new platform.
In fact, a survey, conducted by the Commission, found that few companies are prepared for the switch from the current naming protocol, IPv4, to the new regime, IPv6, ‘The Daily Telegraph’ reported.
The IPv4 and IPv6 protocols refer to the way in which web addresses are created and assigned. Each website has a unique IP address, represented by a string of numbers, such as 192.168.1.1, which are then given a user-friendly web address to make them easier to remember.
The IPv4 protocol uses 32-bit addresses, which enables the web to support around 4.3 billion unique addresses while IPv6 uses 128-bit web addresses, creating billions of possible new web addresses.
The EC survey found that of the 610 government, educational and other industry organisations questioned across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, just 17 per cent have upgraded to IPv6.
The Commission has warned that the timely deployment of the protocol is vital to the growth and stability of the Internet.
Detlef Eckert, Director in Commission’s information society and media directorate-general, said: “In the last 10 years, the Internet has become hugely important worldwide...
“Only by ensuring that all devices connected to the internet are compatible with IPv6 can we stay connected and safeguard sustainable growth of the Internet and the global digital economy, now and in the years to come.”
According to the commission, businesses urgently need to upgrade to Internet protocol version six or IPv6, a new version of the Internet's addressing protocol, which will hugely increase the number of available addresses.
The IPv6 system has been ready for over a decade and is providing 340 trillion, trillion, trillion web addresses. But, not many companies are actually ready to migrate to the new platform.
In fact, a survey, conducted by the Commission, found that few companies are prepared for the switch from the current naming protocol, IPv4, to the new regime, IPv6, ‘The Daily Telegraph’ reported.
The IPv4 and IPv6 protocols refer to the way in which web addresses are created and assigned. Each website has a unique IP address, represented by a string of numbers, such as 192.168.1.1, which are then given a user-friendly web address to make them easier to remember.
The IPv4 protocol uses 32-bit addresses, which enables the web to support around 4.3 billion unique addresses while IPv6 uses 128-bit web addresses, creating billions of possible new web addresses.
The EC survey found that of the 610 government, educational and other industry organisations questioned across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, just 17 per cent have upgraded to IPv6.
The Commission has warned that the timely deployment of the protocol is vital to the growth and stability of the Internet.
Detlef Eckert, Director in Commission’s information society and media directorate-general, said: “In the last 10 years, the Internet has become hugely important worldwide...
“Only by ensuring that all devices connected to the internet are compatible with IPv6 can we stay connected and safeguard sustainable growth of the Internet and the global digital economy, now and in the years to come.”
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
PIRATED WINDOWS 7 GENERATES $ 100,000 IN INDIA
About 50,000 pirated DVDs of Microsoft Windows 7 are estimated to have been sold here since the official launch on Oct 22, generating unaccounted business of around Rs.50 lakh (nearly $100,000).
The reason for the allure of the pirated versions: These cost Rs.40-Rs.250 in Naza Market in Hazratganj here, drawing buyers from not only the rest of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand but also Nepal and Bangladesh.
'This is the biggest market in the region,' said a shopkeeper in Hazratganj, claiming at least 50,000 DVDs of the pirated Windows 7 have been sold since hitting the local markets within 24 hours of the official launch, fetching sellers about Rs.50 lakh so far.
The legal version of the new operating system launched by Microsoft Corp costs between $150-$300 (Rs.7,500-Rs.15,000) in the international markets. The company, however, tagged its prices 20 percent below international rates in India, where it is available in the Rs.6,000-Rs.11,000 range through official channels.
Despite the discounted company rates, buyers are opting for the pirated version.
'Why invest Rs.10,000 when it is available for Rs.250?' asked Pramod Yadav, a student pursuing a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) course.
Added Mohit Singh, who runs a computer hardware and software maintenance company: 'We pay for only the DVD as we are regular customers. A DVD hardly costs Rs.20-40.'
Most computer service providers or 'regular customers' in Lucknow and elsewhere in India use pirated software, contended Nishant Kumar, a software engineer with HCL Technologies in Greater Noida.
According to him, what makes the pirated operating systems more attractive is that cheap pirated anti-virus software is also freely available.
'A lot of anti-virus software, for example Awast, is available on the Internet,' Kumar said, adding that it was equally effective and has the same service life.
Those selling pirated Windows 7 deny doing anything illegal.
'There are over 200 shops in Naza Market. All have everything you want. We are not doing anything illegal as everything is available on the Internet,' said a shopkeeper not willing to be named.
'We are only transferring and supplying to buyers who include students, professionals and even big business houses.'
Those selling authentic software are unhappy.
'Be it software or encyclopaedia, everything is available in pirated form within 24 hours. We do not get the expected business,' Amit Mishra of Newgen Technologies, the authorised distributor of Compaq, HP, Microsoft and Lenovo in Hazratganj, told IANS.
The police express helplessness in combating piracy. 'We know what is going on for the past couple of decades. But we cannot act on our own. We need a formal complaint to act or else you (the media) will come down on us,' police spokesperson A.K. Pathak told IANS.
Besides software, the Naza Market and the Naka Market in the Naka area are also famous for producing CDs and DVDs of newly released Bollywood movies within 24 hours.
'You name the movie and you will have the CD, DVD the next day,' boasted Harnam Singh, a Naka shopowner.
The reason for the allure of the pirated versions: These cost Rs.40-Rs.250 in Naza Market in Hazratganj here, drawing buyers from not only the rest of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand but also Nepal and Bangladesh.
'This is the biggest market in the region,' said a shopkeeper in Hazratganj, claiming at least 50,000 DVDs of the pirated Windows 7 have been sold since hitting the local markets within 24 hours of the official launch, fetching sellers about Rs.50 lakh so far.
The legal version of the new operating system launched by Microsoft Corp costs between $150-$300 (Rs.7,500-Rs.15,000) in the international markets. The company, however, tagged its prices 20 percent below international rates in India, where it is available in the Rs.6,000-Rs.11,000 range through official channels.
Despite the discounted company rates, buyers are opting for the pirated version.
'Why invest Rs.10,000 when it is available for Rs.250?' asked Pramod Yadav, a student pursuing a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) course.
Added Mohit Singh, who runs a computer hardware and software maintenance company: 'We pay for only the DVD as we are regular customers. A DVD hardly costs Rs.20-40.'
Most computer service providers or 'regular customers' in Lucknow and elsewhere in India use pirated software, contended Nishant Kumar, a software engineer with HCL Technologies in Greater Noida.
According to him, what makes the pirated operating systems more attractive is that cheap pirated anti-virus software is also freely available.
'A lot of anti-virus software, for example Awast, is available on the Internet,' Kumar said, adding that it was equally effective and has the same service life.
Those selling pirated Windows 7 deny doing anything illegal.
'There are over 200 shops in Naza Market. All have everything you want. We are not doing anything illegal as everything is available on the Internet,' said a shopkeeper not willing to be named.
'We are only transferring and supplying to buyers who include students, professionals and even big business houses.'
Those selling authentic software are unhappy.
'Be it software or encyclopaedia, everything is available in pirated form within 24 hours. We do not get the expected business,' Amit Mishra of Newgen Technologies, the authorised distributor of Compaq, HP, Microsoft and Lenovo in Hazratganj, told IANS.
The police express helplessness in combating piracy. 'We know what is going on for the past couple of decades. But we cannot act on our own. We need a formal complaint to act or else you (the media) will come down on us,' police spokesperson A.K. Pathak told IANS.
Besides software, the Naza Market and the Naka Market in the Naka area are also famous for producing CDs and DVDs of newly released Bollywood movies within 24 hours.
'You name the movie and you will have the CD, DVD the next day,' boasted Harnam Singh, a Naka shopowner.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
FACEBOOK GIVES PEACE A CHANCE
John Lennon, one of the world's most recognised names in the history of music, always imagined a world where people lived as "one". He also beseeched the world with his wife, Yoko Ono, to "give peace a chance". They sang, "Everybody's talking about/ Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism/ This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism/ All we are saying is give peace a chance", in an earnest attempt to spread the message of peace through music and catchy rhymes. Today, emulating the same example of an imagined peaceful world, Facebook, one of the most frequented social networking sites, has joined the peace bandwagon by being part of the Peace Dot initiative, started by Stanford University.
What is the Peace Dot initiative?
'Peace Dot', the brainchild of Stanford's Persuasive Technology Lab, is an attempt to bring together technology and world peace, heralding a social change. The website says, Many are pessimistic about peace, but our Stanford team sees a different trend. Today, many good things are happening. To highlight work that increases peace, we organized "Peace Dot" and invited some partners to join us. Stanford will help track the progress and share data, which it hopes will be positive.
Where does Facebook come in?
Facebook is perhaps one of the first social media sites to join the Peace Dot campaign. "Facebook is proud to play a part in promoting peace by building technology that helps people better understand each other. By enabling people from diverse backgrounds to easily connect and share their ideas, we can decrease world conflict in the short and long term", says the website.
How does it work?
Everyday, more and more people across the world are logging in to Facebook to connect with long lost friends, relatives and acquaintances. This is where the Peace dot campaign comes in, its inherent message being, "You are not alone". Peace Dot aims to spread the message of peace through this thriving culture of social networking.
What does it track?
The Peace Dot movement tracks the number of people connected to others across ethnicities, religion and across the continents which have a record of disputes. For example, there are about 7231 India-Pakistan connections as of the last 24 hours, which is displayed on the site. Every day, claims the site, they ask people the question, "Is world peace possible?", the answers to which are tracked region-wise. Even though the statistics say that only 8.51% people in the US think it is possible, Facebook is confident that the numbers will increase as the campaign gains momentum.
Just a few days old, this campaign is all set to connect the online world and has succeeded in adding a whole new dimension to social networking - that of world peace, the online way.
Imagine that. And give peace a chance.
What is the Peace Dot initiative?
'Peace Dot', the brainchild of Stanford's Persuasive Technology Lab, is an attempt to bring together technology and world peace, heralding a social change. The website says, Many are pessimistic about peace, but our Stanford team sees a different trend. Today, many good things are happening. To highlight work that increases peace, we organized "Peace Dot" and invited some partners to join us. Stanford will help track the progress and share data, which it hopes will be positive.
Where does Facebook come in?
Facebook is perhaps one of the first social media sites to join the Peace Dot campaign. "Facebook is proud to play a part in promoting peace by building technology that helps people better understand each other. By enabling people from diverse backgrounds to easily connect and share their ideas, we can decrease world conflict in the short and long term", says the website.
How does it work?
Everyday, more and more people across the world are logging in to Facebook to connect with long lost friends, relatives and acquaintances. This is where the Peace dot campaign comes in, its inherent message being, "You are not alone". Peace Dot aims to spread the message of peace through this thriving culture of social networking.
What does it track?
The Peace Dot movement tracks the number of people connected to others across ethnicities, religion and across the continents which have a record of disputes. For example, there are about 7231 India-Pakistan connections as of the last 24 hours, which is displayed on the site. Every day, claims the site, they ask people the question, "Is world peace possible?", the answers to which are tracked region-wise. Even though the statistics say that only 8.51% people in the US think it is possible, Facebook is confident that the numbers will increase as the campaign gains momentum.
Just a few days old, this campaign is all set to connect the online world and has succeeded in adding a whole new dimension to social networking - that of world peace, the online way.
Imagine that. And give peace a chance.
POPULAR GAMES ON FACEBOOK
Got time to spare after touching base with your friends and groups on Facebook? It is time to get addicted to online gaming, for social gaming is the latest most happening fad to hit cybertown. Here is a list of some of the most popular games on Facebook.
FarmVille:
Have you ever considered farming as a retirement option? Then check out FarmVille and get your farming basics right - minus the manure, of course. A management game, FarmVille, allows you to set up a farm your own way and tend to your animals like you would in a real farm. With more than 61,323,326 monthly active users, it is perhaps one of the most popular games on Facebook.
Word Challenge
This game is for people who love English. Juggle around words to form new ones, challenge your friends and even go on a discovery of new words and build your vocabulary. Word games are the most fun way to improve your language skills, as reflected in the thousands of followers that this game attracts.
Bubble Town
If arcade games are your cuppa happiness, you will just fall in love with this one. What makes Bubble Town way different from other similar games like Bejeweled is the simple fact that the Borbs in the town snooze off if you do not hit them! Borbs are the cute faces which populate Bubble Town. This also makes Bubble Town one of the most addictive arcade games on Facebook.
YoVille
YoVille is a virtual world in itself. You can customise your YoVille character to do almost anything you would do in your daily life. Make friends, play with them, have fights, go to work, earn wealth and even acquire a house, much like Sims, though with a lot more options.
Mafia Wars
Have you wanted to be a Mafia don and start your own kingdom of crime? Check out Mafia Wars. The goal of the game is to run three types of crime business, be the ultimate mafia don and rule over New York City. This is another hugely popular game with the addicted users also using their spoils of war as their status updates on Facebook.
Know-It-All Trivia
From spelling tests to History and Math, Know-It–All is a very entertaining and informative game in a quiz format. The questions have to be answered within a particular time limit, which just adds to the fun.
Biotronic
This is another arcade game. Play it to enjoy the exploding combos and colourful animations that fill your screen.
Cafe World
You do not need any inclination for cooking to play Cafe World, just a deep love for food will do. All you have to do is set up a virtual character and choose a dish to cook. The only drawback here is you can't taste the yummy looking dishes, but this minor hitch aside, this is a big hit with gastronomes in the virtual world.
Fish World
Do you love aquariums but do not want to get your hands dirty and clean fish tanks? Fish World on Facebook, gives you the chance to keep exotic and colourful fishes in aquariums you have to maintain. You can 'live' in an environment that will make even Nemo see green!
Farm Pals
Farm Pals is a more basic game than FarmVille. But what makes it fun is the fact that you can steal produce from your friends' farm. No arguments about who owns the apples with angry neighbours in this!
These games are the most popular on Facebook, as evidenced by the number of addicts that run into thousands of thousands for each. So which game will you be playing the next time you are on Facebook? Tell us!
FarmVille:
Have you ever considered farming as a retirement option? Then check out FarmVille and get your farming basics right - minus the manure, of course. A management game, FarmVille, allows you to set up a farm your own way and tend to your animals like you would in a real farm. With more than 61,323,326 monthly active users, it is perhaps one of the most popular games on Facebook.
Word Challenge
This game is for people who love English. Juggle around words to form new ones, challenge your friends and even go on a discovery of new words and build your vocabulary. Word games are the most fun way to improve your language skills, as reflected in the thousands of followers that this game attracts.
Bubble Town
If arcade games are your cuppa happiness, you will just fall in love with this one. What makes Bubble Town way different from other similar games like Bejeweled is the simple fact that the Borbs in the town snooze off if you do not hit them! Borbs are the cute faces which populate Bubble Town. This also makes Bubble Town one of the most addictive arcade games on Facebook.
YoVille
YoVille is a virtual world in itself. You can customise your YoVille character to do almost anything you would do in your daily life. Make friends, play with them, have fights, go to work, earn wealth and even acquire a house, much like Sims, though with a lot more options.
Mafia Wars
Have you wanted to be a Mafia don and start your own kingdom of crime? Check out Mafia Wars. The goal of the game is to run three types of crime business, be the ultimate mafia don and rule over New York City. This is another hugely popular game with the addicted users also using their spoils of war as their status updates on Facebook.
Know-It-All Trivia
From spelling tests to History and Math, Know-It–All is a very entertaining and informative game in a quiz format. The questions have to be answered within a particular time limit, which just adds to the fun.
Biotronic
This is another arcade game. Play it to enjoy the exploding combos and colourful animations that fill your screen.
Cafe World
You do not need any inclination for cooking to play Cafe World, just a deep love for food will do. All you have to do is set up a virtual character and choose a dish to cook. The only drawback here is you can't taste the yummy looking dishes, but this minor hitch aside, this is a big hit with gastronomes in the virtual world.
Fish World
Do you love aquariums but do not want to get your hands dirty and clean fish tanks? Fish World on Facebook, gives you the chance to keep exotic and colourful fishes in aquariums you have to maintain. You can 'live' in an environment that will make even Nemo see green!
Farm Pals
Farm Pals is a more basic game than FarmVille. But what makes it fun is the fact that you can steal produce from your friends' farm. No arguments about who owns the apples with angry neighbours in this!
These games are the most popular on Facebook, as evidenced by the number of addicts that run into thousands of thousands for each. So which game will you be playing the next time you are on Facebook? Tell us!
SIX RULES FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING
In recent days, I've spent time with a number of veterans of the social networking business. One of the surprising things I have learned is how much experience these people now have, and how much they agree with each other about some of the basics of the business.
Just a few years ago, when companies like Friendster were emerging and outfits like Twitter still did not exist, social networking was a little-understood phenomenon. Experience has taught us a lot, however, and practices are starting to standardize. That is not to say that something new will not pop up, or that no new business will be created; this is still capitalism, with plenty of room to surprise. Whatever does happen next, however, the emerging rules will likely play a role, either in system construction or creative destruction.
In Pictures: 20 Social Media Blunders
In Pictures: The Web's Savviest Social Media Manipulators
Here are six points everyone seems to agree on, presented for easy memorization and with apologies to Johnnie "If it does not fit, you must acquit" Cochran.
1. When you have scale, it's good to fail.
Google knows this: When you have millions of users, you can, and should, experiment with some small percentage of them all the time. The field is so new that there are no set rules, and failure is tolerable for the sake of a decent feedback loop. "Things change so fast, you are best off just doing things by trial and error," says Gina Bianchini, founder and chief executive of Ning, a service that provides a template of design tools for people to build their own social networks. About 5,000 networks are created every day on Ning, and 80% of them are short-lived or fail. That still gives Ning 250,000 networks on which it can place ads, watch behavior or charge for premium services.
2. Seek the unique.
There are too many social networks, too many styles of discovery, commenting, sharing and all the other aspects of participation. People are fatigued by choice. All is made worthwhile by finding a group that is as passionate about some specific area of your life as you are. That may be work, a la LinkedIn, but don't expect most people to socialize there. That may be family, like with Facebook, but you tend not to see such a broad range of behaviors. The third aspect of most lives--hobbies and interests--is where you encounter the greatest variety. If there is room to grow a new social network, it will have to center on a passion, something people feel is particularly true of their own personalities.
Here are six points everyone seems to agree on, presented for easy memorization and with apologies to Johnnie "If it does not fit, you must acquit" Cochran.
3. The default position is rampant suspicion.
Trust is possibly the most valuable currency on a social network. At its best, people are giving up important parts of their identity. Doing so successfully, so that fans, friends, and like-minded strangers respect them, binds users closely to the network. That loyalty is perpetually at risk, however, and network designers say users' worries are manifest when they don't understand something about the social network.
"In the absence of information, there is an assumption of conspiracy," says Jay Adelson, one of the founders of Digg, a social news site. That may be simply because social networks are so new, or that the medium of computer networks lends itself to fears of anonymous control. The solution, from a provider's viewpoint, is to be as clear as possible about why you are doing something, even when it seems obvious to you.
4. Trust is at stake, so make things opaque.
Paradoxically, being open also involves refusing to disclose certain things, particularly things about how ranking and filtering systems work. "All algorithms get hacked by somebody," says Kevin Laws, a former executive with Epinions, a social rating site that was purchased by Shopping.com. "You have to remove the transparency around how your algorithms actually work." The audience can only trust the system if they know that the system cannot be gamed, and that means they can't know everything.
5. Esteem is how you gather value.
French playwright Moliere compared writing to prostitution: You start off doing it for love, then for a few friends and finally for money. The history of the social Web is basically the opposite. Sites like Epinions and Digg began by paying people money to comment on things, and found nothing but problems--some people gamed the system, while others did not trust the results. As in open source software, a lot of the positive motivation to participate comes from the recognition you receive from other participants for doing a good job. Money just confuses things.
6. Secret names were made for flames. To raise the bar, say who you are.
When Digg started, Adelson recalls, "anonymity was key; there was a sense people needed privacy. Now people are used to living in public." Part of that may be an effect of Facebook, a wildly successful site with very little anonymity. One-third of Digg's new users come from the Facebook Connect service, and these folks are used to being seen by others. They tend to behave more responsibly as a result, and may get better value in terms of how much others trust them. Down the road, they are also likely to be targeted with more personal ads--whether that is an intrusion or a value-add is a rule that has yet to be worked out.
Just a few years ago, when companies like Friendster were emerging and outfits like Twitter still did not exist, social networking was a little-understood phenomenon. Experience has taught us a lot, however, and practices are starting to standardize. That is not to say that something new will not pop up, or that no new business will be created; this is still capitalism, with plenty of room to surprise. Whatever does happen next, however, the emerging rules will likely play a role, either in system construction or creative destruction.
In Pictures: 20 Social Media Blunders
In Pictures: The Web's Savviest Social Media Manipulators
Here are six points everyone seems to agree on, presented for easy memorization and with apologies to Johnnie "If it does not fit, you must acquit" Cochran.
1. When you have scale, it's good to fail.
Google knows this: When you have millions of users, you can, and should, experiment with some small percentage of them all the time. The field is so new that there are no set rules, and failure is tolerable for the sake of a decent feedback loop. "Things change so fast, you are best off just doing things by trial and error," says Gina Bianchini, founder and chief executive of Ning, a service that provides a template of design tools for people to build their own social networks. About 5,000 networks are created every day on Ning, and 80% of them are short-lived or fail. That still gives Ning 250,000 networks on which it can place ads, watch behavior or charge for premium services.
2. Seek the unique.
There are too many social networks, too many styles of discovery, commenting, sharing and all the other aspects of participation. People are fatigued by choice. All is made worthwhile by finding a group that is as passionate about some specific area of your life as you are. That may be work, a la LinkedIn, but don't expect most people to socialize there. That may be family, like with Facebook, but you tend not to see such a broad range of behaviors. The third aspect of most lives--hobbies and interests--is where you encounter the greatest variety. If there is room to grow a new social network, it will have to center on a passion, something people feel is particularly true of their own personalities.
Here are six points everyone seems to agree on, presented for easy memorization and with apologies to Johnnie "If it does not fit, you must acquit" Cochran.
3. The default position is rampant suspicion.
Trust is possibly the most valuable currency on a social network. At its best, people are giving up important parts of their identity. Doing so successfully, so that fans, friends, and like-minded strangers respect them, binds users closely to the network. That loyalty is perpetually at risk, however, and network designers say users' worries are manifest when they don't understand something about the social network.
"In the absence of information, there is an assumption of conspiracy," says Jay Adelson, one of the founders of Digg, a social news site. That may be simply because social networks are so new, or that the medium of computer networks lends itself to fears of anonymous control. The solution, from a provider's viewpoint, is to be as clear as possible about why you are doing something, even when it seems obvious to you.
4. Trust is at stake, so make things opaque.
Paradoxically, being open also involves refusing to disclose certain things, particularly things about how ranking and filtering systems work. "All algorithms get hacked by somebody," says Kevin Laws, a former executive with Epinions, a social rating site that was purchased by Shopping.com. "You have to remove the transparency around how your algorithms actually work." The audience can only trust the system if they know that the system cannot be gamed, and that means they can't know everything.
5. Esteem is how you gather value.
French playwright Moliere compared writing to prostitution: You start off doing it for love, then for a few friends and finally for money. The history of the social Web is basically the opposite. Sites like Epinions and Digg began by paying people money to comment on things, and found nothing but problems--some people gamed the system, while others did not trust the results. As in open source software, a lot of the positive motivation to participate comes from the recognition you receive from other participants for doing a good job. Money just confuses things.
6. Secret names were made for flames. To raise the bar, say who you are.
When Digg started, Adelson recalls, "anonymity was key; there was a sense people needed privacy. Now people are used to living in public." Part of that may be an effect of Facebook, a wildly successful site with very little anonymity. One-third of Digg's new users come from the Facebook Connect service, and these folks are used to being seen by others. They tend to behave more responsibly as a result, and may get better value in terms of how much others trust them. Down the road, they are also likely to be targeted with more personal ads--whether that is an intrusion or a value-add is a rule that has yet to be worked out.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
GOOGLE SEARCHES 3G PROSPECTS IN INDIA
Google, the world’s largest search engine and one of the biggest internet brands, is understood to be eyeing opportunities in the third generation of mobile telephony, or 3G, in India.
Sources in the telecom industry say Google is looking at broadband wireless access, or BWA, in the country and may participate in the auction with an Indian partner. BWA is also known as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, or WiMAX.
As an alternative, Google could be just a technology partner to a telecom service provider. Foreign companies can buy up to 74 per cent equity in such a venture.
A spokesperson for Google in India, when contacted, said the company would not comment on speculation.
The Department of Telecommunications, or DoT, is offering spectrum both for 3G services as well as BWA and hopes to auction spectrum by the middle of January next year. It finalised the information memorandum last week.
Google is not new to mobile telephony. It shook the world two years ago by announcing that it would bid for the US government’s auction of radio frequencies that could be used to deliver the next generation of internet and mobile phone services.
The company’s plan was to provide a nationwide wireless broadband service that would take on digital subscriber line services and cable internet access. However, it lost out in the auction as incumbent telecom behemoths like AT&T and Verizon stole a march.
Analysts say there are many reasons for Google to look at 3G. "With the wave of consumers adopting BWA as the likely scenario in India, it is expected to bring about a shift in the focus of advertisement revenue from fixed line internet to mobile internet. Search-led advertisement is the biggest of all in the online business, and Google is the natural stakeholder in the Indian BWA space," says Alok Shende, principal analyst, Ascentius Consulting.
Others cite other reasons. "Google wants to create a global space in wireless internet, since mobile subscribers outnumber internet users. In India, 3G subscribers will outdo WiMAX users. Given these estimates, it makes sense for Google to bid for 3G spectrum," says a telecom analyst who did not wish to be named.
Google has also submitted a proposal to regulators in the US for clearance to use unused channels, which the company calls Wi-Fi 2.0 and on which it is possible to offer wireless broadband services at very high speeds.
The BWA spectrum to be put up for auction by DoT will be in the frequency of 2.3 GHz, with a base price of Rs 1,750 crore for a pan-India licence. The government will auction two blocks in BWA spectrum and reserve one for state-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd in Mumbai and Delhi and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd elsewhere.
Spectrum in the 2.5 GHz for BWA will also be auctioned after the outstanding issues of interference with the mobile system of department of space are resolved.
Sources in the telecom industry say Google is looking at broadband wireless access, or BWA, in the country and may participate in the auction with an Indian partner. BWA is also known as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, or WiMAX.
As an alternative, Google could be just a technology partner to a telecom service provider. Foreign companies can buy up to 74 per cent equity in such a venture.
A spokesperson for Google in India, when contacted, said the company would not comment on speculation.
The Department of Telecommunications, or DoT, is offering spectrum both for 3G services as well as BWA and hopes to auction spectrum by the middle of January next year. It finalised the information memorandum last week.
Google is not new to mobile telephony. It shook the world two years ago by announcing that it would bid for the US government’s auction of radio frequencies that could be used to deliver the next generation of internet and mobile phone services.
The company’s plan was to provide a nationwide wireless broadband service that would take on digital subscriber line services and cable internet access. However, it lost out in the auction as incumbent telecom behemoths like AT&T and Verizon stole a march.
Analysts say there are many reasons for Google to look at 3G. "With the wave of consumers adopting BWA as the likely scenario in India, it is expected to bring about a shift in the focus of advertisement revenue from fixed line internet to mobile internet. Search-led advertisement is the biggest of all in the online business, and Google is the natural stakeholder in the Indian BWA space," says Alok Shende, principal analyst, Ascentius Consulting.
Others cite other reasons. "Google wants to create a global space in wireless internet, since mobile subscribers outnumber internet users. In India, 3G subscribers will outdo WiMAX users. Given these estimates, it makes sense for Google to bid for 3G spectrum," says a telecom analyst who did not wish to be named.
Google has also submitted a proposal to regulators in the US for clearance to use unused channels, which the company calls Wi-Fi 2.0 and on which it is possible to offer wireless broadband services at very high speeds.
The BWA spectrum to be put up for auction by DoT will be in the frequency of 2.3 GHz, with a base price of Rs 1,750 crore for a pan-India licence. The government will auction two blocks in BWA spectrum and reserve one for state-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd in Mumbai and Delhi and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd elsewhere.
Spectrum in the 2.5 GHz for BWA will also be auctioned after the outstanding issues of interference with the mobile system of department of space are resolved.
WEB ADDRESSES TO SPEAK ALL LANGUAGES
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, has set the ball rolling for web addresses in scripts other than Latin. This will allow uniform resource locators (URLs), as web addresses are called in virtual parlance, in languages other than English, including Hindi, Tamil or Bhojpuri.
About half of the world’s 1.6 billion internet users use languages based on scripts other than Latin and may cheer the move. India, which has 50 million internet users, speaks hundreds of languages.
Icann, the non-profit group that oversees domain names, is meeting representatives from all over the world this week in Seoul to decide on this change, which will be one of the biggest in the 40 years of internet. If it is cleared, Icann will begin accepting applications for non-Latin domain names and the first entries into the system are expected in the middle of next year.
Icann is also to decide whether it can give users freedom on global top-level domain (GLTD) names.
"If this happens, it will definitely increase the number of internet users. Why should users type in English if they could time in Tamil or Hindi," says Kiruba Shankar, founder chief executive officer of Business Blogging.
At present, web addresses are limited to 21 suffixes, such as, .com (80 per cent), .net and .info, and country-specific ones like .in for India. With this change, companies and individuals can have unlimited choices such as .indian, .delhi, .paris, .gabbarsingh or .whateveryouwant.
Corporate houses like the Tatas, Birlas or Reliance could apply for .tata, .birla or .reliance and could, in turn, give each employee a .tata, .birla or .reliance email identity.
Like all good things, these will come at a price: Rs 40 lakh to Rs 2 crore.
Jasjit Sawhney, managing director and chief executive officer of Net4India, an internet service provider which offers domain registration services, says the move to open up web addresses is good "but will take time to trickle down in India because of technicalities". Currently, names on the internet can be typed in local scripts. For instance, you can type dukaan (shop) in Devnagari, the script for Hindi, but not .com.
Icann is in talks with information technology departments of countries to get the exact meaning of .com in local languages, say, Hindi or Tamil. "What do you call .com in Hindi? One has to decide on such issues," says Sawhney.
Naresh Ajwani, president-government affairs, Sify Technologies, who is attending the Icann meeting in Seoul, points out that the Department of Information Technology in India already has fonts for 22 local languages. "This, and the fact that GLTDs may be opened up to more domains, will witness a sea change in the way the internet is structured," says Ajwani.
About half of the world’s 1.6 billion internet users use languages based on scripts other than Latin and may cheer the move. India, which has 50 million internet users, speaks hundreds of languages.
Icann, the non-profit group that oversees domain names, is meeting representatives from all over the world this week in Seoul to decide on this change, which will be one of the biggest in the 40 years of internet. If it is cleared, Icann will begin accepting applications for non-Latin domain names and the first entries into the system are expected in the middle of next year.
Icann is also to decide whether it can give users freedom on global top-level domain (GLTD) names.
"If this happens, it will definitely increase the number of internet users. Why should users type in English if they could time in Tamil or Hindi," says Kiruba Shankar, founder chief executive officer of Business Blogging.
At present, web addresses are limited to 21 suffixes, such as, .com (80 per cent), .net and .info, and country-specific ones like .in for India. With this change, companies and individuals can have unlimited choices such as .indian, .delhi, .paris, .gabbarsingh or .whateveryouwant.
Corporate houses like the Tatas, Birlas or Reliance could apply for .tata, .birla or .reliance and could, in turn, give each employee a .tata, .birla or .reliance email identity.
Like all good things, these will come at a price: Rs 40 lakh to Rs 2 crore.
Jasjit Sawhney, managing director and chief executive officer of Net4India, an internet service provider which offers domain registration services, says the move to open up web addresses is good "but will take time to trickle down in India because of technicalities". Currently, names on the internet can be typed in local scripts. For instance, you can type dukaan (shop) in Devnagari, the script for Hindi, but not .com.
Icann is in talks with information technology departments of countries to get the exact meaning of .com in local languages, say, Hindi or Tamil. "What do you call .com in Hindi? One has to decide on such issues," says Sawhney.
Naresh Ajwani, president-government affairs, Sify Technologies, who is attending the Icann meeting in Seoul, points out that the Department of Information Technology in India already has fonts for 22 local languages. "This, and the fact that GLTDs may be opened up to more domains, will witness a sea change in the way the internet is structured," says Ajwani.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
NEW 'WINDOWS' OPEN UP TO COMPUTER USERS
Mumbai: With its advanced features, Microsoft’s Windows 7 comes off better than Vista and the last generation Windows XP
If you have been holding off buying a new computer, then Windows 7, the latest operating system (OS) from Microsoft, will give you a good excuse to buy one. Windows 7, or Win 7, is largely believed to be better than Microsoft's previous OS Windows Vista and way more advanced than the last generation Windows XP. But is it really all that?
First impressions
While it is easy to get infatuated with a new design and swanky features, the viability of an OS is only determined when you begin using it eight hours a day. We used a preview copy of Win 7 for over 12 hours and we have to admit that we do prefer it over Vista because it's more stable and did not crash out even once.
We installed Win 7 on a desktop with 1 GHz processor and 4GB of RAM. The OS took a little over 30 minutes to install on the PC that had Vista Home Basic edition (time to install could vary depending on hardware profile and existing OS on your PC). Decisively, Win 7 loads faster than Vista, which takes hours to install.
Win 7's minimum hardware requirements are roughly similar to those of Vista Home Basics -- both require a 1 GHz processor and 15-16GB of hard-drive space, although Win 7 demands a minimum of 1GB memory, while Vista Home Basics needs 512MB memory.
Let's be honest here. Win 7 is both a sigh of relief and breath of fresh air, after Vista. Built with a renewed focus on performance and ease-of-use, Win 7 is poised to succeed where Vista couldn't.
Why is it better than Windows Vista?
Haunted by sluggish performance issues, from playing games to complicated disk access programmes to poor networking features, Vista was undoubtedly Microsoft's biggest failure. Win 7, by contrast, will run fine on most of the existing netbooks as well as older PCs.
Win 7 delivers a completely revamped user interface and some brand-new features designed to make organising and sharing your files easier. Simply put, the user gets much more than new wallpaper and a different colour taskbar.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
Is it really more secure and easier than Windows XP?
In one word -- yes, Win 7 is way more secure than Windows XP and a step ahead of Vista too. Even though it is eight years old, Windows XP still remains the world's most widely used operating system and almost completely dominates the netbook market.
But Windows XP users have a lot more to gain by going to Win 7. Vista had introduced some great features, such as fast searches of the entire hard drive, which, of course, are present in Win 7 too. Such features will be quite an attraction for users who haven't yet used them on their Windows XP machines.
All technical tirades aside, Win 7 is the back-to-basics operating system. Moving beyond the eye-candy features, Windows XP users can customise how the user account control functions, or how tray icons work to suit their needs. This was never there in Windows XP.
What type of PCs and laptopscan run Windows 7?
The basic requirements of a PC to run Win 7 are a 1 GHz processor, minimum 1GB of RAM and 16GB hard drive space. In simple words, any hardware that worked with Vista will work for Win 7 too.
Since Microsoft is targeting future generation of casual users who use computers for mainly emails, office documents, Internet and video among other things, Win 7 could be an ideal choice for future PCs.
HP India has started retailing Win 7-preloaded PCs at between Rs 27,990 and Rs 90,000, while Acer PCs with Win 7 OS will be priced at between Rs 15,000 and Rs 35,000. Acer notebooks with the new OS will be priced at Rs 21,000-70,000.
Should you get ready to pay for the upgrade?
That's a million-dollar question, if you are a Windows XP user. Is it worth Rs 5,800, that a Windows XP users will pay to get the new features in Win 7? Probably yes, as a superior OS also means a more secure and functional PC. But this is not necessarily a must-have upgrade for all the existing Windows XP users.
Although those users who will be upgrading from Vista will find it easier (and cheaper) to adopt Win 7, those who are migrating from Windows XP might need to completely wipe their hard drives and re-install their applications.
What you pay and what you get
* Windows 7 Starter (via OEM only): Up to three concurrent applications, ability to join a Home Group, improved taskbar and JumpLists.
* Windows 7 Home Basic: For Rs 5,899, users get unlimited applications, live thumbnail previews that enhance visual experience and advanced networking support.
* Windows 7 Home Premium: For Rs 6,799, you get Aero Glass and advanced windows navigation, improved media format support, enhanced Windows Media Centre and media streaming, and also multi-touch and improved handwriting recognition.
* Windows 7 Professional: For Rs 11,199, users can join a managed network with the Domain Join feature, protect data with advanced network backup and encrypting file system and print to the right printer at home or facilitate intuitive printing with Location Aware Printing option.
* Windows 7 Ultimate (worldwide): For Rs 11,799, it is meant for advanced users who want to protect data using the BitLocker feature on internal and external drives, deploy DirectAccess for seamless connectivity over corporate networks based on Windows Server 2008 R2.
What's new about Windows 7
# In Win 7, when you hover over a taskbar icon, you get actual previews that are placed side by side. In simple words, it offers the ability to snap a window to half your screen size simply by dragging it to the left or right of the screen
# Has a cool new feature with which users can drag windows to each side of the screen and they automatically size themselves so that each takes up half the screen
# User Account Control in Win 7 gives users easy control options without complicating the process like Windows Vista
# Win 7 replaces the taskbar context menu with a useful list of frequently used documents and tasks, and even allows you to pin documents or shortcuts to the menu
# Windows Explorer gets a facelift in Win 7. Some minor changes like while browsing between various tabs, you will now see a sliding windows effect, a nice visual effect
# Once you have installed the OS, the first thing you will notice is the faster shutdown and boot. Even the time taken by the machine to enter and come out of the sleep mode is less than Vista and XP
# For those who love to open an array of windows while working, the new Aero Peek feature in Win 7 lets you preview individual windows from the grouped taskbar applications, and even close documents from the thumbnails themselves. Aero Peek becomes a handy tool for users who like to multi-task
If you have been holding off buying a new computer, then Windows 7, the latest operating system (OS) from Microsoft, will give you a good excuse to buy one. Windows 7, or Win 7, is largely believed to be better than Microsoft's previous OS Windows Vista and way more advanced than the last generation Windows XP. But is it really all that?
First impressions
While it is easy to get infatuated with a new design and swanky features, the viability of an OS is only determined when you begin using it eight hours a day. We used a preview copy of Win 7 for over 12 hours and we have to admit that we do prefer it over Vista because it's more stable and did not crash out even once.
We installed Win 7 on a desktop with 1 GHz processor and 4GB of RAM. The OS took a little over 30 minutes to install on the PC that had Vista Home Basic edition (time to install could vary depending on hardware profile and existing OS on your PC). Decisively, Win 7 loads faster than Vista, which takes hours to install.
Win 7's minimum hardware requirements are roughly similar to those of Vista Home Basics -- both require a 1 GHz processor and 15-16GB of hard-drive space, although Win 7 demands a minimum of 1GB memory, while Vista Home Basics needs 512MB memory.
Let's be honest here. Win 7 is both a sigh of relief and breath of fresh air, after Vista. Built with a renewed focus on performance and ease-of-use, Win 7 is poised to succeed where Vista couldn't.
Why is it better than Windows Vista?
Haunted by sluggish performance issues, from playing games to complicated disk access programmes to poor networking features, Vista was undoubtedly Microsoft's biggest failure. Win 7, by contrast, will run fine on most of the existing netbooks as well as older PCs.
Win 7 delivers a completely revamped user interface and some brand-new features designed to make organising and sharing your files easier. Simply put, the user gets much more than new wallpaper and a different colour taskbar.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
The taskbar, in addition to showing the applications being used by the user, also hosts shortcuts to the most commonly used applications (say Word or Media Player). When the mouse pointer is moved over the taskbar shortcuts, the user can preview the application.
Unlike Vista, the re-designed user interface of Win 7 gives the user intuitive shortcuts like ability to maximise a window by dragging it to the top of the screen, minimise it by dragging it to the bottom, maximise to half the screen by dragging it to either edge, or (our favorite) minimising all opened windows by shaking the one you want to focus on.
Is it really more secure and easier than Windows XP?
In one word -- yes, Win 7 is way more secure than Windows XP and a step ahead of Vista too. Even though it is eight years old, Windows XP still remains the world's most widely used operating system and almost completely dominates the netbook market.
But Windows XP users have a lot more to gain by going to Win 7. Vista had introduced some great features, such as fast searches of the entire hard drive, which, of course, are present in Win 7 too. Such features will be quite an attraction for users who haven't yet used them on their Windows XP machines.
All technical tirades aside, Win 7 is the back-to-basics operating system. Moving beyond the eye-candy features, Windows XP users can customise how the user account control functions, or how tray icons work to suit their needs. This was never there in Windows XP.
What type of PCs and laptopscan run Windows 7?
The basic requirements of a PC to run Win 7 are a 1 GHz processor, minimum 1GB of RAM and 16GB hard drive space. In simple words, any hardware that worked with Vista will work for Win 7 too.
Since Microsoft is targeting future generation of casual users who use computers for mainly emails, office documents, Internet and video among other things, Win 7 could be an ideal choice for future PCs.
HP India has started retailing Win 7-preloaded PCs at between Rs 27,990 and Rs 90,000, while Acer PCs with Win 7 OS will be priced at between Rs 15,000 and Rs 35,000. Acer notebooks with the new OS will be priced at Rs 21,000-70,000.
Should you get ready to pay for the upgrade?
That's a million-dollar question, if you are a Windows XP user. Is it worth Rs 5,800, that a Windows XP users will pay to get the new features in Win 7? Probably yes, as a superior OS also means a more secure and functional PC. But this is not necessarily a must-have upgrade for all the existing Windows XP users.
Although those users who will be upgrading from Vista will find it easier (and cheaper) to adopt Win 7, those who are migrating from Windows XP might need to completely wipe their hard drives and re-install their applications.
What you pay and what you get
* Windows 7 Starter (via OEM only): Up to three concurrent applications, ability to join a Home Group, improved taskbar and JumpLists.
* Windows 7 Home Basic: For Rs 5,899, users get unlimited applications, live thumbnail previews that enhance visual experience and advanced networking support.
* Windows 7 Home Premium: For Rs 6,799, you get Aero Glass and advanced windows navigation, improved media format support, enhanced Windows Media Centre and media streaming, and also multi-touch and improved handwriting recognition.
* Windows 7 Professional: For Rs 11,199, users can join a managed network with the Domain Join feature, protect data with advanced network backup and encrypting file system and print to the right printer at home or facilitate intuitive printing with Location Aware Printing option.
* Windows 7 Ultimate (worldwide): For Rs 11,799, it is meant for advanced users who want to protect data using the BitLocker feature on internal and external drives, deploy DirectAccess for seamless connectivity over corporate networks based on Windows Server 2008 R2.
What's new about Windows 7
# In Win 7, when you hover over a taskbar icon, you get actual previews that are placed side by side. In simple words, it offers the ability to snap a window to half your screen size simply by dragging it to the left or right of the screen
# Has a cool new feature with which users can drag windows to each side of the screen and they automatically size themselves so that each takes up half the screen
# User Account Control in Win 7 gives users easy control options without complicating the process like Windows Vista
# Win 7 replaces the taskbar context menu with a useful list of frequently used documents and tasks, and even allows you to pin documents or shortcuts to the menu
# Windows Explorer gets a facelift in Win 7. Some minor changes like while browsing between various tabs, you will now see a sliding windows effect, a nice visual effect
# Once you have installed the OS, the first thing you will notice is the faster shutdown and boot. Even the time taken by the machine to enter and come out of the sleep mode is less than Vista and XP
# For those who love to open an array of windows while working, the new Aero Peek feature in Win 7 lets you preview individual windows from the grouped taskbar applications, and even close documents from the thumbnails themselves. Aero Peek becomes a handy tool for users who like to multi-task
Friday, October 23, 2009
WHY '7' COULD BE MICROSOFT'S LUCKY NUMBER
Microsoft Thursday launched the next version of Windows, dubbed Windows 7. The problem is: a majority of current Windows users still use XP, which is getting to be nine years old now.
After the launch of Windows Vista, people had no option but to buy PCs pre-loaded with Vista. Some paid extra to "downgrade" to Windows XP.
The main issues with Vista? Widespread reports of sluggishness, frequent hangs and crashes, and incompatibility with certain software and hardware. Vista was basically a troublesome experience.
Somewhere down the line, Microsoft had lost touch with consumers. And it has worked hard to correct the shortcomings.
Windows 7 was available for thousands of Beta testers worldwide since January, and Microsoft listened to what they had to say. Many bugs have been ironed out -- this time before the official release of the product.
According to PC vendors, market acceptance of Windows 7 is much higher than it was for Vista. This is good news for the new PC market and Microsoft. To quote most reviewers of the pre-release versions: "Windows 7 is what Vista should have been".
And Windows 7 is a "make-or-break" situation for Microsoft, especially after the Vista debacle. But Wired magazine summed it up aptly: "Although Windows 7 will be familiar to XP users, fundamentally it's different enough to make you change the way you think of Microsoft."
Here's why I think Windows 7 will encourage thousands of PC users to spend their money to upgrade.
* Speed - It's faster on the same hardware
* Compatibility - It has lower hardware requirements and works well on older machines and netbooks
* New features - Windows 7 is prettier than Vista and comes with new features like aero peek, aero snap, aero shake (to handle multiple open applications and windows better), easier home networking
* Longer battery life - Users will get better battery life with notebook PCs since Windows 7 makes more efficient use of system resources.
* Hardware advantages - It will boost performance with newer multi-core CPUs
* Increased security - The new Windows Action Center integrates security and maintenance into one package
* New Media - Native support for Blu-Ray, ISO image burning and new media formats and codecs to fully take advantage of the digital age.
Will businesses upgrade?
This is a particularly tricky question. It takes time to deploy an operating system on a large scale and decision makers may be hesitant of shaking up a current system on XP that "works" and has nothing wrong with it.
Even so, it makes sense to consider that:
* After almost nine years, XP is beginning to show its age; it cannot last forever
* Rather than upgrade hardware, companies can spend the same amount to upgrade to Windows 7; of course, this probably only applies to PCs less than 3-4 years old. Beyond that, it doesn't really make sense to stretch the hardware
* Windows 7 offers much improved security
* There will be inevitable compatibility issues with XP as it gets even older, plus discontinued support from Microsoft
But Microsoft also faces major challenges with Windows 7:
* Windows 7 does not offer a very smooth transition from XP -- there is no upgrade option, only a fresh install; the data however remains
* There could be possible employee training and network management issues for corporates
* The economic slowdown will hamper upgrade
* Vista still casts a shadow on business users of Windows and turnaround will take time
* Chinese pirates have already hijacked the launch of Windows 7 and copies with authentic-looking packaging sell for as little as $3 in China
* Prices for the full versions are likely to be high, which is a problem
I think businesses will not immediately switch to Windows 7. In the long run, yes. Right now, there aren't many tangible benefits (or at least none that have been properly communicated).
But it's a whole different story for consumers. After having used Windows 7 for over six months now, I can tell you Microsoft has something big here. They've finally got their act together!
Pictures of the people here at the given link:
http://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3299981
After the launch of Windows Vista, people had no option but to buy PCs pre-loaded with Vista. Some paid extra to "downgrade" to Windows XP.
The main issues with Vista? Widespread reports of sluggishness, frequent hangs and crashes, and incompatibility with certain software and hardware. Vista was basically a troublesome experience.
Somewhere down the line, Microsoft had lost touch with consumers. And it has worked hard to correct the shortcomings.
Windows 7 was available for thousands of Beta testers worldwide since January, and Microsoft listened to what they had to say. Many bugs have been ironed out -- this time before the official release of the product.
According to PC vendors, market acceptance of Windows 7 is much higher than it was for Vista. This is good news for the new PC market and Microsoft. To quote most reviewers of the pre-release versions: "Windows 7 is what Vista should have been".
And Windows 7 is a "make-or-break" situation for Microsoft, especially after the Vista debacle. But Wired magazine summed it up aptly: "Although Windows 7 will be familiar to XP users, fundamentally it's different enough to make you change the way you think of Microsoft."
Here's why I think Windows 7 will encourage thousands of PC users to spend their money to upgrade.
* Speed - It's faster on the same hardware
* Compatibility - It has lower hardware requirements and works well on older machines and netbooks
* New features - Windows 7 is prettier than Vista and comes with new features like aero peek, aero snap, aero shake (to handle multiple open applications and windows better), easier home networking
* Longer battery life - Users will get better battery life with notebook PCs since Windows 7 makes more efficient use of system resources.
* Hardware advantages - It will boost performance with newer multi-core CPUs
* Increased security - The new Windows Action Center integrates security and maintenance into one package
* New Media - Native support for Blu-Ray, ISO image burning and new media formats and codecs to fully take advantage of the digital age.
Will businesses upgrade?
This is a particularly tricky question. It takes time to deploy an operating system on a large scale and decision makers may be hesitant of shaking up a current system on XP that "works" and has nothing wrong with it.
Even so, it makes sense to consider that:
* After almost nine years, XP is beginning to show its age; it cannot last forever
* Rather than upgrade hardware, companies can spend the same amount to upgrade to Windows 7; of course, this probably only applies to PCs less than 3-4 years old. Beyond that, it doesn't really make sense to stretch the hardware
* Windows 7 offers much improved security
* There will be inevitable compatibility issues with XP as it gets even older, plus discontinued support from Microsoft
But Microsoft also faces major challenges with Windows 7:
* Windows 7 does not offer a very smooth transition from XP -- there is no upgrade option, only a fresh install; the data however remains
* There could be possible employee training and network management issues for corporates
* The economic slowdown will hamper upgrade
* Vista still casts a shadow on business users of Windows and turnaround will take time
* Chinese pirates have already hijacked the launch of Windows 7 and copies with authentic-looking packaging sell for as little as $3 in China
* Prices for the full versions are likely to be high, which is a problem
I think businesses will not immediately switch to Windows 7. In the long run, yes. Right now, there aren't many tangible benefits (or at least none that have been properly communicated).
But it's a whole different story for consumers. After having used Windows 7 for over six months now, I can tell you Microsoft has something big here. They've finally got their act together!
Pictures of the people here at the given link:
http://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3299981
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