Gadget World

Twitter To Provide Real-Time Analytics Of Tweets

2010-09-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

After revealing that a new Twitter interface is to be launched in the near future, here's some more news about Twitter. They are planning to provide a free analytics dashboard to it's users that will help users to understand how others are interacting with their tweets.

The analytics tool is being worked upon by the team which was behind Trendly (acquired by Twitter in June).

Even though this is believed to be a free tool, but there may be a much more advanced version of this tool which will be for business purposes and that won't be free of cost.

The bad news is that there are many other companies that are working or have the same kind of analytics tool for Twitter, but they are not free. So these companies will have to work hard to compete with Twitter's analytics tool on Twitter's own turf. Isn't it interesting?

Source : Mashable

Brawny Stealth Keyboard

2010-09-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Do you have to take a lot of trouble in protecting your computer peripherals from your child or your pet? Then here is a small solution for you.

The Stealth KYBX-400-DT-BL-TB-USB Keyboard (that's quite a name to remember) is sealed to the NEMA 4, 4X, IP65 specifications (these are two different test grading systems, that's all I can say). But it's rugged enough for military use, so it will easily do the job against pets and small children. It is housed in a rugged vandal resistant stainless steel enclosure, has an optical trackball and features adjustable backlighting.

But this comes at a price - $695. So some strict discipline and patience with your child can be a whole lot cheaper alternative.

iPhone PC Suite - A Windows Only Alternative To iTunes

2010-09-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

As the title says, the iPhone PC Suite is an alternative to the iTunes. It works only on Windows along with a jailbroken iPhone. It has got some cool features which, in my opinion, makes it a better option than the iTunes.

Download & Upload pics to and from PC and iPhone
Calendar
Contacts
Photos- works 100% in FULL resolution. (upload / download)
Notes
eBook
Call log
SMS Chat- works 100%, send SMS to someone from PC through iPhone
Safari, bookmark management
Finder
Backup/Restore
Sound Themes
Ringtones – You can create them and sync with iTunes.

iPhone PC Suite is completely free, and it easily syncs the devices (the iTunes sometimes has synchronization problems).

Download it from here.

Archos Forays Into Tablets

2010-09-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

Archos, long the benchmark for portable media players,are making a play for the red-hot tablet market with a series of Android based tablets.

There's something for everybody with devices ranging from small personal media player like devices with 2.8 or 3.2 inch touchscreeens and then going up to the7 inch and 10.1 inch touchscreen high end tablets. These will ship with the latest Android 2.2 "Froyo" version.

Only some of these devices will have the more touch-friendly capacitive screen and a front facing camera. They lack the all important applications, but make up in media playback capabilities.

Entrecard Top Droppers For August

2010-09-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

So it's already September, and it's time to thank all those who took the time to visit this blog. I know I am guilty of missing some days to drop back, but I try to drop on all the blogs with a custom widget. I have already mentioned that I will not drop on blogs with the default Entrecard widget. Further, I will also not accept ads with the default widget. And it's not only me, I guess all the experienced EC users are doing the same thing. Am I wrong?
Anyway, here's some link-love to my regular droppers. I must admit that Sheila is doing a great job with all her blogs. It's for the third time in a row that she's getting the top spot again.

Slightly Sarcastic
Winesworld The Amateurs Wine Guide
Traders' Hub
The Ad Master
Unofficial Chart Blog
Teen Suicide Blog
I Love Norfolk
bethere2day
Daily War News Blog
Singapore Playground

Now the problem is that because of a hard disk change, I have lost all the data about this theme, so I will need some time to find out how to change the 125x125 banners. Even though Sheila's Slightly Sarcastic should have got that spot, but I have decided to keep her other blog, The Ad Master for another month.

Again, a big thank you to all. Have a nice time.

Canon X Mark I - Mouse Or Calculator

2010-08-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Is it a mouse? Or a calculator? Or is it a superman? Hmmm....I think this is a superman among the computer pointing devices.

Canon's X Mark I mouse is the first mouse to wear the legendary X series calculator's brand. With 1200-dots-per-inch wireless laser mouse underneath, the X mark I does double duty as a fully functional calculator and a numeric keypad. It's a Bluetooth 2.0 enabled device, and works well with OS X and Windows. If there was a mouse built to the exact opposite spec as Apple devices, this is it.

And yes, all those numeric buttons can be locked when not in use to prevent accidental stream of number from flooding your documents.

Nokia N9 Specs Leaked

2010-08-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Recently, some pictures of Nokia's forthcoming phone, N9, got leaked. The pictures tell that it will have an attractive aluminium clad design with black keys, something similar to the Macbooks. And now we even have some specifications available. Take a look at them -

OS : most probably MeeGo.
Screen : 4 inch capacitive super AMOLED
Processor : 1 GHz Snapdragon processor with 512 MB of RAM
Storage : 64 GB internal
Camera : 8 MP with dual LED flash, capable of HD video recording 720p
Connectivity : Almost everything.

Well, these are leaked ones, and accuracy is not guaranteed. But I hope these give a basic idea about what we can expect.

Samsung Galaxy U Specs Released

2010-08-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

After a good success with the Galaxy S, Samsung is moving forward with it's next phone in the Galaxy series, the Galaxy U. The specifications of theGalaxy U has been released, and it looks very stylish. That square "back" key looks similar to the key on my Samsung Star 3G.

Anyway, here are the specs -

OS: Android (Version not yet known, hope it will get the latest one)
Dimensions: 119.5×59.6×12.4 mm and weighs 131 gm
Display: 3.7-inch AMOLED screen (480 x 800 )
Network: J-CDMA, CDMA Rev. A
CPU: 1GHZ Hummingbird processor
Camera: 5MP autofocus camera with 720p HD video recording
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth: 3.0
8GB microSD card bundled
Battery: 1500mAh
Talk time: up to 7 hours
Standby time: up to 370 hours
Extra features: Live wallpapers, Google services, OZ Store, Kyobo e-book, Daum maps, Allshare.

What I really wanted to know is that whether it's camera will get a flash or not (the Galaxy S missed that badly), but no pictures has yet been leaked showing the back side. More will be known as more things get leaked. Stay tuned.

Source : Samsung Hub

India's First Official Tablet - OlivePad

2010-08-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

With the iPad yet to be officially launched in India and the Notion Ink Adam taking it's sweet time, Olive Telecom launched India's first official tablet - the OlivePad VT100. The OlivePad is available in all Croma stores from eh first week of August (well, I am a bit late in posting this).

So what exactly can a customer expect from the OlivePad. Let's have a look at the features -

To start with, it has a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen.
It runs on the Android OS.
It is 3G enabled along with WiFi (but we don't have 3G facility in India yet. Come on, give me a break...when are we going to have 3G for the private carriers????)
It has dual cameras, a 3 MP at he back and a front camera for video calling.
GPS, e-book reader and web browsing with Flash support are some of the other features.

It's price is about Rs. 25000 INR (which corresponds to about $500 approx). And there are talks that it will be launched in Europe in the near future.

Firefox 4 Beta 2, WordPress 3.0.1 And Digg v4

2010-08-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the three quick updates about three essential things relates to blogging and technology.

Firefox 4 Beta 2

I guess you have already heard about Mozilla's release of the latest browser. After the buggy and highly unstable Beta 1 version, now they have Firefox 4 Beta 2. The most important change to this version is the inclusion of "App Tabs". This allows the user to change regular tabs into compact tabs which prevent accidental deletion of these tabs.

Further, it organizes websites in stacked layers with cached content for further web browsing. But still, the Beta 2 is unstable in performance, thanks to the "beta" tag added to it.

WordPess 3.0.1

Now here's something for bloggers, I mean, those who do not use Blogger or Jhoomla or TypePad. After about 11 million downloads of the WordPress 3.0 in just 42 days, we finally have the next update version, WordPress 3.0.1 . It claims to fix 53 bugs o the previous version. Well, I haven't updated yet...I am waiting for feedbacks from other users. But I guess this will be a smooth update because it's just a minor one. have you updated? Please leave your feedbacks.

Digg v4

The new Digg has been there for quite some time now in the beta stage. Only a very few people were allowed to access the new version (and I was one of them). The interface looked excellent, and in short, it is much more social (don't forget that Digg is a social bookmarking site). But since it is in beta, the New Digg doesn't have the Digg Bar yet, and links do not open in a new tab. So digging is a bit frustrating at the moment.

Anyway, the good news is that they are allowing the present members to sent invites to their friends ( at the most 5 invites). So if you want to be a part of the New Digg, you can ask for an invite here. If you do, then also provide a link to your old Digg's profile because I will review your activity on Digg first before sending the invite.

Till then, update and stay safe from hackers.

Top EC Droppers - July

2010-08-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

So it's already August (I was not aware of this unless I saw some posts on other blogs thanking their top EC droppers). For the month of July, I myself could not break in in any of those lists on other blogs. But visitors on my blog has been very consistent. A big THANK YOU to all the visitors here and congrats to the following ten blogs and bloggers for being in the top 10 for July -

The Ad Master
Slightly Sarcastic
Singapore Playground
Teen Suicide Talk
bethere2day
Business Blog
Cooking Japanese Style
Space In Pictures
Unofficial Chart Blog
Michelle's Menagerie

So a big thank you to the above 10 and to all others who regularly visit my blog.

World's Cheapest Tablet - From India

2010-07-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Previously, I have written about the Adam, a tablet which is being built by an Indian company, Notion Ink. But recently, according to Indian Express, Human Resource Department minister of India, Mr. Kapil Sibal revealed a tablet-like device (seems to be a 7 incher) which is in the developmental stage at the moment.

More About the Device
It will be a Linux-based, open source device with a touchscreen of 5/7/9 inches. It will have th basic features like office software, web browser, multimedia capabilities, PDF Reader and also video conferencing.

The Best Part Of The Story
Here comes the best thing about this device. The title of this post says that it is the cheapest tablet. And indeed it is (err...will be). It is estimated that in the beginning, it will cost around $35. It is believed that the price will drop further, ultimately to $10.
So, how will people accept this "Poor Man's Tablet" ?Will every citizen own a touchscreen device? We will have to wait and see.

Image Credit

Please Help Me In A Contest

2010-07-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
My last post was a bit strict one, but this one is about a request. I need some help this time, specially from the Entrecard community. To make things more clear, I have entered a blog contest with huge prizes at stake. Have a look at the prizes here.

But I am a bit late in entering the contest as the last date is July 25. So my contest entry has got only 2 more days to gain popularity. That's why I need some help. So if you can, please visit my contest entry "6 Do's For Blog Marketing With Twitter Fail" and all you have to do is retweet the post (my contest entry). There's already a Tweetmeme button provided. And it will be great if you can leave a comment.

Another thing to note : The score for popularity of the entry is only 30%. The rest 70% depends on the quality of the article. But still, 30% can make a huge difference.
I hope to get some help from the EC community. Have a great day.

A Note For EC Users

2010-07-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Entrecard users...this is a short post specially for the EC advertisers on my blog.

Till date I haven't rejected a single ad request on this blog (even though I have rejected some on my other blog). But then, with so many cards using the default EC widget, it forced me to re-think my strategy of accepting all ads.

So from this today, I am going to reject all ad requests which use the default EC widget. I am also going to reject ads with indecent pictures.

Further, about dropping ECs, I will also try to drop less on the blogs which use the default EC widget.
Now the question is, why are you using the default thing? If tou are really serious about using the Entrecard system, why don't you upload a meaningful picture? That will also help to brand your blog. Now it's upto you. If you are reading this and using a default widget, THINK AGAIN.

That's all.

First Screenshots of Symbian^4

2010-07-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Symbian Foundation has posted the first handful of home screen UI shots of the Symbian^4 showing redesigned widgets, app categories and search, pop-up menus, and a standard-issue numeric touchscreen keypad.

Even though Nokia is going to use MeeGo in all the devices now (with N8 being the last to run on Symbian 3), it is expected that they will develop some devices on the Symbian^4 platform in the early 2011.

Source : Engadget

Apple iOS 4.1 Released For Developers

2010-07-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

Within a month of launching the iPhone 4, Apple has (or was forced to) release the iOS 4.1 for the developers. Unfortunately, the antenna issue has not been fixed yet by the software update.

But that's not the end. Apple has called for a special press conference on July 16, that is, today. The conference will be regarding the iPhone (may be the antenna issue and the software updates). So we will have to wait for the outcome of the conference.

Source : Techiezlounge

Apple's Tiniest Touchscreen

2010-07-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Apple is in the limelight at the moment for too many things... some good, some bad...and some rumors. And the latest is a rumor, about the tiniest touch screen whose picture has been doing the rounds around the web at the moment.

The screen is only 3x3 cms in size and it can be for -
1) iPod Touch Nano
2) iPod Touch Shuffle
3) iWatch
4) Any other product ????

Well, we will have to wait, but I don't know for how long.

Source : tw.Apple.pro

Twitalyzer - Analyse Your Twitter Profile

2010-07-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

So you have started to use Twitter. You are twitting about thee latest news, gossips, rumors, your daily activities and so on. You are following 1000+ people (even some celebrities) and you have got 1000+ followers in return. But how much impact are you making on your followers? How much are you influencing them? Are you generous enough to help out others?

If you want to know the answers to the questions mentioned above, here's a tool for you. Twitalyzer is a free tool which will analyse your Twitter profile and answer to the questions mentioned above along with many other information. All you need to provide is your username and password (yes, I was worried about this a bit, but after reading some reviews I went forward... they can be trusted). Check the screenshot for some of the information that it will provide.

So why don't you give it a try? Go here and check how much of an influencer you are. Do give me some feedbacks please :P. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Top Entrecard Droppers For June

2010-07-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

This month I am taking the short-cut path to thank my top droppers. Because of my absence and some other reasons, I couldn't make the list of all the top droppers. So let's look at the list provided by Entrecard -

Slightly Sarcastic
bethere2day
on the verge
Cooking Japanese Style
Teen Suicide Talk
Symbian Freeware
Michelle's Menagerie
Living and Wellness
Winesworld The Amateurs Wine Guide
The Ad Master

Special mention goes to EihdraG of Make Money Online for being the top commenter.

So all these consistent droppers are the top droppers for June.Thanks and congrats to my top droppers and also to everyone who visit my blog. By the way, just a reminder. Because of my new blog, this blog will get less updates. I have already included Tech N Blogging in Entrecard.
And a Happy 4th of July to all my readers from America.

What Will I Do With $100

2010-06-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

This is my official entry to Noel and Levy's Thanksgiving Contest.

Hmm...a tough question indeed. $100 can be used for many things, including some good deeds like donation and charity. Well, even though donations and charity will give me some good karma, but being honest as a college student, I will think numerous times before making any donations. So I strike out that option, and will use the $100 for my use (to be more precise, for my blog's).

But how?

We the bloggers always think about the amount we have to pay for hosting and domain names, specially is the blog is new and not giving even a cent back into my pocket. Things get more complex if we want to brand out blog, like getting a new theme (of course paid theme, for example Thesis or Ultimate Blogging Theme). and also for advertising.

Even though I have not decided what exactly I will do with the $100 (if I get), but I have got some ideas in my head. I will definitely keep a good amount out of that $100 to hold a contest in order to promote my new blog. But obviously it won't be possible without sponsors. I will also keep some amount either to pay the next hosting fee or save that amount for a new theme (either - or). So now just a little remains out of that $100 which I will use to advertise my new blog on Adgitize.

So you can see, the whole amount goes to blogging.

The following part is not within the context of the contest.
All the blah...blah... above can come true if I win (which I don't think I will). But I will be really happy if either Mommy Rubz or EihdraG wins this contest. It's not that I know these bloggers (I do know EihdraG a bit), but there are some reasons for which I am telling this.

iPhone 4 Updates

2010-06-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

We all know that the iPhone 4 was put on sale in the US, France, Germany, Japan and the UK since yesterday. But what's more important are the news and facts surrounding the iPhone 4 and the iOS 4.0. In this post, I am going to make excerpts of some updates that I have got from the net.

To start things off, let's make a post-mortem of the hardware of the latest version of the iPhone. Check out this post by my blogging friend Shabnam Sultan - iPhone 4 : Inside Detailed View Of Various Parts.

Okay, enough of dissecting that costly device. Let's view it as a whole. Here's a first impression about the iPhone 4, hands on (by Geeky Gadgets) : iPhone 4 hands On - First Impressions.

New products are always accompanied by bugs and errors, and so was the iPhone 4. Here's a report about some yellow bands appearing on the iPhone screen, towards the bottom. Yellow Spot Display Issue On iPhone 4 by Tech Bitts.

Complains, complains and more complains. If you hold the iPhone in a wrong way, the bars will decrease. This is what Apple (and Steve Jobs) had to say as a solution - Steve Job Replies To Email About iPhone 4 Reception Issues by Tech Bitts.

Apple came up with a solution, but a temporary one, with an extra accessory for $29. Apple's Solution To Reception Problem In iPhone 4 by TechieZlounge.

I will keep on updating this post with further updates.

I'm Back - To Win $100 !!!

2010-06-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

Finally, after numerous phone calls and visits to my internet service provider's customer care, I managed to get the problems fixed. So now I will again get back to blogging, but I need to regain the lost momentum.

So to start things off, here's a contest that I want to enter. It's Noel And Levy's Thanksgiving contest with a total prize money of $200. The break up of the prize money among the winners is as follows -
1st Prize - $100
2nd Prize - $30
3rd Prize - $20
4th and 5th Prize - $10 each.
Further, there are 5 consolation prizes of $5 each.

To know more about the contest, visit Living Life To The Fullest. And here's the list of the sponsors -

Designer's Depot
Mga Kwentong Maalamat
Hearts content of a Mama
LuckyZoan
My Thoughts, My Heart, My Turf

Pensive Thoughts
Spread the Word!
Pinkville- Pink and Magic Convergence Zone
Make more Money
BHO: Blogurdian Hellsite Overcrashed
Earn Money Online with Red
My Red Hot Reviews
The Adventurous Little Prince
A Woman Remembers
My Journey to Life
All About Life

Anything Baguio
My Random Best
Tricks of Magician
Mom Fashionista
Travel Junkie Mommy
Reviews Inc.
Sexy Blogging
Novice on Blogging
Camera Sexy
At Home Here
Make or Break
Dishes by Pehpot
Lifestyle Magazine for Moms
Bloggityboop- The Magic of Mommyhood
Mommy's Infodose
Baterya.Com
Kitchen Trips

Llamas Journal - Ad space
Sharing My Thoughts- Ad space
Something to Live By- Ad space
Wonderful World of Peachy- Ad space
Sweet Thoughts and Wonderful Life- Ad space

That's enough for the moment. I really need to get things up and running again. By the way, you can also visit my new blog at Tech N Blogging.

Update

2010-06-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is a short post to inform all my visitors that my absence from the blogosphere is due to my internet connection. I had no internet connection for one whole week. Then I got back the connection two days ago, but it was only for a few hours. Then again I was cut off from the www. The connection is back now, but it's very unstable, can't even make a proper post, and I am not sure for how long I will remain connected. I am trying to contact my service provider to get this problem fixed, but unfortunately, their service is horrible. Sorry for my absence.

My New Blog

2010-06-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Oh! At last I have done it. All these days my hands were tied because of Blogger's limited resources and inflexibility and most importantly, the (dot)blogspot domain name.

But now I have got my own domain name and a self hosted Wordpress blog. You can check it out here(opens in a new tab), even though you won't find anything except a single welcome post. Since this is the first time that I am using WP, so it will take some time. By the way, Tech N Blogging is going to be my main blog in a month's time while this will be my secondary blog.

I have already installed some plugins like All in one SEO, Akismet and CommentLuv. It will be great if you can suggest some other plugins. Also, if you have some other suggestions, please feel free to do so. Anyway, that's all for now.

EC Top Droppers - May

2010-06-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Its time to thank all my visitors and commenters. I am already late for this post by one day, so I won't delay any more. A special thanks to my top EC droppers and congrats to them for being so consistent. I had to include 23 blogs this time with minimum of 30 drops. Here's the list -

31 Drops

Beyond Left Field

Winesworld - The Amateurs Wine Guide

Picture To People Blog

30 drops

Confessions Of A Fitness Diva

First Door On The Left

The Cooling Stream

On The Verge

Security For Idiots And Others That Care

A special mention goes to Marlene of Lemback Blog for being the top commenter.

Since there are 7 top droppers, it was not possible to provide the banner exposure to all the 7 blogs in a 30 days time, so I have taken the help of Random.org to pick 2 blogs who will get the exposure for 15 days each.

Here are the snapshots...

That's Seek No More (June 2 - 16)

And...

WinesWorld - The Amateurs Wine Guide (June 16 - 30).

So, thanks again for visiting my blog.

Birth Of Compact DSLRs

2010-05-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

A Short History To Begin With
Ever since the SLR (Single Reflex Lens) began to take the digital path (DSLR), the weight of the camera increased tremendously because of the components that needed to be included with the camera for the digital sensors to work, specially the digital signal process. As a result, DSLR was getting bigger and heavier. Even though there were many efforts to bring out lighter DSLRs, but that was at the expense of features like speed, quality and above all, ease of use.

M 4/3
Big and heavy was the standard rule until one day Olympus and Panasonic got together to create something evolutionary, the M 4/3. So what is it? Micro Four Third (M 4/3) is a system in which instead of having the pentaprism and the mirror to reflect the image to be seen by the sensor, it would use the sensor right away to provide a live view of the picture. Now this made way for smaller and lighter designs by removing the 2 elements which wer not needed by the digital sensor.

Practical Implementation of the M 4/3 system
The first camera that was based on the M 4/3 design is the Olympus PEN E-P1. Even though the initial reactions were that since it was light and small, it would be crap like the Point-and-Shoot cameras. But later, it had some good reviews.
Then Olympus released an update to it, the E-P2 which resolved some of the problems of the drawbacks of the E-P1. Finally, they released a low-price model, the Olympus PEN E-PL1.
Panasonic too came up with their own model, the Panasonic GF1 based on the M 4/3 design.

The Latest Entry
The latest entry to this mirrorless compact digital SLR category is Sony with their models the NEX-3 and the NEX-5. Both are 14.2 megapixel shooters with APS-C sized CMOS sensors that can shoot high-definition videos. The NEX-5 is capable of shooting videos at 1080p in AVCHD format and at 720p in MP4 format. The NEX-3 is only capable of recording at 720p in MP4 format. These will have a 18-55 mm lens or a 16 mm lens. In addition to that, Sony will launch a 18-200 mm lens.
More information about these two cameras can be found here.

Does Your Blog Have A 7-Digit Alexa Rank

2010-05-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

I couldn't come up with a good topic to post about, so I decided to post about Adgitize's special summer promotion. Those who are not members of Adgitize or do not know at all about it, Adgitize is an ad service on blogger's budget. Let me first write a small review of it.

As a publisher, you need (recommended) to show ads on your blog (maximum of 10 slots). You will get points for the ad views and the page views. You can also get 100 daily for writing 1 blog post (max 1 per day). You also get points by clicking on the Adgitize ads on other blogs (max 100 per day).

Now comes the main point, the advertisers. The cost of advertising your blog on the Adgitize network is only $14 per month. With this special promotion, you can easily get back $14.57, if not more. Now here's how you can do it -
1) As an advertiser, you will get 100 points daily.
2) You need to click on 51 adgitize ads (100 for publishers) on 51 different blogs to get 100 more points.
3) Write 1 post daily, you get 100 more points each day.
4) You will get more points for the page views and ad views. Other members have told from their experience that their page views increase by about 75+, daily. And because of the traffic, you will have a good Alexa rank too, as many Adgitize members use the Alexa toolbar. So if you have a 7 digit Alexa rank, there's every reason for you to advertise here.
So you have 300+ points. Now as per their special promotion, you will get a minimum of $0.47 for getting 300 points (plus you have some extra too). $0.47 for 31 days add up to make $14.57. So you can easily make some profit and also get some more visitors to your blog, a win-win situation.

This promotion will run through July 31, 2010. If they meet their goal of getting 25 new advertisers per month, they will run the promotion for the whole year. So what are you waiting for? If you are not a member yet, sign up here (affiliate link, will be great if you can help a fellow blogger out...haha..shameless promotion) and start advertising.

NComputing U170 - USB Virtual Desktop

2010-05-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Before mentioning about the gadget, I will like you to ask those parents with two kids about the ideal solution for sharing time on a single computer. I think most parents will grow another grey hair instead of finding an ideal solution to it. Isn't that so?

Here come the NComputing U170 Virtual Desktop, a rather elegant solution to this problem, although it can easily be extended to suit a small business or a school set-up. The premise is simple - modern day PCs are so powerful that people (specially kids) use only a small fraction of the processor's capacity, and the U170 taps this unused resource so that a computer can be shared by many users.

All you have to do is plug the U170 into the PC via USB, connect the second set of monitor, keyboard and mouse and install the program on the host PC and voila! The second fully-functional independent PC is ready to go.

So what are the advantages? Well, there are many. Firstly, you just need to buy the U170 (about $100), a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and speakers. So you save money on RAMs, motherboards, processors, video cards and other hardwares. Further, you need to maintain only one PC with the OS and the anti-virus, so here also you save some money. You also save on electricity as it draws only about 2 watts of power, much less than an independent PC.

need to connect more PCs? Just add more U170s, upto 9 maximum. But if you are running a memory exhausting application like Photoshop on the host PC, then the connected PCs are bound to suffer. Well, the question is, do the kids need to use image and video editing softwares?

Google Pacman Logo - Its Playable

2010-05-22T04:17:00.000-07:00

Did you notice the Google logo today? I guess almost everyone has, so this is for them who are yet to notice the main feature of the logo - it's playable. Yes, you can play the real game which you used to play on the video games.

Commemorating the 30th birthday of the popular video game of the 80s and the 90s, Pacman, Google has used the Pacman logo (or should I say the game) on its search engine homepage. By clicking on the "Insert Coin" button or simply keeping the page open for around 10 seconds will start the game. The direction(arrow) keys are used for control. So what are you waiting for? Open the search page and start playing instead of searching.
For more information about this logo, and about Google's strategy to use HTML, CSS and JavaScript instead of Flash to develop the logo, please visit Questechie.

Looking For A Sound System

2010-05-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Recently, my Intex 2.1 sound system has been giving me a lot of problems. To be fair, I don't like Intex speakers. One of my friends has got a Intex 5.1 system, and I don't like its sound quality. The treble is okay, but the bass...its just not there. Anyway, I have decided to upgrade my sound system for my PC, and I have decided to buy a 5.1 system this time. So, the search begins....off course with Google.

My budget is around 6000 INR (approx $130). So, the first search was something like "5.1 speakers for pc". From here. I went to a forum where two models got my attention - (1) Creative Inspire T6060 and (2) Altec Lansing VS3251. So, I searched again for these specific models. First was the Altec Lansing. But the very first impression was not good. I didn't like the looks, so its out. Next, the Creative Inspire. This one looks good, very modern. The review said that its a value for money product with very good sound quality. The only con is the wired remote (not wireless). Well, that's not a problem for me. Further, it costs about $100, so its pretty much inside my budget.

But wait a minute. The review also stated two more models - (1) Logitech X540 and (2) Logitech Z5500.
So, back to Google. First, the X540. This one looks good too. I think it looks better than the Creative. The satellites are wall-mountable, a feature which can come handy in my room. This too has a wired remote. Price?About $100 again.
Next is the Z5500. Oh man! This one is awesome. Look at the subwoofer. It has got plenty of features. And also comes with a SoundTouch Control Centre and a wireless remote. But oh! The Logitech guys broke my heart. This one will create a huge hole of 400 bucks in my pocket. So, goodbye to Z5500.

Back to the Creative and the Logitech X540. While reading more and more reviews of these two, suddenly one thing caught my attention. My default sound card that came with the Intel motherboard does not support surround sound. Which means that i won't be able to get the real surround sound effect that these two are capable of. I need a sound card. So I googled "Creative 5.1 sound card" (I knew Creative had one). Yup, got it. Creative Sound Blaster 5.1 will be good enough for a basic 5.1 system. But the price? Again I took help of Google with the keyword "price" attached to the previous search. Woot woot! It costs only around $25, which means that either the Creative Inspire T6060 or the Logitech X540 plus the Creative Sound Blaster will be very much within my budget. But......there's still a BUT......The Logitech Z5500.....I want that......... :(

Future Kitchen Concept - Aion

2010-05-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

This may look like a command deck of a Starship Enterprise, but in real, this is a futuristic kitchen. And it not only looks like a command deck, but also shares another feature related to aerospace.

Designed by Antoin Lebrun, the Aion kitchen concept uses specialized plants developed by the aerospace industry. These plants are known for their cleaning and filtering properties. Apart from providing a renewable supply of fresh water and vegetable soap (while cleaning), they also filter smoke and fumes while cooking.

For the cleaning purpose, simply putting the utensils in the sink and closing the hood will start the natural clean cycle. Further, the display shows the current status along with illuminated lights indicating cooking or washing etc.

This is a very eco-friendly concept to reduce wastes and smoke, but unfortunately, it's just a concept at the moment.

SmartFaucet - Tap With A Touch Screen

2010-05-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

You may have got the most wired house in the neighbourhood, but the SmartFaucet from iHouse will surely blow your mind.

It's a water tap with built-in face recognition that automatically adjusts the water pressure, temperature and the lighting to your preferred settings (yeah, you read it right, it's a water tap).

What's more?? The touchscreen display even allows at-a-glance access to e-mails , appointments and the outside temperature while the LED illuminates the flow with temperature matching colors!!!

A Contest And A Giveaway

2010-05-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

I will talk about the giveaway first. Sheila of The Ad Master has come up with a very unique giveaway, titled "National I Can't Come Up With A Blog Post Day!". And she will give away 100 bucks to the winner. So, to get those 100 bucks, all you have to do is...... well, it will be better if you check out her blog. The drawing will take place on June 1, so hurry.

Now about the contest. The host of this one is Ritz of A Girl Blogger. She will give a free domain name and a 1-year "Blogger's Budget" hosting plan from Kind Hoster. I think if you are a member of Adgitize, you are familiar with Kind Hoster. Since I am still using a blogspot domain name, so I was interested in their plans. They have got some very affordable hosting plans. The "Blogger's Budget" plan at $10/year has 500 MB of disk space and 5 GB of bandwidth. They also offer 1-click setup for platforms like Wordpress, Jhoomla and many others. Apart from he above mentioned plan, there are three more hosting options. Please check them out here.

Notion Ink Adam

2010-05-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

I have already mentioned about this product from the Indian company, Notion Ink, in my earlier post. but that was along with some other competitors, so this one is going to be a standalone post about the Adam.

After the fall of the biggies, it's upto this small Indian company to give some competition to the iPad. By "fall of the biggies", I am referring to HP and Microsoft who have called off their plans for the Slate and Courier respectively.

So start with the looks, the Adam has got a sleek look and design, one that will impress almost everyone. It's about 13 mm thick an is quite light weight at around 650 gm.
The powerhouse inside this tablet is something to watch out for, which maintains a good balance between speed and power. It's run by the Dual Core Cortex A-9 processor which gives a nice web experience, supports low power flash and enhances battery life. Further, the Nvidia Tegra 2 low power graphics card enables full flash acceleration, allowing to watch videos at 1080p resolution.
And did I mention enhanced battery life? Yup, the guys at Notion Ink claims that the Adam can play 140 hours of audio and 16 hours of HD video at one go. Now that is something to watch out for.

The display of this device needs a special mention. The 10.1 in Pixel Qi screen has transmissive, transflective and reflective display modes which can be used in regular times like while watching videos or web browsing. The non-Pixel Qi, low power display mode can be used while reading books. Its capacitive screen with multi-touch.

The Android interface has been nicely customized to suit the 10.1in screen of the Adam and has the multi tasking capability. The Adam also comes with a e-book client and supports all major e-book formats. A 3.2 MP swivel camera is mounted on the top. Connectivity options include WiFi and 3G.

But the best thing that will help the Adam to get some market share will be its price. It is believed that the Notion Ink guys will price it aggressively to attract many potential iPad customers. Off course you don't expect an awesome display like the iPad, or millions of apps to choose from the Apps Store, but if priced very aggressively as compared to the iPad, it will be a winner. Unfortunately, nothing is known about the launch date. The developers are still waiting to get a stable Flash for the Adam, then there would be a 2-months testing before it gets launched (source - Notion Ink Blog). So, we will have to wait for a longer time.

A Peek Into The Future

2010-05-05T04:40:00.000-07:00

The fast advent of technology and the new innovative ideas which result from it is not unknown to anyone. So what can we expect from the gadgets in the near future? We all have a lot of expectations from them, but here are a few prospects in terms of technology and design concepts.I repeat again, these are concepts.

Origami DVD Player

To ensure maximum portability, the Origami DVD Player concept uses an e-paper (a fully flexible display technology) which can be folded and crumbled in any manner. The screen folds back neatly in the whole thing becomes as small as the size of a DVD. As mentioned, this is just a concept.

HP LiM

We will get to see a lot of transparent displays in the future, and here's one such concept from HP - the Lim (Less Is More) Concept. It includes a transparent display, a wireless keyboard and has bamboo fabric across the aluminium frame. And yes, don't miss the virtual trackpad.

Eyemove PC

The Eyemove PC combines the functionality of a digital projector into one circular shaped device. No need for any monitors. Further, with the wireless controller, you can forget your mouse and keyboard. You have it all-in-one with the touchscreen wireless controller.

P-ISM Pen Style Computer

The P-ISM includes five (5) pens for the following five functions-

a) a pen-style cellular phone with handwriting data input

b) a pen-style projector

c) a pen-style camera/scanner

d) a virtual keyboard

e) a personal ID key, also pen-styled.

All the P-ISMs are connected with one another with short-rangedwireless communications.

I will update this if I get to know some moregadgets like this. By the Way, I have made a mistake in my previous post.I had missed the most important thing about that. The information provided waswrong. This time I have made sure that I leave no stone unturned in providingthe correct information.

Google "Translate For Animals"

2010-05-03T03:42:00.000-07:00

Do you understand the meanings of all the sounds made by your pet? Even if you are very much familiar with your pet, I bet you don't understand all the communications that he/she might want to make. It is nothing new that there is a huge, and I mean really huge communication gap between humans and animals. The gap is so huge that humans were totally clueless about the animal sounds. But thanks to Google (yeah, king of everything.right?) that the gap is going to reduce to some extent.

"Translate For Animals" is the app that I am talking about. This Android app will translate animal sounds into meaningful English sentences or words. It is a beta application aiming to narrow the communication gap between humans and animals. Google has taken the help of the world's top language synthesis teams and also of the experts in the field of animal cognitive linguistics in order to develop this app.

This app is made for the Android phones. Using it is pretty easy. Just search the Android marketplace and install this app in your Android phone. Then record your pet's sound. The record will then be sent to their cloud database for processing purpose. It will be interpreted and transcribed in English to your phone. Then just hear the translated version. Simple, isn't it?

Nothing can be said about the accuracy, but this one is surely going to be a fun experience. While trying to know about the feelings of your pets, you will come much closer to them. And this will also increase your love for your pets.

Here's a link for a demo(opens in a new tab). Translate For Animals

Oh! I am sorry that I neglected the crucial thing about this app. Thanks to Arafat for letting me know about that. Check the comments section to know it. :P
Care to share? If you like this post.

10 Gadgets For Dreaming, Not Owning

2010-05-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

Which is the world's "most techiest" (sorry for that double-superlative) phone? How much will it cost? Whatever be it's cost, it is still not considered to be a thing of luxury unless the manufactures put some diamonds in it, and bring them to the market as "Designer" products meant only for the billionaires. Yes, with designers expanding their field, there are gadgets like mobile phones, cameras, MP3 players which cost a few hundred dollars.
Here's a list of the world's 10 most expensive gadgets, sizzling in features as well as looks:

Most Expensive Computer
Well, you can't own this, but there's no harm in dreaming. The Earth Simulator, built by Japanese company NEC to evaluate the effects of global warming and solid earth geophysics. It also held the record of being the fastest supercomputer in the world between 2002-2004, capable of 35.86 trillion floating point calculations per second. In March 2009, it was replaced by Earth Simulator 2.
Price : 206,600,000 pounds.

Most Expensive Mobile Phone
The iPhone 3G Supreme, designed by a British company is said to be the most expensive mobile phone. Made from 22-carat gold, it has 136 diamonds in the front bezel and an Apple logo at the back with 53 diamonds. The button is made up of a rare diamond of 7.1 carats.
Price : 1.92 million pounds.

Most Expensive TV
Yalos Diamond, from the Italian manufacturer Keymat Industrie is the world's most expensive television. Plated in white gold and studded with 160 diamonds, the TV has 1080i and 720p HD picture format and a contrast ratio of 1200:1.
Price : 67,175 pounds.

Most Expensive Laptop
Luxury brand Luvaglio London had announced in 2007 that it will release by special order the mosr expensive laptop ever sold. With a 17-inch widescreen LED lit screen, a Blu-ray drive, 128GB memory, an integrated cleaning device, and a diamond power button that doubles as the laptop security feature, the laptop would cost a million pounds.

Most Expensive MP3 Player
London-based Meng Duo Ltd launched the world?s most expensive media player — Presidential MP3 by Douglas J. This one is studded with several diamonds and will be hand delivered to the buyer anywhere in the world. The player includes 1GB of memory, a 65k color screen for video playback and support for audio and video file formats.
Price : 25,000 pounds.

Most Expensive Camera
The Hasselblad H3DII-50 is the world's most expensive camera. This multi-shot full-color camera comes with a 50-megapixel CCD sensor that captures four shots in a row, moving the sensor by one pixel between each shot to record full RGB values at each position.
Price : $34000.

Most Expensive Blackberry
UK-based designer Alexander Amosu has launched the most expensive Blackberry, made of 18-carat gold and studded with 4459 diamonds. The device can be personalized with the owner's name and company logo.
Price : $200,000

Most Expensive Computer Keyboard
Made from the hairs of virgins and then powdered with gold dust, the Happy Hacking keyboard by PFU is said to be the world's most expensive keyboards. It lacks numeric keypad, and keys outside the typewriter key area are mainly accessible through the Fn key.
Price : 2190 pounds.

Most Expensive Computer Mouse
Cast from 18 carat white gold and set with 59 brilliant cut diamonds, the most expensive mouse is manufactured by the Swiss brand Pat. it comes with a 3-button wheel optical mouse design, options for USB or PS/2 connections for either PC or Mac and a 800 dpi Resolution.
Price : 12,494 pounds.

Most Expensive Speakers
The Ultimate from Transmission Audio is the world's most expensive speaker. It consists of twelve 500W speakers, an Audio Laboratory BP-1 dual-mono power amp and a BC-1 preamp. Further, Ultimate also features forty 15″ subwoofers and another twenty-four 8″ woofers. On the high-midrange and high frequency levels, ribbon technology is employed for high fidelity and reliability. Each Ultimate speaker comes with its own 31,000 Watt power amplifiers. The manufacturer also claims the Ultimate can generate up to 146dB SPL.
Price : $2 million.

So.....well, nothing more to say after all these. Just dream...dream...and dream.

Consistent EC Droppers - April

2010-04-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

April is over, so its time to thank all those who have visited my blog (even if only once) and those who re-visit often, specially my EC droppers. I just completed 1 month after rejoining EC, and it was a nice feeling to see my blog in the top 3 under "Technology". Here's the list of my Top 15 Droppers for April. There were five more blogs with the same stats, so I thought it to be fair to increase the list from 10 to 15.

Small Town Mommy (31)

Opportunities Knock (31)

The Horror Movie Show (31)

Bible Examples (31)

Seek No More (30)

Confessions Of A Fitness Diva (30)

Fledgling Blogger (30)

A Little Boy's Blog (30)

Mutual Love (29)

Serian Man (29)

Second Trial (29)

Doing Business (29)

Momspective (29)

Funky Town Disco Music (29)

Fact Of The Day (29)

I will put up the badges of the 4 Top Droppers with 31 drops till April 30 in two of the 125x125 slots for 15 days each. Small Town Mommy and Opportunities Knock (May 1 - May 15). The Horror movie Show and Bible Examples (May 16 - May 30). And once again, a BIG Thank You to everyone.

Get, Slate, Go - I

2010-04-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

This is a sort of second coming that ageing film-stars and out-of-work models would long for. The tablet was an all-but-dead product category, one that never really got off the ground sales-wise, despite the big push from Microsoft way back in 2002. But with the iPad, Apple's wiped the slate clean, opening up the flood gates for a slew of contenders that promise to revitalize an almost obsolete form factor, or to say, completely change the way we interact with our computers. Here's a small peek at what on the cards in 2010.

HP Slate :
Squint a little, and you could easily confuse the HP Slate with the Apple iPad. With a similar sleek profile and a large 8.9 inch capacitive display, it almost is. But it runs on the touch-enabled Windows 7 platform. Along with the netbook specs, it supports Flash and has got multi-tasking capabilities which the iPad lacks. It also packs in 2 built-in cameras (front and back) along with video recording. Looks like HP has all he iPad's bases covered, and then some more.
[Update : This was the specs and info that was available before. But HP has shown dissatisfaction with the capabilities of Windows 7 for a tablet, so it might put off all plans for the Slate. Otherwise, it might surprise everyone by going forward with the plan with the newly acquired Palm WebOS. ]

Notion Ink Adam :
Here's one from my country, India. Notion Ink, a small Indian start-up is talking big with the Adam. This Android based slate not only boasts of a sleek design, but also of the 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 chip that acts both as a chip and a graphics card, allowing you to playback videos at 1080p on the 10 onch display. The real genius is he Pixel Qi screen which can switch from backlit LCD mode for web browsing to a low-power electrophoretic reflective mode for power saving (16 hours) and becomes easier on the eyes.

Fusion Garage JooJoo :
This is from the Singapore-based Fusion garage. Other than iPad, JooJoo is the only other slate that is commercially available at the moment. With a 12 inch screen this Intel Atom/Nvidia ion powered tablet promises full Flash HD and a decent interface over the custom Linux platform. But it misses out in many things - No Apps, no multi-tasking, no e-books and a 5 hour battery life.

More models to come in the next post.

Changes...Sorry For The Inconvenience

2010-04-28T04:10:00.001-07:00

There are some changes going on at the moment with the template, so please bear with me. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Cravendale "Magic" Jug

2010-04-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like having a glass of fresh milk in the morning, along with some cornflakes or whatever. But what if you had left the milk out in the kitchen overnight and you are wondering whether the milk is still safe to drink or not. Worse, you throw it away even it was good enough to drink, or consume it when it was not fit for drinking.

To help you out in this situation, the guys at Cravendale Research and Development have created a "magic" jug which warns when the milk poured into it is sour. Not only that, the jug has got a LCD screen that displays the state of the milk, either FRESH or SOUR.

How does it do that? Magic? Well, nah. The jug's base has got a unique pH sensor which measures the acidity of the milk. It also has a alarm system which alerts when the milk turns sour. According to the guys at Cravendale, by using this "magic" jug, a huge wastage of milk can be reduced.

Wow ! I Won At YouSayToo

2010-04-23T05:42:00.000-07:00

SO here's another post that is not related to the title of the blog, but I just thought of posting this. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that I was one of the winners of the YouSayToo Social Bookmark Challenge. Actually this is the first time that I have won something of this kind, that's why I am over-excited. :-P

Congrats to RedAmethyst (I am a regular visitor to your blogs) and Anuj Agarwal too. Here's the screen shot.

Lainy's Musings' 2nd Blogoversary

2010-04-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Lainy at Lainy's Musings is celebrating her 2nd Blogoversary, and as a resullt, has got a contest running till 26 April. The rules are pretty simple. All you have to do is subscribe to her blog with your email and make a comment within 20 words, giving a reason as to what made the baby (in picture) react in that manner.
Check out the above banner for more info.

Desk Phone Dock

2010-04-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Talk about mixing the latest in technology with some honest-to-goodness old world charm and practicality, and here's a gadget that does exactly the same.

The Desk Phone Dock is a gadget which allows you to use your iPhone as the one and only wired phone in your office or home environment. Just slot in your iPhone in the Desk Phone Dock, and not only will the dock charge and sync the device, it will also let you pick up the handset and use the phone just like a wired landline.

It can also function as a speaker phone with its dual stereo speakers, in case you need some handsfree conversation. Other features include volume control, instant mute and USB and AC power dual source.

So, no more of multiple cables, bunch of cables and other accessories on the desk.

Fujifilm Finepix Z700 EXR - For Pet Lovers!!

2010-04-14T03:03:00.000-07:00

The Finepix Z700 EXR from Fujifilm is the first in the class of EXR touch screen digital cameras, combining beautiful styling, Fujifilm's award-winning EXR sensor technology and a gorgeous 3.5" wide 16:9 touch screen.

The Z700 comes with a 12 megapixel Super CCD EXR sensor, 5x optical zoom and ISO levels of upto 1600 at full resolution. It also has the capability to record HD videos at 720p.

The best features of this camera are the following two...

Face Detection : The Z700 allows you to identify the people in a picture by name! Fujifilm’s Face Recognition Technology gives you the ability to pre-program 8 people into the camera. For this, when you take a picture of the person you want to program into the camera, tell the camera who that person is (e.g. son). You also have the option of inputting the category she belongs to (e.g. family) and the date of his birthday. The next time you take a photo of her, the camera will cleverly recognize “son” and optimize the settings to ensure that exposure and focus are best suited to him, rather than the other people in the picture.

Pet Detection : This camera is also capable to detect upto 10 cats and dogs in one photo. There's an extensive list of breeds it can detect, and if your pet is one of them, their face is guaranteed to be properly in focus. But if you have a bird, then.....mmmmm.... sorry. Better luck after a few years I guess.

Mafia Wars by Zynga (Facebook) Part - II

2010-04-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I had mentioned the basics of the game, how to start from the beginning and all that. In this post, I am going to go a bit deeper.

First of all, I would like to mention that Mafia wars is not a male-dominated game at all. It might seems to be like that because of its name, but it is not. Out the the 4700+ friends that I have on Facebook (all for Mafia Wars), I think almost 40% of them are females, if not more.

Coming back to the topic, I had mentioned that MW requires a bit of strategy. The strategy here is the timing strategy. There's a thing known as "Energy Pack" which boosts the energy by 25%, and is available once in 24 hours. Using this Energy Pack at the right moment is very important. Further, the timing of the job help requests from friends is also crucial in fast leveling up.

Zynga is trying to incorporate many new and interesting things in the game. They are including special edition jobs, collections and loots. Recently, there were the Easter and St. Patrick's special edition jobs and collection. These kind of inclusions increases the interest a lot more and removes any boredom that creeps in.

Apart from the official Zynga features, there are many unofficial things related to Mafia wars. Two such things are clans and trading groups. Clans are like families. Being a member of any clan has many advantages like backup and protection against bullies, help in completing collections etc. As you can see in the picture, I am a member of {A4L} clan. Trading groups are for trading loots and items with others. This can be real fun if you can get a hold of it, and understand it properly. But be aware of scammers. I was the admin of a trading page, namely MWTC, for quite a few months, but due to some unavoidable circumstances, I had to leave the group.

Nothing is perfect in this world, and one thing which I hate the most about MW are the bugs and errors. Every now and then a new bug pops up...links don't work as they should...and so on. There were many times when MW was down....maintenance problem. But if you can bear with these issues, then you would just love the game...its so addictive. But, addiction is not good for people like me, the college students. Where's the time to study???????? :-P
And by the way, don't forget to check out ZuneZach's 100th blog post celebration.

Mafia Wars by Zynga (Facebook) - Part I

2010-04-11T01:59:00.000-07:00

Finally I have managed to complete the writing, in spite of frequent power failures. After I messed up with my previous blog, I started playing this game on Facebook, and very soon I got addicted to it. So Iwas thinking of writing this post for quite a few days, even though this onewill be a bit off-topic. This is a small review of the game Mafia Wars byZynga, on Facebook. I have been playing that game for almost some months now, andthe following are my views about the game.

To start with, all Zyngagames are very popular, be it the poker, or the farmville, fishville, cafeworldetc. And so, Mafia Wars, aka MW, is no exception.

I don't know why, but I had the feeling that Farmville requires a lot of work, specially after crossing level 30, I mean ploughing and harvestingrequires a lot of clicking....on the other hand, MW is more about strategy andless about clicking. Yes, even though its only "click-click", itrequires a lot of strategy in MW.

To begin with, you haveto choose your type, ie, Maniac( regenerate energy faster), Mogul (regenerate money faster), and Fearless (regenerate stamina faster). Now what are these energy, stamina etc? These are the attributes that each player has.There are 5 attributes in total -- (a) Attack skill (b) Defense skill (c) Health (d) Energy - required to do jobs (e) Stamina - required to fight and rob.

There are 4 regions in the game (more to come in the future), namely New York, Bangkok, Cuba and Moscow. In the beginning, only NY and Bangkok will be unlocked. Cuba will unlock at level 35 while Moscow at 70.

You will have to do some very simple jobs in the beginning. Other tabs like "Fight" and "Properties" will be locked now. The jobs are divided into different tiers. Each tier has got about 7 to 8 jobs, and each job has 3 mastery levels (4 for Bangkok). You will get experience points by doing jobs, which in turn will help you to level up. Given the number of experience points required to level up at the beginning, it is easy to reach level 20 on the very first day.

The most important thing about MW is your mafia strength, which means, the total number of other FB users who are your friends and also in your mafia. The maximum strength allowed is 501, but it is better to have much more than that. This is required in fights. Items will be used in fights. There are 3 categories of items, namely, weapons, armors and vehicles. Each member of your mafia will use 1 weapon, 1 armor and 1 vehicle. So its better to be a full strength (501) as soon as possible.

Apart from fighting, Zynga has brought back robbing. You will need to rob the properties of other people.

In the properties tab (NY) and Business tab (other 3 regions). you will need to collect money from them.

The inventory is the place where you can buy items required for doing the jobs, to store the items you have looted from jobs and fights and also to check your collections. To talk about collections, each regions has got different collection sets each of 7 items. you need to collect all the 7 items in order to vault the set and receive a bonus. No worries if you don't get any item...you can always ask your mafia to help you out with this. And that's what the wishlist is made for.

Okay...so enough for now, I will continue this in my next post. Till then, I would like to know if anyone here plays MW? Your views and comments would be nice. Have a great time blogging. And a reply to the question in my previous post would be very much appreciated.

Coming soon...something off-topic

2010-04-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

I had thought of posting something (my views) about a game today, but I am facing a few problems with my internet connection and power supply.So I will do it when the I get the chance...till then, happy blogging.

By the way, can anybody please help me??? How to view the robots.txt of this blog? I know I can't change it because it is not a self-hosted blog, but I need to see its content.

GW Is Now On FB And Twitter

2010-04-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

After being a bit lazy for a few days, I have finally managed to create a Fan Page for this blog on FB and add it to Networked Blogs (widget in the sidebar column). The fan page is completely new, but I will try to update my blog regularly.

And here's the Twitter link...oops..I will have to get a good looking "Follow Me" button for Twitter. This text link is looking pretty boring :(

Search is on for a nice looking button....till then, have a great day.

Phones That Stand Out From The Rest

2010-04-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

New phones are launched each and every day, and most of them go unnoticed. After all, every company is not Apple, right??? Still, there are a few launches from companies other than Apple with does create some hype. So here's a few of the recently launched or to be launched products from the mobile world.

GOOGLE NEXUS ONE :

Google has managed to produce a great phone this time. Running on the latest version of Android 2.1, the Nexus One is a killer product. It looks more like the iPhone but is slightly slimmer and lighter. It flaunts a huge and gorgeous 800x480 OLED capacitive touchscreen, the best mobile display in the market today (according to reviews). It os powered by the Snapdragon 1 GHz processor which is cpable of handling multiple apps at the same time, 3-D graphics and anything...

SONY ERICSSON VIVAZ :

This phone is the successor to the 12.1 MP Satio. With an 8.1 MP camera, the Vivaz is also capable of HD video recording at 720p. The Vivaz is ergonomically designed to fit nicely in the hand. Even though the touchscreen is a resistive one and lacks the smoothness of the capacitive ones like the iPhone's or the HTC's, but its one of the best among those out there. SE has packed a lot of social-networking and multimedia features in it...but the main feature, as said before, is its HD video recording capability.

SONY ERICSSON XPERIA 10 (to be launched) :

The Xperia 10 is Sony Ericsson's first attempt at an Android phone. SE has manipulated the Android interface in the Xperia 10, with the Timescape and the Mediascape. The Timescape overlay combines all the notifications and missed calls and social network updates into one 'spine'. The Mediascape is a similar feature, but its for all the media files stored in the phione. Its quite a handy feature. It has got a huge 4 inch (800x480) capacitive touchsceeen (unfortunately, its not OLED, but looks pretty good). And with such a hige screen, the size of the phone too is quite big, but thanks to the design, it looks slicker than it actually is. Finally, even though the Xperia has not yet been launched, it has got the best camera from the Android family, a 8 MP one.

Will try to post about some other phones in my next post. Till then, enjoy these.

myLot Blog Claim

2010-04-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

This post is to claim this blog at myLot, just like the Technorati blog claim. I may/may not delete this post once the process is over :-P .myLot User Profile

Micro SIM for iPad

2010-04-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

It seems that Steve Jobs is playing a mind game with the hackers and code-breakers. He has thrown down another challenge to the so-called "jailbreakers" (a term for the code-crackers) with his new gizmo - the iPad.

The suspicions back in January about the micro SIM format for the iPad has come out to be true. This SIM is different from the regular SIM used by the telecom industry. The SIM card for the iPad will have a 12mm by 15mm dimension, roughly half the size of the telecom industry's SIM, measuring 15 by 25. This micro SIM format is only used in the US in a GPS watch for children.

This is a bad news for the code-crackers and hackers who might have been hoping to snap up a grey market device and pop their 2G SIM cards into it, and hope to crack the code. Even though there are whispers that the normal SIM could be re-sized to make it compatible with the iPad, but it might have technical issues regarding the usability of such SIM cards.
So it won't be easy this time for the "jailbreakers".

Apple iPad for Techies and Regular Users

2010-04-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

" In 10 years of reviewing tech products for The New YorkTimes, I've never seen a product as polarising as Apple's iPad, which arrivesin US stores on Saturday. ", thus goes the saying of David Pogue, theproduct reviewer for The New York Times News service.

As I have already mentioned in my previous post about the hypethat the iPad has created, it is now evident from the above mentioned quotethat the iPad has attracted comments from all kinds of people, some 'for' it and some 'against' it.

So here I am going to divide the pros and cons of the Apple iPadas per user reviews from various sources. Let’s have a look at the cons first :

i) TheApple iPad is basically a gigantic iPod Touch.

ii) There’san e-book reader app, but with 60,000 titles for now, there’s not much toselect from.

iii) Readingin direct sunlight is poor, and at around 1.5 pounds, the iPad gets heavy inthe hand after a while.

iv) Whenthe iPad is upright, typing on the on-screen keyboard is a horrible experience,and when its turned 90 degrees the keyboard is just about usable. A keyboarddock will be available later, but then the user needs to carry two pieces.

v) TheiPad cannot play flash videos. Even though Apple has already provided a list of“iPad-ready” sites like the CNN and some other, but still flash is the web’smost popular video format.

vi) NoUSB ports, no camera. That means no more Skype video chat.

That’senough for the negative points. Now let’s look at the pros :

i) The bigger sizeof the multi-touch screen changes the whole experience. Maps become real, paperlike maps.

ii) The e-book readeris filled with endearing grace notes. On turning a page, the animated page edgefollows the finger position and curls, just like a real page. Tapping a wordgives its dictionary definition or theoption to look it up on Google or Wiki.

iii) Apple productsare all about apps. The 150000 existing iPhone apps will run on the iPad,either in actual size or doubled to fill the screen. But the real fun will bewith the apps made specially for the iPad.

iv) The battery lifeis excellent. According to Apple, the iPad can play video continuously for 10hours, but reviews have confirmed that its more than 10 hours...thats almost 4times of a portable DVD player.

v) Finally, the bestthing about the iPad is that, it will give a whole new experience to the users.

The iPad will be available in the stores from 3 April, Saturday.

Microsoft Courier :: A Reply To Apple iPad

2010-03-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

A lot of hype has been created about Apple's iPad, and I think almost everyone knows about the iPad (exceptions are omnipresent). But how many of us know about Microsoft's new tablet/e-book device?? The number will be much less than Apple's product. Even if you have heard from the blogosphere, you might not know how it looks....

To begin with, the courier is a "digital journal", and is highly portable. It can be folded, got a dual-screen and it measures like a 5x7 photo when closed. The interface is highly dependent on drawing and writing with the pen provided. It will have cloud storage and a feature to integrate comments on shared items back into the journal. Plus, it will have an integrated camera. That's all for now.....

The pictures and info have been taken from engadget.

Car charger for your favourite gadgets

2010-03-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

With a number of companies (mostly the so-called "Chinese" models) hitting the market with car chargers, you will have a scratch your head a bit to make the right choice. Here's a few of them....

1) New Genesis multi-pack Charger : This one is a cellphone charger, and can charge any cellphone, be it Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung etc. It comes with a number of different nibs to match the different kind of chargers for different models. it also has a LED to indicate the charging status and protects the battery from being over-charged.

2) 4-in-1 Cigarette Lighter Splitter : This one splits the power from the cigarette lighter of the car into 4 , thus allowing to use 4 different things at the same time.

3) Belkin AC Anywhere (in picture) : This one uses the 12-volt DC cigarette lighter socket and converts it into 230V AC, i.e., the common household current. It can power any USB-charged device, be it a laptop, camera, phone etc. The AC Anywhere has got safety features like an alarm system whenever the car battery drops to danger level, and an automatic power off if over-loaded.

What happened to "Gadget Freaks"???

2010-03-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

This is the same old blog, "Gadget Freaks" (one or two Entrecard users might still recollect the black and lime green high-contrast layout), but this time with a new name, new layout and also a new address.

It all happened while I was trying to move to Wordpress with my own domain name and hosting. Everything went fine till the second stage, i.e., getting the domain name. But the problem occurred in the final stage, and it was my mistake that I went for a cheap hosting (forgot the name of the hosting service provider). On the second day after the shifting, my blog just simply vanished. Huh!!

Then I had given up for quite a few months......because I had nothing. The address showed something else...tried to contact the service provider, but no response from them. Fortunately, I had a back-up of the post feeds from my previous blog, and I am starting with those. Bear with me, I am trying to build this from the scratch.....and this time, I will stay with Blogger.

Google Maps "My Location"

2009-12-27T23:07:00.000-08:00

Well, we are all familiar with Google Maps (both on computers and on mobiles).Recently, Google has launched a new feature for the mobile version of the Google Maps, "My Location".

The "My Location" feature is mainly for those phones which DO NOT have GPS feature. Still, it is capable of showing your position within 1000 meters of your actual position.And if you have GPS enabled handset, then off course it will show you your exact position.

So how does it work even without GPS?It's quite simple.The My Location feature uses the same technology that is being used while calling, texting etc, that is, through the network towers. Each network tower has got unique footprints. When we press the '0' button of our phone with the Google Maps application running, Google estimates your present location based on the unique footprint of the nearby tower. As said above, the accuracy can be within 1000 meters. This goes pretty close to GPS.

So what is the benefit of using My Location feature?It's simple too. Every time you want to search anything on the map, say restaurants, you are free from the hassle of finding out and entering your present location. Google will do that for you, that too without a GPS enabled phone. But yes, this feature is still in Beta, so sometimes you might get an error.

Samsung Marine

2009-08-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

While we have been abusing our phones, dropping them from the stairs and into water, here's a phone that will atually bounce back.

The Samsung Marine is built to withstand bumps, bangs, scrapes and even dust and water (under upto 1 meter of water upto 30 minutes).

Encased in anti-shock urethane material and featuring external speakers, noise cancellation, a flash light, built-in camera, camcorder, FM radio, a music player and expandable memory upto 8GB.This ione is perfect for the careless ones.

Musically Fit --- Sony Walkman NWZ-W202

2009-08-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

The latest in the series of Sony Walkmans, the Sony Walkman NWZ-w202 offers an innovative take for the gym-goers. It looks like the offspring of a Bluetooth headset, a couple of earphones and in some senses, a stethoscope. Well, this is a futuristic-looking 2GB mp3 player with integrated earphones and a practical all-in-one design. The only wire is the sturdy cord which connects the two halves and wraps around the back of your head.

All the player's controls are situated on the right half, with a jog-dial responsible for power, play/pause and track skipping. There is a volume control button too, but that's it as far as the buttons go.

When the walkman is not in use, the NWX-W202's magnetic headphones connect ot each other neatly.This also acts as the power switch - you simply snap the two together to switch the player off.

Now while ythe device is easy enough to use and the audio reproduction steals a clear march over the Shuffle's tiny earphones, navigating aroung the 2GB of music isn't the easiest. In theory, the Zappin navigation system is meant to play back recognisable snippets from each tune to help you quickly find the sond, but in reality, it picks out random snatches of the music to the accompaniment of a tacky zappon noise. Not cool at all, specially when compared to the VoiceOver of the Shuffle. And yes, the W202 does not support any playlist, quite a big let down.

But still, because of the good sound quality, easy wearability, the W202 makes a good choice for health fanatics.

HTC Touch Diamond2

2009-08-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

The HTC Touch Diamond2 is more of a sensible upgrade over the Touch Diamond rather than brand -spanking new features. The original Diamond was one of the most complete Windows Mobile device ever launched, so just some tweaks here and there is enough for the Diamond2.

The Diamond2 is adorned with a larger and high resolution screen (3.2" at 480x800 WVGA resolution), a vastly superioe camera (5 MP auto focus), and more RAM (288 MB). The TouchFLO 3D UI has also been improved and noow covers the underlying Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS from cover to cover.

Unfortunately, the Diamond2 still uses the resistive touchscreen which means that the Diamond2 will live and die by the stylus while the competetion happily invites you to use your God-given stylus to smudge up those lovely touchscreens of iPhones and others. In short, it lacks multi-touch.

That apart, the Diamond2 is packed with features, including great web-browsing, great out-of-the-box applications including the all-important ability to edit documents right from the word go.

So if you don't mind weilding the tiny wand and you'd happily trade the usability of the iPhone with a phone full of features, then the Diamond2 is a good choice.

SmartSwipe USB Credit Card Reader

2009-08-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

Whether you're severely paranoid about using your credit card number online , or just fascinated by the thrill of swiping plastic, Canada's NetSecure Technologies has the answer : the SmartSwipe USB credit card reader.

Not only it is a pretty sophisticated way to save yourself the hassle of tapping in the same 16 digits every time you need to use your card online, the SmartSwipe actually encodes your credit card digits internally before transferring them to the PC, and in turn directly to the retailer. Thus, it provides completely security from the keyboard logging softwares which try to steal your typed data.

At present, it is only available for the citizens of Canada and USA. The price shown on their website is $99.95, not a bad deal if you want to feel a bit secure while shopping online.

July EC Top Droppers

2009-07-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

It's time to give a big Thank You to all those who have visited my blog, and a special one to my top droppers. Here's the list :-

Traders' Hub (25)

Yummy-as-can-be (25)

The Modern Mom (25)

A Simple Life (25)

Mommy's Litle Corner (25)

moms..... check nyo (25)

Life's sweets and spices (25)

AUGUSTINIANS (24)

KhryeDotCom (22)

Go Las Vegas Baby! (17)

~THANK YOU~

Pet Pampering

2009-07-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

Love your pets, but wish you could keep an eye on them while on vacation? Better still, feed then as well?

With the Remote Pet Feeding & Viewing Camera Kit Large Feeder, you can view your pet from anywherein the world, as long as you have the Internet and remote access to your home computer.

The product includes a large auto-feeder, dishwasher safe bowl, 24-hour programmable timer and a non-chewable cord. It also includes all the necessary softwares and the webcam. Enjoy your vacation while your pet enjoys the food at home.

Sony Cybershot DSC W210

2009-07-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

This one is a new addition to Sony's Cybershot family, along with the W220. My father bought the W210, so This review is on the W210.

My first impression about this camera was good.It comes in four colours, but the black looks the best. It is sleek and compact, like any other compact digital camera.

Coming to the specifications, they do attract a bit more attention. The first thing you will notice is the 12.1 megapixel resolution. Very few compact digital cameras have a 12 MP lens. Secondly, it has got a wide angle (28 mm to 2000 mm) Carl Zeiss optics. But the zoom is a bit disappointing, it's only 4x optical zoom. On the back side, it has got a 2.7" LCD along with the buttons.

Picture quality is great. The face detection feature works well, and in addition to that, it also has the smile shutter feature which is a bit fun to use. It has the steady shot option and the capability to capture full HD still images. But the video quality is a let down.Video recording is done at 30 fps. You can't zoom in and out during recording. But you can't expect more from a camera of this quality.

The in-built image editing software does a good job. The slideshow feature is good with 7 different styles and music. The battery backup is decent. I haven't shot with it continuously, so I don't know how long it can last.

So in all, this one is a good choice for those who would like to own a decent camera for unprofessional use.

Google Chrome OS

2009-07-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

In order to directly challenge the might of Microsoft, search engine giant Google has announced that it is developing an operating system for PCs that is tied to its Chrome web browser.Named the Google Chrome Operating System, Google is initially targeting the netbooks which have been selling quickly even as demand for other PCs has plummeted.According to sources, the OS would also be capable to power full fledged PCs in the future.

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of the OS. It will be an open-sourced software, which will allow side programmers to modify it. Netbooks running on the software will go on sale in the second half of 2010.

Can Google create a name for itself where Microsoft occupies almost 90% share?? Is it worth switching from Windows to Chrome?? We will have to wait and watch.

June EC Top Droppers

2009-07-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank all the Entrecard droppers who have visited my blog regularly or even once. I must admit that I have really gained a lot of traffic from entrecard.THANK YOU everyone.
And a special THANKS to my TOP DROPPERS for the month of June.Here's the list :-

AUGUSTINIANS (26)
Chaos Tech (25)
Go Las Vegas Baby! (25)
Free Stuff in Las Vegas Baby (24)
Is a mans world (24)
Doing Business (24)
Bobski 101 (22)
Bulgarian Scrapbook (22)
Khrye.Com (21)
Traders' Hub (21)

~THANK YOU~

Microsoft Photosynth

2009-06-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

Developed as a research project within Live Labs - Microsoft's applied research arm - Photosynth automatically stitches together digital photographs to create a somewhat abstract but high-resolution 3-D re-creation (called synth). Confusing???

Well, Photosynth uses the ability to reconstruct the scene or object from a bunch of flat photographs, and then brings that experience to virtually anyone over the internet.

Think of it like Google Earth at the ground level - say you've taken a bunch of photos of any monument (say Taj Mahal) from different vantage points. Photosynth then examines your images for similiarities with photos clicked by other Photosynth users and uses the information to estimate the shape of the subject and the vantage point each photo was taken from. With this information, iot recreates the space around the monument and lets you navigate your way around it, through possibly hundreds and thousands of photos.

To fully wrap your mind around this, you have to see it for yourself. To check it out, you need to install Microsoft SilverLight 2 that will be automatically downloaded.

Do not use Google Chrome.

http://www.photosynth.net

Endurance Athletes

2009-06-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

Podio - Music While Riding

2009-06-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

A MP3 player for your bicycle!!! You need to check this out! The Podio Portable Music Player, made in Taiwan by Taiwan Mini Speaker Company is the product I am talking about.

The Podio comes with a harness to attach it to the bike's handlebars, and it boasts of a rechargable lithium-ion battery that gets somewhere between nine and twenty hours of use per charge. It also boasts of 2 GB onboard storage and a 1.5 watt speaker to get the (portable) party started. So rock on....but yeah, ride safe!!!

Know Your Mobile OS - Part II

2009-06-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

After giving a little description on the three OS namely Apple, Windows and Linux in the previous part, I am going to give some information on three more OS in this part.

SYMBIAN

This one is possibly the most popular operating system for mobile phones, running over on 100 million smartphones. It is still not a complete open source, although parts of the source code are provided to manufactures. Most Symbian smartphones run on S60, a leading smartphone platform.
The fifth edition of the S60 supports high-resolution touchscreen functions. An important feature of the S60 phones is that they allow new applications to be installed after purchase. Among other features, the latest Symbian release offers native support for mobile digital television broadcast.
Previously, thinking about Symbian meant thinking about Nokia, but things are changing. The latest handsets from Samsung and Sony Ericsson run on S60 platform too.

BLACKBERRY

Blackberry almost always refers to the handheld devices that come with a trackball, QWERTY keypad, push e-mail, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services.
The Blackberry OS is a proprietary software platform for these devices. The important feature is the synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Server and Lotus Domino e-mail servers. The new version of the OS allows wireless activation and synchronization with the Exchange’s e-mail, calendar, tasks, notes, contacts as well as support for Novell Group=Wise and Lotus Notes. The latest Blackberry Storm also supports touchscreen features.

ANDROID

Technically, Android is a Linux OS, but thanks to Google’s interest and the creation of the Open Handset Alliance, it has taken on a life of its own.
The latest Android version allows users to record and watch videos on the camcorder mode, upload videos to YouTube and pictures to Picasa directly from the phone, auto-connect with a Bluetooth headset within a certain distance, new widgets and folders, animations between screens, and the copy-paste option.
However, not many phones run on Android; HTC was the first to come out with what is popularly referred to as the Google Phone.

Spitz Tunes - Working My Way Back To You

2009-06-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

Know Your Mobile OS - Part I

2009-06-11T02:54:00.000-07:00

APPLE

This is Apple’s proprietary operating system for the iPhone. For users, this means direct manipulation using multi-touch gestures such as swiping, tapping, pinching and reverse pinching. The internal accelerometers alter the screen orientation if the device is rotated.

The iPhone OS 3.0 includes a seach option, copy-paste facility, MMS, e-mail and text messages in the landscape mode. The App store offers value-added applications. The software development kit allows geeks to create and sell their own apps, though Apple has a controversial fee-sharing agreement in place.

WINDOWS

This is the operating system that runs most of our computers, but can also run on our mobile phones. Windows Mobile has been through the usual ups and downs as witnessed by the regular Windows OS, but the latest versions such as Windows 6.1 are widely seen as stable.

Features include Office Mobile support, remote desktop access, voice over internet, Windows Live, out-of-office replies with Microsoft Exchange 2007 and support for Office 2007 document formats. The much waited Windows 6.5 is expected to offer even more.

LINUX

Linux provides a compelling alternative to commercial operating systems such as Symbian or Windows Mobile as it’s cheaper and not controlled by a bigger company. It offers a stable kernel, a support base not restricted to a single software firm and the ability to modify and redistribute the source code.

New versions of Linux Mobile even offer gesture recognition technology. Linux seems to be most popular in China and Japan where it is used by Motorola and DoCoMo. Panasonic, Samsung, Vodafone, NEC, and NTT DoCoMo are also working on a Linux-based platform.

For Those Who Find It Hard To Quit Smoking

2009-06-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

As the title says it all, this is for those people for whom smoking has becoming a part of life and they can’t live without a puff. Then an E Cigarette is the answer for you to enjoy that puff in a healthier way.

The bad effects of smoking are not only the health hazards, but also the rejection by the society. Nowadays, the society is slowly but steadily avoiding smokers. So an Electronic Cigarette is the only option for those who can’t quit smoking, no matter how hard they try.

Now what’s an E Cigarette?? Well, it looks similar to a normal stick. But instead of getting nicotine by burning tobacco leaves, which gives off toxins and carcinogens as byproducts, the e-cigarette would deliver a vaporized nicotine mix directly for inhalation. This means that you just get the good stuff without the bad stuff.
While smoking an E Cigarette, you need not worry about your health to that extent as when you smoke a traditional stick. There is no burning of tobacco, no toxins and carcinogens, and no carbon monoxide. You might even call smoking an e cigarette as responsible smoking as you don’t endanger yourself, others, and the environment with your smoking habit.

You have the option to choose from aromatic flavors like tobacco, vanilla, coffee, chocolate and menthol. Further, E Cigarettes can be cheaper than traditional ones because you just need to buy the cartridges that vaporize the nicotine.

For further information, visit the site Electronic Cigarette Planet.

Multi Tasking Wonder

2009-06-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

Don't we all love multi-function gadgets?? Well, then the folks at Brando have launched a pendant-style headset with built-in speaker and microphone, crammed into a pen shaped stylus.

So when you are not poking your PDA with it, you can hang it around your neck or hold it to your ear and yack to kingdom come (or when the batteried run out!!). It's got a Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, a 30 ft range and USB charging Li-polymer battery that's good for 3 hours of talktime and 90 hours standby time.

And no, despite the shape, there's no pen in there!!!

(Image Source: http://mobile.brando.com.hk)

Klipsch - Rock The Party

2009-06-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

The term "Rock The Party" will assume far more realistic proportion when you pick up Klipsch's latest outdoor speaker.

Shaped to look like a rock in order to blend in with the rest of your garden, the AWR-650-SM cranks out big sound with its 6.5 inch dual-voice subwoofer. And it's fit for the outdoors as well, with a weather resistant and UV proof cladding.

In addition to sandstone texture, you can also choose from granite and red rock finishes.

More Awards...

2009-06-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Yipeee!!!Today I have received two more awards from my blogger friend David of Basic Bloganomics.

Rules :-

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

No objections to this one but it sounds funny that acceptance of the award is a must.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

LOL.He has already given the award to all my known bloggers. I am passing this award to....

1) Stacy of Married With Boys

2)Elai of Elai's Haven

dNeero Conversation - What Your Hair Says...

2009-06-05T04:59:00.000-07:00

LG KM900 Arena

2009-06-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

Long after the launch of the first generation iPhones, LG has come out with a phone which looks somewhat similar to the first generation iPhone. Named the LG KM900 Arena, the label “iPhone clone” wont be too harsh for this newest steed from LG’s stable.

The Arena really looks like a smaller version of the iPhone. Switch it on, and the Arena pays due homage to the Iphone’s menu icons ----- a familiar black background with a 4x4 grid of colourful icons. The build is excellent, even though the use of superlight metallic elements leaves it feeling a bit cheaper than it really is.

The main highlight is the cube interface (S-class 3-D user interface) ----- the 4 homescreens are placed on the sides of a cube that you roll by finger sweeps (much like HTC TouchFlo). There are enough animations and visual effects to enjoy on this phone.

The Arena comes with a 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and LED flash. It has also got a media player capable of playing DivX. It also comes with Bluetooth 2.1, GPRS/EDGE, TY-out, Mobile tracker, Google Maps, Motion Sensor games and so on.The battery life is a bit of disappointment.

But where the iPhone beats the Arena by a long way is the applications.The limited set os apps will do the job, but the gear envy will soon follow when you see the limit to which the current iPhone apps have taken the platform.
So, even though the Arena is a snappy challenger, but the next iPhone is but a few months away…so you’d better wait for that.

dNeero Conversation

2009-05-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

X-mini Capsule Speakers

2009-05-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Wouldn’t blame you if you too did a double flip when you saw this baby (not the picture, but the real stuff). The pocket-size X-mini Capsule Speaker starts off looking like an innocuous block yo-yo, but one sideways twist and the X-mini extended upwards, accordion-style , to give you surprisingly boomy and full-bodied volume.

Mimicking a sub-woofer, the X-mini hooks up to any music player via a 3.5 mm audio jack and recharges over a retractable cable-USB plug. At about 50 grams and costing about $25, this little David will teach the big Goliath-esque boomboxes a thing or two about making sizes count.

Nio - Smart Search

2009-05-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

Do you forget stuff everywhere you go ?? Do your things slip behind something and you waste your valuable time to locate it ??? Well, quit blaming yourself and try the Nio. It’s a Bluetooth security tag that links up your mobile and practically anything else you would like ----- may be your briefcase, a set of keys , or another mobile phone even!!!!

With the Nio, you then have the ability to be buzzed if your tracked belongings move out of the range with your cellphone. The software is pretty smart ---- you can set up specific times of the day you want to enable the alarm, say if you want protection during a long metro commute….

In addition, the software can keep track of multiple tags, and can activate a “find me” function on the tag , to help you locate the said item when it conveniently slips behind somewhere…(say , the sofa-cushion)!!!!

dNeero - Charity Only Conversation

2009-05-06T02:35:00.000-07:00

Violet RFID Mirror

2009-05-05T01:55:00.000-07:00

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) was meant for factories and warehouses. But if you think that they are only meant for those purposes, then think again.The Violet RFID Mirror is a little USB-enabled platter that can read RFID tags and launch any assigned application on the computer when it spots a tag it knows.Take these for examples -----

i) tagged umbrellas could launch weather forecast.

ii) tagged wallet could pull up your bank account statement.

iii) waving your car keys over the Mirror could be programmed to send an e-mail to your spouse telling her you’re on your way home.

Now think about this, the possibilities are endless.

Nokia E75 - Work & Play

2009-05-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Till recently, Nokia’s E-series smartphones were bulky business devices, a household name for enterprise users but cursed with form factors that wouldn’t have been out of place in the 90s. But Nokia has blurred that line between work and play with the E66 and the E71 and now they have got the E75.

The E75 is very similar to the E71 in terms of specs and functionality.Similiar screen, similar processor, similar connectivity options. But still, it has got something new to offer. It had got a regular numeric keyboard as well as a side-slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It’s numeric keypad is a bit cramped, but the QWERTY keyboard makes up for that.

The E75 also has an improved Messaging Application service, bringing together the Nokia Email service and the Mail For Exchange into a single user interface.

The E75 had got a 1000 mAh battery as compared to the 1500 mAh of the E71, but since the E75 has Feature Pack 2, it brings in some battery management enhancement which makes the nattery of the E75 last a bit longer.Further, Nokia has also added USB charging.

The display at 2.4 inches is a bit small for a phone of this category, but is acceptable in terms of both brightness and contrast.It has a 3.2 MP camers with LED flash, mp3 player, A-GPS with Nokia Maps, HSPDA, 8 GB micro SD card which is extendable upto 16 GB.It runs on Symbian OS v9.3.

So Nokia has tried to maintain the winning formula and provided a form factor alternative.But yeah, it’s pricier than the E71.So is the spacious keyboard worth paying the extra bucks???

Blessing For iPhone Owners

2009-05-01T05:01:00.000-07:00

Forget the recent iPhone OS upgrade, this third party add-on fixes three with your iPhone in one shot.And all these with Apple's blessings, no less!!!

FastMac's iV is an extended battery for the iPhone, claimed to give 24 hours of talktime, 72/21 hours of audio/video playback, and an incredible 750 hours of standby time.If that's not enough, FastMac threw in a standard USB socket to charge any of your other gadgets, and added an LED lamp for the times you wishe the iPhone had a flash (or a flashlight, for that matter). it even fits into a standard Apple dock.

And all these at the price of $79.95.Cool, isn't it???

dNeero Conversation

2009-05-01T04:56:00.000-07:00

Contact

2009-04-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

dneero conversation

2009-04-20T23:49:00.000-07:00

Hammacher Schlemmer's Infrared Flashlight Video Recorder

2009-04-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

Could the humble flashlight be innovated on any further?

Apparently it can, if you see the Hammacher Schlemmer's nfrared Flashlight Video Recorder.Under that heavy duty flasglight garb, hides 17 infrared infrared LEDS and a video camera capable of capturing VGA (640x480) quality footage with audio!!!And that to during the night time with the help of the 17 LEDs.Stunning, isn't it??

While only 15 seconds of video can be recorded on the 128 MB of built in memory, you can add your own miniSD card.The whole thing comes at a price of $399.95.

dNeero Conversation

2009-04-17T02:46:00.000-07:00

Music on the Call

2009-04-16T01:37:00.000-07:00

You’ve jammed your mobile phone’s memory with your favourite tracks to rock the party, but got disappointed with the tiny speakers playing party poopers!!!! Here’s a solution for that….

Just get some goofy speakers, and that’s it.

Sony Ericsson MPS100

Come on!!!Don’t think about the cost, it’s pretty cheap. You can get portable speakers for as low as Indian Rs. 500 (US $10).These are charged by the phone’s battery (yeah, your phone’s battery will drain faster). If you want more expensive ones, then go for the Sony Ericsson MPS100 for about Rs. 2500 (US $50) or the Altec Lansing T515 for about Rs. 2350 (US $47) which works via Bluetooth. Sound quality is pretty decent on these two, at least better than the phone’s speakers.

Altec Lansing T515

If you want FM Radio, then go for the Nokia MD-4 for about Rs. 3300 (US $66).

Nokia MD-4

And ya, if you are thinking that you will miss the call while listening to music, then you are wrong. These can easily switch to the phone mode. So, rock your party.

Disclaimer : The prices listed are the prices on offer in my Uncle’s shop in West Bengal, India. Prices will vary.

Card Mobile Phone - Excessive Dieting

2009-04-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

Before, there has been phones which measure only 9 inches or even 8.5 inches, but this one beats them all.

The card mobile phone, which is a cellular phone that is the size of a credit card. Well, it is the length and width of a credit card, but it is thick as a stack of three credit cards (even that is not a matter of joke). That is thin enough to slide into the pocket with your Visa or MasterCard, and it weighs in at 1.3 ounces.

There are no buttons on this card mobile phone. Dialing is accomplished by navigating an onscreen dialpad, and it also comes with a built-in voice dialer. This is a dual band GSM GPRS that has about 200 minutes of talk time. The screen is either color or monochrome, and the credit card phone is waterproof.

The Card Mobile Phone will be available in June or July. There are some rumours that it will first be available in India, and then in the US.

International Bloggers Community

2009-04-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Be a proud member of the International Bloggers Community! The rules are quite easy.

Rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Copy the image above, the rules and the questionnaire in this post.
3. Post this in one or all of your blogs.
4. Answer the four questions following these Rules.
5. Recruit at least seven (7) friends on your Blog Roll by sharing this with them.
6. Come back to BLoGGiSTa iNFo CoRNeR (PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK) at http://bloggistame.blogspot.com and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List.
7. Have Fun!

Questions & Your Answers:
1. The person who tagged you: Meryl and Janyen
2. His/her site's title and url: http://www.mymeryl.com/ and http://janyen.blogspot.com/
3. Date when you were tagged: April 13, 2009
4. Persons you tagged: Good Girl, Budak Gaul, Donadzku, Sports Spicy, Gaban, Katherine, Sedona

Enjoy & be counted!

My 1st Award

2009-04-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

This is my first award, and I got it from Aby. Thnx for this cool award.Now I am going to give it to ..... well, I am new to blogging. So at present I will give it to those who really caught my attention.I don't know much about them, but hope to make a friendly relation.They are----
David of Basic Bloganomics
Meryl of Places, People, Events, Good Food and My Life
Yen of Heavenly Delight
Sue of Good Girl Bad Blog
Fran of My Little Dreams

Here are the rules if you get the award
1. Put the award on your blog
2. Put the blogger links who gives you the award on your blog
3. Give it to another blogger
4. Put the links of bloggers who you give the award
5. Leave your message/comment on their blog so they will know u give them award

Motorola AURA - Forget Recession

2009-04-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

The words "Recession" , "Credit Crunch" etc are missing from Motorola's dictionary , or at least it seems so. Or it may be that they are wanting to challenge this recession. And for this, the AURA is their answer, a style-led, low spec phone costing ......... errr (too little to be mentioned).

The phone costs almost $2000 , but it has got every reason to be so cheap (read the opposite). The phone's look is inspired by the design of the classic watches. It's body is made up of stainless steel and it has got an unusual swivel action. But the jewel of this phone is it's circular screen. It features 16 million colours, 480-pixel diameter and sits beneath a grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens which Motorola says is exceptionally scratch-resistant. It looks gorgeous, with pin-sharp detail going all the way to the edge of the elliptical lens.

Turn the phone, and you can see all the sophisticated mechanism of the screen and the swivel action. You got it right, this feature has also been inspired by those classical watches.

But apart from the looks, this phone has got nothing. A mere 2 mega pixel camera with not so good picture quality, a media player, somer basics games etc. It comes with a 2 GB onboard memory , but there's no memory card slot.Too bad.

Butttttt.....this phone is not for those looking for features, but for those wanting to show off a gem in hand. So the lack of features can be neglected.

dNeero Conversation

2009-04-13T02:09:00.000-07:00

Going "GREEN"

2009-04-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

If everything is going green, then why should the mobile market be left out???It all started with the Motorola "Renew", the world's first "GREEN" phone.

Motorola Renew

Motorola's new W233 Renew, a cell phone whose case is made from recycled water bottles (yeah, those water bottles made of plastic which we use in our daily life), is the world's first "GREEN" phone. Motorola claims that the phone, announced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show gives an eco-friendly talk time of up to 9 hours and a “zero-carbon footprint”.

Motorola says it will pay Carbonfund.org, which sells carbon credits, an undisclosed sum for every Renew to offset the carbon dioxide used to manufacture, distribute, and operate the phone. Carbonfund.org, in turn, says it will use the money to fund projects that reduce carbon emissions, such as wind farms and methane-trapping programs.A nice deal, isn't it???

Nokia Remade

Following Motorola's footsteps, other manufactures also began to show their concept GREEN phones. There's the Remade, a cell phone Nokia .Remade's case is also made from water bottles, as well as recycled aluminum cans and old tires (the keypad). The Remade makes claims to be green on the inside as well, with supposedly environmentally friendly printed electronics and an energy-saving display. And late last year, Sony Ericsson unveiled it's Green Heart, a phone with a biodegradable skin and an energy-smart charger that shuts off after it charges the phone.

And since the mobile market is so competetive, Samsung and other players may soon come out with their offers.

dNeero Conversation

2009-04-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

Sony Ericsson Idou

2009-03-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

Another first from Sony Ericsson, and this time it’s in the camera section.Sony Ericsson has come out with the world’s first 12 mega pixel camera.

Yeah, you read it right.The Sony Ericsson Idou comes with a 12.1 mega pixel shooter along with a xenon flash.It also has got a full touchscreen interface with only 3 physical keys.

The phone is scheduled to be launched in the last quarter of 2009.

Samsung Omnia HD

2009-03-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

After the Samsung Omnia, the Windows Mobile phone, Samsung is planning to bring out the Omnia HD, running on th Symbian S60 version 5 OS.Samsung has unveiled the phone at the Mobile World Congres 2009, Barcelona.

With almost all the features of the original Omnia , this phone is an upgrade to the original version.It comes with a 8 mega pixel camera, instead of 5 Mp in the previous version.The screen is a stunning one.It’s a full touch screen phone with only 3 physical keys on the front face.

The phone is scheduled to be launch in the third quarter of 2009.More updates to come after its launch…..

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