Tech News Blog

Catch up with the Ubuntu 11.10 Cd’s Sale

2011-11-09T21:55:00.001-08:00

After the release of Ubuntu 11.10 for download, it is now the Cd’s on sale. The release was much expected after the 6 long months of its making by the developers. The hype has been created by itself and so is the result. The Unity interface has been remodeled several new and improved features have been added in Ubuntu 11.10. It’s not like a revolutionary modification Ubuntu, but the noted drawbacks and updates to Ubuntu 11.04 has been made in this new version. Simple additions and updates have been made in several elements like the Unity interface, login screen and default applications. All the simple changes has made up to a better usable and friendly work space.

The developers have focused on improving the usability as there are more and simpler home users looking unto Ubuntu for home use as it is safe and simple. This has been a major uphold for Ubuntu since its first release as it was used mostly by the system administrators and expert users alone. Major of the changes have been made to the Unity where the Dash welcomes you with a launcher icon. The Dash matches well with the color of your desktop wallpaper and has been set to be so derived. You can now access all the Lenses from the Dash. The Lenses now load faster, produces better results and there are newer filter options now added to Ubuntu 11.10. All these have made it easier for you to retrieve your application easier from the Dash. The new Music Lens is an extra addition where the user can easily browse music on the device and can even purchase music via the Ubuntu One Music Store. The default music player is as usual Banshee.

14 new High definition wallpapers have been added to make your Ubuntu screen look welcoming. Talking about the looks, the new login screen looks chic and sexy. The ‘LightDM’ login screen is sleek and light and gives a professional look. The new Ubuntu 11.10 has a few pre-installed softwares like the Firefox 7 which has been set as the default web browser. LibreOffice Suite has been added as the office suit and is compatible with Microsoft Office. The change has been mad where Mozilla Thunderbird has been used as the e-mail application instead of Evolution. Managing photos has been made easier with Shotwell photo manager with easy upload facility to social network site. Must mention is the revamped edition of ‘Gwibber’ which has been made more usable. ‘Deja Dup’ backup tool has been provided for maintaining a backup. There are also six preinstalled games.

The cd’s are available only in the 32 –bit version whereas the online download can be done in the 64 bit version. Cd’s are a great gifting idea and a way to support the developers. To install, it is required to have 4 GB disk space and a system of at least 256 MB RAM. The pre orders are through for the Ubuntu 11.10 CD’s and the orders are scheduled to be shipped from 20^th October 2011 onwards.

Big Talks About iOS 5

2011-11-09T21:54:00.001-08:00

With the release of iOS 5 released on Wednesay, October 12^th, Apple has made another leap making things easier for its users. With the release of iPhone 4 S round the corner, this new operating system has made news at the stands. iOS 5 was initially released in June at the Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. This has taken the Apple iOS devices beyond the boundary and has cleared the border line between computer running iTunes software and the iOS device. The iOS devices are the trend of the time with iPad Sale having rocketed since its release and above the Apple Mac sales.

The company has progressively eliminated all its drawbacks when compared to Android devices. The major attraction has been the Apple’s iCloud service which has enabled wireless syncing and updating. The company has come with an astonishing 200 new features added to its new OS release. One of the major advantages of the Andriod devices over Apple as been the wireless syncing facility and that has been cleared with iOS5. Several iOS devices can be linked to a single iCloud account and can be synchronized. This makes it easier as you can make your iOS independent of your computer.

The irritating pop notifications can now be parted with the new iOS5. The new notification centre has combined all the notifications into a single drop down bar at the top of the iOS device. All notifications like missed call, messages, application updates and even the weather info have been added into the notifications bar and the priority can be set by the user. The compatibility with social network services has also been improved with the ability to post photos right from the image gallery. Twitter service can also be accessed directly from Youtube, safari and maps. Twitter has been well integrated into iOS 5.

Tabbed browsing with Safari is another notable addition that has made browsing easier for iOS users. Safari now even has a Reader option where articles in multiple pages can be viewed in a simple way leaving out the ads and displays the photos. This is very useful in reading those websites which have a strange format and could only be viewed well on a computer. You can now view any kind of websites even those which have to been optimized for the mobile devices. In the iOS 4, you could send only the links to an e-mail address, while with iOS5, the whole text from a Safari page can be emailed easily.

Several new features have been added to the Camera under popular request. The camera and music can be easily accessed from the home button. The camera has grid lines for focus and can be pinched to zoom and even the exposure can be changed. The photos can be cropped, rotated, color corrected and red-eye removal done directly from the gallery. Rick text formatting has been added into the iOS Mail application. ‘Reminders’ is a new handy additional Application in the iOS 5 and lets you save the to-do lists with dates and even GPS locations. In a whole, te iOS 5 is indeed a must update for all iOS devices and must be explored for its 200 new additions.

Father of C Programming and UNIX, Dennis Ritchie Dead at 70

2011-10-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

Dennis Ritchie, one of the biggest contributors to the world of computer science, passed away on 12^th October 2011. He gifted the world with UNIX and C programming and changed the outset of computer programming with his contributions. He has been suffering from illness for a long time and died at his residence last Wednesday. The programming arena is sure going to miss this great person.

He was the father of C programming and one of the key developers in the UNIX development team. Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie developed C programming in 1970 when he was working with Bell Labs. With his new venture onto C programming he gifted several other elements like I/O libraries which are now widely in use. C has been the oldest programming language and the predecessor to several related programming languages. Even though C language is less prevalent these days and used mainly for low level OS and device driver programming, the aspects of C programming can be seen in many new languages. One of its direct descendants is C++ which is now widely used as a popular programming language. Others like C#, Java etc still have elements adopted from the basic C programming.

Ritchie was born in 1941 in New York and was a graduate in BS and PhD in Physics. He joined Bell Labs in 1968. Prior to joining Bell Labs, he was associated with the team that was into building computer operating system. Along with Ken Thompson of Bell Labs, they worked together to develop UNIX and released it in 1971. It was the development of UNIX that paved way for Ritchie to develop C programming. Ritchie converted UNIX into C language which was initially written in assembly language.

UNIX is one of the most popular operating systems and has influenced the computer world to even influencing the development of MAC OS. UNIX was one of the earliest open source OS and was given free of license to universities and commercial purposes. In the 1980, the UNIX code went major transformations and several branches of UNIX came into being with BSD UNIX, Solaris and many others. UNIX paved way for the GNU and LINUX. LINUX and Windows have all taken inspiration from UNIX and are now the most popular operating systems. Even after making such significant changes in the world of computer science, Ritchie was never a noted figure nor in the limelight.

Ritchie received several recognitions for his contributions like the Turing Award in 1983 and the National Medal of Technology in 1998. He served as the head of Lucent Technologies System Software Research Department till he retired from his job in 2007. His memories still remain with us through one of the best programming books that the world has ever witnessed. He started the work of the book ‘The C programming Language (K & R)” 15 years back and he has left his mark on the world of technology and the technical world is immensely thankful to him for his contributions.

Cadillac to Release CUE Technology in 2012 after 4 Years of Development

2011-10-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

The 2012 Cadillac XTS will be the opening ground for the release of Cadillac User Experience (CUE) system which is an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and navigation system. The system works on a triple core ARM 11 processor with an eight-inch touch screen and a cluster display. The cluster display of 12.3 inch is optional and other facilities of the CUE system is the ability to sense proximity, voice recognition of any language, and the popular open application development arena.

Cadillac began its work on the CUE system 4 years back and 2012 will see its release. The company aims to begin its set up in ATS luxury sedans and SRX luxury crossovers and then will be found in other Cadillac models too. Cadillac CUE system is based on LINUX and is not complaint with Genivi Alliance’s specifications. The system runs on the older version of ARM11 architecture when the other similar systems in the market are using Intel Atom, Cortex-A8 and A9 systems. The Cadillac CUE works on a secret chip and has been known to have three cores. The processor used in the system is 3.5 fold faster than the normal speed of consoles.

Cadillac CUE system can intake voice data and therefore two of the cores handle the voice processing function. The third core is then evaluated to be a digital signal processor, even though this configuration is not confirmed. The system is exposed through a touch screen of eight inches fixed onto the dashboard of the vehicle. The screen has been reported to be of 24-bit color and has been manufactured to face up to -40deg F temperature. The system is inbuilt with Bluetooth 3.0 and can connect up to 10 Bluetooth devices. It also has additional USB ports, SD card slot and even an MP3 player facility.

The navigation can be done on board and even weather details can be provided by the system. The messages and emails that arrive on the Bluetooth connected device can be viewed from the system. The system has AM/FM and XM radio integration and BluRay entertainment system in the name of adding enough of entertainment to the drive. The whole Cadillac CUE system is customizable whereby the user can increase the size of the information displayed, relocate the icons, and many other options. The hardware buttons include two buttons and a direction pad and they will be available on the steering wheel too making control and manipulation easier for the driver.

The screen is fully touch enabled and can be used through tap, flick, swipe and even spread movements making it easier to scroll, zoom and search through the system. With the proximity sensor, the icons pop up when the user’s hands reach near the screen. The speech recognition enables the conversion of text-to-speech and speech-to-text for more usability. The user can configure his favorites by which up to 60 items can be ordered according to priority and can be easily accessed from the bottom of the screen. The top of the screen displays the icons of the last used functions.

Cadillac CUE will be the perfect gift for a techie giving entertainment, communication, navigation and access all at the fingertips while on the drive.

Nissan Launches 'Leaf' - Runs on Electric Power

2010-12-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

The stress in pollution free vehicles is on the rise. But car manufacturers have not been able to give a proper answer to how successful they have become in reducing the pollution caused by vehicles. Zero pollution is just not possible with petrol or diesel as fuel. using batteries is not that a very pleasing way. Reva and other battery fuelled cars failed to make their presence in the market.

To overcome all this, Nissan has come up with their

electric car, The Leaf. Researches have been conducted and it has been proved that the car run a 200km on a full charge. Leaf is a 5 seater hunchback model car. Test runs in America have proven its mileage to be 160 km on a a full recharge.

US and Japan has decided to allow for a subsidy on electric cars. The current rate of Leaf has been reported to be $2500 in the US. The Leaf was released last week in the Nissan headquarters . The car will reach the US and Japan markets this month itself. The booking has crossed 30,000 already. Over 2000 charging stations and 200 extra speed charging stations have been set up in Japan. 80% of the charging can be done within half an hour at the extra speed charging stations. The car also gives information on how much of charge is remaining and how many kilometres it can run with the balance charge.

Nissan and Reno has joined hands to increase the electric car market.

Alba Urmet Security Systems

2010-12-05T00:13:00.000-08:00

Alba has been known as a established brand in the Indian security industry since 1989. In 2005, the manufacturing business division of Alba joined hands with Italy based Urmet. Today, Alba Urmet business synergy offers "innovative products to make your life simpler and safer". Urmet was founded in Torino, the birthplace of Italian telecommunications in 1937. A little more than two decades later, in 1956, the company expanded its business vertical and entered the electronic security system business producing door phone systems. In 1967, Urmet was one of the first in the world to design to a video door phone system.

In India, the joint venture offers state-of-the-art residential ad commercial building security solutions, including audio and video door phone entry systems.; CCTV surveillance and digital video management systems; addressable and conventional fire alarm systems; wired and wireless intrusion alarms; and gate automation and parking/traffic control barriers.

The E5CT is a convenient versatile video phone with a 4.3 inch color LCD high resolution monitor. It comes with a built in telephone and camera port with automatic switching for hands-free and handset communications.

TM7VKC is a video phone entrance camera system with integrated Digital Dial System to support up to 128 apartments. The product has a polished glass mirror finish, screw-less design and a LCD display with scrolling buttons.

The M10C Colors Video Phone Kit (M10F5C-7) is suitable for villas. It comes with video intercom, surveillance and remote door release features

Here Comes Samsung Galaxy

2010-11-07T02:07:00.000-08:00

For long we have been hearing about Apple iPad and have seen it in the grey markets here. But, its official release has not been done in the Indian market. Samsung is all set to release the Samsung Galaxy Tab as a competitor to the Apple iPad. It has been introduced as a tablet computer and will be released in the world market including India. Galaxy lodges Goole's new operating system named Android 2.2 Freyo.It is expected to be released on November 10th at Rs. 38000.

While ipad has a 10" screen, Galaxy has a 7" screen. iPad does not have an inbuilt bluetooth system to make and receive phone calls whereas Galaxy has this feature. It of course is 3G enabled. Apple released its iPad in this year beginning and since then the concept of hand-held tablet pc's found fame. There are many companies now idulged into manufacturing tablet pc's.

Airtel, Vodafone, Aircel, Tata Docomo and Reliancehave been reported to hgave joined hands with Samsung Galaxy and will be released on combined offers. Indian route maps and Newspaper websites will be made freely available. Weight - 380g. Length - 19cm, Height - 12cm, Width - 1.1cm.

NASA Unveils High-Res Images of Antarctica

2007-11-27T23:15:00.000-08:00

A team of researchers from NASA, the US Geological Survery, The national Science Foundation and the British Antarctic Survey have unvelied a newly completed map of Antarctica that is expected to revolutionize researh of the continent.

MOTO Q8 and 9H launched in India

2007-11-18T07:13:00.001-08:00

MOTO Q 8, the GSM version of the CDMA based MOTO Q. MOTO 3G QWERTY and MOTO Q 9h has also been launches along with this.

MOTO Q 9h is based on Windows Mobile 6 Operating system. The mobile has a dual-processor HSDPA/UMTS engine using which downloads can be done at a speed of 3.6 Mbps. The mobile has high quality voice, messaging, speed and processing power. The manufactures have described it as a ‘complete productivity and entertainment on the go device. The users can view Word documents, excel spread sheets, powerpoint slides and PDF files in MOTO Q 8 and MOTO Q 9h.

The camers is of 2.0 megapixel with 8x digital zoom. The video playback is 30 frames per second. The mobiles come with integrated Bluetooth.

MOTO Q 8 GSM is available for Rs. 17,359 and MOTO Q 9 h for Rs. 20,720.

Microsoft's Zune on its way to grab the market

2007-11-14T04:49:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has made it way to the portable music device market wiht Zune of 80 GB. last year Zune was launched with 30 GB storage. This is an improvement over the 30Gb Zune. It is big and bright and easy to read.

The flash based devices start at a rate of 150$ and the 80 GB model is priced at 250$.

The model comes with magnetic ear buds in headphones. It has a rubber ear piece. The hardware is mor eimprovised than Apple's.

The problems met are things are unspecific search results. The cost of purchase is higher than Apple's system.

The company has informed that such chortcomings will be soon resolved. So wait till Zune takes over Apple.

BIgstring.com offers email 2.0

2007-11-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

An upstart technology company, Bigstring.com hopes to change that with erasable, recallable and password protected email. The company is hoping to make inroads on other well-known email providers like Google, Microsoft and Yahoo.

Nokia and Vodafone join hands

2007-11-12T04:55:00.000-08:00

Nokia Ovi services will combine with Vodafone service for an exclusive experience for the customers. It has also been said that some Nokia handsets will be exclusive for Vodafone. Now that is a wonderful duo.

This is expected to increase the Internet usability and speed. The entertainment factor will be attracting a huge crowd I guess. They have also agreed to bring together Vodafone music service and Nokia Music Store together by this liaison.

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Google to customise its adsense business in China

2007-11-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Plans a Technology Centre in Dongguan

2007-10-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

Faster wireless speeds reached in South Korea

2007-10-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

Tech Test: i-Mobile Phones Ride Wireless Router

2007-10-11T05:23:00.000-07:00

T mobile is rolling out a new Wi-Fi service that give cell phone users their own personal cell phone tower. AP's Peter Svensson takes a look at the new service.

Slick iPhone suffers on slow network

2007-10-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

AP technology editor Matt Fordahl gives his initial impressionsn Apple's i Phone and its performance on ATT's sluggish Edge network.

UK Loans

2007-09-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

There are different kinds of loans available in the UK financial scenario. They vary like car loans, secured loans, unsecured loans, business or commercial loan, unemployed loan, debt consolidation loan, home owner loan and personal loan.

The individuals choose the appropriate loan to meet his needs based on his economic position. The different loans have its own advantages and disadvantages, making the choice of the right kind of loan very difficult.

Secured loans are loans that are lent by the lender against a security. The security is usually property or car. The security is taken against the money. In case the borrower fails to remit the borrowed cash in the time limit, then the security is sold by the lender to recover his money.

Unsecured loans are loans lent without any collateral. It is also known as bad credit loan. The lack of security is reflected in the interest rate in case of unsecured loan. There are many factors that a borrower has to look into before going for an unsecured loan. The credit score is a major factor that has to be calculated before lending a bad credit loan.

To make the choice of the suitable loan, it is advised to refer to the websites online that offer loan comparison services. The visitors can compare loans online through these websites. They offer loan quotes, interest details and the list of the loan providers in UK is also specified. This helps the borrowers to compare the rates of different loan providers and make the right choice of the loan suited for the individual. The loan deals and loan selection tips are also mostly specified in the loan comparison sites.

Other factors like loan penalties, late payment charges, early redemption penalty and some loan provider also charge arrangement fee.

Slick iPhone Suffers on slow network

2007-09-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Weight Control

2007-09-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

Healthy mind rests in a healthy body. To keep the body healthy, one should eat healthy. Over weight and obesity are the outcome of unhealthy eating habits and is the reason for a variety of illness. Controlled diet and calorie in take is the only cure and prevention for this.

Myfitnesspal.com provides a free calorie counter which is made available to members after signing up for free. The site has a diet journal which helps to loose weight. The user can keep a track of the meals and provides assistance in weight loss exercise. The site has a calorie chart which gives information on the calories in the different kinds of food.

Read product reviews

2007-09-18T00:38:00.000-07:00

Nowadays people resort to onlien product reviews to get an evaluation of any product before going on to buy the product. Websites now provide reviews of almost all products in the market. The reviews are written and ranked by people who have used the product.

Trustsource.org provides review of many products in the market now. The visitors review the product and rank the products according to their experience. The site evaluates the reviews and ranks the products according to the genuinity of the reviews.

The site has hair loss products ranked and reviewed. The site offers reviews of the most popular hair loss products. The site helps the visitors to make their best choice of the product.

Provillus has been ranked the top hair loss product. It creates the optimal environment for hair growth and acts as a nutritional supplement. It gives way for the formation of healthy new hair. It brings back health and shine to dead and damaged hair follicles.

The second in the list is Procerin. It contains only natural substances and serum. Of the several causes of hair loss, Procerin is effetcve against hair loss in men which is caused by androgenetic alopecia. This is the main cause of male hair loss.

Google to finance Moon Challenge contest

2007-09-17T01:23:00.000-07:00

Google s bankrolling a $30 million contest that could significantly boost the commercial space industry and spur the first non-governmental flight to the moon

Sony Introduces Dancing MP3 Player

2007-09-15T23:46:00.000-07:00

Sony's new rolling egg shaped digital music player swivels,flaps, and flashes colorful lights in time to music. The rolly comes with stereo speakers, I gigabyte ofinternal flash memory and a battery good for about five hours of music.

Virtual Workers Feel At Home

2007-09-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

Apple Launches iPod Touch

2007-09-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Rory Cellan-Jones takes a look at the features of the music player incorporating iPhone technology.

Google to Launch Overlay ads on youtube

2007-08-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

panda gives birth to twins

2007-08-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

Humans blamed for dolphins demise

2007-08-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

The first extinction of a large vertebrate for more than 50 years has been declared after desperate efforts to rescue it cameup short. Experts say the Yangtze Rive rDolphin has been killed off due to it being get caught up in the nets of fishing boats in Eastern China where it lived. It represents the only species of whale, dolphin or porpoise to be driven to extinction by human activity.

Wonder of Myspace

2007-07-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

Larvae in Man's head

2007-07-19T03:31:00.000-07:00

Doctors thought the strange, bleeding bumps on Aaron Dallas' head might be from gnat bites or shingles. Then the bumops started moving. A doctor foudn five active bot fly larvae living beneath the skin atop the colorado man's head.