digital-talk

Belkin introduced sleeves and Cases for the Apple iPad

2010-04-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

Belkin International, Inc., is a global manufacturer of computer hardware and other gadget accessories introduced ten cases especially designed for Apple iPad device. Some cases are now avalible around US online as well as at Apple stores in the US. The iPad-Cap Sleeve, Contour Sleeve, Grip Vue, Grip Ergo, Grip Swell, Grip Groove, Leather Sleeve, Leather Folio, Envelope, and Shield Clear cases gives the protection as well as design and comfort. Sleeves feature lightweight, durable material and soft inner lining to help cushion your iPad and protect the touch screen.

On Saturday, April 3, Apple Inc. introduced iPad to the world. The iPad allow users to read books, play games, watch movies, send emails, listen to music, browse the Internet,Gaming and much more. IPad is designed for on-the-move purpose like mobile phones. Belkin’s new assortment of sleeves and cases protect and give users instant access to iPad. Belkin has developed these cases to provide protection as well as for accessing iPad easily.

Opera Mini for iPhone: more than one million downloads in its first day of launch

2010-04-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Opera Software announced, Opera Mini has been approved for iPhone and iPod touch on the App Store. And within 24 hours, Opera Mini for iPhone is the #1 app on iTunes App Stores around the world. Opera Mini is currently the hottest iPhone app in the 22 featured Apple App Stores.

Today iPhone users have a choice, and, as the numbers show, they are eager to explore new and faster ways to surf the Web on the iPhone – especially during heavy Web traffic,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “With any widely available and frequently downloaded Opera product, we are appreciative of all the feedback we are getting, as it helps us to continually improve our product and better meet the needs of our users.”

According to Apple app download count, Opera Mini has been downloaded to 1,023,380 Apple devices. On March 23, Opera Software submitted Opera Mini for iPhone and iPod Touch and also presents Opera on iPhone during the Mobile World Congress, CTIA and SXSW.

Make a Screen Protector for your Cell Phone

2010-04-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Though Apple has officially stopped selling screen protector films for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, you may still want to have them in order to protect the screen of your expensive mobile device from scratches, dirt or even your own fingerprints.

Screen protectors are easily available for all popular mobile devices and they are pretty cheap, so much so that you may end up paying more for shipping than for the product itself.

That said, if you can’t find a good cover film that will exactly fit the screen of your current cell phone, you can easily build one on your own for free using material that is already available in your home.

Scratch Proof your Cell Phone Screen

All you need is a ruler (to measure the screen size of your gadget), some clear packing tape (that will act as the cover), a bowl of water with some soap and an old credit card to firm apply that homemade screen protector to your cell phone screen.

The video is produced by Howcast.com and it shares another very useful tip -- avoid putting your cell phone in the same pocket that has your keys and /or loose coins.

New Stop-Motion Ad for Google Chrome

2010-04-06T04:59:00.000-07:00

The first Chrome ad that aired on TV was actually a stop-animation video that was created in-house by employees of Google Japan.

Now a second animated video ad for Google Chrome has surfaced on the web that is brilliant just like all the other Chrome commercials and there’s a very strong Tokyo connection again. To know how this video ad was created, check this photo gallery.

How to See the Ratings of any YouTube Video

2010-04-06T04:56:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t been to the YouTube website recently, you should because they have completely redesigned the video pages. The new design might load a little quicker on slow connections but it looks too minimal and even incomplete to me.

Anyway, this story has nothing to do with the color scheme or the layout of the redesigned YouTube website – its about an extremely important feature that some feel has gone missing in the new design.

YouTube (old) had a star rating system that would let anyone with a Google Account rate YouTube videos on 1-5 scale. This simple feature saved us from wasting countless hours on YouTube because if a video had low user ratings, you immediately knew it was not worth your time and you could skip to the next one.

YouTube has now replaced the “star rating” system in the new design with a “Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down” rating system that gives you only two choices – you either like a video (5 stars) or you don’t (1 star).

Most user prefer to see the ratings of a video before hitting the play button but for some unknown reason – may be to boost page views – YouTube is no longer displaying the ratings of videos on their pages. If you rate a video, the overall ratings appear but not otherwise.

Fortunately, YouTube has not dropped the ratings completely and there’s a simply way by which you can see the ratings of any YouTube video without having to rate it. Just click the drop-down arrow next to “views” of any video and you’ll find what you are looking for.

Alternatively, you may install these extensions for Chrome and Firefox and you’ll get the star ratings back in the main video page just like the good old YouTube design.

An advantage with extensions is that they’ll add star ratings to videos displayed in the YouTube search results as well so they’re more handy.

YouTube’s Next Big Headache – Software Piracy

2010-04-06T04:55:00.000-07:00

It’s not uncommon to find music videos and pirated movies on YouTube but you may be a little surprised to know that the world’s most popular video sharing site has now become a haven for software piracy as well.
People are using the YouTube site to not only share serial numbers of software but there are tons of step-by-step “tutorials” explaining how one can activate virtually any popular software title or video game that’s out there. Some of these videos have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
I was recently looking for reviews ofsearch suggestions on YouTube (that was released just a day ago) and though there weren’t any reviews of this popular screencasting app, there were quite a few screencasts on YouTube explaining how to get this $300 software for free.
Surprisingly, all the search suggestions made by YouTube itself pointed to these unlicensed software. I am not sure how YouTube determines what phrases to suggest in the drop-down but it does indicate what people are searching for on the site.
The auto-suggestions were pretty similar for queries like “Microsoft Office 2007” and “Adobe Photoshop CS4” – both very popular software programs.
There’s one possible reason why pirates may be turning their attention to YouTube – traffic. YouTube videos, due to to Universal Search, are more likely to appear on Google’s first page of search results and that could bring enormous amount of traffic.
Underground websites hosted in China and Russia are very unlikely to make it the front pages of Google for popular queries but with the help of YouTube, they possibly can.

Olive Zipbook Laptop Review

2010-04-06T04:22:00.001-07:00

It’s new in the market but it has already made a good name for itself. Olive is an Indian company dealing in telecommunications and now it’s into the laptop business. Recently it has launched the Olive Zipbook, the first Indian netbook with a built in 3G modem. A zipbook is nothing but a laptop, it’s just much smaller in size. The Olive Zipbook features an inbuilt Tata Photon USB modem that allows you to experience high internet speeds anywhere anytime. That’s the major reason why it has become popular among the users. Another interesting feature about the Zipbook is that it comes with a 3G radio. The 10.1” device has become quite popular in spite of certain limitations.

Specifications and Features: The Olive Zipbook features a Intel Atom N270 Processor 1.6 GHz. Although the processor is a bit old to be used in a netbook, it performs well. The looks are simple with a standard keyboard and a touchpad. Most of the keys are normal sized and typing is not difficult even though the keyboard is small. The console runs Windows XP service pack 3 and its quiet fast. The Zipbook also boasts of a 1 GB DDR2 RAM and a 160 GB Hard disk which is enough to support your computing needs. It has 3 USB 2.0 and a memory card reader to let you manage your connections. Its wireless connectivity is defined with WLAN 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi which lets you connect easily to the wireless networks and other wireless devices. A built-in 1.3 mega pixel camera and microphone lets you to stay in touch with your near and dear ones when you are away from them.

Olive Zipbook Laptop Photos :

The sound quality is also good with the 2 inbuilt speakers. The battery support is not so good with the 3 cell battery and Olive needs to work on that. The Zipbook is extremely light weight and ultraportable and you can easily carry it in your back pack when you are travelling. It is also available in colour variants of black, yellow, white and red. To sum up, the overall ergonomics is good and you can surely opt for it if you want to stay connected when you are travelling.

Pricing: The Olive Zipbook is available at an attractive and affordable price of only about $518 and around 17,999 Rs in India.

Run PC faster and Efficiently by RAM Memory Optimization

2010-04-06T04:18:00.000-07:00

TweakRAM is yet another RAM cleaner and optimizer paid software (also comes with 30 days trial). TweakRAM is designed to clean your PC unwanted memory by making more memory available for your applications and the operating system and this increasing your system performance. Regardless of your PC physical memory, TweakRAM claims to keep your computer running faster and efficiently.

TweakRAM is a straightforward and easy to use software which has two modes of tweaking RAM, includes automate the RAM tweak. TweakRAM has the ability not to run automatic RAM if the CPU usage exceeds the limit. TweakRAM allows you to manually run the RAM tweaking process or its your own setting to run TweakRAM to automatically run every X minutes. Other options under settings includes running TweakRAM as soon the PC starts, shortcut lists.

The following two modes are possible with tweaking

Try for 1MB of RAM: This mode allows TweakRAM to free only 1MB of RAM as trial.

Auto Free: This modes tells TweakRAM to select how much RAM to try to free it up. Once the optimization is done with TweakRAM, you would get a detail report.

TweakRAM performs the following functions :
Increases your PC Performance largely
Increases the efficiency of your CPU
Increases the efficiency of Motherboard Cache
Defragments your computer’s memory
Recover memory leaks
Faster application response time
Supports more than a dozen languages.

Rating:
Interface: 4/5
Ease of Use: 4/5
Features: 4/5
Help and Support: 3.5/5
Price: 2.5/5

Features: 4/5
TweakRAM interface is very simple and plain, nothing much to describe with.

Ease of Use: 4/5
The program is straight forward and easy to use.

Features: 4/5
Features of TweakRAM seems to be ok but not that much great.

Help and Support: 3.5/5
Their Support is through email. You need to email them, I couldn’t find any other supports services.

Price: 2.5/5
Priced at $19.95 makes this a bad choice when you ask me. Other rival softwares are very cheap and you know what you can buy a new RAM instead of buying this software.

Typing Tutor App for Apple iPad

2010-04-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

Apple iPad has been launched and is already the News Pulse of the Planet right now because today is the day when the iPad is launched in the Public and everyone who had pre-ordered the Apple iPad would get the delivery today. Everything looks perfect in the iPad except the On-Screen Virtual Keyboard which seems to be a little hard for starters, hence its recommended to download the Tap Typing App which is a Typing Tutor for your ipad device.

Learn how to type on your iPad – The iPad’s virtual keyboard requires a new way of typing. Get past the learning curve with TapTyping and focus on what matters.
* From Beginner to Advanced lessons
* Metrics to track performance
* Type your Twitter feed

TapTyping has a comprehensive curriculum with courses ranging from Beginner, focusing on the A through Z keys; to Advanced focusing on tough patterns, symbols, and numbers. Every key you press is tracked to the millisecond to provide precise feedback. You can observe your progress and spot your weaknesses so that you can re-take lessons and hone your skills. Entertaining and fresh content will keep you coming back. Type out choice excerpts from U.S. history, follow Alice down the rabbit hole, or type the tweets in your own Twitter feed.

After just a few Beginner lessons you will become a much better iPad typist. Intermediate and Advanced courses shall turn you into a iPad typing ninja.

TapTyping 1.0 offers the following courses:
- Beginner: Learn to quickly reach the primary keys (a-z)
- Intermediate: Capitalization, punctuation, numbers
- Advanced: difficult tapping patterns, complicated sentences, and symbols
- Special courses: Gettysburg Address, Spammy Goodness, and Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (chapters 1 & 2)
- Twitter: type your Twitter feed to get something new every day

More Typing Tutor Apps Photos :

Convert your Apple iPad into Digital Photo Frame HD – App

2010-04-06T04:15:00.002-07:00

Here is a excellent Apple iPad Application which is completely free of cost and which can convert your Apple iPad into a Digital Photo Frame with HD Quality display. Even though the iPad features inbuilt Apps for displaying the uploaded photos using the Slideshow option, this application can be a added boost because its sole job is of displaying all your photos in different layouts and formats as shown in the below screenshots.

App Name : Digital Photo Frame HD by Smudge Apps

Find Apple iPad Serial number, IMEI Number, ICCID Number

2010-04-06T04:15:00.001-07:00

Each Apple iPad comes with a Unique series of numbers ie the Serial number, IMEI Number & ICCID Number which are useful for the Apple Support Team to recognize your iPad and diagnose it. The IMEI Number is the number which is assigned to every mobile phone handset, and while the iPad also offers similar functions it comes with IMEI Number too. There are many different ways to find these numbers, which are listed below.

First of all is the Apple iTunes Software which is bridge between your Apple iPad and yourComputer. Once you connect the computer to the iPad using the USB Cable, you will find the details in the software screen itself.

Locating the serial number:
1. Open iTunes.
2. Select the iPad when it appears in the left-hand column.
3. Click the Summary tab. The serial number will display as shown:

Locating the IMEI and ICCID:
1. Click Serial Number, and iTunes will display the IMEI of your iPad:

2. Click IMEI to see the ICCID:

On the the back of the iPad : Your iPad serial number is engraved on the back metal case as shown :

iPad About screen : You can find your iPad serial number, IMEI, and ICCID in the About screen on your iPad. From the Home screen, tap Settings > General > About and scroll down.

iPad packaging : If you still have the original packaging that your iPad came in, you can find your iPad serial number and IMEI printed on the bar-code label affixed to the packaging.

Hope the above informative tutorial which was created with the help of Apple Support was useful to use in finding the iPad Numbers for warranty and other issues.

How To Clean The Apple iPad

2010-04-06T04:14:00.001-07:00

Keeping the Outside of iPad Clean Handle your iPad with care to maintain its appearance. If you are concerned about scratching or abrasion, you can use one of the many cases sold separately. To clean iPad, unplug all cables and turn off iPad (press and hold the Sleep/Wake button, and then slide the onscreen slider). Then use a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth. Avoid getting moisture in openings. Don’t use window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, alcohol, ammonia, or abrasives to clean iPad. iPad has an oleophobic coating on the screen; simply wipe iPad’s screen with a soft, lint-free cloth to remove oil left by your hands. The ability of this coating to repel oil will diminish over time with normal usage, and rubbing the screen with an abrasive material will further diminish its effect and may scratch your screen.

Apple iPad Usage Guide & Repair Tips

2010-04-06T04:12:00.000-07:00

Carrying and Handling iPad : iPad contains sensitive components. Do not drop, disassemble, open, crush, bend, deform, puncture, shred, microwave, incinerate, paint, or insert foreign objects into iPad.

Avoiding Water and Wet Locations : Do not use iPad in rain, or near washbasins or other wet locations. Take care not to spill any food or liquid on iPad. In case iPad gets wet, unplug all cables, turn off iPad (press and hold the Sleep/Wake button, and then slide the onscreen slider) before cleaning, and allow it to dry thoroughly before turning it on again. Do not attempt to dry iPad with an external heat source, such as a microwave oven or hair dryer. An iPad that has been damaged as a result of exposure to liquids is not serviceable.

Repairing or Modifying iPad : Never attempt to repair or modify iPad yourself. Disassembling iPad may cause damage that is not covered under the warranty. iPad does not contain any user-serviceable parts, except for the SIM card and SIM tray. Service should only be provided by an Apple Authorizedrechargeable battery. If iPad has been in contact with liquids, punctured, or subjected to a severe fall, do not use it until you take it to an Apple Authorized Service Provider. For service information, choose iPad Help from the Help menu in iTunes or go to: www.apple.com/support/iPad/service/faq

Battery Replacement : The rechargeable battery in iPad should be replaced only by Apple. For more information about battery replacement service, go to: www.apple.com/support/iPad/service/battery

Charging iPad : To charge iPad, use only the Apple Dock Connector to USB Cable with an Apple 10W USB Power Adapter or a high-power Power Adapter on another device that is compliant with the USB 2.0 standard, another Apple-branded product or accessory designed to work with iPad, or a third-party accessory certified to use Apple’s “Works with iPad” logo. Read all safety instructions for any products and accessories before using with iPad. Apple is not responsible for the operation of third-party accessories or their compliance with safety and regulatory standards. When you use the Apple 10W USB Power Adapter to charge iPad make sure that the power adapter is fully assembled before you plug it into a power outlet. Then insert the Apple 10W USB Power Adapter firmly into the power outlet. Do not connect or disconnect the Apple 10W USB Power Adapter with wet hands.

The Apple 10W USB Power Adapter may become warm during normal use. Always allow adequate ventilation around the Apple 10W USB Power Adapter and use care when handling. Unplug the Apple 10W USB Power Adapter if any of the following conditions exist:

The power cord or plug has become frayed or damaged.
The adapter is exposed to rain, liquid, or excessive moisture.
The adapter case has become damaged.
You suspect the adapter needs service or repair.
You want to clean the adapter.

Avoiding Hearing Damage : Permanent hearing loss may occur if headphones are used at high volume. Set the volume to a safe level. You can adapt over time to a higher volume of sound that may sound normal but can be damaging to your hearing. If you experience ringing in your ears or muffled speech, stop listening and have your hearing checked. The louder the volume, the less time is required before your hearing could be affected. Hearing experts suggest that to protect
your hearing:

Limit the amount of time you use earbuds, headphones, speakers, or earpieces at high volume.
Avoid turning up the volume to block out noisy surroundings.
Turn the volume down if you can’t hear people speaking near you.
For information about how to set a maximum volume limit on iPad, see the iPad User Guide.

How to Transfer eBooks Photos Mp3 to Infibeam Pi

2010-04-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a small tutorial on how to transfer your favorite Music files, Photos and eBooks to the Infibeam Pi eBook Reader following the Infibeam Pi Usage Tips. The device comes with a 512Mb Internal Memory which stores the software’s files and also allows you to transfer your files to the reader by connecting it to your computer. You need to connect the Pi to your computer using the USB Data Cable, following which the device would act like a normal storage device on your computer.

Once you connect the Pi to the Computer using the USB Datacable, the computer will display a AutoPlay window as shown below and the Pi will Power ON and show a ‘USB Connect’ Large Image on the center of the screen.

Next the computer will try to find the drivers for the Pi from the computer’s database and give you a report as shown below.

Next once you visit ‘My Computer’ section, you will find the new drive displayed there as shown below with a total capacity of 323Mb, while the balance memory size would have been used for the installed files and preinstalled ebooks which come in the package.

Inside the ‘Pi’ Drive you will find different eBook files and rec files. You can directly paste your purchased legal eBooks directly into this drive or else by creating a new folder for your uploaded files. The same is applicable to Photos and MP3 songs. The REC File is going to record the history of any eBook read on the ‘Pi’ along the page number and other related information, so that the next time you visit the same eBook again, you can directly open the last closed session.

Following is the Process listed under the Manual : When connecting to PC, the eBook Reader Device is recognized as a mass storage device. Copy the eBook folders or files which you’ve bought/downloaded from the internet to the disk GB0601, and then disconnect the eBook Reader Device to start reading. Or copy the eBook folders/files to a SD card, and plug the SD card to the device to read directly.

Important Advise:
It is recommended to make regular backups of the content of your eBook reader to prevent the total loss of files from physical damage, failure, loss or theft.

People of Lava introduced Scandinavia TV, built on the Googel Android platform

2010-04-06T04:08:00.002-07:00

People of Lava, a Sweden based manufacturer and designer of LCD-TVs and LED-TVs, remote controlled wall-mounts and brackets, remote controlled table-stands and floor-stands and other TV and home-electronics related products introduced world’s first LED TV based on Google Android operating system.

Company introduced Scandinavia range of LED TVs which will be available in 42inch, 47inch and 55inch display with Full-HD 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. Scandinavia TV is a great combination of TV, Internet, Multimedia, Internet and Social Media applications. The TV is pre loaded with many apps, YouTube, Google Maps, Weather, Time, Calendar and Internet Browser, Facebook, Twitter, E-mail and several others. For more free and paid apps, Lava App Store provides user bunch of applications as per users needs, these apps are both free and paid. For operating menus and other contents on the screen, Scandinavia has wireless keyboard with pointer/mouse.

People of Lava not yet release the price tag of Scandinavia range of LED TV’s but it will be available worldwide around September this year.

To know more, visit People of Lava site, http://www.peopleoflava.com/television/scandinavia/

HCL Infosystems introduced Beanstalk Classic, Beanstalk Ultima and Beanstalk Xtreme desktops

2010-04-06T04:08:00.001-07:00

HCL Infosystems introduced news desktops in Beanstalk family ranging from Rs. 39, 990 to Rs. 85000.The desktops includes, Beanstalk Classic, Beanstalk Ultima and Beanstalk Xtreme desktops. According to HCL, Beanstalk Xtreme is the first desktop comes with Intel Core-i7 processor and powered with Microsoft Windows Ultimate 7 operating system. Also it is the first desktop in India pre-loaded with ship NVIDIA CUDA accelerated application.

Mr. George Paul, Executive Vice President, HCL Infosystems Ltd said, “HCL Infosystems has a strong heritage in computing business and always pioneered the latest technology for the Indian consumers. We have successfully maintained a strong foothold in the desktop category and have believed in high performance, providing a better experience to our customers. We are leveraging our robust ‘eco system’ of partners to deliver the performance and set the trend for a smarter computing lifestyle.”

Mr. Rishi Srivastava, Group Director OEM, Microsoft India, Sandeep Aurora, Director – Sales and Marketing, Intel South Asia and Mr Nishant Goyal, Head of Sales, South Asia, NVIDIA Corporation are also present at the launch of HCL Beanstalk range of desktops.

HCL Infosystems has launched three models of Beanstalk PCs for the Indian market, Beanstalk Classic, Beanstalk Ultima and Beanstalk Xtreme.Desktops are pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows 7 operating system and comes with Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. Beanstalk desktops bundled with the Bose Companion 2 Multimedia speaker system and NVIDIA CUDA accelerated application for faster movie making feature, faster conversion of audio and video files and quicker editing of movies. The product will come along with LIFEBOX, as a value-add pack, which includes a collection of premium content in 41 DVDs and CDs.Also it is the first desktop in the world designed with one touch button for customer service.

HCL Beanstalk Classic, Beanstalk Ultima and Beanstalk Xtreme desktops comes with three-year warranty and 3 years McAfee license software to protect your PC from virus and spyware. The desktops are fully customizable and comes with price range between Rs. 39, 990 to Rs. 85000 (plus applicable taxes) and will be available at all HCL Digilife stores and retail outlets across the country.

Samsung S5620 Monte launched in India

2010-04-06T04:07:00.001-07:00

Samsung India today introduced another affordable touch screen mobile phone with bunch of features in Indian market, Samsung S5620 Monte. This 3G enabled phone features with powerful camera with secondary camera, Wi-Fi, GPS with A-GPS support and social networking integration with live updates.

Samsung S5620 Monte comes with 3 inches TFT capacitive touch screen with 256K colors and has TouchWiz UI 2.0 Plus, Turn to mute, Smart unlock and Accelerometer sensor.S5620 Monte is one of the cheapest mobile phone in India which comes with 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS with A-GPS support, 3.15 MP camera and secondary camera with video call feature.

With 200 MB internal memory, phone has expandable memory up to 16GB.The main camera which is 3.15 MP has Geo-tagging and smile detection features. Other features includes, Bluetooth, Stereo FM radio with RDS, 3.5 mm audio jack, Social networking integration with live updates, Google Maps 3.0 and mage editor applications.

Li-Ion 960 mAh battery has Up to 769 hrs standby and Up to 9 h 42 min talk time on 2G (GSM) network. The Samsung S5620 Monte is now available in India at a approximate price tag of Rs 8,850 only.

Digg launches official Android and iPhone app

2010-04-06T04:06:00.001-07:00

Digg, well-known social news website today launches application for Android and iPhone users. Now users can browse lists of the top stories in 24 hours, recently popular stories, upcoming stories, search for any story and can able to save stories/news of interest. Both apps are official Digg apps so no need to worry about your account information.

“We are very excited to announce the launch of Digg’s official app for the iPhone. This free app was designed to create a seamless browsing experience between Digg and the most popular content on the web, as chosen by the Digg community. We wanted to make it easy to discover interesting content on your phone and to easily jump into the conversations around that content. You can browse lists of recent content, search for the topics you care about, and save stories to check out later. Best of all, you can join in on the curation by Digging and burying stories and comments right from your phone!” -- Digg official blog.

Digg iPhone app features:

Browse lists of the top stories in 24 hours, recently popular stories, and upcoming stories with rising interest
Preview any story by clicking the arrow next to each item in the list, which will reveal the story description, source, thumbnail, date, and submitter
Save any story you’re interested in to a list for easy access later
View websites in an integrated browser, with options to Digg, bury, save, and share the story in-line
Read through and vote on the comments for any story
Search for any story on Digg and sort results by date, Digg count, or relevance
Best of all, login to link the app to your digg.com account and easily Digg or bury both comments and stories
Digg Android app features:

Designed specifically for Android devices – a great experience on Android for browsing Digg
Browse stories in list view and view story details along with comments when you tap through
After logging in, Digg and bury both stories and comments from the app
Browse stories in list view in landscape mode
Search for any story on Digg
View story pages in the in-app Android browser in landscape mode as well
Use the in-app browser to pan around and zoom in and out of content
Both medium and high resolution sized screens are supported
Best of all, login to link the app to your Digg.com account

BSNL 3G data card now available at Rs. 2500 only

2010-04-06T04:04:00.000-07:00

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) today announce that, the BSNL lowering the price of their 3G data card (USB 3G enabled modem) from Rs. 3800 to Rs. 2500.BSNL took this step to attract more wireless high speed internet customers in the country.

In addition, BSNL announce the special scheme in which, customers purchasing 3G Data card from BSNL and activating the same will get free data usage of 6 GB per month as 1GB day/any time and 5GB night usage for two months from the date of activation as a promotional offer until further order. However, for getting validity the customer has to recharge with data recharge voucher or fixed monthly charges in case of postpaid connection. The free usage of 6 GB will be added to the free usage available with the data plan.

Above offer is applicable for the post paid as well as pre-paid subscribers. For pre-paid users, BSNL would sell recharge vouchers starting from Rs.275 to Rs 2499.

Terms and conditions:-

* In case of migration from 2G to 3G, the customer may continue with the existing 2G SIM without any charge or may opt for a new 3G USIM with higher memory for Rs.59.
* In case of migration from 2G prepaid to 3G prepaid, the unutilized account balance validity in 2G will be carried forward to 3G.
* Replacement of defective SIM/USIM will be free of cost to be made at CSC only, if the replacement of SIM/USIM is due to technical reason beyond the control of customer. However, if the replacement of SIM/USIM is due to customer negligence Rs.59 (Incl. of Service Tax) will be levied. In case customer wants new USIM, replacing the existing 2G SIM, the customer will also have to pay Rs.59.

Create a Mail Merge with Gmail and Google Docs

2010-03-30T05:01:00.001-07:00

Let’s say you are organizing a party at your place and want to send personalized email invitations to all your friends. Or say your company is about a launch a new product and you want to share this with media and customers through email.

In both the above examples, all your email messages will essentially have the same content but some elements will be unique (like the recipient’s name) in every copy. For instance, when you are sending a casual email to friends, you might want to have “Hi [Friends’s nickname]” as the greeting while in the case of customers, you will prefer a more formal greeting with their first names.

How to Create Mail Merge with Google Mail

Mail Merge can obviously save you plenty of time as you can send personalized email messages to multiple people at once. The feature is neither available in Gmail nor Google Apps but there are workarounds like:

Option #1. You can connect your Gmail account with Outlook and then use the Mail Merge feature of Microsoft Office Word to send bulk email messages through Gmail but from your desktop.

Option #2. You can use web based services like MailChimp, Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor, etc. for sending personalized mass emails but they aren’t free.

If none of the above options work for you, here’s a third and better solution – you can setup Mail Merge in Gmail through your Google Docs account – it’s both free and easy to setup. Let’s get started.

Step 1: Assuming that your already have a Gmail account, go to your Google Contactsand create a new Group (let’s say “Media”). Add all the contacts to this group who you want to send a personalized email.

Step 2: Create a copy of this spreadsheet into your own Google Docs account.

Step 3: You’ll see a new “Mail Merge” menu in Google Docs near “Help.” Click “Import Gmail Contacts” and authorize Google Docs to access your Google Contacts.

Step 4: Click Mail Merge –> Import Gmail Contacts again and type the name of the Gmail group (“Media”) that you created in Step 1. Google Docs will now automatically import the relevant Gmail contacts into the spreadsheet.

Step 5: Fill the various fields of the email template (highlighted in green). Change the email subject, email body (line 1-5), fill in your name and also the reply-to email address.

Step 6: Go to the Mail Merge menu again and click “Start Mail Merge” – the status against the names of your Gmail contacts will change from “Pending” to “OK” for all email messages that are successfully delivered through Google Docs.

That’s it! You’ve just completed your first mail merge through Gmail and Google Docs. If any of the steps are not clear, please watch the following video screencast.

Custom Email Templates for Mail Merge

If you would like to use a different email template with mail merge, you can go to Tools –> Scripts –> Script Editor and change the sendEmail() function accordingly.

Here’s the full source code of the macro that runs on the Mail Merge spreadsheet but before you make any changes, please read this section to get yourself familiar with the Google Docs’ scripting environment. Google Docs also supports file attachments and HTML emails so you can be more creative with your email templates.

I have used this in batches of 10-20 email addresses and that has worked without issues but I’m not sure if the Gmail sending limit (that can temporarily lock accounts) applies to Google Docs or not.

Also, the above spreadhsheet uses Gmail but you can also use it with Yahoo! Mail or your Windows Live Hotmail contacts. I’ll share the exact steps in a later tutorial.

Ordered Apple iPad – Delivery Late April to India

2010-03-30T04:58:00.000-07:00

I had been finding out different ways to order a Apple iPad in India but seems like most of these were going to delay the shipment and in order to get this done asap, i contacted my friend Sudhakar Lahade regarding the purchase of this gadget and sending it to me here in Hyderabad – India. Within minutes of my request he went ahead and confirmed the order with the US Apple Store and sent me the copy of the order.

I had ordered the basic Wifi version with 16Gb of memory because i rarely store media files in most of my gadgets be it the Laptops, Apple iPhone or Nokia Smart Phone, which is one of the main reason i selected the first version which costs 499$. The Apple Store lists that the product would be delivered by April 12th 2010, adding another ~15 days for shipment to India, iam quite sure that the Apple iPad would reach India by April End.

Apple iPad Wifi 16Gb

Along with this i went ahead with one useful iPad Accessory which is the iPad Keyboard Dock which comprises of a Dock for placing the iPad in a vertical position along with a Keyboard which can be used to Input Data quickly because using the touch screen of iPad directly can make it damage quickly. This accessory costs 69$ extra along with free shipping by April End.

Apple ipad Keyboard Dock

Both of the above listed products have different shipping dates and both has free shipping option, hence i expect them to be delivered one by one. Following is the information from the emails Apple Store sent us regarding the order.

How to Create a Google Adwords Campaign

2010-03-30T04:57:00.000-07:00

In this chapter we are going to teach you on how to run a ad campaign by creating your first Adwords Campaign. In order to get started you need to login to your Google Adwords Account and click on the ‘New Campaign’ button listed under the Home.

Next you will be given with a list of different options which you need to fill one by one with the correct details.

General : Campaign Name – Assign a campaign name which can be the Name of your Business or Service you are going to promote. Assigning a name is useful because when you have multiple campaigns in your account, you can easily identify them.

Locations & Languages : Locations – Under this section you need to specify the geographical location where you want to display the advertisements. Lets say you are selling some offline products through your website and are looking towards attracting visitors who are from your city or state, then this option is very important. You need to select the State – ‘Select one or more other locations’ which will open a small window with a Map and locations to select. Under this select the location or browse through the map by clicking on it and set the location where in the advertisements would be shown. In short this means that whenever someone from the locations you have mentioned visits the google search results or google network websites, your Adwords advertisement would be displayed to them.

Languages : Under this option you need to select ‘What languages do your customers speak?’ which in most cases is English. This option is useful for advertisers who are targeting specific languages like Chinese, Hindi etc.

Networks and devices : Networks – This option is really important because here in you will be setting up all the networks and places where your advertisements should be displayed. Search includes Google Search option where in the ads are displayed with the Organic Listings along with a title of ‘Sponsored Links’. Content section displays the ads on different websites & blogswhich are listed as publishers under the Adsense Service, which you can again customize and only select the websites or niche you want to target and select.

The devices option is applicable if you want to display the advertisements on smart mobile phones which support full Internet browsers like Android, iPhone/iPod Touch & Palm webOS. You can also select the carrier of the Mobile Phone and target specific customers. This is useful if you are offering some mobile phone related services, applications or software’s for downloads. Ex : If you offer a service of Internet Connection from Airtel, then its better to target Airtel carrier users and recommend them to opt for the broadband service, since they already are a user of Airtel they would opt for this when they see the ads.

Bidding and budget : Bidding Option – Under this option you can specify your ad campaign’s every day budget which is the maximum amount of money you are looking to spend towards the advertisements. The clicks cost is based on a bidding system, where in for a specific keyword different advertisers would be bidding automatically and the highest payer’s ad would be shown on the top and the lower paying ads would be pushed down or towards the next page. CPC Bid Limit is the option where you need to specify the maximum cost per click you are ready to pay for all the keywords in your campaign. Once you specify the CPC bid Limit, the system will charge you the amount of money you have specified though in most cases the amount charged would be lower than the CPC you have specified.

There are few more advanced settings available in the same page which are optional and useful for few advertisers only. These includes the Schedule: Start date, end date, ad scheduling where in you can specify the Starting date and the Ending date for your ad campaigns to be run and displayed. You can also rotate different ads in the same campaign by selecting the option of Ad delivery – Ad rotation, frequency capping’ & Set bidding preferences for specific demographics on eligible content network sites under Demographic bidding.

This completes the chapter of starting a new Google Adwords Campaign, in the next chapter we will discuss more on how to Create Ad and Keywords for your ad campaigns.

Zen Mobile introduced Z66, QWERTY, Dual SIM mobile phone at affordable price tag

2010-03-30T04:56:00.001-07:00

Zen Mobile, New Delhi based mobile manufacturer today launches Z66, another QWERTY, Dual SIM mobile phone in India. Zen Mobile recently launched two QWERTY mobile phones, Z77 and Z90 and now it this the third addition from company in QWERTY type.The has attractive features including Bluetooth connectivity and Motion sensor, also Z66 comes with attractive affordable price tag.

Features of Zen Z66 mobile phone:

2.2inchs TFT color display with 220K colors.
QWERTY keypad
Dual sim, GSM/GSM
Up to 4GB expandable memory (MicroSD)
VGA camera
Bluetooth connectivity
USB Connectivity
MP3 Player
FM Radio
3.5MM audio jack
Phone book capacity: 500 entries
Speaker phone
Motion sensor
MSN messenger

With 1100MAH LI-ION battery, Z66 has up to 5hrs standby time. Zen Z66 is now available around the country at a affordable retail price tag f Rs. 2999 only.

LinkedIn launches application for Blackberry phones

2010-03-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

LinkedIn, business-oriented social networking site recently launches application for Blackberry phones running on Blackberry OS v4.3 or later. Application is currently compatible for Blackberry Tour, Curve, and Bold devices. Application is also available for download on the BlackBerry App World.

LinkedIn for BlackBerry includes a full, rich feature set designed to bring the most useful features of LinkedIn to your business Smartphone. The application features six modules, each with a user experience designed from the ground up for BlackBerry devices:

Features of LinkedIn for Blackberry application:

Network Updates. View and share crucial business intelligence and updates with your network.
Search: Search across over 60 million global professionals, and get the answer back in seconds. LinkedIn implemented a unified search across both your direct connections and the entire LinkedIn network.
Connections: LinkedIn is your address book in the cloud. Get quick access to any of your connections to get their up-to-date profile information, and the ability to send them a message immediately.
Invitations: Accept outstanding invitations immediately on Blackberry Smartphone.
Messages: Messaging is one of the reasons that BlackBerry owners love their devices, and we’ve worked hard to integrate your LinkedIn Inbox.
Reconnect: This module brings suggestions for new connections to you anytime. Now you can build your network from anywhere, in seconds.

Garmin announced the Forerunner 110 sports watch

2010-03-30T04:54:00.000-07:00

Garmin International Inc., leading manufacturer of GPS products today announced the Forerunner 110 sports watch. According to company, it is the ideal entry-level device for runners, joggers and walkers to track real-time workout data such as, heart rate monitor to display heart rate in beats per minute, heart rate-based calorie computations, review run data, change auto-lap, set an alarm or edit the user profile. Forerunner 110 was announced in preparation for world-class marathons in Paris, Boston and London.

“Forerunner 110 fills the needs of runners of all levels by focusing on simplicity without sacrificing accuracy,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Within seconds of stepping outside, you simply press start and instantly know your distance, pace and time – all without any complicated setup or excessive accessories.”

Forerunner 110 sports watch is water-resistant and slimmer than any other GPS-enabled fitness watch on the market. Watch features with high-sensitivity SiRFstarIV GPS receiver with Garmin’s HotFix technology to quickly acquire and sustain satellite reception.

Garmin Forerunner 110 sports watch available in black/gray, charcoal/red and gray/pink color combinations and has up to 8 hours in GPS/training mode and up to three weeks in power-save mode. Also Forerunner 110 stores and displays up to 200 hours of saved history of users workout.

On Garmin Connect, users can quickly and easily log their workouts, track their totals, set goals, share workouts with friends and family and participate in an online fitness community of more than 20 million activities around the world. Garmin Connect displays metrics such as time, distance, speed, elevation and heart rate. This information is shown through charts, illustrations, reports and a variety of map representations including street, photo, topographic, and elevation maps as well as the popular Google Earth application.

Forerunner 110 sports watch will be available in 2nd Quarter of this year at suggested retail price tag of 249.99 USD for Forerunner 110, Women’s Pink Bundle (Model No. 010-00863-10) and Forerunner 110, Men’s Red Bundle (Model No. 010-00863-11).The bundle includes, watch and heart rate monitor. Also Forerunner 110, Unisex, Black (Model no. 010-00863-00) watch will be available at 99.99 USD.