RameNet Information Systems

2012-08-13T17:21:00.002+03:00

Webinos will be leading open source platform for the new generation internet users. Below given is the link for reference.

http://webinos.org/

TOSHIBA with a Self Encrypting Drive (SED)

2011-04-14T07:38:00.003+03:00

The new Toshiba Self-Encrypting Drives (SED) (models MKxx61GSYG) enable system manufacturers to configure different data invalidation options that align with various end-user scenarios.

The new 2.5-in, 7,200 rpm drives are targeted for use in PCs, copiers and multi-function printers, along with point-of-sale systems used in government, financial, medical, or similar environments that need to protect sensitive information.

The new HDDs use the AES 256-bit encryption algorithm to protect data at rest, and a proprietary data wipe technology that's enabled by the Opal Storage Specification from the Trusted Computing Group. The Opal Storage Specification allows the creation of authentication policy so that devices can determine trusted platform hosts.

HTC Desire

2010-04-18T14:46:00.002+03:00

HTC Desire is really Google's much-touted Nexus One under the hood. But, truth be told, despite HTC's considerably lower profile among the general public, the Desire has several features that mark it out as superior not just to Google's smart phone debut, but also to the vast majority of smartphones available on planet earth.

Features:

3.7in OLED screen offers 480 x 800 pixels

119 x 60 x 12mm and 135g weight

micro USB power/sync

3.5mm headphone jack and power/standby button on top. Android 2.1 (Éclair) operating system

There are seven home pages rather than the usual three (or the Nexus' five), each of which can be populated with standard Android widgets plus a few specials from HTC. When you pinch any of the homepages inwards you get all seven in one, which can help if you've forgotten what you've put where. It's easy enough to brush between home pages in any case.

The World's First Commercial Brain-Computer Interface

2010-03-16T15:59:00.005+03:00

The world's first commercial effort at a patient-ready brain computer interface is on display over at CeBIT 2010, but don't go throwing out your keyboard and mouse just yet. Intended for patients suffering from locked-in syndrome and other communication-impairing conditions, the Intendixfrom Guger Technologies allows users to input text using only their brains.

Intendix works using an EEG-sensitive cap that measures brain activity that is focused in a particular way. You simply watch a grid of letters that flashes on the screen, focusing on the letter you want to type. When the letter you want lights up, your brainwaves jump ever so slightly, allowing the EEG to determine what to type. Guger Technologies claims that the interface is simple enough that users can utilize it relatively well after just ten minutes of training.

As the brain acclimates to the system, users can type as quickly as one letter per second, making it possible to carry on a conversation and communicate complex thoughts, a step above some of the more rudimentary communication systems that have been devised over past decades.

At more than $12,000 per unit, Intendix is a bit pricey for the BCI enthusiast simply interested in the technology, but the commercialization of the product does signal a new degree of accessibility to brain computer interfacing. It doesn't appear we're going to be mind-melding with our PCs anytime soon, but this certainly marks a small step in that direction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_1RlfdIwBU

Motorola's Droid

2010-02-23T09:50:00.005+03:00

Motorola is introducing its Android 3G Motorola Droid, using Android 2.0 with a capacity of social networking etc and back in the race. Add in a slide-out Qwerty keyboard, 5 megapixel camera, improved browser, Wi-Fi, and A-GPS with sat nav capability, and things are looking very interesting at Motorola.

It's solidly put together though, weighing in at a surprisingly heavy 165g for its 60 x 116 x 14mm dimensions. The weight is partly due to its metal casing, which features a rubberised coating on the back to prevent it sliding around on smooth surfaces.

The large screen sits above a touch-sensitive Android menu bar with back, menu, home and search buttons, while the sides sport a volume rocker, blingy gold-coloured camera shutter button and micro USB power/sync slot, with a power/lock button and 3.5mm headphone jack on top.

The slide-out Qwerty keyboard is nice and thin, but found it just a little bit disappointing. It has four lines of good-sized keys with a large D-pad on the right. Yet, even though the keys are slightly raised, they're not as easy to find under the thumbs as recent models from Nokia or HTC.

2010-02-15T16:13:00.002+03:00

Its google buzz time and don't know how many will hit. The beginning is not good but may be expect some edit in the next few days. Cannot allow contacts in public. Let see what buzzing...

ultra-DVD stores 10,000 GB of data

2009-05-25T14:12:00.006+03:00

A DVD that can store up to 2,000 films could usher in an age of 3D TV and ultra-high definition viewing, scientists say. The ultra-DVD is the same size and thickness as a conventional disc, but uses nano-technology to store vast amounts of information.

Scientists believe it could be on sale. One disc could back up the memory of a computer or record thousands of hours of film.

The breakthrough comes from Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, where scientists created a prototype using 'nano rods' - tiny particles of gold too small to see - and polarised light, in which the light waves only flow in one direction.

Professor Min Gu, whose findings appear in the journal Nature, said: 'We were able to show how nano-structured material can be incorporated on to a disc to increase data capacity without increasing the size of the disc.'

A DVD can hold up to 8.5 gigabytes of information, enough for a movie, several special features and an alternative soundtrack.

Blu-ray discs, which were designed to replace them, can store 50GB, enough for a film and extra features in high definition.

But ultra-DVDs will be able to store ten terabytes - or 10,000GB.

A conventional DVD records music, pictures and computer files as digital code - a series of ones and zeroes. The code is written as a series of pits under the clear surface of the disc and is read by a DVD player's laser.

The technology could help usher in an age of 3D TV or ultra-high definition.

Samsung's 1st Android handset

2009-04-28T06:40:00.001+03:00

Samsung has finally taken the wraps off its first Google Android-based handset, with an official launch of its I7500 phone.

The device has been unmasked by O2’s German arm, which said it has the I7500 exclusively. It’s unlikely the operator will restrict sales solely to Germany, although we’ve yet to hear anything about a UK launch date.

Aside from all the usual Android OS characteristics, the I7500 supports unspecified HSDPA 3G bandwidth, GSM/GPRS/Edge connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. GPS is also built in.

A 3.2in, 320 x 480 touch-sensitive display is average these days, as is the I7500’s 5Mp camera and LED flash. However, you’ll also be able to record videos – with a selection of formats supported, including H.264, MPEG 4 and WMV – and listen to several audio formats, such as MP3, AAC and WMA.

The phone itself measures 115 x 56 x 11.9mm and is equipped with 8GB of internal storage. However, if that’s not enough for you, it also accepts Micro SD memory cards of up to 32GB in capacity.

Samsung’s I7500 will be available, in Germany at least, during June. A price hasn’t been announced yet. ®

COLD BOOT

2008-10-25T06:25:00.000+03:00

Researchers release 'COLD BOOT' attack utilities, A way around disk encryption

The security researcher who demonstrated the 'cold boot' attack has released the source code for the hack. The attack, first demonstrated in February, uses a set of utilities to lift crypto keys from memory even after a reboot.

A boon for hackers and computer forensics experts alike, the approach created a means to circumvent disk encryption simply by powering off a target machine which has been left hibernating or screen-locked, and quickly re-booting it to an external hard drive loaded with customised software. The attack worked because DRAM chips used by modern computers retain data for seconds or even minutes after being powered down, contrary to popular opinion. Cooling the chips wasn't absolutely necessary but aided the process in some cases.

Once the data is recovered utilities are needed to make sense of the information and perform functions such as correcting errors caused by bit decay.

The approach was pioneered by researchers from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Princeton University and Wind River. One of the researchers involved in the celebrated hack, Jacob Appelbaum, released source code for the utilities used for it at the Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE) conference in New York last weekend. It's hoped the release of the utilities will spur the development of countermeasures as well as raising awareness about the risks posed by the original attack.

Japan handheld with Intel Atom chip debuts

2008-04-15T14:52:00.002+03:00

The Japanese electronics maker Sharp along with Willcom announced the ultra-mobile Willcom D4 "communication device" based on Intel's Atom processor and Microsoft's Vista operating system.

Microsoft and Intel were also credited with development of the device, according to the Japanese-language release on the Sharp Web site.

The handheld-size device uses a 1.33GHz Z520 Intel Atom processor and runs Windows Vista Home Premium (with Service Pack 1). Other devices this size--which are also referred to as mobile Internet devices or MIDs--have also been shown running the Linux operating system.
With a separate headset, the device can also be used as a phone using Wilcom's Personal Handy-phone System (PHS) network, both Sharp and Willcom said.

The device weighs in at 470 grams (about one pound) and features a 5-inch sliding LCD (1024x600/262K colors) with an LED backlight, a 1.8-inch 40GB hard disk drive (Ultra ATA/100), 64-key QWERTY keyboard, a built-in camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a mirco SD card slot, and a USB 2.0 slot.

The D4's inclusion of a 40GB hard disk drive is an indicator that the device is meant to run Windows--because of the operating system's typically larger footprint--not Linux.
Intel Atom technology includes a single-chip with integrated graphics called the Intel System Controller Hub.

Atom will find its way into fit-in-your-pocket MIDs from Gigabyte, Toshiba, LG Electronics, Lenovo, and BenQ, among others. Netbooks (inexpensive, Internet-centric ultra-small notebook PCs) such as Asus's popular Intel-based Eee PC, MSI's Wind PC, and Clevo will also use the chip.

Willcom D4 is slated for a June release and is expected to be priced at 128,600 yen ($1,272)

Nokia confirms 'iPhone killer' handset

2008-04-14T16:24:00.001+03:00

Nokia has confirmed that it’s developing a touchscreen-equipped handset to take on the Apple iPhone, and has shown off pictures of the upcoming phone to drooling onlookers.

The Finnish giant’s handset is code named 'Tube', and Tom Libretto, VP of Forum Nokia, said the device will be the company’s “first touch device”. Given the codename, it's fair to suggest Nokia sees it as a mobile video platform. And with the DVB-H mobile digital TV standard now starting to gain momentum, Tube will probably be a handheld telly too.

The device looks like the iPhone’s long lost twin, except for a Nokia logo stuck underneath the handset’s earpiece. The Tube’s display doesn’t look as wide as the iPhone’s, but appearances can be deceptive. Nokia's design also lacks the iPhone's 'home' button. Unconfirmed reports suggest Nokia's would-be iPhone killer will run on the Symbian S60 platform.

Microsoft discloses 14,000 pages of coding secrets

2008-04-09T14:40:00.003+03:00

Microsoft Publicly Posts Additional Protocol Documentation. Action is another step toward delivering on interoperability principle of ensuring open connections to high-volume products.

Microsoft Corp. today took another step toward fulfilling its interoperability principle of ensuring open connections to its high-volume products and driving greater interoperability, opportunity and choice across the IT community of developers, partners, customers and competitors.

Microsoft today posted on MSDN more than 14,000 pages of preliminary versions of technical documentation for Microsoft protocols built into Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. With this action, Microsoft will have posted a cumulative total of more than 44,000 pages of protocol documentation that it committed in its interoperability principles. Anyone who wishes to do so can now access, for free, preliminary versions of the documentation for the “connection points” between these Microsoft products as follows:
• Protocols between Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Office client applications;
• Protocols between Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and other Microsoft server products;
• Protocols between Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Outlook;
• Protocols between 2007 Microsoft Office system client applications and other Microsoft server products.

As a result of today’s posting, all types of developers — including independent software vendors, open source developers and developers in customer IT departments — will have consistent, open access to this protocol documentation that defines how these high-volume Microsoft products communicate with other Microsoft products. This consistent, open access to information will promote more interoperability options for developers of all types and will help foster improved real-world interoperability solutions in the marketplace.

“Microsoft is pleased to announce today another step toward putting our interoperability principles into action with the public availability of these protocol specifications for Microsoft Office, Office SharePoint Server and Microsoft Exchange Server,” said Tom Robertson, general manager of Interoperability and Standards at Microsoft. “We believe that providing open, consistent access to these protocols will further unleash the creativity of all developers to work on real-world interoperability solutions. The implementation of Microsoft’s interoperability principles is an important component of our overall efforts to promote interoperability in the marketplace.”

As an example, developers working with SharePoint protocols will have additional resources to develop products that work with Microsoft Office client applications and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server products. These specifications will help spark the energy and imagination of countless developers to create new products and improve existing solutions.
In another example, developers working with Exchange Server protocols will have additional resources to build applications that directly communicate and store information with either Exchange Server or Microsoft Office Outlook related to e-mail, calendars, contacts, voice mail and task tracking.

“Today we are posting preliminary versions of protocol documentation for Microsoft Office, Office SharePoint Server and Exchange Server,” said Jean Paoli, general manager of Interoperability and XML Architecture at Microsoft. “We are very eager to receive feedback from members of the developer community as they access this documentation over the next several weeks and months so we can use that feedback to improve our final documentation to be released in June.”

The preliminary versions of the material posted today represent the first of a three-phased approach Microsoft is taking to make the protocol information available and accessible to all developers. The second phase, which will run until June, will be the collection of input from the community as developers review the documentation and provide feedback. The third phase, which will occur by the end of June, will be the posting of the final versions of the documentation along with final patent licensing terms. Microsoft will also announce additional documentation and disclosure schedules in the future.

As described in Microsoft’s interoperability principles, everyone will have access to this protocol documentation without having to sign a license or pay a royalty or other fee. For those protocols that may be covered by a Microsoft patent, Microsoft will make available patent licenses on reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms, at low royalty rates. In addition, Microsoft will publish a list of the protocols that are covered by patents and will make available a list of the specific Microsoft patents and patent applications that cover each protocol. However, open source developers, whether commercial or noncommercial, will not need a patent license for the development of implementations of these protocols or for the noncommercial distribution of these implementations, according to a Microsoft patent pledge for open source developers, issued pursuant to the interoperability principles.

Today’s software users operate in an increasingly diverse IT environment that is rich with many products and services from many companies based on many business models. Microsoft’s interoperability principles are part of the company’s broader effort to deliver interoperable solutions to customers through product design, community participation, access to technologies, and engagement with standards organizations.

This is Microsoft's latest effort to satisfy anti-trust concerns of the European Union, which is possibly a tougher adversary for the company than Google. Press release Microsoft

AMD 780G integrated DirectX10.1 chipset

2008-03-21T09:26:00.002+03:00

AMD’s 700-series chipsets covers all the motherboard options that a gamer could require for the quad-core Phenom processor. There’s the 790FX with support for CrossFireX to handle three or four graphics cards, the 790X that does CrossFire with two cards, and the 770 that combines Phenom with a single PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 slot.

And now for those members of the buying public who don’t play games all the time there’s the new 780G. The G suffix indicates that this chipset includes an integrated graphics core, though it has a PCIe 2.0 slot too.

Tablet PC from Dell

2007-12-09T08:11:00.000+03:00

The Latitude XT has been announced since May through the Direct2Dell blog. The convertible device was alleged to targeting the enterprise and several vertical markets, and also healthcare and educational or learning institutions. The launch could be regarded as an important event in the company's history, as Dell had only sold third-party tablet PC, such as Motion Computing, but did not offer a Dell product. This policy has been adopted, as Dell did not believe that there would be a constant demand for such high-end computers.

Other companies that already had a Tablet PC line pressured the market with their own products. This was the case of Lenovo who had worked on a new and improved version of its ThinkPad X61 tablet. The new product was due to marketing in early May, and it sold for a starting price of about $1,800.

It is in the current trends that, even if the high-end computing devices such as tablets, ultralight laptops and ultramobile PCs are making the newspapers' headlines, most of the potential customers stick to the old habits and pick standard laptops for day-by-day computing. Things are about to change, as Microsoft built tablet features for their latest operating system and showed potential customers what they could miss along with the tablet PC.

Superspeed USB 3.0, a next gen Interconnect

2007-10-17T10:28:00.000+03:00

Popular USB Computer Connection Technology Expands performance with Proposed USB 3.0 Specification.

Intel and other industry leaders have formed the USB 3.0 Promoter Group to create a superspeed personal USB interconnect that can deliver over 10 times the speed of today's connection. The technology, also developed by HP, Microsoft Corporation, NEC Corporation, NXP Semiconductors and Texas Instruments Incorporated, will target fast sync-and-go transfer applications in the PC, consumer and mobile segments that are necessary as digital media become ubiquitous and file sizes increase up to and beyond 25 Gigabytes.

USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0 will create a backward-compatible standard with the same ease-of-use and plug N play capabilities of previous USB technologies. Targeting over 10x performance increase, the technology will draw from the same architecture of wired USB. In addition, the USB 3.0 specification will be optimized for low power and improved protocol efficiency.

USB 3.0 ports and cabling will be designed to enable backward compatibility as well as future-proofing for optical capabilities. "USB 3.0 is the next logical step for the PC's most popular wired connectivity," said Jeff Ravencraft, technology strategist with Intel and president of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). Intel formed the USB 3.0 Promoter Group with the understanding that the USB-IF would act as the trade association for the USB 3.0 specification. A completed USB 3.0 specification is expected by the first half of 2008. USB 3.0 implementations will initially be in the form of discrete silicon. The USB 3.0 Promoter Group is committed to preserving the existing USB device class driver infrastructure and investment, look-and-feel and ease-of-use of USB while continuing to expand this great technology's capabilities.

About the USB-IF:
The non-profit USB Implementers Forum, Inc. was formed to provide a support organization and forum for the advancement and adoption of USB technology. The USB-IF facilitates the development of high-quality compatible USB devices, through its logo and compliance program and promotes the benefits of USB and the quality of products that have passed compliance testing. Further information, including postings of the most recent product and technology announcements, is available by visiting the USB-IF Web site at www.usb.org.

source: Intel press release

Scientist invents computer pillow to stop snoring

2007-10-04T13:02:00.000+03:00

Invention by German professor shifts the head's sleeping position until the noise stops. It can also be used for neck massages. A German scientist has come up with a solution for snoring, a computerized pillow that shifts the head's sleeping position until the noise stops.

Daryoush Bazargani, a professor of computer science at the University of Rostock and the pillow's inventor, was displaying a prototype of his pillow at a health conference in Germany on Wednesday.

"The pillow is attached to a computer, which is the size of a book, rests on a bedside table, and analyzes snoring noises," Bazargani told Reuters.

"The computer then reduces or enlarges air compartments within the pillow to facilitate nasal airflow to minimize snoring as the user shifts during sleep," he said.

The ergonomic pillow can also be used for neck massages. Bazargani said several U.S. firms were interested in manufacturing the pillow.

"I invented it because I snore," he said. "I tried all sorts of products, but nothing worked. I hope people who use it will sleep more peacefully."

Source: Story Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

Sony's 40GB PS3 due 28 October?

2007-10-03T13:48:00.000+03:00

Rumours that Sony is preparing a cut-price 40GB PlayStation 3 may have been dismissed by the consumer electronics giant as "speculation", but evidence is mounting that just such a box is indeed coming later this month.

UK online retailer Play.com, for instance, is listing an unspecified PS3, clearly separate from the other models, and which is revealed when visitors to its website do a search for 'ps3 40gb'. Presumably, then, we can safely assume Sony is readying a 666GB version of the console.

HE LAST CAUGHT

2007-09-20T09:56:00.000+03:00

Late at night
under the stars

everything was dark
except the thought
that i had
of the last CAUGHT

picturing you in the sky
we play around, run n fly
.
...
.....

wondering now, to meet again
to capture u once again

hours spent in your thought
but, now it were the rays.. that i caught
striking the eyes woke me up
breaking the thought that i BROUGHT

nishi...

Irish firm launches 'global' mobile phone

2007-09-20T09:27:00.000+03:00

Irish firm Cubic Telecom has launched the first 'truly global' mobile phone at a major industry exhibition in California.

The 'Cubic Mobile' phone was launched Monday at the prestigious TechCrunch 40 trade show in San Francisco, where Cubic was the only Irish exhibitor of the 40 companies in attendance. The new phone is a dual-band GSM/Wi-Fi device that includes several features the company says will help reduce the cost of long-distance calling.

It uses the 'MAXroam' SIM card, claimed to be the world's first universal SIM card, which offers favourable country-to-country phone rates anywhere in the world. Cubic says the card is the result of years of negotiations with GSM carriers around the world. The phone also offers full PBX functionality, allowing users to create up to 50 permanent local phone numbers for themselves. Cubic is also offering free Voice over IP (VoIP) calls within its network.

Cubic says the new phone is aimed at three key sectors of the mobile market: Emigres who buy pre-paid calling cards to call friends and family overseas, travellers looking to reduce the costs associated with roaming, and globally distributed teams from commercial, not-for-profit or governmental organisations.

Two versions of the handset will be available from 1 October: A basic version priced at EUR99.95 and a Windows Mobile version selling for EUR159.95. Both devices come with the MAXroam SIM card pre-installed. The card can also be purchased separately for use in any unlocked GSM phone, priced at EUR29.99.

The launch of the Cubic Mobile comes after the company secured EUR5 million of funding for the development of new products in August of this year. Cubic has offices in Canada and Portugal as well as headquarters in Cork and offers its services in 160 countries. The firm currently employs 10 people worldwide but says it is aiming to double its headcount by the end of the year.

Apples iPod classic released

2007-09-18T14:59:00.000+03:00

The iPod Classic has a metal face, not a plastic one. The shiny, curved chrome-like backplate is still there, but now it's attached to an anodised aluminium sheet that curves gently forward before forming a flat space in which the display and click wheel are mounted.

The casing - its the same material used in last year's iPod Nano update - is tactile and has a satin sheen quite unlike the patent gloss of old. That's good for the black Classic, which is now far more resistant to fingerprints than its predecessor was and probably more resistant to scratches, though only time will tell for sure. The back of the player however, is just as susceptible to scrapes and scratches as it always was, as we discovered when we were a little reckless in docking the device.

Banner Ad Trojan Served on MySpace, Photobucket

2007-09-11T14:57:00.000+03:00

"Yahoo feeds Trojan-laced ads to MySpace and PhotoBucket users. Several banner ads containing Trojan horse programs that can compromise a user's computer have been running on some high-traffic Web sites for the past several weeks, including MySpace.com and Photobucket.com, Security Fix has learned.

According to Web security company ScanSafe it first spotted the tainted banner ads on Aug. 8, and estimates that the hostile ads ran several million times for the next three weeks. Other sites that ran the ads included Bebo.com, TheSun.co.uk, and UltimateGuitar.com, officials at ScanSafe said. All a visitor to one of these sites needed to do to infect their machines was to browse a page that featured the ads with a version of Internet Explorer that was not equipped with the latest security updates from Microsoft.

The banner ads in question were traced back to an ad network exchange run by a company called RightMedia, which was recently acquired by Yahoo!. The ads were being delivered to RightMedia's network from a third-party ad server. According to ScanSafe, those third-party servers included in their rotation several malicious ads that used Macromedia Flash files to load an invisible "iFrame" (used to insert content from another Web site into the current Web page).

The malicious iFrame in turn pulled down code that leveraged a security hole in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser (a flaw Microsoft patched in February) to install a generic Trojan horse program.

Tools like the "noscript" add-on for Firefox can help users block powerful programming languages like Flash and Javascript from running automatically when a user visits a Web site. However, noscript may do little to prevent these types of attacks if the visitor has previously instructed "noscript" to trust the site permanently.

Another key takeaway here is the importance of Windows users keeping their systems up to date with the latest security patches, particularly those issued by Microsoft to plug holes in IE and other vital system components."
source: washington post

First 40Gbps Silicon Laser Modulator

2007-09-10T09:52:00.000+03:00

Intel silicon photonics researchers achieve another breakthrough with the world’s first silicon laser modulator to encode optical data at 40 billion bits per-second. With a speed matching the fastest modulators deployed today, these low cost, low power devices could one day bring terabit/s optical I/O to PCs and servers.

Check out the blog for more information from Ansheng Liu, Principal Engineer in the Photonics Technology Lab and Lead Architect of the 40G Silicon Laser Modulator.

http://blogs.intel.com/research/2007/07/40g_modulator.html
source: intel

Tiny Storage device

2007-09-09T14:06:00.000+03:00

Seagate announced nine new products on the eve of its annual analyst meeting, scheduled to take place later this week.

Seagate's DAVE 3.5 x 4.7 x .47-inch form factor into which you can cram 20GB ~ 60GB and cost less than $200 (digital audio video experience) platform, for instance, is geared toward people who want to use their phone as an MP3 player, movie player or video recorder.

The unit, which contains a 60GB 1.8-inch drive, can connect to a phone via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or a USB cable, and it can fit inside a coat pocket. Most phones come with a few gigabytes of capacity, at best, so a DAVE would significantly increase the amount of remote storage.

Some companies are also testing out the DAVE as a vehicle for renting movies. In this scenario, customers would walk up to a kiosk and select the movies they wanted. The kiosk would then beam them into the DAVE unit. The movies would contain copyright protection to prevent piracy, Watkins added.

In a twist, Seagate doesn't plan to market the DAVE as a product under its own name. Instead, it will make the DAVE for cellular companies and let them brand it.

At the other end of the Seagate spectrum is a drive optimized for security cameras. The drive, which offers up to 1 terabyte of storage, contains firmware that enables it to accept video streams from several sources.

The product launch also included a 1-terabyte desktop drive, a 250GB notebook drive, and backup drives from the Maxtor line. Seagate acquired Maxtor last year and continues to use the brand for its "value" (i.e. cheaper and less fancy) line of products.

The desktop Maxtor backup drives sport up to 750GB of storage space and cost about $270 each. In 2004, Sony showed off a 1-terabyte home server in Japan that cost about $5,000, so the price of storage continues to plummet.

Seagate also announced new drives for the first quarter of 2008, with enhanced error correction for digital-video recorders, including a 1TB model. In Japan, consumers are already asking for 2TB drives for their DVRs.

Seagate has also said it plans to move into the market for flash-based hard drives. The company now sells only hard drives that store data on magnetic platters.

Samsung Electronics and SanDisk have already released flash drives for notebooks and blade servers. By coming out with its own flash drives, Seagate can participate in what Watkins claims will be a corner of the storage market.

Flash memory is more reliable and consumes less energy, but it costs more, in terms of cents per gigabyte.
source: cnet

Breakthrough drug for schizophrenia

2007-09-03T09:12:00.000+03:00

The first new class of drugs in more than a decade for treating schizophrenia worked at least as well in a clinical trial as standard medications, a study released on Sunday showed.

Unlike current anti-psychotic drugs, which block the uptake of a naturally occurring chemical called dopamine, the new drug acts on a different neurotransmitter, glutamate.

The new treatment also reduced certain undesirable side-effects, according to the study, published in the British journal Nature Science.

Imbalances in the brain of these chemicals are largely responsible for schizophrenia's disabling symptoms, which range from hallucinations and delusions to a severely impaired ability to express emotion. Environmental factors are thought to play a role too.

Until now, the only drugs able to keep the most severe symptoms in check without debilitating side-effects acted on dopamine receptors.

Dopamine is the chemical messenger in the brain mainly involved with thinking, emotions, behaviour and perception.

In a double blind clinical trial, a team led by Sandeep Patil, a researcher at Eli Lilly, which funded the study, administered the new drug -- known as LY2140023 -- to 97 patients alongside smaller groups given placebos or olanzipine, a commonly prescribed anti-psychotic medication.

LY2140023 matched the effectiveness of olanzipine for both "positive" symptoms such as hallucinations as well as "negative" ones, including withdrawal.

As important, it avoided some of the adverse effects associated with dopamine-targeting drugs: weight gain, increases in blood fat called triglycerides, periodontitis, and inflammation of the gums.
source: Agence France-Presse, Paris

Storm virus

2007-08-29T06:56:00.000+03:00

The Storm Trojan / Bot continues to spread and is now using a YouTube video to lure users. The latest version has a variety of subjects and email bodies but now uses the filename video.exe.

Email subject example: Sheesh man what are you thinkin.

Upon connecting to the URL, which is referenced as a YouTube link but is actually a Storm IP, the same exploit code used in past attacks attempts to run. As in the past if users are not vulnerable they will get a page displayed that requests they run the code manually such as in the screenshot below: