Shufflegazine

Chat about tech in Shufflegazine microblogging service? Check!

Magnus Nystedt — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:17:56 +0000

Yes, I’m a geek so I would be excited about something like this, wouldn’t I? Whether it’s actually used or not it almost besides the point but only almost. It only took a few minutes to set up and it’s free so no big loss if it doesn’t work out.

But I like the idea though with a community online for Shufflegazine but not a full discussion forum.

So what is it?

Think of it as a Twitter just for Shufflegazine. You get your account there, post short messages and interact with others. You can tie your posts there in to Twitter so they appear there as well.

So go check it out at http://shufflegazine.status.net and start chatting, twittering, discussing… whatever you want to call it.

Dubai Twestival March 25 open for registration

Magnus Nystedt — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:15:04 +0000

It’s that time again! Time to get together with Twitter friends in the name of charity. Yes, another Twestival is taking place and this time it’s to the benefit of Concern Worldwide, a “international humanitarian organization dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty.”

The Twestival takes place on March 25 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai. As you may be aware, Twestival is a globally coordinated event with local events taking place all over the world so there may be one closer to you.

Twestival is all about “social media for social good.” It’s local events arranged through the power of Twitter and they’re globally coordinated to take place on the same date around the globe. The Twestivals in 2009 in Dubai were great events to get together with friends, have some fun and pitch in a bit to a charity.

Registration is now open for the Twestival so go ahead and reserve your spot. If previous Twestivals are anything to go by this one should be a great time as well.

For more information check out the Dubai Twestival web site. Of course you also want to follow the Twitter feed.

Buffalo Technology Announces Availability of Latest Portable Solid-state Drive

pressrelease — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:21:51 +0000

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of storage, wireless networking and memory solutions, announces the portable MicroStation™ Solid State Disk (SSD). Buffalo’s MicroStation™ SSD offers a sleek portable storage solution with the latest SSD technology. The compact drive is capable of storing up to 64GB of data while the SSD technology allows for lower power consumption that helps prolong the life of your laptop battery – the perfect solution for people on the move.

“Although SSD is still not a mainstream consumer product, the Buffalo MicroStation™ SSD offers early adopters the benefits of SSD technology without compromising convenience and design,” said Jasem Al Roomi, Director at Buffalo Advantec FZCO.

“With its fast read/write speeds and compact form, the MicroStation™ SSD is perfect to use whilst traveling. The low power consumption of SSD technology also gives users the benefit of less energy consumption and longer battery life especially for laptop users.” he adds.

Buffalo’s latest addition to its SSD family is so compact, at 57 x 13 x 98 mm fits in palm of your hand and weighs a mere 62 grams. So portable and light, the drive can easily be slipped into your jean pocket, ready to share with friends their latest music collection or vacation pictures.

Users also don’t need to worry about protecting their data as Buffalo’s MicroStation™ SSD comes pre-installed with SecureLockWare software for Windows PC. The software encrypts the user’s data and protects it by preventing unauthorized access if the drive is misplaced or falls into the wrong hands.

Other Key Features:
• TurboUSB™ – enhances data transfer speed
• Includes Memeo™ Autosync
• Easy to Install and Set-up
• Supported OS: Windows®7 (32/64bit), Windows® Vista™(32/64bit), Windows® XP,
• Windows® 2000, MAC OS X 10.4 or later
• USB Powered – no power supply required

Pricing and Availability
Backed by a two-year warranty, the Buffalo MicroStation™ SSD will be available from leading retailers and authorized Buffalo business solution partners around the Middle East at estimated street prices of:

SHD-PE32U2/BK-EU 32GB $169.99
SHD-PE64U2/BK-EU 64GB $ 299.99

Split Second reality racing game previewed in Dubai

Magnus Nystedt — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:16:39 +0000

Especially invited representatives of media were today shown a preview of Split Second, an upcoming game developed by Black Rock Studios, part of Disney Interactive Studios.

Jason Reid, producer of Split Second, doing the demonstration of the game, said that as the player in the game you take part in a “reality racing game.” Reid explained that when they started developing the game they wanted something different, not to go down the traditional route. After some brainstorming they came up with a concept that would look and feel like so many car chase sequences we’ve seen in movies. As Reid said they wanted “high octane bits” and the “Bruckheimer moments” in reference to movies by Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of Hollywood hits like Top Gun and Pirates of the Carribean.

What they came up with is a driving game that takes place in five different districts in a town called “Velocity.” You drive different cars through a series of races, which will test your skills in competition with other drivers. The other drivers can be up two two on the same console or computer (in a split screen mode), up to eight players online or against computer-controlled players. As you successfully go through races you get more power and that power you can use to blow up competitors and elements in the environment. Reid said that “anything big in the environment you can destroy.” See a factory somewhere? Blow it up!

As you can see from the video the game is very cinematic in that it looks and feels very much like a movie. It zooms in on opponents wrecking and exploding, the whole environment around you can blow up and bits and pieces fall down all around you as you speed along.

Reid said that the computer drivers that are controlled by AI (Artificial Intelligence) “learns how good you are” using a “a system that learns how to race the track.” So if you drive in a particular way, use your powers in a particular way, etc. the computer players will recognize that and come up with a strategy that adapts to your behavior in order to beat you.

Split Second is expected to launch in May 2010.

LG raises the bar for home entertainment with PK550 plasma TV

pressrelease — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:43:38 +0000

LG Electronics, a major player in the global flat panel and audio-video devices market, has announced the launch of its new PK550 plasma TV. With its slim frame and unparalleled picture quality, the PK550 is another endorsement of LG’s commitment to cutting-edge technology and superlative design.

In a major departure from current TV design, the PK550’s Razor Frame boasts an extremely slim bezel for a truly immersive picture. Designed with the versatile consumer in mind, the PK550 is perfect for both wall and tabletop mounting, with a narrow frame that means the TV takes up much less space than other models with the same screen size. Together, the PK550’s slim form – the slimmest of any LG plasma TV – and relatively light weight make it easier than ever to blend this widescreen plasma TV into the home.

The PK550 also sets new standards for widescreen picture quality, with a range of technologies that make the picture crisper and more vivid than ever before. Among the key improvements are a new anti-reflection filter and LG’s unique Protective Skin Glass Technology, which between them reduce reflection and double imaging, and eliminate interference to create LG’s sharpest picture yet. The Dual XD Engine converts older content into near-high definition quality, while the 600Hz Max Sub-Field Driving ensures smooth viewing of even the fastest action sequences. Taken together, the PK550’s screen technologies deliver a truly peerless viewing experience.

To complement its industry-leading picture quality and design, the PK550 boasts a series of other benefits for LG’s customers. The Intelligent Sensor gauges the amount of ambient light in the room to automatically calibrate and optimize brightness, contrast, white balance and color. In doing so, it both enhances the picture and uses less electricity. Adding to its eco-friendly credentials, the PK550’s High Efficiency Module helps further reduce energy consumption, for overall savings of up to 20 percent.

All told, the PK550 offers consumers the best in TV design, picture quality and functionality: another way in which LG is helping enrich the lives of its customers.

The PK550 will be available in the UAE from mid April.

30 Days With Aperture 3

Breandan Dezendorf — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:06:30 +0000

A month ago, Apple released Aperture 3. I downloaded a copy, requested a 30 day trail serial number, and took it for a spin. Aperture 3 brings a host of improvements I had been waiting for – most notably Faces and Places from iPhoto, as well as a revamped keyword/tagging system and a curves adjustment. I’m a long time Aperture user – having started using it with the initial release and kept with it through every update. From that standpoint, I can speak to the relative speed of Aperture 3. To be frank, Aperture 1.0 was glacial, especially once you loaded even a small number of images into the database (less than 5000). The 1.5 revision fixed a lot of the critical speed issues for smaller libraries, and fixed a number of bugs with the way images were handled, and the way RAW conversion was done. Aperture 2.0 was the first release to have acceptable performance for moderate sized libraries, and it can even handle my oversized library (68,000 images and counting) without too much of a problem. The biggest problem with a library of that size in Aperture 2.1 is the loading times. Even on my newly upgraded MacPro with 8GB of RAM, it takes well over 4 minutes for the application to be useable – and that is with no other applications running.

For this review, I loaded a little less than a quarter of my images into Aperture 3, about 18,000 images. I have not loaded my whole library into Aperture yet. The conversion process is non-reversible, and I am bordering on paranoid when it comes to data integrity. Once I am fully comfortable with the new version, I’ll commit myself to the rest of the upgrade. At the moment, my Aperture 2 library is over 250 GB, which represents the index files, rendered previews, keyword tagging files and other metadata repositories. Fully %90 of my image files live external to the Library as “referenced masters”, on a high speed NAS device. This is another 535 GB of data, mostly in the form of .NEFs from the camera. For the testing I’ve been doing, there is a mix of local masters on my internal hard drives, and references masters on the NAS. I will indicate which is which when relevant during the rest of this review.

Interface Changes:
There are some significant changes to the Aperture library that it took me some time to adjust to. In previous releases the viewer was pretty static, showing images either one at a time, one at a time with a film strip across the bottom with the rest of the images, or just in a grid. Everything else was added onto the sides of the viewer as requested, including the metadata editors, the keyword editors, and the project management screens. In Aperture 3, the viewer itself has different modes and until you start paying attention to how these modes interact, it can be very frustrating. For example, the Faces and the Places features now function as two additional viewer modes – much like the grid viewer and the full screen mode – so they come up focused on projects or albums, not on the library as a whole. This takes some adjusting to, as you are trying to figure out exactly which images are being processed by the Faces algorithm until you see these simply as additional modes for the viewer. I’m not sure I’m a fan of this – I don’t think there’s enough distinction between the modes, and it’s not always obvious what you are looking at.

In terms of positive interface changes, Full Screen view now takes whatever state the viewer is and expands it to fill the entire screen. In the past it took a single image (or group of images) and made you rely on the various HUDs to manage and edit the photos. This is a welcome change, as it allows you to maximize your screen real estate regardless of the task you are currently trying to perform. The old style is still available if you want it.

Additionally, the ability to do localized adjustments with brushes and the addition of a curves tool meant that I was going out to Photoshop a lot less than I used to. Out of habit, I still do final resizing and sharpening in Photoshop, but almost all of my actual editing is now done in Aperture. I do dip into Photoshop when there are complex edits to do, but that is more due to my familiarity with Photoshop, and less with lacking features in Aperture. This means the next time Adobe updates Photoshop, I’ll probably wait it out, as my copy of Photoshop can do all the things I’ve needed to do for quite some time.

Faces and Places:
One of the most anticipated features of Aperture 3 is the Face detection system that appears to have been brought over from iPhoto ‘09. It works very well, but is CPU intensive, even on a Quad processor MacPro. After running through 40 or 50 faces by hand, it starts to correctly suggest faces from the project you are looking at that it thinks match the faces you have already tagged. I’ll admit that I left it overnight to chew through my Library, so I don’t know when it finished.

Places is also very well done. In Aperture 2, GPS data was respected in EXIF headers, but it wasn’t something you could edit or assign arbitrarily. If you forgot to load your GPS data before hand, you had to locate the master files with a 3rd party program, update the EXIF data, and then tell Aperture to “Update EXIF From Master”. This is fixed in Aperture 3. GPS tagging of images can be done either with a GPS track file, or simply by taking pictures with your iPhone 3Gs occasionally as you walk around taking pictures with your other camera. Either way, Aperture associates the location data over time, and lets you assign the averages to your photos. By letting you use photos taken with your iPhone 3G, you can drastically save on battery life at the expense of precise location information. The best I can do with my iPhone 3G with a dedicated GPS tracking package is about 7 hours of active tracking, and that is only achieved by turning every network feature off and turning the brightness down as low as it will go. Allowing you to tag photos with location data based on iPhone photos is simply genius. For casual trips, or trips where you don’t move about a lot, it makes your battery last a lot longer. (Honestly, it would be better if Apple made some kind of GPS tracker that ran in the background on the iPhone, but that’s for another article at another time.)

Social Media:
Aperture is plugged into the social media world. If you use the dotMac/MobileMe service, you can publish from Aperture directly into your account. There is also support for Facebook, Smugmug and flickr, however, the flickr integration isn’t all that useful in the Emirates. The interface for creating a synchronized project is somewhat frustrating – trying to find the settings to change the resolution after the fact took some doing. This isn’t the usual Apple style, where attention to detail for the interface is obvious. Not that the Aperture interface is at all bad – it’s just lacking the polish other apps have.

Once you have the details worked out, however, it’s incredibly simple to update the online projects – just drop the images you want into the respective project folders, and Aperture will figure out the changes and send the new files. A word of warning – removing images from the synchronized library doesn’t remove them from the sites. It simply takes them out of the album you sync’ed them into. There was often extra cleanup work for me to do.

Final Verdict:
Aperture 3 is an amazing upgrade, with a few small edges left to polish. It’s feature set bring it up to a level where an external editor is less important, which is nice. The Faces and Places features keep your library better organized, and let you more quickly pinpoint a specific photo when a client asks for it. On the whole, it’s faster and feels more responsive. There are kinks to work out – some of the interface elements seem a little clunky, even after a month’s use, but these are relatively minor details that Apple can work out with point releases. It also bears mentioning that a number of trial users reported problems, although I did not see these. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that my media is already on a number of different external drives.

This is a post made by a freelance blogger. The opinions stated are not necessarily those of Shufflegazine or CENTIMETERCUBE Publishing.

Microsoft’s New TrueColor Technology Brings Color to Life

pressrelease — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:58:57 +0000

Microsoft Corp. today brightens your video calls with TrueColor Technology, a groundbreaking new image processing technology that provides superior color and brightness in even the worst lighting conditions. TrueColor Technology automatically adjusts the picture quality to provide a more colorful video whether out on the porch with bright sunshine in the morning or in the living room with low light in the evening. This technology will be available in two new webcams launching today, the LifeCam HD-5000 and LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks. These LifeCams will also feature 720p HD sensors and Auto Focus technology at a value price. In addition, TrueColor will be available with the recently launched LifeCam Cinema through a software update.

“Color quality and brightness are critical aspects of video calls. Through our research we know that a large number of video calls are held in either low light conditions or uneven lighting, and these are challenging situations for any webcam and represent a common pain point for webcam users,” said Armagan Demir, Head of Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division Middle East. “Our engineers at Microsoft Hardware created TrueColor Technology to improve the video experience, combining software and firmware to help people look bright and natural in virtually any lighting situation.”

True Colors Shining Through

Microsoft’s new image processing technology analyzes the user’s environment and automatically adjusts the LifeCam settings to provide brighter and more colorful video. It does this through a carefully designed proprietary combination of software and firmware technology to deliver a great experience. To achieve these results, TrueColor Technology includes face-tracking technology developed by Microsoft Research, which can detect a person’s face and help ensure it’s not overexposed or underexposed, so the video call picture looks great even in the most challenging lighting scenarios.

LifeCam HD-5000

Launching with Microsoft’s new TrueColor Technology, the LifeCam HD-5000 offers best-in-class video quality in most lighting scenarios and is the only webcam on the market to offer 720p HD widescreen video and Auto Focus for an estimated retail price under AED200.1 The LifeCam HD-5000 also features a flexible attachment base that bends to fit on most surfaces, including on top of flat-screen monitors and notebook screens, or directly on the desk, so people can use it at home on the desktop or with their notebook while on the road.

LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks

Also launching today is the LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks, which includes TrueColor Technology, 720p HD widescreen video, Auto Focus and a design just for notebooks. The LifeCam HD-6000 features a 360-degree rotation view so people can point the webcam in any direction to share more with friends and family. With a compact design, short three-foot cord and carrying case, the LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks is the perfect webcam for sharing life on the go.

Pricing and Availability

The LifeCam HD-5000 will be available later this month for the estimated retail price of AED1992 and the LifeCam HD-6000 for Notebooks will be available in May for the estimated retail price of AED229.2 TrueColor Technology will be available via a software download for LifeCam Cinema, which is already broadly available at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/downloads/default.mspx.

Microsoft backs these products with a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty. More information about these and other Microsoft Hardware products can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.

Samsung Launches Monte, the Perfect Fit for Full Touch Lifestyle

pressrelease — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:44:01 +0000

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone and telecommunication provider, today announced the launch of Samsung Monte (model: S5620), its new full touch screen device for style-conscious mobile users.

The handset is launched with a host of multimedia features and a sleek, organic design with a sophisticated and glossy look, providing the style and performance of a high-end handset at affordable price. With a stunning design and an intuitive TouchWiz 2.0 Plus User Interface (UI), the Monte is set to become the latest must-have full touch device.

“Samsung Monte is designed for those who appreciate beautiful design and outstanding performance at affordable price,” said Sandeep Saihgal, general manager of mobile phones at Samsung Gulf Electronics. “The phone offers a compelling set of features, such as the native social networking applications, with an intelligent User Interface, design and connectivity options to provide users with the performance they demand.”

Equally, the Samsung Monte has a lot to offer to the social network savvy consumer with a suite of native social networking applications including Facebook and MySpace, allowing users to access their profiles whenever and wherever they choose. This is teamed with advanced Twitter and Bebo widgets – and multi-IM capability – to provide users with the opportunity to chat in real-time via their chosen service. In addition, Monte users can enjoy full Internet browsing, with an accelerometer sensor allowing the onscreen image to automatically adjust as you rotate the phone.

To become the perfect accompaniment to a connected lifestyle, the Monte includes GPS supported by Google Latitude™, ensuring you know where you are – and can keep your friends updated on your location – at all times. This combines with Geo-tagging, allowing users to imprint their photos with geographic tags to share their travels and experiences with friends. Other connectivity features include optional anytime, anywhere Wi-Fi connectivity, Exchange ActiveSync for access to Outlook email accounts, and Google Sync™. This allows users to simultaneously update their social networks schedules and Outlook calendar, without the hassle of accessing each application individually.
To showcase this feature rich and stylish handset, the Monte comes equipped with a 3.0-inch WQVGA LCD screen with 16:9 landscape viewing. It also boasts a 3.2-megapixel camera with many value-added features including smile shot, panorama shot, and face detection. For convenience, the phone also supports Smart Unlock and One finger zoom.

Samsung Monte is available across the region in all major electronics outlets and is retailed at AED 959.

Acer’s latest Product Range to Dazzle KSA GITEX

pressrelease — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:41:30 +0000

Acer, the leading notebook and second largest PC vendor globally, will display its latest product line at KSA GITEX.

Visitors can look forward to several ‘value-for-money’ deals on many of Acer’s leading products.
At this year’s GITEX, visitors will be able to see and preview Acer’s latest consumer range of products including notebooks, desktop, netbooks and displays.
“Saudi Arabia is a key market for the IT industry, and Acer has taken great care to come up with an exiting range of offers to maximise Acer’s appeal, and we are confident that the demand for our products at GITEX will be high,” said Mohammed Hilili, Deputy Country Sales Manager, Acer, KSA and Egypt.
Acer in partnership with its channel will run live demonstrations of its entire product range, and discuss specific customer issues in a one-to-one environment. As part of the exhibition, Acer will also have numerous promotions and deals for visitors.

GITEX, the most popular IT exhibition in the Kingdom runs from 21 April – 29 April 2010 at the Riyadh International Exhibition Centre.

Some must have Acer Products:

Aspire 3D
Today Acer is the first PC vendor to present software that makes it possible to create a 3D viewing experience on your PC: Acer 3D CineReal technology.
The display has been coated with a special 3D film that clings to the panel pixel by pixel, enabling the LCD technology to deliver a 3D visual feast. Slip on the cool polarized eyeglasses that filter the images and you’re ready to dive into an extraordinary 3D adventure.

TriDef Media Player also supports on-the-go conversion of 2D videos and photos. Relive the emotions of your last holiday or of your best friend’s birthday watching your videos and pictures in 3D: all you have to do is play them with TriDef Media Player, and you will be transported right into the middle of the action as if it were the first time.

Ferrari One
One of the most coveted notebooks in the world, the ‘Ferrari One’ combines powerful performance with extreme portability, and design elegance and features an 11.6-inch high definition screen.

The machine comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows 7® Home Premium or Windows 7® Home Home Basic A large capacity, (160 GB or larger) hard disk drive provides plenty of storage space.

Acer Timeline Series Notebooks
The new generation of the Acer Timelinenotebook series, was designed from the ground up for no-compromise performance, superior security and trouble-free manageability, while offering extended productivity thanks to 8+ of battery life.

United Arab Emirates Remains Key Market for Packard Bell

pressrelease — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:35:37 +0000

Packard Bell, part of the Acer group, has signed a new partnership agreement with Trigon, a distribution company for innovative IT and consumer electronics within the UAE.

Trigon will market Packard Bell’s product line-up including notebooks, PCs, netbooks, and monitors. Incorporated in 1997, Trigon has established strong alliances with resellers and distributers across the region. Trigon is also the first distribution company in the UAE to be awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification.

“Packard Bell products are stylish, trendy, and easy-to-use and their products focus on indirect business suits us,” said Ghufran Khan, Product Manager, Trigon.

(Left to right) Ghufran Khan from Trigon and George D Costa from Packard Bell sign new agreement to distribute Packard Bell products across the UAE

“We are an established entity with an excellent channel network, and are looking to significantly increase Packard Bell’s reach in the UAE. Trigon has a history of partnering with global brands, bringing state-of-the-art technology and products to the local market,” added Khan.

Packard Bell is significantly looking to increase its footprint in UAE and the region, having rebranded in 2009. The IT vendor has taken positive steps towards its distinct value proposition. Consumers can look forward to stylish, trendy and easy-to-use Packard Bell products.

“The UAE is one of the most important markets for Packard Bell in the Gulf. In Trigon, we have found a distributor with the necessary channel expertise to make Packard Bell products widely available,” said George D Costa, Country Sales Manager for Packard bell brand for UAE/OGCC countries.

Transmit vs ExpanDrive

Breandan Dezendorf — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:02:21 +0000

While comparing two very successful applications Mac OS X, it comes to mind that there are often more than one ‘correct’ solution to any given problem. Today’s comparison is between two FTP clients – often used for putting files on web servers, accessing some software download sites, or getting files into and out of Amazon’s S3 storage cloud. Most web browsers have a limited ability to act as an FTP client, though they don’t support the richness that comes with a traditional client, like queued downloads or folder synchronization.

Panic Software’s approach is a very traditional one – Transmit opens to a single window with two embedded file browsers- one for local files, and the other for remote files. To copy, files or folders are dragged between the two. The interface is very refined and has a level of polish to it that is the result of a lot of very dedicated work. Setting up synchronized folders is painless, and the application is extensible with a Dashboard applet and the ability to create droplets – small applications that automatically send whatever is dragged to them to a remote destination. They have gone the whole nine yards and have added AppleScript and Automator support to the application, which lets you work it into more complicated workflows, it supports Growl notifications, and has a simple but powerful queue/batch download manager. Total price? $29.99 USD (about 110 AED).

On the other hand, ExpanDrive has a totally different usage model – when you launch the application it puts an icon in your menu bar, and nothing else. All configuration is done through the menu bar – and then remote servers are added to your desktop as icons, appearing much like any other hard drive or local network share. The Finder, and the common “Save” and “Save as…” dialogues are your real interface to ExpanDrive – making the whole process nearly invisible. I often forget that I’m using it, until I try to save a very large file, or open a directory from a slow server. There is nothing that can make a slow server act like a fast one – and the delay in the Finder makes you realize that this isn’t a local disk. (Behind the scenes, ExpanDrive uses MacFUSE to create virtual drives, which makes the mounted destinations work just like a ‘real’ drive – you eject it as you would a CD or DVD, etc.). Total price: $39.95 USD (about 150 AED).

I like to think of Transmit as a manual-transmission sports car, and ExpanDrive as a family saloon. Transmit gives you amazing flexibility, control and features – though to take advantage of all the features requires some reading and tuning. ExpanDrive is simple and direct – and once it’s setup doesn’t require learning any new skills, but it’s never going to be as fast or as robust as Transmit. Which one wins? I own a copy of each, and let my need dictate my use.

This is a post made by a freelance blogger. The opinions stated are not necessarily those of Shufflegazine or CENTIMETERCUBE Publishing.

Changing radio show RSS podcast feed

Magnus Nystedt — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:42:45 +0000

We’re changing how we send out the radio show podcast feed to you listeners in order to be able to provide you with a better service. Unfortunately for a brief period of time that may mean that you experience some problems. If you subscribe to http://shuffle.to/podcast you should be okay as it just redirects to the new feed now. If you subscribed to something else, the new feed is:

http://shufflegazine.libsyn.com/rss/radio

All the radio shows are not there yet but we’re slowly adding them to the RSS feed.

iPad’s pre-order numbers overwhelming

Grace — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:13:59 +0000

It has been estimated that around 120,000 iPads were sold when Apple made pre-ordering available on their site on the first day. One hundred and twenty thousand units in a single day!

For a device that hasn’t been on the market, (sure it looks sort of a big iPod Touch, sort of a Kindle and more, like a giant iPhone without the phone capability, etc) and no one knows what is actually does, the sale statistics are amazing. When Apple announced the pre-order some days back, Apple fans cannot wait anymore, like little kids on Christmas night.

So, there are people who committed to spending as much as over $800 for a pre-release product. I think at this rate, the iPad could outsell the iPhone, what do you think?

Again, the 120,000 units on Day 1 the numbers are overwhelming (like it’s a life changing device!), considering that customers will have to wait for a month to actually get hold of it but who didn’t see this coming?

This is a post made by a freelance blogger. The opinions stated are not necessarily those of Shufflegazine or CENTIMETERCUBE Publishing.

Password Security and Keychain Access

Breandan Dezendorf — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:04:42 +0000

Recently I was helping a friend with their computer, and in the process, I ran Software Update. My friend was in the other room, and I called out “I’m going to need your password in a minute”, thinking they would come from the other room and type it in. Sadly, they called back the following string of numbers:

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6

This was the password I had put in 9 months ago, when I had last restored their computer from a backup. (Yes, I had done the backup). It’s only marginally better than the worst password you can possibly pick – no password at all. It occurred to me that a lot of people don’t practice good password security for the same reason they don’t do backups – they don’t see why it’s important. Their computer keeps working, same as it did the day before, so why should they go through the hassle of changing their password, just to slow themselves down when their computer asks for said password?

Again, much like backups, a lot of people don’t get smart about about password security until they have been burned once. Imagine this: your laptop gets stolen, and you have no backup, so all your family photos, personal emails, and (probably) work documents are now gone. Once the thief is back in a quiet place, they log in to the computer, and open Mail, Thunderbird, or the web browser, and log into the your email account. (Web based email is no safer, as most people check the box to “remember me on this computer”.) Once they have access to the account they can look for banking information and reset passwords on other sites that may not be saved, as the password change requests will be emailed directly to the thief. Or the thief may find emails from your friends saying that they are out of town, and could you please use the key under the flowerpot to get in and feed the cat?

While this really is a worst-case scenario, it doesn’t have to be. If you can’t remember the last time you changed your password, stop what you are doing, right now, and change your user account password. (Apple Menu->System Preferences->Users->Change Password). I’ll wait. I also suggest turning off the Automatic Login feature, but I know that’s asking a lot. (The benefit is that a thief who accidentally reboots the computer won’t be able to get back into it.)

Didn’t take my advice? Go change your password! At least once a year. I can’t stress this enough. If you are bad at passwords, make it something you can easily remember – your favorite number, the color of your car and your pet’s name strung together would work for a first attempt. Really, choose any combination that you are comfortable with and that you can remember. If you think you won’t remember it, write it down on the back of a business card and put it in your wallet. (Don’t write down what it is, of course – just the password itself.) This way, if you forget it, you can get it back easily, but thieves won’t get it when they grab your laptop.

Now, it’s time to secure a lot more stuff for very little extra work. Open Keychain Access, in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder, and create a new keychain. Call it “Secure Account Info” or something to that effect. If you like, give it the same password you just set for your account (and that you also stuck in your wallet a minute ago). Unlock the new Keychain, which should appear on the left hand side of the utility, and from the file menu, create a new Secure Note. Call it “User Account Logins” or something else descriptive. Write down your old password, and today’s date. This way, you won’t forget what it was, in case you need it again. Every time you change your password, open Keychain Access, and add the new password to the secure note. Keychains are saved with incredibly strong encryption to prevent malicious people from doing things with your data – so this is the one place it’s really safe to save your passwords. Keep in mind that if you forget the password, you aren’t going to get it back. (Again, this is why I recommend putting a copy in your wallet.)

Here are some screenshots to help along the way:

At this point, start creating more secure notes, for your banking records, for your online logins, and for any other kind of sensitive data. Personally, I keep all my frequent flyer information, credit card numbers, paypal login and payment information, bank routing numbers and health-related information in my secure Keychain.

Two final notes: First – you may be wondering why you should create a new Keychain, when there is a perfectly good keychain in the utility that is already unlocked, called “login”. The fact that it is unlocked is precisely the reason. The login keychain is unlocked when you log into the computer – so why make it easy for an thief to get in? If you turned off automatic login as I suggested earlier, it makes it even harder for someone who is up to no good to get in and wreak havoc.

Second – if you are using Dropbox, it’s a good idea to create the new Keychain directly in the shared folder. It’s secured with AES encryption, and it’s incredibly unlikely that anyone can break it without already knowing you password. By saving it to Dropbox, you have a copy you can get back on any other computer, so your secure notes travel around with you and are easy and safe to update.

This is a post made by a freelance blogger. The opinions stated are not necessarily those of Shufflegazine or CENTIMETERCUBE Publishing.

LG’s slim HB965TZ Blu-Ray home theater delivers equally rich sound and content

pressrelease — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:52:01 +0000

LG Electronics (LG), a major player in the global flat panel display and audio-video devices market, today unveiled the HB965TZ Home Theater System. This elegant Blu-ray audio system delivers rich sound from slim, wall-mountable speakers and wirelessly connects to limitless content.

The HB965TZ is a complete Blu-ray home theater system and more. Two slim front-channel speakers, two surround speakers and a subwoofer have a total power output of 1100 watts. At just 29 mm front-to-back, the front-channel and surround speakers blend seamlessly into any room, whether on their matching stands or mounted on the wall. Though slender, the speakers can create an immersive listening experience even in larger rooms, thanks to LG’s advanced sound technology. In addition, being specially tuned by Mr. Mark Levinson, the world renowned audio expert, the HB965TZ’s HD sound retains every detail of even the richest soundscapes

“LG’s HB965TZ home theater’s looks are designed to blend in and its features are designed to stand out,” said Mr H.S.Paik, President of LG Electronics Gulf FZE. “Its possibilities are limitless with the ability to wirelessly connect to content on the internet or on a home network. It even docks with your iPod or iPhone for even easier access to your complete digital library.”

No ordinary Blu-ray player, the HB965TZ brings a full world of entertainment and information into the living room. It is ready to connect straight from the box with Wi-Fi wireless internet access. Users can enjoy an endless stream of web content including UGCs, web albums, and weather information. The HB965TZ can also unlock additional movie-related features for Blu-ray discs through BD-Live 2.0 and Bonus View.

The HB965TZ can also connect wirelessly to DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) or CIFS (Common Internet File System) compatible storage device or computer, providing convenient access to a home’s entire digital media library. It can also directly attach to external hard drives with a USB cable and play back HD quality DivX or MKV movies.

LG has incorporated its advanced audio processing into the HB965TZ to make sure everything sounds its best. The LG Sound Gallery makes it easy to fine-tune audio with seven equalizer presets including Natural Plus, Game Equalizer, Night Mode, Clear Voice, Bass Blast, MP3 Up-Scaling and VSM Plus. The LG HB965TZ connects easily to any new HDTV with a single HDMI cable. It also offers two HDMI inputs for other devices like game consoles and mobile devices.

The HB965TZ home theater brings rich sound and equally rich content into the living room. The sleekly designed system will be available in the UAE from May 2010.