SyncNext

Hoax or Real? Plz don’t attend any calls from 7888308001, 9316048121,…

vbb — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:33:06 +0000

It was just another beep-beep on my mobile some days ago.It was just a message but rather frightening.The message read,

Don’t attend any calls from 7888308001, 9316048121, 9876266211, 9888854137, 9876715587 these numbers come in red colors. U may get brain haemorrhage due to high frequency. 27 persons died just receiving the call. Watch DD news to confirm. Please inform all your friends and relatives soon – its urgent.

As I usually do with mail forwards which tell me to save a child suffering from a disease which nobody knows about and died 3 years ago or not drinking cold drinks in bottles,I ignored it.But as people say,

“Nothing is swifter than rumor.” it’s travelling like wild fire and I got a call from home advising me not to attend any calls from these numbers.

Can it be TRUE??

I checked the numbers.Four of them are mobile numbers and one seems to be a landline or older CDMA number.And here are the some details-

Photo Credit-saraab at Flickr

Mobile Number	Region and Operator
9316048121	Reliance CDMA,Punjab
9876266211	Airtel,Punjab
9888854137	Vodafone,Punjab
9876715587	Airtel,Punjab

The message is supposed to be originated from Madhya Pradesh but all the numbers belong to Punjab.I am not Sherlock Holmes but let’s have a closer look at the message and see what does it say.

Technical Dissection of the message!

Here are two technical things in this message-

The numbers are displayed in red colour.

Obvious question:How this number will be displayed in RED on a black and white screen mobile.More than 25% of all mobiles users must be having a cheap mobile phone which cannot display colours!

Or we have just invented a technology which converts a black and white screen mobile to a colourful one by the Operator frequency!So we may soon have “Mobile Colouring Service” from operators for just Rs. 30 a month!

U may get brain haemorrhage due to high frequency.

Mobile service operates on standard frequencies such as 900Mhz or 1800 Mhz. When you make or receive a call,you are allotted a frequency from the service operator.Read Wiki or HowStuffWorks if you want to have a detailed explanation of GSM service.

The only point to note is that by no means you can be allotted a certain frequency outside the service frequency range and a frequency which can cause serious brain haemorrhage seems just Illogical.

Watch DD news to confirm!

Poor DD news people!I am sure that they must not be knowing about they are being quoted for this.I am yet to meet any person who saw it himself on DD news.Even if DD news aired this news,it must have been in the name of a HOAX!

I heard that a girl in a city near me got her hands burnt and a poor chap lost his voice attending the calls from these numbers but as I haven’t meet them I can’t say about the authenticity.

So is it hoax or real?

You decide! If you have seen yourself on TV,please comment and post a video too if you have recorded..If you met a person who died/injured please let me know.

No newspaper has this news,no site has any information about this and I can simply assume is this is just a hoax.If you remember,the World was going to be destroyed in 2009,but we are living in 2010.

If you have anything to share about this please let me know in comments.

BSNL 3G Speed Test and Review

vbb — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 08:08:51 +0000

It feels great to move to a 3G network after using GPRS as the data speed enhancement is noteworthy. Currently the state owned players BSNL and MTNL are providing 3G services in India.The 3G spectrum auctions are going on and soon we will have a lot of players

Here is a quick recap of my experiences with BSNL 3G in my area.As I live in a village,it took a long time to get 3G in my area while friends living in city areas are enjoying it from a long time.

Speed Test on Mobile

To test the speed of my 3G network, i used the site dslreports.com and mobilespeedtest.com.These sites download and upload some data from/to your mobile and gives you the speed based on time taken.Here are some of the screenshots of the speed test.

Although I got a speed of 920kbps once but I don’t have screenshot of that.Here you can see a speed test snap of 821kbps.

As you can see from the screenshots-even after repeated attempts over 3 months,I was not able to touch the magical speed of 1mbps on mobile.However I got speeds above 1mbps while browsing on computer.

I tested the BSNL 3G speed using both sites mentioned above.

MobileSpeedTest.com shows the results in a graphical manner where you can compare the speed with DSL,broadband etc.

Browsing Internet directly on mobile

I am using BSNL broadband at home as my primary internet connection and having this 3G connection from last 3 months.During these three months I have used 3G a lot.I have seen a lot of speed variations.As you know the speed depends on many factors-one being the distance from the tower.The connection once established is consistent i.e. it does not break up but speed varied in my tests.

From the screenshots posted above,you can say that the browsing speed is good enough to get a broadband experience.Normal web browsing/ email was fast.Even playing videos on YouTube is a pleasant experience.The videos I watched were delivered fast enough and it played without hiccups ie. without stopping for buffering.

Browsing on computer using mobile as a modem.

I connect my Nokia 5800 xPressMusic to my computer and use the inbuilt modem to surf over 3G connection.SpeedTest.net is a great site for testing speed of your internet connection.Here are some of the screenshots I have taken during testing of BSNL 3G speed.

However these are the top speeds I have got,but normally the speed is below than that shown above.You can compare the above to my BSNL broadband speed shown below-

What’s more?

I am happy to make a shift from GPRS usage to 3G as the speed enhancement is great.But the speeds shown above still do not compare well to speed one can get in western countries.

PC world has conducted a speed test for various providers in US last year and this year too.The average speed there is a way above 1mbps.But in India I have seen a few people reporting the speed in the same range I have described above.

Overall I have a good review for BSNL 3G speed.I have enjoyed it.What about you? Please share your experiences.

A Quick User Guide to SBI Mobile Banking

vbb — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:46:19 +0000

SBI ,as you know is the largest bank in India and so definitely will have a longer queue for any work. SBI now has a great Internet banking portal and to follow the suite they have a great and proper functioning mobile banking application. Use it and save yourself from various physical transactions you did in the bank as fund transfer, check stop request, balance enquiry and so on.

SBI Mobile Banking Application-A quick Menu Walk-through

If you have not installed and activated your mobile banking service that you are advised to get here instructions for downloading, registration and activation of SBI mobile banking .

Once you have application running and activated mobile banking service, you can start using it .Here is a quick menu walkthrough of the SBI mobile banking application.This shows a glimpse of what can be done using SBI mobile banking app.

The application has a start page as shown in the first image shown below-

Now let’s have a look under the hood.

Funds Transfer

Here you get two options. You can either register any payee or transfer funds to previously registered payee. Registration of payees is offered for either your own account at SBI or any other account on other bank.

Enquiry Services:

You can enquire for your mini statement which consist of last 5 transactions or balance enquiry which shows you the latest balance in your account.

Demat Account Services

This will work if you have a Demat account with SBI from where you can have demat related services like buy/sell/enquiry.

Requests

You can request a cheque book or a request for blocking your debit card in case of loss/theft of card.

Bill Pay

Various types of merchandise billers can be added into your profile and thus you can pay for almost any type of bills such as telephone bill,electricity bill etc.Even you can schedule payment for bills.

M-Commerce

This is an important part of SBI mobile banking service.By using M-commerce you can make mobile recharge,pay insurance premium and so on.

Settings

Here you have various settings related to your account.You can change your PIN,Re-activate or deregister your mobile banking service,change mobile number and so on.

As you can see, the application has the capability to reduce your physical visits to the bank or bill payments outlets.It’s also very user friendly and interface is simple and good.Share your experiences on using it in comments below.

The user guide is completely unofficial on.Read the disclaimer.

Update:I also found the Official user guide on this page.

BSNL 3G Settings and Configuration

vbb — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:10:39 +0000

BSNL 3G is now available in many parts of India.You can enjoy high speed Internet,Video calling and novelties like mobile TV if you have a 3G mobile phone and a BSNL/MTNL connection as presently only these companies offer 3G services.Of course you should be ready to pay a premium for these services.

Here are the configuration settings for 3G mobiles which enable you to get 3G services in your mobile,particularly High speed Internet,or mobile broadband.

Settings for BSNL3G on Nokia and other mobiles.

The configuration settings has to be completed in two steps.First, you have to make sure that your mobile is set to work in 3G network mode which is denoted by UMTS(Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) mode in your mobile.If it is set to dual mode (UMTS+GSM),the mobile will fall back to GSM mode in absence of UMTS network.

However you should change this only when browsing Internet or you will not be able to get a network if UMTS is absent.Theoretically in dual mode,the mobile will work in UMTS ,if both networks are present and fall back to low data rate speed GSM only when UMTS is absent,but here we are forcing to use only UMTS to avoid occasional glitches which may sometime occur due to falling back.You can also try to browse Internet in Dual mode,and if you do not find any speed variation problem,you can keep your mobile in dual mode.

Step 1:Setup your network mode.

Go to Menu->Settings->Connectivity (or wherever you may edit network settings) and select Network.Open Network mode and change it to UMTS.The default is dual mode.

Step 2:Configure your 3G Access Point

Just like a GPRS access point ,you need an access point for 3G too.BSNL has changed its Access Point recently in some parts of India.You have to put the following access point according to the BSNL region leaving all other things to defaults in access point settings.

For BSNL UP (East) Access Point is –“bsnlnet”.

For Chennai region it’s “gprssouth.cellone.in”

You may have to fiddle with access point because BSNL does not have a unified access point all over India.You can try “gprs3g.bsnlmobile.in” or “bsnlnet” to get 3G in your handset.

If you do not know where to put the access point,read the guide to GPRS configuration first.

That’s it.You are now ready to experience mobile broadband in your device provided by BSNL 3G.If you really want to test how fast is the connection,watch any video on YouTube and let me know in comments whether you enjoyed 3G or not.

Download Portable Internet Explorer 8 – IE8

vbb — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:29:22 +0000

Although I use Firefox and Chrome for my primary browsing,sometime Internet Explorer needs to be used.The latest version of IE ships with Windows 7 by default which I am not using at present.

As such situations it’s good to have portable version of Internet Explorer 8 which I can use without installing on my system as it can be run directly by my USB drive or a simple folder.Here is your turn to download and test Internet Explorer8.

How to Get Portable Version of IE8

The link to download portable IE8 is given below.But before you download the file,keep in mind that Microsoft has not released any portable version and this version is packed by people who are not from Microsoft.Supposedly you can be sure that the file is clean as it is scanned by the file host using Kaspersky Anti-Virus .

Download Portable IE8 (Shared at 4shared.com)

Once you download it,you do not need to install it on a USB drive.Just extract the archive on your USB drive and enjoy IE8 across various computers without installing the program on the host computer.

How to Invite others to Google Wave or how to get them for Free?

vbb — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:04:41 +0000

As you may be knowing,Google wave is an online tool from Google which takes communication and collaboration to a new paradigm.It combines everything such as conversations,email and document sharing at a single place and all at real time.

Here is your chance to get an Google Wave Invitation from me or if you are already using Google wave then learn how to send Invites to your other friends.

How to send a Google Wave Invite to others?

Sending a Google Wave invite to others is pretty simple.Once you login to Google Wave you will see a message saying-“Invite others to Google Wave”.

Click on the message and a window will appear which looks like following image.

Once you Enter the email id ,click ‘Add to Invitation List’ and Google will send them an invitation for wave after sometime,not immediately.

How to Get an Invite for Google Wave?

It’s simpler than sending an invite! Just let me know that you want an invite in comment form below.I have Seven (7) invitations remaining.Hence be quick to express.First commenter will definitely get an invitation and other six will be chosen at random.

SBI Mobile Banking-Downloading,Registration,and Activation Instructions

vbb — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:27:32 +0000

Earlier I have posted about SBI mobile banking application which enables you to carry out all banking related services through your mobile, but I found that a lot of users needed additional instruction regarding downloading and activation of the application.So here is a detailed guide about downloading,activation and registration of SBI mobile banking application called FreedoM.

The downloading of application can be completed by directly downloading to mobile or first downloading it to computer and then installing it on your mobile.

Downloading the Application

Application can be directly downloaded and installed on your mobile if you have Internet enabled on your mobile phone.You can do so by following two ways

01. Send an SMS to 567676.For example if you have a Nokia 6500 mobile then send MBSREG Nokia 6500 to 567676.On the reply from the bank you will get a link in the message clicking on which allows you to download the application.Once the application has been downloaded-install it on your mobile.You get another message from SBI which contains your user id and default MPIN.

02. If you fail to get a link by sending above SMS ,you can visit SBI site and click Mobile Banking under Services section.Or you can directly visit Mobile Banking Application Download page.A lot of mobile handset models are listed there.You have to select your phone model and choose the handset specific version.If you fail to find application for your phone model,you can download the Generic version from the same page.

If your mobile does not have a GPRS/3G Internet connection you can first download the application to computer by visiting aforesaid links.Once you download it -transfer it to mobile and install .

Registration and Activation Process for SBI FreedoM

Registration can be done by following two ways-

01.Registration using mobile-

Start the application and you will see the screen as shown in image.You have to login using the given user id and MPIN which you received in response to the message you sent for downloading the application.And this completes the process.In case you have not received the user id and MPIN you can click “register” from the application start menu and get it by SMS.People who download application without sending SMS will need to do this.

02.Registration at the SBI ATM or your local branch.

Contact the manager of your concerned branch and ask him to activate your mobile banking service.Or you can visit any ATM and register yourself for mobile banking service.For this you have to choose ‘Services’ in the main menu.Select ‘Mobile banking’ and then again select Register.Enter your mobile number and follow the instructions thereafter.

Using the SBI Mobile Banking Application

Start the application and change the default MPIN.It is mandatory to change MPIN before using it for the first time.It’s good to use a strong alphanumeric MPIN such as ‘6tgnd5’.Of course make it easy enough to remember.

Once the service is activated,you can carry out almost all banking related transactions through the application which include statement enquiry,fund transfer,bill payments,cheque book request and so on.Of course- you can not withdraw cash from your mobile!

Mobile Banking service is FREE to use but you have to pay carrier charges ( for usage of SMS or GPRS)

The advantage of SBI Mobile banking is that it works even if you don’t have a GPRS/3G enabled phone as it can use SMS for transactions.

If you still have any difficulty in downloading,registration or activation of SBI mobile banking application ,let me know in comments.Please do not leave your mobile number in comments as there is no way I can send application directly to your mobile.

TechNukkad.com is Now SyncNext.com

vbb — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:08:59 +0000

We have Moved!

TechNukkad.com has now moved to a better sounding domain SyncNext.com

Now Technukkad redirects here.While the content remains the same,a look and feel of the site has been changed.

Kindly update your bookmarks and RSS feed subscriptions for TechNukkad.com to now SyncNext.com

Thanks for staying with me and looking for your continued support now onwards.

ISRO Bhuvan Launched-Download and Watch India's Answer to Google Earth

vbb — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:13:55 +0000

It’s giant leap for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).Already in the news for Chandrayan Mission-they have hit the headlines by launching the pure Indian version of something we have known as Google Earth for quite some time.

ISRO –Bhuvan is in their terms is –“Indian Earth Observation Visualization” which is basically the complete virtual 3D Globe made up by the data gathered by satellites.

How to Run/Watch ISRO Bhuvan

Just like Google Earth ,ISRO Bhuvan requires a plug-in to be installed on your computer.This plug-in can only be downloaded when you register as a user in the Bhuvan Website.Once you

get inside download and install the plug-in.After installation you should be able to run the application just like Google Earth on the browser.You need to logged into the website to run the application ISRO-Bhuvan.

Download Bhuvan Client

Just visit the ISRO BHUVAN official site and register yourself as a user.After you log in you will be asked to download the browser plug in which is approximately 11 MB in size.This plug in will place a shortcut on your desktop which is NOT to be used as ISRO Bhuvan can be run on the browser itself.

What is Bhuvan Exactly

ISRO has various Remote Sensing Satellites which are used for geo imaging, mapping and many more purpose.These satellites are used to take images of all parts of the world.Once you transpose these images to a 3D virtual globe what you get is a virtual tour of the whole globe-which is now Bhuvan.Presently Bhuvan consists of images taken over an year to 3 years ago.These images will be refreshed in regular intervals.

Features of ISRO Bhuvan

Emphasis on Indian Terrain .It will eventually show the political borders too.It will provide local information such as weather,flood, for major locations.
Different Viewpoints-enabling you to view a location in different perspectives.
You can draw figures,polygon and boxes onscreen.However you will not be able to ADD any information presently in the Beta version.
Provides on screen snapshots,measurements and drawing features.The pictures shown above are taken by the “snapshot” feature.
Resolution up to 10 meters can be obtained through Bhuvan for major locations.
Places with security considerations will not be detailed.
Value added services will be added later .

Now just head over to Bhuvan site- www.bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in and enjoy.

5 Portable Standalone Free FLV Players to Play FLV File Anywhere

vbb — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:44:15 +0000

You may have the best FLV player installed on your computer but sometimes you need to play an FLV file sitting on a cyber cafe or a friend’s computer which does not have an FLV player.

So here are 5 free FLV players which you can carry anywhere on your USB drive and enjoy FLV files anywhere.

FLV Players-Standalone Portable players

Here are 5 FLV players which you can install/take into your USB pen drive.Hence you will never have any problem playing FLV files where any FLV player is not installed.

1.FLV player from martijndevisser.com

Download here - [4.75MB Exe]

Download and install this player on your computer.Now copy all the files from the installation folder to your USB drive.Or you can directly install it on the USB drive to make it portable.Whenever you need to play an FLV file ,just run FLVplayer.exe.This player supports keyboard shortcuts and full screen view .

2.Riva FLV player by Rivavx.com

Same installation Process.

Download from here.[2.3 MB exe]

3.Freez FLV player from Freezsoft.com

Again the process is same..It’s damn small in size.Just 816KB.Get it if you want a really small player.

Download the player from here

4.Easy FLV player by HiHisoft

The process is exactly same as above.

Download from Download.com [2.12MB Exe]

5.Wimpy FLV player

This player is truly portable as it does not need any installation unlike the other payer mentioned above and you have to just extract the downloaded ZIP folder [2.55MB] onto you USB Pen drive.

It can also play common audio files and Video (MPEG 4 ) files such as MP4 and also 3gp.

The player also works on Mac.This one is my favorite and I use it for playing FLV files on my computer.

Download it from the official website .

Also have a look at the previously explained FLV player.And Enjoy FLV files.