Like every sunday, today also me, Suraj and Harpreet went to have lunch outside and we happened to enter into an electronics shop nearby the hotel. Suraj was planning to buy a mobile in exchange of hs old phone. But being a gadget freak how can I control myself when some one else is buying a new phone infront of me. Anyway the last Sony ericsson P990i mobile I purchased was more than a year ago, and this was recently handed over to my cousin. So I somewhere inside me I was also looking to get a new phone. Finally both me and Suraj zeroed in on ASUS PDA phone. Suraj got the ASUS p320 mobile and I got the one and only ASUS P565.

The USP of the ASUS P565 model is the 800MHz processor from Marvel. In a PDA, 800MHz processor is quite a lot. You will feel the power of processor once you start using this phone. With 128MB RAM (and 256MB ROM) it runs faster than my 2GB RAM and 3.2GHz processor with Windows 7 in my laptop. Look wise this ASUS P565 looks very sexy and with only 120gm weight and just 16 mm thickness it is quite light. My Sony Ericsson P990i was quite bulky as well as heavy. So here a little sigh of relief.

Here goes the details feature and specification of the ASUS P565 mobile:

- It has an ASUS proprietary mobile touch screen technology called Glide.
- High-resolution 2.8” touchscreen for exceptional clarity and brilliance
- A very powerful 800MHz processor (My first PC had only 766MHz Pentium 3 with 64 MB RAM)

Specification:

System HSDPA 3.6Mbps, UMTS 2100/EDGE/GPRS/GSM 900/1800/1900
Operation System Microsoft Windows® Mobile 6.1™ Professional
Dimensions 102 x 60.5 x 16 mm
Weight 120g with battery
Standby Time 3G: 300 hours and 2G: 250 hours
Talk Time 3G: 4 hours and 2G: 6 hours

Display 2.8″ Touch Screen ,65000-color , TFT Resolution: 480 x 640

CPU Marvell PXA930 800MHz
Memory Built-in 256MB Flash ROM and 128MB DDR SDRAM
Expansion Slot MicroSD (support SDHC)
Communication WLAN 802.11b/g, Bluetooth V2.0+EDR,USB v1.1
Battery 1300mAh Li-Ion
Camera 3 Mega-Pixels, Auto Focus (Main) and 300K-Pixels Camera for Video Telephony (Sub)
Video Record:MPEG4@QVGA 24fps / H.263@QCIF 24fps
Playback:MPEG4@QVGA 30fps / H.263@QCIF 30fps
Picture Format JPEG/PNG/GIP/BMP
Audio MP3/WMA/AAC/AAC+/3GP
JAVA J2ME (CLDC 1.1 + MIDP2.0)

I will take some screen shot and image of the phone and post them later, if possible I will write a review of the phone very soon, once I feel that I have used it enough to know about all the pros and cons of this mobile. But as of now I am quite happy with this phone and will do a lot of experiment for few days.

How many gadgets freak do you know who are not interested to own an iPhone. I do not think there are any. Apple iPhone especially the iPhone 3G has created a rage among gadget savvy as well as normal users. It is not only a mobile but a personal entertainment device on the go. But not every one is lucky to use an iPhone like those in US or Europe. This is because firstly till date iPhone has not been released worldwide and secondly iPhone is not sold over the counter in a gadget shop rather it is sold along with a mobile service. So even if it is released in your country you do not have the option to use it along with your favorite carrier and the carrier which provides iPhone charge an extremely non-affordable plan (outside US). For example an 8GB iPhone comes with a price tag of approximately INR 30,000 from Airtel and almost same from Vodafone in India. However the same phone in US from AT&T is available for approx USD 199.

To avoid this discrepancies and to make the iPhone accessible by general public the concept of unlocking iPhone came out. So let me tell about what exactly is unlocking or an unlocked iPhone.  Unlocking lets you place calls with any GSM carrier by inserting different Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) into the phone. Normally these SIMs from unapproved carriers won’t work. When your iPhone is unlocked, just buy a local GSM-compatible SIM, place it in your phone, and make your calls. Most phones in the US are “locked” to a particular network. In the iPhone’s case, that’s AT&T for the US, O2 for Great Britain, and so on. Should you want to use your iPhone with another GSM carrier, you need to unlock.

When Apple released the latest 2.1.1 version of the iPhone firmware it is no longer possible to unlock iPhone via software. But there are iPhone unlocking service providers which provides very reliable unlocking service. The method is thoroughly tested with SIMs from various countries and it is working fine without any hassle. So how does this method work?

The 3G iPhone unlock solution is a hardware unlock solution in the form of a ‘piggy back sim’. This hardware unlock solution is a plug and play solution that will instantly unlock your 3G iPhone. The 3G iPhone Unlock SIM is a super thin ( 0,01 mm.) sim card that slides over the sim card of the carrier that you want to use. It basically “fools” the iPhone into thinking that the original SIM is inserted.

The 3G Unlock SIM unlock sim card will not make any changes to the iPhone software. Its a simple plug and play solution. Just slide the 3G unlock sim on top of your existing carrier sim, and your 3G iPhone will be fully unlocked with all functions working. The main benefit of a hardware unlock solution is so you will not loose any warranty at all.

For more information and demo videos about this unlocking service, you can head over to iPhone 3G unlocking website.

After a long time Microsoft has finally been able to put something interesting in it’s Operating System and this is in the form of Windows XP Mode in it’s forthcoming Windows 7. Windows XP mode in Windows 7 is the current buzzword of the industry. All the tech bloggers are covering this topic more or less, so even I am in the fray now. First of all let me tell what exactly is the XP mode in Windows 7. It is a feature available in Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise edition where in from Windows 7, we can run Windows XP like a native Operating System on our PC. In earlier version of Windows Microsoft had an option called Compatibility mode and according to Microsoft this enabled users to run older program (meant for older version of Windows) in newer version of Windows. But this has hardly worked. With the new feature Windows XP Mode in Windows 7 this compatibility mode has been improved to a greater extent as XP mode itself uses a virtual PC based virtualization environment and a fully licensed copy of Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3). Moreover this feature is not available out of Box in Windows 7. The end user needs to download it for free from Microsoft Download center. remember something called Windows Ultimate Extras available for Windows Vista Ultimate throiugh Windows Update?

Requirements to take advantage of Windows XP mode feature:

- The PC should be running with Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise edition.
- 2GB RAM and 10-15GB HD space for Virtual environment.
- As it utilizes CPU based virtualization technique the CPU should support it.
- For AMD based AMD-V and Intel based processor Intel-VT should be turned on in BIOS.
- The free download of Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode available from Microsoft Download Center.

Microsoft has a detailed document on How to confirm your PC can run Windows XP Mode . Here you can find download of the processor test utility too.

Setting up Virtual XP or Windows XP Mode:

If your PC meets all the above requirements and you have downloaded the 2 set up files from Microsoft, first install the Windows Virtual PC and then install Windows XP Mode. At this stage you might be asked to restart the PC. Upon re start you can run Virtual XP from Start > All programs list. It will ask you to enter the password, in this window check the option Remember credentials (recommended). After this step is complete you will see a wndow that says setting up virtual Windows XP for first use. It may take some time so don’t loose patience.

Now what you will see is a screen like this:

Now you are ready with your Virtual XP set up. It’s time to install a couple of application you wish to run under Windows XP. One thing to remember here is that while installing any apps select All users whenever you are asked else the integration feature will not work properly.

The Windows XP mode has a special feature as compared to Virtual PC or other virtualization technology in which you have to run virtual environment as a separate application. In XP Mode once an application is instaleld in Virtual environment it is published to the host Windows 7 too. It means the application will be availble in Windows 7 start menu. So starting the application will Start the application in Windows 7 but in virtual environment where the virtual PC will be running in the background.

Final thought on Windows XP Mode feature:

It seems Microsoft is not aiming to woo the consumer home users with this feature as it is evident from the fact thatthis feature is available only in windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise edition. So do you think Windows 7 will still be a bete noir to consumers who are upset about Vista’s program compatibility? Only time will tell and we will get to know once Vista RTM is released.

What is the Blue Screen of Death?

The Blue Screen of Death, or simply BSOD, represents an error notoriously associated with Microsoft Windows operating systems. This error is more common on older versions of Windows such as 3.0 and 3.1, but also shows up on later versions such as Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP, and even Vista. Although the Windows platform has come a long way in terms of stability and performance, the infamous Blue Screen of Death is still known to make an entrance from time to time. When this nuisance shows up, it often indicates that the system has a critical error.

Identifying the Blue Screen of Death

As the name implies, the Blue Screen of Death is characterized by a blue screen along with text and hexadecimal values that help to determine what caused the problem. When a BSOD occurs, the system is essentially shutting down to protect itself from a particular error. Unfortunately, it often leads to the loss of any data that was not saved before the computer crash occurred.

After encountering the Blue Screen of Death, your computer might automatically shut down or you may be forced to shut it down manually. Once this process is complete, the machine is rebooted and the system typically runs a diagnostics to retrieve data and determine what led to the error.

If you are bombarded with a BSOD error repeatedly, it could be a sign that your computer system is enduring serious problems. When this is the case, you may need to perform a re installation of the operating system or take various troubleshooting steps in order to pinpoint and resolve the issue. Some of these steps may need to be performed in Safe Mode, which provides a stripped down version of the Windows operating system and features an environment that lets you safely troubleshoot various issues.

Analyzing BSOD Codes

Unless you are a computer programmer, the data that is displayed on the blue screen will probably look like unfamiliar gibberish. However, this information is incredibly useful in solving your problems. These codes generally identify the error and its parameters among other details that could help you pinpoint the problem and keep it from occurring again. A knowledgeable computer user can access the information accompanying the Blue Screen of Death and quickly determine the root of the problem. Most of the time, they come to find that it has something to do with the kernel of the operating system, or a hardware device installed on the computer.

Inherent Problems with Computer Systems

Unless you started your computing with newer versions of XP or Vista, you have probably encountered the dreaded Blue Screen of Death with more frequency then you prefer. This is especially true for someone running a more unstable version of the system or one who has made significant modifications to the Windows environment. Although the Windows system has been known for the infamous blue screen and other deficiencies, it isn’t the only platform that endures critical errors. Both Mac OS X and Linux computers encounter similar problems known as Kernel Attacks.

Certifications are always the best way to show a prospective employer about your talent and proficiencies. Gone are the days when we used to go physically to a test center and stand in que to fill up the form and appear in the exam to get certified. Now the Internet has revolutionize the things and within minutes we can get certified in desired skills we posses with the help of Internet. Web Certificate is of much demand now a days as it can be obtained without the hassle of waiting for longer duration as well as it can be obtained from the comfort of your home.

If you are an established web developer or an aspiring one or looking to start a creer in web development then LogicZap is the site you should be heading. The specialized web certificate solution from LogicZap offers you to get certified in your favorite web development topics like HTML, PHP or CSS. These topic specific certificates add more value to your resume in order to woo those prospective employer. Don’t just tell your clients, employer, or peers you know a web language, prove it with their verifiable certifications. You do not need to pay upfront for your certificate. You can start the test and only if you pass and you need the web certificate or the hard copy of the certificate you need to make the payment.

The certificates are offered in 3 categories as Certified HTMl developers, Certified CSS developer and Certified PHP developer. Each costing different with different number of questions and time duration. The main constraint in passing these test is that you need to secure atleast 80% in the test that too within stipulated time which varies for different test category.  In order to prevent fraud and multiple submissions, they make note of the IP address you are attempting the test and within 24 hours they only allow 1 submission. They also have option to verify a certificate by putting the unique certificate code.

The digital certificate is sent immediately after clearing the payment and the hard copy is sent within 7 days. They also have option to issue a duplicate certificate in case the original is lost. Currently they accept payment method as Paypal but with due course of time they are surely going to add other payment options like credit card.

HP Touchsmart PC has reached in its 3rd generation with the introduction of 800 series Touchsmart PC. These PCs are craze among gizmo freaks as well as home user to have a better multimedia experience. But some times a minor issues in the Touchsmart PCs make us feel like a dumbo as we ponder over and over to find a solution to correct it. So I have listed a few of the common issues seen on the HP Touchsmart series PC and solution to those issues. Please feel free to share your issues and solution if any.

Touch smart PC does not wake up with Keyboard after it enters standby

Use the mouse or tap the touch screen to wake up the system.

Keyboards fail to manually sync during 1st boot up

Try syncing the keyboard manually:
Using a ball point pen, press and hold the keyboard/mouse Connect button on the front of the HP TouchSmart PC until the indicator light blinks.
Press the Connect button on the bottom of keyboard until the Caps lock indicator light (located on top next to the Caps lock key) starts blinking. The sync
should occur within 5 seconds.

Keyboard may not work for a few seconds when system idle about 20 mins

Use the mouse or tap the touch screen to wake up the system.

Touch screen function is re-enabled by itself after STAND-BY, HIBERNATE and reboot even though it has been disabled

HP is still working on this issue.

First boot touch screen is intermittently nonresponsive

Use the mouse and keyboard for input.

Slideshow in HP Touchsmart PC doesn’t loop through pictures

Simply press the Play button to begin at the start.

There is a delay in the webcam display when starting

It is by design so be patient with load time and watch for the activity light of the camera.

Default Video input device is choosen as TV Tuner/capture card instead of Webcam

Use settings in the TV application/Media Center to change input to HP webcam.

Unexpected characters may display in Weather application

This is an issue from the server the weather application is synced. Reload the Weather application.

Windows 7 is on the verge of release and the user interface in Windows 7 is one of the coolest thing. So the designer community have tried their best to port the Windows 7 themes and icon pack for other version of Windows. These will give the other Windows version a similar feel as that of Windows 7.  So people who are yet to get a chance to experience Windows 7 can use these themes and icon packs on their existing Operating system and get a first hand feel of Windows 7.

Here I have selected the best of the themes and customization pack available for free. So feel free to download and use them.

Windows 7 theme for XP

This theme will no doubt convert your Windows XP machine into a Windows 7 machine. It has several features like:

The first theme with the correct Taskbar!!!
The first and the only one theme with the same caption and toolbar background image!!!
Got the show desktop button on the extreme left(though it doesn’t works)
The correct and one line systray icons.

Windows 7 theme for Vista

If there is a Windows 7 theme fr Windows XP how can Vista stay far behind. So here is the Windows 7 theme for Vista lovers.  This theme is alos packed with some nice features like:

Windows 7 orb.
Fully-transparent Visual Style.
Left pane with blue and green gradient effect similar to Windows 7.
Windows 7 looks like Shell style.
Taskbar changed similar to Windows 7 Super bar.

Windows 7 complete for Windows XP SP3

This theme replaces many system and dll files of Windows XP SP3 to give some special feature to Windows XP machine.

Windows 7 Theme for Sony Ericsson mobile

Windows 7 Theme for Windows Mobile

Features:

- Taskbar just like in 7 with presed function of the orb
- Start Panel with all functions
- Explorer with all functions (Properties, User folder, Explorer, Games, Control Panel)
- Gadgets just like in windows 7

Windows 7 font Gabriola

This font is specifically developed by Microsoft and it is available as a free font in Windows 7. It supports a wide variety of advanced open type functionality.

Windows 7 user32.dll for XP

user32.dll allows programs to implement a graphical user interface. It contains basic functions, such as window management, user input, text, etc. This hacked version of user32.dll will enable Windows XP machine to give user notification like in Windows 7.

Windows 7 icons pack

Biggest collection of Windows 7 icons pack for all other version of Windows. It contains more than 500 Windows 7 icons in png format. Another icon pack of Windows 7 build 6801 can be found here. If you are looking for Windows 7 build 6956 icons extracted from the build head over to here.

Windows 7 sound

Windows 7 has some cool sound effect, so if you want to replace the sound scheme of your existing windows version, download this pack. The sounds are in WAVE format and contain some extra midi sequence.

LG Electronics reputed for its Flagship products and for eye-catching design recently announced the LG 60PS7000 Plasma Television with up-to-date technology packed inside. The 60″ wide display screen of this LG 60PS7000 Plasma TV comes with 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution that guarantees for an amazing picture quality. The display screen looks more elegant with Indigo Blue ToC (Touch of Colour) that adds more beauty to this Plasma Television.

This 1080p HD Ready Television comes with Dual XD Engine video processor. The Dynamic Contrast Ratio of the Display screen is 2,000,000:1 and that of the brightness is 1,500cd/m2. Amazingly, the display screen of this LG 60PS7000 Plasma TV features Intelligent Sensor II that corrects and adjusts the brightness of the display screen agreeing to your room’s lighting conditions. Additionally, this Plasma Television also supports 24p Real Cinema, Expert Mode and AV Mode (Sport, Cinema & Game). LG 60PS7000 Full HD Plasma Television has an exciting audio set-up that renders great sound with the support of Invisible Speakers. In along with these aspects, it also features Clear Voice II, SRS TruSurround XT and 2 Way 4 Speakers all together delivers an outstanding audio performance. For your Convenience, this LG Plasma Television has Swivel Stand and Simplink. As well as the life span of the panel is calculated as 100,000 hrs in this television. Connectivity features such as USB 2.0, 2 x Scart (1 x Full), PC Input, S-Video, 4 x HDMI, Bluetooth, Component and Composite, makes this Plasma Television an essential and excellent Gadget for your money.

The LG 60PS7000 Plasma Television has many advanced technologies hidden beautifully inside that thereby delivers crystal clear images and great sound features. Though priced bit expensive, it contains all the youth functions incorporated inside.

You can read unbiased reviews on Goodmans, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Fujitsu Plasma Television Reviews, Panasonic, Pioneer, Erae Plasma TVs, Cornea and 60″ Plasma Televisions at Plasma  TV Reviews Website.

Sony’s latest W series unit, the Cyber-Shot DSC-W150, is a compact point-and-shoot camera with 8.1 megapixels of resolution that shoots high quality snaps and has eye-popping features.

The  Sony Cyber-shot DSC W150 Digital Camera comes up with dimensions of 3.7 inches width, 2.3 inches height and by 0.9 inch depth, weighs just 6 ounces with battery and Memory Stick Pro Duo card. Available in black, silver, red or gold brushed-metal body, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W150 perfectly fits your pocket to carry everywhere. It supports an Optical Sensor type of Super HAD CCD, 1/2.5 in size and the light sensitivity offered by this camera are ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200 and ISO auto. The W150 Digital Camera comes with an internal flash memory of 15MB and you can increase the internal memory by using Memory Stick DUO. And this device features Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens that offers 5x optical zoom to shoot the images with good clarity. The digital zoom offered by the Sony DSC-W150 is 2x. The Camera’s focal length ranges between 5 and 25cm and corrects red-eye factor automatically that offers you with 6 white balance settings and the Videos can be recorded at 30fps. In addition to this, the DSC-W150 features the maximum resolution of 640 x 480 pixels that offers crystal-clear images and pictures.

The Sony digital camera offers huge range of other essential functionalities including Smile Shutter, Face Detection, Intelligent Scene Recognition, Dynamic Range Optimizer and Super Steady Shot image stabilization provides you great photographic experiences. Packed with lot of advanced solutions, this camera definitely offers you a true and live photo that adds more joy to your mind. The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC W150 Pocket- sized Digital Camera also features AV multi-connector cable, rechargeable battery and battery charger, USB port, software CD-ROM, wrist strap and an instruction manual.

Compare Cheap Pentax digital camera prices and read reviews on 6MP Digital Cameras, Concord, Epson, Konica, Olympus, Samsung, Toshiba and Vivitar Digital Cameras at digital camera reviews website.

The MS Antivirus also named as XP Antivirus, Windows Antivirus, Win Antivirus, Antivirus Pro, Antivirus Pro 2009, Antivirus 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, Vista Antivirus,  XP AntiSpyware 2009 and Antivirus XP Pro is one of the most famous and notorious Antivirus. Firstly this resembles the familiar Microsoft Windows interface and named itself as a genuine product from Microsoft so people get easily deceived by this program. Though this program claims itself as an Antivirus it is not. This kind of programs are known as Rogue software which is a kind of Spyware. More specifically Rogue software is something that uses malware or malicious tools to advertise or install itself or to force computer users to pay for removal of nonexistent malware/spyware. Rogue software will often install a trojan horse to download a trial version, or it will execute other unwanted actions.

Once the PC is infected with MS Antivirus aka AntiVirus 2009, it issues pop up messages with fake notification of malware infection and encourage you to buy the full version of this program to remove the malware. It is very much important not to believe this fake warning and fall prey to this fake Antispyware program. It hinders the normal working of the PC and reduces the system performance. It comes bundled with many malwares and Trojans like zlob.trojan, trojan.vundo and Trojan. Downloader, so in order to completely get rid off this program you need to remove all these malwares and Trojans as well as the Antivirus 2009 component.

There are some tools developed specifically for automatic removal of AntiVirus 2009.  However we will discuss both automatic and manual removal methods. If you fall into the geek category I would suggest you to use the manual removal instruction as there is no other alternative then manual removal method for completely removing this.

The Antivirus 2009 registers some dlls, create some processes of its own, creates a folder in the program files and create some registry entries. So we need to look into all the aspects while doing a manual removal.

Manual removal steps:

I recommend to start the PC in safe mode. This can be done by restarting the PC and hitting F8 key repeatedly till you see advance startup option. Select Safe mode from the list.

Unregister the dll files

The dll files responsible fro Antivirus 2009 are shlwapi.dll and wininet.dll

To unregister these files do the following:

In Windows XP:

Click on Start > Run and type cmd. Click on Ok

In windows Vista:

Click on Start and type cmd in the search box.

From the result, right click on cmd and select run as administrator.

In command prompt type:

regsvr32 /u shlwapi.dll and hit enter and regsvr32 /u wininet.dll hit enter

It will unregister the dll files.

Stop the Antivirus 2009 processes

The processes that might be created after the PC is infected with Antivirus 2009 are

av2009install.exe

av2009install_0011.exe

av2009[1].exe

av2009install.exe

ieupdates.exe

ieupdates.exe

av2009.exe

av2009install_0011.exe

XPAntivirus2009.exe

In order to stop these processes, press Alt+Ctrl+del key together and click on task manager.

Click on processes tab and look for the above processes.

Right click on the process name and select End process.

Delete the files created by it

Generally Antivirus 2009 installs itself inside the program files folder. So look for a folder called AntiVirus 2009 or anything related to this name (or the list at the beginning of the post) and completely delete that.

Also, do a search by going to Start > Search

Click on All files and folders from left and put the file name as the following and search for each of the files and delete them.

Generally the related files are:

c:\Program Files\XP Antivirus
c:\Program Files\XP Antivirus\xpa.exe
C:\Program Files\XPAntivirus\
C:\Program Files\XPAntivirus\XPAntivirus.exe
c:\WINDOWS\system32\scui.cpl
%UserProfile%\Desktop\XP Antivirus 2008.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\XP Antivirus 2008
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\XP Antivirus 2008\Uninstall XP Antivirus 2008.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\XP Antivirus 2008\XP Antivirus 2008.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\XP Antivirus 2008.lnk
C:\WINDOWS\krln32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\scvh0st.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\trjdwnl.dll
C:\WINDOWS\shlext32.exe

Removing the registry keys

Click on Start and Run type Regedit and click on Ok.

Click on Start and type Regedit in the search box and hit enter. (In Vista)

In registry editor navigate to the following keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Antivirus and delete this whole folder
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Antivirus and delete this whole folder.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Locate ”Antivirus” = “%ProgramFiles%\Antivirus 2009\Antvrs.exe” and delete it.

Automatic removal instructions

There are a number of genuine AntiSpyware and AntiVirus software those are really fruitful in removing spyware infection like AntiVirus 2009. You can use any of the following AntiSpyware program for helping in removing AntiVirus 2009 as well as other malwares:

Super Antispyware

Smitfraudfix

Malware Byte’s Antimalware