Technology Basement

$25 Million Superyacht Will Come With Complimentary Matching Supercar

2010-06-14T00:14:00.001+05:00

Beating the Bugatti Veyron hands down for exclusivity, the supercar has 880bhp from its twin-turbo V12 engine and a claimed top speed of 234mph. Only six will be built, each capable of hitting 60mph from rest in 3.2 seconds.

But what about the design, yo?!

Designer, Sweden-based 33-year-old Eduard Gray, told CNN that he took inspiration from the lines and curves of sports car, the Ferrari Testa Rossa.
"We have really tried to achieve a strong harmony in our design -- so that the car looks like it was literally born inside the hull of the yacht," he said.
But ultimately, he said, he wanted to design "something you want to be seen in -- the sexiest damn boat in the harbor!"

Sorry Eduard, but I think we can all agree the sexiest damn boat in the harbor is my dinghy. Just sayin: seats one comfortably, comes half-mast. Ooh -- did I mention the pirate flag? There's a pirate flag. Plus a compass.
Hit the jump for a bunch more pictures of the yacht you'll never own (unless you really are rich in which case I wasn't joking about the HJ).

How internet flow comes to your PC

2010-04-24T13:05:00.000+05:00

Gizmodo paid $10,000 for “lost” iPhone 4G

2010-04-20T21:05:00.000+05:00

The Internet is abuzz today with Gizmodo’s hands on preview of what appears to be Apple’s next-gen iPhone. In case you missed the build-up to the story, someone found a cased iPhone on the floor of a bar in Redwood City. From the outside, the device appeared to be an iPhone 3GS, but upon removing the device from its specially designed case, it was clear that this was no ordinary iPhone. Rather, it appeared to be Apple’s next-gen iPhone. Found. In the wild. A solid two months before anyone expected to see pictures of it.
In other words, this was the motherload of all Apple scoops.
The individual who found the iPhone sent pictures of the device to Engadget, but it was Gizmodo who scored big by actually obtaining the iPhone itself. It’s been reported by in-the-know Apple blogger John Gruber that Apple considered said iPhone “stolen”, and was keen on getting it back.
But with Gizmodo’s report blowing up the Internet today, the cat is out of the bag. At the time of this writing, Gizmodo’s story alone is bordering on 2.5 million page views [Edit: it's now pushing 4 million pageviews as of early Tuesday morning].
Now word is leaking out that Gizmodo paid a cool 10 grand for the iPhone prototype, which all things considered, seems like a bargain given Apple’s typically tight rein on product leaks.
Update: Apple Legal sends letter to Gizmodo asking them to return iPhone 4G
$10,000 has undeniably diverted a ton of eyeballs to Gizmodo’s site, and the surge in web traffic probably has Gizmodo editors jumping for joy. But you have to wonder if Gizmodo, in the grand scheme of things, tarnished their “relationship” with Apple for a short term spike in pageviews.
Think about it - Steve Jobs is probably livid right now, and what are the odds that Gizmodo, going forward, gets invited to Apple’s always popular “special events.” And what are the odds now that Gizmodo will get a review unit of the upcoming iPhone 4G? Though, to be fair, they apparently already have one.
On another note, there has been talk about Apple legal going after Gizmodo, but that doesn’t seem plausible for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the damage has already been done. The pictures and information gleaned from Gizmodo’s hands-on have already been dispersed into the ether of the Internet. If Apple demanded Gimzodo remove its detailed post, it would a) confirm that the device is, in fact, the next-gen iPhone and b) ultimately have no effect whatsoever given that hundreds, if not thousands, of other websites have already copied and pasted the pertinent information.
Second, it’s hard to see how exactly Apple could go after Gizmodo from a legal standpoint. Word is that Gizmodo purchased the device last week, but it’s unclear if Apple was aware of the exchange, and if so, if Apple sent a legal warning to Gizmodo not to publicize the device. But even if Apple did deliver a legal warning, Gizmodo ostensibly didn’t coerce an Apple employee into handing over a top secret prototype. Rather, Giz simply paid top dollar to a guy who found a different looking iPhone on the floor of a bar. From that vantage point, there’s not much illegality involved.
Matt in the comments directs us to this entry on lost/stolen property from Wikipedia:

Property is generally deemed to have been mislaid or misplaced if it is found in a place where the true owner likely did intend to set it, but then simply forgot to pick it up again. For example, a wallet found in a shop lying on a counter near a cash register will likely be deemed misplaced rather than lost. Under common law principles, the finder of a misplaced object has a duty to turn it over to the owner of the premises, on the theory that the true owner is likely to return to that location to search for his misplaced item. If the true owner does not return within a reasonable time (which varies considerably depending on the circumstances), the property becomes that of the owner of the premises

That said, it would seem that Apple’s legal beef lies more so with individual who sold the device than Gizmodo. Either way, going after Giz or the dude who’s now $10,000 richer would attract a wave of bad publicity that Apple would, we would guess, much rather do without.
Update: A comment from Hacker News directs us to this section of the California Penal Code:

One who finds lost property under circumstances which give him knowledge of or means of inquiry as to the true owner, and who appropriates such property to his own use, or to the use of another person not entitled thereto, without first making reasonable and just efforts to find the owner and to restore the property to him, is guilty of theft.

The question, then, is if the legal responsibility of the original “finder” is transferred over to the party who acquires said property. We’re guessing that it does. Also, remember that Gawker was previously served with a cease and desist letter from Apple back in early January for offering $50,000 for pre-release photos or videos of the iPad and $100,000 for actual hands-on time with the device.
And if that weren’t enough to chew on, Gawker managing editor Nick Denton sent out the following tweet earlier this afternoon:

For people who want to know the backstory to Gizmodo’s iPhone exclusive, it’s coming. And it’s a corker.

Update x2: Gizmodo exposes identity of Apple engineer who lost the iPhone at the bar
Update x3: Gawker editor Nick Denton said that the company paid $5,000 for the device, with some reports claiming that additional fees were to be paid if certain traffic goals were met.

Via:Edibleapple

iPhone OS 4.0 Features Explose-Like Multitasking

2010-04-02T11:19:00.000+05:00

Word on the Web is that the next iPhone OS update -- version 4.0 -- will finally deliver multitasking support via an Expose-like interface. That means users will be able to launch multiple apps, including third party ones, in the background and switch between them, a feature Android and Windows Mobile users take for granted.

"Those familiar with the design of iPhone 4.0 said that the user interface will resemble Apple's desktop Expose feature, in that a key combination -- reportedly hitting the Home button twice -- will trigger an expose-like interface that brings up a series of icons representing the currently running apps, allowing users to quickly select the one they want to switch to directly," AppleInsider reports. "When a selection is made, the iPhone OS zooms out of the Expose task manager and transitions to that app."

Sounds groovy, and there will be more to iPhone 4.0 than just multitasking. Pre-release builds have shown that a global mailbox view has been added, as well as the ability to add individual contacts to the iPhone's home screen.

Via: Appleinsider

Magellan Introduces RoadMate App For iPhone

2010-03-28T22:03:00.000+05:00

iPhone users now have another GPS option for their phones. Magellan GPS recently announced the Magellan RoadMate App for iPhone for the United States and Puerto Rico. The app uses the same interface as the company's dedicated personal navigation devices.

Feature highlights include:

Spoken street name guidance
Highway lane assist
In-app music control
iPhone address book integration
Pedestrian Mode
Most current maps provided by NAVTEQ

The Magellan RoadMate App does not have any recurring subscription fees and is available for use on the iPod touch (2nd generation) with the Magellan Premium Car Kit (sold separately). The app is available at an introductory price of $39.99.

Source:Hothardware

Google introduces warnings on suspicious Gmail use 'Last accessed from China, you say?'

2010-03-26T14:29:00.000+05:00

Gmail warnings

Google has introduced a warning system for Gmail that will tell you if your account is being used suspiciously.

The company is keen to show people when it appears that their details are being compromised, and will now put a high visibility bar in your account if it appears to be being accessed by someone other than you.

"Now, if it looks like something unusual is going on with your account, we'll also alert you by posting a warning message saying, "Warning: We believe your account was last accessed from…" along with the geographic region that we can best associate with the access," explains the official Google blog.

Broad geographical location

"To determine when to display this message, our automated system matches the relevant IP address, logged per the Gmail privacy policy, to a broad geographical location," it added.

"While we don't have the capability to determine the specific location from which an account is accessed, a login appearing to come from one country and occurring a few hours after a login from another country may trigger an alert.

"By clicking on the 'Details' link next to the message, you'll see the last account activity window that you're used to, along with the most recent access points."

Common sense prevails

Google did add that it was important users did not rely entirely on the new safeguards, but continue to apply the normal common sense procedures for their accounts.

"Keep in mind that these notifications are meant to alert you of suspicious activity but are not a replacement for account security best practices," added the blog.

"If you'd like more information on account security, read these tips on keeping your information secure or visit the Google Online Security Blog."

Source: Techradar

Google May Leave China on April 10

2010-03-19T19:07:00.000+05:00

Google’s decision to cease its operation in China is edging closer to reality after months of negotiations. China Business News reports that Google plans to leave China on April 10.

The report cites an unidentified Google China employee, but this information has not been confirmed by Google. Allegedly, Google gave its China employees the option of moving to the company’s U.S. headquarters or working for its Asia-Pacific operations.
If this is true, it once again raises the question of what, exactly, is Google pulling out from China: its entire operations or just the search engine, which it has declined to censor? The latter now seems more likely.
In any case, if Google does pull out, it may be a long, long time before it returns. Peter Lui, who was formerly Google’s financial controller for the Asia Pacific region, said that Google’s public announcement to leave had “burnt bridges… There is no way Google can ever come back.”
Via:Mashable

Windows Phone 7 Series won't have copy and paste

2010-03-17T19:14:00.000+05:00

Ready for another long, drawn-out copy and paste controversy to overtake your every waking moment for a year or two? Good: Microsoft just mentioned in a Q&A session here at MIX10 in no uncertain terms that clipboard operations won't be supported on Windows Phone 7 Series... so that's that. Kind of ironic considering that the WinMo of old has been enjoying the functionality since time immemorial, isn't it? Of course, anything is possible going forward -- they've said on several occasions in different talks and sessions this week that they're already looking at a number of enhancements that were scoped out of the initial release of the platform -- but for the phones you buy this holiday season, don't expect to be copying anything between apps.

Update: We just super-double-ultra-plus-confirmed this with Microsoft -- Windows Phone 7 Series will not have copy and paste functionality. There is a data-detection service built into the text-handling API that will recognize phone numbers and addresses, but Microsoft says most users, including Office users, don't really need clipboard functionality. We... respectfully disagree? Sure, let's leave it at that.

Via: Engagdet

Internet Explorer 9 Is Looking Positively Sexy

2010-03-17T19:07:00.001+05:00

Microsoft browser—we'd have beaten you with a stack of TPS reports. This week, well, it's a different story. The actual IE9 browser isn't available for download yet, but Microsoft has made what it calls the Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview available for download. Internet Explorer 9 offers a bevy of new features compared to IE8 (or anything else), but the most exciting feature is the browser's built-in GPU hardware acceleration.

As it turns out, there's quite a bit Microsoft can do, even with a modest integrated GPU. AMD's Robin Maffeo has put together a blog post that summarizes several key differences between IE9 and its predecessors.

The MSHTML rendering layer has been enhanced to use Direct2D and DirectWrite instead of GDI. Direct2D enables GPU accelerated 2D graphics and text, and allows sub-pixel positioning. In addition, the GPU is used for scaling (bitmaps are mapped to textures), which is ideal for zooming and moving images around the screen. This GPU support translates directly into improved readability of pages, more precise placement of text and images, and smooth scrolling and zooming.
JavaScript performance is greatly improved from older versions of Internet Explorer, and should be competitive if not better than competing browsers. In the past, JavaScript in IE was interpreted and not compiled into native processor instructions. The JavaScript engine now includes a JIT compiler which emits x86 instructions and compiles the code before it runs, resulting in a dramatic performance uplift. Instruction generation can also be tailored to the underlying processor to take full advantage of the underlying platform.
IE9 is more standards compliant than previous versions, with new support for HTML5 elements such as and
The Javascript performance improvement is still a bit murky; let's unpack it with some help from the official IE9 blog. "To improve JavaScript performance even more, Chakra [IE9's Javascript engine] does something quite different from other script engines today. It has a separate background thread for compiling JavaScript. Windows runs that thread in parallel on a separate core when one is available. Compiling in the background enables users to keep interacting with webpages while IE generates even faster code. By running separately in the background, this process can take advantage of today’s multi-core machines – so, users with a Core2Duo or QuadCore or i7 can apply that power to making webpages faster without any additional effort. "

Still shots don't do the rendering engine justice. Picture 256 icons spinning at 60 frames a second, without slowing anything else down.

IE9 isn't expected to drop until 2011 and its GPU-accelerated rendering engine isn't compatible with Windows XP due to fundamental differences between Windows XP's software rendering style and the Desktop Window Manager that ships with both Windows 7 and Windows Vista; it's not clear if Microsoft will release IE9 for XP or simply continue to maintain IE8's security patches. It's hard to capture some of the coolest things the IE9 Platform can do in a static screenshot; head over to Microsoft's website and take a look yourself if you're curious. When you consider how much of our time is spent within a browser, this is the sort of innovation that could genuinely be called a game-changer. We'll undoubtedly see announcements and demonstrations from Chrome, Firefox, and Opera in the days ahead—the sooner this tech hits the desktop (without being buggy) the better.

Via:IE Blog

Google partners call for clarity on China plans

2010-03-17T18:56:00.000+05:00

(Reuters) - Chinese firms selling advertising space on Google's search pages have demanded clarity about the search giant's plans in China, as speculation increases over Google's future in the world's largest Internet market.

Their demand comes amid signs that Google Inc may soon move to close Google.cn, more than two months after it hit back against sophisticated hacking attacks from inside China and said it was no longer willing to offer a censored search engine.
Google and China have been tight-lipped since then about any talks to reconcile their differences.
A letter purportedly from 27 Google-authorized sales representative companies says the wait has gone on for too long, eroding their business, scaring off employees and putting big investments in jeopardy.
"We see a constant stream of information but cannot predict the future, we see business sliding, but there is nothing we can do," says the letter, which was also posted on a website affiliated with China's central television. "We are waiting now in incomparable pain and disquiet."
Google has received the letter and is reviewing it, spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said.
Many of the signatories, contacted by Reuters, would not comment on the letter, or said they were unaware of it.
Some said that neither their affiliation with Google.cn nor the fight between Google and the government had hurt their business, although others acknowledged hesitancy by customers unsure of Google's future in China.
"We don't want Google to pull out. We believe Google will give us a proper explanation," said a customer service manager, surnamed Sheng, at Suzhou Universal Internet Media, adding she was not familiar with the contents of the letter.
The Wall Street Journal quoted one anonymous source who confirmed the contents of the letter, but added that not all the signatories had been involved in drafting the letter.
The companies sell advertising spots on Google search-result pages tied to certain searches.
COMPENSATION
The letter spells out demands for redress -- for investors, employees and clients -- that could add to the economic and political pressures on Google if it shuts down Google.cn and perhaps withdraws other operations from China.
The letter demands that Google develop a plan spelling out when customers' pre-payments for advertising will be returned to them, how employees of the advertising agents thrown out of work will be compensated, and how the companies themselves will be compensated for investments.
Addressed to Google's top executive for China, John Liu, it demands negotiations with the company.
A commerce ministry spokesman on Tuesday warned Google to obey Chinese laws and rules, including alerting the ministry to any exit plans.
Google's chief executive, Eric Schmidt, said last week he hoped to have an outcome soon from talks with Chinese officials on offering an uncensored search engine in the country of 384 million Internet users.
Many experts doubt China's ruling Communist Party would compromise on censorship. The Financial Times reported at the weekend the talks had reached an impasse and Google was "99.9 percent" certain to shut Google.cn.
A Google spokesperson said on Monday that talks with Chinese authorities had not ended, but added that the company was adamant about not accepting self-censorship.
China requires Internet operators to block words and images the ruling Communist Party deems unacceptable. Google.cn has not yet lifted that filter.
Internationally popular websites Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are entirely blocked in China, which uses a filtering "firewall" to block Internet users from overseas content banned by authorities.
Via: Reuters

Google Buzz Now Available as an iPhone App

2010-03-05T15:13:00.000+05:00

Here it is folks, the first ever third-party application for Google Buzz, now available through the iTunes App Store. It's called Buzzie, and for the next few days, you can snag it for 33 percent off as part of a special introductory price.

If you're a fan of Google's newest social networking tool and can't imagine owning a smartphone other than the iPhone, then this is probably the best news ever. But you don't have to be a Buzz user to check it out. Non-Gmail users who want to see what all the fuss is about can play the part of mobile voyeur and read through local Buzz conversations without ever logging into the service. Should you decide to log in or sign up, you can then jump into the discussion.

Buzzie is a pretty straightforward app that's so far been well received, according to the user reviews. The app also taps into the iPhone GPS feature, but also gives you the option of marking your Buzz as private or public depending on whether or not you want your location out there for all to see.

You can snag the app here, and if you do, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Source: Hothardware

iPhone Banned in the USA

2010-02-20T23:33:00.001+05:00

Eastman Kodak is after your iPhone AND they want to take away your BlackBerry.
They won't come and pry the device out of your hand, but they definitely want to halt the phones from being imported until they get their piece of the pie.
Eastman Kodak claims that Apple Computers and Research in Motion are guilty of infringement of patents. Kodak has taken the step to request the U.S. International Trade Commission prevent both companies from importing their smart phones into the United States. Nokia filed a similar complaint in December 2009.

Kodak says both companies have infringed on patents regarding digital imaging, Apple for its iPhone and Research in Motion for its BlackBerry phone. The companies had been negotiating with Kodak to settle the potential compensation matter, but those talks broke down after neither side could break the impasse.
Kodak wants to ban devices with touch screens, like the Apple iPhone, the BlackBerry Storm and other camera phones such as the Tour, Bold, Curve and Pearl. The main issue is the built-in cameras. Kodak has more than 1,000 patents involving digital imaging.
Kodak's complaint says the iPhone and BlackBerry infringe on the patent approved in 2001 regarding the ability to preview images. Kodak made more than $622 million on intellectual property last year and expects to receive more than $450 million in royalty this year from Samsung. It is seeking a similar agreement with Apple and Research in Motion.
The ITC has 45 days to decide whether it will consider the complaint and would hold a hearing about the matter within the next year. Kodak has filed a similar suit against Samsung and LG and currently has licensing agreements with both companies, as well as Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia.
This is just another round in the smartphone war. Apple filed a complaint against Nokia with the USITC last month that was designed to block the import of Nokia's Oyj phone into the United States. The ITC has agreed to consider the complaint. Nokia, the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones, filed its own complaint to ban imports of the iPhone, iPod and MacBook. The USITC said it would review that complaint, too.

Source: Better Trades

Top 10 Google Settings You Should Know About

2010-02-15T20:00:00.000+05:00

As the outcry over Google Buzz's privacy has shown us, it's smart to explore settings in Gmail, along with other places you're sharing data with the search giant. Let's take a look at 10 privacy, convenience, and annoyance fixers you should know.

10. Turn off auto-displayed pictures from Gmail contacts

By default, Gmail hides images embedded into emails from chain letters and unknown sources—and that's a smart move, given spammers' tracking tactics and malware tendencies. But it still shows images from contacts you've previously sent mail to, which can be a pain if you've got relatives who just love hi-larious forwards. Head to your Settings page, and look for the "external content" setting, which you can switch off to always ask you to confirm showing images in any email. If you've got just a handful of offenders, open up one of the egregious emails, hit the "Show details" link near the bottom of the to/from/subject details, and click the "don't display from now on" link. (Original post)

9. Fine-tune Google Apps for your domain

Google Apps, formerly know as Apps for Your Domain, has a lot of goodies tucked inside it for anyone who owns their own site, runs a family name domain, or operates a small business. Unlike Gmail, however, the new features and disabled offerings aren't as apparent (or blogged about). Gina gave us a great tour of Google Apps, showing how you can control privacy and access, choose which Labs features make it into your domain's email, and otherwise set up your site to your liking.

8. Prevent Android from automatically signing into Gchat

Simple and easy, but also easy to miss: If you've got an Android phone and have launched Google Talk from it just once, you might notice that you seem to catch any and all chats throughout the day. That's because Talk can sit in the background upon launching, ready to pick up messages. That's fine if that's what you want, but if you want a choice in the matter, head to the Google Talk app, hit your Menu key, and choose Settings. Un-check the "Automatically sign in" option, hit your back button, and then hit Menu and sign out of Google Talk. You'll need to sign back in if you're downloading apps from the Market (odd pairing, indeed), but you're otherwise free to chat when you want to. (Original post)

7. Turn off Buzz, Chat, and Labs in Gmail

Not big on Buzz? Chat more distracting than useful? Gmail Labs making your inbox feel lag-ish? You can kill all of them, if you'd like, and get back just a plain vanilla inbox. Scroll all the way to the bottom of any page inside Gmail, and at the bottom, you'll see two links to turn Gmail's chat sidebar and Buzz inbox on or off. Actually, you don't really "turn off Buzz" so much as remove it from your inbox, so be sure and check your Buzz settings at your Google Profile, if you have a Google Profile. If Labs features seem to be slowing down, or even breaking, your Gmail experience, you can turn them off entirely by loading Gmail from this URL: https://mail.google.com/mail/?labs=0#. Bookmark it as your main Gmail link, or title it "Gmail (Safe Mode)" if you'd like to still venture into all the goodies on occasion.

6. Disable SafeSearch (or lock it in semi-permanently)

Google's SafeSearch isn't an entirely comprehensive solution to preventing impressionable eyes from the worst realms of the internet. It is, however, a good stopgap until they learn to grow up and install other browsers, wipe out cookies, and customize user scripts. Whether you don't have any young ones in the house and want to turn SafeSearch off altogether or you want a complete SafeSearch lockdown on your computer, head to your search preferences, scroll down to the SafeSearch section, and find the setting that fits you. (In Google Image Search, they've helpfully placed the control right under the search box on your first result.) If you want to permanently enable SafeSearch, click the "Lock SafeSearch" link—and repeat for any browsers the little ones use. Now when they're performing a Google search, you should see some giant Google-colored balls in the upper-right corner—or else they've gotten too smart.

5. Set your default SMS location

For those without web-connected smartphones, or at least a decent data connection, Google's SMS service is seriously helpful—it's how I (used to) get by with just an iPod touch and a standard phone. To make it even more helpful, text set location, followed by the city and state or ZIP code where you spend the most time. Now you can just text "weather" or "pet store" to get the skinny on what's happening. (Original post)

4. Link and integrate your apps

Taking off the privacy and preference hat for a moment, Google's apps have a lot of neat settings just beneath their surface that make using them all together a tight experience. You can turn emails into tasks, and then map those tasks on your calendar. You can send voice messages and SMS from Google Voice to Gmail, and mark them as read when you open them there. Gina previously ran down seven easy ways to integrate your Google apps, and even more seem to come along every week.

3. Turn off Search History, logged in or not

If you're logged into Google for Gmail or any other service, there's a good chance Google's keeping tabs on all your searches, months after you made them. If you aren't logged in, Google's probably still tracking and personalizing your searches based on what you previously typed in. This one-stop solution should work for most users, but if it doesn't, log into Google and head to google.com/history. A notice at the top will tell you if you've "paused" or otherwise stopped your search history, or else you'll see your recent searches listed with dates and times. You can clear out this history by hitting the "Remove items" link on the left. If you aren't logged in, look for the "Web History" link in the upper-right corner. From there, you can choose whether Google tracks your searches via cookie and IP address and customizes your results.

2. Back up Google apps' data

For all you've heard about Buzz, privacy, and Google this week, you still can't fault them too much for their efforts to let you take your data with you if you decide to leave their app ecosystem. The Data Liberation Front site, a pet project from Google's engineers, explains how you can pull your information, documents, and other data out of nearly any Google product. Gina's also covered some of Google's apps in a cloud backup feature, and Adam tackled the best-at-that-time tools for Google backups in 2007. (Original Data Liberation Front post)

1. Control what Buzz says about you on the web

Google's new social service Buzz showed up suddenly in everyone's Gmail accounts this week, and right away it wanted to get you connected with the people you contact over email and chat the most. Before you let it turn you loose, though, consider whether you want the world to see exactly who you "follow." Google has since improved the on/off visibility, but if you want to make sure you're not broadcasting your inbox to the web at large, we suggest visiting your profile and checking your follower counts. If you don't see a profile at all, or don't see the followed/following numbers, you're likely in the clear, but as with many aspects of Buzz in this early stage, you can't be too careful. And when you actually start using the thing, be careful not to broadcast private email addresses yourself. (Original posts: Buzz update, private emails).

Bonus item: Open search results in new tabs

Lifehacker copy consigliere Dustin Luck mentions yet another reason to hit up your search preferences from time to time. With a single click, you can choose to open the results you click on in new windows. If you've set up your browser the right way, those new windows become new tabs, and little research projects on Google just became far more convenient.

Source:lifehacker

iTunes Nears 10 Billion Music Downloads And Prize To Downloader

2010-02-14T20:22:00.000+05:00

The 10 billionth iTunes download is fast approaching, and Apple's offering up a $10,000 iTunes gift card prize to one lucky winner. That winner will either be the downloader of the 10 billionth song, or the person who submits the first non-purchase online entry form immediately following the download of the 9,999,999,999th song.

Based on those rules, considering there are still over 100 million songs to go, it makes no sense to try to enter at the time of this writing. It's totally based on when you enter, not some random drawing of entries, unless you happen to tie for the 10 billionth entry.

Last year, Apple had a similar promotion for the 1 billionth App Store download. However, they must value App Store downloads much more than iTunes downloads, as that promotion included a lot more than just the $10,000 iTunes gift card: the lucky winner collected an iPod Touch, a Time Capsule, and a MacBook Pro, as well.

Apple calls it "one huge milestone for music," and it is, but Apple hit a bigger milestone much earlier. In 2008, iTunes became the number one U.S. music retailer.
Source:Apple

Real Time Voice Translation is On the Way, Thanks to Google.

2010-02-08T22:54:00.000+05:00

Real time voice translation is on the way and Google aims to pioneer it.

The Internet giant wants to develop its smartphone technology to translate speech in real time.
The company would combine its advanced voice recognition know-how with its text translation service to create a mobile phone that acts as an instant interpreter.
Head of translation services Franz Och said: “We think speech-to-speech translation should be possible and work reasonably well in a few years’ time.“Clearly, for it to work smoothly, you need a combination of high-accuracy machine translation and high-accuracy voice recognition, and that’s what we’re working on.”
‘Everyone has a different voice, accent and pitch,’ said Mr Och. ‘But recognition should be effective with mobile phones because by nature they are personal to you.’
Google has already created an automatic system for translating text on computers, which is being honed by scanning millions of multi-lingual websites and documents.
However Google admits speech will be an even tougher challenge than text but says a customer’s phone would adapt to its user by ‘learning’ their style of talking.
Source: The next web

Belkin TuneCast Auto LIVE Makes FM Transmission Easy For iPhone 3G/3GS

2010-01-26T22:31:00.000+05:00

Belkin has been doing quite well in the iPod and iPhone accessory market, and today's announcement should be music to the ears of those who don't feel like installing any kind of sophisticated iPod adapter into their automobile. Sure, many new vehicles have iPod support from the factory, but older models were never designed to handle Steve's most popular products ever.

The TuneCase Auto LIVE is one of the most elegant FM Transmitter solutions that we've seen to date for the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, as it actually uses the phone's GPS module in order to locate where you are and track down the most open radio frequency available to you. Anyone who has used an FM Transmitter will know that finding a good, clean open frequency is difficult, and this device basically takes the hard guesswork out of it.

The integrated ClearScan technology finds the best station to broadcast on, and if you need to manually change it, the app allows you to do so right on the iPhone's screen. It's available now in North America for $79.99. Europe, Asia and Australia will have it by late-Spring.

Quickly find the best FM station with the help of your iPhone GPS system and location-based user feedback.

ClearScan LIVE iPhone App conveniently recommends the best FM frequencies based on your GPS coordinates.

Control your FM transmission easily from your iPhone screen.

Now available in North America

Available March 2010 in Europe

Available April 2010 in Asia and Australia

TuneCast Auto Live (F8Z498) - $79.99

ClearScan LIVE Application available for free download at the iTunes store

ClearScan technology scans for the clearest frequency and best audio quality at the push of a button

Control FM transmission and music from your iPhone screen

Also compatible with iPod touch, nano, and classic

High-contrast LCD display for easy viewing

Two programmable preset buttons

Charges through car's 12-volt lighter outlet

1-Year Limited Warranty

Via Hothardware

Want really secure Gmail? Try GPG encryption

2010-01-17T23:08:00.001+05:00

Perhaps Google's announcement that Chinese cyber attackers went after human rights activists' Gmail accounts has made you skittish about just how private your own messages are on the Google e-mail service.
Well, if you want to take a significant step in keeping prying eyes away from your electronic correspondence, one good encryption technology that predates Google altogether is worth looking at. It's called public key encryption, and I'm sharing some instructions on how to get it working if you want try it.
Unfortunately, better security typically goes hand in hand with increased inconvenience. But some human rights activists who used Gmail right now likely wish they'd put up with a little hardship to help keep hackers at bay. I'm not going so far as to recommend you use e-mail encryption, but I think this is a good time to take a close look at it.
Specifically, I'll show here how to use a collection of free or open-source software packages: GPG, or GNU Privacy Guard, Mozilla Messaging's Thunderbird e-mail software, and its Enigmail plug-in. CNET Download.com also hosts Thunderbird for Windows and Mac and Enigmail for all platforms.
But first, some background about how it works.
Public key cryptography
Encryption scrambles messages so that only someone with a key (or a tremendous amount of computing horsepower, or knowledge of how to exploit an encryption weakness) can decode them. One form is called, curiously, public key encryption, and this is what GPG and Enigmail use.
Here's the quick version of how it works. You get a private key known only to yourself and a public key that's available for anyone else to use. The person you're corresponding with also has such a pair of keys. Although the public and private keys are mathematically related, you can't derive one from the other.
To send a private message, someone encrypts it with your public key; you then decrypt it with your private key. When it's time to reply, you encrypt your message with the recipient's public key and the recipient decodes it with his or her private key.
Messages in transit from one machine to another are a bunch of textual gobbledygook until decoded. If you're being cautious enough to encrypt your e-mail, you should be aware that there's still some information that leaks out to the outside world. The subject line isn't encrypted, and somebody might take interest in the identity of your active e-mail contacts and the timing and frequency of communications.
So how do you find out what your correspondent's public key is? You can either fetch the key firsthand from the correspondent, or you search for it on public computers on the Net called key servers--mine is stored at pool.sks-keyservers.net.
This form of encryption has another advantage: you can sign your e-mail electronically so the recipient knows it really is from you. This time the process works in reverse: you sign your e-mail with your private key, then your recipient verifies it's from you using your public key.
Drawbacks aplenty
Weighed against the encryption advantages of privacy and message signing is the fact that you'll lose access to service you may like or depend on.
When you see an encrypted e-mail in the Web-based Gmail, it's gibberish. Google doesn't index it, so Gmail search doesn't work. And the strong points of cloud computing--reading your e-mail from your mobile phone, your friend's computer, a computer kiosk on the airport--isn't possible. You're once again anchored to your PC with the encryption software installed.

Gmail won't be able to make heads or tails of your encrypted e-mail.

(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Another doozy is that the technology, while conceptually manageable in my opinion, quickly gets complicated. It's the kind of thing where you benefit from some hand-holding from your technologically sophisticated pal. Encryption is chiefly used by the expert crowd, so the documentation quickly gets technical, the options quickly go beyond most people's comprehension, and the help quickly can shift from Spartan manuals to grasping at straws on a search engine results page.
Given time and experience, intractable technology can be beaten into submission, though. The bigger problem with encrypted mail is convincing others to install the software and use it. Until then, you'll be like the proverbial owner of the world's single fax machine: nice technology, but there's nothing you can do with it until someone else gets one.
My personal hope is that encrypted e-mail will become more common and that wider use will encourage some flavor of it that will work more transparently with existing systems, perhaps through local plug-ins on a computer such as FireGPG, though there appears to be challenges getting it to work with Gmail.
Meanwhile, here's one collection of software that's available today for public key e-mail encryption.

Install the software
First, install Thunderbird e-mail software, if you haven't already. I recommend the new version 3.0, which is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. One particularly nice feature is that the software will ask you for your e-mail address and password on its first launch, and Gmail users will find the software automatically handles the tangle of configuration details that previously had to be manually set.

Next up is GPG, the command-line software that handles the actual encryption, decryption, and key management behind the scenes. Fetch the appropriate copy for your operating system from the "binaries" links at the GPG downloads page. Technophiles will like using this actual software from the command line, but don't worry--you don't have to.
Last is installing the Enigmail plug-in for Thunderbird. Fetch the appropriate version from the Enigmail download site and make a note of where you save the file.
Enigmail isn't the kind of file you double-click to install. Instead, go to Thunderbird, open the Tools menu and click Add-ons. In the lower-left corner of the dialog box that appears, click "Install..." When prompted for a location, point to where you saved the plug-in; the filename should be "enigmail-1.0-tb-win.xpi" or some other operating system-appropriate variation.
Set up the software
Next, it's time to get started. Enigmail offers useful instructions that generally are up to date, though they don't mention Thunderbird 3.0 and some other matters.
You'll likely get a setup Wizard from Enigmail, which is fine. My advice: set it to sign encrypted messages by default but not to encrypt messages by default unless you're confident you're going to use it a lot.
The first task is generate your public and private keys--your "keypair." Enigmail can handle this chore. In Thunderbird, click the OpenGPG menu, then the "Key Management" option. A new window will pop up with its own set of menus. Click the rightmost one, "Generate."
The default options are pretty good, though setting the key not to expire might be preferable for some people. That can be changed later, if you have second thoughts. For your passphrase, the usual password rules apply: the longer it is and the farther away from anything in a dictionary it is, the harder it is to crack.
Now comes the best part of the whole thing: helping out the random number generator while the keys are being generated. It doesn't take long, but doing something else while it happens--browsing a Web page or loading a word processing file, for example--creates events that actually inject a little helpful unpredictability into the algorithm. It's one of those wacky computer science moments.
Once the keys are generated, upload yours to a key server so your pals can find your key. It's easy: click the "Keyserver" menu, "Upload Public Keys," and go with the default pool.sks-keyservers.net server.
Try it out

Now it's time to get viral. You have to find somebody to experiment on. Go through your list of nerdy, security-minded, perhaps somewhat paranoid friends and start recruiting. A tinfoil hat isn't a prerequisite for using e-mail encryption, but there's a connection.
Once you've got a companion--or set up a second keypair with another e-mail account--start a new e-mail message and type in a subject line and some text. In the OpenPGP menu, select "sign message," "encrypt message," and if your message recipient is using Enigmail, "Use PGP/MIME for this message." (The latter option has some advantages, but isn't supported universally.)
When you send the message, you'll need to use your recipient's public key to encrypt the message and your own passphrase to sign the message with your private key.
When it's time to read, you'll need the public key of your correspondent to verify the signature and your own passphrase to decrypt it.
Sending and receiving is where those public key servers come in handy. Seek, and if ye don't find, ask your friend to e-mail you the public key.
There's a whole new world of encryption out there--the web of trust, key signing, fingerprints and such--that I won't get into here. I recommend a look at the Enigmail configuration manual and the Enigmail Handbook.
If you're a command-line nut, I recommend Brendan Kidwell's practical introduction and, with my usual reservations about the utter lack of informative examples, the GPG man page. History buffs can check the Wikipedia pages (the saga of Phil Zimmermann vs. the U.S. government concerning GPG's precursor, PGP, or Pretty Good Privacy, is particularly notable), and one 10th-anniversary GPG retrospective from founder Werner Koch.
In closing: backup your key
There is one last task you should attend to: export your keypair. Enigmail can handle this fine: In the search field, type your name until your key appears, click it to select it, then click "File" and "Export Keys to File."
This backup will be useful for decrypting your mail on a new computer, installing software from scratch, or otherwise managing the inevitable digital transitions in your life. But be warned: that private key is what somebody needs to crack your encryption, so don't leave it where somebody can find it.
I'm not convinced that GPG will rule the world. Indeed, I'm concerned that so much documentation I encountered for this article was written before Windows Vista arrived.
But I am convinced there are serious holes with our current security and privacy arrangements. A 2,048-bit encryption key won't thwart phishing scams or other social engineering attacks that appear to have been employed in the Google-China case, but it's a good place to start.
And using encryption sends a message to the technology world: perhaps it's time to start taking our security more seriously. Google opted for encrypted Gmail network connections, even though it will tax their servers with more processing, which is a good start. Better security can be inconvenient and expensive, but don't forget to consider the drawbacks of poor security.
Via:Cnet

McDonald's Begins Serving Free Wi-Fi At Most US Locations

2010-01-17T22:29:00.000+05:00

Hearing that "someone is working on it" is one thing, but now the home of the Golden Arches (and those "all white meat chicken nuggets) has finally done the deed. No, we're not talking about swapping out those juicy, all-beef patties for veggie slabs. We're talking about in-house Wi-Fi, and lots of it. Making good on a promise it made earlier in the year, McDonald's has rolled out free in-store Wi-Fi in "most" of its US stores. As of 1/15, the vast majority of McD's eateries should have Internet signals floating about, and all you'll need to take advantage is a Wi-Fi enabled smartphone or PC.

All told, Wi-Fi has been added to around 11,500 of the company's 14,000 locations, and of course, it's completely free to those who pass by. It will be interesting to see if other fast food chains and stores in general begin to take notice here and try to mimic it. We love having free Wi-Fi at McD's, but considering that it's a "fast food" place, we aren't generally sitting down for long periods of time when dropping by for a large free and a huge tea. What would be awesome, however, is it more and more retail outlets and eateries began to copy this model. Wi-Fi is so easy to get these days that it really should be broadcast pretty much everywhere. If the place that somehow thrives on a "dollar menu" can afford to offer Wi-Fi at no charge to consumers, there's hardly an excuse for everyone else.

It's about time the Internet become truly ubiquitous, don't you agree?

Via: Reuters

South Korean Duo Deemed "World's Fastest Texters"

2010-01-17T22:10:00.000+05:00

Think you thumbs are quick? Think again. LG, which has long been a supporter of finding out just who exactly can text the fastest in this zany world of thumb-friendly communicators, has just announced that Yeong-Ho Bae, 18, and Mok-Min Ha, 17, of South Korea are the (new) fastest texters on the planet. Hear that? On the planet!

The duo defeated a host of challengers to become the world texting champions at the LG Mobile World Cup in New York City, and the competition was no joke whatsoever. The two had to use LG devices (no iPhone or Droid allowed), and they trumped their rivals in a series of tests of speed and accuracy. LG then crowned 'em the champs, and handed them a whopping $100000 for their efforts.

The finals pit 13 two-person teams against one another in New York, with each team having to last through five rounds of team and individual events. All contestants texted in their native language using two of LG's current mobile phones: the LG BL20, which has a numeric keypad, and the LG GW520, which features a QWERTY keyboard. A pair from the USA placed second, and that brought home a nice $20000 payout. Juan Ignacio Aufranc and Agustina Montegna from Argentina took third place, and they netted $10000 from the competition. In addition to the main competition, the players attempted to set a new Guinness World Records record for fastest texting, using the LG enV3 handset. Pedro Matias, 27, from Portugal set a new record by typing a 264-character text in just 1 minute 59 seconds, shaving 23 seconds off the previous record set by Finland's Arttu Harkki in 2005.

If you think you can take the heat, you best start practicing now (on an LG phone) for next year's event. We get the feeling that the competition will get tougher and tougher as this thing gets more and more popular.

In a nod to how far phones have come, the record-setting text read: The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell (UK), who filed his patent for the telephone on 14 February 1876 at the New York Patent Office, USA. The first intelligible call occurred in March 1876 in Boston, Massachusetts, when Bell phoned his assistant in a nearby room and said "Come here Watson, I want you."
"All the contestants at the World Cup are at the cutting edge of mobile technology and the earliest to embrace the latest mobile trends," said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "LG remains committed to providing them with the smartest technology that fits their lifestyles."
Launched to celebrate mobile culture and advances in mobile technology, the LG Mobile World Cup has become the world's premier mobile festival, expanding from four participating countries in 2008 to 13 in 2010. Between May and November 2009, qualifying rounds were held in the United States, Canada, Indonesia, Portugal, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina, Korea, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. Altogether, more than 6 million people took part in the LG Mobile World Cup in 2009.
For more information on the LG Mobile World Cup in New York, please visit http://www.lgmobileworldcup.com.

VIA:hothardware

Facebook - the CIA conspiracy

2010-01-01T22:05:00.002+05:00

Facebook has 20 million users worldwide, is worth billions of dollars and, if internet sources are to be believed, was started by the CIA.
The social networking phenomenon started as a way of American college students to keep in touch. It is rapidly catching up with MySpace, and has left others like Bebo in its wake.
But there is a dark side to the success story that's been spreading across the blogosphere. A complex but riveting Big Brother-type conspiracy theory which links Facebook to the CIA and the US Department of Defence.
The CIA is, though, using a Facebook group to recruit staff for its very sexy sounding National Clandestine Service.
Checking out the job ads
does require a Facebook login, so if you haven't joined the site - or are worried that CIA spooks will start following you home from work -check them out on the agency's own site.
The story starts once Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had launched, after the dorm room drama that's led to the current court case.
Facebook's first round of venture capital funding ($US500,000) came from former Paypal CEO Peter Thiel. Author of anti-multicultural tome 'The Diversity Myth', he is also on the board of radical conservative group VanguardPAC.
The second round of funding into Facebook ($US12.7 million) came from venture capital firm Accel Partners. Its manager James Breyer was formerly chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, and served on the board with Gilman Louie, CEO of In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm established by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1999. One of the company's key areas of expertise are in "data mining technologies".
Breyer also served on the board of R&D firm BBN Technologies, which was one of those companies responsible for the rise of the internet.
Dr Anita Jones joined the firm, which included Gilman Louie. She had also served on the In-Q-Tel's board, and had been director of Defence Research and Engineering for the US Department of Defense.

She was also an adviser to the Secretary of Defence and overseeing the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is responsible for high-tech, high-end development.
It was when a journalist lifted the lid on the DARPA's
Information Awareness Office that the public began to show concern at its information mining projects.
Wikipedia's IAO page says: "the IAO has the stated mission to gather as much information as possible about everyone, in a centralised location, for easy perusal by the United States government, including (though not limited to) internet activity, credit card purchase histories, airline ticket purchases, car rentals, medical records, educational transcripts, driver's licenses, utility bills, tax returns, and any other available data.".
Not surprisingly, the backlash from civil libertarians led to a Congressional investigation into DARPA's activity, the Information Awareness Office lost its funding.
Now the internet conspiracy theorists are citing Facebook as the IAO's new mask.
Parts of the IAO's technology round-up included 'human network analysis and behaviour model building engines', which Facebook's massive volume of neatly-targeted data gathering allows for.
Facebook's own Terms of use state: "by posting Member Content to any part of the Web site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license to use, copy, perform, display, reformat, translate, excerpt and distribute such information and content and to prepare derivative works of, or incorpoate into other works, such information and content, and to grant and authorise sublicenses of the foregoing.
And in its equally interesting privacy policy: "Facebook may also collect information about you from other sources, such as newspapers, blogs, instant messaging services, and other users of the Facebook service through the operation of the service (eg. photo tags) in order to provide you with more useful information and a more personalised experience. By using Facebook, you are consenting to have your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States."
Is the CIA really providing the impetus and the funding behind the monster growth of this year's biggest dot com success story? Maybe only the men with the nice suits and ear pieces can answer that.

Source: Nzherald.co

Microsoft delivers massive Patch Tuesday, fixes 34 flaws

2009-12-23T19:31:00.002+05:00

Microsoft today delivered a record 13 security updates that patched 34 vulnerabilities in every version of Windows, including the not-yet-for-sale Windows 7, as well as in Internet Explorer (IE), Office, SQL Server and other parts of its software portfolio.

The 34 flaws were also a record number for Microsoft, the most holes patched in one sitting since Microsoft switched to a regular monthly update schedule six years ago. The closest competitor was December 2008, when the company quashed 28 bugs.

"To anyone following Apple, this isn't a big surprise," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security, referring to Microsoft's operating system rival, which typically issues security updates that include scores of fixes. "But this is certainly an unprecedented month for Microsoft."

Microsoft ranked 8 of the 13 updates and 21 of the 34 vulnerabilities as "critical," the top rating in its four-step scoring system. The remainder of the bulletins were judged "important," the next threat level down, while nine of the flaws were also pegged important, and the final 4 were tagged as "moderate."

Among today's patches were several for zero-day vulnerabilities -- bugs for which exploit code had already gone public. One of the zero-day vulnerabilities was undisclosed until today.

Microsoft patched three vulnerabilities in SMB (Server Message Block) 2, a Microsoft-made network file- and print-sharing protocol that ships with Windows; two bugs in the FTP server that's included with older editions of its Internet Information Services (IIS) Web server; and two in the Windows Media Runtime. The flaws in SMB 2 and IIS had been public knowledge since early September, but the Windows Media vulnerabilities included one that Microsoft said was already in the wild, but had not leaked to the usual public sources, such as security mailing lists.

For that reason, Storms urged everyone to deploy the MS09-051 update, which patches the Windows Media bugs, as soon as possible. "At first glance, [MS09-]051 should be patched immediately," he said. "What's interesting today is that we're learning it's in the wild. More important, it can be exploited in drive-by attack situations, just be getting people to go to a [malicious] Web site."

Early last month, Microsoft revealed the SMB 2 vulnerability, but although attack code went public, security researchers have not seen any actual attacks. The flaw affects Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and preview releases of Windows 7, but not the final edition slated for retail release next week.

The FTP flaw, on the other hand, was disclosed by Microsoft Sept. 1, when the company confirmed that its security team was investigating attack code that hit the street on the last day of August.

Microsoft also fixed a slew of flaws today that go back to a programming error in one of its code "libraries," Active Template Library (ATL). The company had acknowledged the error last summer. Today's patches quashed three ATL-related bugs in Office and set "kill bits" to disable four or more Microsoft-made ActiveX controls for Windows Live Mail, the MSN Photo upload tool, and various Office document viewers used by Internet Explorer (IE) to display spreadsheets, charts and databases on the Web.

"And we have the token IE patches today, too," noted Storms, talking about MS09-054, which plugs four holes, all critical, in Microsoft's browser. Included in the four, said Storms, was one apparently accidently disclosed at the Black Hat security conference several months ago.

As part of today's record update, Microsoft also patched eight vulnerabilities in GDI+, (Graphics Device Interface), a component that debuted in Windows XP and is a core part of Windows Vista and Windows 7, as well as the server-side operating systems, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

Hackers could exploit the GDI+ bugs by sending specially-crafted image files in a variety of formats -- including BMP, PNG, TIFF and WMF -- to a user via e-mail, or by convincing users to visit sites that contain malicious image files. By triggering the vulnerabilities, attackers could then follow up with additional malware to hijack a system or steal data.

Storms, however, discounted exploits of the GDI+ vulnerabilities. The audio codec bugs [in MS09-051] will be so much easier to exploit," he reasoned.

"I would put the two items in the public domain, MS09-050 [the SMB 2 flaws] and MS09-053 [the FTP bug in IIS] at the top of the list," said Storms. "And then MS09-051 and the IE updates, the latter because those kind of client-side bugs get a lot of attention from attackers."

This month's security updates can be downloaded and installed via the Microsoft Update and Windows Update services, as well as through Windows Server Update Services.

Via Computerworld

15 Task Manager tips for a faster PC Fix poor performance and crashes in Windows 7 and Vista

2009-12-14T17:36:00.005+05:00

At first glance Task Manager looks like nothing more than a geeky way to tell you what you already know, the names of the programs running on your PC.

Explore out favourite Task Manager tricks, though, and you'll find all kinds of options for monitoring your system, detecting and resolving problems, especially in its most modern Windows Vista/Windows 7 incarnation. Here's what you need to know.

1. Browse your processes

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch Task Manager. By default the first thing you'll see is the Applications tab, but this is misleadingly named and of little much use as it just lists top-level windows. If you want to see what's actually running on your PC then click the Processes tab, click "Show processes from all users", and scroll down the list. If you don't know what a process is then right-click it and select Properties to get more information, such as the folder where it's stored, which will usually offer additional clues.

2. Troubleshoot startup problems

Windows Media Player is known to crash from time to time (you may have noticed this). Occasionally it'll crash without having any visible window, though, so you won't see there's a problem. Then, when you come to restart the program, nothing will happen because it's blocked by the crashed copy in RAM.

If you find Windows Media Player won't launch, then, fire up Task Manager, click the Processes tab and look for a WMPlayer.exe process. If you find one, and there's no window, then it's probably crashed. Right-click it in Task Manager, select End Process, and once it's shut down you should be able to start Media Player as normal.

Much the same problem can happen with other applications, so if something won't start, or is just misbehaving, then it's always a good idea to look for previous instances of the program. Don't use the "End Process" on anything unless you're 110% sure that it's safe to do so, though - terminating something system-critical can lock up or crash your PC immediately.

3. View memory use

It's often interesting to see which programs are using all your RAM. To find out, click the Processes tab, then click View > Select Columns, and ensure Memory - Working Set and Memory - Private Working Set are checked. You'll now see two estimates for your processes use of RAM.

The first, "Memory - Working Set" shows you how much physical memory is currently being taken up by each process. Some of this RAM may be shared by other processes, though (shared DLLS, for instance) so this figure tends to overestimate memory use.

The second, "Memory - Private Working Set" shows you how much physical memory this process alone is using (that is, it can't shared with anyone else). It will almost certainly consume additional RAM, though, so this figure tends to underestimate memory use. It's a little more reliable than the Working Set alone, but really you need to see both.

Now click the "Memory (Private Working Set)" column header so the largest figures are at the top. You'll immediately get a good feel for where your RAM is going, and which programs (if any) you need to close or tweak to get some of it back.

RAM HOGS: Find out which programs are hogging your RAM in seconds

4. Identify RAM-hogging services

Your list of processes should contain many called svchost.exe (if not, then you've not clicked "Show processes from all users"). This is the service host, a process that's used to run several Windows services. But what if this turns out to be grabbing large amounts of RAM? Which services might be to blame?

To find out more, right-click a particular svchost.exe and select Go To Services. Task Manager will open the Services tab and all the services managed by this particular instance of svchost.exe will be highlighted. Task Manager has no way to tell you how much each RAM each of the services are consuming individually, unfortunately, but this does at least greatly reduce your options. (And a hint: in most Windows Vista installations, ReadyBoost is by far the greatest resource-hogging service.)

5. Diagnose disk thrashing

Ever wondered exactly why your hard drive's been thrashing for ages, even though there's no-one at the PC? Click the Task Manager Processes tab, then click View > Select Columns, and check I/O Read Bytes and I/O Write Bytes. Click OK.

The new columns will show you the total amount of data read or written by a process, which applies to network activity as well as your hard drive. The busiest processes will have the largest figures, and if a process is active now then its totals will tick up as you watch.

6. Spot resource leaks

Sometimes processes grab more and more Windows resources, without ever quite getting around to releasing them. 32-bit Windows in particular has only a limited supply, and if this goes on for too long then your PC will become unreliable, then eventually lock up or crash.

Task Manager can help you spot a resource leak, though. Click the Processes tab, then click View > Select Columns, check Handles, User Objects and GDI Objects, and click OK. Now check these occasionally, along with the memory figures we mentioned earlier. Some of these may rise dramatically, on occasions - an antivirus tool will use many more handles when scanning, for instance, as they're used when accessing files - but if a particular resource figure is high, keeps rising, and never falls back to its starting point, then you may have a problem.

7. Stop a runaway process

If a particular process has gone rogue, using all your CPU time and reducing everything else to a crawl, then Task Manager may be able to help.

First, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc and wait for Task Manager to appear. If your runaway process is completely tying up the CPU then this can take a while, but if you don't want to reboot (you've an application with unsaved data, say) then be patient. We'd give it at least 10 or 15 minutes.

When Task Manager appears, look for the process consuming all your CPU time (click Processes, then click View > Select Columns and check CPU if that column isn't displayed). If you want to kill the process completely, then you could right-click it, select End Process and it'll die (most of the time).

This doesn't always work out as you expect, though. If the process is system-critical, maybe a Windows component, then terminating it may crash your system immediately (and it always introduces a risk of system instability). If you've data you need to save elsewhere then it may be better to try and slow down the rogue process, reduce its grab on your resources, so you can use other programs again and close everything down properly. Fortunately Task Manager can help here, too.

Right-click your CPU-hogging process, select Set Priority > Low, and Windows should immediately give more CPU time to just about everything else on your PC. The program will still be running, it just shouldn't interfere with other apps to the same degree, and they should be accessible again.

If there are still problems, right-click the process and select Set Affinity. This option lets you decide which CPU cores a process can use. If you clear one of these then that core will become available to other applications, which should significantly improve their performance.

8. Understand CPU utilisation

Occasionally your PC will seem slow, as though something is using all your CPU time, but the regular CPU column won't display an obvious candidate. So what's going on?

Launch Task Manager, and click the Performance tab to see a graph of your CPU Usage History: it's pretty, but there's more to it than that. Click View and select Show Kernel Times (so it's checked). What you'll now see is two graph lines: one green, representing total CPU utilisation, and one red, representing the time consumed by the kernel.

When the green peaks are high, red peaks low then the culprit is a user mode process, probably just a regular application. But if the red peaks are consistently high then that shows your CPU time is being grabbed by something in the kernel, probably a driver, but perhaps also a Windows component, maybe even some deeply embedded malware.

FIND THE CULPRIT: Is a buggy driver grabbing too much CPU time? The Performance graph can offer useful clues

9. Create a dump file

If a program has locked up then you may able to use the Windows Debugging Tools to find out why.

Launch Task Manager first, click the Processes tab, right-click the hung process and select Create Dump File. When the process file has been written then Task Manager will give you its name and location.

Then launch the debugger WinDbg, and click File > Open Crash Dump File. Entering the analyze -hang command may tell you more about why a program has locked up, and if not then you can always use other debugger commands to tell you more about the process, its use of RAM, and so on (see the debugger documentation for details).

10. Control your services

If you need to stop or start a Windows service then you could launch the Services applet (services.msc). But why bother? In Windows Vista or 7 it's much quicker to do it from Task Manager. Just click the Services tab, right-click the service you need, and choose the Start or Stop option.

Be careful, though - stopping a critical Windows service can result in your PC locking up immediately (and tinkering with some third-party services is almost as serious). Don't try this unless you know exactly what you're doing.

11. Restart Explorer

Have the taskbar and desktop disappeared for no apparent reason? Explorer has probably crashed: press Ctrl+Shift+Esc and press the Processes tab to check for yourself. If Explorer.exe isn't listed then click File > New Task, type Explorer.exe and click OK to restart it.

Or, if Explorer won't start, your system is generally trashed and you'd like to reboot gracefully, then enter the command shutdown -r and your system should restart.

12. Discover system information

Launching Task Manager and clicking the Performance tab will reveal the total amount of RAM installed in your PC (check the Total in the Physical Memory box).

And the Up Time figure in the System Box tells you how long it's been since you last restarted Windows. The longer this is, the more likely that resource leaks or other issues will begin to cause problems. If your PC's been running for several days, and you're noticing odd behaviour, then consider rebooting - it just might help.

13. Monitor network utilisation

Click the Task Manager Networking tab and you'll see a graph that tracks your current network use over time. This can be useful if you've a network-hogging process that fires on a regular basis, for instance, as you should see a spike on the chart.

Click Options > Tab Always Active if you want Task Manager to keep collecting network usage data, even when the tab isn't displayed. Click View > Update Speed > Low to reduce the sampling time, which allows you to squeeze more minutes of activity onto a single screen. And click View > Network Adapter History to choose exactly what you'd like to graph: the bytes sent, received, or their total.

14. Talk to network users

If you're working on a networked PC then you may want to warn anyone browsing your system that you're about to reboot, close a process or do something else potentially dodgy. Click the Users tab to see who else is connected to your PC right now. By default you'll only see their user name - click Options > Show Full Account Name to see their network PC name, too. Then right-click a user and select Send Message to issue a warning, or Disconnect to kick them off immediately.

15. Use something better

Learning the Task Manager basics is important, as they'll let you diagnose problems on just about any PC. But the tool can only take you so far, and for really in-depth information and control over your applications you'll want to use something better. Process Explorer is the best known alternative and an excellent tool, but Process Hacker is also worth a look - if anything, it's even more powerful.

PRO TOOL: Process Hacker provides great control over everything running on your PC

Via:Techradar

Supplies Of Windows 7 Family Pack Start Running Short

2009-12-08T17:58:00.002+05:00

When Microsoft earlier confirmed the Windows 7 Family Pack pricing, it made the comment that the Family Pack would be available "while supplies last." In the U.S, at least, those supplies are running out fast.

The Windows 7 Family Pack is a 3-PC installation package of Windows 7 Home Premium. As confirmed by WindowsITPro, the $149 three-pack is already sold out in many place. For example, look at Amazon.com and you'll see only third-party resellers are selling it, and those have pricing $100 more more above the $149 MSRP (it's called supply-and-demand).

Even with those prices, the three-pack pricing is slightly below buying three of the Windows 7 Home Premium Update packages (at $119.99 MSRP).

Despite popular demand and competition, Microsoft has never had a family pack option that's been more than a promotion, as here. Meanwhile, Apple has consistently offered a family pack for Mac OS Xsince 2002. That version covers a more generous five computers.

Via: WindowsITPro

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 PROPER-SKIDROW Full Donwload

2009-12-05T22:00:00.003+05:00

RELEASE DATE : 10-11-2009 PROTECTION : Steamworks
GAME TYPE : Shooter DISKS : 2 DVD

note

The Skid Rowdies are looking new blood to fill up the ranks.
We're a professional team of dedicated sceners with big mark
under sceners. We believe on the ground idealism of the root
of the real old school scene. We do all this for fun and
nothing else. We don't earn anything on our hobby, as we do
this for the competition and the heart of what got the scene
started in the mid eighties.

If you think you got something to offer, then don't hold back
on contacting us as soon as possible.

twice the fun / double the trouble

Proper Notes:

Razor 1911's version is still having Steam intact. Why they
choose to keep Steam intact on the release is a good question
to us.

Here you have a PROPER cracked release, with no need to have
Steam installed at all and no strange install measures

On with the game release information:

Fight for survival and shoot your way to mission success as
the acclaimed Call of Duty franchise makes its triumphant
return. Exploding with the realism and intensity that have
become the hallmarks of this gripping series, you'll lay waste
to your enemies as hails of gunfire erupt. Move out for
intense action and make sure you're prepared to answer the
Call of Duty.

This harrowing sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
thrusts you once more into the haze of battle. Arm yourself
with sophisticated tools of destruction and get ready to stare
death in the face as you enter a raging conflict. Experience
the rigors of battle and struggle against long odds to seize
victory. The awesome power of war comes alive in all its grit
and glory in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Sequel to the renowned Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Feel the incredible power of war explode to life all around
you

Experience the dangers of battle as you fight to ensure the
success of every mission

Unleash the firepower of a devastating array of weaponry

Face off against deadly enemies in awesomely realistic battles

1. Unpack release
2. Mount image or burn it
3. Install
4. Copy the content from the SKIDROW directory on DVD2 to your
installation directory and overwrite
5. Play the game

Download Links
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602388/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316695251/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692742/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692761/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692836/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692859/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316695319/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692713/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692712/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316694718/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316692519/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693558/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693638/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part13.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693572/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part14.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693604/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part15.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693715/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part16.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693932/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part17.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316693839/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part18.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316696874/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part19.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602335/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part20.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602407/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part21.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602367/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part22.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602371/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part23.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602398/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part24.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316602646/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part25.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603276/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part26.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603385/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part27.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603537/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part28.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603419/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part29.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603430/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part30.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603421/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part31.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603482/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part32.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603594/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part33.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603639/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part34.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316603730/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part35.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604298/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part36.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604341/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part37.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604381/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part38.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604503/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part39.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604377/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part40.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604483/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part41.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604505/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part42.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604485/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part43.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604590/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part44.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316604698/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part45.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605260/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part46.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605240/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part47.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605424/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part48.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605341/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part49.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605467/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part50.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605645/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part51.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605526/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part52.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605494/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part53.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605702/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part54.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605590/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part55.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316606186/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part56.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316606224/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part57.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316606330/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part58.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316606389/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part59.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/316605970/Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW.part60.rar

Samsung Go Gets $100 Cheaper With Times Reader 2.0 Subscription

2009-11-27T17:33:00.005+05:00

Samsung's Go netbook has already made its debut in America courtesy of AT&T, but it looks like the machine is coming to some hands in yet another fashion. The New York Times has sparked up an interested partnership, bringing an offer to prospective subscribers that involves a handsome discount on the Go in exchange for signing up for the Times for a year.

Put simply, consumers can receive $100 off of the purchase of a Samsung Go netbook if they order a one-year subscription to Times Reader 2.0. Times Reader 2.0 is an Adobe AIR-based software application that feeds users with up-to-the-minute news around the clock, but of course you'll need to have your PC up and running in order to read it--no actual papers are involved here.

The deal still isn't great for those not already interested in signing up the the Times for the first time, as the subscription costs just under $180 and the discount on the netbook is just $100. It's also only available for new subscribers, and it runs through March 2010.

Key features of Times Reader 2.0:
Parallels printed news with columns of high-quality text, combined with the dynamic flexibility of the Web, including search, links and up-to-the minute headlines.
Downloads the Latest News section every five minutes from NYTimes.com. Users can customize how often the Latest News is updated.
Online/offline reading capabilities, allowing readers to sync content via internet connection and then read 7 days worth of content offline.
Integrates interactive version of The New York Times premium crossword puzzle.
The Samsung Go, weighing just 2.8 lbs., is a portable powerhouse that can easily be stored in a briefcase or travel bag. The Go’s Jet Black color and slim, soft texture design with rounded edges makes a statement and stands out from the crowd, designed by acclaimed designer Naoto Fukasawa. The pebble-style keyboard makes typing comfortable with larger than average spacing. The brilliant LED-backlit, borderless glass display is scratch resistant and provides users with photo-like image quality, greater viewing angles and better text legibility, reducing eye strain and boosting productivity.
Equipped with a standard 4-cell battery, users can stay connected for up to 4 hours on a single battery charge and the built-in Intel Atom processor delivers the power and performance needed for full Internet capabilities anytime, anywhere.

Via: Business Wire
Share