HUMAN AND TECHNOLOGY

The Details On Mobile Phones

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Fri, 9 Jan 2009 02:06:00 -0800

Mobile is the future of the Internet. In 2005, there were 896 million PCs and 2.14 billion mobile phones, and that gap is projected to only increase.

Mobile social networking has started to explode and the average person is increasingly likely to be active on at least one mobile social network. Because these networks already incorporate photo galleries on the sites, it is easier than ever before to share mobile phone art with a wide community.

Cell phones work by using radio frequency bands to send the waves. Low frequencies offer good connection. Cell phones are getting better all the time. I hear that 3G will eliminate the difference.

Opera Mini uses the phone's default font. If your phone doesn't support certain characters (e.g. Opera mini is the default browser running on the Nokia N95, and works great. I think that it actually predates the Safari browser on the iPhone, even though Apple seems to get the credit for having the first full browser on a mobile device.

Dialup hard phones are popular in countries where there is very little broadband infrastructure yet. Dialing 111 gets rid of that dialtone, but that kind of fraud is rare and having it on all incoming calls is just plain annoying. The ringers on Intellicall phones are cheap sounding, just a high pitched rapid chirp.

Motorola has announced less phone . It doesnt do email, it doesnt have a camera, it doesnt run Doom. Motorola had two specific aims: getting consumers to buy Motorola phones, and getting them to buy content from corporate partners of Motorola. It wasn't just built for consumers, but also for partners like MTV who would provide content.

Coverage paths automate most of the manual processes of a key system, which can result in increased efficiency. A potential problem occurs, though, when an important call arrives and an exception to the normal call coverage is necessary. Cover usage changes the interaction and carrying experience, and hard-covers such as those widely available in India add considerably bulk to the device.

Activating the speakerphone is a little tricky. You can only turn it on during a call, and you do so by increasing the volume repeatedly until it turns into Speakerphone mode. Actually there is a technical explanation for what you see when you do this to your cell phone.

What emerges is the essence of your contract with the carrier. Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput.

By: Mary Bush

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

The NetDisk has Fast Speed but Comes with Some Clunky Usability Issues

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Fri, 9 Jan 2009 01:41:00 -0800

The Ximeta NetDisk is a portable, dual-use drive that can connect to your network via ethernet or directly to your computer via USB 2.0. While its speed in our tests was excellent, cross-platform usability issues make it best suited for networks consisting entirely of Windows XP or Windows 2000 machines.
The clear setup guide and software utility made installation of the NetDisk straightforward. Unlike the other models we tested, the NetDisk does not use standard network IP protocols to send and receive data; all client PCs must install a special driver to connect to the drive. The NetDisk also does not allow password protection for individual shared folders.

The NetDisk has two modes of operation: Multi-OS and Multi-Write. Multi-Write allows Windows XP and 2000 clients to have write access to the NetDisk simultaneously. In Multi-OS mode, Mac, Linux, and other flavors of Windows can connect, but only one user at a time can have write access to the drive. This inconvenience forces you to keep switching from read-only to read-write access in the NetDiskAdmin utility whenever you need to save a file.

Unattended backups can be problematic if you are using Multi-OS mode and the included Symantec V2i Protector software: You'll have to make sure that you have write access turned on at the time of the scheduled backup.

As for performance, the NetDisk was top of the class overall, thanks to its special network transport protocols, which Ximeta calls NDAS (Network Direct Attached Storage). It ranked number one in our virus-scan, search, and large file-copy tests, and a close number three in the rest of our tests.

Switching between the USB and ethernet connectivity is relatively painless, due to an autosensing feature. However, if you connect both USB and ethernet cables at once, the device can't decide which to use, so you'll have to physically disconnect and reconnect one cable or the other each time you want to switch ports. We'd prefer a software switch. That said, the USB 2.0 is a nice feature.

Upshot: Though the NetDisk is easy to install, delivers excellent performance, and comes in a handy portable size, it's clunky to use in multiple-OS environments.

article by Becky Waring

Operator Warnet di Jogja

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:08:00 -0800

Sebuah warung internet berkelas di Jogja Utara tepatnya di Jl. Kaliurang Km 6,8 Sleman dengan nama "SQUARE INTERNET & CAFE" sedang membuka kesempatan kerja paruh waktu bagi anda mahasiswa yang berdomisili di Jogja dan ingin mempunyai penghasilan tambahan

untuk persyaratn co/ce usia 18 s/d 21 tahun, penampilan menarik, punya kendaraan pribadi, jujur, mau kerja keras.

Silahkan kirim surat lamaran beserta cv ke alamat Square Internet & Cafe, Jl. Kaliurang Km 6,8 Sleman Yogyakarta

Sony DSLR-A300K Digital Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:14:00 -0700

The A300's versatile, real-time Live View LCD eases the transition from point-and-shoot to digital SLR.

Like competing compact digital SLRs designed for users stepping up from the point-and-shoot realm, the 10.2-megapixel Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 has Live View functions--but it enjoys an edge over its rivals in that its flexible Live View LCD works in real time. Priced at $700 (available in a kit only, with a 18mm-to-70mm lens; price as of 6/10/08), the A300 doesn't come cheap, but this camera's tilt-screen tricks may make it attractive to stealth shooters and to people who want to capture unique images.

The 2.7-inch Live View screen offers optional real-time viewing, so you can compose images using your LCD just as you would with a point-and-shoot camera. A mechanical switch allows you to toggle back and forth between using the Live View LCD or the viewfinder for composing. Because the Alpha DSLR-A300's Live View (as on the Alpha DSLR-A350) uses a separate mirror and sensor to transmit what it sees, Live View mode imposes no slowdown on the sensor's handling of the actual images as you shoot. If you prefer to use the traditional viewfinder, though, Sony's works just fine; its eyecup and diopter comfortably fit my eye.

Thanks to the Live View mode, composing shots of subjects at ground level was a breeze, since I didn't have to crouch down onto the ground to look through the viewfinder. Though both the LCD's quality and Live View won me over, I was a little disappointed to see that it folds out and extends only vertically. The design allowed me to point the lens around a corner periscope-style, but only in that one way. I can imagine how constructing a sturdy, fully swiveling screen might be difficult, but here's hoping that Sony will achieve such a thing in future models.

The A300 weighs just 0.2 ounces more than the Nikon D60, but it seems a bit heavy at 16.3 ounces; still, the camera's ergonomic design gives it a solid and balanced feel in the hand.

If you put your fingers on the camera's grip, they won't get in the way of the bundled 18mm-to-70mm lens (f/3.5-5.6, effective 35mm focal length of 27mm to 105mm) or block the pop-up flash. Commonly used settings are accessible from the top of the camera for quick access. Menu controls are available on the back, and all settings are viewable on screen.

I found the camera intuitive to use. The A300 offers a 3-frames-per-second burst mode for sports and other fast-moving action, but that mode steps down to 2 frames per second if you use Live View. The camera will also let you get close for macro shots. It has dial settings for landscape, portraits, and sunsets, and offers in-camera image stabilization. Several cool pre-shooting, image-enhancement features--including saturation, nighttime, and black-and-white settings--are easily accessible within the menu.

The noise-reduction and dynamic range expansion settings made quite a difference during long exposures at high ISOs (which range from 100 to 3200). That said, I observed a good deal of noise in shots not employing noise reduction; I also noticed some artifacting along high-contrast edges, a bit more than I would like in a high-quality image file. Even so, in the final evaluation of PC World Test Center tests, this model earned a score of Superior for its overall image quality, including its excellent flash exposures.

Manual settings are easy to dial up, as are the aperture- and shutter-priority modes. I particularly liked the A300's Exposure Shift setting, which novice photographers may find valuable: First, you set what you perceive as a proper exposure, and then, with the shift function, you can make equivalent exposures using different combinations of shutter speeds and apertures. White-balance settings are similarly simple to adjust and customize via the menu, and the camera will also shoot bracketing for white balance, which allows you to see multiple takes of ambient color in your shots so you can pick the ones you like best.

The Sony Alpha DSLR-A300's smooth Live View handling makes this model worth consideration for anyone graduating from a point-and-shoot camera. That this model offers advanced features in a fun-to-use, uncomplicated form should only make for more photographic joy.[source]

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSI

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:07:00 -0700

The 12-megapixel Canon Digital Rebel XSi, which targets entry-level digital SLR shooters, has all the features that novices expect--as well as an alluring array of advanced options that will appeal to more seasoned photographers. Priced at $900 (with kit lens, price as of 6/10/08), this camera may be the most expensive choice in its field, but it also offers the most versatility.

When purchased as part of a kit, this model comes with an 18mm-to-55mm IS lens (f/3.5-5.6), which provides image stabilization and a respectable 35mm focal length range of 29mm to 88mm. The camera can handle up to 3.5 frames per second in burst mode.

The Digital Rebel XSi has a solid feel, with a textured grip that makes it easy to hold one-handed. A roomy 3-inch Live View LCD sits on the back of the camera, but it isn't a high-resolution LCD as some higher-end digital SLRs have. On top of the camera is a dial that offers the usual portrait, sports, landscape, and macro modes, along with aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual operation. All essential exposure settings display clearly on the bright LCD, and are also visible through the viewfinder; this arrangement allows you to compose and shoot easily, whichever way you prefer.

The Digital Rebel's Live View mode allows you to compose shots on screen and employs the sensor for both image preview and capture duties, so what you see on the screen is what the camera is actually recording. This setup has its benefits, but given the display's limitation of 30 frames per second, the performance of Canon's Live View is slower in comparison to the Sony A350's flashy tilt screen, which works in real time (thanks to the inclusion of a second sensor for rendering the live preview). Canon's Live View mode lets you zoom in on your image as you're composing it; you also can check on the focus in specific areas, a feature I appreciated when out in the field.

Essential camera settings are quick and easy to change, but I found accessing some of the more advanced options daunting. Though many features await you in the Custom Functions menus, they require some drilling to get to. The good news is that Canon has incorporated the useful My Menu feature from the EOS 40D, which lets you group and save your frequently used settings. If you prefer a little extra insurance, shoot with bracketing enabled, either for white balance or for exposure.

Another feature on the mode dial, A-Dep, is particularly useful when you're taking pictures of small groups. A-Dep assesses the scene in three spots and adjusts the depth of field so that your subjects are all in focus. Advanced shooters will appreciate that the Rebel has spot metering and Highlight Tone Priority in its arsenal; the latter lets you retain a bit more detail in highlights, though you lose ISO 100 when you do so. A noise-reduction mode helps control noise at high ISOs.

I found the Digital Rebel XSi's Picture Styles genuinely effective; Landscape, for example, greens up foliage. Other in-camera adjustment parameters include saturation, contrast, sharpness, and monochrome adjustments that allow you to customize the look of black-and-white images.

In tests, pictures were sharp (the XSi topped our current field of cameras in this area) and well exposed (another area where this model came out ahead). Images showed very little noise in shadows and minimal artifacting along high-contrast edges.

The Canon Digital Rebel XSi stands out as a versatile digital SLR that is easily navigable on the surface but also offers powerful options, some that you may never even get to. Once you get the hang of the basics, this camera has the depth to take things further.[source]

Pentax Optio S12 Digital Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:02:00 -0700

What do you get when you cram 12 megapixels and great battery life into a very tiny, very durable, and sublimely easy-to-use camera? You get the Pentax Optio S12, a solid competitor for the upper echelons of our Top 10 Point-and-Shoot Cameras chart. The Optio S12 is a cinch to use, fits comfortably into just about any pocket and looks as stylish as its predecessor, the Optio S10. Though it lacks some key functions (optical image stabilization in particular, but also zoom in video mode, and advanced manual capabilities), the camera earns points with its ease of use.

Instead of packing the S12 with buttons and dials, Pentax kept the number of controls to a minimum. The back of the camera features a four-way navigation pad for accessing the self timer, flash options, focus mode, and 12 scene modes. Pressing the Menu button displays the S12's small cache of manual functions, which include dynamic range, white balance, ISO sensitivity, exposure compensation, metering, contrast, sharpness, saturation, pixel count, and quality level. The only other button on the back is the customizable "Green Button," which you can set to provide instant access to your choice of four of the camera's manual functions, or to turn the camera to full-automatic mode.

I used the S12 in a number of situations, and for the most part it performed well. The 2.5-inch LCD screen was perfectly viewable in bright sunlight (which was not the case with the similar Optio V20, despite the latter's larger screen). The 3X (37mm to 111mm) optical zoom, standard for its class, was fast and smooth. The camera's "super macro" mode, which supposedly reduces the focus range to 6 centimeters, worked like a charm. In our PC World Test Center battery tests, the S12 outlasted all but one camera we've tested thus far, managing 371 shots on a single battery charge (the Casio Exilim EX-Z1080 managed to hit the lab's ceiling of 500 shots on a charge).

On the downside, I found the night scene mode (one of the few scene modes that I use on point-and-shoots) to be pretty useless: The shutter speed was consistently too slow, producing overexposed images with excessive streaking. I was also disappointed at being unable to zoom while recording a movie. Manual focus is rarely a usable feature on point-and-shoots; and sure enough, the S12 was annoyingly slow to adjust manually. Perhaps most painfully, the S12 scored below average in overall image quality in our lab tests. This was due mostly to its shortcomings in the flash-exposure category. The camera showed good sharpness and color, and its 12 megapixels of detail mean that you can crop to your heart's content.

Despite these flaws, you could do a lot worse for $230. If you want a gazillion dedicated buttons and specialized functions, you'll have to look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a sturdy, toss-it-in-your-pocket camera that takes good (though not stellar) pictures, the S12 is a solid value. And the Optio S12's streamlined interface and controls allow you to concentrate on what's most important: taking pictures.[source]

Creative Zen MP3 Player

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:57:00 -0700

Creative's superslim Zen has a gorgeous 320-by-240-pixel color display, an FM tuner, a built-in microphone, robust video- and photo-viewing capabilities, and the ability to import contact management information--and oh, yeah, it plays music.

What's impressive is how the flash-based Zen takes the best features of the Zen Vision M, and yet still manages to weigh less and to refine an already-tight interface. The $150 unit we tested has the size and shape of a standard-issue business card case (3.26 by 2.16 by 0.44 inch). Storage capacity in the product line ranges from 2GB ($80) to 32GB ($300). All models have a built-in SD Card slot to accommodate an instant space upgrade.

Despite its reduced size, the Zen earned consistently high marks in our lab's audio tests. Its signal-to-noise ratio of 77 dB fell well short of the 89 dB achieved by SanDisk's Sansa Connect, but it was still quite good (a higher number means a cleaner signal).

The Zen's custom five-band equalizer (and eight presets) helped bring out the best in a variety of high-bit-rate test files.

This jack-of-all-trades can handle most audio formats, too, including Apple's AAC files. It can't play FLAC or Ogg Vorbis audio codecs, though.

The Zen works with MPEG-4, DivX4, DivX5, XviD, and WMV video files. Creative's simple Video Converter software optimizes output for the Zen's tiny screen; a typical hour-long show takes about 20 minutes to convert and occupies about 400MB of storage space.

A standard mini-USB jack built into the Zen's tiny frame lets you sync and power the device, which has a 30-hour play time for audio files (5 hours for video). Plug it into any PC, and the Zen functions as a hard drive. File transfer times are adequate, considering that the Zen works over a USB 2.0 connection: it copied some 16GB of mixed-media files in roughly 2 hours.

The player's simple interface makes navigating your media a breeze. All of the controls you need are flush against the right side of the device. A directional pad and four surrounding buttons let you drill down quickly through menus. The Zen is not ideal for one-handed operation, however. To get a clear look at the gorgeous screen, you have to steady the unit with your left hand while your right thumb taps to the desired song.

The Zen comes bundled with few accessories: a good pair of earbuds, a short USB cable, and an instruction pamphlet. If you want a protective case, you'll have to pay extra for it at Creative's Web site. In an admittedly unscientific test, we batted the Zen to the ground from 4 feet up; it bounced off the office carpeting and kept playing video--no scratches, no dings, no interruption in playback.

The Zen may lack the funky Wi-Fi functionality of Apple's iPod Touch, but it's a great choice for gadgeteers and audiophiles alike. If the 16GB's $150 price tag is too rich for your blood, buy a lower-end Zen and make up the difference with SD Cards.[source]

Apple iPod Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:52:00 -0700

With its latest iteration of the iPod Touch, Apple has added two highly coveted features--external volume controls and a speaker--and lowered prices, too. However, the Touch's physical changes are incremental, and they don't bring the device up to the level of its sibling, the iPhone 3G.

To be sure, the lower prices make the Touch a more attractive purchase than before, coming in at $229 for 8GB (previously $299), $299 for 16GB, and $399 for 32GB (down from $499). The prices are more in line with what Apple and AT&T charge for the iPhone 3G: $199 for 8GB, and $299 for 16GB. (You don't have to pay a monthly fee to use the Touch, though.) While the amount is still more than what you might pay for competing media players, you get more with the Touch, too.

Let's begin with what stays the same. This version of the Touch continues to share many characteristics with the first-generation Touch and with the iPhone 3G. All have a bright, gorgeous, 3.5-inch, wide-screen multitouch display with 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 pixels per inch. All have 802.11b/g wireless support. And all sport the same operating system software that allows for easy navigation, a host of useful apps (Safari Web browser, calendar, e-mail, contacts, Google Maps, YouTube, weather, clock with multiple alarms and stopwatch, ordinary and scientific calculators, and notepad), and the ability to expand your device through Apple's App Store.

Playing music remains a breeze. Press the home button below the display to activate the screen, and then select Music from the dedicated buttons along the bottom of the screen. In vertical view, the music's cover art dominates the display; orient the player horizontally, and it switches to Cover Flow view, which lets you page through the cover art as if you were viewing a flip book.

In addition to easily setting playlists on the fly, you can now use the new Genius autoplaylist creation feature directly from the Touch. First you must enable this feature on iTunes 8; but once enabled, it makes creating a playlist from songs in your music library a snap. Genius won't work for every song--for example, if the song is not on iTunes' radar, or it lacks complete ID3 tags--but the feature is certainly a convenient, almost category-focused addition to the iPod Touch's repertoire.

Audio sounds adequate through the included earbuds, but you may want to consider upgrading, either to Apple's forthcoming, step-up $80 earphones or to a high-quality pair from a third-party vendor. The earphone jack remains at the bottom of the Touch, just as on the first-gen model; that's in contrast, oddly enough, to the iPhone 3G, which places the jack at the upper left of the unit.

You have good reason to upgrade your headphones: According to our tests, the second-generation iPod Touch improves its audio output dramatically, jumping up a notch to receive a rating of Superior on the PC World Test Center's suite of audio tests. The Touch, together with its new Nano sibling, are our new leaders in our audio output results.

According to Apple, the new Touch's battery life is significantly better for music playback: 36 hours, as compared with 22 hours for the first-generation model. Video playback is only a bit improved over the previous model, rated for 6 hours versus 5.

The Touch's physical design is slightly altered. The original model measured 4.3 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide and 0.33 inches deep; the new edition retains the height and width but shrinks the depth by a barely perceptible 0.03 of an inch (or half a millimeter). The new Touch is a smidgen lighter than the old, coming in at 4.05 ounces versus the first gen's weight of 4.2 ounces.

Leading the new hardware features for the Touch are the external volume controls. The rocker-like buttons are positioned along the upper-left side of the Touch, just as they are on the iPhone 3G. On this device, however, the buttons are made of a sharp, inexpensive-feeling black plastic. Though they're a welcome addition, I wish they better matched the overall feel of the metallic Touch. (Another button gripe: The home button feels chintzy when pressed, as it makes a clicking noise. The iPhone 3G's button operates far more smoothly, with no noise.)

The second-generation Touch also adds a speaker to the base of the unit, much like the iPhone 3G. But, again, the Touch is subpar in comparison: The sound is tinny and thin next to the audio emanating from the iPhone 3G; whether that is due to the iPhone 3G's differing construction (the iPhone has a plastic back, and is slightly deeper than the Touch) or owing to the speaker itself is unknown.

The third new hardware feature sees the integration of the Nike + iPod software and receiver (for capturing your movement data) into the Touch itself. Simply add the extra-cost Nike + iPod Sensor for your shoe, and the Touch becomes an appealing workout companion.

Still missing from the Touch are an integrated camera and GPS--both features found on the iPhone 3G. Also, it still lacks a voice recorder (a feature added back to the new iPod Nano) and--like all iPods--an FM tuner, although you can download apps (some at extra cost) to fill the voice-recording void and to gain Internet radio support (when you're connected over Wi-Fi).

Arguably, beyond the price drop, the big news about the Touch has nothing to do with the hardware and everything to do with the continuing evolution of the App Store, which offers plenty of games (700 and counting) among its arsenal. With the addition of games, the Touch widens its position as an entertainment platform.

The Touch remains a tremendous and innovative device, with enticing features, unparalleled ease of use, and plenty of expandability through the App Store. As attractive as it is, though, I still believe it has room to improve. New features coupled with lower prices increase the second-generation model's appeal, but this version of the Touch doesn't supply enough incentive for existing owners to upgrade.[source]

Creative Zen X-FI MP3 Player

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:48:00 -0700

The Creative Zen X-Fi is a stellar all-around digital music player, boasting many features that stand up nicely to the latest versions of Apple's iPods. The X-Fi has great sound, superb headphones, an amazing feature set, expandable storage via an SD card slot, an easy-to-use interface that will please users who don't want to work with a touch screen, and--here's the kicker--the ability to stream and download music from your PC wirelessly. It looks great, too, and it costs significantly less than Apple's current Wi-Fi-enabled iPod Touch players.

The 16GB X-Fi sells for $200, and the 32GB model sells for $280, versus $300 for the 16GB iPod Touch and $400 for the 32GB version of Apple's touch-screen media player. And if that sounds like a bargain, consider that you can also expand the X-Fi player's storage capacity by up to 32GB, thanks to its SD Card slot.

A few features differentiate this player from the competition. Not only can you download music, video, and images wirelessly from your home computer to the player, but you can also stream media from your computer, from Creative's servers (which offer podcasts and free music), or from a computer on an open network. Plus, you can fine-tune the already superb sound with the player's five-band EQ settings; save voice recordings; listen to FM radio; and enjoy the listening experience right out of the box without buying new headphones, thanks to the surprisingly good-sounding Creative EP-830 earbuds included with the unit. The earbuds, which Creative also sells separately for $80, fit snugly in the listeners' ears and provide clear low-end audio, with midrange treble that isn't tinny.

Creative's highly touted X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio playback goes far in helping this player sound amazing. Its signal-to-noise ratio of 83 dB is second only to the SanDisk Sansa Connect's 84 dB in our tests. And the X-Fi earned the best rating of any player we've tested in terms of harmonic distortion and noise--at a barely registering 0.01 percent.

What does that mean for your ears? Creative's X-Fi technology, coupled with the great out-of-the-box earbuds, delivered very deep, clean, well-defined audio. The player supports AAC, MP3, WAV, and WMA formats, as well as Audible audiobooks. You get an on-board speaker as well, but it pumps tinny, clock-radio-quality sound out of its single, small speaker.

As much as I found to like about the X-Fi, it does have some limitations when matched head-to-head against the iPod Touch. It doesn't work with Mac OS X (only with XP and Vista); its online chat application doesn't work well; and you won't find the same degree of integration with third-party speaker systems, car stereos, and accessories that you'll find with the near-ubiquitous iPod. Also, the X-Fi unit seems a bit small (3.3 inches by 2.2 inches by 0.5 inches) next to the iPod Touch and its generous screen.

The X-Fi makes it a lot harder to create playlists without the help of a computer, too. I still haven't gotten the hang of Creative's on-player playlist creator, even after years of using it with the Zen VisionM. But creating a playlist with the Creative Centrale desktop software (included with the player) is much easier than doing so in-unit: Just drag and drop music from your library into a new playlist.

The X-Fi connects to your PC via USB 2.0, but loading songs onto the player by this route is slow going. (It took me more than an hour to load 10GB of songs onto the player's flash drive via the USB cable.) Downloading songs wirelessly went much faster. The USB port doubles as the unit's power port; however, it includes only a USB cable, not a wall adapter.

Though the Zen X-Fi supports video playback, watching video on the smallish 2.5-inch-diagonal, 16.7-million color screen falls far short of an IMAX experience. Nevertheless, the vibrant 320-by-240 pixel screen provides a sharp, crisp display, and the player supports DivX, MJPEG, MPEG-4, WMV, and XviD movies, all of which must be encoded by the included Creative Centrale desktop software before being loaded onto the player. Image support includes JPEGs natively, while BMP, GIF, PNG, and TIFF photos must be converted by the Creative Centrale software before they can be viewed on the player.

A quick aside about the Creative Centrale software: it comes as a mini CD, which may cause problems if you have a slot-loading optical drive on your PC. Fortunately, Creative Centrale is also available as a download, as part of the Zen X-Fi Starter Pack.

People who are already familiar with Creative's players should get the hang of the X-Fi's design and interface right away. It does have a few notable changes from earlier Creative models, however. The touch strip present on the Zen VisionM and the directional pad featured on the newer Creative Zen have been supplanted by nine buttons arranged in a three-by-three grid.

These spaced-out buttons simplify navigating the player by feel, even while it's still in your pocket. And they double as a phonelike alphanumeric pad for entering network passwords or chatting online. Flanking the nine buttons are four dedicated navigation buttons that should be familiar to owners of other Creative player: the back button, a contextual menu button, a user-customizable button, and the play/pause button. Despite the X-Fi's small size, all of the buttons are well spaced and easy to use. The power switch is on the back of the player and can be "locked" on; the SD Card slot and the single speaker occupy the sides of the unit.

Mere mention of the X-Fi's wireless connectivity doesn't do the feature justice. Much of the X-Fi's appeal comes from its 802.11b/g networking, downloading, and streaming capabilities. The 'Online' menu setting lets you connect to your own computer--or any computer on a network--provided that it is a PC set up as a media server. This arrangement lets you download and stream tracks from your own computer without having to load them onto the player. In addition, Creative makes its own servers accessible via the Online interface, giving you access to numerous music channels and podcasts, organized by category. Streaming worked without a hitch in my testing, delivering clear and uninterrupted audio that sounded great.

The networking capabilities allow you to chat using your Yahoo Messenger or Windows Live Messenger accounts, but I ran into problems using this feature. The log-in to Yahoo Messenger hung for minutes at the "sign-in" stage, and I had to power the machine off to get it going again. I also found the alphanumeric keypad frustrating to use for extended chatting--in much the same way that using the nine buttons on a cell phone for texting is. Expect to put your patience to the test, with lots of repeated button pushing. Ultimately the chat feature is no reason to buy this player, though it's a nice extra to have (when it works).

Minor issues like the chat malfunctions can't take the shine off of the Creative X-Fi. It's an outstanding digital music player that rises to the top with ease. The masses may continue to think iPod first when they need a new MP3 player--but the X-Fi is an innovative, feature-packed player, and it's an absolute steal for the price.[source]

AMD to Spin off Chip Fabs to Raise Funds

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Tue, 7 Oct 2008 07:59:00 -0700

Advanced Micro Devices plans to split into two companies, one to design chips and one to make them, while two investment funds owned by the government of Abu Dhabi will contribute new capital, it said Tuesday. AMD hopes the move will give it the resources it needs to compete effectively with Intel, which dominates the microprocessor industry.

The Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), created by the government of Abu Dhabi, will buy a substantial stake in the chip-making operation, tentatively called The Foundry Co. and contribute additional funds over the next five years to build a new chip fabrication plant, or fab, in New York state and to upgrade one of two AMD fabs near Dresden in Germany. The Foundry Co. will remain headquartered in the U.S., and will also make chips for other companies.

ATIC will invest US$1.4 billion directly in The Foundry Co. and pay another $700 million to AMD, giving it 55.6 percent of the new company and half the seats on the board. AMD will contribute intellectual property rights and its Dresden fabs to the company. AMD will own the remaining 44.4 percent and control the other half of the seats. The Foundry Co. will also assume around $1.2 billion of AMD's debt.

Over the next five years, ATIC will invest between $3.6 billion and $6 billion to fund redevelopment of one of the Dresden fabs and build a new one in New York.

At the same time, Mubadala Development Co. will pay $314 million to increase its stake in AMD to 19.3 percent. It bought an 8.1 percent stake in the company for $622 million last November.

The Foundry Co. will be led by Doug Grose, currently AMD's senior vice president of manufacturing operations, who will resign that post to become CEO of the new company. Hector Ruiz will resign as chairman of AMD to become chairman of the chip business. Ruiz recently quit as CEO of AMD, handing over the reins to Dirk Meyer who took over as president and CEO in July.

The companies expect to close the deal at the beginning of next year, if they get approval from AMD shareholders and regulators including the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

AMD has been talking for some months about adopting an "asset light" or "asset smart" strategy in which it would divest some its debt-heavy manufacturing assets to focus on chip design.

While Intel and AMD have clung to their manufacturing facilities, "fabless" semiconductor companies such as ARM, a designer of microprocessors for mobile and embedded devices, and contract manufacturing companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) are an established feature of the chip manufacturing industry.

AMD will announce its third-quarter earnings on Oct. 16, after the stock market closes. It has made a loss in the last seven quarters.[source]

RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8100

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:14:00 -0700

The BlackBerry has long been synonymous with business. Known best as an addictive corporate tool for professionals who need always-on access to e-mail, Research In Motion's device has had something of a staid image compared with today's multimedia-savvy phones.But that's about to change. With the BlackBerry Pearl 8100--the first BlackBerry to offer a camera, an audio player, and a video player--the BlackBerry loosens up and sheds its business-only image. In my tests of a shipping version, I found the makeover mostly successful.

Available now from T-Mobile (for $350 with a two-year contract), the candy bar-style Pearl has a pleasingly shiny black-and-silver finish. It is noticeably lighter and more petite than its predecessors, and--unlike most BlackBerry devices--it looks remarkably like an ordinary cell phone. The small size comes with a trade-off, however: The Pearl's keys are tiny, and, thanks to the slick finish, slippery--two traits that make the keys difficult to push. The keys are so small that pressing them with a finger is nearly impossible; even dialing with a fingernail is difficult.

Like the BlackBerry 7100 series, the Pearl features a SureType keyboard--a modified QWERTY keyboard that saves space by combining two letters on most keys. Once you start to type, the SureType system suggests words based on the letters you've entered. When SureType guesses correctly, this system is a huge time-saver; when it doesn't (which happens often), typing is a time-consuming chore.

The SureType keyboard is not the Pearl's only departure from typical BlackBerry navigation tools. The jog wheel typically found on the right-hand side of the device has been replaced with a white trackball that sits on the face of the phone, directly below the display. The trackball turns an incandescent white when the phone is active, making it look like--you guessed it--a pearl. While the effect is aesthetically pleasing, it's not a functional improvement. I found the trackwheel harder to use than the jog wheel on other BlackBerrys; it also makes one-handed operation more difficult.

In my use of the phone, I found call quality a mixed bag. On some calls, voices sounded loud and clear, but on others I noticed an echo or muffled voices. Talk-time battery life was excellent, however: the Pearl last 8 hours, 34 minutes in our tests, earning a score of Very Good.

One of the big attractions of the Pearl is its multimedia capabilities. The Pearl's 1.3-megapixel camera is easy to access, though it lacks a dedicated shutter control (you press the trackball to capture shots). You use the 2.25-inch screen to frame photos, and roll the trackball to zoom in or out. While the controls make operating the 5X digital zoom easy, I also found them frustrating: Occasionally, I accidentally rolled the trackball instead of pressing it, causing me to zoom in and miss a moment I had hoped to capture. If you're shooting in dark environments, the built-in flash can help illuminate your scene.

Picture quality was about what you'd expect from a camera phone. Bright colors often looked washed out, and the snapshots sometimes lacked crispness. Unfortunately, the Pearl doesn't capture video; but it will play back video clips, which look fantastic, if small, on its 240-by-260 TFT display.

In addition to sporting a camera, the Pearl is also the first BlackBerry to include a music player. You can transfer AAC, MP3, and WAV files to the device via the included Desktop Manager software, which is easy to install and use. You can also store music files on a microSD Card (not included). While this is the first BlackBerry to support an expandable media card, the card slot's location behind the battery is as inconvenient as it gets. To add or remove the card, you need to first slide the back off of the phone and then remove the battery.

Like the camera, the media player lacks dedicated controls. Nonetheless, I found the Pearl easy to use for playing music. The player itself features a nice, clean interface. I found it a breeze to scroll through my music collection, as well as select tunes and pause them.

Die-hard BlackBerry fans will be glad to hear that the addition of all these consumer-friendly features hasn't lessened the device's prowess as a stellar messaging device. The Pearl supports the RIM push e-mail technology that has made the BlackBerry so popular, and adding a POP3 e-mail account is a snap. You enter your e-mail address and password, and within minutes your messages will be delivered to the device. It also supports AOL, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo instant messaging networks.

None of the new features on the Pearl are earth-shattering; most smart phones have offered music players and cameras for some time. And the phone has rough spots in audio quality and key design. Nonetheless, when you combine its well-executed features with RIM's messaging capabilities and the Pearl's sleek look, this device is a winner.source...

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8320

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:43:00 -0700

First came the trim, consumer-friendly BlackBerry Curve 8300. Then came the Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry 8820. Now there's the BlackBerry Curve 8320, an impressive PDA phone that combines the best of the previous two models and has an added bonus: While the 8820 supports Wi-Fi for data only, the 8320 lets you make voice calls over wireless 802.11b/g networks too.

Physically, the 8320 is the same as the original BlackBerry Curve, though it comes in two different colors, titanium gray or gold. (Unlike the original Curve, which is available from AT&T, the 8320 is available from T-Mobile for $300 with a two-year contract.) It features the same thin and light design, a small but very usable QWERTY keyboard, a 2-megapixel camera, and a gorgeous 320-by-240 display.

The biggest news is under the hood: In addition to support for GSM voice and EDGE data networks, the 8320 adds Wi-Fi with UMA--a technology that allows you to make voice calls over Wi-Fi. The phone works with T-Mobile's $20-per-month (on top of your voice and data plan) HotSpot@Home service, which permits unlimited calls over Wi-Fi networks. While the service is a bit pricey, it could potentially lower your costs by saving your cellular voice minutes.

I tested the phone and the service using one of T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home wireless routers, manufactured by Linksys. Using the 8320's on-screen wizard to connect to a wireless network is a breeze; within just a few minutes, I was surfing the Web and downloading files with ease. The 8320 will connect to any 802.11b/g wireless network, so you can use your existing router--or even a public hotspot--to make calls and surf the Web.

T-Mobile says its router (priced at $50, but free after a rebate) is designed to conserve your phone's battery life and to prioritize voice traffic, which should--in theory--result in better call quality. However, I noticed no significant improvement when using the T-Mobile router instead of my own Linksys wireless router. Call quality over both wireless networks was the same: decent. Voices were garbled sometimes, and I noticed an echo, just as I often did when using the phone over a regular cellular connection. Being able to make calls over Wi-Fi is a great option in areas (like my house) where cellular service is spotty, though. (We could not lab-test the phone's talk-time battery life in time for this article's initial posting, but we will update this review when we have the results--and the PCW Rating for this phone.)

For both voice calls and data usage, the 8320 will default to your Wi-Fi network when it is available. Should you leave the network's range, the phone is supposed to switch your call seamlessly to the GSM network (and vice versa)--but in my tests, the experience wasn't as smooth. When I went out of range of my Wi-Fi network, my calls occasionally dropped, even though cellular service was available.

Those glitches aside, the 8320 is an excellent phone. Like all BlackBerry units, it is a stellar e-mail device, with support for ten accounts. The included camera (which sports a flash and a 3X digital zoom) took adequate but--like many camera phones--occasionally blurry snapshots. Among other multimedia features is an audio and video player that supports most formats (including MP3, AAC, WMA, WMV, and MP4). The player's interface is basic, but audio quality is good and video looks great. The device also has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot (which is inconveniently located under the phone's battery, unfortunately).

While voice quality over Wi-Fi was only passable, the capability itself is still impressive. And combined with the 8320's sleek design and awesome e-mail handling, it makes for a winning package.source...

RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Cell Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:09:00 -0700

Research in Motion's latest BlackBerry Pearl handset, the 8120, sets a new cell-phone standard for delivering business-class e-mail and great multimedia in a small, sleek package.

It's the first Pearl with Wi-Fi support, which speeds up Web surfing and e-mail access. The Pearl 8120 improves on its predecessors with outstanding software for multimedia management and a better camera that captures video and stills.

The 8120 makes its debut today--but only to AT&T Wireless corporate customers (via its enterprise channels and its Premier business portal). Pricing for these customers is $200 with a two-year contract, or $350 unlocked.

I spent a couple of days testing this svelte candy-bar-style handset and came away highly impressed. Voice calls sounded loud and clear, and recipients were able to hear me even while I was walking along a busy city street. In our lab tests of the phone's talk-time battery life, the 8120 lasted 9 hours, 43 minutes--enough to earn a score of Superior.

Although the 8120 doesn't support AT&T's fastest data network (HSDPA), its 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi capability certainly compensated in many locations. And its quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support means you can use it for voice calls throughout most of the world, with data coming in at roughly dial-up speed in locations where Wi-Fi isn't an option.

An Elegant Phone

Like earlier Pearls, the 8120 is petite and elegant, yet solidly crafted. It weighs in at a featherweight 3.2 ounces, and measures 4.2 inches in length, a hair less than 2 inches wide, and slightly more than half an inch thick. The glossy black casing looks classy.

The Pearl uses RIM's unique SureType keyboard, which lays out letters in QWERTY position but places two letters each on most of its 20 keys. The keypad is laid out in five columns of four keys each. The keys in the three central columns, which also contain the numerals, as on a traditional phone keypad, are colored silver; they're flanked by a single column of black keys on each side.

But unlike most non-QWERTY keypads, the Pearl doesn't make you choose between the two letters on a key (by double-tapping for the second) when typing most words: You simply type as though the letter you want were on its own key, and the device's SureType software almost always figures out what word you had in mind by the time you press the space key.

When SureType can't guess correctly--perhaps you're typing in an unusual name--you can override the incorrect choices. Doing so does take some getting used to, and it also slows you down a bit. It's admittedly not a perfect solution, but it's a lot better than other typing options I've seen on handsets that don't have QWERTY hardware keyboards, and it makes messaging and e-mail eminently feasible. (You can also opt for more traditional keypad typing in the device's preferences menu.)

The 240-by-260 display is small, yet very crisp and clear. On-screen colors dimmed in bright sunlight, but the content was always readable. Navigation was straightforward using the swiveling Pearl trackball, the menu button, and the back buttons on either side of it. The device has volume controls and a camera button on the right side; on the left is a port for charging and USB connections, and a rubbery Push-to-Talk button.

Easy Setup

BlackBerrys are known for their excellent support of corporate e-mail platforms, and the Pearl 8120 is no exception. It took only a few minutes to sync my Lotus Notes address book, calendar, and to-do list via the included USB cable. Users with access to push mail via a BlackBerry Enterprise Server will be up and running in a few moments more; otherwise, the 8120 can set up accounts with popular Web, POP3, and IMAP servers very quickly.

The 8120 does an admirable job with all routines for enabling its features--I found its Wi-Fi setup, for instance, a snap, simple and straightforward. However, I had mixed feelings about RIM's super-minimalist Web browser. It strips out almost all formatting but headlines, text, and a few images. I loved that it appears to get rid of ads; and the pages came in superfast and were easy to read. But without layout and images, all of the sites started to look the same.

The 8120's two-megapixel still camera took pretty good photos, especially in low-light situations where its built-in flash really made a difference. And the device's software made it easy to crop a portrait for use as a thumbnail that appears on the screen when that person calls.

The camera's 5X digital zoom was not impressive, though, and while this is the first Pearl to capture video, the clip I shot was rather grainy when I played it back on my PC.

However, the 8120's other multimedia features were outstanding, especially for a handset this small. My favorite feature wasn't even on the handset: The bundled Media Manager application went well beyond the usual PC-to-handset copying capabilities of these types of programs. It figured out which tunes were DRM-free and therefore worth transferring (most other apps can't tell the difference, and I've wound up with many unplayable files).

Media Manager also offered to optimize the media I selected before transferring the files to the handset. I was impressed, for example, by its ability to reformat a video clip that I'd had trouble playing on a portable media player a week earlier.

The quality of the audio was first-rate, both through the device's own stereo speakers and the bundled earbud headset. And while I wouldn't want to watch a full-length film on such a small screen, the converted video clip looked surprisingly good.

Given its chic design and multimedia chops, it's a pity that AT&T has chosen to make the Pearl 8120 available only to corporate buyers. But I wouldn't be surprised to see a consumer model appear soon, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Pearl to someone seeking an e-mail-friendly handset that's no slouch in the multimedia department.source..

RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8120 (T-Mobile)

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:49:00 -0700

T-Mobile isn't the first U.S. carrier to offer the Wi-Fi-equipped BlackBerry Pearl 8120 (AT&T Wireless launched its 8120 earlier this year), but T-Mobile's version has a decidedly consumer spin. Thanks to T-Mobile's innovative HotSpot@Home technology, this Pearl also lets you make VoIP calls over Wi-Fi.

The voice-over-Wi-Fi feature improves reception in locations where cell signals are weak, and in my tests the technology (called Unlicensed Mobile Access, or UMA) worked very well; the only visible indication that the phone was not using T-Mobile's cellular network for calls was the Wi-Fi network's SSID on the screen. Clearly, if you're within hotspot range, Wi-Fi speeds up Web browsing and data-intensive tasks, too. However, using Wi-Fi for voice calls requires T-Mobile's $10-a-month HotSpot@Home Talk Forever Mobile service, an add-on that is not available for the carrier's least-expensive plans.

I found the T-Mobile 8120 ($200 with a two-year contract) less handsome than the AT&T version, in part because of its mousy-grey case; the icons in the BlackBerry menu looked cartoonish, as well. The cluttered interface is mostly a result of all the software T-Mobile loads on the device (AT&T's applications folder on its Pearl makes things cleaner). Instead of this interface, MyFaves subscribers can go for tiny images of their MyFaves buddies (five people that you can spend unlimited time talking to).

On the other hand, I liked the software itself, which included a voice-command application that worked very well for dialing contacts; a couple of games; and RepliGo software for viewing, printing and faxing Microsoft Office documents. And all the features I appreciated in the AT&T 8120--the sharp 2.0-megapixel camera, the excellent multimedia player, and the SureType predictive text-entry system for typing on a 20-key keyboard--remained impressive. (SureType is something you should try out for yourself, however; some of my colleagues don't like SureType as much as I do).

Both voice quality and talk-time battery life were excellent: The T-Mobile 8120 lasted 10 hours in our lab tests, the maximum amount of time we test.

Looks are a big reason for buying a Pearl, so I'd like to see T-Mobile offer a snappier-colored case. The user interface should be neater, as well. But with its quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and Wi-Fi support, T-Mobile's 8120 remains an intriguing option for people who want a small phone with the ability to pick up data speed when Wi-Fi is handy. source..

Secrets To Successfully Starting Your Own Business

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:05:00 -0700

Start a Successfull Home Based Buisness

The American Dream is, and always will be, to come up with an idea, start a business and become rich from your own efforts. Based upon this motivation, thousands of businesses fail each year, due primarily to not being familiar with the basics involved in running a business.

This report will enlighten you, and give you a number of suggestions you can use to better guarantee your chances for success. This report is written with the warning that any and every business venture contains certain inherent risks, and any number of alternatives. We do not espouse that any one way is the right way or that our suggestions are the only way. On the contrary, we advise that before investing any money in a business venture, you seek counseling and help from a qualified accountant and/or attorney.

Just about the first thing you should consider before deciding to start or purchase a business is the legal form you'll be operating under. There are basically four choices: sole proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, and/or corporation.

Each has a number of advantages and disadvantages. As much as anything else, for many people starting a business is a form of ego-gratification, and they form a corporation for some sort of prestige gain - just to say, "I own a corporation."

With just a little bit of observation, you'll find that one of the major causes of business failures is due to the founder wasting start-up capital on frills, such as an impressive store-front office, expensive furnishings, and corporate legal costs.

One of the basic traits you must develop it you're going to be successful in business, is a tight hold on your expenditures. In fact, a good rule of thumb is that anything that does not make money for you or protect your investment, should not be purchased at this time. Very definitely, this applies to the expense of setting up your own corporation.

Unless you have a partnership and start your business as such, the only real advantage to forming a corporation would appear to be that a corporate structure will semi-protect the property you personally own.

As an example, you own a home and car. You form a corporation to protect these possessions from business losses. Yet, if you can be found guilty of misusing corporate funds, your business creditors can pierce the corporate shield and come after your possessions.

Basically, if you invest everything you have in your business, as most newcomers do, you don't usually need a corporation because you have nothing to protect. Your household possessions, personal belongings, generally your car, and even a portion of the equity in your home is protected by the homestead provision of the Federal Bankruptcy Act, and cannot be taken away from you.

As a sole proprietor or partner of a business you'll be paying taxes on your overall earnings, much the same as if you were holding down a salaried or hourly paid job. Whether you do or don't take out money as a salary will have no bearing on the earnings of your business and tax return.

The often advertised advantage of incorporating, that you can manipulate your salary in order to save on tax dollars, is real because of corporation laws. However, the IRS frowns on this practice. When your business is successful and making a lot of money, definitely check with your accountant on the advantages of incorporating.

As a corporation, you'll be subject to a number of other drawbacks as well: generally higher state taxes, stricter laws concerning the operation of your business, more elaborate accounting procedures, and legal papers that are required just about every time you make a major move or sign almost any contract. Thus, your legal and accounting fees will be much higher as a corporation than will those required for a sole proprietorship type of business.

As a sole proprietor or partnership, you'll find many areas require the registration of your business name. The cost however, is minimal, ranging from $5 to $100. About the best way to find out what laws apply in your area, is to call your bank and ask if they need a fictitious name registration card or certificate in order for you to open a business account.

Selecting a name for your business is quite important to you and particularly relative to advertising. Your business name should describe the product or services you offer. Fancy names such as, Linda's Clipping Service will lose potential "walk-in and passing" customers to the beauty shop across the street that calls itself, Patti's Beauty Salon or Jane's Hair Styling Shop.

The advantage of using your full name in the title of your business, such as Johnny Jones' Meat Lockers, has the advantage of making credit somewhat easier to come by - provided you pay your bills on time - but it also includes the disadvantage of confining your services to a local or at most, a regional area.

Should you buy, lease, or rent a space for your business? think twice before you make any decision along these lines. Most businesses tend to grow quickly or they never get off the ground.

There are a few exceptions, but only a very few, that tend to grow at a modified rate.

So, buying a piece of property and setting up your business on or within that property, obligates you to ownership regardless of what happens to your business.

Leases are almost always very strong contracts written by attorneys to the advantage of the property-owner. When you sign an agreement to pay someone for the use of their space over any length of time, you're "nailed in" to paying for that space regardless of what happens to your business.

In the beginning, it's wise to either get the shortest-term lease possible, or arrange to rent with an option to lease at a later date. This does not apply to a retail business, unless your particular business happens to be an untried one.

Definitely, you should open a business bank account. In selecting a bank for your business, scout around and look for one that can, and will help you. Determine what your banking needs will be, and then via telephone, interview the managers of the banks in your area. The important convenient bank to your business location.

A point to remember: the closer you can make the relationship between you and the bank manager, the better your chances are going to be for approval on loans and/or special favors you may need at a later date.

Try to become acquainted with as many of the bank employees as possible. The better you know them, the more courtesies they'll be extending especially to you in the course of your association.

Just as a doctor is a specialist in his field, and you go to him for medical problems, your banker is a specialist in his field and you should go to him for your money problems. In business, you'll have to learn that everyone is an expert in his own line of work, and in your associations with other business people, refrain from acting like a "sharpie" and/or pretending that you know exactly how everything works in someone else's specialty.

You'll find that very often, different banks specialize in different types of businesses. As an example, you're sure to find banks that specialize in real estate transactions, export-import businesses, and even manufacturing operations only.

What I'm saying here is that if you're planning to sell fairly expensive item, your customers will probably need and/or want financing. It will behoove you to select a bank familiar with your type of product that will afford your customers, through you, contract financing.

Some of the questions you should ask of your banker include the following:

Is it necessary to maintain a certain balance in your account before the bank will approve a loan for you? What qualifications must you have in order to obtain a line of credit with the bank?

Does the bank limit the number of loans, or types of loans it will approve for small businesses?

What is the bank's policy regarding the size of a check you might deposit that requires holding for collection?

And what about checks less than that amount - will they be immediately credited to your account?

In almost all types of businesses, it will be to your benefit to set up with your bank, a method of handling VISA, Master Charge, and regional credit cards. The important thing here is to ultimately set up your account in the bank that will service all of these credit transactions for you - one stop for all your banking needs. In most instances, you'll find that having the capability to fill orders/make sales via credit card transactions, will increase your volume of sales appreciatively.

Once you've made the decision as to which bank is going to handle your account, you'll need your Social Security Number or your Federal Employer's Identification Number, your driver's license, the fictitious name certificate, and if you're requesting a VISA or Master Charge franchise, you'll also need a financial statement.

For corporations, you'll also need a corporate resolution approving of the opening of your business account.

There are different policies exercised in just about every state regarding installation/hook-up charges by the telephone and utility companies. Some require a deposit, and some don't.

You'll find that a great number of city business license departments are there solely for the purpose of collecting another tax. Depending on the type of business you're asking a license for, the building and zoning people may inspect your premises for soundness of structure and safety. Generally, you won't encounter any difficulties - you simply pay your fee to operate your business in that city, and the clerk types your name onto a city license certificate.

Relative to sales tax permits and licenses, each state's rules and regulations very widely. The best thing to do is call your state offices and ask for information concerning registry and collection procedures. Many states require an advance deposit or bond, and you'll find that some wholesalers or manufacturers will not sell to you at wholesale prices until you can show them your sales tax permit or number.

Should your business entail selling your products or services across state lines, in another state, you're not required to collect taxes except in those where you have offices or stores.

You may find also that your particular business requires the collection of Federal Excise Taxes. For information along these lines, check in with your local office of the Internal Revenue Service.

Some states also require certain businesses to hold state licenses, such as those required in many states for TV Repairmen.

These are known as "occupational permits" and are most often required of barbers, hair stylists, real estate people and a number of other consumer oriented businesses. If you have any doubts, check with your state offices for a list of those occupations that require licensing.

Any business doing business in any type of interstate commerce is subject to federal regulations, usually through the Federal Trade Commission. This means that any business that shops, sells or advertises in more than one state is subject to such regulation, and this includes even the smallest of mail order operations.

Normally, very few business people ever have and contact with the federal regulatory agencies. The only exceptions being when there is a question of your operating your business unethically or illegally.

Any business that sells or distributes food in any manner almost always requires a county health department permit. If your business falls into this category, simply call the county health department and invite them out to your place of business for an inspection. The fees generally range from about $25, depending on the size of your business when they first inspect it for permit approval.

There are also a number of businesses that require inspection by a fire Marshall, and fire department approval. Generally, these are those that handle flammable materials or attract large numbers of people, such as a theater. Overall, the local fire department has to be allowed to inspect your premises whenever they desire to do so.

You may also run into a requirement for an air and/or water pollution control permit. These specifically apply to any business that burns anything, discharges anything into the sewers or waterways, or use any gas-producing product, such as a paint sprayer.

Without a doubt, you'll need to check on local regulations relating to advertising display signs. Each city or township makes its own rules and then enforces those rules according to its own thinking -check before you contract to have a sign made for your business.

The design and placement of your sign is very important to your business - specifically to retail establishments - but let me remind you that your business sign is usually the first thing a potential customer sees and as such, it should catch his eye and leave an impression that lasts. It would be a good idea to ride around your town and take a look at the signs that catch your eye, and try to determine the impression of the business that sign leaves on you. This is a basic learning formula for determining the design, size and placement of your business sign.

Some of the other things to consider before opening for business - If you intend to employ one or more employees, you'll be required to deduct Federal Income Taxes, and Social Security payments from their checks. This will involve your filing for a Federal Tax Number and necessitates contact with your local IRS Office.

Most states have "unemployment taxes" which will have to be deducted from the paychecks of any employees you hire. And there are a number of states that have income taxes - disability insurance - and any number of other taxes. Again, the best thing to do is check with your local office of the IRS. And above all else, don't forget to ask for the rules of the minimum wage law, and comply.

When your business grows to the point of needing additional help, don't be afraid to look for and hire the help you need. when you're ready to hire someone, simply run an ad in your local paper and/or register your needs with the local office of your state's employment service. Businesses either grow or die, and those that grow eventually need more people in order to continue growing.

When that time comes, hire the additional people you need, and your business will continue growing. If you don't, for whatever reason, you'll find yourself married to your business and your business growth stymied.

Regardless of how small your business is when you begin, never walk in with the thought in mind that it's something to keep you busy. Anyone with an attitude of that kind is a fool. You begin and make a business successful in order to realize financial freedom. Establish your business. Put it on its feet, and then hire other people to do the work for you. And those businesses that require an operations manager, or someone to run a phase of the business you're too busy to handle, hire the person needed or the business will surely suffer.

To protect the investment of your business, you need business insurance. If you've never had any experience with business insurance, simply look under the heading of "business insurance" in your phone directory. Ask for bids from several different companies or agents...Primarily, you should have a policy that gives you general liability, fire, workmen's compensation, business interruption, and vehicle coverage. You may also want coverage against possible losses related to burglary, robbery, Life & Accident, Key Man, and Fidelity Bonds.

As the sole proprietor of a business, you won't be paid as an employee, so there will be no income tax deducted from whatever you withdraw from the company's earnings. What you'll have to do is a gain check with the IRS Office for a Tax Guide For Small Businesses Handbook, and probably end up filing an estimated tax return on a quarterly basis.

The minute you open your doors for business, you'll have to spend some time engaged in the work of bookkeeping. Exactly how, and using what forms, you keep books, should be on the recommendations of a good tax counselor...The same holds true for your overall business and/or payroll accounting system. Look for an experienced CPA that knows the accounting problems to your particular kind of business, and solicit his advise/counseling.

If your business is going to involve the possible purchase or lease of operating equipment, again seek the help of your tax counselor for the most advantageous method of obtaining the needed equipment.

Basically, arranging for your suppliers to give you materials on credit will depend upon your honesty and personal financial statement. The best way is usually a personal visit to the person with the power to approve or disapprove of credit at the company where you want to set up a credit account. Show him your financial statement, and explain your prospects for success. Then assure him that you've always honored all of your obligations, and that if ever there's a question or problem, you'd like for him to call you at home. And of course, give him your home phone number.

We won't go into the exigencies of advertising your products, services or business here, but there is something along these lines you should always keep in mind. The best kind of advertising your business can receive is that you don't really pay for - publicity.

When something unusual happens to you, your business, or your employees - that's news, so be sure to tell the news media in your area about it.

In closing, let me say that the most important ingredient of your eventual success will be the soundness of the planning you did before you started your business. Any number of bad things can really throw your business into a tailspin, but it you've done your homework well - really set up a detailed business plan before starting - your losses or setbacks will be minimal. Success takes planning, and within this report, you've got a basic checklist...The rest is up to you...Good luck, and may your life overflow with success in all that you undertake from this moment forward.[source]

Wifi Business Models

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:02:00 -0700

It’s worth mentioning that not all public wifi hotspot software is created equal. Truthfully, each individual piece of software has been developed with characteristics unique to the vision of the developer. This is not a product review… rather it is simply a high level overview of the most popular business models made possible by the various strains of wifi hotspot software available. That said, let’s plunge into what is still one of the most popular business model among wifi hotspot locations today… paid access.

Paid Access – You’re familiar with this model if you’ve ever opened up a laptop at any of the largest coffee chains. In essence, upon opening your web browser, the wireless router redirects you to the hotspot login page which is served up by hotspot software resident on a remote server. At this point, you’re usually presented with a couple of payment methods… you can either pay with a credit card via the login page or if you don’t have a credit card, you can usually buy access in the form of a prepaid voucher. Upon payment completion, you will be allowed to surf the internet for whatever time period you purchased access to. The advantages of this model are that the hotspot software provider will typically do a revenue split with you meaning you will earn direct income from your wi-f hotspot. In addition, guests sessions will be capped with time limits meaning a guest can’t occupy one of your tables for eight hours straight (unless you’ve sold them a day pass etc.).

Ad supported access – This is an access method that has been quick to gain popularity among location owners because guests get free, time limited access and location owners gets a cut of the revenues generated via the hotspot software providers arrangements with advertisers. The downside is that in many cases, revenues probably won’t add up to what you could earn with paid access (at least on per user basis) although you may make up that lost revenue through seeing a higher volume of usage.

Free access with time limits – This is a great way top provide free access to guests without having to worry about people overstaying their welcome. The best way to do this is to tie X amount of time with $X amount of minimum purchase. In effect, you are encouraging wireless guests to spend your specified minimum in exchange for free access. You are in effect, indirectly charging for access.

Free access without time limits – You can do this model without hotspot software providers. All you need is any old store shelf “home” wireless router. The problem with this method is diplomatically confronting wireless guests who have overstayed their welcome. Probably the easiest way to provide free access is with built in time limits.

So, those are the four models, three of which require the services of a hotspot software provider. It probably really depends on your clientele as to which access model is best suited to your particular location. If you cater primarily to students (maybe a campus café), you might want to try out the “free with time limits” model or the “ad supported” model. If you cater primarily to business travelers (maybe you’re located near major hotels), you might do best with the paid options because you have a captive market.

By: Wade236

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Mini-Notebook

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:40:00 -0700

At first glance, the Inspiron Mini 9, Dell's entry into the mini-notebook category, looks like what you might get if you left a notebook from Dell's full-size Studio line of laptops in the dryer too long. But the sub-$500 Mini 9 carries a 1.6-GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a solid-state drive, making it a good starter machine for basic computing at a reasonable price.

Our test configuration, priced at $474, included Windows XP Home and an 8GB solid-state drive; a 4GB version of the Mini 9 ships with Linux Ubuntu 8.04. The 8GB drive doesn't leave you much open space once the operating system and the preinstalled software (which includes Microsoft Works) are accommodated. For $40 more, you can upgrade to a 16GB drive, but then you've crossed the magic $500 threshold. One feature that is missing here--but is present in the Acer Aspire One--is an additional SD slot to allow users to insert a second SD Card, format it, and use it as another hard disk.

Working without two SD Card slots, we found that our WorldBench 6 test suite required more space than the Inspiron Mini 9's drive could spare. Since we couldn't run our benchmark tests on the Mini 9, we can't directly compare its performance with that of competing mini-notebooks like the MSI Wind NB U100. We do know that the Mini 9 loads Windows in about 30 seconds and fires up Microsoft Works in 8 seconds. Also, it can copy more than an album's worth of music (77MB) in about 7 seconds. In short, it falls in line with what we've seen from other mini-notebooks packing an Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, and Windows. We'll update this review when we obtain more-precise performance results.

The Mini 9 performed well in our battery life tests. Its four-cell battery ran for about 3 hours, 34 minutes--far better the three-cell battery of the MSI Wind, which lasted just 2 hours, 24 minutes.

As its name suggests, the Inspiron Mini 9 is tiny. It measures 1.07 by 9.13 by 6.77 inches--barely enough room to accommodate the 8.9-inch screen--and weighs about 2.28 pounds.

The glossy 1024-by-600-resolution display looks reasonably sharp and reproduces color extremely well. Unfortunately, if you don't view it from precisely the right angle, the screen looks a little dim. You can adjust the angle, but you may still find yourself contorting into ergonomic stress positions in order to get an optimal view.

All of the alphanumeric keys on the Mini 9's keyboard are large enough to make cranking out a document easy. But everything else either gets scrunched (as the Tab, Shift, and Caps Lock keys do) or assigned to an unfamiliar location. For instance, the apostrophe key slides down to a spot by the space bar, and the function keys disappear altogether, replaced by combos. An empty bit of real estate lies between the keyboard and the edge nearest the display, but Dell chose not to fill it with shortcut keys. That said, if you can retrain your brain to know where a couple of wayward buttons are positioned, you'll find that the keyboard is quite good. Similarly, the mousepad is set to just the right sensitivity, and the buttons are firmly in place.

The front-mounted speaker, located just below the display, came across as a little hollow. In this department, the Mini 9 falls behind Asus's $650 Eee 1000H 80G XP.

The Mini 9 is otherwise packed with the usual arsenal of current mini-notebook specs: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA out, an ethernet jack, an SD Card slot, and headphone and mic jacks. Our test model had Bluetooth and a 1.3-megapixel Webcam; both are extra-cost options.

The Mini 9 includes two handy additions that make it stand above the competition. First, accessible through the Start menu, is Dell's Support Center--a one-stop app for system information and performance tweaking. When you're online the Support Center also serves as a glorified link hub to different parts of Dell's support site for manuals, patches, and quick fixes. Second is a free, base-level account (good for 2GB of storage) with Box.Net's online file storage service.

Dell has crafted a solid mini-laptop that's good for kids and has plenty to offer anyone looking for an on-the-go system. The Inspiron Mini 9 isn't perfect, but it does offer a terrific design and a good price. I would have a tough time choosing this over Acer's Aspire One, but Dell's first venture into the world of mini-notebooks has produced a worthy competitor.[source]

Google and T-Mobile unleash the G1 for $179 and a two-year contract

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:29:00 -0700

That's it folks, the HTC-made T-Mobile G1 is now official with pre-orders due to open over at the dedicated T-Mobile website. The device will start shipping in US stores as of 22nd October and will be selling for 179 US dollars with two-year voice and data contract.

T-Mobile will be offering obligatory voice and messaging plans for the G1 priced at 25 (unlimited data, limited msg) and 35 US dollars (unlimited data and msg) on top of their regular voice plans. The G1 is SIM-locked and it won't be available with a prepaid service.

The T-Mobile G1 will also be available in the UK beginning in November, and across T-Mobile's European markets (Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands) in Q1 2009. European pricing is not yet known but we guess it has to be competitive to the one of the iPhone 3G.

Hardware-wise the T-Mobile G1 sports a 3.2-inch display touchscreen display, QWERTY keyboard, quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band UMTS support, GPS, Wi-Fi and a built-in accelerometer. We already mentioned that the camera won't support video recording and the Bluetooth support will be limited to mono headset use only (no stereo and no file transfers). The Bluetooth functionality will be enhanced later on.v

The software part of the T-Mobile G1 is much more interesting as it's the first Android device to see daylight. The G1 will make use of all Google online services such as Gmail (with push support), YouTube, Google Talk, Google Maps with Street View, AmazonMP3 marketplace for affordable DRM-free tracks and finally, Google's own Android Market, which would supply the handset with third-party applications over-the-air. A unique feature to the G1 is the embedded compass, which syncs with Maps Street View allowing live 360-degree cityscape browsing just by turning the handset around.

At this stage the T-Mobile G1 lacks MS Exchange support, but doors are opened to third-party developers. There's also no desktop synchronization client, syncing is only possible to Google online services such as Gmail, Calendar and etc.

All in all, the T-Mobile G1 is disappointing - while the Android OS sounds like a powerful base, its first implementation fails to impress. The G1 has a low-key SideKick inspired design and lacks some key contemporary features such as Bluetooth file transfers and video recording.

So we waited a whole year now just to see a poor iPhone replica with a QWERTY keyboard that doesn't even look half as good. It seems HTC have not put any effort in the design - and even the functionality is flawed. So thanks, but no thanks! Let's see the next one, please![source]

Canon PowerShot A590 IS Point-and-Shoot Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:24:00 -0700

My digital camera expertise begins and ends with this fact: I cannot resist the urge to photograph a couple of fuzzballs named Chuckie and Violet. I'm a classic novice point-and-shooter, and the crème de la crème of my snapshots find their way onto Flickr or Facebook.

Recently, I spent some time with the 8-megapixel Canon PowerShot A590IS digital camera to see how fully it would meet my list of very basic snapshooting requirements and how well it would compensate fro my lack of technical proficiency. For a bargain-bin price of $150, it has a lot of features: 8-megapixel resolution, 4X optical zoom, optical image stabilization, face detection (which recognizes faces in the frame and optimizes the autofocus accordingly) and a smaller-but-serviceable 2.5-inch LCD screen. And conveniently it runs on two AA batteries.

To orient myself to the camera and gain insight into its features and functions, I ripped the A590IS out of the box and started taking pictures. I had no trouble working my way through various settings, quickly finding and using many of the 19 shooting modes, including portrait, landscape, and auto. Not surprisingly, the A590IS doesn't support a full range of manual settings (what do you expect for $150?), but it does let you program the shutter speed and aperture settings manually if you want to.

The big news with this point-and-shoot camera is image quality. Despite its rock-bottom price, the A590IS scored significantly higher in our image-quality assessments than point-and-shoots that cost more than twice as much and have higher megapixel counts. In particular, our judges noted superior colors and flash exposures in our subjective tests.

Image quality gets an assist from my favorite A590IS feature: the optical image stabilizer. I tried desperately to take a blurry picture--and I failed. No matter how hard I shook that camera or how much my subjects shimmied, I couldn't induce a blurry image. (Unfortunately for me, the A590IS does permit photo subject guillotinage if the picture taker frames the shot badly enough.)

Like many other Canon cameras, the PowerShot A590IS has a classic, easy-to-hold ergonomic shape with a fat thumb/hand grip on the right side. Though it's comfortable to hold, the camera body lacks rubber or textured trim on the plastic surface of its hand grip, which makes the grip a bit slick. I also wished that the camera were smaller: It's a compact camera, but not exactly pocketable. You'll need to secure it in a small camera bag before stowing it in your purse or backpack, or you'll risk scratching it up.

Though the AA batteries are great for convenience, the A590IS produced only 248 shots running on a fresh pair. Many point-and-shoots can take more than 300 shots on a single charge.

Photos from the PowerShot A590IS will never be mistaken for digital SLR output, but this camera is a great choice for anyone seeking an inexpensive, easy-to-use point-and-shoot that produces high-quality images. And don't be afraid to put its optical image stabilization to the test.
[source]

Voip Solution: Best Alternative To Communication

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:54:00 -0700

The concept of communication has been refined for something better. From the ever-increasing call volumes to overloading switchboard operators, budget restraints are hampering efforts to improve services without increasing staffing levels. Well, with the latest VoIP solutions, the industry is realising the benefits of communication over a single IP network. For this, the entire credit goes to high-speed Internet connection which has brought a revolution of all sorts in the industry. As a matter of fact, this has raised the ratio of VoIP users when compared with pre-existing PSTN services.

The advanced VoIP based services are delivered over high speed Internet connection which result in cost reduction and improvement in the call quality. Considering the factor of cost and call quality, the smart businessmen have shifted or planning to shift to business VoIP solution. Therefore, switching to business VoIP solution have become the best alternative for many business and corporate houses, as this solution helps to make a definite improvement in the profits.

To be more specific, the IP solutions allow the users or businessmen to interact with their clients over a high speed broadband connection. The high speed broadband connection or packet switching technique relates communication with better quality of voice, video and data. The IP telephony uses digital technology for transmitting the phone calls over the packet switching technique. Therefore, it can be said that VoIP solution actively allows the users to bypass traditional circuit switching technique by placing calls over the web. A single IP network is used to transmit various multimedia content at the same time. For being a part of high-end communication structure, the users must install hardware and VoIP software on their existing or new phone.

The benefits attached with business VoIP solutions include:

1.Inexpensive calling: Business solution helps users to lower down their monthly telephone bills. In some business houses, monthly telephone bills have been dropped down by up to 40 percent when compared with pre-existing services. The factor of cost efficiency is purely dependent upon the selection of VoIP solution provider and importantly on products that are used.
2.Bundled features: The users enjoy bundled features such as voicemail, call waiting, call routing; caller ID and call conferencing. These features are considered as additional when compared to traditional phone lines. Usually, these bundled services vary from provider to provider.
3.Flexible communication: The business solution VoIP is backed with the feature of flexibility which means users can add or extend telephone lines in their exiting VoIP system.
4.Compatible interface: The solution offers easy-to-use interface for business as well as corporate houses.

To conclude, business VoIP solutions offer businessmen or users to communicate freely among customers at a discounted rates. Apart from this, solution offers efficient customer support service to assist the users at anytime of the day.

By: Kristen Kiya

Microsoft Zune 3.0 Media Player Software

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:13:00 -0700

Zune 3.0 offers a visually interesting spin on music recommendations, but you have to pay for the full experience.

Like Apple's iTunes 8, Microsoft's Zune software (now in version 3.0) offers new ways for listeners to discover new music via their software. Unfortunately, to get the full experience of its coolest new feature, MixView, you must spring for a $15 per month Zune Pass subscription.

Zune 3.0 is available for download from Zune.net; if you own one of Microsoft's Zune players, you can use the software for managing files and transferring them to your player. If you don't own a Zune, you can still use the free software to manage your PC's library of audio and video files.

Zune's MixView is Microsoft's answer to Apple iTunes' new Genius feature, which allows you to automatically generate playlists. Like Genius, MixView makes additional music recommendations based on songs within your library and based on the software's associated online music and video store, the Zune Marketplace. But Zune's algorithm engine includes an element that Genius lacks: It also draws from a social community. When you download Zune 3.0, you can create an individual username that identifies you in the Social community of Zune. Whether to participate actively in the community is up to you.

Pick an album or an artist in MixView, and images of related content--such as albums, individual tracks, and artists--blossom around it. Click on one of the surrounding images, and a new display appears. Double-clicking on the image lets you hear a 30-second clip of the associated song and gives you the option to purchase it. To hear the full version of the song, you must be a Zune Pass subscriber. (With a Zune Pass you can download and stream an unlimited number songs from the Zune Marketplace, the online music and video store, at a flat rate of $15 per month. You retain access to the songs as long as your Zune Pass is current.)

MixView is a lot of fun if you like to geek out on music history and learn about who influenced who. I could spend hours clicking through the MixView, and I found its recommendations right on target with my tastes. Aesthetically, it does a spectacular job of mapping out song, artist, and album relations graphically. And its multidirectional recommendations expand your universe of possibilities far more quickly than Pandora's linear suggestions do. For example, if you pick Willie Nelson in MixView, you immediately have the option of playing Waylon Jennings, the Smoking Popes, or Hank Williams. If you pick Willie Nelson in Pandora, the only suggestion you get is Waylon Jennings; and if you don't want to listen to Waylon Jennings, you have to skip to the next song.

Images of listeners from the Zune Social community will also automatically pop up along with the recommended music. You can view recent plays from their collection as well as favorites and top artists. Connecting music fans to one another is a nice touch, the feature wasn't especially useful in my case, as many supposedly "like-minded" listeners actually had very different music preferences from mine. As a result, I didn't spend much time looking at their music libraries.

A cool--and completely free--feature is the improved Now Playing screen. Even if you don't own a Zune and never intend to buy one, you can use this feature for your music collection on your PC. The full-screen interface shows various artist photos and displays facts and biographical information. If nothing else, it serves as a nice distraction from whatever you're doing on your computer. Just be careful not too zone out too much, because it can be quite hypnotic.

When I tested it, the software still had some bugs. I bought a Zune Pass so that I could test everything 3.0 had to offer, but I couldn't log into my account for about half an hour after buying it, due to a server error. The Marketplace wouldn't load for me a couple of times and the MixView and Social areas occasionally loaded very slowly.

I ran into errors in other areas as well, such as in the new Playlist feature. When you search for an artist in the Marketplace, you get a list of songs and albums by that artist, as well as preloaded playlists. One of my searches produced a playlist with the enticing title "Scandinavian Darkness Mixtape." Unfortunately, when I tried to access it, I got a 'Zune Marketplace Is Unavailable' notice multiple times.

If Microsoft wants Zune to be a strong contender in the MP3 player market, it should make the full MixView available for free. That feature, in my opinion, is the biggest draw of the software, and it is disappointing that you cannot access the full version of it without paying. iTunes 8's Genius similarly lets you preview only 30 seconds of a song, so making unrestricted MixView previews free would give Microsoft an advantage over Apple in one important respect.

In any case Zune 3.0 ups the ante on software interfaces for music players. iTunes looks pretty plain next to it, and Zune offers a greater array of opportunities for music discovery and social interaction. Will it cause a massive exodus from iTunes? Probably not, given that iPod currently holds 70 percent of the MP3 player market. Overall, however, it's worth downloading simply so you can use it as an alternate media player.[source]

TV in Your Pocket: LG Invision

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:01:00 -0700

The LG Invision is AT&T's smallest phone to include AT&T Mobile TV. Running on AT&T's 3G network, the Invision invites TV fans to enjoy programming from CBS Mobile, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Mobile, and NBC2Go on the the handset's 2.2-inch screen. The Invision offers plenty of music features, too, with access to AT&T Mobile Music, side-loading compatibility from Napster To Go, and streaming digital radio by XM Radio Mobile. The music player's customizable equalizer supports all unrestricted MP3 files.

The Invision is available now for $100 with a two-year AT&T contract. Customers must pay additional costs for access to Mobile TV and XM Radio.

article from PC World

Quality Without Contract for Virgin Shuttle

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:35:00 -0700

Virgin Mobile USA's first 3G EvDO handset, the Shuttle, is ideal for users who want a multimedia phone but don't want to commit to a contract. Reflecting Virgin's recent acquisition of Helio, the Shuttle is the company's first handset to integrate features from the Helio portfolio, such as access to social networking communities and other mobile sites. In addition, the Shuttle will be the first to use Virgin Mobile's location-based services from uLocate. This small slider phone has a 1.3-megapixel camera, a 2-inch screen, a music player, stereo Bluetooth, and SD Card support.

Going on sale this month exclusively at Best Buy, the Shuttle costs $80 on Virgin's Totally Unlimited plan; or you can opt for monthly or pay-as-you-go add-on Mobile Web data plans.

article from PC World

Dual-Slider Samsung Highnote for Music Lovers

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:43:00 -0700

Another new Samsung for Sprint handset is the Highnote, a slim music phone with a unique design. The Highnote can slide in two directions: Up reveals a dial pad, and down exposes the phone's built-in stereo speakers. The device features a scroll wheel to navigate through Sprint's OneClick interface. As with other Sprint multimedia phones, customers have access to Sprint Navigation and Sprint Music Store as well as to a Web browser, e-mail, and texting. The Highnote has expandable memory (up to 16GB), stereo Bluetooth, and a 3.5mm headset jack.

The Highnote comes in red or blue and is available in October for $100 with a two-year Sprint service contract.[source]

View The Future Technology With Lg Ku990 Viewty

noreply@blogger.com (Cahyo Santoso) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:33:00 -0700

The LG KU990 Viewty Red is equipped with a high quality camera and some great imaging features. The large 3 inch TFT LCD touch screen with 262k colours and a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels is the main feature of this phone. It is a solid designed phone with no fancy opening systems, the weight of the phone is 112 gram, which is easy for the user to use and carry. The dimensions of the LG KU990 Viewty is 103.5mm by 54.4mm wide by 14.8mm deep.

The touchscreen of the phone comes with touch feedback option that allows the user to feel the response from the touchscreen with a subtle sound on their fingertips. The user has the option for using the touchscreen with fingers or the user can also use the stylus if he prefers to use it. This way the user can use and view the keypad, which is displayed clearly on the beautiful touchscreen.

The 5 mega pixel camera of the phone is packed with high-quality camera features, the users can take and view a crystal clear photo. This camera phone enables the users to capture a high-definition image using a 5 megapixel camera lens certified by Schneider-Kreuznach. With its high-resolution capturing technology, the LG Viewty’s 5.0 mega pixel camera is capable of capturing clearer and more vivid images. The powerful camera of the phone makes the photos rich and vibrant in colours.

The other features of the phone include auto focus, image stabiliser and a xenon flash. For selecting the camera or video settings, the LG KU990 Viewty Red comes with dedicated camera buttons situated on the side of the handset. The video capabilities of the phone allows the user to record video at 120 frames per second, playback video footage and edit video. It has a voice recorder, which allows the user to record voice clips which can be added to multimedia messages.

The LG KU990 Viewty Red support 3G HSDPA technology with Bluetooth for faster data transfer.The Bluetooth wireless technology or a USB cabled connection help the user to transfer files or data including music files, photos and videos. The phone supports the Tri Band technology (GSM 900,GSM 1800 & GSM 1900) network, which allows the user to enjoy worldwide network coverage.

The high speed data transfers can be enjoyed by the built in EDGE and GPRS technology of the phone. The user also can enjoy a real email experience on the LG KU990 Viewty, which can include graphics, images and photo attachments. It also has a TV output connection for connecting it to a TV to view the video creations of the users. The users can also enjoy a broadband speed connection with a XHTML browser.

The messaging service is very easy to operate and include SMS (text messaging), EMS (enhanced messaging), MMS (multimedia messaging), email and predictive text. The phone is equipped with easy to access messaging services allowing the user to stay in contact with friends, family and business contacts. It allows the user to create, send and receive a variety of messages including a text SMS message, multimedia MMS message or an email. The phone has the option of 3G video call with any of the contacts with compatible video calling capabilities.

This LG KU990 Viewty is a great camera phone with some best imaging features. The phone is loaded with all the basic features of a 3G phone.

By: Simon