Latest Technology

Paypal backs down, donates to blog Regretsy's Secret Santa fund

2011-12-06T18:31:00.001-08:00

PayPal temporarily shut down, then restored a Secret Santa fundraiser by the humor blog Regretsy.

PayPal has backed off an online spat with humor blogRegretsy after getting withering Web feedback for shutting down a drive to buy holiday gifts for children in need.

And the online payments service is even chipping in to help buy a few more gifts after temporarily shutting down the Secret Santa fund because the for-profit site was running it.

"(W)e can confirm that the funds have been released and we are working directly with the account holder on this matter," a PayPal representative said via e-mail. "We are also making a donation to Regretsy to help families in need this holiday season. We're very sorry this occurred."

Run by actress-comedian April Winchell, Regretsy is a snarky blog created primarily to mock what it considers awkward, ugly or otherwise head-turning offerings on the arts-and-crafts site Etsy.

But, perhaps in a bid for some good karma, the site maintains a charity fund that has given money to causes from breast-cancer research to Etsy community members in need.

Last month, Winchell, who uses the pen name "Helen Killer" on the blog, put out a call for community members who knew of children at risk of not getting gifts this Christmas. On December 1, she announced that 200 children had been approved and put out a call for donations -- one that she wrote raised thousands of dollars in a few hours.

"You people make me sick," she wrote, mocking, as she frequently does, the tone some Etsy users take when they find their work has been featured on Regretsy. "Funded. Overfunded, in fact. In just a few hours. We now have enough money to make gifts to the families, as well as these kids. Good job a--holes."

Then came the trouble.

On Monday, Winchell wrote that PayPal, which was processing the donations, shut down the drive because she had used a "Donate" button that she learned is only for nonprofit groups. She said she had a "very long and jaw-dropping conversation with an incredibly condescending representative," who told her she had to refund donations.

She wrote she hatched a plan to return the donations, then "sell" the toys that had already been purchased to the donors, only to be told that, too, violated PayPal rules.

PayPal said it has clear guidelines for any business that uses the service to collect donations. (The statement did not directly address whether Regretsy had violated those guidelines, saying it can't comment directly on accounts due to privacy policies). The representative said such guidelines are required by law.

"We appreciate that this can be an inconvenience, but we have a responsibility to all our customers -- both donors and recipients; or buyers and sellers," the PayPal rep said. "In this instance, we recognized our error and moved as swiftly as possible to fix it."

In a post Tuesday afternoon, Winchell thanked her supporters.

"I would also like to say that I did not expect this kind of global outpouring of support, and I truly believe that had you not all made your voices heard, no one from Paypal would have ever felt compelled to make this right," she wrote, noting that "Regretsy" had become a top trending topic on Twitter. "There is no real support or appreciation for the consumer anymore. The customer is always wrong.

"I am extremely grateful to all of you for your efforts. If Paypal is sincere about allowing us to make these gifts, you will have made a difference for 200 children and their families this holiday season."

In an email later Tuesday to CNN, Winchell said she'd had an "encouraging" conversation with PayPal and that they were still discussing a donation to the fund.

After responding to a CNN request, PayPal's blog was updated with a post with the same statement, attributed to Anuj Nayar, director of communications.

Game review: This 'Zelda' needs a refresh

2011-11-27T01:13:00.000-08:00

"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" doesn't offer fans of the series much that's new.

"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" is, in a way, a tough game to figure out.

On one hand, the "Zelda" franchise has provided many hours of enjoyment for fans for 25 years, while chronicling the adventures of everyone's favorite green-hat-wearing elf, Link. This game has that.

On the other hand, I was looking for something that was going to advance the franchise in new directions and possibly break some new ground. That didn't happen.

"Skyward Sword" is full of what we've come to know and love about Link. Maze-like terrain, challenging dungeons, familiar weapons and, of course, the quest to find Zelda. There is little here that we haven't seen before.

Epona, Link's trusted horse, has been replaced by a giant bird that carries him to distant locations. Unfortunately, there isn't much challenging or exciting about riding around on a flying bird after you've done it once or twice. (But, since Link is based this time out on a city floating in the sky, trying to ride a horse around could have gotten messy very quickly, I suppose.)

I was also confused about where this game falls in the "Zelda" timeline. Link appears to be slightly older, but he doesn't have any of his traditional garb or weapons. He is a recruit in the knights' program and, in fact, has to earn his familiar hat and clothing. Contrast that with previous games where Link looks like a kid.

Unfortunately, Link also seems to be missing his personality. He is, as always, silent, but really shows no reaction to anything that happens around him. In an early segment, Link is getting bullied but shows no outward emotions. It is Zelda who arrives to chastise the bullies and defend him.

Nintendo has said "Skyward Sword" lays the foundation for the events in "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," but it doesn't feel like a precursor at all.

The gameplay is slow, with plenty of moments of inaction. Its pace is almost leisurely as Link goes from one mission or dungeon to the next. There's no sense of urgency, but that does allow players to fully explore without feeling as if they're missing something.

Environments are vibrant, with collectibles and creatures lurking around every corner. There is a maze-like quality when you're trying to reach some areas -- with only one path in and one path out. Usually, some puzzle needs to be solved to open the pathway and allow Link to continue.

Instead of Navi ("Hey, Listen!"), a mystical creature named Fi acts as sort of an artificial-intelligence program, helping out whenever something new comes up or if a player gets stuck deciding what to do next. Fi lives in the handle of Link's sword and comes out when summoned. She can also evaluate your gameplay and scan the surrounding area for any dangers or monsters.

Combat is decidedly different, since the game requires you to use Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus Control.

Defeating monsters, or solving some puzzles, requires precise motions to get past obstacles or slice open new pathways. This was a welcome change from straight button-pushing and injected a new level of challenge into combat.

The nunchucks attached to the Motion Plus Control act as your shield during combat and also help with special moves such as rolling or shield-bashing your enemies. The two controllers together work very well and made the combat enjoyable without making it tiring.

In the end, "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" is an underwhelming game that mostly sticks to the successful path that Link has been on for the past 25 years.

This is one series that can keep fans happy with its familiar concepts and characters. But the new game's minor tweaks don't inject new energy into the franchise. I wonder where Nintendo can take "Zelda" next without considering some radical changes.

"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" is available now in Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. It is a Wii exclusive title and is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 years old and older due to animated blood, comic mischief and fantasy violence. This review was done with a review copy of the game.

Super Mario 3D Land – review

2011-11-27T01:12:00.001-08:00

Super Mario 3D Land ... the little plumber gains an extra dimension

How does Nitendo do it? Every other year the Japanese publisher releases another Mario platforming title, and every single time it does, the result is brilliant.

Mario may have starred in some rather naff games over the years, but when it comes to platform adventures, he's in a class of his own. This may explain to some degree why Super Mario 3D Land is the first new game produced for the 3DS that justifies the cost of the console all on its own. It really is that good.

Moreover, it's perplexing that Super Mario 3D Land wasn't a launch title for its platform, because not only is it a great game, it makes the console's 3D visuals integral to the gameplay.

In certain sections of the game – a top-down level involving platforms floating in the sky, for example, or some bonus levels which plonk barriers in the player's path – the 3D display becomes absolutely vital to the player's progress.

The 3D visuals are used as more than just a neat gimmick, and instead become an organic part of the overall experience. In this game, players will find their progress becomes more difficult and frustrating unless they play it in 3D.

The game's appeal is bolstered further by the quality of its design. Granted, this is a Mario game and players know what to expect to a degree – ghost houses, music blocks, coins, mushroom power-ups and flagpoles at the end of every level – but while the levels themselves take more than one or two cues from earlier games, they are bursting with new ideas.

They're also constructed in such a way that allows them to be enjoyed in bite-sized gaming chunks. This is a game that is designed with your working week commute in mind; every level – at least, initially– is easy to beat, provided you're not the sort of player who is obsessed with collecting everything on their first play-through.

The power-ups in the game are mixture of new and old. The Fire Flower and Tanooki Suit return, with the latter of offering the player a degree of control over their jump airtime that comes in very handy in certain stages. There's the Propeller Box, a new riff on the Propeller Mushroom from New Super Mario Bros, which allows players to execute huge vertical leaps and slow their descent.

The Boomerang Mushroom is a new power-up that gifts Mario a never-ending supply of boomerangs, which the player can use to take out foes and collect coins.

The power-ups feel incredibly balanced throughout the game. Rather than give the player an endless list of options, Nintendo has chosen here to limit the number of power-ups available, but make them all the more valuable to the player in terms of their level progression.

The difficulty level in the game accommodates all levels of players – up to a point. Mario veterans will blaze through the first six worlds with relative ease before mistakes start costing them lives.

Once they've completed all eight worlds, a further eight are unlocked – which are essentially re-jigged versions of the original eight, with the difficulty level ramped up considerably.

This is the content that ensures longevity with the hardcore. The extra levels are fiendishly challenging, and most of them are speed-run time trials that box the player into an intense, nail-shredding gaming experience.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Super Mario 3D Land is how the game makes use of all of the Nintendo 3DS's capabilities as a console, without the sense that any of its aspects feel tacked on or shoe-horned into the proceedings for the sake of it.

The thumbstick and face buttons offer a great degree of precision and the 3D visuals – as has been mentioned – are a key part of the gameplay. The gyroscope comes into play during instances where the player uses binoculars in the game to spy Toad in the distance – who, upon being discovered, will toss out a star coin or power-up. Streetpass rounds out the package, offering players gift boxes containing extra power-ups and coins.

All of it is shot through with the Mario series' trademark adorable charm which, if anything, makes the game easier to like. Not that it needs it; Super Mario 3D Land is one of the best Mario games in recent years and easily the best new game for the 3DS platform.

In the current era of handheld casual gaming, it deserves to be a hit. Not only does it offer an engrossing and challenging experience, it's perfect for gaming on the go.

The meticulous craft that has gone into its ingenious design is enough to warrant admiration from even those players who have no time for the portly plumber. As for the rest of you – and we're assuming you're Mario fans – you're in for a real treat.

Extraction: Project Outbreak – review

2011-11-27T01:12:00.000-08:00

Extraction: Project Outbreak 'will keep you glued to your phone'.

For all the hullabaloo surrounding the "mobile gaming revolution" there are few games that really tailor themselves well to the medium. Point and click and tower defence games are obvious fits for touch-screens, but the more popular genres, specifically shoot-'em-ups, have struggled – tacking on glitchy joysticks and buttons that obscure the on-screen action. So it's nice to see Shortround construct a title from the ground up, with Extraction: Project Outbreak (App Store, iPhone, 69p, Shortround) reaping the benefit.

A top-down shooter, reminiscent of the classic Cannon Fodder, you control a single mercenary flung into a war-torn land, filled with genetically altered prisoners now resembling that gaming stable, the zombie. The controls are flawless: tap on the screen to move, swipe over enemies to select targets – rubbing over multiple foes will chain up attacks allowing you to gain greater XP, which can be used to upgrade and buy new weapons. It's a combat system that the developer is rightly proud of: the ability to play with just one finger.

Given the care that's gone into the controls, it's a relief that the visuals are a match, with excellent detail in the backgrounds. The different mission types do get a bit samey – protect scientist, escort solider, build turret gun – but it's addictively bite-size and the desire to max out all the weapons will keep you glued to your phone.

Microsoft cuts Black Friday prices on Kinect, laptops, games

2011-11-27T01:11:00.000-08:00

Customers play a Kinect dance game at the grand opening of the 14th Microsoft Store in McLean, Virginia last week.

(CNN) -- Microsoft may be a relative newcomer to in-store retailing, but it's getting the hang of this Black Friday thing.

The computing giant, with 14 retail stores across the U.S., is diving into the post-Thanksgiving shopping madness with a slew of substantial new discounts on laptops, phones, software, games and its Kinect gaming system for the Xbox 360 console.

The sale begins online Friday at 12:01 a.m. PT, when most Microsoft stores will open, and lasts through Monday. Some of the deals are just available in stores, while others are offered only at Microsoft's online store.

Among them:

-- Sony S137GX notebook: $599, normally $999 (online only)

-- Samsung RC512 laptop running Windows 7: $499, normally $799

-- Acer Iconia Dual-Screen Touchbook: $599, normally $999

-- Xbox Ultimate Gaming Bundle, which includes accessories, a game and a 90-day Xbox Live membership: up to $200 off

-- Kinect Sensor Holiday Bundle, which includes three games: $100, normally $150 (not available online)

-- A free Windows Phone with a two-year service agreement (the site doesn't specify the carrier)

-- Office Home and Student suite of software: $120, normally $150

Microsoft also is cutting prices -- in many cases by half -- on such recent popular Xbox games as "Assassin's Creed Revelations," "Battlefield 3" and "Madden 2012." See its Facebook page for an entire list.

These discounts are much deeper than those announced Wednesday by rival Apple, which is trimming prices on iPads, iPods and Macs by less than 10%.

Next up for Apple, it's iTV – the television that will respond when you shout at it

2011-11-27T01:01:00.000-08:00

Comments made by Steve Jobs to his biographer have heightened speculation. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Apple is designing a television that you can shout and gesticulate at – and it will understand you.

Having revolutionised the music and mobile phone industries with its iPod and iPhone, the company is planning an "iTV" to turn couch surfing into a hi-tech experience.

The Japanese firm Sharp has been asked to begin commercial production of Apple TV screens in February, with the sets available in the second half of 2012, according to analyst Peter Misek at the American bank Jefferies.

"Other TV manufacturers have begun a scrambling search to identify what iTV will be and do," Misek claimed. "They hope to avoid the fate of other industries and manufacturers who were caught flat-footed by Apple."

An internet-connected TV offering seamless links to cloud services to download films – as well as a new level of interactivity – could threaten other manufacturers as well as taking viewers away from pay-TV giants such as BSkyB. Senior engineer Jeff Robbin, who built the iTunes service and helped to create the iPod, is reported to be overseeing the project. Speculation reached new heights when the TV project was mentioned in a biography published soon after the death of Apple's founder Steve Jobs last month.

Jobs told his biographer: "I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it."

In October the US patent office published a filing by Apple for "real time video process control using gestures", which describes using infrared, motion and other sensors to read the user's movements. Gestures could edit video, or "throw" it from one device to another, say to transfer a film from a mobile phone to a bigger screen.

The patents mention facial recognition, to tag individuals within videos so that home videos can be grouped according to who features in them. This autumn the iPhone was updated with a highly accurate voice control application called Siri, and some observers believe it will feature on the TV sets.

What sounds like science fiction is already in use by niche products. Chinese manufacturer Hisense unveiled an internet TV last month which runs on Google's Android software and allows the viewer to issue commands with a wave of the hand.

Microsoft's Kinect, which links to the Xbox games console to TV sets, acts as a digital video recorder and reads voice and gesture commands. Users can rewind, fast forward, call up menus, or select games and channels without having to find the remote control.

Thanks to four microphones, it separates the user's voice from other noises in the room and users must say "Xbox" before speaking a command.

The venture is a risky one for Apple, whose previous foray into the world of television resulted in a rare failure. Apple TV, introduced in 2007, is a box that can store video and connect the TV to the internet or to the laptop to view photos. However, its latest model is thought to have sold no more than 2m units, compared to 40m iPads since March 2010.

Apple TV already incorporates some gesture commands, using the iPhone as a remote: users can flick it left or right or drag two fingers across its screen to fast forward or rewind, and tap to play.

Misek says the iTV could have an initial production run of 5m to 10m units, and will use liquid crystal displays. The company declined to comment.

Apple has taken over an entire Sharp factory to make its latest generations of phones and tablet computers, which will appear next year with brighter, less battery-draining screens. It is estimated to have spent $500m to $1bn buying manufacturing equipment for the plant, and retooling of a production line is believed to be under way to produce TV screens.

Technology researcher Benedict Evans at Enders Analysis was sceptical about revolutionary an iTV could be. He said that accidental gestures could disrupt viewing, adding: "It would be like sitting in Sothebys and desperately not moving so you don't accidentally make a bid for £10m."

The project will open a new front in Apple's battle with the South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung, which already makes internet-connected TV sets and has been competing against the US group to produce high-end tablet computers and smartphones. The two are locked in an international patent disputes, with some 20 court cases around the world.

Apple starts publishing weekly iPhone and iPad apps charts in the UK

2011-11-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

Apple is publishing weekly rankings for its App Store in the UK for the first time. Photograph: Alamy

Apple has started publishing weekly charts for paid and free apps oniPhone and iPad in the UK, through a partnership with the Press Association.

The charts are based on sales and downloads in the company's British App Store over the previous seven days, although no figures are published with the rankings.

The first set of charts have just been published for the week ending 20 November, and are topped by Dekovir Inc's Amazing Breaker (paid iPhone), Ming Liang Chien's Hardest Game Ever (free iPhone), Apple's own Pages (paid iPad) and BSkyB's Sky Movies (free iPad).

Two trends that stand out from the data: Apple continues to make hay from its own paid iPad apps: four of the top 10 in that category are internally-developed applications.

There is also clearly a strong demand in the UK for TV apps, with Sky Movies joined in the top 10 by ITV Player, 4oD Catch Up and Channel 5's Demand 5. The BBC's iPlayer is surprisingly absent, despite being the seventh most popular free iPad app in the live App Store rankings at the time of writing.

Developers may be wondering why this is news, given that all these charts are already available for all to see on the App Store itself, with a greater depth. Those charts are a snapshot of what's been popular in the last few hours, though. The new rankings are a more standard weekly chart.

The benefits for Apple are clear: if media outlets pick up on the charts, it will cement the App Store's reputation. Watch for press stories labelling the rankings as the "top apps", without specifying that they relate to one platform only.

Google (for Android), Research In Motion (for BlackBerry) and Microsoft (for Windows Phone) all have their own app store charts, but do not currently publish weekly roundups in the UK. Perhaps Apple's move will encourage them to follow suit.

Could this be a step in the direction of a cross-platform weekly apps chart with figures, as is seen in other industries like music and games? Don't hold your breath. There have been attempts to aggregate this kind of data though: most notably the GSMA and comScore's chart of connected mobile apps, which was published in June 2011.

Apple's first weekly charts are published in full below:

iPhone (Paid Apps)

1. Amazing Breaker – Dekovir
2. WhatsApp Messenger – WhatsApp
3. Hardest Game Ever – 0.02s PRO – Ming Liang Chien
4. Angry Birds – Clickgamer.com
5. Superman – Chillingo Ltd
6. FIFA 12 by EA Sports – Electronic Arts
7. Fruit Ninja – Halfbrick Studios
8. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock – Maciek Drejak Labs
9. Camera+ – tap tap tap
10. Blueprint 3D – FDG Entertainment

iPhone (Free Apps)

1. Hardest Game Ever – 0.02s – Ming Liang Chien
2. Facebook Messenger – Facebook
3. Crime City – Funzio
4. Amazing Breaker Free – Dekovir
5. Place My Face – MUGOCO
6. Solitaire – Byterun
7. Idiot Test – Way Too Funny – CreativeNose
8. Finger Olympic – Fingerway
9. Glass Tower 3 – iDevUA Treelight
10. WordSearchUnlimited Free – VirtueSoft.com

iPad (Paid Apps)

1. Pages – Apple
2. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing – Sega
3. Minecraft: Pocket Edition – Mojang
4. Shadowgun – Madfinger Games
5. Extraction: Project Outbreak – Chillingo
6. GarageBand – Apple
7. The Cube – All3Media International
8. Numbers – Apple
9. Keynote – Apple
10. Scriblenauts Remix – Warner Bros

iPad (Free Apps)

1. Sky Movies – BSkyB
2. ITV Player – ITV
3. Blood & Glory – Glu Games
4. iBooks – Apple
5. 4oD Catch Up – Channel 4
6. Demand 5 – Channel Five
7. Solitaire – Byterun
8. Snoopy's Street Fair – Beeline Europe
9. FilmOn Free TV Live Football Sports News – FilmOn.com
10. Gmail – Google

security for your computer

2011-11-23T19:20:00.001-08:00

We use computer to perform several task in our daily life. They are used to process and store valuable information. Some information may be very important to organization. The loss of these important data can cause serious damage to the organization. It takes lots of money and effort to recover them. As the computer system is delicate electronic and electro mechanical system. It should be used and kept safely. If we do not use it properly, its hardware as well as software, may damage any time. Hence, computer security plays a vital role to the growth and survival of any organization. So, proper management of computer is essential for every organization.

Computer security includes the policies, procedures, tools and techniques designed to protect a company’s computer assets from accidental, international or natural disasters, including accidental input our output errors, theft, breaking or physical damage and illegal access or manipulation of data.

The protection of computer system from accidental or intentional harm, including destruction of computer hardware and software, physical loss of data, deception of computer users and the deliberate invasion of database by unauthorized individuals is called computer security. In other words, the protection of computer, its accessories, data and programs for a long life of computer system is known as computer security.Computer security is concerned with the hardware security as well as software security.

HARDWARE SECURITY

Hardware is the essential part of computer system. Computer can not perform any task without hardware. All the physical parts of the computer such as CPU, Mouse, Monitor, Keyboard, Printer etc are known as hardware. Without existence of hardware software is useless. Hardware plays very important role for proper functioning of our computer system. So, we must check and maintain hardware components frequently. We should replace defective parts of hardware immediately. Now-a-days, hardware diagnostic facilities are

available to find defective hardware comments of the computer system.The protection of al l hardware components used in computer system is known as hardware security.

Some common hardware security measures are as follows:

I. Regular Maintenance

II. Insurance

III. Dust free environment

IV. Protection from fire

V. Protection from theft

VI. Air Condition System

VII. Power Protection Devices (UPS, Volt Gu

ard and Spike Guard)

VIII. Avoiding unrelated persons in the computer rooms.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE

Regular maintenance is necessary for proper functioning of our computer system. We should clean our computer and its peripherals regularly by using dust cleaner. We should scan hard disk using latest and updated Anti-virus software to make it virus free. We should format hard disk time to time in order to make our computer system fast. It is better to delete unnecessary files from hard disk. Upgrade some hardware components as well as software to make computer system fast.

INSURANCE

The term Insurance is not new for us. Generally people insurer their health, life, company, building, vehicle, etc. But nowadays many people also insure their computer. If our computer is damaged or lost we can claim for the insurance amount and replace the computer system easily. So, it is being one of the hardware security measures of our computer.

DUST FREE

Dust is one of the major factors which cause infection of our computer system. Dust effect external as well as internal parts of our computer system. So we should keep our computer in the dust free place. We should use dust cover to prevent our computer from dust.

PROTECTION FROM FIRE

Fire is another factor, which cause infection of our computer system. Fire can damage whole computer system. It is very dangerous factor so we must be very careful about fire. It may cause by smoking, so it is better to avoid smoking inside computer room. Another chance is by electricity so proper wining is necessary inside the computer room. Keeping fire extinguishers can be a good idea.

PROTECTION FROM THEFT

As we all know that computer is an expensive machine as compared to other common machines. So we must keep our computer system in the secure place to protect from theft. If we are not careful, someone can easily state important parts of computer system from computer room. We must lock doors of computer room properly. The entry and exit of computer room must be well controlled and monitored. Unknown or unauthorized persons should not be allowed inside the computer room. Construct the computer room with emergency doors and windows. We can hire security guards to guard computer room.

AIR CONDITION SYSTEM

We should maintain suitable temperature and circulation of air in the computer room. Low or high temperature in the computer system may cause unexpected crashes during the operation of computer. Heat can break down contracts or junctions in the chip or other devices. So, there should be proper air condition to maintain suitable temperature in the computer system. Similarly there should be enough light in the computer room. We can use cooler or fan to prevent heat built-up.

POWER PROTECTION DEVICES

The computer system is made of delicate electronic and electro-mechanical components. We all know that it needs electric power to operate. It needs 220-240 Volts (AC) and the frequency of AC should be 49.5 Hz to 50Hz. High voltage or fluctuating voltage may cause several hardware damage. Our important data and programs can be lost due to sudden power failure. To avoid such unpredictable behavior of the power supply, we have to use some kind of power protecting devices. Some power protection devices are:

I. Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

II. Volt Guard

III. Spike Guard

UPS

A computer needs a well regulated power supply for the proper functioning of its various parts. UPS is a device that stores electricity and automatically provides backup power to the computer in case of electricity failure is the source. It is activated when it detects a loss of power from the source and prevents loss of data and damage of computer parts that might be caused due sudden power failure. It also prevents our computer system against sudden power surge. It acts like a buffer between the incoming power supply and the computer system. It constantly monitors the quality and characteristics of the power supply. Nowadays a several different types of UPS having different capacities are available in the market. We should buy UPS from a well-known and reputable company.

VOLT GUARD

Volt Guard is another important power protection device. It provides constant output voltage to the computer system in case of high input voltage coming from the source. As we have known that our computer system needs voltage between 220 to 240volts and high or low voltage affects our computer system. Volt Guard plays important role to save our computer system from damage due to high voltage. If the input voltage comes from the source, it provides constant output voltage between the ranges 220 to 240 volts. So, we must use Volt Guard in our computer system.

SPIKE GUARD

The lightening in the rainy season can cause sudden increase in the voltage level of the AC-line supplied to our house. The voltage can increase more than 2000V in our normal 220V supply. The over voltage can severely damage the electric device running at the time. This sudden over voltage is known as spikes. Spikes are very brief over voltage up to 2000V or more caused due to lightening, power- line faults etc. To save the electronic device from these spikes, we need the special, equipment called spike guard. Spike guards are the electronic device, which remove the spike and prevent it from entering into the main system.

SOFTWARE AND DATA SECURITY

Data and programs or software is very important things. Computer can not perform any task without software. We cannot operate our computer without operating system software. Some information of organization may be very important and the loss of these data can cause serious damage to the organization. It is very costly to recover these important data and some cases that is impossible to recover them. So, data and software security is essential for any organizations as well as every computer users. Software security is the most convenient way of safeguarding our computer system.

The protection of data and programs used in computer system is known as software security.

For protection of data and programs in our computer systems, we should apply some security measures. Some common software security measures are as follows:

Ø Password Protection

Ø Backup System

Ø Defragmentation

Ø Scan Disc

Ø Virus Scanning

PASSWORD PROTECTION

The password scheme is one of the easiest and easiest and reliable method of protecting important data and information in our computer system. It is the common type of authorization control. If we protect our document by using password, only authorized users can open the document. Password is the primary source of data protection; it is a set of characters that acts like a key to unlock the system. Separate password can be used to access a system, an application, or even a file in a given application. The user in an organization who is permitted to access the company database is issued with a user ID and password and only certain level of access rights are provided to them by database administrator.

The success of this type of security depends on the ability of the user to create a password that is difficult to guess and to keep the password confidential. In order to ensure tight system security, many companies have policies that mandate the use of hard to guess passwords or randomly generated password and require employees to change their passwords frequently.

Some common rules while creating password:

· Password must be at least 6 characters.

· The word used in password should be difficult to guess for others.

· We should keep our password confidential.

· We have to change our password frequently.

· Files, which store password, must be encrypted.

BACKUP SYSTEM

Creating backup consists of making extra copies of programs or data. It provides safeguard against the loss of data or programs in computer memory, on hard disk or on diskettes. While creating backup data to a file, we have to give file name and location for the file to be saved. We can create a extra copy of data in our hand disk by using backup utility. Sometime our original data in the hard disk may erase, in that case we can restore our data from backup copy. It is always a good idea to create backup copies of our important data and programs.

DEFRAGMENTATION

Defragmentation is the process of rewriting parts of a file to contiguous sectors on a hard disk to increase the speed of access and retrieval. When files are updated, the computer tends to save these updates on the largest continuous space on the hard disk, which is often on a different sector than the other parts of a file. When the files are fragmented the computer must search the hard disk each time the file is opened to find all of the file parts, which slows down response time.

Thus hard disk needs to be defragmented using disk defragmenter. The defragmenter is available in most of the latest operating system such as windows 98, windows XP, windows vista in its system tool.

SCANDISK

Scandisk feature is used to detect and repair errors on disk. This feature is available in windows 95/98/Me and Dos.6.2 operating systems. The scandisk feature included in windows 95/98 can search corrupted files also.

VIRUS SCANNING

Computer viruses are the most defective factor of data and software. Viruses may damage our data and software. Viruses produce several unusual symptoms in our computer and used to give trouble to the user while working with computer. So, we should keep our computer free from viruses. For that we should scan our computer regularly using latest and updated Anti-Virus software. We can also install an ‘On access’ scanner and configure it to start automatically each time we boot our computer.

USING ORIGINAL SOFTWARE

We should not use pirated software but should go for the original software. The pirated software can contain several viruses. No one can guarantee the stability and performance of the pirated software.

Nokia Lumia 800 'set to trail iPhone 4S'

2011-11-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

The Nokia Lumia 800 is likely to sell between 500,000 and 1m units before Christmas, say analysts

Nokia's Lumia 800 handset, billed as the Finnish manufacturer's make-or-break return to the smartphone race, is set to sell fewer units by Christmas than Apple took in pre-orders in a single day for its latest iPhone.

First estimates suggest the Lumia, which went on sale last Wednesday in the UK and five other European countries, will shift between 500,000 and 1m units by Christmas. The iPhone 4S topped 1m pre-orders in a single day.

The number is also far lower than estimates for the company's previous flagship smartphone, the N8, which launched in October 2010 and is thought to have sold between 3.5 and 4m units in its first quarter, according to research firm Inderes.

Early indications that the Lumia is not a comeback product to topple the dominance of Apple and Google's best-selling Android operating system saw Nokia's shares close down 8.8% at €4.19 (£3.61) on the Helsinki bourse.

The N8's Symbian operating system was ditched by Nokia's chief executive Stephen Elop in February, as he bet the company's future on adopting Microsoft's mobile software.

Pacific Crest, the US technology investment bank, suggested on Tuesday that Nokia's future is not yet secure. "We believe that shipments of Nokia's new Windsows Phone 7 have been lower than we had previously anticipated," said Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette.

"We had expected that the company could ship as many as 2m units into the six targeted markets for the holidays; however, we now believe that those shipments are likely to be less than 1m for the quarter."

Faucette said checks with retailers indicated "disappointing" sales so far and that the total number of phones sold to customers, as opposed to shipped to retailers, could total no more than 500,000 by the end of December.

Lee Simpson at Jefferies bank is suggesting a 1m estimate based on orders from component-makers and the Lumia's Taiwan manufacturer, Compal. Simpson said: "My impression is the first weekend wasn't terrific but it wasn't an outright disaster. The pre-ordering was a good bit lower than 500,000; my estimate by Christmas is that 1m sales would be achievable. It's too early to write this off right now, although the temptation is there."

The Lumia is only on sale in six markets, while the N8 was available across Europe and in selected Asian markets during its first months. The Lumia will be rolled out to Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan before the end of the year, but will not reach further markets, such as the US and China, until 2012.

Modern Warfare 3 reviews: why is this the most hated game on the web?

2011-11-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ... why all the hatred?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has attracted near-universal critical acclaim. It is a slick, well-constructed and generously proportioned instalment in one of the most revered military shooter franchises in history. There is just one problem. Everyone on the internet hates it.

Soon after the game's release on Tuesday, savage user reviews began to appear on score aggregation site, Metacritic. A flood of 0/10s outnumbered ecstatic 10s and considered 7s and 8s by a dramatic margin. Currently, for the Xbox 360 version of the title, the average user score for one of the biggest entertainment releases of the year stands at a wretched 3.0. On PC it's 1.7.

So what is happening?

The first point, of course, is that it's dangerous to think of these outbursts as being in anyway representative of the majority opinion. "On day one or two, you are going to get a vocal minority who take to the forums on Metacritic and use them as a soap box to vent their rage about the series," says Daniel Krupa, a writer at games site, IGN.

"Most of the millions of people who bought the game are actually playing it and enjoying it. A similar thing happened with Portal 2 back in April. It's one of the most critically appreciated games of the year, but on the day of release, people were on Metacritic criticising it for lots of reasons. Since then, the rating has risen and there's now parity between the critical and the user scores. I imagine something similar will happen with MW3 over time."

But for a moment, let's consider the objections being raised. Reading through the usually short, often apoplectic review comments on Metacritic, one argument is repeatedly put forward: Modern Warfare 3 is basically Modern Warfare 2 again; it is a map pack, adding nothing new or innovative to the series. One reasonably representative review states:

Don't believe the marketing hype, this is the same product rebundled let it die and show investors we're not interested in being sold the same product year after year, the cash cow needs to starve.

This represents an interesting reversal of the usual critic/public relationship. Often, it is the professional reviewer who despairs at the lack of originality in mainstream entertainment, while paying customers accept the formulaic in their droves. Let's face it, Hangover 2 is basically a map pack for the first movie, yet it grossed almost $140m in its opening weekend and at 5.7 its Metacritic user review average is higher than the critical metascore.

As human beings we enjoy systems and repetition – our brains actively seek them out; it is a survival instinct that has morphed into an unconscious entertainment preference. Hence, the vital role of the catchphrase in comedy; hence, the predictable conventions of our favourite horror flicks. The notion of the sequel is based on the usually accurate construct that we like to relive enjoyable experiences. Modern Warfare 3 gives us more of what we liked, because we generally like more of what we like.

But is this game just too similar to previous iterations? Certainly, there are a lot of familiar weapons, and a lot of perks and killstreak rewards that we've all seen before – yet similar criticisms could be levelled at the inventories of, say, Mass Effect 2 or Gears of War 2, and elements like the new strike packages do add a significant tactical thrust to the action.

Elsewhere, there are complaints that the campaign is based around the same old linear action and explosive set-pieces as its predecessors. But then, what did everyone think was going to happen?

"Nobody should go in there expecting My Little Pony or Animal Crossing," says PC Gamer editor Tim Edwards. "If you turn up for a big James Bond-style action sequence that lasts for five hours and a multiplayer game with perks in it, that's what you're going to get. That's fine – nobody can be disappointed that they bought the game and that's what's in it."

Jon Hicks, editor of the Official Xbox Magazine, makes the interesting point that we may be thinking about Call of Duty in the wrong way by comparing it to other action games such as Batman or Uncharted. As a vast annual franchise designed to appease millions of mainstream consumers, there are more relevant points of reference:

"I think ultimately Modern Warfare 3 should be ranked alongside Fifa and other sports games in as much as, it's better than last years, but it will deliver a very similar experience. People say they want innovation and change and difference, but in the same way that Fifa can't break out of the fact that it's a game of football, CoD is so successful now, it can't really break out of its model, it is constrained by its very form. If you consider it as a sports game it becomes more logical.

"You and I both know that if they did an Alien 3 with Modern Warfare – if it became entirely different and passive, and suddenly you're fighting with sticks, the outcry would make the current one pale into insignificance. If you look through the annals of gaming history the titles that do change significantly year on year are the ones that get quite heavily punished. People like to demand change, but increasingly they then don't buy it."

Rivalry has also played a part in the tribalism of the user reviews. EA has pitched its Battlefield 3 title very much against Modern Warfare, both in its advertising and in some barbed pre-release interviews – and this has fostered a factional atmosphere: gamers love a platform battle.

"EA deliberately picked a fight this year," agrees Edwards. "They've really gone after Call of Duty in their community. Battlefield 3 is a phenomenal game but I'm a little bit sad that the PR for it has been at the expense of another brilliant title. It's not great that we're back to the old Sega v Nintendo situation."

And here we unearth a more insidious undercurrent: Activision is being actively punished. Last year, the co-founders of Infinity Ward, Jason West and Vince Zampella, were sacked for breaches of contract and "insubordination". The duo immediately sued the publisher, claiming that millions in royalties were being withheld from Infinity Ward staff.

Activision later counter-sued suggesting that West and Zampella were using the company's IP to broker a development deal with a rival company. Later, the dismissed twosome set up Respawn Entertainment and announced a publishing contract with EA, Activision's main rival.

Now, I've read through the papers submitted by both parties. They make complex claims and counter claims and it looks as though it is going to take many months for a US court to get to the bottom of what is an intricate corporate law case. The point is, as it stands, no one outside of the Infinity Ward or Activision knows what happened. No one, that is, except for the internet, which has sided with West and Zampella against the 'evil corporation'.

"[Modern Warfare 3 is] being published by Bobby Kotick, AKA 'the devil from Activision Blizzard who eats game developers for breakfast', so I subtracted points for that," wrote one Metacritic reviewer, who gave the game 0/10.

The idea of a couple of creative "Davids" taking on the Goliath of Activision is an attractive one, but it is also deeply flawed. "The fall out from the Infinity Ward debacle was horrendous," notes Edwards, "but the thing about that is, West and Zampella are multi-millionaires: this is two sets of incredibly rich people shouting at each other."

"Activision hasn't helped itself through the statements that its made," he continues. "Bobby Kotick famously said he wanted the industry to work more like supermarkets. Well, talking about an entertainment form with millions of passionate fans as a packaged goods industry isn't great – and irony doesn't work well on the internet."

Even if something dark and unjust did happen at Infinity Ward, we enter troubling critical territory when the wrongs of the author, the studio or the distributor are visited upon the appraisal of their work. Movie history is littered with despicable characters who have made astonishing films; is Melancholia any less of a work because Lars von Trier claimed to be a Nazi during his Cannes press conference? And let's not get started on Roman Polanski, Elia Kazan or Walt Disney.

Tying in with the contempt for Activision is a distrust for the reviewers themselves. Several comments beneath my own review for Modern Warfare 3 had to be removed because they were essentially libellous.

"I think it's representative of a wider distrust of corporations," says Hicks. "There's a cultural suspicion of large companies and manipulation. And this has happened hand-in-hand with the rise of the internet and the democratisation of opinion.

"Whereas once people would have kept their opinions to themselves now you're actively encouraged to jump on the internet and shout about them. The louder you shout the more kudos you get and no matter what your opinion, someone else on the internet will agree with you – and you get a boost from that. It encourages people to think, 'I am correct, it's self-evident that I'm right, therefore the reviewer must be subject to bribery.' I don't think gaming is unique in this."

It's something of a farcical accusation. As one reviewer tweeted last night, games publishers barely trust us to take our own screenshots any more let alone keep quiet a widescale attempt to fraudulently secure favourable review scores. Furthermore, Call of Duty is perhaps the one entertainment brand in the world that doesn't need critical acclaim to ensure success.

Clearly, though, the 0/10s are a protest against something because these comments do not function as criticism. "This game is average at best," writes one Metacritic user before awarding MW3 1/10. That's a quite staggering mathematical failure.

But like other reviewers, I suspect, I wrestled with how to score Modern Warfare 3. It isn't innovative, it isn't original, but it is ruthlessly compelling and packed with content. I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Perhaps, however, we need to think about the critical criteria we use. "I do wonder whether we should be scoring games more on innovation than we do," says IGN reviews editor Keza MacDonald. "Usually when you get something particularly innovative you're tempted to give it an extra point, to reward it for what it's trying to do – that hardly ever works in reverse."

Her colleague Daniel Krupa agrees. "This is a problem that the movie industry is facing. Once upon a time, blockbuster movies had critical merit too – the likes of Jaws and Star Wars, for example. But now you get these behemoths like Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers and they are just explosion and spectacle. Most people will defend them by saying it doesn't matter, they're just about fun. Maybe we're falling into that trap with Call of Duty. Perhaps we should expect more from our games."

I am curiously heartened by this. I've contributed toward the problem, of course, by awarding Modern Warfare five stars – a decision I stand by. But I am also a huge fan of indie and art games; I was transfixed by Robin Hunickie's explanation of thatgamecompany's beautifully strange Journey at GameCity just a week before I reviewed MW3.

I want new, innovative games too, and judging by the current flourishing of the indie games sector, there is a growing audience for offbeat, unorthodox experiences. It could be that gamers are undergoing a process of genre fatigue; it might be something to do with this console life cycle coming to an end. A sort of fin de siècle ennui.

"People are looking for someone to revitalise the FPS genre," says MacDonald. "There was a hope that, because this was another Infinity Ward title, MW3 might go further, like the first game – but it didn't. And although it's a pleasing game and critically it's great, it's solid, there's a feeling of disappointment that it's not more than we expected. Someone will be looking to step into this space – it should have been Battlefield really, but someone is surely looking to please these people who are so fed up with Modern Warfare."

At the very least, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is out on Friday. A vast, ambitious RPG that seeks to create an infinite number of quests, which will embrace every individual gamer. Is it sufficiently different from Elder Scrolls IV? Does that matter when ambition and scale are such a major part of the package? How do we approach that paradigm as reviewers?

One thing there mustn't be is an irreparable disconnect between game journalists and game buyers. We should be in this together – if we're not communicating about games in the same way, something quietly terrible has happened.

Video games are the answer to the New Boring

2011-11-23T19:11:00.000-08:00

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Just one of many vibrant and astonishingly entertaining video games released this month.

If you read the Guardian last Thursday, you may have caught Stuart Jeffries' robust polemic against "the New Boring" – an entertainment trend in which terrifyingly inoffensive offerings such as Downton, Strictly and Kirstie Allsopp's Home Knit Bakery Challenge (or whatever it's called) have seemingly lobotomised the nation into docile viewing acquiescence. Jeffries borrowed the term "the New Boring" from Peter Robinson of superlative music blog Popjustice, who has angrily decriedthe comparable "Beige Wave" of audio dullards – the turgid likes of Adele, Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling.

Jeffries and Robinson are right of course. In these troubling times, it seems mainstream entertainment has turned into the equivalent of a nervous-looking policeman shuffling in front of a burning fireworks factory shouting, "nothing to see here, more away, please" as a billion catherine wheels ignite in unison. Downton and MasterChef have dropped below the level of entertainment to become gentle cultural sedatives. Meanwhile, our simmering fury at the world is being skilfully channelled, not into marching en masse toward Downing Street, but into shouting at our TVs when the wrong karaoke singer is evicted from The X Factor.

Contemporary mass entertainment, then, is largely horrible, asinine and designed to be forgettable and throwaway – like the cheap, impulse garments filling our high-street tat shops. But what annoys me is that there's a vital exception to the New Boring flourishing under the noses of our cultural critics, they're just not seeing it. They are not seeing videogames.

Okay, so admittedly, games aren't any more in touch with the 'real world' than scripted reality TV shows or the movies of Michael Bay. But at least they are extremely good. This autumn has seen a relentless barrage of acclaimed mainstream masterpieces, from the gothic thrills of Batman: Arkham City to the ridiculously ambitious expanses of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, via the warm, generous beauty of Skyward Sword. Metacritic, the leading score aggregation site for the music, movie and games industries, has seen an explosion of titles rated at 85% and above. If all this were happening in the TV or movie sectors, critics would be tumbling over themselves to proclaim this a golden age of passive visual entertainment. As it is, critics are simply tumbling over themselves to switch off I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here.

And even the biggest, most conservative game releases are many times more adventurous and subversive than their televisual counterparts. The military shooter Modern Warfare 3, which has been derided by gamers for not being imaginative enough, still manages to feature a land invasion of the United States, a shoot-out on a fragmenting jumbo jet, a gas attack on London and US pilots bombing the Eiffel tower until it falls over. It makes Spooks look about as dangerous and apocalyptic as Come Dine With Me.

And then there's Saint's Row 3, an open-world crime shooter, that seems to have been concocted entirely by hyperactive 14-year-olds force fed on a diet of sherbet, Red Bull and Korean gangster movies. This is a game in which the player can, entirely at random, bludgeon passers-by with a giant dildo. To the best of my knowledge, Downton Abbey features nothing even remotely comparable – although, to be fair, I skipped most of season two, and may have missed a key scene in which Hugh Bonneville attacks his butler with some nightmarish Edwardian device intended for the cure of female hysteria.

At the other end of the scale, there is Skyrim, a game so vast, so open, so wondrously detailed, you can effectively plan and enact your own unique Game of Thrones adventure. Nothing that Zack Snyder hacks together using a digital camera and his comic collection will ever, evercome close to the grandiose vision at the heart of this immense experience.

And then Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword... Please, if you are a parent and you want something to do with your kids on a wet Sunday afternoon, don't rent the latest heavily marketed CGI bore-fest from a Hollywood studio more interested in selling you merchandise and the moral agenda of its self-serving financers, buy Zelda. Buy Zelda and share a genuinely thrilling, heart-warming escapist fantasy with your children. Certainly, it's not as "good" as taking them to a museum or getting them to play footie in the park, but if the only alternative is Horrid Henry, it is spectacular – and they will never forget it.

That is why games will never be part of the New Boring. Even the annual updates, the tired sequels, the safe Triple A blockbusters, are constructed by insanely dedicated teams whose modus operandi is the construction of memories: the first time Batman lifts his cape and soars over the rain-slick streets of Gotham; the darkness of a looming citadel in the pulverising RPG thriller Dark Souls; Uncharted's Nathan Drake fist-fighting on the open cargo door of soaring aircraft. Interactivity is a blunt but effective tool to ensure attention and alertness. And as such, video games have never sought to stultify or repress. Video games are not interested in teaching us to make the most out of our tired soft furnishings.

Of course, the spirit of Jeffries' piece was one of agitation. He wanted us to rebel against mainstream entertainment and its agenda. But that doesn't have to mean chucking your TV out of the window and occupying your town square. If you want mass entertainment that's going to test you, enrage you, get you talking to your family, games are where it is now. Forget mainstream TV, forget it. It's over – at least in terms of water cooler discussion. Apprentice and The X Factor may reliably trend on Twitter, but it's all ironic chatter mixed with barely-disguised collective embarrassment and culpability. There's nothing enriching there.

By contrast, games demand immersion and investment. Traditionally, this has formed a stereotype of dead-eyed zombies slumped in front of monitors, but of course, through XBox Live and PSN, gamers now constantly communicate with each other, as well as share creative tasks in titles like Little Big Planet and Minecraft. New research from Michigan State University suggests that gamers are more imaginative story-tellers – the findings are far from conclusive, but they don't surprise me. The game worlds in Zelda, Uncharted and Dark Souls are rich and deep. They are cluttered with possibilities.

Big business knows that this is true. Corporations are busily converting their websites and marketing campaigns into mini-tasks and collection challenges. "Gamification" is the communications buzzword of the 2010s. Industry leader Bunchball has supplied gamification tools to everyone from Warner Bros to Playboy; and when Nike introduced its Nike+ range of trainers and gamified jogging apps, sales grew by 10%, with 35% of purchasers claiming to be completely new to Nike products. Games get to us on some primal level, they speak to the machine code of the human id – and that can be a good thing. Last year, game designer Jane McGonigal gave a talk at the TED conference entitled, 'Gaming can make a better world' in which she argued that the sense of passion and commitment within game communities could be harnessed to solve real-world problems.

You have your doubts and so do I. But the very least mainstream games do is give us a platform to discuss amazing things. When you talk about Zelda or Uncharted 3, you can talk about beauty, art, mythology and adventure; when you talk about the forthcoming Bioshock: Infinite, you can cover architecture, paranoia and politics and it all makes perfect sense. These elements aren't hidden away, to be teased out by cultural studies students desperate to apply their knowledge of Derrida and Saussure. They're there in the very form, the very function of the games. Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 are idiotic and politically suspect, but give them five minutes and they'll show you more about the computerised lunacy of contemporary conflict than most of those MOD-arranged shaky cam war reports beamed into your living rooms by over-stretched 24-hour news channels.

So much contemporary television is transitory and listless – it doesn't try to be memorable, it just recaps everything before and after the commercial breaks and hopes for the best. The apathy of the audience is actually built in to the format. What a fall from grace. I'll sound like an old codger here, but you couldn't forget Cathy Come Home or Our Friends in the North or Boys From the Black Stuff, the anger and craft seared themselves into your brain. Games don't tell us much in comparison, but at least they know we're listening. And they know we're not bored.

Google doodle marks 60th anniversary of Stanislaw Lem's first book

2011-11-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

Google doodle marking 60th anniversary of Stanislaw Lem's first book publication. Photograph: Google

Google has created one of its most elaborate doodles yet to celebrate the 60th anniverary of the first book publication by Stanislaw Lem, the Polish science fiction author whose works included the novel Solaris.

The animated doodle features a pensive character with a striking resemblance to Lem who, after some thought, comes face to face with a giant robot. Visitors to Google can use their cursor to interact with the robot, whose chest appears to contain a rather unreliable calculator.

The doodle's fairly lengthy animation sequence ends with the message that the art was inspired by Daniel Mroz's illustrations for The Cyberiad, a series of short stories by Lem.

The writer produced a range of poems, essays and short stories during the late 1940s and 1950s but his first major work, Hospital of the Transfiguration, was only published in 1955 as the weight of ideological censorship began to lift following the death of the Joseph Stalin.

The Cyberiad, published in 1965, was a key work, although Solaris remains Lem's best known work – first published in 1961, it was made into a film by the Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972 and by the US director Steven Soderbergh in 2002.

Lem died in 2006 at the age of 84 after suffering from heart disease.

Nokia N8 Specification

2011-11-22T18:48:00.000-08:00

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
	Announced	2010, April
	Status	Available. Released 2010, October

SIZE	Dimensions	113.5 x 59.1 x 12.9 mm, 86 cc
SIZE	Weight	135 g

DISPLAY	Type	AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches (~210 ppi pixel density)
		- Multi-touch input method - Proximity sensor for auto turn-off - Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate - Scratch resistant Gorilla glass display

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Phonebook	Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
	Call records	Detailed, max 30 days
	Internal	16 GB storage, 256MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
	Card slot	microSD, up to 32GB

DATA	GPRS	Class 33
	EDGE	Class 33
	3G	HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2.0 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, UPnP technology
	Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
	Infrared port	No
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0, USB On-the-go support

CAMERA	Primary	12 MP, 4000x3000 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Xenon flash
	Features	1/1.83'' sensor size, ND filter, geo-tagging, face detection
	Video	Yes, 720p@25fps (720p@30fps via an update)
	Secondary	VGA videocall camera

FEATURES	OS	Symbian^3 OS, upgradable to Symbian Anna OS
	CPU	680 MHz ARM 11 processor, Broadcom BCM2727 GPU
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
	Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds
	Radio	Stereo FM radio with RDS; FM transmitter
	Games	Yes + downloadable
	Colors	Dark Grey, Silver White, Green, Blue, Orange, Pink
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support; Ovi Maps 3.0
	Java	Yes, MIDP 2.1
		- TV-out (720p video) via HDMI with Dolby Digital Plus sound - Anodized aluminum casing - Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic - Digital compass - MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+ player - DivX/XviD/MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player - Voice command/dial - Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) - Video/photo editor - Flash Lite v4.0 - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BL-4D)
	Stand-by	Up to 390 h (2G) / Up to 400 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 12 h (2G) / Up to 5 h 50 min (3G)
	Music play	Up to 50 h

MISC	SAR US	1.09 W/kg (head) 0.85 W/kg (body)
	SAR EU	1.02 W/kg (head)
	Price group

Tips of latest technological revolution for improving business

2011-11-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

It’s a fast forward world of new and upgraded technologies in which within a fraction of second the needs are fulfilled. But rewinding ourselves, we find that this progress is the hardcore outcome of previous era to continuously zeal out with new and innovative ideas. All these in turn thrust out the revolution process for today’s ongoing changes, almost in every field.

Now to cope up with this speed, the business world also needs to reorganize and prepare itself according to the changing demands of the market. Today the business field needs to reach the maximum number of customers in the minimum possible time. And for this, online representation of product is the best ever choice for companies. This interconnected network helps to get the view of the products sitting at the same very place and without wasting a lot of time. This process of web development for an attractive showcase of the product and maximum business generation solely depends on the caliber and expertise of the professionals who are the main persons to deliver the perfect and beautiful representation of the company’s product and are known as website developers. They are qualified experts of this field to develop and design the best look for the product. Again, based on this portfolio only; the viewers get an idea of what to choose and what not to by comparing a wide variety of products at the same time. To be in the competitive market, it’s really important to keep on developing and advancing one self. So, the simplest and fastest way to remain and compete in this business world, web application is the easiest way to reach viewers. They also help to proliferate and spread the business worldwide by helping out in promotion and marketing of the product thereby increasing the overall trading. But for this whole system to proceed smoothly and firmly, reliable and dedicated service providers are a must. They are available as freelancers and well equipped big and small web service provider companies. There always exists a risk with the freelancers regarding their commitment and efficiency. So to hire a web developer, it is important to clear out the questions regarding proficiency and capability for featuring out the company’s product in its most appropriate way. A well established online service provider helps out a lot in this regard. This in turn actually, is responsible for the overall graph of demand and supply curve of the business. The whole business world depends on this simple sole fact of profit generation to exist and compete in the trading area. So, it is better to stay at the top of standard level to make a strong place in the viewer’s eyes and to turn them interested in the aimed product only.

Thus, these service providers formulate a business profile for the company’s product and help to get the targeted customers for it in the smallest time interval and that too from offshore areas also thereby helping out the companies with maximum business benefits and overseas product showcase. Also, there is no harm in accepting the new advanced technologies to improve the business strategies. So, to avail the help of online business tactics and hence the web developers, is the ultimate choice to achieve success.

AT&T sets aside $4 billion for T-Mobile breakup fee

2011-11-21T01:08:00.000-08:00

With two U.S. regulators now opposing the deal with T-Mobile, AT&T is bracing itself for the worst.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- In a sign that its merger prospects are dimming, AT&T said Thursday that it will take a $4 billion accounting charge this quarter to cover part of the break-up fee it will owe, if its bid to acquire T-Mobile fails to gain regulatory approval.

The move comes two days after the Federal Communications Commission took the unusual step of recommending that AT&T's proposed $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile go to an administrative hearing. The maneuver, a sign of opposition to the deal, makes the FCC the second regulator to object.

The Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit in August to block the merger. AT&T and Deutsche Telekom AG, the parent company of T-Mobile, are preparing to go to trial on the case in February.

AT&T (T, Fortune 500) also said Thursday that it is temporarily withdrawing its pending applications before the FCC. AT&T and Deutsche Telekom said they plan to focus first on overcoming the DOJ's objections, and will refile their FCC applications if they obtain antitrust clearance for their deal.

That deal, which would wipe out the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the United States and make AT&T the market's dominant player by far, now faces some daunting obstacles.

The FCC last called for a merger hearing in 2002, when it hit the brakes on DirectTV's proposed merger with EchoStar -- then the parent company of the Dish Network (DISH, Fortune 500). That proposal later fell apart in the face of strong regulatory opposition.

Recognizing that its deal is in jeopardy, AT&T said it will set aside $4 billion toward the whopping break-up fee it agreed to pay Deutsche Telekom if the deal couldn't be completed. AT&T had agreed to fork over a $3 billion termination fee, and to forfeit several billion dollars more in wireless spectrum allotments.

AT&T snuck its bad news out on Thanksgiving, a day when U.S. markets are closed and few Americans are paying attention to business news. One lobbying group that opposes the deal, the Media Access Project, blasted the timing of the announcement.

"This turkey is too big to be hidden by releasing it on Thanksgiving," said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, policy director of the Washington-based advocacy group. "Withdrawal of the FCC applications should be seen for what it is: a concession that the deal would create a duopoly in the national wireless market, that will result in higher prices and reduced choice in handsets."

AT&T says it will continue pushing for the deal and working through regulators' objections. Earlier this week, AT&T's senior vice president of corporate communications, Larry Solomon, called the FCC's decision to hold a hearing "disappointing" and questioned the agency's rationales.

"It is yet another example of a government agency acting to prevent billions in new investments, and the creation of many thousands of new jobs at a time when the U.S. economy desperately needs both," Solomon said in a written statement. "At this time, we are reviewing all options."

Google launches online music store, aims to rival Apple, Amazon

2011-11-19T23:03:00.000-08:00

Google has officially launched its online music store, aiming to compete directly with Apple and Amazon in the online media segment. Google's cloud-based music service had been in beta phase since this summer.

The new Google music store allows users to upload up to 20,000 songs for free. However, users require to download Google Music manager. It also allows users to set an online locker, very much like Apple's iTunes and Amazon's Cloud Player. With the Google music store, users can stream songs to various devices. Songs can be purchased online at the Anroid Market using computer Web browsers. Google has said the service will be rolled out to Android-powered smartphones and tablets very soon.

Google's new service features million of songs from record labels EMI, Sony Music and Universal. Google, which unveiled the service at an event in Los Angeles, said that users can also buy music via its Android Market. To help popularise the new music store, Google will be providing one free song for download everyday.

The service also features an integration with search engine's social network Google+. Users of the Google music store can directly share songs on Google+, where their friends can listen the full song for free. Read more details about the new Google music store .

Prior to Google's new music store,Facebook had also partnered with service providers like Spotify, Rdio and MOG to provide music on the social networking site. Amazon has been a long major music retailer and features a music locker service. However, analysts are apprehensive about Google's foray into the online music segment. They believe the search engine company is unlikely to reap much success from its new venture. To establish itself in the music segment, Google needs to ensure its Android can match offerings from rivals such as Amazon and Apple.

As for Google+, the move seems to be beginning of the integration of a wide range of Google products into its new social network. Inclusion of Google’s assets into Google+ makes it a stronger offering as compared to Facebook and also Twitter.

Gmail app for iOS returns to App Store

2011-11-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

After an unsuccessful attempt,Google has once again made its Gmail App for iOS available on the App Store. Google had to withdraw the app from the App Store as it received multiple complaints from users about the faulty notifications.

"Two weeks ago, we introduced our Gmail app for iOS. Unfortunately it contained a bug which broke notifications and displayed an error message, so we removed it from the App Store," Matthew Izatt, a Google product manager, wrote in a blog post. "We've fixed the bug and notifications are now working, and the app is back in the App Store."

Google also added that it had received several feedback for improvements to the app such as “bigger features like multiple account support to customizations like improved notifications and mobile specific signatures.” “Based on your comments we have already improved our handling of image HTML messages—they are now sized to fit to the screen and you can pinch to zoom in,” he wrote.

Preview of the Gmail app for iOS

According to Mashable.com, the updated app does not support multiple accounts. However, Google says the app will receive more updates and would feature multiple accounts support as well. The Gmail app for iOS is available for iOS devices running iOS 4 or higher. In case you had installed the faulty app, you need to uninstall the app or log out of the old app before installing the new one.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101G Review

2011-11-19T22:58:00.000-08:00

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101g is a dream come true which pairs a very good Android tablet with a tried-and-tested netbook keyboard to create one great product. It's sleek, stylish, and extremely practical and well worth its asking price.

Pros

Beautiful IPS display
Detachable screen
Premium look and feel
Good keyboard

Cons

Touchpad on dock isn't the best

Ever thought of blending an iPad with a dedicated keyboard, like a netbook’s? Sure, we all did. But the folks over at Asus did more than just that with the Eee Pad Transformer TF101. With a 10.1-inch IPS touchscreen display, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer has a docking station that’s identical to any 10-inch Asus Eee PC netbook’s. The intelligent docking station allows the Eee Pad TF101 to transform into a 10-inch Android netbook, if you will, for tasks that otherwise are cumbersome to do with mere swipes. How well does the 10-inch Asus Transformer Android Honeycomb tablet do? Let’s find out.

Design and Build:
There are two aspects to consider regarding the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101’s design and build — treating it as a tablet and a netbook. For a tablet, the Eee Pad Transformer’s 10.7 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches, roughly the same size as the Acer Iconia A500 but larger than the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 750. As a tablet, the Asus Transformer weighs about 680 grams — marginally heavier than the Apple iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 750, but lighter than the Motorola Xoom and Acer Iconia A500/501 Android Honeycomb tablets.

In terms of size and form factor, the Transformer is one of the better 10-inch tablets out there. Even as a clamshell netbook, when hooked to the extended docking station-cum-keyboard, it tips the scales at 1.32 kg (similar to any 10-inch netbook in the market) and is quite slim with the lid closed measuring just over 1 inch in thickness. The Asus Eee Pad Transformer is an extremely portable device, with or without its docking station.

Its look and feel is unique among tablets, sporting a hard plastic shell with a textured mesh finish that gives the tablet a touch of premium elegance. The mesh extends on to the bottom panel of the keyboard dock. Where the tablet/screen fits into the keyboard dock, the sliding lock holds the two separate parts well, with slight jittering — it isn’t rock solid, nonetheless it’ll do.

Features:
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 Android tablet has a 10.1-inch IPS touchscreen display that’s scratch-resistant. The screen has an LED-backlit panel with a capacitive multitouch surface that packs in 1280x800 pixel resolution — greater screen area than the iPad 2, and better quality display than Motorola Xoom and Acer Iconia A501. In terms of core components, the Asus Eee Pad Transfomer TF101 comes equipped with a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and a ULP GeForce GPU on a Tegra 2 chipset. The Transformer further features 1GB of RAM and 16 GB of onboard storage.

Slimness

In terms of connectivity ports, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101 comes with a microSD slot, mini HDMI out, headphone jack and a 3G SIM card slot along its screen edge; wireless connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1. On the extended keyboard dock, the Asus Transformer has two extra USB 2.0 ports and a 3-in-1 card reader slot. It also has a built-in GPS, accelerometer and gyro sensor. Stereo speakers are placed along the edge of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer.

The Transformer’s screen bezel has a 1.2 MP front-facing camera and a fixed-focus 5MP rear camera for taking photos and capturing video at HD 720p. The bundled OS is obviously Android Honeycomb build 3.2.1 and one of its features lets you plug in a camera directly to the Eee Pad Transformer to transfer media directly. In terms of features and specs, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is one of the best tablets out there — throw in a keyboard dock with a dedicated touchpad, and it has no competition.

Performance:

Display

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101G comes with a 10.1-inch IPS display screen. The screen is definitely one of the brightest we’ve seen on a 10-inch tablet, with great black levels and vivid colours. The screen has amazing viewing angles with very little colour shift and its glossy surface doesn’t attract as many fingerprint smudges even when you swipe across it all day long. Whether its reading an ebook, viewing a photo album or watching a movie, the Eee Pad Transformer TF101G’s screen doesn’t disappoint one bit. The screen’s extremely responsive and its feedback couldn’t be any better.

Keyboard dock

The Eee Pad Transformer TF101G’s keyboard dock sports the exact same layout as any 10-inch Eee PC netbook launched within this past year. Sporting chiclet-sized isolated keys that are good to type on, the dock has a wide touchpad with a single-strip mouse button, too. We found the keyboard good for typing but the touchpad was too smooth for optimum feedback and it takes some getting used to. Also, since the Transformer is primarily an Android device, there are dedicated Home, Back, Screen Lock, Search, Settings, Screenshot, etc. buttons for conveniently interacting with the tablet — props to Asus for incorporating an intelligent key arrangement on the keyboard for optimally interacting with the tablet.

Onscreen keyboard

Asus has also tweaked the vanilla Android interface to help maximise the end-user experience —for example, the on-screen keyboard has five rows instead of four featured on plain vanilla Honeycomb; the extra row adds numbers which can be conveniently typed, saving you unnecessary finger clicks. The default water-level wallpaper across all homescreens is a battery indicator, rising and falling depending on battery. Also, the Back, Home, Recent Apps button on the bottom left of the home screen are visually different, more easier to launch than how they’re depicted in vanilla Honeycomb builds. So whatever tiny tweaks Asus has made to the Eee Pad Transformer’s interface only enhances the end-user experience.

The tablet’s 5MP camera has a basic interface when it comes to clicking photos. Pictures clicked in bright sunlit or very well lit interiors are good with just a shade of noise. Captured video isn’t the best in terms of quality but its average. The Transformer tablet’s multimedia experience doesn’t disappoint. In fact it’s one of the best among tablets we’ve tested. The Asus Transformer’s onboard speakers are loud and clear even at high volumes and handle both music and speech equally well. Whether it’s watching YouTube videos or HD 720p flicks, the Eee Pad Transformer handled video playback very well. And its audio-video performance helped deliver a stellar entertainment experience.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101G is one of the best tablets in terms of overall battery life. At full-screen brightness and surfing the web over Wi-Fi gave about 8 hours of battery backup (with two fifteen hour breaks); I’m sure you can extract more juice by decreasing brightness and disabling Wi-Fi. But wait, this is just the battery life of the tablet; the keyboard dock comes with its very own battery which adds another 3 to 4 hours of extra battery usage off a single charge. What’s more, when the tablet’s attached to the dock, the battery from the dock drains out before eating into the tablet’s charge -- very good thinking.

Verdict: The Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101G sells for a price of Rs. 42,999 (including taxes). Compared to other popular 10-inch Android Honeycomb tablets out there -- Motorola Xoom, Acer Iconia A501, Samsung Galaxy Tab 750, etc. -- its price may be very high, but it also has a unique selling point. Overall, the Asus Transformer tablet is one of a kind, with a very good combination of features and performance, and well worth the price.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Firefox 4 beta 8 now available

2011-11-19T22:53:00.000-08:00

Another big step towards the big release, Firefox beta 8 is now available! While Firefox 4 beta 7 was deemed feature-complete, this new version still brings some significant changes.

First and foremost, is good news for Linux users, Mozilla has finally begun to deliver it's new UI for the Linux platform. The Firefox button is now available as a replacement for the tradition menu, although it is not turned on by default. By right clicking the menu area one can now deselect the "Menu Bar" option to hide the menu, and enable the Firefox button.

Unlike the Windows UI, the tabs in Linux get put on the same line as the Firefox button. This is planned for the Windows version as well, where the Firefox UI will look similar to Opera with a Firefox button on the left, and tabs on the title-bar on the right. However the Window titlebar change does not come in the beta.

Mozilla has also worked a lot on improving the experience for those setting up Firefox Sync. You are no longer required to remember both a password and a synchronization key.A new mechanism automatically generates a secure key for you. This also comes as a part of Sync 1.6 for current versions of Firefox.

Another change in the UI comes to the Firefox Add-on manager, which now has now been updated to use the final styling, with different visuals for disabled / enabled / incompatible / updated etc addons. Additionally, the Add-on Manager tab no longer displays an navigation bar, since it is not required. Firefox had also moved on from displaying a status bar, to what is now called the Add-on bar. The add-on bar is to be a home to any icons add-ons want to add. This bar now has a close button so it can be dismissed easily.

Firefox beta 8 also brings one very important usability update, JavaScript alerts are not content-modal instead of window modal. What this means is that any alerts created by a page no longer block you from switching tabs or interacting with other parts of the browser. This is what is already done in other browsers. Earlier JavaScript popups would cover a window and stop you from doing anything with the Firefox window till the alert was dismissed.

WebSockets also come disabled in this version as security vulnerabilities were found in the protocol it uses. This feature will remain disabled in Firefox and Opera till the security issues in the protocol are resolved.

Beta 8 is yet another great step towards what is certainly one of the biggest updates in Firefox history. Hopefully the release will not come too late, as Firefox 3.6 is beginning to look hopelessly outdated compared to the latest slew of browser releases.

Facebook launches its "modern messaging system" with a consolidated "social inbox"

2011-11-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

Mark Zuckerberg’s late address last night was the announcement of a “modern messaging system”, which will allow users to have a unified “social inbox” for their email, chat, Facebook messages, IM and SMS, along with consolidated history for each contact. Zuckerberg emphasised that this was not an"email killer", and that any email service could be used. Users will also be able to register for a @facebook.com email address.

The messaging system’s support for SMS precludes the need for an app, though of course to view the inbox natively new official apps for various platforms will be released in the near future. IMAP support will also be arriving shortly. The entire messaging system will take a while to rollout globally, with a timescale of a few months.

Zuckerberg spoke about how this was the first major step towards achieving Facebook’s vision of the future of communication, and how based on feedback from high school kids they decided to make it less “formal”, and instead, focus on creating a system that was “seamless, informal, immediate, personal, simple, minimal, and short.”

For all this to fit inside the Facebook ecology, an unusually large team (for Facebook) of 15 engineers supposedly “completely rebuilt the [messaging] infrastructure”, replacing the previous Cassandra system with “hBase”, which was developed by working closely with the open source community.

Tips & Tricks: VLC Media Player

2011-11-19T22:43:00.001-08:00

VLC 0.9 has released to widespread acclaim. The media player of choice for many, has packed in a horde of new features and marked changes in the design and interface. There are only two issues we have with the new design, which we will put out of the way first. The playback bar has jazzed up buttons, which won’t appeal to those who went for the minimalist charm of VLC. They have also inverted the direction in which the scroll works with the media, you scroll down to go backward, and scroll up to go forward which is counterintuitive to everyone and irritating to the long term users. Now for the good stuff.

Take Snapshots Of The Video

Go to Tools > Preferences > Video. Under video snapshots, enter the directory, a prefix, check ‘sequential numbering’ and choose a format. The default is .png.

To take the snapshot while the video is playing, go to Video > Snapshot.

Alternatively, you can take a snapshot using the keyboard with the hotkey [Shift] + [S].

To use a button to take a snapshot, go to Tools > Advanced Controls. The snapshot button appears on the playback bar.

Adjust The Colour Of The Video

In the playback bar, click on the icon that looks like the equaliser for lesser media players. This is right next to the playback button.

Then select the ‘video effects’ tab. The ‘basic’ tab will be selected by default. Check the ‘image adjust’ checkbox. From here, you can adjust the hue, saturation, contrast, brightness and gamma of the image. There is also a ‘brightness threshold’ slider.

The changed take place in real time, an this can be used to enhance dark videos.

Stream Video Across A Network

This can be used to broadcast a video over the Net, or to stream videos to everyone’s PC in the office at once, or to everyone’s laptops in a conference room.

Click on advanced open file, select ‘show more options’.

On the bottom right corner, next to the play and cancel buttons will be a small additional options button. Click on this, and select stream. A stream output dialogue will pop up.

You can select the encapsulation, the video and audio codecs and the bitrate. Remember that not all formats can be converted to all other formats, this is a limitation of the format and not of the player. Under outputs, select a protocol. Selecting multiple protocols will stream the video output in all the protocols.

To open a stream, go to ‘Advanced open file’, select the ‘Network’ tab and select the relevant protocol and address.

Overlay A Logo On The Video

Go to Tools > Preferences. Select ‘All’ under ‘Show Settings”

Go to Video > Subtitles / OSD > Overlays.

Click on ‘Logo Subfilter’ under Sub Picture Filter Module. Enter the path and filename in the bar below.

To do this via command line, go to Tools > Add Interface > Command Line.

Add A Ticker To The Video

Go to Tools > Preferences, select ‘All’ under ‘Show Settings’

Go to Video > Subtitles/OSD > Marquee. Enter the text in the marquee, and the text will scroll across the screen while the video is playing.

You can also tweak the settings to get an RSS feed to scroll across the video. Copy the feed url, then go to Tools > Preferences, select ‘all’ under ‘show settings;

Go to Video > Subtitles/OSD tick on “RSS and Atom feed display’ and enter the URL in the bar.

There is an option to display or not display images in the feeds.

Add Effects To The Video

We are not sure why this feature is provided, but it is fun and users may discover innovative uses for them.

Click on the effects button. Go to Video Effects > Image Modification.

The gradient effect gives a cartoonish feel to the video. The motion blur has a factor slider. These are the two main effects.

The other effects include waves, motion detect, noise, water and psychedelic. You can apply a selection of these effects at once to the video. The changes take place in real time.

To Resume Playback From A Specific Time

If you were interrupted while watching a video or a movie, and want to resume from the exact moment you left off, there are two ways to do it.

While playing the movie, go to Playback > Go to specific time, and enter the time in dialogue that pops up.

The other way to do this is to go to Media > Advanced open file, check ‘Show more options’ and enter the Start Time.

Use VLC As A Transcoder

Open a file, then go to Media > Convert/Save. In the file tab, click on the Convert/Save button.

Select the ‘File’ checkbox under ‘Outputs’. Enter a file name. Make sure that draw raw input is unchecked.

Then select an encapsulation, that is basically the format under ‘profile’.

Select a video codec and audio codec under the ‘Video codec’ and ‘Audio codec’ tabs.

You can save files in a format to be played on a portable media device.

Click on Save.

Change The Jump Settings

There are hotkeys to jump backwards and forwards through the file (refer to the list of hotkeys). The default values for the ‘Very short’, ‘Short’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Long’ jumps can be changed as per individual preferences.

Go to Tools > Preferences under ‘Show settings’ select ‘All’. Go to Interface > Hotkey Settings and under ‘Jump sizes’ edit the values as per your preferences. You can also use this window to change the default hotkeys, and add hotkeys to functions that have no default hotkeys.

Using The Loop Function

VLC can loop a part of a song or a video over and over again. To use this feature, go to Tools > Advanced controls.

The loop button should appear on the playback bar. Open the file you want to play, click the button when you come to the part on the media you want to start the loop at. Click on the button again at the part of the file you want the loop to end. VLC will now start playing that portion of a file in an endless loop till you click on the loop button again to stop the loop.

Play Image Files In VLC

VLC has the capability to play image files without having to mount the image files on a virtual drive first. Although many formats are supported, many are not. Open an image file directly for the video to start playing.

Listen to podcasts.

Go to Playlist > Additional Sources > Configure Podcasts. Add the podcast url, or add multiple urls.

Go to Playlist > Additional sources > Podcasts.

Go to Playlist > Show playlist. The list of podcasts you added should appear in the playlist window now. Double-click on one to start playing.

Listen To Online Radio

To listen to online radio, go to Playlist > Shoutcast Radio Listings.

Then go to Playlist > Show Playlist. The Shoutcast radio option should have appeared below the ‘Playlist’ and ‘Media Library’ options. A long list of genres and radio stations will appear. Select one that you want to listen to you. Some of the stations listed don’t work, and some might make the player crash. Some stations are listed under multiple genres.

Prevent Screensaver Interruption

This is a highly useful feature that prevents a screensaver from interrupting the movie you are watching.

Go to Tools > Preferences. In the dialogue that pop ups, look at the bottom left corner, and select the ‘All’ radio button under ‘Show settings’. Click on ‘Video’ preferences, and under ‘General Video Settings’ look for the ‘Disable Screensaver’ checkbox.

Skins

VLC supports skins. VLC skins can be downloaded from their site, but VLC also supports winamp 2 and xmps skins. Go to Tools > Preferences. In ‘Interface’, select the ‘Skins’ radio button and load the skin file from here.