Apple iPhone 3GS review

Apple has released another new iPhone - the 3GS - to stave off the competition from the Palm Pre and the HTC Magic. But is it worth the super-high upgrade charges, given the iPhone 3G with the new 3.0 software is very similar?

The iPhone 3GS was delivered by Phil Schiller rather than Lord Jobs on high, and a packed crowd hung on his every word, lapping up every new feature Apple had deigned to bestow upon us. The thing is it didn't take long, as essentially Apple has released a new phone that bears a very significant resemblance to the original version.

In fact, the only palpable difference in the chassis is the iPhone lettering is now mirrored in the same way as the Apple logo was on the last iteration.

Of course, with the new iPhone 3GS (the 'S' apparently standing for speed) we're getting a whole host of new features, essentially an improved processor (up to an apparent 600MHz according to a recent T-Mobile leak), a better 3MP camera with video recording and an upgrade to 32GB of memory.

The curious thing about the new iPhone release is not only that it doesn't bring a whole lot of new hardware in the latest upgrade (we're not talking the essential jump from 2G to 3G here) but it's also been released to coincide with the launch of the iPhone 3.0 firmware update.

That in itself brings a whole host of new extras to the iPhone game. Check out our in depth review of the new software to find out what snazzy extras Apple has brought to the party.

But this upgrade is obviously available for the previous Apple handset, meaning that for the most part an updated iPhone 3G is the same phone as the iPhone 3GS, and presents most users with a real dilemma: is it worth shelling out for the new upgrade less than a year later?

In the box

As most iPhone users will know, there's not usually a lot in the tiny Apple iPhone box, and once again, the company has perfected minimalism. There are the standard accessories bedecked in white as well as the phone itself of course.

The headphones are the same as normal, the bundled white buds symbolising that you've bought into the Apple brand and are indeed proud to wear the badge of Jobs-honour. It's a shame that Apple hasn't followed the lead of the likes of Samsung with its recent handsets, such as the i8910 HD, and realised that having a phone built for top end media should come with some decent headphones.

We would have at least have liked to seen some in-ear buds with this iteration, or even some Bluetooth cans (something Samsung again does with certain models in its PMP range) but that would cannibalise the healthy accessories market Apple has lovingly crafted, so it's hardly a surprise to see the standard fare here again, although we were pleasantly surprised at how well the hands free kit worked on the bundled buds.

And Apple is again banking on some customer loyalty in only including a USB lead with wall-plug connector. We know this is Apple's usual game, but we'd reckon a good portion of mobile phone owners have lost their charger in the past and been forced to use the USB lead to charge the handset before buying a new charger, so if you lose this one, it's a dead iPhone for a while.

Clearly Apple is assuming that its customers have many iPhone compatible leads lying around (in the same way that Nokia chargers will grow in any draw full of wires) so has kept things minimal, and of course saved packaging, and therefore penguins and polar bears, in doing so.

Indeed, in comparison to the likes of the Palm Pre and the HTC Magic, Apple is doing the same thing in trying to reduce packaging (as it always has done). We still can't feel like there should be more in the box however, even though a video output lead is always going to be out of the question.

Vodafone's iPhone gets 14 January 2010 UK release date

Vodafone has announced that its iPhone offering is available for pre-order, as well as dropping all the pricing and availability info.

The Vodafone iPhone UK release date has been set as 14 January, and you can register your interest for one now, from £30 per month.

That low-end price is on a 24-month deal, so any one hoping to nab a new year cut price iPhone will be left disappointed.

The 24-month deals come in £30, £36 and £45 offerings, with unlimited texts on each and voice minutes ranging from 300 to 1200.

Text appeal

On the 18-month side, you'll be looking at forking out between £40 and £80 per month, with unlimited texts again and between 600 and 3000 minutes per month.

All of the plans come with 1GB of data and unlimited Wi-Fi as well, so we'd imagine unofficial tetherers will be pushing that figure as hard as they can.

The three iPhones on offer (the 3G 8GB, the 3GS 16GB and the 3GS 32GB) will also cost you for most of the price plans, costing between £59 and £239 depending on your price plan (although the cheaper models are free on the higher costing tariffs.)

If you want to see the full details, then point your browser to vodafone.co.uk/iphone.

HTC's new Sense UI to ape iPhone design?

HTC's upgraded UI?

HTC's possible new user interface for its Android phones has been leaked, ahead of a release next year.

A couple of screenshots have appeared on the web from the Italian HD Blog, which claims to have nabbed them ahead of the launch at Mobile World Congress in February next year.

Word is that they're set to land with a new Android phone from the HTC lot - the Espresso, although we know very little about this new handset other than it might be packing this Sense Android overlay upgrade.

Translucent beauty

The new Sense overlay has translucent application squares holding the application icons - a little iPhone-like, casting doubt on whether this would be a road HTC would really want to go down.

There's now also a direct link to your contacts list, which has apparently been upgraded to make your contacts even more intuitive - we'll be intrigued to see how this manifests.

We'll be out and about in Mobile World Congress to check out this new UI if it lands, and if it really looks like a poor Windows Mobile skin in the flesh.

From HDBlog.it via Engadget

Problem 2: A square medieval castle on a square island is under siege. All around the castle there is a square moat 10 meters wide. Unfortunately, a group of  raiders have brought footbridges that are only 9.5 meters long. The invaders do not want to fail in their assault.  How can they use their footbridges to invade the castle?

Solution:

Puzzles : That crooked your mind.

Problem 1: You have 100 doors in a row that are all initially closed. you make 100 passes by the doors starting with the first door every time. the first time through you visit every door and toggle the door (if the door is closed, you open it, if its open, you close it). the second time you only visit every 2nd door (door #2, #4, #6). the third time, every 3rd door (door #3, #6, #9), etc, until you only visit the 100th door.

for example, after the first pass every door is open. on the second pass you only visit the even doors (2,4,6,8...) so now the even doors are closed and the odd ones are opened. the third time through you will close door 3 (opened from the first pass), open door 6 (closed from the second pass), etc..

question: what state are the doors in after the last pass? which are open which are closed?

Solution: 

E-Litmus pH Test Exam

Hiring Potential Test (pH Test)

In March 2008, a Fortune 500 IT services company used eLitmus pH test as a benchmark to recruit entry-level professionals. At the end of the three-month training program, there was zero involuntary attrition among people hired through pH. In contrast, the average percentage of new hires let go at the end of training period was over 5.2% when recruited through alternate channels. This resulted in a saving to the company of Rs 1.8 million for every hundred hires.

Companies ranging from start-ups to global giants across a gamut of industries like IT security, IT products, R&D, software services, physical infrastructure and KPO have benefitted immensely from using pH Test as a benchmark.

Modern day business schools are also finding pH Test extremely relevant as an admissions test. The evolution of focused MBA institutes that offer super-specialization which require potential students to have corresponding strengths. pH Test can very effectively identify these traits. Additionally, students who undergo excessive coaching at one of the training institutes (which teach students strategies to “crack the test”, not concepts) get no undue advantage on the pH test. Lastly, the pH Test uses highly researched methodologies to create a gradient in the top quartile of talent pool.

pH Test demystified

pH Test uses on-the-job performance feedback provided by select customers, and theoretical psychometric methodologies and standards to continuously improve the test validity. Our cross-functional research team comprises domain experts, industry practitioners and statisticians. We have been able to demonstrate a thought leadership of 10 to 34 months over other leading standardized tests, with path-breaking innovations like handicap-based negative marking. 

Information for test takers

The pH Test is conducted every few weeks across the country. The schedule of upcoming tests is regularly published on www.elitmus.com. The test has been designed to measure the natural ability of test takers rather than your ability to learn by rote. To this end, all necessary formulae are provided in the question paper. Those who focus on building fundamentals and broad skills, rather than on learning “tricks” to solve specific topics perform better on this test.

Pitfalls in Evaluations

For a test that has a large enough number of test takers, the marks distribution will be a normal curve as shown below.

Tests fail when:

1. The methodology used to identify the right candidates is misplaced
   
   A real story: When Sunitha’s parents were visiting her in Bangalore, she wanted a driver who could show them around the ciry. She hired one after asking him these questions: “Do you know the route to MG Road , Lalbagh and Forum?” and “Do you have a valid driver's license?” Both of which criteria, of course, the driver satisfied. The second day on the job, he met with a road accident injuring both parents. A classic example of evaluation gone wrong; it tested the stated objective but was not completely relevant. Most tests created “in-house” are ad-hoc. The creator of the test tries is usually always looking to come up with 'clever' or 'difficult' questions rather than trying to identify the skills that need to be tested by a question.
   
   
   

1. 'Unsuitable' and 'Border-line' candidates are able to make it to the 'Right' candidates region
   
   A typical campus written test of 1 hour has 40 multiple-choice questions with a cut-off around 18 marks. Now, consider a candidate who knows the answers to 11 questions and gets another 7 right through sheer guess work. At the interview stage, questions from any given panel tend to repeat across interviews. If this candidate is interviewed towards the end of the line-up, s/he could clear this process because of access to historical information.
   
   
   

1. Conventional linear negative marking approach is used
   
   To prevent guess work, typical tests (including CAT) penalise a test taker with negative marks for wrong attempts. Negative marks are awarded for each wrong attempt and are a fraction of the marks awarded for the right answers. This system is inherently flawed. To begin with, no attempt is made to differentiate between a student who actually solves the question and gets a wrong answer and a guess maker. Seconly, the resources (ex:time) used by a test-taker are not taken into consideration. For example, a test-taker who attempts 20 questions and gets 4 wrong and a test-taker who attempts 40 questions to get 4 wrong are penalised equally, whereas the first test taker had the luxury of more time per question compared to the second one. pH Test uses a handicap based negative marking approach to address such issues. Read more about pH test's pioneering methodologies.
   
   
   

1. High preparedness of the candidates
   
   Typically, the test format or question types are extremely predictable for a company. A candidate could prepare for such an exam over a long period of time utilizing historic data and clear the evaluation. In an endorsement of the phenomenon, the IITs recently identified prolonged preparation by candidates as a reason for the falling quality of intake.
   
   
   

The iPhone Now Has 100 GB of Storage Space

Online PC icloud has launched a premium version that offers 100 GB Super Drive that will extend all the capabilities of icloud to the iPhone.

The new premium service lets everyone store, access and easily share files through any smart phone or browser and gives you 100 GB of storage right in your pocket.

Daniel Arthursson, icloud's Founder and CEO, said, "Having 100 GB directly accessible in your pocket through an iPhone or smartphone will definitely change how we use and interact with data. With the massive storage of the icloudSuper Drive, everything will always be accessible, no need to bring your computer to do a quick PowerPoint
presentation, just present it straight out of the cloud."

Features include:

• Secure cloud storage with backup accessible from any computer, iPhone, Android or Windows Mobile phone
• Free basic version includes 50 applications like Office, Mail, Music, Video, Instant Messaging and Games
• icloud Premium with 100 GB Super Drive now available for $39.99/year
• Community (my.icloud.com) and email @icloud.com
• Zero installation, runs within browsers
• Available worldwide in 26 languages and used in 170 countries

Microsoft Helps Fight the Disease That is Child Porn

Microsoft has donated a new technology to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that has the potential to make a drastic difference in the fight against the spread of child pornography online.

The technology, called PhotoDNA, was initially created by Microsoft Research. It was further developed by Hany Farid, a leading digital-imaging expert and professor of computer science at Dartmouth College, to help NCMEC in its efforts to find hidden copies of the worst images of child sexual exploitation known today.

Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC, says child porn is a problem that had all but disappeared in the late 1980s - the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that it was not protected speech, but instead constituted child abuse. Law enforcement had cracked down on its distribution and importation.

“Twenty years ago we thought this problem was virtually gone,” Allen says. “As wonderful and powerful as the Internet is, it has created an opportunity for people to network with others of like interest, and to access content in the privacy of their own homes that would have formerly put them at risk to acquire.”

Today, says Allen, the problem is exploding. Since 2003, NCMEC has reviewed and analyzed almost 30 million images and videos of child pornography. These photos of sexual abuse are seized from pedophiles who both trade in the illegal images and form communities that reinforce their shared interest in children.

Allen says that the NCMEC cyber-tip line has handled 750,000 reports of child sexual exploitation and child pornography from the public and Internet service providers. “We’re currently reviewing 250,000 images every week,” Allen says. “So this is a massive problem.”

NCMEC has worked with law enforcement to identify many of the worst images of child sexual abuse and exploitation. As they are passed from pedophile to pedophile, many of these images surface repeatedly during child pornography investigations. “Our goal is to stop that victimization,” Allen says. “Using PhotoDNA, we will be able to match those images, working with online service providers around the country, so we can stop the redistribution of the photos.”

New Corby, Pop, to Cost Less Than 7K

Seems like Samsung’s going a little overboard with their Corby range of handsets.

With a Corby this and a Corby that flooding the markets with loads of features to keep the youth happy and all at very reasonable prices, to release another variant so soon seems a little like overkill. Sure I liked theCorby, but to re-launch the same Model, call it the Corby Pop, reduce the camera pixel count to 1.3MP and the internal memory is going to make choice extremely hard on the consumer. On the other hand the price of Pop is expected to be below the Rs. 7000 mark. Outstanding! If it manages to retain all the same features as the original other than the ones mentioned above, it’ll be a hard act to follow. Samsung'sCorby strategy seems to be to have a Corby for every price group, and it looks like it's working.

Google in Talks to Buy Review Site Yelp

Google Inc is in talks to buy Yelp Inc, the popular website for reviews of local businesses, in a deal that could help the Internet search leader tap a lucrative local ads market, media reports say. Google may pay more than $500 million for Yelp, according to reports confirmed to Reuters by a person familiar with the situation. It came as the Web giant embarked on an acquisition spree that has netted at least five companies since August. By swallowing privately held Yelp, Google would own one of the Web's most popular repositories of local restaurant and small-business information, including more than 8 million reviews penned by Yelp's users. That trove of content and a heavy focus onlocal businesses could provide a valuable foothold for Google as it seeks to convince local merchants to shift their advertising spending to the Internet. "The local advertising market is a multibillion dollar market that for all intents and purposes is still untapped on the Web," said Needham & Co analyst Mark May.

In July, Internet portal Yahoo Inc teamed up with AT&T Corp in a partnership that involved the phone company's 5,000 sales people selling Yahoo advertising inventory to local businesses. News of the recent talks between Google and Yelp - backed by Benchmark Capital and other venture capital firms - and the $500 million price tag were first reported by the blog TechCrunch. The source familiar with the situation said talks were currently bogged down by concerns among some Yelp investors that thecompany could be selling itself prematurely, and that it could be worth far more than $500 million if it had a chance to develop its business. The source added that Friday's news stories may have been floated to put pressure on for the deal to be consummated at a price that was too low.

Yelp said in an emailed statement that it is frequently approached to discuss "partnerships, investments and more, and the company does not comment on private discussions that may occur." A Google spokeswoman said the company does not comment on rumors or speculation. Google has had its eye on Yelp for some time. According to one former Google executive, the Internetcompany had had "early discussions" with Yelp about an acquisition several years ago, but ultimately passed on the deal. "Yelp doesn't monetize very well, so it's always a bit hard to justify an acquisition," the person said. Thelocal businesses that Yelp sells online advertising to are more interested in promoting their businesses through coupons than online ads, he added, noting he believed Yelp was still an unprofitable business.

Yelp was founded in 2004 and has received $30 million in funding from Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners. The acquisition talks are the latest in a string of recent deals by Google, including the $750 million acquisition of mobile ad firm AdMob announced in November, that are designed to extend Google's reach into new advertising markets. The world's No. 1 Internet search engine generated roughly $22 billion in revenues last year, but has seen its top line growth slow from the 40 percent-plus clip it was managing as recently as early 2008. Google has stepped up efforts to court local merchants recently, encouraging businesses to register their information on its small-business online directory. But some analysts say Google will have its work cut out trying to sell online ads to local merchants more comfortable with traditional channels like local television, newspapers and the Yellow Pages. Needham's May estimated that Yelp, which had 8.9 million unique visitors to its site in November according to comScore, is generating revenue at an annual rate of $15 million to $20 million. "That's a pretty tough nut to crack," May said about selling online ads to local merchants. "Whether Google can crack the code on it, is still to be seen."

Google to Comply With Swiss Court on Street View

Google will comply with an expected Swiss court ruling into whether its Street View web service fails to protect people's privacy by showing their faces and licence plates, the company and Swiss authorities said.

The company is accused of failing to obscure such sensitive images from its photo mapping application sufficiently and setting cameras at a height on filming vehicles that allows them to see over fences, hedges and walls into private property. "Google commits to a final and binding Swiss court decision and to implement it also with regard to images which have already been transmitted outside of Switzerland," Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) Hanspeter Thuer said in a statement on Friday. Street View went live in Switzerland in mid-August, after it had already caused controversy in Britain and raised concerns when vehicles mounted with periscope cameras began shooting images in Germany earlier this year. Google could continue taking photos of roads in Switzerland provided it gave at least a week's notice on where photos would be taken, but would not be allowed to put the images on the Internet until the final court decision, Thuer said. "We are pleased that we have come to this agreement with Mr Thuer, under which we can continue taking photographs for Street View," said Google's Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer. "However, we will not put online any additional images on Street View until the decision of the Federal Administrative Court." A source close to proceedings said a final court decision was unlikely within the next year. Thuer referred the matter to the country's Federal Administrative Court in November, saying Google had failed to comply with most of his recommendations to protect people's privacy. Google said previously it would not lower the height of the cameras on its vehicles in Switzerland.

Google did this in Japan, but only to preserve image quality since the streets are narrower and houses closer together. Loweringthe cameras posed other problems because it brought them closer to people's faces, the company said, adding it continually improved the software it used to pick out and blur faces and licence plates automatically.

JetLite Offers Online Booking Engine, Mulls Over Hotel/Car Rental Facility

JetLite, the wholly owned subsidiary of Jet Airways India Ltd, has launched a new online booking engine, to to offer a flexible web-sale solution with a clear road map.

Guests can follow a simple booking process and make their selection based on 3 parameters

• Lowest Fare
• Fixed dates
• Flexible dates

They will also receive an SMS and an email confirmation of the booking on the mobile number and email id provided.

In addition to the on-line booking engine, key features like 'Manage my booking' and 'PNR Status' are also added on the website.

The automated CyberSource Risk screening solution along with the 3D secure Payment gateway as per RBI guidelines ensures transactions are secure.

Jetlite.com also offers web check-in facility where in guests can select their preferred seat and print their boarding pass from the comfort of their home or office.

Key features include:

• Easy and flexible search options
• Friendly display of flight details and the "Best Fare of the Day" for easy selection
• Lowest fare display with calendar shopping feature
• JetProtect Travel insurance available during the booking process
• Guests given customized offers and discounts with the 'Promo code' facility
• Booking is in 2 Currencies INR and USD

Along with this the airlines will soon offer hotel and car rental facilities on its portal.

Belson Coutinho, General Manager, eCommerce and Innovations, Jet Airways said that through their new booking engine, they have the flexibility and control over the portal, to add new products, services and facilities. They want to incorporate hotel and car rental inventory so travelers can book their flight, as well as accommodation on the same platform. They currently offer hotels and chauffeur drive products under the ‘Plan your Travel’ option on the Jet Airways portal.

Currently the airlines accepts only credit and debit cards for online booking but will soon accept cash cards and bookings through direct net banking.

Google Adds 'Landmark' to Google Maps

Google India today said it has added a feature - 'landmarks' for providing driving directions for those who use its mapping solution Google Maps.

Users can now navigate around locations using Google Maps on their desktops and mobile phones using landmarks like petrol stations, banks, schools, railway stations, bus stops, local businesses and traffic circles and signals,Google India said in a statement.

India is the first country globally to get this feature on Google Maps, it added.

PC Market Bounces Back, to Grow Through 2013

Back-to-school demand helped shipments to rise 2.3 percent after falling for three consecutive quarters, according to research firm IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. The market is expected to see double-digit growth in 2010, with desktop shipments roughly flat and portable computers driving overall increases in shipments. "As commercial spending recovers in 2010, we expect to see robust growth over the next several years," said Loren Loverde, program director at IDC Worldwide Trackers, in a statement. Portable computers for consumers drove overall shipments in the third quarter and rose 33.5 percent from 2008. Shipments of mini notebooks, or netbooks, designed for accessing the Internet, surged to account for 28 percent of portable shipments, from 14 percent a year ago. Those notebooks are expected to continue to grow at a slower rate than portable computers, since new ultra-thin portables are creating more competition in the market.

A.P Intermediate syllabus too tough for students, Teachers???

Do you agree with me???

Officials of BIEAP are worried that the pass percentage of Inter would come down this year because of the revised syllabus which is tougher. According to them, the worst affected would be students in government junior colleges where the standards are relatively lower. Officials cited a 10 per cent drop in the results of first year science students last year as a reason for their alarm. BIE officials are blaming their predecessors for making the inter syllabus tougher by including new subjects. As part of reforms, the officials revised the syllabus for science subjects last year by adding 20 per cent more content, also upgraded all the contents to CBSE and ICSE standards. This year, BIE has revised the syllabus for arts and humanities streams by increasing the content by 20 per cent. The situation of students is worse since most of them say they cannot understand the revised subjects as they have no link with subjects they studied before. There are several new topics and some of them are in the range of graduate and post-graduate level. Officials argued that they have upgraded the syllabus to CBSE and ICSE level to enable students of the state to do well in IITJEE, AIEEE and JIPMER.

23rd November is Holiday? GHMC elections Polls

GHMC elections Polling on 23rd November...

Discrepancy between the orders of the State government and the State Election Commission (SEC) has led to confusion among the Central government employees over the declaration of public holiday on Monday on account of GHMC elections. Government order issued by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department on November 11 states that the day of the poll, November 23, is a public holiday in the areas that fall under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits, under the Negotiable Instruments Act. That includes all the Central government undertakings and the Public Sector Units(PSUs) under Central government. However, an enquiry with the SEC has yielded information that the announcement by the Commission resulted from a recent Central government circular which explicitly stated that there would not be a holiday on November 23. However, there is no confusion with regard to the State government employees, educational institutions and also workers in private establishments, because the polling day has been declared a general holiday under the Shops and Establishments Act.

Worse With Age

One of the most important functions we perform is to keep readers up to date about what’s going on in the markets and which products are the current best value-for-money picks. Unlike many other types of products, PC components have very short shelf lives. The pace of this industry results in new generations of major products roughly every year, and new models of individual parts at least three times as often. I’m not saying that all technology products are doomed to becoming useless within a few months of being purchased, but they might not remain the best choices for very long.

Sadly, all products shipped out of a factory are not sold when they’re within their prime, and thousands of four- or five-year-old motherboards, graphics cards and game consoles lie in warehouses and store displays until they’re sold to unwitting customers. I can still see GeForce 6600 and Radeon X1950 cards which should have disappeared half a decade ago being sold on the streets at their original prices despite current models being available cheaper. Online stores have vast collections too, with almost no indication of product age. If you weren’t familiar with Nvidia and ATI’s businesses you might have no way of knowing how many new models have been released since these were good cards to buy. And if you didn’t study their naming and numbering schemes, you might never know whether a GeForce 8800GTX or a GeForce GTX280 is the better buy today. It’s not that they won’t work—you’d still get better graphics than most onboard systems can manage—but you won’t have any idea how much you’ve missed out on. These cards could still be great bargains if they were priced according to their ages, but that is rarely, if ever, the case.

And if old parts aren’t being sold openly, they’re quietly being shoved inside new PCs. Neighborhood assemblers and big brands alike hardly ever specify the chipsets they use. All too often, I see brand new PCs with recent CPUs on ancient motherboards. Again, these feel quite fast to those who are upgrading after years. But in a little while when they want to add a hard drive, they’ll discover they don’t have enough SATA ports. Or they’ll try to play a high-definition movie clip, and discover their onboard graphics are completely unable to handle it.

Apple’s latest iPod nano and touch models are physically identical when seen in their retail packaging, and bear no indication of their generations. The new nano has a video camera, while the new higher-capacity touches have faster CPUs for better gaming. Both devices have twice as much storage space as their predecessors for roughly the same price. Both old and new models are currently in the market. Parents shopping for gifts wouldn’t ordinarily expect there to be any ambiguity to the devices, but they too could wind up with less than what they deserve for their money.

In this day and age, buyers have to be aware of what they’re in the market for. Check model numbers online and search around for news of the companies whose products you’re thinking of buying. A little background checking could save you from being cheated and help get you the best value for your money.

Jamshed Avari
Assistant Editor – Technical
CHIP India

Top 5 Headphones for Gaming

It's gaming, and it needs some heavy pounding for it to sound realistic. Thus we take 5 very popular brands and their products made especially for video game applications. Couple of the brands mentioned here specialize in gaming products itself, while the others have impressed us in a way fit perfect for gaming audio. Not all of them are headsets, some are without mics, as in this review it’s the audible sound quality we are interested in. The prices and features vary, and this is NOT a comparison feature, just options in various budgets. So let’s get to it..

Razer Barracuda HP1
MRP- Rs. 7299
MOP-Rs. 6050

This heavy piece of work from gaming specialists Razer seems quite daunting when on; you don’t want to be on the same map as the bearer. The unit comes with an all black body, with earcups stout and firm having a mildly lustrous finish, made of hardened plastic. The head band is actually a thin 2 pronged structure with an elastic leatherette band attached to it, which looks a little out of place with the solid cans. The cans can rotate around fully, while the left one has an inlet for the included mic.
This unit has eight discrete drivers, out of which 2 are subwoofers, all integrated into the earpieces. The frequency response is 50-20,000Hz, while power is 330mW RMS. It is a 5.1 headphone unit, thus needs to be used with an appropriate soundcard with a digital out to access the full surround sound. It still works normally in stereo, and performance wise it is quite impressive due to its “forward”, in your face sound. This is the opposite of open sounding headphones, also mainly because of the closed back design that acoustically blocks out external noise. In pure stereo, the sound sucks. It’s not for music listening at all. But, when in surround sound mode in a game like COD: Modern Warfare and Crysis, the sound totally hit the spot, with the crunching mid frequencies of gunshots right in your ears. The ambience created by the surround drivers is an honest attempt, and actually quite nice.

Good: Good, tough external design, Surround sound works well
Bad: Frequency response quite uneven, mids are too forward
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Specs
Frequency response: 50-20,000Hz
Impedance: 2.2 KOhm
Total power rating: 330mW RMS

Skullcandy Skullcrusher
MRP/MOP Rs.3469

This piece of gear is not exactly straight up for gaming like the Razer, but we’re sure anyone using these headphones will surely be into gaming, and love it for that. It’s got MAD bass, to put it simply. To elaborate: the headphones come in a variety of color schemes, and these schemes are real intricate paint jobs made up of dazzling meshes, lines, patterns etc. We like the Snoop Dogg version the best. The headband has a foldable joint in the middle, it is used to fold in the two cans together for storage. The earpieces themselves are attached to the band via swivel joints, thus one can turn the earpiece outwards if someone interrupts when your skull is being crushed.

Technically speaking, the model has a built in bass driver that is amplified by an AA battery. This battery is placed in the cyan cased terminal towards the end of the cord, which also houses the amp. Also, a black slider switch and volume knob protrudes out. The knob is only bass volume, and not overall level. This is a small deterrent.

Good: superb aesthetics, Acoustic noise cancellation works a charm, very loud
Bad: Bass can get daunting, needs to be lowered and kept.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Specs
Frequency response: 50-20,000Hz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 99 dBSPL/1mW

Logitech Precision PC Gaming Headphone
MRP-Rs.2045
MOP-Rs.1450

Logitech has a dedicated gaming repertoire, owing to their enormous PC accessory range of products. The Precision PC gaming headphone, with the extremely creative name, weighs in very light, and fits on behind the neck rather than on the head. The ear pads are large over the ear, or cirumaural ones, with the left ear having an attached mic. The headband is a thick plastic frame, with no adjustment capabilities, but this model seems to be a one size fits all design.

Performance wise the sound is not as loud as others, but the inline volume control is good thing for adjustment. The mic works very well, and is quite conveniently placed. Bass is not strong here, its quite a laid back mild type of response, which might not impress the heavy bassheads. Highs and mids are very clear though, that is one of the positive points of this headset. In game dialogues and background music sounds quite nice and crisp, but more in a laid back manner, and not “in your face” tightness.

Good: lightweight and neat external design, good
Bad: Frequency response quite uneven, mids are too forward
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Specs
Frequency response: 20-20,000Hz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: -59 dBV/µbar

SteelSeries Siberia Full –Size headphone
MRP-Rs. 5199
MOP-Rs. 4939

This slick looking piece is from SteelSeries, again specialists in gaming gear. Fresh off the boat in India, they recently sent us a product for review, thus we straight up included it in this feature after one listen. The design of this SiberiaHeadphone is an open back, circumaural type, with a very light weight but at the same time, a rigid exoskeleton. The frame of the headband is made of 2 curved prongs, with an elastic band attached that stretches to fit any head size. The finish of the product is really impressive, with clean cut edges for the earcups and its joints. We received an all black model, having a glossy black finish. The cushions around the rims of the cans is not leatherette , but rather upholstered in a soft foam.

Performance wise also we were quite impressed as this model had a very open and really large soundscape, considerably due to its open back design. This is good for those long explorer single player campaigns and RTS marathons. But then sound leaks out, and your neighbor will hear what you do, which actually is not a direct fault. Thefrequency response is theoretically quite balanced, but then bass is not as thumpy as one would want, nonetheless it’s satisfactory. Also, another very good point is the sheer loudness. These sensitive headphones can belt out clean audio at a very healthy volume.

Good: lightweight plus very neat looking, very loud, very open and balanced soundscape
Bad: Bass could be more aggressive and tighter.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Specs
Frequency response: 18 - 28.000 Hz
Impedance: 40 Ohm
Sensitivity: 99 - 104 dBSPL @1kHz, 1V

Sennheiser HD202 headphone
MRP: Rs.1590
MOP:Rs.1350

How can Sennheiser’s name not be there in any list having to do with heapdhones? We personally review a lot of their products as and when they release, and they release stuff regularly. But the HD 202 are not touted by them as gaming, in fact they have a model called “HD 201 G4ME”. I’ve heard those too, and the HD 202 definitely has better bass response, and are better headphones overall.

The closed back, circumaural design is pretty basic but also very neat looking, with huge white fonts for the Sennheiser logo print, on the headband sides. The rest is black matte- very classy. The leatherette is of good quality, and also appears on the underside of the headband as a soft patch. The weight too is quite light, thus comfortable.

Sound quality wise the output, as mentioned, has a very nice bass response, which goes down low and stays audible there. Even though the sensitivity is rated high, it’s not the loudest one in today’s group, but definitely has a sound more like the SteelSeries - its soundscape is quite open and doesn’t bog you down. This combined with the light weight makes for a chilled out listen. The highs are spacey and not jarring or edgy.

Good: Very open and quite balanced soundscape, reasonable price.
Bad: Could use a bit of thump in the lows.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Specs
Frequency response: 18 – 18,000 Hz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 115 dBSPL @1kHz, 1V

Home » Reviews » Consumer Cameras and Accessories » Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1

Amazing low light performance Strong macro results The touchscreen is responsive

It tends to saturate colors Manual ISO selection only up to ISO 800

The TX1 could easily be one of the smallest and the slimmest consumer camera in the market today. The device is smaller than most of the multimedia and business phones out there.

The ultra compact TX1 weighs 119g (without battery) and with dimensions 94 x 58 x 17. The hard plastic body feels good and the brush metal finish on the slide shutter gives the camera a great look. And don’t let the small size fool you; the TX1 is fully loaded with features.

The TX1 offers 4x optical zoom with a 10.2 megapixel image resolution. But unlike its brother, the WX1, TX1 features a Carl Zeiss –Vario Tessar lens. At the top, the power and shutter button are placed alongside the zoom lever. The camera functions on a touchscreen 3-inch LCD screen with a pixel count of 230,000 dots.

Just to give some information on the Exmor R sensor — Its main feature is to produce clear images under low light. The high speed sensor, clicks 6 separate images in less than a second and combines them into a single shot. The processor which does this function is the Bionz processor.On the camera, this technology is put to use on the Hand-held Twilight mode, Anti Motion Blur mode and the Panoramic mode.

Test results of this new feature by Sony were very good. Though it may take time to process the image, the quality of the pictures in Hand-held Twilight and Anti Motion blur mode is absolutely amazing. Now we did find the stitching visible in some images, but it’s nothing to complain about.

Motion shot taken on the Anti Motion Blur mode.

In most of the cameras, taking a panoramic shot meant adjusting the image as per the ghost of the previous image and complete the shot. With the TX1, you just have to move the camera in the required direction of the panoramic shot. Shooting directions can be changed to left, right, up and down.

Controversial Games in Recent Times

Controversies and video games go hand in hand. Over the years video games have constantly been blamed for a multitude of things some of which are as drastic as murder. A while back we had spoken about the Most Controversial Games ever made but that list was made way back in 2006. Today a new crop of so called controversial games has emerged and here’s a look at some of them.

Mad World

In Mad World you’re a contestant taking part in an extremely violent reality show where your aim is to finish off your opponents in highly gruesome ways. Had the game released on the Xbox360 or the PS3, it wouldn’t have been an issue but the controversy arose from the fact that it was being released on Nintendo’s family friendly console, the Wii. Being hailed as the “Most Violent Wii Game ever”, Britain’s local newspaper the Daily Mail claimed Mad World’s concept had “horrified” parents who associated Nintendo’s console with Wii sports, Wii fit and other such mellow stuff. At the end of the day the game released in all its violent glory but didn’t end up selling too well.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Ok where do I begin? For starters the game irked the PC community no end when Activision announced axing of Dedicated Servers and then people across all platforms got irritated by its high pricing. But I think the final (and the more mainstream blow) came when people realized that within the game lay a mission that allowed you to play as a terrorist in an airport. The net imploded in an outcry but that didn’t really make any difference to Activision’s life who’ve made enough money to buy out certain countries.

Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2’s controversy stemmed from the fact that the game was basically announced barely a year after the original leaving PC gamers wondering if Valve would even support the first game. Seeing the awesome treatment Valve was dishing out for Team Fortress 2, L4D owners expected a similar treatment for their beloved game, mainly because the campaign itself was painfully short. This lead to the creation of a 'BoycottLeft 4 Dead 2 group' on Steam that now sits at around 35,000 members. This movement did work in their favor at the end of the day with Valve releasing a bunch of free, stand-alone maps for L4D.

Mac Warranties Void For Smokers

Apple is refusing to repair Macs from houses where people smoke even if the machines are under warranty.

According to a report in the Consumerist Apple told two consumers that their warranties were void because their Macs showed signs of damage related to smoking. Under The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) nicotine is considered a biohazard and Applecare employees reserve the right to refuse to repair machines that are contaminated by it.

The Consumerist points out that Applecare warranties do not appear to mention that cigarette smoke will void Mac warranties.

Both consumers appealed up to the office of Steve Jobs and both lost.

Windows Live Messenger Now on Nokia Messaging

Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger, will now be available via Nokia Messaging.

Accessible through the Nokia Messaging Chat application, people across the world can have multiple conversations simultaneously, change their status and personal messages, and manage theirWindows Live buddy lists straight from their mobile phones.

This first installment of Windows Live Messenger for Nokia Messaging includes tabbed chat windows, the ability to call directly from the buddy list, and notifications of new messages that pop up while the application is in the background making multitasking even easier. 'Invisible' login is also an option, which means you can sign in toWindows Live Messenger but still appear offline to your friends – making it easy to choose who you want to talk to. Familiar desktop features such as grouped contacts, emoticons and sounds are also available.

The Nokia E72 is the first device that comes with Chat and support for Windows Live Messenger, while the Nokia E63, Nokia E71 and Nokia E75 require a download of 'Nokia Messaging for IM' from Ovi Store.

Home » News » PC Accessories PCs & Laptops » Aten launches its first figital KVM Extender. Aten launches its first figital KVM Extender

ATEN International has introduced its first Digital KVM Extender. The CE790 is an IP-based KVM Extender with automatic cable detection (Auto-MDIX) and RS-232 serial functionality that allows access to a computer system from a remote USB console (USB keyboard, monitor, and USB mouse) anywhere on the intranet.

The CE790 system consists of a transmitter (CE790T) that connects to the computer system and a receiver (CE790R) that is located on a user’s desk. It can be configured with multiple number of receivers, providing access and control of various computing resources from any number of remote consoles via a standard TCP/IP network. The CE790 system can be installed in point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, multipoint-to-point, and multipoint-to-multipoint configurations.

Both the transmitter and receiver units are assigned a unique IP address and connect via a single Cat 5e cable.

It supports high resolution video up to 1920x1080 and all widescreen formats. The CE790 also provides an OSD on both the transmitter and receiver units. The RS-232 serial ports allow users to connect to a serial terminal for configuration, or serial devices such as touchscreens and barcode scanners.

The CE790 is priced at Rs. 42,750.

LAVA Mobiles Launch KKT-24 Dual SIM Handset

Lava has launched its new phone KKT-24. The KTT-24 is another Dual SIM handset to hit the Indian market and the trend seems to be going exponentially with a variety of new companies getting on the band wagon.

The KKT-24 features -

• 2 inch screen
• Dual stereo speaker
• Digital camera
• FM radio with recording facility.
• Video Player
• One touch music player.
• Conversation recording facility.
• Led Torch.
• MicroSD card support up to 8GB

The company also claims that the handset is capable of offering users up to 10 hours of talk time and up to 30 days of stand-by.

The KKT-24 is available in red and black color options and priced at Rs. 3,750.

Google Debuts Experimental Image Serach Feature

Back in 2001, Google had made things a lot easier for the internet community to search for images via the Image Search option. According to the latest reports from the Official Google Blog, that service has been developing and one of the newer updates was called Similar Images which enabled users to find a larger variety of pictures according to what they were looking for. But theGoogle Labs have been buzzing some more and a new experimental feature that they’re testing, called Google Image Swirl, allows for research to cluster similar images into representative groups in a fun, exploratory interface.

The new search option allows you to further explore additional sub-groups within any cluster. It’s a wheel like design that’s easy on the eyes and simple to use. Image Swirl expands on technologies developed for Similar Images and Picasa Face Recognition to discern how images should be grouped together and build hierarchies out of these groups. Each thumbnail on the initial results page represents an algorithmically-determined representative group of images with similar appearance and meaning. These aren't just the most relevant images — they are the most relevant groups of images.

Image Swirl currently works for more than 200,000 queries and Google has plans to include more queries in the future. Available queries will auto-complete as you start to type in the search box, similar toGoogle Suggest.

Try out Google Image Swirl here.

RIM Security Chief Sees Smartphone Attacks on Horizon

Hackers could one day turn ordinary smartphones into "rogue" devices to attack major wireless networks, Research In Motion's security chief warned.

Scott Totzke, RIM's vice-president of BlackBerry security, said hackers could use smartphones to target wireless carriers using a technique similar to one used in assaults that slowed Internet traffic in the United States and South Korea in July. In what's known as a distributed denial of service, or a DDOS attack, criminals use phone signals to order tens of thousands computers to contact a targeted site repeatedly, slowing it or eventually crashing it. "I think that's an area of concern," Totzke said in an interview this week at the company's headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario. Totzke said a technique involving data packets might be used to bring down a wireless network, though hackers might accomplish that using a relatively small number of smartphones. Malicious software that could launch such attacks would likely come from applications that smartphone users install on their devices, said Kevin Mahaffey, chief technology officer at Flexilis, a mobile security software maker.

Flexilis researchers have already identified virus-tainted versions of popular smartphone applications such as Google Inc's Google Maps software and computer games. "These are not telephones anymore. These are computers. So people are going to have all the problems on their phones that they have on their computers," Mahaffey said. The best way to protect against such an attack is through regularly applying security patches, which smartphone makers such as RIM release as they identify potential security flaws in their devices, Totzke said.

GSMA Asia Mobile Awards 2009 - The Winners are...

The GSMA, which represents the interests of the worldwide communications industry, today announced the winners of the Asia Mobile Awards 2009, as well as the winners of the Mobile Innovation Grand Prix – Asia Tournament, which was contested this week at the Mobile Asia Congress in Hong Kong, China. The awards, hosted by TV presenter Janis Chan, were announced last night at the Mobile Asia Congress Networking Party and Awards Celebration at Hong Kong’s famed Happy Valley Racecourse.

The Asia Mobile Awards were created by the GSMA as a platform to showcase leadership and diversity for mobile content, products and services across Asia. Judged by a panel of independent analysts, journalists and industry experts, this year’s Awards attracted more than 100 entries from operators, vendors and the broad value chain from across the mobile industry that provideproducts and services that are commercially available in at least one Asian market. For the first time, this year’s winners will also be shortlisted for the Global Mobile Awards, which take place next year at the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

“We are delighted with the number of high quality entries we received for this year's Asian Mobile Awards and Mobile Innovation Grand Prix – Asia Tournament,” said Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board for the GSMA. “These awards reflect the strong growth of mobile communications in Asia - in the last year alone mobile connections in the region have risen by 370 million, and this growth is driven by innovative new services, applications and ever richer mobile content. These awards recognise the leaders, pioneers and innovators that are making this happen. Our congratulations tothe winners, and our thanks to all those who participated.”

The winners of the Asia Mobile Awards 2009 are:
Best Mobile Game
Gameloft for ‘Hero of Sparta’

Best Mobile Music Service
Singapore Telecom Mobile for ‘SingTel AMPed’

Best Mobile TV or Video Service
Telegent Systems for ‘Telegent Free-to-Air Mobile TV – TLG1120 Mobile TV Receiver’

Best Mobile Advertising or Marketing
Smart Communications and Unilever - AXE for ‘AXE on Phone’

Best Mobile Enterprise Application Product or Service
Orascom Telecom Bangladesh for ‘Banglalink Jigyasha’

Best Mobile Internet Service
Geodesic for ‘Mundu IM’

Best Mobile Money Service
Smart Communications for ‘Smart Money’s expanded mobile-based security feature for online purchases’

Mobile Money for the Unbanked Award
Smart Communications for ‘Smart Islands Activation Program (IAP)’

The Green Mobile Award
Grameenphone and Huawei for ‘Building a Greener Mobile Network’

Best Mobile Broadband Handset/Device
Nokia for N97 Mini

Samsung Spica to Come With DNSe2.0 and DivX

One of the biggest issues with the i7500 Galaxy, Samsung’s first attempt with the Android OS was that it lacked video codec support for DivX and XviD, something that the company has gotten us used to with other handsets. However, reports are in that the newer model, the Spica, that was only recently made official, will thankfully make watching videos a whole lot simpler as it’s going to be loaded with the appropriate codecs to accommodate most common video formats.

It will also feature Samsung’s DNSe 2.0 sound engine to enhance the Android’s already pretty good audio player’s capabilities. Here’s a quick look at the other features the handset will be equipped with -

• a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution
• 3G with HSDPA, EDGE/GPRS
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB
• GPS with A-GPS support, Geotagging
• 3 megapixel camera
• microSD card support (up to 32GB)
• 3.5mm earphone socket
• 800MHz CPU
  

So it won’t pack too much of internal memory like its predecessor but I’m more than willing to see that go in lieu of a better audio player and video support. The reduction in the camera’s pixel rate would also mean a reduction in price which could be just another good reason to hold out for this handset.

LG Launches GD900 Crystal

LG has launched the LG-GD900 Crystal, with a transparent, smart keypad. The LG-GD900 Crystal’s slide-down Crystal Touchpad first appears to just be an alphanumeric keypad, also it doubles as a touchpad for controlling the phone. It can be used like the trackpad on a laptop computer but also recognizes handwriting, responds to multi-touch commands and enables a new way of navigation called Gesture Command.

The Crystal Touchpad is completely transparent and illuminated with a soft glow. This scratch resistant design is made from tempered glass and reinforced by a band of liquid metal ensuring extended use. To launch a feature on the LG-GD900Crystal , one has to press the phone’s multitasking button and draw one of the 12 symbols on the keypad. Users can assign these symbols to any of the phone’s nine multitasking-enabled features.

An 8 megapixel AF camera and MP3 player round out the phone’s main features. It also packs in Wi-Fi, 3G, 3-inch WVGA full touch screen, Dolby Mobile enhanced sound and DVD resolution video recording amidst other key features. The handset has an internal memory of 1.5 GB and is expandable upto 16 GB.

“We wanted to give our consumers a super luxury experience and therefore, developed a handset that touts a gorgeous sliding keypad - the LG GD900 Crystal. The phone’s transparent touchpad feature adds to the personality of our consumers and gives gizmo geeks a wonderful reason to possess it. Not only this, we have made a creative use of hardware through Gesture Command that provides control via simple, on-screen finger movements. We are positive that our new handset will become a winning model of the year,” says Anil Arora, Business Group Marketing Head, Mobile Communications, LGEIL.

Priced at Rs. 26,000, the phone is available in Chrome and Titan color choices at all retail outlets across the country.

Sky Gazers Can Expect Celestial Fireworks Tonight

Sky gazers can look forward to an exhibition of celestial fireworks over the next two days as the night sky will be lit up by the Leonid meteor showers expected to peak Tuesday.

The Leonid showers, known for their outbursts over the period 1998-2002, are the most famous meteors observable during the year. Amateur astronomers in the capital can see about 100 to 300 shooting stars every hour for the next couple of days.

"People can watch out for the meteor showers during the early hours Tuesday and Wednesday. There will be fireballs in the sky," said N. Rathnashree, director of the Nehru Planetarium here.

Explaining the method to observe the meteorite, Rathnashree said, "Look up at the morning sky between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. and you could see beautiful fireworksin the sky as new moon is providing ideally-dark viewing conditions.

"You need a simple telescope to watch the meteor showers. People in the capital should move to the outskirts to have a clear look as morning skies these days are covered with fog," she said.

A meteor is commonly called a shooting star. These shooting stars can be seen on any night, but when the number of meteors is large, it is called a meteor shower.

Meteor showers occur when the earth crosses the cometary orbit. As comets move about their orbits they leave a stream of debris because dust and rocky material is liberated from its head as the ice vaporises.

"The meteor showers last for just a fraction of a few seconds before they are gone. Better keep a close look at the sky for the beautiful show," Rathnashree said.

The Leonids originate from a comet named Tempel-Tuttle, which makes a visit to the sun every 33 years. They get their name from the location of their radiant (the apparent point of their origin) in the constellation.

Beta Versions of Adobe AIR 2, Flash Player 10.1 Now Available

Adobe systems has announced the beta versions of Adobe Air 2 and Adobe flash player 10.1 for the Windows, Mac and linux operating systems. The new AIR 2 features include enhanced support for mass storage devices and native application processes, as well as peer-to-peer and UDP networking.

The Flash Player 10.1 leverages hardware decoding of H.264 video on Windows PCs, netbooks and mobile devices where available, to conserve battery life and deliver an 'exceptional' video playback experience.

Adobe AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1 also bring innovations and optimizations from mobile devices to the desktop. For example, designers and developers can now create entirely new types of applications that use multi-touch points and gestures on touch screen devices.

The Beta versions of Adobe Air 2 and Adobe Flash player 10.1 can be downloaded for free from Adobe Labs.

Home » News » Internet Internet & Software » Online Gangs Cashing in on Swine Flu Online Gangs Cashing in on Swine Flu

Criminal gangs are making millions of dollars out of the H1N1 flu pandemic by selling fake flu drugs over the internet, a web security firm said on Monday.

Sophos, a British security software firm said it had intercepted hundreds of millions of fake pharmaceutical spam adverts and websites this year, many of them trying to sell counterfeit antiviral drugs like Tamiflu to worried customers. Tamiflu, an antiviral marketed by Switzerland's Roche Holding and known generically as oseltamivir, is the frontline drug recommended by the World Health Organisation to treat and slow the progression of flu symptoms. GlaxoSmithKline makes another antiviral for flu, known as Relenza. Sophos said many of the gangs behind the sites were based in Russia and the top five countries buying fake Tamiflu and other medicines on the internet were the United States, Germany, Britain, Canada and France. Sophos spokesman Graham Cluley said a "worrying trend" towards stockpiling Tamiflu had already been seen in Britain - Europe's worst-hit country in the H1N1 pandemic so far. "As more and more cases of swine flu....come to light, it is essential that we all resist the panic-induced temptation to purchase Tamiflu online," he said. "The criminal gangs working behind the scenes at fake internet pharmacies are putting their customers' health, personal information and credit card details at risk."

The Geneva-based WHO, which declared H1N1 swine flu a pandemic in June, updated its guidance to doctors last week to say that antiviral drugs should be given even before tests conclude that an at-risk patient has the pandemic virus. Sophos said criminal gangs were operating medicines websites branded as the "Canadian Pharmacy" to try to appear genuine. It said its research showed that on one network operated out of Russia, called Glavmed, it was possible to earn an average of $16,000 a day promoting pharmaceutical websites. "But the criminals can be members of more than one affiliate network, and some have boasted of earning more than $100,000 per day," it said in a statement. The pandemic H1N1 flu virus has now spread to 206 countries since it was first discovered in March. There have been more than 6,250 deaths to date, mostly in the Americas region, according to the latest WHO toll.

Bowers & Wilkins Launches MM-1 PC Speakers

Loudspeaker company Bowers & Wilkins has announced its latest set of computer speakers, the MM-1, that consists of one 3-inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter, and a dedicated 18Watts amplifier. The tweeters feature B&W's Nautilus tube-loaded design claimed to dampen resonance and improve high-frequency sounds.

The speakers also integrate Digital Signal Processing (DSP) components to automatically adjust sound balance depending on the signal. Plus, the speakers can handle the DAC themselves when attached via USB. The MM-1 also integrates a specially designed headphone amp for headphone connections, plus there is an aux-in jack. The company lists a frequency response of -6dB at 57Hz and 22kHz. The MM-1 is geared for near-field listening from just a few feet away.

The MM-1 is expected to ship in February, no word on pricing yet.

Punjabi GPS system to boost farming in Indi

Agriculture in Punjab will get a major boost with a Canadian company introducing its GPS guidance system in the Punjabi language. The system will offer guidance in farming applications, including spraying, spreading, broad-acre tillage and seeding methods, the Calgary-based Hemisphere GPS company said Monday.

"The Punjabi Outback S-Lite recognises the Gurmukhi script (in which Punjabi is written) and is targeted at the Punjab state in the northernagriculture region, which is known for its larger farms compared to the rest of India," the Canadian company said.

Punjab has 46 million acres in cultivated land and India's largest farming tractor population. The state, which ushered the Green Revolution in India, produces about one percent of the world's rice and two percent of the world's wheat and cotton. It also has the highest per hectare fertilizer consumption in India, accounting for more than nine percent of the total fertilizer consumption in the country.

"The Outback S-Lite (in Punjabi) has both the features and the price point to compete in India's growing marketplace," said Mohamed Abousalem, vice president for marketing, Hemisphere GPS. "We acknowledge the tremendous opportunity that exists in India with the largest arable land after the US. We will continue to adapt our products to meet the needs of this and other growing markets," he said.

Apart from the Punjabi language, the Outback S-Lite guidance system also supports 20 other international languages.

Nvidia Takes 3D Vision Technology to Notebooks

Introduced earlier this year for desktop PCs, Nvidia 3D Vision technology has become quite a popular 3D solution for playing computer games, watching movies, or viewing photographs in full resolution stereoscopic 3D. Nvidia today, along with some of the world’s leading PC, notebook panel manufacturers and content developers, has announced the expansion of theNvidia 3D Vision ecosystem to include high-definition notebook platforms that integrate advanced 120Hz 3D Vision-capable displays directly into the chassis for on-the-go 3D.

“We are extremely excited about bringing the first Nvidia 3D Vision notebook to market,” said PC Wang, Corporate Vice President & General Manager, Notebook Business Unit, System Business Group at ASUS. “Nvidia and ASUS have a passion for gaming and cutting-edge technology, and this is another example of how great companies working together can deliver awesome new platforms to our combined customers.”

Nvidia 3D Vision technology is a combination of high-tech wireless glasses, a wide-range IR emitter and software that can transforms most PC games into full stereoscopic 3D experiences. More than 400 PC games work out of the box with Nvidia 3D Vision, and recent games such as Resident Evil 5, Borderlands, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Star Trek D-A-C are providing gamers with truly immersive gaming experiences, complete with additional 3D cut scenes and out-of-screen visual effects.

Nvidia has worked closely with display manufacturers, including CPT, LG, CMO, and Samsung, to bring state-of-the-art 120Hz 3D Vision-capable panels to notebook platforms. These new displays provide stellar 2D capability with crystal clear images, but also deliver flicker-free 3D, with support for high definition playback of 3D games, movies, and photographs.

“Nvidia 3D Vision is by far the most immersive, highest quality, full-resolution stereoscopic 3D technology available today." said Ryan Chung, Chief Director of Notebook Business Unit of CPT. “This is an exciting time for users, who will finally be able to see their games, movies and pictures with true 3D depth.”

LG and Samsung have also expressed their support of this technology and are designing the appropriate devices to support it. With notebook displays available, PC manufacturers are eager to bring 3D Vision notebooks to market. Notebooks will include the 120Hz 3D Vision-capable panel and bundle 3D Vision active-shutter glasses. ASUS is readying the first everNvidia 3D Vision notebook—the ASUS G51J 3D—for worldwide release in early December, followed by other OEMs in 2010, including Clevo and others.

ome » News » Games Gaming » COD: Modern Warfare 2 sells $550 mil in 5 days COD: Modern Warfare 2 sells $550 mil in 5 days

Activision Blizzard Inc announced that their game — "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" scored record sales of $550 million in its first five days, but the company is still concerned about weak consumer spending.

The game, a "first-person-shooter" that lets gamers portray elite soldiers hunting down targets in locations ranging from South America to Afghanistan, beat last year's blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto IV" from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc which sold more than $500 million in its first week.

Activision did not say how many units were sold in the period. Last week it said it sold 4.7 million copies for sales of $310 million on its first day in the U.S. and United Kingdom alone.

Analysts' sales estimates for the $60 game range from 11 million to 13 million units by the end of 2009. There is plenty at stake forActivision since "Call of Duty" is likely to account for a sizable chunk of the company's profits in the fourth quarter, analysts say.

Shares of the company, which have risen around 35 percent and outperformed chief rival Electronic Arts Inc's 11 percent gain, rose 5 cents in early trade on Wednesday to $11.74.

Still, chief executive Bobby Kotick was mindful of the weak economy, which has stung the video game industry this year as consumers think twice about buying game machines and software.

"Despite the success of 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2', Activision Blizzard remains cautious about the U.S. and global economy as well as other variables that can affect industry fundamentals and our own performance, includingconsumer spending which remains a significant concern, " he said in a statement.

Price cuts from home console makers Nintendo Co, Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp had been expected to help boost software sales since September, but have so far proven to have little affect on game sales.

Nokia Planning to go With Maemo in new N-series Devices

The latest word from Nokia is that it’s quite possible their N-Series handsets would be deviating from their usual Series 60 OS and instead incorporating Maemo. According to reports, the marketing team for Maemo mentioned that Nokia plans to adopt this new operating system for their N-series mobile range of multimedia handsets. They seemed quite sure that this is the new way to go after the N900 has made its appearance.

Having had a chance to see what it’s really like with the N900 at Nokia’s N-Tour-Age event here in Mumbai, I have to admit that it does make a certain amount of sense. However, would the regular S60 users be so quick to adopt the new OS without question? That’s a big question mark. It looks pretty good and quite user friendly on a large touchscreen enabled device and I’m quite curious to see how functional it’ll be on a smaller device without a touchscreen.

Log into our forums thread here and let us know what you think of Nokia’s decision to switch from S60 to the Maemo OS in their N-series devices.