SANDY TECHFANATIC

MUMBAI, India (AP) _ Police launched a massive manhunt in India's financial capital Tuesday, believing that the serial blasts that rocked the western Indian city of Ahmadabad over the weekend, killing 45 people, were hatched in a Mumbai suburb. Four cars used in the weekend bombings were stolen from in the suburb of Navi Mumbai "New Mumbai," police said.

Meanwhile, police on Tuesday found 10 unexploded bombs in Surat, a city 280 kilometers (175 miles) south of Ahmadabad, said H.P. Singh, a senior Ahmadabad police officer. Police defused seven of the bombs and were working on the other three, Singh said.

He offered no details on what kind of explosives were found and said the investigation was ongoing. Authorities were also investigating the computer of an American citizen living there to find out if an e-mail claiming responsibility for the attack was sent from it, or if unknown attackers accessed his wireless Internet connection.

Navi Mumbai police chief Ramrao Wagh told The Associated Press that police have fanned out across the city to find the car thieves. He said all four cars were stolen in early July.

"Once we find the people who stole the cars, it will give us further clues about the blasts," he said. On Tuesday, Ahmadabad police said that after sifting through the blast scenes it appeared that 22 separate bombs exploded on Saturday, killing 42 people and wounding 183.

The death toll was lowered from the 45 originally reported due to several cases being reported twice amid the confusion, said Singh. Singh said two of the stolen vehicles had been used as car bombs in the attack, while two others had been discovered filled with explosives in Surat, a diamond-polishing hub.

Police issued a sketch of a young man believed to be linked to one of the cars in Surat, Singh said. Police were also investigating the computers belonging to Kenneth Haywood, a 48-year-old American citizen from California.

They seized his computer Monday after tracing an e-mail claiming responsibility for the attack to the machine. Police said Tuesday that Haywood was not a suspect and it appeared the bombers had accessed his wireless network connection to send the e-mail.

"He has never been detained, but we have called on him and questioned him as part of the investigation," said Parambir Singh, a senior officer in the Anti-Terrorism Squad. "He has said his e-mail ID was hacked and evidence we have gathered shows that his network was used to forward the mail.

" Singh said anyone on the two floors below Haywood's 15th floor apartment could have accessed his network. The Hindustan Times newspaper quoted Haywood, a manager at the consultancy company Campbell White, as saying that the telephone technician who set up his Internet connection had insisted he not change his default password.

An obscure Islamic militant group took credit for the Ahmadabad attack. "In the name of Allah the Indian Mujahideen strike again! Do whatever you can, within 5 minutes from now, feel the terror of Death!" said an e-mail from the group sent to several Indian television stations minutes before the blasts began.

The e-mail's subject line said "Await 5 minutes for the revenge of Gujarat," an apparent reference to 2002 riots in the western state that left 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead. The historic city of Ahmadabad was the scene of much of the 2002 violence.

Police said they believe the bombers used Navi Mumbai as the headquarters to plan the attack because it was a nondescript suburb and their activities would likely go undetected. Attackers "try to find hideouts in suburbs," Wagh said.

"They try to find places and set up hideouts near a (city) but a distance away." Navi Mumbai is a quiet suburb to the north of Mumbai that over the past two years has become a popular destination for call-center and back-office operations of multinational companies.

India has been hit repeatedly by bombings in recent years. Nearly all have been blamed on Islamic militants who allegedly want to provoke violence between India's Hindu majority and Muslim minority, although officials rarely offer hard evidence implicating specific groups.

___ Associated Press reporter Matthew Rosenberg contributed to this report from Ahmadabad.

One of the most debatable topics on the net is up for debate, yet again. Yes, we are talking browsers, the pieces of software that are everybody’s gateway to the mystical world of The Web. And which run into long pages of rants on various forums online.

All the 3 major browsers, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Mozilla Foundations Firefox and Opera Software’s Opera are going through an upgrade cycle. The beta versions are out and today we shall see what to expect from them.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1

I would be lying if I were to say that I wasn’t surprised at such an early upgrade. I mean, IE6 was around for donkey’s years before the boffins at MS decided that it was time for IE7. Appearance wise, there is little that has changed, but the way pages are handled have. IE finally looks to be following all the web standards quite competently. But all this doesn’t really seem to increase performance at all. It still seems fairly sluggish, but then this is an early Beta and IE 8 gets the benefit of doubt from me.

With that safely tucked away, we have some cool new features like Activities (select text, and it’ll give you options to do something with it. Like search on a map or on any search engine) and WebSlices (MS speak for a spruced up version of RSS feeds. Only eBay and Facebook support this, as of now), an improved phishing filter and auto crash recovery. Oh boy, IE needs this one. All said and done, IE 8 is a step in the right direction.

IE8 Beta 1 Changelog

Download IE8

Mozilla FireFox 3 Beta 5

This is the browser that gave Microsoft the heebie-jeebies and for good reason. It was small, fast, infinitely customizable and best of all, it was open source. And given the Mozilla Foundations marketing muscle, the browser spread like wildfire and replaced the shoddy IE 6 on many a computer.

In the latest Beta, Mozilla seems to have addressed tons of performance issues and it does seem faster than the older one. They have also added a load of personal features which allows you to organize your favorites better. The address bar also allows you to search page titles, in case you forgot the name of ‘that’ website which sold salted peanuts.

My only gripe is that it takes a relatively long time to start up. I hope this will be fixed in the final version.

Mozilla Firefox 3 Beta 5 Changelog

Download Firefox 3 Beta 5

Opera 9.5 Beta 2

I have been an Opera fan boy for as far as I can remember and have been using it since version 6. It’s always been ahead of its times and was the first browser to offer tabbed browsing. It also offers a mail client, bit torrent support, mouse gestures, widgets, themes apart from offering the old lady to cross the road, even if she doesn’t want to. Its claim to fame however was of being “The world’s fastest Internet browser”, which was a conclusion reached by many a tech magazine and website.

In the latest version, Opera offers better a completely search-able database of all your goddamned visited pages. Yes, even the content is indexed which is accessible from the address bar. There is little that it did not have in the first place, to be improved in the newer version. Though, there are lots of performance enhancements to keep you happy.

Opera 9.5 Beta 2 Changelog

Download Opera 9.5 Beta 2

I would have loved to do some performance testing, but since only Firefox is in the final stages of the Beta, it will, quite obviously, ace all tests. IE seems to lagging far behind in the script test, a bit too much for comfort, actually. So, we shall wait till the final versions of all the 3 browsers are released and we shall have a bigger Web 2.0 battle.

Till then, happy surfing.

Sun, Jul 27 04:07 PM

By Alistair Scrutton and Bappa Majumdar

NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) - India's major cities were put on high alert on Sunday, with fears of more attacks after at least 46 people were killed in two days of bombings that hit Ahmedabad and Bangalore.

At least 16 bombs exploded in the Indian city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state on Saturday, killing at least 45 people and wounding 161, a day after another set of blasts in Bangalore killed a woman.

Two more unexploded bombs were found in the city of Surat on Sunday, one of the world's biggest diamond-polishing centres, police said.

A little-known group called the "Indian Mujahideen" claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad attack on Saturday. The same group said it carried out bomb attacks that killed 63 people in Jaipur in May.

It is unusual for any group to claim responsibility, but India says it suspects militant groups from Pakistan and Bangladesh are behind a wave of bombings in recent years, with targets ranging from mosques and Hindu temples to trains.

"The entire nation, including major metro cities in India, have been put on high alert and they have been asked to step up security in vital installations," a home ministry spokesman said.

In New Delhi, police used loudspeakers and distributed leaflets in crowded market places, warning people to watch out for unclaimed baggage and suspicious objects. Police guarded Hindu temples in the eastern city of Kolkata.

There were two separate series of bombings in Ahmedadad, the first near busy market places. A second quick succession of bombs went off 20 to 25 minutes later around a hospital, where at least six people died, police said. All were detonated with timers.

"I came with my two children to cheer up my mother admitted to hospital," said Pankaj Patel, whose son Rohan and daughter Pratha were killed at Ahmedadad hospital. "They were laughing when the blast occurred. Now they are dead."

Two doctors were killed in the hospital in a blast in which at least one bomb was tied onto a gas cylinder. Charred motorcycles and bicycles were shown outside. TV showed victims writhing in pain and covered in blood on hospital floors.

The other bombs were in Ahmedabad's crowded old city dominated by its Muslim community. Many of the bombs were packed into metal tiffin boxes, used to carry food, and stuffed with ball-bearings. Some were left on bicycles.

Police found two unexploded bombs in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The state government ordered the closure of all shops, cinemas and markets on Sunday and told people to stay indoors.

Ahmedabad is the main city in the communally sensitive and relatively wealthy western state of Gujarat, scene of deadly riots in 2002 in which 2,500 people are thought to have died, most of them Muslims killed by rampaging Hindu mobs.

Ahmedabad and Bangalore are in states ruled by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and are among the country's fastest-growing.

Gujarat's Chief Minister Narendra Modi is one of India's most controversial politicians, accused of turning a blind eye to the Gujarat riots.

MUSLIM BACKLASH?

Some analysts say there is evidence of local Muslim groups, for years seen as unaffected by the rise of global Islamist militancy, of taking up violence against India, where they are a poor and often neglected minority. They might be getting training and financial backing from Pakistan or Bangladesh.

"Over the last few years, the dissatisfaction among Indian Muslims has hitched onto the wagon of the global/regional jihad," said C. Uday Bhaskar, a security analyst and former director of New Delhi's Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

"If you have 150 million Muslims in India, only 0.01 percent of that figure would mean a militant nucleus of 15,000 people."

Police raided one house in Mumbai where they believe e-mails from the Indian Mujahideen were linked, local media reported.

India's home ministry said on Friday it suspected "a small militant group" was behind the Bangalore blasts, while some police officials suspected the attack could be the work of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India.

Some IT companies in Bangalore, known as India's Silicon Valley, were increasing security. Each bomb had a similar explosive force to one or two grenades.

The city is a prominent software development centre and is also home to a major outsourcing industry.

(Additional reporting by Rupam Jain Nair in Ahmedabad)

Here we have it folks, an exclusive on the iPhone's availability in India. When, how much, what features, software -- everything you ever wanted to know about the iPhone 3G in India! We know you want to get to the meat of the matter, so without further ado, here's what you need to know:

> iPhone 3G Availability: Vodafone to have a 15 day launch advantage (available August '08 through Vodafone, and late Aug/September '08 through Airtel)
> Model: Initially, the 8GB version only

> Price: Rs. 11,500 to Rs. 12,000 (note: U.S. price of the 8GB iPhone 3G is $199)

> Applications: App Store will be available

> App prices: Application prices may see a revision to suit Indian market

> 3G: No fixed date for 3G availability; expected sometime later this year

> GPS: Present on the Indian version as well

> Grey-market availability: Almost nowhere to be seen. One store expects to sell it next week at Rs. 50,000

Scroll down for the rest of the story.



While we all await the release of the iPhone 3G in India, some questions are pressing. In many ways, the iPhone is a platform - a means and a tool to unlock far greater features through new and sundry software. Until recently, the only means of installing software not produced by Apple was through illegal avenues. Now though, with the launch of the App Store, Apple has brought third-party software under a legal umbrella. Thus, the first question is this: will we, in India, get access to the same App Store that the people in the U.S. and other western countries enjoy? Further, would pricing be in Rupees or would we need to pay in Dollars? What about 3G - a feature so central to the iPhone that it's part of its name, its identity - will the iPhone be released along with 3G coverage?

To put it simply, will the iPhone offer the same value proposition in India, as it does abroad? We try and answer some of these burning questions here in this TechTree exclusive.

We contacted the necessary parties at Apple, Vodafone and Airtel - the latter being iPhone's official carriers in India - to get the required answers. While Apple and Vodafone were tight-lipped about release details, we struck gold with Airtel. Our source at Airtel, who wishes to remain anonymous, gave us valuable insight. Most of it, good news.

According to our source, the iPhone 3G will bring along most of the software goodies that are available in the West. In fact, the source went on to add, some of the features will be customized to suit the Indian tariff. The source confirmed that we would also be able to purchase software from the App Store with a possibly of a revised price for the Indian consumer, quickly adding that the price revision is not set in stone.



Let's move on to the meat of the matter - when will the iPhone be available in India?

When I last spoke to our source from Airtel, I was told that the iPhone 3G launch was scheduled for the 25th of August, with the caveat that the date may be pushed to early September for supply reasons. Apparently, the number of pre-orders for the iPhone have exceeded the initial product allotment by Apple.

Interestingly, our source from Airtel confirmed that Vodafone will be the first to introduce the iPhone 3G in India, with a 15-day launch advantage over Airtel, thanks to Vodafone's global tie-ups. If we are to believe Airtel, Vodafone should introduce the iPhone 3G by end of August at least. That's only a month from now!

So does this mean Vodafone will get to gorge on the subscription of maximum number of iPhone-hungry Indians due to the company's first-in-line advantage? Is the iPhone 3G is likely to become a "Vodafone product"?

One would obviously like to think so, but Airtel differs on this aspect. Our source assertively stated that Vodafone hasn't been able to create the kind of impact on the prospective iPhone buyers as Airtel has with its aggressive marketing. The latter added, "We will make sure we don t downplay them (Vodafone), but we will create an impact of our own."



There has been a lot of speculation over the price of the iPhone. Initially, only the 8 GB version of the iPhone 3G will be officially launched in India. The handset is expected to cost between Rs. 11,500 and Rs. 12,000, says our source. Compare this to the $199 price tag of the 8GB version in the U.S, and it's obvious that India is once again going to feel the import-duty pinch. Moreover, this price does not include the data plan costs that a user will have to bear every month, the details of which will only be out by the 15th of August, our source indicated. There are still deliberations being made on the specifics of the plan, we were told.

If you want the iPhone 3G right away, you need to look to the grey market. The scene there isn't all rosy though, with rumors flying of Airtel and Vodafone clamping down on parallel imports. The market-reality seemed to lend credence to these rumors as most vendors we contacted told us that the iPhone (old model or new) was unavailable for purchase. One Mr. Munshi Adnan, owner of a shop called "Gadgets" at Heera Panna, in Mumbai, promises to offer the iPhone 3G next week. He claimed to have it around July 28th, and quoted a princely sum of Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 50,000!



While all of the above is largely good news, the bad news comes in the garb of the key feature: 3G. Nobody seemed willing to place a date on 3G availability in India, the arrival of which is still a rather nebulous 'sometime late this year'. We have a bad feeling about this. Our source did confirm though that GPS (a feature through which the iPhone 3G can track your location) would be a present in the Indian avatar of the Apple iPhone 3G.

So there you have it! Mostly good news for those of us who have waited for the release date of this product.

What are your thoughts on the price, the model, the software availability, the lack of clarity on 3G? Let us know by typing out your comment below.

Motorola has announced the launch of the 3G MOTORAZR V9 Ferrari Special Edition in India. We heard about this handset a while back and personally, although the price is way out of my league I’m happy that Motorola decided to launch the handset in the Indian market so quickly. The MOTORAZR V9 Ferrari comes with 2 large color screens, internal and external and employs Motorola’s CrystalTalk technology which should deliver call clarity even in noisy environments. The handset also supports USB 2.0 and stereo Bluetooth.

"The MOTORAZR2 V9 Ferrari Special Edition represents Motorola's passion for innovation and design, and is the first co-branded Motorola mobile phone for the Indian consumer" said Faisal Siddiqui, Director, Product & Solutions, India & SWA, Motorola Mobile Devices. "MOTORAZR2 V9 Ferrari is a true object of desire for the car racing enthusiast and helps make a differentiated style statement. Calling all Ferrari fans to go to a MOTOSTORE or a premium store near you and experience the MOTORAZR2 V9 Ferrari."

The mark of the Ferrari is depicted in the MOTORAZR V9 by the metallic finish with black vacuum, the flag quadriculada and the details in red. This special series of MOTORAZR V9 Ferrari includes exclusive content such as screensavers, wallpapers and ringtones. The handset also comes with an integrated 2 megapixel digital camera with 8x zoom, wireless broadband with 3G HSDPA, EDGE/GPRS Class 10 & 12, video streaming, video capture and playback. You can use MOTO BACKUP, MOTO SETUP and MOTO TEXT to store your contacts and messages.


The V9 Ferrari Special Edition is available at MOTOSTOREs, MOTOSTORE Lites and select premium retail outlets across the country at a price of Rs. 21,840 (MRP). It comes with a 2GB memory card, an exclusive signature Ferrari leather case and a stereo headset. The MOTORAZR V9 Ferrari Special Edition was available exclusively for the first week at The MobileStore outlets in India.

With the iPhone's phenomenal success and its 3G model creating waves, rumors of a MacBook Touch is bound to happen. After all, since the iPod line from Apple has also received the touch treatment, why not the MacBook? Word has it that such a device will be out this October, featuring the similar multi-touch format found on the iPhone and its 3G version. It will be powered by the full Mac OS X so that you won't miss out on any functionality. Well, I can't confirm this rumor at press time, but I surely will be able to wait till October to see if this post holds any water or not. What do you think?

The Tx54 is a concept for a translucent watch to be worn of your thumbnail. No kidding. Displaying a timer, clock and calendar as well as color for the displayed text and the translucent feature which allows this watch to blend in completely into your nail unless activated and to add to that, it’s also disposable. Now, that makes it handy. Designed by Timex and Core77, this watch made runner-up at the global watch design competition. Remember… it’s a concept.

Though watches with USB storage are becoming quite common (if not popular), here’s one USB watch that is rather different. The Timeless Watch has a strap that looks like it was made out of an IDE ribbon cable from inside a PC, and the clasp is actually a USB connector. The watch also seems to get its juice from the standard USB port. Aside from that, the watch looks to function like any other basic watch. If you’re interested in getting this, you’re probably out of luck, as it’s currently just a design concept, though you can probably find a similar cable inside your computer to start building one of your own.

Hasselblad has announced its new H3DII-50, a monster of a camera whichever way you measure it.
The new flagship model features a 50MP, 36×48mm Kodak sensor, which is twice the size of a full frame 35mm DSLR sensor. Confusingly, the product page says that the camera captures 300MB files, but the downloadable pdf says that the RAW files are just 65MB. Even at that size, you’ll only squeeze 30 frames onto a 2GB (Compact Flash) memory card.
Otherwise, the H3DII-50 is built for comfort, not speed. With a top shutter speed of 1/800 sec, an ISO range of 50 to 400 (boostable to ISO 800 with the included Phocus software) and a capture rate of one frame per second, this is clearly a studio camera.
The price and release date are still unknown, but don’t expect it to be cheap. The next model down in the range, the H3DII-39, is listed at just shy of $40,000.

Featuring Kodak’s 50 Mpixel 36×48mm sensor, which measures, twice the physical size of the largest 35mm DSLR sensors, the H3DII-50 camera system has been specially designed to meet the most exacting demands of high-end commercial photographers who require the ultimate in both image quality and performance.

Big Just Got Bigger
Providing a hereto unseen level of image detail, the H3DII-50 camera system provides unprecedented resolution, making it ideal for commercial shooters who demand ultimate image resolution or for any extremely discerning photographer who demands both creative flexibility and ultimate image quality.
In addition to the increased resolution, the new sensor also provides the foundation for the development of advanced lens performance and optical corrections. By providing a true integrated DSLR experience in a Medium Format camera, the H3DII-50 enables photographers to combine the full benefits of professional medium-format digital capture with the ease-of-use found in the best 35mm DSLRs.
Setting a new standard for digital photographic quality
The H3DII-50 represents the 4th generation of the Hasselblad H-system, the ultimate high-end DSLR camera system. The H3DII-50 brings all the advantages of a truly integrated DSLR to the large sensor format, enabling all photographic parameters to be optimized and resulting in an unsurpassed level of image quality. The H3DII-50 provides improved controls and functionality, better sensor cooling, a new and more intuitive user interface, and a bright, 3” display.
Achieving superior image quality with modern digital photography means finding a way to get the most from camera hardware, advanced optics, massive sensors, processing software, and the computing power of today’s computers. The H3DII’s unprecedented interaction between the various system components combine with increased lens performance and an unprecedented level of image sharpness to outperform any professional digital camera system on the market today, delivering outstanding pixel resolution, better colors, and improved detail rendering.

Your Vision, Your Choice
The H3DII-50 camera system is made for the high-end commercial photographer with high demands on both ultimate image quality and flexibility. With the H3DII-50 you can choose between eye-level and waist-level viewfinders, the choice of combining point–and–shoot and tilt/shift functions, the ability to work tethered and un-tethered to get the most of your camera system both on location and in the studio, choice of storage medium and image processing system, and much more.
With its unique large and bright viewfinders, its wide range of HC and HCD lenses, matching the best of Hasselblad icon lenses from Carl Zeiss, and its wide choice of accessories the H3DII-50 is an ideal camera choice for a professional photographer.

Never Settle for “Good Enough”
The H3DII-50 combines the advanced digital communication and optimization of the best DSLRs with the quality and versatility of the Hasselblad system. The H3DII-50 represents the combination of decades of photographic expertise, a keen understanding of digital photography, and the experience we gained from developing the world's most advanced camera system. Hasselblad has always been motivated by a true passion for photography. Our tradition has always been one of innovation, advance, and unflagging dedication to quality. At Hasselblad, we will never settle for “good enough”. So photographers won’t have to do so either.

Ultimate DSLR Advantage

Integrated 50 Mpix capture units with 3” display

Ultra-Focus: integral optimization of digital lens performance

Hasselblad Natural Color Solution

Integrated CCD cooling sink for lower noise

Direct ISO/WB control

Thumbwheel control of digital menus

GPS accessory option

Full Digital APO Correction for improved image sharpness and detail

Ultimate Flexibility

Market’s most versatile lens program

Choice of eye-level or waist-level viewfinders

Field FW upgrade of H3D camera

Choice of media: CF card - Image Bank II

Easy sensor cleaning

View camera option

Un-tethered and tethered operation

Hasselblad 3FR raw - or DNG export

Kingston has just released its 15GB DataTraveler 400 USB flash drive, and this model comes pre-loaded with MigoSync data synchronization software. You will be able to work with different computers simultaneously by directly synchronizing files, e-mail and Internet browser settings onto the drive. With 16GB of storage space, rest assured you won't run out of capacity anytime soon if all you deal with are regular office documents. Other features include the integrated SecureTraveler software that enables a Privacy Zone, where a password-protected area helps keep your data sae. Each $196 purchase is backed by a 5-year warranty and round the clock technical support.

In this age of mobile wizardry, anything is possible. You could watch TV on your mobile, use two SIM cards simultaneously, and still walk away with no dent in your wallet. While mobile phones also have a fair share of knock-offs, or 'clones' as we like to call them, there are plenty of handsets that aren’t clones and yet deliver in the features department. We know these as the nameless ‘Chinese Mobiles’. I managed to get hold of some and tested them for you.

I may not be able to give you too much by way of detail about the handsets themselves, but I can tell you what they essentially offer and how good they are. Those of you who aren’t aware of their prices (which is unlikely since they’ve pretty much flooded the market) please listen up. All the handsets I've tested in this feature are priced under Rs 10,000 (they range anywhere between Rs 5,500 and Rs 9,000).

V323

The V323 mobile is a rather bulky handset and heavy too. But it has a superbly clear 3-inch touchscreen display that’s great for watching videos and TV, if you have the reception. The interface looks identical to Nokia Symbian interface handsets, so navigation should be easy for Nokia users... or just about anybody. The interface is a little bit slow though. The phone supports analog TV, but unfortunately I couldn’t get decent reception anywhere and all I saw was a lot of static.

The V323 comes equipped with a 1.3MP camera (with plenty of settings) and the image quality isn’t too bad. There various features, including a pretty good media player and an FM radio, in addition to regular stuff like a converter, calendar for schedules and appointments etc. The best thing about the V323 is that it supports dual SIM cards, both GSM. It’s a bit tricky figuring out messaging and calling the numbers stored on the SIMs, but poking around helps. Both SIMs are simultaneously active and incoming calls from the second SIM will simply have a ‘(2)’ attached to the callers name. You can switch off either SIM if you wish. The V323 also supports external memory.

TV01

If you thought the iPhone was the big daddy of cell phones, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. I’m not referring to the handset in technological terms and calling it that, but more in terms of its size, especially with its external battery pack that includes an additional speaker. It’s unfortunate that the company that designed this handset with the external additional pack has given those annoying individuals who play their mobile music in the train some rather heavy artillery.

This handset also supports analog TV with pretty good pickup. Don’t expect to get crystal clear reception, but the image quality is okay and so is the sound. The external pack has a little stand to prop up the handset. The TV01 supports dual SIM cards too, but as far as I could tell, both are not simultaneously active, though there is a dedicated button to switch between the two. This handset has a large touchscreen interface that supports quite a high resolution. The interface is quite catchy and easy to navigate, with the five-way nav-pad or the stylus. Feature-wise the TV01 is quite well equipped with multimedia, a 1.3MP camera and the relevant features that all mobile handsets come with including alarms, calendar, notes etc. External memory is supported via microSD cards.

In the image that you see alongside, do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?? Well, some might see it as clockwise while others might see it the other way. Yeah, hard to believe that she could also be spinning the other way eh? But she actually can do that. (If you don’t see her spinning at all, please reload the page).

If you saw her go clockwise, your right half of the brain domiates the left half and the other way round if you see her going anticlockwise. The ‘Left Brain’ people and the ‘Right Brain’ people are said to have some characteristic features. Different studies have proved slightly varying results. One such set of characteristics can be found here.

If you stare at the image, you sooner or later begin to doubt it’s authenticity. At one point of time you feel her switch directions. What’s even more notable is that if you get a bunch of people to stare at it for a while all of em will feel her switch at the very same time! Somethings fishy, right? But it should not be. If you notice, the pic is just a completely black figure. What I mean by completely black is that you don’t get to see the third dimension i.e. depth. So you can’t actually conclude whether the raised foot goes behind the other foot (thus anti-clk) or in front of it (thus clk).

Show this post to people around you and get their say on it. I’d really love to hear your opinions on this one. Comment whether you see her rotating clockwise or anti-clockwise. Tell me if you think this is fake.

If you have been using your comp for a while now, your desk too might be scattered with CDs like mine. Here’s a video that will demonstrate how to make neat looking CD covers in a flash. You just need some paper and a sissors. Check it out:

An added dose of creativity always helps. Print out cool looking labels and stick em to the back of the covers. Use different colours to quick sort your CDs/DVDs into categories. Use these when handing out CDs to friends. Will definitely make you look a tad cooler!

Cooll Paper Cd Case !!! Flower Design ..... - video powered by Metacafe

Matrix - For Real...Joe Eigo - A funny movie is a click away

One of those videos that make you feel, “Wish I could do that!”.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Bandra Worli Sea Link will be an 8-lane, cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete viaduct approaches, which will link Bandra and the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli and central Mumbai, and is the first phase of the proposed West Island Freeway system. The Rs.1306 crore project of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is being executed by Hindustan Construction Company and is likely to be completed by December 2008. The Sea Link will enable speedy travel between Bandra and Worli.

Project Benefits / Other Features

• Estimated savings in Vehicle Operating Costs (VOC): Rs. 100 Crores per annum.
• Considerable savings in travel time (20 to 30 minutes) due to increased speed and reduced delays (23 signals avoided)
• Stress free driving.
• Reduced accidents.
• Reduction in traffic on existing roads because of traffic diversion to the Sea Link. *
• Reduction in Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Oxide Levels in Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Worli along existing roads.
• Reduced noise pollution in Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Worli along existing roads.
• No adverse effect on fisheries, marine life and livelihood of fisherman.
• Landscaping along the approaches and waterfront promenade will enhance the environment and add green spots to the city.
• Mumbai gets a new landmark.

lets hope for the benefits........:P

Why So Serious? asks the principal villain The Joker in the latest Batman movie to hit the screens this weekend - The Dark Knight. One would think that with the facial make-up of a clown & a nickname as the joker, the character would be funny, witty & sarcastic. Dead Wrong. TDK’s The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, is one of the darkest villains one can remember in an English flick and certainly THE best villain in a comic-book movie. If Salim-Javed were the scriptwriters for this one, I’m sure they’d have included a line like Sholay - sojaa warna Joker aajayega (sleep well or The Joker will get ya!).

I’m not gonna bore you with the plot details (if you still wanna know, see here). In a nutshell, its the same ol’ Good Vs. Bad battle but this time, the bad is certainly more determined and badder than ever. The movie has a constant dark undertone to it (something the Spiderman movies went through in the 3rd part) and then there’s the whole gamut of endurance and making the best choice - the right one and the night’s darkest just before dawn!!! IMO it betters Batman Begins as the best Batman movie - counting even the older ones.

And though every review I’ve read is saying so, I’ll repeat it again - the Late Heath Ledger is marvelous as The Joker. He’s menacing, psychotic, crass and & even funny at times. His brazenness, lack of morals, cunningness filled plans (though he brags that he hates plans) is excellent. I haven’t seen his earlier movies nor remember much of Jack Nicholson’s portrayal as the joker but Ledger’s is first rate. Another first rate performance comes from Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two Face. He’s Gotham’s White Knight as opposed to Batman being the dark one. Dent’s transformation is quite graphic and Eckhart puts in a fine performance while at it. Christian Bale is commendable though he seems less intense than in the first part. His “Bruce Wayne” is less in the spotlight this time around. ‘Sacrifice’ becomes his motto….’Endurance’ his mantra. He’s ‘Of Gotham, for Gotham’, even if it means losses…costly losses. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are good in their respective advisory roles as Alfred and Lucius Fox. Gary Oldman has a more meatier role as Lieutenant Gordon and he does a commendable job as well. I liked Katie Holmes better as Rachel Dawes than Maggie Gyllenhaal who isn’t as feisty & torn-between as Katie was in BB.

Story and Screenplay is where it drags a bit. I confess I shall have to see it a second time to understand some of the plots/sub-plots. Another gripe is the length. At close to thee hours, its long maybe by half-an-hour. There’s a whole lot of mobile mumbo-jumbo that is too complex to understand and which forms an important part in the climax. Wish they’d have kept that simpler. Action and stunt sequences are top notch. The entire Hong Kong sequence is unbelievably good. Ditto the….err…umm…..”incident” towards the latter part of the second half. A huge crash involving huge rigs and 16-wheelers is mind-blowing (it puts the entire firetruck -crane sequence of Terminator III into the shade). The Joker’s ‘well-laid-but-unplanned-or-so-he-says-traps’ are clever, if somewhat convoluted and hard-to-get. The Movie has lesser gizmos this time around but there’s the Batmobile, which turns into the Batcruiser Batpod. Director and co-writer Christopher Nolan may have nailed this as one of the best-ever comic-book movie and if the box office returns are anything near to the pre-release hype, then we may well have a Smash Hit movie on our hands.

Pluses: Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two Face, The twists ‘n turns, Evil triumphs, but a sacrifice makes it look like the loser.
Minuses: Length, some hi-tech stuff, too many crazy sub-plots, few unbelievable happenings.

courtesy: Rediff & Wikipedia

HTC makes handsets for most of the major handset companies and was the first to introduce to finger gestures in the Touch. The Diamond takes things to the next level. With a fast-ass 528Mhz processor (which, BTW, is faster than the first PC I owned), a big-ass 2.8 inch screen, improved jaw drop inducing graphics, 4GB of internal storage and a turn by turn sat-nav guide, this one sure is a killer.

WillitBlend.com has this uncanny knack of putting ‘things’ in the mixer blender. So what? Even your mom does it every day, huh? Well, if you look at their past videos you’ll know. In their recent past, the ‘things’ have been a tv remote, an elderly guy’s hearing aid, a Nintendo Wii remote, a Rhubic’s cube… and the latest thing to be blended - the new Apple Iphone 3G!!!

I have to warn you guys, this is not for the weak hearted!

You know what I loved most about WALL-E? The fact that they were able to take situations quotidian in regular movies, TV shows, and real life, and effortlessly work them into a story about a robot with limited verbal ability. The movie isn’t completely devoid of humans, but the focus is squarely on WALL-E and the issues that are raised in the story.

If you haven’t seen the movie and/or don’t want to know what it’s about, I’d advise you to skip the following paragraph.

WALL-E is a waste accumulation robot that’s left behind on Earth after humans evacuated it due to garbage and environmental problems - NYC’s garbage dumps are as tall as the skyscrapers. Sadly for WALL-E, the last humans forgot to turn it off before they left. To make things worse, the humans have been gone for 700+ years and basically, no life forms survive anymore. They abandoned the planet to live aboard a humongous spacecraft called the AXIOM. There’s something about the name that is meant to be funny (I think), but I can’t seem to put my finger on it. The humans periodically send out search bots to look for signs of life on Earth. On one such mission, a search bot called EVE catches WALL-E’s attention…and a small plant that becomes essential to the events that follow. The story does take a bit of a predictable turn once WALL-E flies off to the AXIOM after his gal EVE, but it manages to stay charming and funny nonetheless. The movie offers a gloomy, post-apocalyptic Earth that is quite scary to say the least. Even with the huge spoiler-fest that has been this last paragraph, I won’t reveal what happens at the end. However, I thought that the end-credits were quite well-done.

Pixar has always been the leader when it comes to animation technology and it’s no surprise that WALL-E features some of the best animation you’ll see. Everything moves very smoothly and WALL-E looks stunningly realistic. The attention to detail is astounding, even when the screen is full of several objects and people. I have to say that EVE is bit too glossy for my liking, but hey, I won’t hold that against Pixar. The kids will love the movie for all the goofiness and funny moments. The adults should love it for how deep the story goes and the issues it brings up - the consequences of uncontrolled capitalism or what would happen if we keep glossing over the problems that plague us today. Since dialogue is limited, the makers use actions and sound to convey emotions and to move the story along. It’s quite amazing how well they accomplish this and it lends the movie tremendous emotional appeal.

To summarize, I would highly recommend this movie, regardless of how old you are. At the risk of sounding trite, let me say that there is something to satisfy everyone here. It’s funny, charming, and endearing at the same time. In the end, the movie is about the basic need for companionship and requitement. I will definitely be watching this movie again, whether on IMAX or when it comes out on DVD.

P.S.: As always, the funny short before the actual movie was hilarious. They took a very simple gag and went super-crazy with it. Make sure you don’t miss it!

We have seen the N95 evolve and take on a new skin, some design alterations, and a load of memory. It did fairly well in both guises. Next we got a glimpse of the N96, touted as the next best thing. But in my opinion the next best thing to launch soon after the N95 was the N82. I’ve been waiting to see what Nokia would do with a different version of this handset. I think the N78 is it, so here’s what I have to say.

Form Factor
This candy bar handset is not particularly sleek or slim but it does have a certain something that makes it rather eye-catching. Its all-black, glossy faceplate may be a magnet for fingerprints and dust, but when it’s clean... that’s a whole 'nother story.

The N78 has a large 2.4 inch TFT display, above which is the secondary camera for video calls. As in the N81 and N96, the N78 uses Nokia’s touch-sensitive Navi Wheel feature not just for the multimedia display (dedicated key located next to the Navi Wheel) but for the entire menu system navigation. The keypad may look really small and the keys clustered, but it’s not a problem using it at all.

On one side of the N78 is the USB port, microSD card slot, and the charging port. The dedicated camera key and volume/zoom control keys are located on the other side. The N78 also has stereo speakers located on either side. The 3.2 megapixel camera with a flash is at the rear of the handset. Thankfully the N78, like others in the Nseries, has a 3.5mm earphone socket on the top near the power key. In case your earphone wire is too short you can use the bundled headset with a remote that also has a 3.5mm socket.

Features and Performance
New Interface
The N78 is a feature rich handset and is loaded with goodies. But let’s talk about the few new features the interface comes with. Oddly the handset doesn’t have an accelerometer like the N82 does, but it does have auto screen rotation for the image viewer and video player. What makes the interface really come alive is the Breathing addition.

It's a little hard to explain in words, what it implies is this: the interface displays smooth transition animations when you move from one screen to another, or switch applications. Another new feature is the Open Application viewer that allows users to see which applications are open or running in the background. This is the first Nokia handset I’ve come across that has this feature. Other new S60 handsets have a small indicator near the application icon as well as the folder to indicate that it’s still open/running.

Another great feature is that the N78, unlike other S60 handsets (thank goodness), allows users to access SIM contacts as default. No more copying all the contacts to the handset and having to choose whether or not to save new ones in the SIM or phone! The Standby menu also has a new feel with a vertical shortcut bar that I think is great – the icons won’t end up hiding too much of the wallpaper. Though the Navi Wheel makes it fun to navigate the menus, the sensitivity can’t be adjusted so it can get a bit annoying as your thumb may move too quickly and you’ll end up activating the application near the one you actually aimed for.

One of the weirdest things about this handset is the Images screen in the Gallery, which automatically rotates. In normal handsets you have the option of rotating the image to portrait mode if it shows up in landscape. The N78 isn't altogether different. Well, actually it is. When you switch the image to portrait mode, you're also going to have to turn the phone around – and by that I mean upside down.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Creative was working on a new Zen with Wi-Fi capabilities – and what do you know, it's now official! Enter the Creative Zen X-Fi, a Wi-Fi enabled PMP that comes with MSN and Yahoo! instant messaging clients. Like the previous Zen model, the Zen X-Fi has a 2.5-inch display with 240 x 320 pixel resolution and 16 million colors. Its dimensions are 83 x 55 x 12.8 mm.

The navigation system will not be the same as in the older version. It will have a sort of mobile phone keypad for typing messages. The Zen X-Fi will support external memory via SD cards. Though I’m wondering if that’ll be necessary, considering they’re available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models.

The Zen X-Fi supports JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG for images; AAC, Audible, MP3, WMA, WAV for audio; and DivX, MPEG-4, Motion-JPEG, WMV, and XviD formats for video playback. Other features include a voice recorder, FM radio and a built-in speaker.

The Zen X-Fi costs around Rs 6235 ($145), Rs 8987 ($209) and Rs 10,922 ($254) for the 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models.

Sony Ericsson’s Cyber-shot range of mobile handsets come in some trendy designs. As they carry the name of Sony’s digital camera range, the expectation of similar performance is unavoidable. Then again, we have to take into account that we’re not talking about a dedicated device but a multipurpose gadget designed for various needs and requirements. We put the Cyber-shot C902 through some rigorous tests over the last ten days, and here’s our take on it.

Form Factor
The C902 is definitely a good-looking handset. It’s sleek and slim, and the lines running along its edges make it even more eye-catching. The 'hidden' camera is a unique feature. All you need to do to activate or reveal the camera is slide up the upper portion of the handset (just above the display) and voila, out pops a 5MP camera with a flash and a sexy blue neon light. The secondary camera for video calling is located in the front and doesn’t need to be activated by sliding, it’ll work as is. That is if we ever get to use it for its primary feature.





The 2-inch display has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 256K colors. When the camera is activated, a set of touch-sensitive shortcuts (for camera options) appears all around the display. What I had a problem with is the keypad. Although it’s quite large, the keys are a bit hard and took some getting used to.


This 10.5mm thick handset has SE’s proprietary connector port for USB and a handsfree kit located on one side. Thankfully, like the Walkman series, the C902’s handsfree kit comes with a 3.5mm adapter. On the other side are the volume/zoom keys and the shutter release for the camera. It doesn’t have a hot swap slot for the M2 card (2GB provided) on the outside but you’ll find it under the rear panel. The rear panel is a bit tricky to open, so avoid fiddling with it unless necessary.

Features and Performance
The C902 offers all the basic applications: a Calendar, a Task option, Notes, Timer Stopwatch, Calculator and a Code Memo feature. Like all SE handsets that are 3G capable and have a secondary camera, the C902 also has a dedicated application for video calling. The menus can also be customized – from a simple grid to rotating icons and single icon views – to make it look a bit more interactive.

Apple Inc. said Monday it sold 1 million iPhones in the first three days its newest model was on the market.
"iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend," said Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, in a statement.

However, Jobs did not address widespread software problems that plagued the launch.

On Friday, Apple's servers buckled as buyers tried to activate new iPhones in stores, while owners of older iPhones and the iPod Touch were updating and reactivating their devices.

In stores, employees who couldn't get the new iPhones working sent shoppers home to try again on their own later. At the same time, owners of the older phones were left with unusable units.

Reports of activation snags subsided over the weekend, as Apple's systems apparently recovered, and buyers were able to activate their phones through their home computers. As of Monday, the issues appeared to have been resolved, said analyst Charles Golvin of Forrester Research.

Apple did not respond to calls or e-mails requesting more information about the activation glitches.

Apple had sold about 6 million units of the first-model iPhone since it launched in the U.S. a year ago. The company has set a goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008.

Shares of Apple rose $1.30 to close at $173.88.

Internet started in India in 1995. From beginning there has been drastic change. Lots of development has taken places. Lakhs of websites & various technologies are created. Even today internet is mostly used for email & chatting. Whether a school going kid or corporate guy , everyone has email account. But what happens if one day you find that that someone has hacked your account & can send & receive your emails ? if it is timepass account then you may not worry that much , but think of corporate guys who has stored very confidential details in his mail account. Yes. This happens. You may not know that some one is reading all your mails. They are hackers.

How Hackers Hack your yahoo / google / hotmail / orkut account ?
They use various tricks to hack your email/chatting account. one of them is Using hacking softwares. There are no. of softwares available on internet using which you can crack someones email/chatting account. all you need is just to provide email address. & the software will provide you passwords of such accounts.

2nd way to hack the account is to use cookies. They send you some links with attractive title which may pursue you to click the link. Once you click that link , you have become victim of fraud. Jut by clicking that suspicious link you are transferring your user name & cookies details to that hacker. after getting these details he do no need password also. he can have access to your account just by this cookies.

3rd is the very smart way of hacking someone's account. Hackers create exactly same type of website with same graphics. & send that link to you. for example. someone wants to hack your orkut account. he will make a website like www.orrkut.com & Send you fake email that We are orkut. Please login by clicking here else your account will be terminated. You may not notice that extra "R" in the website name , & click on the link. you try to login on that website by giving user name & password details. You feel that its a Orkut website. But it is not. thus they get your account details & hack your account.


Some safety Measures / tips to save your account from being hacked.

(1) Don't click on Suspicious links. even though it is given by your best friend. In order not to transfer your cookie details.
(2) When you are filling login details please make it sure that it is the same website. check the website name properly. in order to save yourself from fishing websites.
(3) Never choose the option "Remember me" in email or forum websites when you are using net from other's places for eg. Workplace , cybercafe , friend's home.

Keeping all this in mind, here's our latest refresh of the Rs 60,000 Gaming PC.


CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400


Motherboard: Abit IP35-E

RAM: Kingston DDR2 800 (2GB)



Graphics: Sapphire Radeon HD 4850




HDD: Western Digital SATA II 500GB


Optical Drive: Liteon LH20A1L06


Monitor: Dell SP2208WFP


Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech MX518



Cabinet: Cooler Master CM330 Black /CM Extreme Power 600W


Speakers: Altec Lansing VS4121



Specification Table
Components Model Price (Rupees)
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 rs.8800
Motherboard Abit IP35-E rs.5500
RAM Kingston DDR 2 800 2GB rs.1850
Graphics Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 rs.13,000
Optical Drive Liteon LH20A1L06 rs.1550
Hard Disk Western Digital SATA II 500GB rs.3250
Monitor Dell SP2208WFP rs.16,900
Keyboard/Mouse Logitech MX518/Std. Keyboard rs.1250+350
Cabinet Coolermaster 330 Elite with Cooler Master Extreme Power 600W rs.4850
Speakers Altec Lansing VS4121 rs.2300
Total 59,600