Tuesday 31 January 2012

HP launches Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition and Mini 210 with Beats Audio.

HP has expanded its ultraportable consumer notebook PC portfolio with two new products – the dm4 and the Mini 210. The HP Pavilion dm4, includes the latest Intel Core processors, Beats Audio and a 14-inch (35.56 cm) diagonal high-definition LED display. Also they come with the Beats Audio headphones.


Speaking at the launch, Mr. Vinay Awasthi, Senior Director, Products & Marketing, HP PSG India mentioned that, “As the Indian PC market moves towards mobile computing, our new range of consumer notebooks, are designed to enhance the computing capability of the youth in the country, while maintaining a high standard of user experience. These notebooks are a perfect blend of mobility, entertainment and high performance, a must have for those on the move. We are particularly excited about the exclusive HP Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition and the redesigned HP Mini 210 with Beats AudioTM, as they effortlessly combine music and technology.”

The dm4 weighs approximately 2 kilos and offers up to seven hours of battery life and comes with an optional AMD Radeon HD dedicated graphics card. It is available in a brushed aluminum dark umber finish and includes optional Intel Smart Response Technology, providing relatively faster boot times and application loads.


The dm4 comes with two subwoofers and Beats Audio and aims to give a better audio experience on a notebook PC. The notebook also includes some new features such as HP TrueVision HD webcam for cleaner images in high-definition, HP CoolSense for a noticeably cooler notebook, and HP SimplePass with fingerprint reader for storing passwords in one place.

The second one, the HP Mini 210 has been redesigned and comes with Beats Audio as well. It weighs under 1.4 kilos and according to HP, delivers up to 9.5 hours of computing power. The new Mini 210 is available in three colours - charcoal, crimson red and ocean drive.

The HP Pavilion dm4 is available at a price of around Rs.51,990. The HP Pavilion dm4 Beats Edition is available at a starting price of around Rs.54,990. The HP Mini 210 is available at a price of around Rs.19, 990.

Windows Phone Tango to come with Skype, Google+ and C++ support.

We are all eagerly awaiting Microsoft’s next big roll out, Windows Phone Tango and while it may not be a groundbreaking update, the reason we are excited is due to the fact that Tango won’t need the high-end specifications that current WP7 phones need and thus, will be a lot cheaper. Hopefully, the user experience doesn’t take a backseat here, as currently that’s one of the few appealing traits of this platform.


According to WPSauce, Microsoft has revealed some interesting facts about Tango during the developers’ camp in India. The next version will up the language support from 35 to 120, which shows that Microsoft wants to expand its markets to emerging and developing nations as well. Also, the next version will come with native support for C++, thereby making it easy for developers to code or port apps over to the mobile platform.

However, it has still not been confirmed, whether the ‘next release’ would be the immediate Tango or the upcoming Apollo. Meanwhile, PocketPC have managed to get a screen grab of a Tango running WP7 phone, which shows Skype as well as Google+ integration into the messenger hub. Now that Microsoft owns Skype, it was only a mater of time till this feature was integrated, but we are pleasantly surprised to see it done so quickly. The folks who took the screenshot claimed that chatting over both these services work well, but Skype’s voice calling were a bit buggy. Video calling will also be available, but it may not come out in time for Tango. We don’t know for certain if the screen grab is real or not, so let’s take this with a pinch of salt, until we get some concrete proof straight from the horse's mouth.

Nepal takes a liking to UbiSlate 7+, books 20,000 units.

Today is the last day of the ongoing, 6-day long, CAN Info-Tech 2012 Conference in Nepal, and among the many things, the visitors seem to have taken a liking to India's very own, Aakash tablet. The conference that started off on January 26, 2012, is the country's biggest technology exhibition, according to Hindustan Times and has been seeing a heavy inflow of visitors, who have been heading towards the stall B22 to see the low-cost tablet for themselves. An updated version of the Aakash tablet put on display at the conference, seemingly impressed them; so much so that reports have it that bookings for as many as 20,000 units of the UbiSlate 7+ tablet have been made, already. Clearly impressed, reports suggest that the tablet has managed to hit off very well with the masses, there. The tablet, in Nepal is being priced at NRs 6,000, which translates to approximately Rs.3,750.


In a quote carried by this report, Vivek Khetan of Gizmos Nepal, the sole distributors for Nepal, stated that, "We had a purchase order of around 10,000 units. But bookings at the exhibition and online have been over double that figure." Khetan further added that unlike in India, where the tablet has a niche buying section - students, professionals; the UbiSlate 7+ has found love from all quarters in Nepal, even in rural areas. Interestingly, a restaurant chain in Nepal have booked 1000 units of the UbiSlate 7+ tablet, further testifying just how popular this tablet now is. Reportedly, the better, upgraded version of the tablet, which features a better processor, a bigger battery, a newer version of Android, GPRS, Wi-Fi, HD video and over 1,50,000 applications, will cost Rs.750 more in Nepal.

News back home reveals that an upgraded Aakash, i.e. Aakash 2 is expected to reach college students, next month. Interestingly, while students will be able to enjoy the benefits of an upgraded device, they wouldn't have to pay anything extra.

eTechies online repair service adds toll free phone support.

eTechies.in is an ‘online, phone and door-step’ technical support and repair service that addresses technical glitches. We’ve been relying on our gadgets all day long, be it a phone, laptop or desktop PC. So, instead of looking around for a technician and squeezing in time over the weekend or after work to resolve the issue, eTechies claims to bring instant solution to all tech worries with its army of certified technicians. The site offers online and in-house support and repair service for PCs, laptops, Mac/Windows, smartphones and more. It now introduces a toll-free number for customer support.


The online firm has now introduced a toll free number service that will address customers’ tech woes all through the week from 9 am to 9 pm. Besides, remote support is also offered to all customers in case of software glitch, mail problems or even hardware repair issues. The national toll free number is 1-800-102-3311and operative field technical services are made available for Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad, Menesar and Ghaziabad. Check out the service plans here.

“If your digital device (PC/MAC, printer, server, routers, smartphones like iPhone/iPads etc.) gets damaged, you have very little avenues to get the same fixed/repaired with an absolute “peace of mind”. eTechies provide services keeping in mind the timeline, resolution, convenience and counter-party credibility. Our toll free number makes us easily and equally approachable, so be it a house wife or a kid, barring their knowledge about the query, prompt services can be offered with just a call.” Commented Rohit Chaudhary, Co-Founder and CEO, eTechies.in.

The help-desk provides technical help, door-step, online or phone assistance, depending upon the technical query of the customer. Technical issues are directed towards the technical support team and are followed up, until they are resolved.

New McAfee Mobile Security aims to protect your beloved Android.

McAfee Mobile Security has announced a new security application and antivirus for Android phones and tablets. It protects your personal data in the event of loss or theft, enables data backup and restores, locates and tracks your device, safeguards against viruses and spyware, and provides safe surfing and app protection. The only glitch? There’s a paid version and a trial version. So, this trial protects your device for 7 days. After the trial, you’ll have an option to purchase McAfee Mobile Security within the app.


Here are a few of the features of the application:

1.> Antivirus, Anti-spyware, and Anti-phishing — Scan and clean malicious code from inbound and outbound emails, text messages, attachments, and files

2.> Safe Mobile Web Surfing — Protection against web threats by blocking access to risky sites from texts, emails, QR codes and social networking sites

3.> Safeguard Your Privacy with App Protection — Identify which apps can access your sensitive data like contacts, location, photos, and other personal info

4.> Device Lock — Prevent misuse of your phone and personal info by remotely locking all data, including data on your memory (SIM) card, and displaying a "contact me" message on the device

5.> Remotely Wipe Data — Protect your privacy by remotely deleting the data on your device and removable memory card in case of loss or theft.

6.> Backup and Restore Data — Preserve irreplaceable personal information on demand, or on schedule, then restore your information to your new device

7.> Locate and Track — Find your device if it is lost or stolen. View its location on a map; send a text to prompt its return, and use a remote alarm to make it "scream”

8.> Call Blocker and SMS Blocker — Easily filter out spammers, incorrect numbers and unwanted texts

9.> Uninstall Protection — Keep a thief—or another user—from uninstalling the app and accessing your phone when it is lost

10.> Remotely manage your mobile security from one central, easy-to-use web portal or even via SMS texts using any smartphone or tablet

The application can be downloaded from here. In terms of functionality, this one does seem to be loaded with a lot of features, but you’ll have to pay for their services eventually. Free or paid - which security solution are you using to protect your Android smartphone?

Joukuu: Manage Files Stored Across Different Websites.

There are numerous web services created to aggregate your social networking data. But what about the data that you store on file hosting websites? Surely managing those files on different websites is inconvenient. Joukuu is a web service that gives you a single dashboard from where you can control those files.


Joukuu is a web service that helps you better manage your files stored online on different websites. Websites that are supported by Joukuu include Google Docs, Dropbox, box.net, Sugarsync, Huddle and Skydrive. The site offers a free web service and a free desktop application that let you add one account per website. Both the apps let you manage your files by connecting with your accounts. In case you want multiple accounts for any web service or want to synchronize files between accounts, then you can opt for the site’s premium service.

Features:

1.> A user-friendly web service.
2.> Lets you manage files stored on different networks.
3.> Supports Google Docs, Dropbox, box.net, Sugarsync, Huddle and Skydrive.
4.> Offers a desktop app as well.
5.> Offers premium package for increased features.

Check out Joukuu from here @ http://www.joukuu.com

ShowMeTrend: Find Daily Trending Topics On Twitter.

Are you a Twitter addict who is always tweeting about the trending topics? Well, if so, then ShowMeTrend might be a great website for you.


ShowMeTrend is a simple website that lists down the trending topics on Twitter to the user concerned. It also shows the user’s past trended topics, such as the trending topics of Dec 10th, 2010 or so.

Using the website is very easy. All a user has to do is choose the place they are in, and the date/time, and then click on “Get Trending Topics”. It will show you all the trending topics for that specific time. However, the website cannot predict future trending topics, so choose the current date, or either an earlier date.

The website also gives Google News links about the topics if there is any so you may acquire more knowledge about that specific topic.


Features:

1.> A free service.
2.> Allows users to gain more knowledge about the trending topics from in-depth sources.
3.> Show news related to trending topics if there are any.

Check out ShowMeTrend From here @ www.showmetrend.com

Alphabetimals: A Simple Way To Teach Your Kids Alphabet.

Are you looking for a fun yet effective way to teach your kids different alphabets? If yes, Alphabetimals is an amazing website to teach your kids about alphabets and animals at the same time – that’s where the word “alphabeti-mals” has been derived from.


Alphabetimals is a website which teaches your children alphabets, while giving the example of an animal with that letter. For example: e for elephant.

The website also gives you the option to listen to the sounds of the animals. Your child will not only learn his ABC, but also animals and their pronounciation and noise.
There is also a fun alphabetimal typer down the website, which writes your words in the “alphabetimal characters” (each character symbolized by its respective animal).

Features:

1.> Free to use.
2.> Fun and educational at the same time.
3.> Kids learn their ABCDs and about animals at the same time.
4.> Interactive and colorful site makes learning easier.

Check out Alphabetimals from here @ http:alphabetimals.com

Symbian^3 devices are now shipping with Belle out of the box.

Remember, Symbian Belle? Now, as reported by Nokiapoweruser, Belle will now be supported default on all the new Symbian^3 devices that are being shipped. Nokia has officially stated on its Twitter account that a lot of devices, including the N8, C7, E7, E6, X7, C6-01 and 500 will now ship with Symbian Belle on board. However, we believe it also depends upon the date of the stock that the local store will have because Nokia has clearly mentioned to check with the local shop to see if the device is running Belle or not.


All N8 devices shipping to India will come with Belle on board, as tweeted by them. This also means that the other devices like the X7 and the C7 now come with a major software upgrade on board. If you’re not too sure about any device, you could just send a tweet to the official Nokia Twitter account and have your doubts cleared, because as you can see, their Twitter account is quite adept at answering and solving queries.


Symbian Belle to be quite functional, slick and fast. It has the capacity to hold its own and not get overpowered by the other ‘more powerful’ operating systems in the market. The only thing that was quite similar to Android was the drop down notification bar. If you’re tired of all the Android phones and want a new experience on a ‘budget’ phone, we’d recommend you try out one of the cheaper Belle devices. They might not have the same flavour as Android, but they do have some good functionality packed inside.

What do you guys think about Symbian Belle? Something that Nokia should simply scrap, or actively support along with keeping Windows Phone 7 first priority? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images and specs of the upcoming Galaxy S Advance surface online.

When Samsung takes the stage at the Mobile World Conference 2012 event at Barcelona, next month, one would expect them to showcase their next flagship handset, the Samsung Galaxy S III. However, according to fresh reports, one mustn't get their expectations too high, since in all probability, Samsung may hold back plans to unveil the device. Reportedly, the time frame between the announcement of the S III and the actual U.S launch date would be significantly long and the brand views the country as a major market. However, while this may still be open to debate with the 'will they won’t they' talks, another handset from the Galaxy S series has made its way online. As per a report by Sammy Hub, new details have surfaced about an upcoming handset from Samsung’s Galaxy S series, which is the GT-I9070 Galaxy S Advance.


This may probably not be the first time, we have come across this handset, as an image had appeared with the EXIF details showing that the handset features a 5 megapixel camera, but the name of the camera used was surprisingly the S III. That bit of information may be wrong as Samsung would not downgrade their specifications for their upcoming flagship, as the Galaxy S II features an 8 megapixel camera. The report goes on to state that the Galaxy S Advance features lower specifications, as compared to the S II. The upcoming handset is said to be powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor. The handset will run on Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread at the time of launch, but is expected to be upgraded to Google’s latest operating software, Ice Cream Sandwich in due time.

Here is a quick look at the specifications of the Galaxy S Advance:

1.> Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread
2.> 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA display with a resolution of 800×480
3.> 1GHz dual-core processor
4.> 5MP rear camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording
4.> 3.5mm headphone jack
5.> 1500mAh battery

Apart from this, the handset is said to feature a new design, which is ‘slim-looking.’ As of now, these are only rumours and there is no official date of announcement available, yet. But, the website expects it to be unveiled at the MWC event, next month.

Budget Android phone LG Optimus L3 goes on pre-order in Sweden.


A new LG budget Android smartphone was spotted recently at a Swedish online retailer. Dubbed as Optimus L3 E400, it can be pre-ordered in the country. We haven’t seen any official announcements so-far but we hope to hear something very soon.

Targeted to first time Android buyers, it looks like an Optimus Me successor. According to the listing, it features a 3.2 inch display with 320X240p resolution, 3 MP camera, microSD card slot, usual connectivity options, FM Radio and Android 2.3.

There is no word on the processor or RAM, which we expect would be in the vicinity of 800MHz and 384MB respectively. It has been priced at 145Euros.

Monday 30 January 2012

Windows 8 on ARM devices is a go!

Industry sources have revealed that the ARM version of Windows 8 has grown to become a lot more stable, since Microsoft demoed it at CES 2012, and should be in the hands of developers sometime in February. This came from a source who managed to get some hands-on time with a high-profile device from a big brand (no names were revealed for obvious reasons) and came out impressed at how stable and smooth Windows 8 was on ARM. This means we can expect some prototype devices to show up at MWC, next month.


Windows 8 is the biggest jump for Microsoft, since Windows 3.0, as for the very first time it will have full support for ARM devices. Most mobile devices, today are based on ARM devices, which outnumber Intel and AMD devices. Amongst all of this, there’s a storm brewing between Intel and ARM in the notebooks segment, as ARM-based devices are going to be quite a bit cheaper than Intel-based ones, spelling trouble for Intel’s Ultrabook series. Besides the competition from AMD with their ‘Ultrathin’ notebooks, ARM-based notebooks should offer similar performance as Intel’s ULV CPUs, but cost manufacturers a lot less to implement. Couple that with better battery life, slimmer and lighter devices and you see how this can severely impact the sales of Intel’s Ultrabooks. Currently, the largest ARM suppliers are Texas Instruments, Qualcomm and Nvidia. According to one source, Windows 8 is running just fine on two of these platforms.


However, there is one area where Intel still has the upper hand and is only too happy to be pointing that out; support for legacy apps. You see, while the OS may run stable, you still need applications to work with. The big question is as to how Microsoft’s Office runs on ARM, which no one seems to have seen, yet and Microsoft doesn’t want to comment on this right now as well. Other than some of the Metro apps that seem to be running smoothly (mostly because they are based on HTML 5), it’ll be sometime till we see all our other third-party applications ported over to ARM. The success and adoption of ARM-based Window 8 notebooks will entirely depend on how soon legacy apps are ported over.

Upcoming Nokia Lumia 800 update to fix audio and camera issues.

Nokia had launched the Lumia 800, last year, and it was the brand’s big comeback into the smartphone game. This time their operating software of choice was Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 to battle against the popular Android and iOS platforms. When the handset launched, it did well in reviews, but the only setback it faced stemmed from the fact that it was running on WP7, which is not a full-fledged OS, as compared to Android or iOS, this is a device that can certainly give users their money’s worth. However, a number of Lumia 800 owners had issues regarding the longevity of their handset's battery and in December, Nokia confirmed this and offered to fix this problem with either a handset replacement or a software update. As promised, Nokia delivered a software update for the handset with the version number 1600.2483.8106.11500 that aimed to address this battery issue that gripped the Nokia Lumia 800 devices, earlier on this month.

However, those who updated their affected handsets to this version number are now taking to the forums complaining about another issue. The devices are now facing issues pertaining to glitches in the audio as well as the camera. Nokia has once again confirmed this and have addressed this issue in a blog post.


Nokia Community Manager, Michaels has said, “First of all, the primary target of the latest Lumia 800 update (1600.2483.8106.11500) was to enhance standby time as well as to bring an improvement to the issue reported by some customers in December, that their phone wasn’t able to access the full battery charge capacity correctly. We can confirm that we have successfully tested that those improvements are working. Additionally, we’ve noted your concerns regarding audio and camera settings and are going to address those in a series of future updates, ie. these will not be included in this specific update. It is also important to understand that only the Nokia Update for Lumia 1600.2483.8106.11500 will introduce the mentioned improvements.”

The post also goes on to detail about the battery issue, which has plagued the Nokia Lumia 800 handsets and they offer assistance by saying that if anyone has any battery related issues, they can contact Nokia Care or log on to www.nokia.com/support.

Let us know if any of you are facing these issues and also do share your reactions about it in the comments below.

Banks, Internet companies team up to fight spam.

Some of the world's biggest Internet companies and financial services firms have developed a new approach to fighting e-mail spam that they hope will reduce online scams.

Facebook, Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have joined financial firms, like Bank of America Corp, Fidelity Investments and eBay Inc's PayPal to create a set of industry standards for preventing criminals from sending out spam emails that appear to come from corporate email addresses.

Fraudsters often pose as banks and other trusted firms in attempts to persuade email recipients to provide payment card numbers, bank account information and other personal data or click on links that infect computers with malicious software. The new approach calls for email providers and businesses to attack spammers by coordinating on a massive scale the use of two existing technologies for email authentication known by the acronyms SPF and DKIM, which have yet to be widely adopted.


PayPal is one company that currently uses SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) technology standards to fight email spoofing, but only through partnerships with Yahoo Inc and Google, said Brett McDowell, a security manager at PayPal who serves as chairman of the group that developed the new standard. The group goes by the name DMARC.org, which stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance.

If Yahoo or Google get an email claiming to come from PayPal that is not properly authenticated with SPF or DKIM, the email is not delivered, he said. But, if fraudsters send spoofed PayPal e-mail to other email providers, it might get through. "What we need is an Internet standard that allows this level of protection to work at scale - without any discussion, without any partner agreements," McDowell said. "That is what DMARC does."

Other companies involved in the group include American Greetings Corp , LinkedIn Corp and Yahoo!, as well as privately held Agari, Cloudmark, eCert, Return Path and the Trusted Domain Project. IDC security analyst, Michael Versace said that the approach recommended by the group appeared to be effective and inexpensive to implement. Yet he said that the industry should keep developing new technologies to fight spammers because he expects that cyber criminals will eventually figure out how to circumvent the DMARC protections.

Apple head clears air over working conditions in factories.

Harsh working conditions in their factories is the latest topic to have kept Apple in the news, lately, of course, this being alongwith news about their impending lawsuits. Battling with reports, criticising the working conditions across factories manufacturing Apple products, especially one particular report by The New York Times led to Cook typing down a lengthy e-mail to his 60,000 odd workforce. In his e-mail, a complete version of which can be read, here on 9to5 Mac, Cook stated that contrary to the reports stating that the company did not care much about the welfare of their workers, Apple cared a lot about each one of them, and that any accident was "deeply troubling". He went on to add that, "Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It’s not who we are."


Cook revealed that, quite opposite to what is being reported, Apple has been carrying out inspections across its factories, worldwide. The Cupertino-based company, according to the e-mail has been engaged in the task of improving the working conditions of thousands of their workers. He asserted that Apple was was "attacking" the issues they've been facing and are being criticised for. Also, for tackling bigger issues of safety, the environment and fair labor they were seeking the expertise of those in that field. Interestingly, Cook added that they had opened up their supply chain units to Fair Labor Association to carry out independent evaluations, thereby working towards transparency in the working. Cook also attempted to familiarize people with Apple's Supplier Responsibility page, which contains a detailed account of how Apple's faring in areas like Code of Conduct, Labor & Human Rights, Health & Safety, Environmental Impact, Ethics, Education and Development, Auditing and Reports.

Apple's been facing a lot of criticism off late, owing to the working conditions in their factories, which according to reports isn't the best. Reports complaining of workers having to undergo - excessive recruitment fees, hiring of underage workers, excessive overtime, discriminatory policies, among others. At Foxconn, in a series of events, which first highlighted the plight of the workers, some even went on to the extent of committing suicide.

Dual SIM Optimus Net available for Rs. 13,250.

Yebhi.com, India’s online multi-brand store and shopping portal, now has the dual SIM LG Optimus Net (the LGP698) up for sale on its store. The Optimus Net is a dual standby dual SIM, Android smartphone. It features Smart & Share, a wireless content sharing app that uses DLNA and is equipped with LG social+, a single window multi-social communication interface. The Net runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It is powered by an MSM 7227 turbo processor and has a 3 MP rear camera. The 11.7 mm thin device has an 8.1cm (3.2-inch) HVGA capacitive touch display and has a 1500mAh battery under the hood.


Here are the available specifications of the LG P698:

1.> 3.2 inch HVGA Capacitive Touch Display with a resolution of 320x480 pixels
2.> 800 MHz processor
3.> Android 2.3 Gingerbread
4.> 150 MB internal storage
5.> 3G (SIM 1 only), EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
6.> Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0
7.> 3 megapixel autofocus camera
8.> Stereo FM radio with RDS
9.> Memory expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card
10.>3.5 mm handsfree socket
11.>1500 mAh Lithium - ion battery

The LG Optimus Net is priced at Rs.13,250 on the site, which means that it’s in a similar price bracket as the HTC ChaCha, the Galaxy Ace and the recently launched Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman, that we have just reviewed. We also reviewed the other Optimus Net (P690), which we were not overly impressed with. This new one seems to have a similar spec sheet with the only mentionable difference being that this one is a dual SIM phone and the other is not. Besides that, they pretty much match up against each other. Now, the latest price of the P690 is Rs.9,623, while that of the P698 is around 3.5k more. The only extra benefit you get is another SIM. Would you go for the dual SIM Optimus Net or the SE Live with Walkman, which is a grand expensive, but has a comparatively better spec sheet? What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments section below.

How to - Create a secret partition on a pen drive.


There is no way you can partition USB pen drives. They show up as a removable drive on the PC. In order to do so, you need to trick the operating system into recognizing the USB pen drive as a fixed hard drive. To do this, you will need to create your own set of drivers. In this workshop, we shall demonstrate just that. Doing so, you can create multiple partitions and store your private data on it. Only the first partition will be visible, and the other partitions will not show up on any other PC, but your own.

This way, you can store your personal data away from your friends and family, and also you can avoid viruses affecting this data when plugged in on another computer. To do this, all you need is a simple universal USB pen drive driver, which can be downloaded from ‘http://www.mediafire.com/?oqlgdvcymzz’. Download the archive, uncompress it to a folder on your desktop and get started. Don’t forget to backup the contents of your pen drive, as it will format it.

Step 1:

Plug in your pen drive into your PC’s USB port. Next, right-click on ‘My Computer’ and click on ‘Manage’ in the context menu. Click on ‘Device Manager’ on the left pane. This will show all the hardware devices connected to your PC. Now, on the right pane, scroll down to ‘Disk Drives’ and you should see your pen drive connected here. Right-click on the pen drive and select ‘Properties’.


Step 2:

In the properties window that just opened, click on the ‘Details’ tab. From the scroll down menu under ‘Property’, choose ‘Device Instance Path’. You should see a string of characters highlighted in the ‘Value’ window below, which should read something like ‘USBSTORDISK&VEN_&PROD…..’ Right-click on this value and select ‘Copy’. Now close all the windows without saving changes.


Step 3:

Now open the folder that you uncompressed after downloading the universal USB flash drive driver. In this folder, find and open the file named ‘cfadisk.inf’ in ‘Notepad’ or any test editor you prefer (Notepad++ is ideal to be used here’ (download from ‘notepad-plus-plus.org’).


Step 4:

Now locate the words ‘device_instance_id_goes_here’, which is available on line 26. You need to replace these words with the string you just copied to the clipboard from the Device Manager. Save the file and close the editor.

Step 5:

Now go back to the ‘Device Manager’ page (repeat step 1). This time click on the ‘Driver’ tab and click the button ‘Update driver’


Step 6:

On the next window, choose ‘Browse my computer for driver software’ when the system asks how you want to search for the driver software. Then on the next window, choose ‘Let me pick from a list of drivers ….

Step 7:

On the next window, uncheck the box ‘Show compatible hardware’ and click on the ‘Have disk button’. Now click on ‘Browse’ and from the universal USB driver folder on your desktop select the ‘cfadisk.inf’ file and click on the ‘Open button’, followed by the ‘OK’ and then ‘Next’ buttons on the previous windows.

Step 8: An update driver warning message should show up stating that you are trying to install a driver, which is not compatible with your hardware. Ignore the message and click on ‘Yes’. The system will start installing the driver and show up another warning that the driver is not a verified or authentic driver. Ignore this one message and click on ‘Install this driver software anyway’. Let the system update the driver and you shall receive a message of a successful driver update.


Note: You can use this modified driver for this pen drive only. To use another pen drive, you will need to do the whole process again.

Step 9:

That’s all you needed to do. Now once you are back to the ‘Computer Management’ window, click on ‘Disk Management’ from the left pane and start partitioning your pen drive as you would with a regular hard drive. You can create multiple partitions and format them, accordingly.


Note: You can access all the partitions on the pen drive only from your PC. Other PCs will only be able to see the first partition and the rest will be unavailable. Make a copy of the driver on the first partition of the pen drive and you can install it on other PCs, in case you need to access the other partitions.

This way, you can plug in the pen drive on your friend’s PCs without worrying about your private data. To reset everything back to the way it was, simply delete the partitions completely and uninstall/delete the driver for the pen drive from the Device Manager.

Sunday 29 January 2012

How to Install an FTP Server in Windows 7.

One of the oldest and most popular methods for sharing files over the Web from one central location is the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP clients allow people from across the globe (or even next door) to share a mutual storage space and/or remotely update a website with ease.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to have a server operating system to run an FTP server from your own system. Windows 7, currently the most widely installed operating system for consumers, is actually capable of hosting an FTP server. In fact, Windows 7 comes complete with a built-in solution through IIS 7.5.

If IIS isn’t your cup of tea (and it does have its own drawbacks) you can opt for another free FTP server solution made available through FileZilla which comes complete with an incredible lineup of features that can turn your standard Windows 7 installation into a powerful FTP server.

IIS 7.5


IIS is an all-in-one Web services package made available on Windows as an optional built-in service. For home users, IIS makes a great solution for hosting a small community site, FTP server, or email service. While I wouldn’t personally recommend using it for commercial applications, it can be a brilliant choice for gaming groups and small communities.

On the FTP front, IIS’s latest version FTP service allows users to connect via their FTP client of choice using FTP, FTPS, and an FTP publishing service that allows content publishers to upload content securely direct to IIS web servers using SSL-based authentication and data transfer. In addition, publishers can opt to utilize UTF8 and IPv6 standards.

Virtual host name support allows users to host multiple FTP sites from the same IP address, a bit advantage for power users.

So, how do you install IIS on Windows 7 Home Premium? Here’s what you need to do:

Click the Start button and then select Control Panel.

Select Programs.

Click Turn Windows Features On or Off.

Toggle Internet Information Services (IIS) on in the Windows Features area.

Expand the section.

Make sure FTP Server is toggled On.

Click OK.


Once this is done, you can access the IIS Manager via the Start menu using search and entering IIS. Through the manager, you can set up user permissions, root folders, and a variety of other options to keep your server both secure and customized to your specific needs.

One important note with using IIS on Windows 7 is that you need to keep Windows absolutely up to date. Make sure that updates are scheduled frequently as zero day attacks targeting your open port can cause quite a headache. Also, you will want to set up an exception in your Windows firewall to allow communication both to and from your users.

IIS is only available on some versions of Windows. While it is available on Windows Home Premium, Business, and Enterprise, it may not be readily available on the Starter edition. If you happen to be running one of these editions that don’t include IIS, our next solution may be exactly what you’re looking for.

FileZilla FTP Server:

IIS is a great feature of the Windows platform, but not everyone enjoys using it. After years of having a bad reputation for being unsecured and filled with malware, many home server administrators have opted to try alternative home FTP server options. One of these options is FileZilla, a free FTP server that you can host directly from Windows 7.

Installing FileZilla is incredibly easy. All you need to do is download the installer .EXE from the official FileZilla project site and follow the standard installer instructions. The current version of FileZilla Server supports XP, Vista, and Windows 7 in both 32-bit and 64-bit.

FileZilla will ask you a series of questions during installation. Don’t worry, you don’t need a degree in information technology to get through them. The most important question is whether you’d like to have FileZilla run as a service and have it start with Windows, or to run as a standard program. If you don’t want any downtime during late-night updates and restarts, you’re probably better off going with the default service setting. This screen also gives you the option to configure a custom port for the administrative interface. Whatever you choose, write it down. You’ll need this number later on when you configure the server. The default port number is 14147, and it’s up to you whether or not you’d like to change it. Sticking with default settings is just fine in many cases, though the security conscious will probably advise opting for something more custom.

As you finish up the installation process, you’ll be asked how you want the administrative interface to run. You can have it launch when you log in to your user profile, or when any user logs in to their profile. This is entirely up to you, and is a matter of convenience over anything else. If you don’t want to see this window every time you start Windows, you can opt to have it launch manually.

Adding Users:

The first thing you’re going to want to do when you first load the administrative interface is configure your users. You can find this option by searching for the Users icon located near the top of the administration window. It looks like a person’s head placed in front of a computer monitor.

By doing this, you’re determining who has access to your FTP server and how. You can assign the user a login, password (optional), and set a maximum connection count for that user. This option determines how many clients can be connected with that particular login at any given time. Some power users will attempt to establish multiple threads to download large amounts of files, though you’re probably safe leaving the default settings in place.

SSL Login:

To further enhance the security, you can opt to force an SSL connection for the user login. This allows you to enforce a policy that maintains security from client to server, keeping nosy onlookers on a potentially public and exposed network from gaining access to your server. In the interest of security, toggle this on. This may prompt the client to request a certificate exception, but it’s a more secure policy and well worth the added step on the part of the user.

Assigning Shared Folders:

The next thing you can do is assign shared folders to the user. This allows you to specify what folder on your hard drive the user will be able to access and at what level they can do so. For example, you can create a folder structure specifically for FTP users to connect to. These folders may be browsable by multiple users, allowing them to share files from your central point.

Groups:

You can also create a group using the icon next to the user icon at the top of the FTP administration application. Groups allow you to easily assign shared folders, speed limits, and permissions to a group of users without having to individually assign permissions to each one. This is an especially good solution for larger servers that have more than a handful of users. You can manage and maintain these groups in a few clicks, making your job as the administrator much easier.

Enabling FTPS:

Another note to make here is in regards to security. The more secure your server is, the better. You can set up your FileZilla FTP Server to work with SSL/TLS, a much more secure method of communicating between the client and the server than standard FTP. You can access this feature by going to Settings and SSL/TLS Settings from the main screen. The Settings icon looks like a gear in front of a light switch. You can also access the menu through by going to Edit and then Settings from the main menu at the very top of the window.

You can load a preset private key file and certificate file, or generate a new certificate that will be self-signed with a 1024, 2048, or 4096-bit key.

Other Thoughts:

“Make sure you set up your port forwarding and services on your HW firewall correctly.”

Your router likely has a built-in firewall that may interfere with traffic going to or from your FTP server. To prevent this, you are going to want to set up port forwarding which directs all traffic to the FTP port directly to your server. If this isn’t done, there’s a good chance your external users won’t be able to see your server at all.

Another important note is never to share folders you can’t live without. Sharing an important system folder can give a malicious user that either stumbles across your server via an authorized user’s computer or looks over their shoulder unfettered access to destroy your system. Only share dedicated storage folders that hold specific information intended to be shared with users on the server. You can create groups and/or specific users with read-only privileges, allowing them to view and download files, but not delete them. This may be a good option in cases where a user is prone to accidentally delete files.

Your server is only as secure as its network. It might not be a good idea to set up a dedicated server on a computer you intend to take with you off the network. Your laptop isn’t a good place for a server. Try installing it on an old desktop machine that can be run without a monitor, sitting in the corner of the room all alone if you must.

“You can also put the server outside your home network by connecting a switch directly to the cable or DSL modem. You then connect the server to one port on the switch and the router for all your home network traffic to another port. This effectively keeps any of the FTP traffic outside the rest of your network.”

On a final note, it’s important to keep in mind that hosting a server from home means using your consumer Internet connection. Some ISPs don’t allow servers to run on home accounts in their terms and conditions. In addition to this, you should be ever mindful of any bandwidth caps being imposed by your ISP. A 250 GB cap can be hit very quickly if you’re running a busy FTP server.

CanIStreamIt: Get Notified When Your Favorite Movies Become Streamable Online.

If you are a movie buff, then you already have accounts on web services like Hulu and Netflix. As soon as movies become available for online streaming, you go for them. Here to help you keep track of your favorite movies become streamable online is a web service called Can I Stream It.


Can I Stream It is a free to use web app that helps you find out when movies become available for streaming online. The site searches for streamability across sites like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, and Amazon onDemand. All you have to do is create an account on the site and then type in the name of the movie which you want to track. Next you specify whether you want to be notified of when the movie becomes streamable, rentable, or purchasable online. If the movie is available, you will be taken to its page right away; if the movie is unavailable, it will be added to your watchlist and you will be notified of its availability when it happens.

Features:

1.> A user-friendly web tool.
2.> Lets you track online streamability of movies.
3.> Searches Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, and Amazon onDemand.
4.> Also finds if movie is rentable, or purchasable.

Check out Can I Stream from here It @ www.canistream.it

Google Earth 6.2 out with more imagery, better interface.

Google is taking the bird's eye view to a whole new level with the latest version of Google Earth. With Google Earth 6.2, they’re having a more seamless imagery and a new search interface. Additionally, they’ve also introduced a feature that enables users to share an image from within Google Earth, so users can now simply and easily share their adventures with family and friends on Google+. Here are a few of the features that the new version brings.

A seamless globe

The Google Earth globe is made from a mosaic of satellite and aerial photographs taken on different dates and under different lighting and weather conditions. Because of this variance, views of the Earth from high altitude can sometimes appear patchy.


Now, they’ve introduced a new way of rendering imagery that smoothens out this quilt of images. The end result is a new Earth-viewing experience that preserves the textures of the world’s geographic landscapes - without the quilt effect. This change is being made on both mobile and desktop versions of Google Earth. While this change will appear on all versions of Google Earth, the 6.2 release provides the best viewing experience for this new data.

Share your explorations with Google+

Google Earth is a great way to virtually explore the globe, whether it is revisiting old haunts or checking out a future vacation spot. With the Google Earth 6.2 update, they’ve added the option to share a screenshot of the current view in Google Earth through Google+. Users can share images of the places they’ve virtually travelled to with their Circles with family and friends. To try this new feature, users need to sign in to their Google Account in the upper right hand corner of Google Earth and click “Share.” Images of mountains, oceans, deserts, 3D cities on Street View can now be shared via Google+.

Search improvements

Aside from streamlining the visual design of the search panel, they’ve enabled the same Autocomplete feature that’s available on Google Maps. They’ve also introduced search layers, which will show all the relevant search results (not just the top ten). So now, when looking for gelato, you can see all the tasty possibilities. Finally, they’ve added biking, transit and walking directions, so if you’re itching for a change of scenery or looking for a new route for your regular commute, you can now use Google Earth to generate and visualize all your options.

Google Earth 6.2 can be downloaded from here. More details are available on the Official Google Blog.

Angry Birds To Go Social.

Angry Birds needs no introduction, since millions across the globe are still addicted to it. The game's download counter has already crossed the 700 million mark, and has raked in tons of cash for Rovio. If that wasn't enough, the developer is now set to launch it on the world's biggest social network, Facebook. The move is expected to make this game accessible to around 800 million FB users.

To make its offering special, Rovio has promised better graphics and fullscreen support. Additionally, there will be quite a few gameplay twists in the form of power-ups. These will vary from an disastrous earthquake to a deadly bird. Although these perks can be earned by playing well, the developer will also sell each of them for around Rs 50.

The Finnish game maker is also planning to throw a launch party in Jakarta, which makes sense since Indonesia is one of the most FB-addicted nations in the world. Oddly enough, the event is scheduled on Valentine's Day. Now it's up to you to prioritize your interests.

nivio begins beta registration of cloud service for iOS, Android.

Nivio, an Indian start-up, has announced beta registration for its completely functional Windows desktop from the cloud for users in the U.S. nivio brings in access to an app store, wherein users can rent applications like a complete Microsoft productivity suite and also take advantage of the 10GB upgradable, free storage. nivio can be accessed by iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux users.


The Gurgaon-based firm with more than 100 employees was founded in 2004 by Sachin Dev Duggal and Saurabh Pradeep Dhoot. The company is determined to transforming complex cloud computing technology into something for everyday use. It is now all set to expand globally. nivio gives users instant access to their applications, data and desktop in the cloud, from any device. nivio eliminates concerns about software upgrades, viruses and storage and can be accessed via a range of downloadable client applications or directly from the browser using HTML 5 including the Google Chromebook.

nivio Co-Founder & Chief Wizard, Sachin Dev Duggal said, “nivio is a global start-up that's bringing the cloud down to earth. With trusted, world class cloud platform partners such as Rackspace and Wyse, we are able to offer a cloud desktop solution unlike any other to our customers around the globe.”

It ensures all devices have an offline copy of documents, which enable sharing files, pictures and other documents with others. It comes with the nDesktop that touts to offer access to a full Windows desktop from all your devices in less than 30 seconds. The nApps store, nivio's on-demand App-Store isa hub of popular software, including Microsoft Office.

As a promotional offer, nivio is launching the nDesktop at $5 per month with an additionally discounted price for students at $2. This is also inclusive of 10GB free storage and nDrive for effortlessly synchronizing data across all their devices. nivio also plans to introduce a suite of products in India by next month.

Blither: Easily Have Chat Conversations With Your Twitter Friends.

Facebook chat continues to become a favorite amongst Facebook users, Twitter account holders have yet to be given a built-in chatting interface by the network. The result is third-party apps trying to provide this feature. One of these apps is a tool called Blither.


Blither is a Twitter client that is absolutely free to use. The tool lets you chat with your Twitter friends in a simple way. When you first visit the tool’s website, you start by authorizing it access it to your Twitter account. You can then create a chat group from within Blither’s interface by typing in the names of people you want to chat with and typing in a subject for the group. Once you have authorized access to the app, you can also initiate this group by tweeting “!b” and adding @names of the people you want to chat with. Your resulting tweet will include a link to the chat group that others can join and start chatting on. It is all very simple and gets set up quickly.


Features:

1.> A user-friendly web tool.
2.> Lets you add chat to Twitter.
3.> Provides its own interface.
4.> Lets you create multiple chat groups.
5.> Lets you use Tweets to create chat groups.

Check out Blither from here @ www.blether.co

Samsung to launch 2GHz Exynos 5250 powered ICS tablet at MWC [Rumor]


Samsung might not launch Galaxy S III at Mobile World Congress, but that does not mean it will be sitting quietly. According to a rumor coming Android&Me’s Taylor Wimberly, Samsung may introduce a 2GHz Exynos 5250 powered Galaxy Tab at MWC.

Surprisingly we haven’t seen any Samsung tablet related leaks recently and this rumor is first one to suggest a tablet launch at the event. However it is fairly possible that company will introduce a successor to Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Barcelona, considering the original was launched last year at the same event.

Coming to the rumor details, Taylor believes that this tablet will have a display bigger than 10.1 inch with a 2560×1600p resolution. It will run on Android 4.0 and feature the dual core 2GHz Exynos 5250 processor. Exynos 5250 features ARM’s latest Cortex-A15 CPU core with Mali-T604 GPU.

As nothing is official right now, we will have to wait for MWC next month to see what is actually going to be launched at the event, but this Galaxy Tab successor can surely be the hero device of the launch event.

Pulse: News Reader App With Tiled Layout ( For iOS and Android).

If you’re looking for a pretty RSS reader or a news reading app in the ilk of Flipboard, then you’d be hard pressed to find anything better than Pulse. This app for iOS and Android is a newsreader on steroids that can transform any website or blog into a colorful, tiled tapestry.


With Pulse, you will immediately notice how the tiled layout allows the app to show a higher information density. Once all of your web sources are added you can just swipe up to see your news sources roll, and then swipe left or right to look for news stories within the source. This allows you to see up to 18 stories at once on your iPad compared to 3-4 stories using a similar app.

Pulse also lets you categorize your sources into tabs that you can access on the top of the tiled layout. You can “star” stories to read later, send it to Instagram, and share articles through email, Twitter, and Facebook.

Pulse is a worthy default newsreader for your iOS or Android device. While it does not have the magazine-like experience of other apps, Pulse allows you to zoom in on news from your sources in an instant.

Features:

1.> Newsreader app for the iOS and Android using tiled layout.
2.> Save for reading later or send to Instagram.
3.> Share news items through Facebook or Twitter.
4.> Add your own website or RSS reader account.

Visit Pulse.me from here @ http://www.pulse.me

Saturday 28 January 2012

Sony Xperia S features anti-stain shell, fast charging.


Great looks and potent hardware weren’t enough for you, here are two more great features of Sony’s recently announced Xperia S that might help you in buying decision.

According to German website PocketPC.CH, Sony Xperia S comes with a special nano-coating which not only works as a dirt repellant but also is UV Active. Thus it reacts to sun-light and helps in removing stains from the body of the phone. If your Xperia S becomes dirty, all you have to do is put it in sun and wait for a few minutes, then wipe it and your phone will be like new. We are not sure how that works but will surely check it out once we get our hands on the phone.

Other important feature of the phone is the fast-charging capability. It gives you one hour of talk-time with just 10 minutes of charge as well as will charge your battery to 80pc in just an hour. But, after 80pc of charge, phone automatically slows charging to increase battery life. We don’t know the exact technology behind it but Xperia S is said to be coming with an advanced version of Lithium-polymer battery.

AllMyBooks: A Desktop App To Organize Your eBooks Library.

If you love reading eBooks, then you must have a large collection of them stored on your computer. Finding a book from this collection can be problematic if you do not have your collection organized well. Here to help you properly organize things is a desktop app called All My Books.


All My Books is a desktop application that helps you create an eBooks database which makes it easier to manage the eBooks stored on your computer. Supported formats include FB2, FB2.ZIP, LRF (Sony Reader), LIT, MOBI, PRC, PDB, EPUB, and RB (RocketBook).

The program’s setup file is nearly a 10MB download and compatible with Windows computers. You can go for the app’s 30 day trial before you opt for the $39.95 full software. Once you have the program installed you can begin importing eBooks from your hard drive and add them to the All My Books database.

With each added book, information is gathered from the web and you are given the option to fill in fields such as author, title, binding, number of pages, etc. You can even add fields of your own to better define the books in your collection. With the fields entered you can search for books using specific criteria.


Features:

1.> A user-friendly desktop app.
2.> Compatible with Windows computers.
3.> Program can organize usual printed books and even audio books, not only ebooks.
4.> Helps catalog your eBooks.
5.> Provides various fields to classify books.
6.> Lets you enter custom fields.
7.> Fetches relevant ebook information from the Internet.

Check out All My Books from here @ www.bolidesoft.com/allmybooks.html

Google Image Ripper: Alternative Interface For Google Image Search.

Almost everyone uses Google Image Search to find pictures, and while it does the job well, there are a few quirks that makes image searching bloated and slower. For example, downloading the full size image in Google Image Search is slow, forcing you to go to the source website and click on the full image. If you want to search and download several pictures, you have to go in and out of the search page and the website. This is where too many features take away the joy of finding stuff.


Google Image Ripper is a simple website that makes image searching much more fun. The minimalist layout displays images in thumbnails with a ready download link for each one available, so you do not have to leave the search page to download the image. It also implements a light box script so that you can view your search results like a slideshow.
Google Image Ripper will also allow you to filter pictures with Safe mode, search for different sizes, and show the images’ URLs. Google Image Ripper still uses Google’s search algorithm, so you will have the same results shown to you what Google Image Search will show, only in a much cleaner format.

Features:

1.> Simple alternative to Google Image Search.
2.> Download images directly from the search results page.
3.> View images as slideshow.
4.> Fast searching does not sacrifice important features.

Check Out Google Image Ripper from here @ http://www.googleimageripper.com

Google kills Menu button, brings action bar on the fore.

As Ice Cream Sandwich begins rolling to more devices, you will not find the Menu button on Android devices anymore. Honeycomb 3.0 had reduced users’ reliance on physical buttons and now Google has decided to kill the Menu button and get its ‘action bar’ on the forefront. Now, action bar isn’t something new and was there, even before Honeycomb.


The Android developers’ blog states, “You might worry that it’s too much work to begin using the action bar, because you need to support versions of Android older than Honeycomb. However, it’s quite simple for most apps because you can continue to support the Menu button on pre-Honeycomb devices, but also provide the action bar on newer devices with only a few lines of code changes.” In the blog post, Google also tells its Android developers to start using the action bar, which is a dedicated space to the application and actions that users can perform. The app is recognized and gives it users several actions to choose from.

It tells developers that apps should stop relying on the hardware Menu button, and they should also stop thinking about activities using a menu button. The activities should provide buttons for important user actions directly in the action bar (or elsewhere on screen). Those that can’t fit in the action bar will end up in the action overflow. Basically, those actions, which don’t need to be on the screen can overflow off the screen. The action overflow is a three dotted icon found on the extreme right. Users can reveal the overflow and other options by touching an overflow button that appears alongside the on-screen action buttons.

So, even if an app supports older Android versions, it won’t display the Menu button for versions Honeycomb 3.0 and beyond. Those with apps developed for Android 2.3 and lower, and when running on the Honeycomb tablet of Google Nexus will see that the system adds the action overflow button besides the system navigation.

iPhone game, Johnny Test: Roller Johnny plays across multiple screens.

So you're someone who really likes their Apple devices and perhaps have two iPod Touches or two iPhones, or one of each lying around. If you haven't already figured out what you can do with one of those devices, if they're unused, here's something. Johnny Test: Roller Johnny is a game that uses Bluetooth technology to stretch across two iOS screens. The game can only be played with two screens in multiplayer mode, though single player mode is available for a single device. Players can even hook up two iPhones to an iPad for even larger playing space. The space automatically expands when one or more Bluetooth-enabled devices on which the game is already running is in range. Watch the video below for a demo of the game.



According to Mashable, the game is based on a character from Teletoon Canada, and the main character, Johnny and his friends have to roller skate to a finish line in a roller derby. You collect Bling Bling's bling for extra points. You can get extra time on the clock by grabbing power-ups. If you co-ordinate your moves in multiplayer mode, you can power up a sling to toss you and your friend ahead of the pack. The game is created by Kolody, who say that this is the first time a game has been devised for iOS devices using co-operative screen play. They even said that Apple gave them special permission from Apple to acces their mobile development team.


Johnny Test: Roller Johnny is available for iOS devices running 4.0 and later (iPhone 3GS and up, iPod Touch 3rd generation and up, iPad) from the iOS App Store for $0.99 (approx Rs.50).

McAfee announces Application Control software for enterprises.

McAfee has announced the latest version of their Application Control software, which is now integrated with McAfee Global Threat Intelligence to show the file reputation of every file in the enterprise. This feature coupled with whitelisting and memory protection makes it an ideal solution for blocking advanced persistent threats and zero-day attacks. The solution is centrally managed by McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator software and uses a dynamic trust model, which reduces costs. You can download the free trial from here.


Protecting the desktop and the endpoint is essential as that is often a vulnerable point subject to human error. Employees and online users can unintentionally introduce software that installs malware, creates support issues, and violates software licenses, thus compromising systems and the overall business. McAfee Application Control allows only trusted applications to run on the company’s endpoints and servers.

Some of the key features of Application Control include:

McAfee Global Threat Intelligence – a cloud based knowledge of reputation of files which is used by McAfee Application Control to classify applications as good or bad. This feature indicates whether any malware is being whitelisted inadvertently and also highlights files without a reputation, which need to be investigated internally.

Dynamic Whitelisting - can configure it such that the whitelist will grow dynamically when systems are patched and updated, which alleviates the hassle of manual updates to the whitelist.

Memory Protection - helps ensure that the whitelisted programs which might contain some inherent vulnerabilities that cannot be exploited through a buffer overflow or other means. This feature helps prevent complex threats from circumventing whitelisting.

McAfee Ecosystem - well integrated within the McAfee product ecosystem to create a multi-faceted whitelisting solution. Integration with the ePolicy Orchestrator platform gives organizations a single security console to manage all their security solutions, thus improving operational efficiency. Additionally, integration with McAfee Risk Advisor helps prioritize, which systems to patch first and offers visibility on whether or not McAfee Application Control gives them coverage from the most recent threats.

Google+ is now open for teens.

Google's attempt at social networking, Google+ has now opened its doors to an even wider audience - teenagers. In an announcement made yesterday, Google stated that the social network, which till now was only open to those 18 and above, will now have teens onboard, too. Obviously, Google confirms putting in some additional security features in place for its new set of audience. While Google+ for Teens, according to Google will be almost like Google+ for Adults, there will be a few key differences. Google+ for Teens will include a lot of in-product guidance, which will in its part do it job of "informing" a teen user what clicking a certain option will do, in addition to, some 'conservative' default options.

While using the Sharing and Circles feature, if a teen user chooses to share his/her post with a much wider audience, which may even include people not in their immediate Circle, Google+ will pop up a disclaimer of sorts. This tiny note will clearly state that if posted with the current settings, the post will be visible even to those who're not in the user's list, and even allow them to comment. It is then for the user (teen) to decide if they really want to share that particular detail with such a wide audience. Another of Google+’s popular features is Hangout. The feature, as known to most of us allows Google+ users to chat, connect with their friends through video chat. Those using the feature already would know that people can join in an existing conversation and sometimes it so happens that the user may not want to converse with new joinee. The hangout feature in Google+ for Teens will, in such a situation, ask the user if he/she wishes to continue. During this brief period, the user can see a box clearly asking the user if he/she wants to continue with the conversation, and will also allow the user to quietly exit, if he/she chooses to, while putting off the camera and microphone, while doing so.


Google+ for Teens, reportedly will also allow teens to choose whom they want to connect with, receive notifications from, allow to comment on their public posts (i.e. posts that can be read by their Extended Circles). Google+ have on their part set the default settings for all the above features to be accessible to only those who're in the users’ immediate circle (If you're wondering, for adults the default setting is 'anyone'). Also, importantly, Google+ for Teens also comes with custom settings for Profile, done with a view to incite a user to think deeply before sharing any post. Of course, users are open to change their settings at any point. Some default settings include:


Employment and Education: “Public” for adults, "Your Circles" for teens
People in your Circles: “Public” for adults, “Your Circles” for teens
Relationship Status: “Extended circles” for adults, “Your Circles” for teens


Sure, Google has opened the doors of social networking for a seemingly vulnerable audience - teens, but, at least by the looks of it, they seem to be doing it responsibly, almost hand-holding. What do you think of this latest update to Google+? With all these settings in place, would you find it to be safe to let your teenage kid/sibling access Google+? Let us know your views on this in the comments section below.

LG Optimus Sol available online for Rs.16,990.

We think we may just have another strong contender in the 15K to 20K price bracket in LG's Optimus Sol. Introduced back in August 2011, LG's Optimus Sol is now available for Rs.16,990 across online shopping sites, like Flipkart. This will compete directly with Sony Ericsson’s Neo V, which for a long time now has been the best Android phone under 20K.


On paper, the Optimus Sol and the Neo V are nearly identical in every aspect, but LG’s offering seems a tiny bit more appealing. To begin with, it is cheaper than the Neo V by a grand and is lighter as well at only 110g. LG have ditched the LCD screen and gone with an ‘Ultra AMOLED’ screen which is 3.8 inches with an 800 x 480 resolution. It will also feature a scratch resistant glass from Corning. You get more internal storage for apps, 1GB to be precise, as opposed to 320 MB in the Neo V. The Wi-Fi module in the Sol also supports Wi-Fi Direct, you get Bluetooth v3.0. Both phones have exactly the same processor, which is a Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon running at 1GHz. The phone does come with Android 2.3.4, but, don’t hold your breath for an ICS update, as knowing LG’s track record, you’ll probably get it by the year end, if they decide to release it, that is. One thing that’s missing is an LED flash for the camera. Overall, it seems like a very good option in case the Neo V didn’t catch your fancy.

Here’s a quick rundown of the main highlights of the phone:

1.> 3.8-inch Ultra AMOLED Capacitive Touchscreen with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution
2.> 1GHz MSM8255 Qualcomm processor, 512 MB of RAM
3.> Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
4.> 1GB internal storage
5.> 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct
6.> GPS with A-GPS support
7.> Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0
8.> 5 megapixel camera, 720p video recording
9.> Stereo FM radio with RDS
10.>Memory expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
11>3.5 mm handsfree socket
12>1500 mAh Li-Ion battery