Broadcast music and let friends hear them in Gtalk

Yes, it's possible for you to broadcast music in Gtalk and let your friends hear it. You can play any audio or video file as your friends will be able to hear it. Kool na ??? Follow the steps below to get going :

Steps :

1. Unplug your microphone.
2. Double click on the speaker icon on the lower right corner of your screen. This will open up "Volume Control".
3. Select "Options" and then "Properties".
4. Then check the button next to "Recording" and click OK.
5. Now the recording control screen should be up. Select "Wave Out Mix".
6. Click the green phone icon in Google Talk and wait for your friend to answer
7. Enjoy the music together

So next time you love a song and wanna share it with your friends, just go for it. Njoy !

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Get Windows XP key from Installer CD itself !!!

Microsoft’s new Windows Product Activation presents support techs with all sorts of new challenges, including the need to have a valid product key to install, or reinstall, Windows XP on workstations. But what do you do if you can’t find the CD with the original key. You can discover the key using the trick below.

Steps :

1. Insert the Windows XP disk inside your computer.
2. Explore the CD from my computer.
3. Open the folder I386.
4. Locate the file UNATTEND.TXT and open it.
5. Scroll down to the last line and there you will fine the product key.

Have fun ! Now u'll never need to search for a product code for XP again :)

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purpose only, as most information is found on various part of Internet. Readers should contacts Microsoft if their licensed or OEM software cannot be installed or purchase genuine software.

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Kill Windows : Forcing Blue Screen Of Death

Why would you want to force your computer to display a Blue Screen of Death?

If Ctrl-Alt-Del doesn’t work (known to geeks the world over as the three-finger salute), then a forced BSOD is your last resort. It’s kind of like pulling the plug, but slightly less harsh and much more likely to impress your nerd friends.

Steps :

1. Open the Registry Editor. ( Start >> Run >> type "regedit" >> Press Enter )
   
2. Naviaget to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then SYSTEM, then CurrentControlSet, then Services, then i8042prt, then Parameters (for the geeks, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\i8042prt\Parameters).
3. Click Edit -> New -> DWORD Value or DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Call the new value (without the quotes) "CrashOnCtrlScroll".
5. Change the value to 1 (0x00000001)
6. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.
7. Hold down the right Control key then press the Scroll Lock key twice, then a blue screen should pop up.

An alternate way to make Vista crash would be to simply use Windows Vista. :P

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Converting text to speech in Linux

Text to speech software isn't just for blind or partially sighted people. It can be useful for converting text to speech on the fly or to audio files to listen on your portable audio player. You can even set up instant messaging software to turn your messages into speech.

Steps :

1. Download festival, espeak or freetts.
2. Install festival (Press Ctrl and D to exit it when it is running) or espeak.
3. A default voice is included but you can get voices from FestVox, MBROLA project, CMU Arctic or Nitech HTS.
4. Unpack them by typing for t in `ls` ; do tar xvf $t ; done.
5. Install them
   sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/festival/voices/english/
   sudo mv * /usr/share/festival/voices/english/.
6. Get a audio encoder.
7. Go to the command line.
8. In festival type (SayText "Hello and welcome to Wikihow")
9. To see a list of installed voices type (voice.list). To switch to a voice, type (voice_us2_mbrola) for example.
10. Or from the command line type echo "It's such a beautiful day! Why are you in front of the computer?" | festival --tts
11. Convert.
12. Type (quit) to quit.

Tips :

• If you have problems with adding voices, you probably need to install festlex-cmu and festlex-poslex packages.
• can't open /dev/dsp or a similar error message generally means some other software is using your sound system. Close it before trying to synthesize speech.

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Sony Ericsson planning Android handset for summer 2009

The manufacturer behind the Windows Mobile-based Xperia X1 (not to mention all those Walkman and Cyber-shot phones) says it's jumping on Google's Android bandwagon. Plus: Is Sprint inching closer toward its own Android handset?

As GigaOM reports, 14 new companies—including ARM, AsusTek Computer Inc., Garmin, Toshiba, and Vodafone—are joining Google's Open Handset Alliance. Among the new members: Sony Ericsson, which acknowledged that yes, it will be developing and building its own Android phone. (Asus and Toshiba are apparently teeing up their own Android devices, as well).

The handset that has everyone talking up Sony Ericsson is their Xperia 1 and for all the right reasons. It’s a sleek device with a perfect blend of form factor. Packed with a 3.2MP camera, a 800 x 480 touchscreen, and an optical joystick/4-way key, it had us Android fans hatin’ on Windows Mobile. We’d hoped and speculated that an Android version would come and now it seems more likely than ever that the two might come together.


According to the folks over at the Unofficial Sony Ericsson blog, that very optimistic rumor was false and the real story behind Sony Ericsson’s Android development plan differs greatly. According to USEB, here is what we know about Sony Ericsson and Android:

• The first Android-based handset will be a high-end product.
• The Android platform won’t be exclusive to high-end products, and will also be used in mass-market products in the future.
• Android-based products won’t be niche products, and Sony Ericsson will continue developing phones based on Symbian and Windows Mobile.
• As of now, there are no specific announcements or release plans for any Android-based product by Sony Ericsson. It is simply too early for anything specific.
  

Press Release :

Sony Ericsson joins Open Handset Alliance

Sony Ericsson extends portfolio strategy to include support for Open Handset Alliance

London, December 9 2008 – Sony Ericsson today announced the extension of its portfolio strategy to include support for the Open Handset Alliance

“Sony Ericsson is excited to announce its membership of the Open Handset Alliance and confirm its intention to develop a handset based on the Android platform,” said Rikko Sakaguchi, CVP and head of Creation and Development at Sony Ericsson. “We believe Sony Ericsson can bring a wealth of experience in making consumer focused multimedia handsets with new user experience to the Alliance drawing on the successes of the Walkman and Cyber-shot sub-brands. Sony Ericsson is a strong supporter of open operating systems and we believe the Open Handset Alliance offers an exciting opportunity for a new and unique user experience only Sony Ericsson can deliver.”

Membership of the Open Handset Alliance will complement the company’s existing Open OS strategy which is based on the Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms.

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2008 Will Be Just a Second Longer

Wait a second more before saying "Cheers to 2009!"

On December 31 midnight, you will have an extra second to usher in the New Year, because a “Leap Second” will be added to 2008 to let a lagging Earth catch up to super-accurate clocks.

Leap seconds are added to keep the atomic clocks synchronized with the Earth's rotation. This is because the Earth rotates at a slower pace over time while the atomic clocks do not slow down. Therefore, the leap second adjusts the clocks to ensure that civil time (used by clocks) is as close as possible to mean solar time (the mean sun’s hour angle).

The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service is the organization that monitors the difference in the two timescales and calls for leap seconds to be inserted or removed when necessary. Since 1972, leap seconds have been added at intervals varying from six months to seven years.

Leap seconds are inserted at the end of June or December as an additional second after 23:59:59 UTC (Universal Time Coordinated). The additional second is the 61st second of the last minute of the month, and it is written as 23:59:60 (or 11:59:60 PM in 12-hour format). This is the 24th leap second to be added since the first leap second was added in 1972. This is also the first leap second in three years. The most recent was inserted on Dec. 31, 2005.

That extra second will make 2008 — already long with an extra day on Feb 29 — the longest year since 1992.

The official source of time for the Department of Defense, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and a standard of time for the United States. U.S. Naval Observatory

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Nokia Developer Conference '09

The most sought after mobile developer event Nokia Developer Conference '09 is here! Nokia is organizing the Forum Nokia Developer Conference 2009 on 20^th January, 2009 at Trinity, Taj Residency, Bangalore.

Forum Nokia is a catalyst for mobile innovation. Besides fueling mobile application development, this platform will open networking and business opportunities. If there’s a place where mobile developers, operators and aggregators should be, it is at Nokia Developer Conference '09.

It's time to dream big and explore infinite possibilities — and it's time to benefit from these possibilities. Join at Bangalore Conference '09 for technology presentations, solutions to developer challenges, insights from industry experts, growth projections for the mobile industry, and more. Nokia Developer Conference '09 is where real stories and original thinking will be shared, where collaborations can lead to innovation, and where you can bond with like-minded peers, create partnerships, and benefit in a big way.

Technologies like Next Generation Network (NGN), Value added services, GPRS are wdely accepted by mobile users so it also one of the necessity that development increases in this field. This forum will provide a space where industry experts and student or professional level developers will together can grow with their knowledge and skills. Highly skilled persons also will get chance to prove themselves and tie up with biggies for development by means of this forum.

Objectives:

The objective of the conference is to inspire and fuel the dreams of developers to create killer mobile applications through support and collaboration.The Conference will provide the developers a forum, where best minds in the industry will meet and discuss the evolution of the Mobile VAS industry and what the future holds.

Why should I get?

If you are a mobile application / game developer, or your business is centred around the growing mobile industry or even if you are just plain interested in Mobile technology, you shouldn’t miss the Nokia Devcon 09. Various interesting sessions on the Mobile VAS industry, the Evolution of Mobile technology, Technology Showcases which give you a glimpse of the latest upcoming technologies, and presentations on latest Mobile Technologies have been scheduled. With 3G technology coming soon to India, the whole discussion is likely to be centred around it and its limitless possibilities. The discussion will also be focussed on Symbian and Java application development.

Impact of 3G on mobile applications :

3G networks enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency.

How do I register?

Nokia is organizing the for all mobile application developers on 20th January, 2009 at Trinity, Taj Residency, Bangalore.

To register and check more details, visit - Nokia Devcon 09 - Dream. Create. Benefit.

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Ubuntu Desktop Effects : Composite not available

Most of the times when you want some special effects for your desktop in Ubuntu, but you get "Composite not available" message.

To get that effect, you can change the last part of the composite value to 1 instead of 0 in the file xorg.conf

To do this you will need to type the following on the terminal :

1. sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf
2. Then the next step is to follow up with this installation:
3. sudo apt-get install xserver-xgl
4. sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager
5. After you are through with this. Restart X by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Backspace

There you are !!!

Enjoy the great desktop effects :)

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Search Engine Optimization : An Introduction

Search Engine Optimization is a technique used to optimize web sites in order to make them rank better in search engine indexes.

Almost all the search engine, like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, etc... use a specific algorithm to rank the web pages in their index. This rank mainly depends on the importance of the website for others. Means, if other websites link to your website, then you get a better ranking in the index.

The process of indexing and ranking the web pages goes like this...

The search engines crawl the whole web at regular intervals of time using their automatic robot programs called search engine crawlers. In crawling process the crawler checks the contents of the web page and the links to it. Then according to the contents and number of link backs, the search engine indexes the web page and ranks it in the index.

Crawlers may also look at a number of different factors when crawling a site. Not every page is indexed by the search engines. Distance of pages from the root directory of a site may also be a factor in whether or not pages get crawled. In order to get assured indexing and a better ranking we optimize our web pages using the search engine optimization techniques.

The main steps which come under SEO are...

1. Generating Robots.txt (I have already posted a blog post on it, follow the link to read it).
2. Adding meta tags, mainly of keywords and description.
3. Using search engine crawler friendly content on the web pages.

These days SEO industry is coming up at a very fast pace. Many people have set up SEO firms and sell their services in optimizing websites for others.

Gone are the days, when people wanted a user friendly and fast loading website. Almost all the websites are user friendly and fast in loading now. But when you have over 5 billion websites and trillions of web pages running in the whole world, and giant search engines crawling the whole web everyday, then you need something extra to remain in demand. SEO provides you the power to get ahead of others.

However, tricking the search engines to attract visitors is a false practice and is penalized by search engines esp. Google.

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Robots.txt : The most powerful text file on web

"Robots.txt" : You must have heard the name of this text file, if you are a web developer or you have got a little knowledge of search engine optimization. And if you don't know about this, one of the most powerful text files, then read on...

Robots.txt is a regular text file, as its extension says, which directs the search engine robots and crawlers while crawling your web pages.
It has got a piece of code in a special format, which actually is a set of rules for the web crawlers.

The most basic robots.txt file has the following code within it...

User-agent: *
Allow: /

This file allows all the crawlers to crawl your web page.

There can be many other methods to declare a "robots.txt" file.
You can allows some bots and disallow others.

The Format of Robots.txt

The file consists of one or more records separated by one or
more blank lines.

The record starts with one or more User-agent lines, followed by one or more Disallow lines,
as detailed below. Unrecognized headers are ignored.

User-agent

The value of this field is the name of the robot the record is describing access policy for.
If more than one User-agent field is present the record describes an identical access policy for more than one robot. At least one field needs to be present per record.

If the value is '*', the record describes the default access policy for any robot that has not matched any of the other records. It is not allowed to have multiple such records in the "/robots.txt" file.

Disallow

The value of this field specifies a partial URL that is not to be visited. This can be a full path, or a partial path; any URL that starts with this value will not be retrieved.
For example, Disallow: /help disallows both /help.html and /help/index.html, whereas Disallow: /help/ would disallow /help/index.html but allow /help.html.

Any empty value, indicates that all URLs can be retrieved.

So if you want your webpages to be crawled and indexed in the search engines in a way you like, then go and generate a robots.txt file for youe website.

For more info and tutorials on Robots.txt, follow this link.

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WiMax Technology

WiMAX is a wireless digital communications system, also known as IEEE 802.16, that is intended for wireless "metropolitan area networks". WiMAX can provide broadband wireless access (BWA) up to 30 miles (50 km) for fixed stations, and 3 - 10 miles (5 - 15 km) for mobile stations. In contrast, the WiFi/802.11 wireless local area network standard is limited in most cases to only 100 - 300 feet (30 - 100m).

With WiMAX, WiFi-like data rates are easily supported, but the issue of interference is lessened. WiMAX operates on both licensed and non-licensed frequencies, providing a regulated environment and viable economic model for wireless carriers.

WiMAX can be used for wireless networking in much the same way as the more common WiFi protocol. WiMAX is a second-generation protocol that allows for more efficient bandwidth use, interference avoidance, and is intended to allow higher data rates over longer distances.

The IEEE 802.16 standard defines the technical features of the communications protocol. The WiMAX Forum offers a means of testing manufacturer's equipment for compatibility, as well as an industry group dedicated to fostering the development and commercialization of the technology.

WiMax.com provides a focal point for consumers, service providers, manufacturers, analysts, and researchers who are interested in WiMAX technology, services, and products. Soon, WiMAX will be a very well recognized term to describe wireless Internet access throughout the world.

As a matter of fact WiMAX stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access i.e. approximate accronym. Latest technology in its field. Earlier we were using technologies like WiFi, CDMA (Code divivsion Multiple Access)etc. But WiMAX is based on the latest so called technology OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access). You might be eager to know that how this technology works, though it might me explained using technical words but in a simple language it can be stated that basically there are two parts a base station and a reciever.


Base Station: It is basically the place where the WiMAX tower is being set. The range of this tower is around 10km radius. i.e. a few towers will cover the whole city. Now this has various advantages. For example we often face problems with WiFi and CDMA while we are traveling as the range of these services is quite small and thus the device tries to catch one station or the other. But in WiMAX technology as the range is quite high so no more fuzzy network during travel. Other than this the speed is real high and we can transfer 100’s of MB within seconds.

Receiver: The work of receiver is quite simple. It is a kind of small instrument placed at the place where we want to receive the WiMAX network. With the receiver a router can be connected thus creating WiFi network within.

Advice: A tip for you guys, if you are going for any new gadgets, go for those which have built in WiMAX antennae.

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One Keyboard, One Mouse, Many Computers : Synergy

Have multiple keyboards and mice on your desk? With Synergy, you can seamlessly share one keyboard, mouse, and clipboard between multiple systems. Have a laptop to the right of your main display? Just move the cursor off the right edge of the screen and it will appear on the laptop.

QuickSynergy is a graphical application for setting up Synergy servers and clients. I used it to to share my mouse and keyboard between my desktop and Eee PC laptop. Synergy works flawlessly, even when the laptop is on wifi I can’t tell that I’m using a remote mouse and keyboard.


Synergy lets you easily share a single mouse and keyboard between multiple computers with different operating systems, each with its own display, without special hardware. It's intended for users with multiple computers on their desk since each system uses its own monitor(s).

Redirecting the mouse and keyboard is as simple as moving the mouse off the edge of your screen. Synergy also merges the clipboards of all the systems into one, allowing cut-and-paste between systems. Furthermore, it synchronizes screen savers so they all start and stop together and, if screen locking is enabled, only one screen requires a password to unlock them all.

This free and open source program is a game changer for any of us that must work between multiple computers in the same room. Here’s how you go about setting it up yourself.

(1) Download and install the appropriate release of Synergy on each computer you wish to control. The current release of Synergy is available for Windows (SynergyInstaller.exe), Fedora/Redhat (synergy.rpm), and OSX (synergy.OSX.tar.gz).

(2) Determine which computer you will designate as the server - that is, which keyboard and mouse pair do you want to use to control the other systems. The systems that are being controlled remotely are considered the client(s).

(3) 95% of the configuration revolves around the server, unsurprisingly. Run Synergy from the server and select the radio button next to Share this computer’s keyboard and mouse (server). Click the now enabled Configure… button.


(4) Click the + below the Screens form field. In the Screen Name field provide the hostname of the server - providing the hostname simplifies the configuration here but technically you could name the screen anything. Repeat this process from this window for all other client hostnames. All the other options aren’t really necessary for our configuration, so OK out of the dialog.


(5) You should now be back on the initial Configure window - Screens & Links. This is really the only tricky part in the configuration of Synergy. We must link the screens to the server by defining their layout and orientation with respect to one another.


(6) Under the Links header define your screen layouts - remember that in our terminology a screen is really equivalent to a single computer (which may or may not have multiple monitors attached). The defining of links may look intimidating because it allows for the flexibility of not only horizontal screen alignments, but vertical and diagonal as well. I’ve got a pretty common layout and that is the example you see here. Click OK once you are satisfied.


(7) Click Test. The server will start and a console window will launch showing any errors or warnings. Our setup is pretty straightforward so hopefully there aren’t any errors. However, to help in debugging any error message I suggest you visit Synergy’s site directly.


(8) Now, on the client launch Synergy except this time choose the radio button next to User another computer’s shared keyboard and mouse (client). Provide the hostname/screen name of the server in the form field. Lastly, click Test to verify everything is correct.


(9) Assuming you’ve made it this far without problems, everything is configured and you can start Synergy on the client and server by clicking the Start button in the Synergy window. To switch your mouse and keyboard to the second computer just move your mouse off the screen in the direction of your Links defined above.

System Requirements

• Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me (the Windows 95 family)
• Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP (the Windows NT family)
• Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
• Unix
  • X Windows version 11 revision 4 or up
  • XTEST extension
    (use "xdpyinfo | grep XTEST" to check for XTEST)

All systems must support TCP/IP networking. "Unix" includes Linux, Solaris, Irix and other variants. Synergy has only been extensively tested on Linux and may not work completely or at all on other versions of Unix.

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Merry X-Mas :)

“There's more, much more, to Christmas Than candlelight and cheer; It's the spirit of sweet friendship That brightens all year. It's thoughtfulness and kindness, It's hope reborn again, For peace, for understanding, And for goodwill to men!”

Merry X-Mas to all my readers and friends :) Njoy !!!

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TechQuark.com joins "U Comment I Follow" Revolution

Almost all blog platforms by default are set up so that a “dead end” piece of code is inserted wherever there is a link in a comment, so that search engines will not “count” the link as they are crawling the internet. This was originally designed to help stop comment spam, but it doesn’t work. What it does is remove some of the incentive for your readers contribute to your site by commenting on your posts.

Links with “nofollow” do not count as backlinks to search engines like Google, so you don’t get the PageRank juice or search engine ranking benefit for a link with “nofollow”. Commenting on DoFollow blogs is one way of getting some Pagerank or link juice. There is no specific penalty from Google (as of now) for having links from blog comments.

What can you do about it? Turn off “nofollow”. Show your commenters that you appreciate them. Spread the link love.

What is “Do Follow” Policy

The blogs or sites which adopt do follow comment policy allow you to get the linkback though your comments. In the “Do follow” policy you receive back links from websites who adopt this policy by simply making a comment on these sites and which is off course index and follow by Google for measuring your website PageRank It will also count as blog Reaction in Technorati and will ultimately increase your Authority and Technorati Ranking. For more information do follow policy please read this post.

Please Do Not Spam Comments

These do Follow Blog provide you a backlink, Right, but I request you while making comments on these blog please do write relevant and subjective matter and just don’t spam by saying “Good Post” or “Great Post”.

Link Back to This post

Do you think this Do Follow List useful? If yes then please link back with following anchor text:

Do Follow Blogs

Why the U Comment, I Follow Badge?
It’s one way to let your readers know that when they leave comments, they’re going to get link love. Sure, you can write a few post about it and even remind readers from time to time. But many will not see it. But the badge, that stays and your readers can see it.

Do you wish to join this movement?

Goto Blogger Beta Template HTML with widgets expanded and replace

<a expr:href='data:comment.authorUrl' rel='nofollow'>

with

<a expr:href='data:comment.authorUrl'>

And to make other bloggers know that you are part of the movement just add badge of "U Comment I Follow" to your blog, like the one in sidebar of my blog.

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Kingston DT150 : Ready to rock with 64GB pendrive

Yes guys, this news really is true. A gift from the “KING” kingston, an addition to the data traveler series DT150 is designed to carry around 64 giga bytes of data, amazing isn’t it. Surpassing the memory capacity of the blue ray disk. Though its priced more than the blue ray disks at $123, but it is worth it.

DataTraveler 150 USB Flash drive is big news in mobile storage. With a capacity of 32GB & 64GB, it lets you store more digital files than ever before on one drive. DataTraveler® 150 from Kingston® helps budget-conscious users break storage barriers, allowing them to easily store and move files in a 32GB & 64GB device no bigger than a pocketknife. As easy as click and drag, DataTraveler 150 can hold just about any file you can think of — term papers, theses, digital images, spreadsheets or other important documents.

Backed by legendary Kingston reliability plus a five-year warranty and 24/7 tech support, DataTraveler 150 is a reliable, inexpensive solution for carrying digital files with you anywhere you go.

Features/Specifications:

• Capacities* – 32GB, 64GB
• Dimensions – 3.06" x 0.9" x 0.47" (77.9 mm x 22 mm x 12.05 mm)
• Operating Temperatures – 32º F to 140º F (0º C to 60º C)
• Storage Temperatures – -4º F to 185º F (-20º C to 85º C)
• Convenient – Pocket-sized for easy transportability
• Simple – Just plug into a USB port
• Practical – Stores cap securely on end of device to prevent loss of cap
• Guaranteed – Five-year warranty
• Compatibility Table:
  
  

  Operating System	DataTraveler 150
  Windows Vista™*
  Windows ReadyBoost™
  Windows XP (SP1, SP2)
  Windows 2000 (SP4)
  Mac OS X v.10.3.x+
  Linux v.2.6.x+

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Fix file extension problem @ computerfileextensions.com/

If your work is depended on your computers, there are many problems that if not being solved as soon as possible will make your entire work ruined. Some of the problems are commonly caused by our own mistake, for example when we forget to change the default editor back to the previous software you used before when you uninstall the software you were using. Even though it seems like simple problems, you will find some problems to open particular files.

As we know, a file extension is always represented by characters that follow the name of the file. File extensions are used to differentiate one File Format from other. A file with a particular extension can be opened only with the corresponding applications. File Extensions might differ from operating systems, each one has its own extensions.

Due to various File Formats and file extensions available, most of us will get confused while it gets corrupted. On the ComputerFileExtensions.com web site there is a free scan that you can run to fix this issue. This site provides good advice relate to file extensions. There is also a vast database of all the types of file extensions you may come across and a great search facility to make it easier to find any file type you maybe looking for making it a great resource to find information on any type of file extension.

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Should Businesses buy a Projector or an LCD display?

With the price of large (>32”) LCD displays decreasing rapidly and new functionalities being added to LCD displays, does it still make sense for businesses to buy a projector vs. an LCD display?

Some of the variables to consider when evaluating this question are product quality, price, picture quality, screen size and other such considerations. We discuss these and other factors from a typical business organization perspective. Read other articles and make your informed judgment.

Product Life: LCD TVs or displays typically have a backlight life of 30,000 to 60,000 hours (ie, if you have the display on for ~6 hours every day, the backlight will last for 16 years). Even then the backlight can be replaced in most LCD displays. A projector bulb typically has a life of 2,000 hours.

Price Considerations: A basic projector can be found for INR 25,000. However, if the projector is going to be used for video conferencing or board room presentation, a high resolution, good contrast ratio and saturated colour projector would be required. The cost of such a projector is close to INR 1 lakh. Thereafter, you need to factor in the prices of projector bulb and projection screens. A typical projector bulb needs to be replaced almost every year or two with bulbs costing Rs 20,000+ per bulb. We have added these costs over a five-year period to compare a projector vs. an LCD (see chart below). With 46” LCD TV or display costing around Rs 135,000 – Rs 150,000 and dropping, price becomes less of an issue when considering whether to buy a Projector or LCD display

Figure: Total Cost of Ownership Comparison for Projector vs. LCD Display

Basic Device capital cost for projector is INR 70,000 and that of an LCD display is INR 150,000, Projector Screen Capital Cost (Wall Mount Screens INR 5-15K) is INR 10,000, Consumable cost of the projector is 20,000 x 3 = INR 60,000, Consumable life of a projector is 2,000hrs and that of an LCD display is 60,000hrs and the Cost of Ownership of a projector is Rs.140, 000/- and Rs.150, 000/- for an LCD display.

Assume: 5years of usage @ 5hrs a day ~ 6600hrs of use. This translates to 4 lamps in 5 years requiring the customer to buy 3 lamps in addition to 1 supplied with machine.

What is clear from the above figure is that a Full High Definition 46” LCD Display is, at best, only marginally costlier than a XGA Projector of ~2500AL. Additional costs of low screen installation costs and lower device loss costs are purely additional.

Picture Quality: Projectors such as a DLP or LCD projector use glass panels to combine red, green and blue colours to create the image. When sitting close to screen, the viewer can see the different colours at the borders of an image, aptly described as the rainbow effect. The rainbow effect takes away from the image quality and can give headaches. High-end projectors have been able to reduce the rainbow effect, however the problem still remains and these high-end projectors cost more. LCD TV or LCD displays do not have rainbow effect issues and the quality of the picture is good at close range.

Rather, projectors cannot compare with the picture quality for an LCD display. The vividness of the colours, the contrast ratio, the colour saturation and image sharpness are much better for an LCD display than a projector. When viewing a projector image, especially in ambient light, the viewer has to dim the lights or close the curtains unless the business has purchased an even more costly higher lumen projector. Not true with LCD displays, as the brightness and colour quality are much better.

Viewing angles used to be an issue with LCD displays but this issue is no longer true. Most LCD displays can be viewed from up to 176 degrees.

Dead or Stuck Pixels: Projectors can suffer from dead pixels and LCD displays can suffer from stuck pixels. Both dead pixels and stuck pixels result in white spots in the projected image. However, the manufacturers of both technologies have worked hard to minimize such issues and in most cases they provide warranty against such issues.

Screen Size: A common thought is that screen size is not an issue for most projectors as the thinking is that the projector image can be made larger by moving the projector away from the screen. This is not true as the image quality deteriorates as the image becomes larger. With projectors, most buyers opt for maximum optimized projector image sizes from 76-inches to 120-inches and the actual working normal projection image used is much smaller. Today, if businesses need a large LCD display in the maximum projector image size, a wide variety of competitive LCD displays can be found in this range.

Portability: Projectors are easy to carry and move around. For a business this could be a value-add or a drawback. LCD displays are durable and can be moved however they are not as light as projectors.

Power Consumption: Projector power consumption varies more from unit to unit, with brighter conference projectors requiring more power than smaller portable projectors. It is hard to compare the two technologies on this performance parameter.

Connectivity: Most LCD displays have more number and different types of ports than projectors. As a result more types of devices can be connected to an LCD display than a projector.

Other Value-Add Features: New features are appearing in LCD displays that could be quite valuable for businesses. For example, touch screen features on LCD displays allow for LCD displays to be used as digital whiteboards where the data written on the display can easily get captured electronically in a text document.

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xVM VirtualBox 2.1 Release on December 17

Turn your PC into an easy-to-use virtualization platform with Sun xVM VirtualBox, the free and open source software that runs on all major operating systems and eliminates the need for tradeoffs or multiple hardware systems.

Features :

1. Free and open source desktop and laptop virtualization
2. Runs multiple operating systems at the same time on the same PC
3. Enables cross-platform, multi-tier applications
4. Supports the Solaris OS, OpenSolaris, Windows, Macintosh OS X, and Linux
5. Improves efficiency with intuitive blend of platforms and applications
6. Provides remote access to guest virtual machines from anywhere
7. Supports virtual server environments
8. Protects existing hardware investments

Just a heads up that xVM VirtualBox 2.1 will be released on Wednesday December 17 and update of content at:

http://www.sun.com/virtualbox and http://developers.sun.com/

Just some of the features that are available in xVM VirtualBox 2.1 include:

1. New Accelerated 3D Graphics
2. Improved Network Performance
3. Storage Support (built-in iSCSI support to connect to storage systems ie Amber Road)

xVM VirtualBox 2.1 software offers improved support for:

1. Mac OS X on Intel's Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
2. VMware's and Microsoft's Virtualization Formats
3. Intel® CoreTM i7 processor
4. 64-bit guest OS on 32-bit host platforms

You'll be able to download xVM VirtualBox 2.1 at:
http://www.sun.com/software/products/virtualbox/get.jsp

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“Desktop Linux is an oxymoron”

I’M GETTING SICK and tired of certain people complaining about Linux distros, and the difficulties they face when using them. Just to clarify, I’m not talking about the majority, because I usually sympathise with complaints about technology, but when an IT implementer or a “tech freak” says something like “Linux is not ready for the desktop”, it’s the last straw. At a recent conference, a very senior security analyst told me that there is no such thing as an “easy-to-use-Linux distro”. 

In order to get users to switch an operating system, you have to follow logic. If it’s not broken,don’t fix it, but if it is, do whatever it takes to fix it. All of us know the advantages of switching to Linux, no viruses, spyware and the resulting crashes. In a professional environment, this leads to a loss of man hours, and worse, a lot of data loss.

So now, in a work environment, Linux begins to sound like OS utopia. This is especially true when you think of the average corporate environment, where a lot of people on PCs need nothing more than a browser, an office suite and a mail client. With software usage restrictions in place, employees are generally not allowed to use much else. Now Linux can do all of this and more, and to be honest, if you never get into the administrative functioning of Windows-lookalike Linux distros, you’d never notice the difference. 

Now I’m not stupid enough to suggest that all companies switch all employees to Linux. To begin with, you’d have huge problems trying to pry graphics professionals away from their Photoshop machines, and suggesting alternate software to them is likely to earn you a black eye. However, those who don’t use Windows-only software for their job roles can easily be ported to Linux. Even if you factor the cost and time of the basic training that’s required to get people used to Linux, you’d still end up saving a fortune in OS costs, anti-virus costs, and probably even IT staff costs. 

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see any sense in statements like “I’ve seen, implemented and used Windows for so long, that I know what to expect from it…” To me, this basically translates to, people saying, “I’m so used to anti-virus and anti-spyware software, that I can’t imagine life without it.”

Another thing I want to clarify is that this is not one of those popular “Windows-bashing” articles that you will find thousands of. I run Windows XP myself, and it’s never crashed on me in 3 years. However, what’s really wrong with operating systems is PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair). With millions of malware, sitting on the Net waiting for a gullible user to make just one wrong-click, employees who don’t know better are the real problem for IT heads. It takes just one virus to bring down a network, and cause losses in the millions. The tools to prevent such disasters exist, they’re readily available, free, secure, easy-to-use and filled to the brim with features, and yet some of the people whose job it is to find these very solutions spout idiotic tripe like “Desktop Linux is an oxymoron”. Well, you got the “moron” part right sir, but sadly, nothing else.

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Newton Laws for Software

Here are Newton Laws for Software for Geeks, Njoy !!!

Law 1. Every Software Engineer continues his state of chatting or forwarding mails unless he is assigned work by manager.

Law 2. The rate of change in the software is directly proportional to the payment received from client and takes place at the quick rate as when deadline force is applied.

Law 3. For every Use Case Manifestation there is an equal but opposite Software Implementation.

Bonus :-) Law 4. Bugs can neither be created nor be removed from software by a developer. It can only be converted from one form to another. The total number of bugs in the software always remains constant.

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Capturing the buzz on JavaFX!

Try out the JavaFX Picture Puzzle on Facebook!

Sun just created the first JavaFX application to run on Facebook, and I hope that you all try it and and will share it with your friends. It runs on any browser supported by JavaFX, although you get more functionality if you have JRE 6u10 or above running.

To play with the jigsaw puzzle, please:

1. Login to Facebook
2. Go to http://apps.facebook.com/javafxpicturepuzzle/Puzzle
3. You can also find this application by using the keyword JavaFX in the application search box while in Facebook
4. Click on accept when it prompts you to accept the certificates
5. Bookmark the app so that it will stay in your account easily (click on the bookmark link when you scroll to the bottom of your web page)
6. Share with your friends by clicking on the Share with Friends tab on the puzzle

While you're at it, read the following articles buzzing up on the blogosphere about the JavaFX 1.0 launch:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10113196-2.html
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Burnette/?p=694

Specially this one which explains how JavaFX aims to overtake its competitors Flash and Silverlight in the RIA

Encode Once, Play Anywhere

Video from Jonathan Schwartz on the JavaFX launch:
http://channelsun.sun.com/video/javafx+--+do+more!/3856260001

Check out the JavaFX blog:
http://blogs.sun.com/javafx/

What is everyone saying about JavaFX? (links to the blog posts, press releases, etc on JavaFX since its recent launch)
http://blogs.sun.com/theplanetarium/entry/what_everyone_is_saying_about

And ofcourse don't miss the samples on JavaFX.com
http://javafx.com/samples

And other JavaFX launch videos at ChannelSun:
http://channelsun.sun.com/video/software/javafx/1915439297

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Google Lunar X PRIZE : Race To Moon !!!

The Google Lunar X PRIZE, sometimes referred to as simply Moon 2.0, is a space competition organized by the X PRIZE Foundation, and sponsored by Google. It was announced at the Wired Nextfest on 13 September 2007.

A $20 million Grand Prize will be awarded to the team that can soft land a craft on the Moon that roams for at least 500 meters and transmits a Mooncast back to Earth. The Grand Prize is $20M until December 31st 2012; thereafter it will drop to $15M until December 31st 2014 at which point the competition will be terminated unless extended by Google and the X PRIZE Foundation.

"The Moon is a stepping stone to the rest of the solar system and a source of solutions to some of the most pressing environmental problems that we face on Earth – energy independence and climate change. Already, governments from around the world recognize the importance of lunar exploration, and national space agencies from the United States, Russia, China, India, Japan, and the nations of Europe plan to send probes to the Moon in the coming decade."

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Netbeans in Fedora 10

The NetBeans IDE and NetBeans Platform are now a part of the newly released Fedora 10. With the integration, developers using Fedora get:

• An easy and rapid way to organize environment for development of systems that can be based on modern technologies and popular programming languages.
• A way for development of applications based on the NetBeans Platform. All the tools required for development of the Rich Client Swing Applications are included in the IDE.

Learn More:

• NetBeans in Fedora
• Fedora Project

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JavaFX 1.0 Now Available!

JavaFX 1.0 is the expressive platform for building rich internet applications (RIAs) with immersive media and content for web browsers and desktops. With JavaFX 1.0, developers and web designers can quickly and easily build expressive RIAs that leverage the power and functionality of Java technology. Mobile developers can also preview their applications for the JavaFX mobile platform with the new JavaFX mobile emulator.

NetBeans IDE is the official IDE for JavaFX development! Developers can create, test, debug and deploy JavaFX applications for desktop, browser and mobile platforms using the NetBeans IDE. They can take advantage of the IDE's superior editing and profiling capabilities to quickly write code and to optimize their application's performance. For a quick start in JavaFX development, ready-to-run sample projects are also available. NetBeans IDE for JavaFX is a fast and simple way to see and experience JavaFX technology in action. Download it today!

How do I get NetBeans IDE for JavaFX?

• If NetBeans IDE 6.5 is already installed add JavaFX 1.0 through the IDE's Update Center. In the IDE, navigate to Tools -> Plugins and select the checkboxes under the JavaFX category.
• If NetBeans IDE 6.5 is not already installed visit the download page and select the JavaFX download bundle : http://www.netbeans.org/downloads/index.html?cid=927012

For more information, visit:

NetBeans IDE for JavaFX Features
http://www.netbeans.org/features/javafx/index.html?cid=927012

NetBeans IDE for JavaFX Documentation
http://wiki.netbeans.org/JavaFX?cid=927012

JavaFX.com Official Website
http://www.javafx.com/

As always, we welcome and encourage feedback about your experience using the NetBeans IDE. Share your thoughts on our mailing lists and forums; if you blog about NetBeans submit your blog for inclusion on Planet NetBeans :

http://www.planetnetbeans.org/

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OpenSolaris 2008.11 Screencast

1. This screencast shows all the new features in OpenSolaris 2008.11 including but not limited to:
2. the new ZFS time slider-linux commands ported to opensolaris
3. the revved up package management GUI tool
4. update management UI
5. songbird, firefox 3, VLC media player, and many other multimedia applications available
6. audio and other drivers now available out of the box
7. other core enhancements like automated install, etc.

http://webcast-west.sun.com/interactive/09B12437/index.html

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BSNL to launch 3G services by 15th December

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has decided to launch the next generation of 3G phones by the year end.

The Chairman and managing director of BSNL, Kuldeep Goyal, was in the city on Friday to launch BSNL’s managed network services. He said, “We will launch 3G services a north Indian city other than Delhi and later roll it out across the country,” said Goyal.

The public sector undertaking BSNL has already received a licence and spectrum rights to roll out 3G services in most parts of the country as it is one of the two state-run phone companies and is given preference over private firms in offering new technologies. However, the telecom operator has to pay the same fees as private operators who eventually win the right to offer a service.

3G networks will enable users to receive a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. The services include wide-area wireless voice telephony, video calls and broadband wireless data. Additional features also include high speed data transmission capabilities.

Well its really unfortunate for the iPhone 3G owners, who spent so much money for it and are not able to use its 3G functionality, and will not be able to even after BSNL launches it. As their iPhones are bounded with their respective network(Airtel or Vodafone). Well if these mobile networks work out something with BSNL then iPhone 3G owners are in for treat coming this december.

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The Best Tech Place In Town : ThinkDigit.com

Thinkdigit.com is the online face of my favorite DIGIT magazine. Digit magazine is the number one tech magazine in India as per the latest IRS (Indian Readership Survey) survey 2008.Recently Digit was acquired by Nine Dot Nine Mediaworx Pvt. Ltd.

Press release :

With a readership base of 1,84,000, Digit leads the technology magazines across all age groups, SEC segments and professions. IRS Survey is an independent survey conducted annually across India. It covers 350+ publications across 24 states and 91 cities. Digit’s large readership, matching some of the well-known general interest and business publications, is a testimony to its strong appeal to tech-savvy readers beyond just the technology professionals.

The DIGIT website and it's discussion forum is accessed by tens of thousands of visitors every day. IT offers you several useful sections that will surely help you to update your ever growing tech index. Thinkdigit is the Place that gives you endless knowledge and it has broad access to every part of the computing which we use today and we will tomorrow. Yes its from the same DIGIT Magazine.. the top selling Tech Magazine in India. Most of us follow the Digit Magazine to be in touch with the latest technology related News, Gadgets and a great software stuff for our PCs.

After being a member of the Thinkdigit forum for a considerable time, I list out the top five links of the Thinkdigit forum:

1. Reviews section: Before purchasing any gadget or software, search if any member has posted a review about it here. You can find reviews of mobiles, softwares, hardwares, PMPs, etc. These may be posted by novice or experts but what counts is how the experts and other members comment on the review and give their inputs. You can also find some of the best freewares listed in this section.
2. Software Troubleshooting: You can ask questions in relation to almost any software you use and expect an answer to almost every query. The level of expertise of the members is awesome and very very reliable.
3. Open Source: Since I am not too much into Open Source (except for using Ubuntu), I have put Open Source at no. 3 else it can surely appear at no. 1 for the help this section provides. This section is one of the reasons for me using Ubuntu…
4. Hardware Troubleshooting: As the name suggests, you can get unbiased inputs for your hardware problems.
5. Digital Market: Want to buy or sell your stuff? Then Digital Market is a place to go though don’t expect an ebay or amazon here. 
6. Free Classified Ads
   

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The Day My Google Account was Disabled / Locked !!!

What would you do if a criminal stole something very personal, and very valuable from you? What if they were able to target your business and cripple your income? You wouldn’t be too happy now, would you?

What if you also discovered that this was happening because of a sick crap mind that can affect your Google Account which might be your second life?

It was a bright sunny morning, after my return from college on winter vacations, I was enjoying my breakfast and signed into Gtalk with my username and password. It just said: "Invalid username or password". Even after repeated attempts just nothing, same message popping up.

Next I typed in Gmail.com on chrome, entered my Google username and password and hit enter, the next page was the most frightening thing in my life. It said 

Sorry, your account has been disabled.

It was like a night mare to me and I was just horror struck. I was in a fix and thought might be Google mistakenly flagged me and disabled my account. Wow!!! This can't happen to me. With my Google account, Google took away access to my Gmail, Orkut, Picasa, Alerts, Blogger, Docs, Feedburner, Groups, Notebook, Base, Knol, Sites, Reader, Talk, Webmaster Tool, SMS Channel, Health and many other services. 

My picasa web album showed: Album removed because violation of Terms and Conditions and every message to my Gmail account bounced back with message “Account Disabled ". Every thing related to my account was now down and so was I.

Google will not let me recover my GMail account. They were not letting me go through a series of captchas like their Google Accounts Help page says they will. Instead, Google has blocked or disabled my account, for no reason I can find, and will not let me log in.

Everything was black and down. I was sure I didn't violate any terms and conditions. Later with my friend’s Orkut account, I checked my scrapbook to find an unknown person's scrap saying: Your account is disabled, I can enable it, if you want to get it back scrap me. (Some of this text was in Hindi).

Looks like he tried to gain access into my account repeatedly using various means, which resulted in my account being locked by Google. But what now???

I even waited for 24 hours after read the test below but of no use:

Google has detection measures in place that flag accounts experiencing abnormal usage, or accounts that have been compromised. If your users' accounts are flagged, access may be temporarily disabled. It will take between one minute and 24 hours for access to be reinstated, depending on the behavior detected.

Unusual account activity includes, but is not limited to:

• Receiving, deleting, or downloading large amounts of mail via POP in a short period of time.

• Sending a large number of undeliverable messages (messages that bounce back).

• Using file-sharing or file-storage software, browser extensions, or third party software that automatically logs in to your account.

• Leaving multiple instances of your Gmail account open.

• Browser-related issues. If your browser continually reloads while attempting to access your inbox, it's probably a browser issue instead of a system control. It may be necessary to clear your browser's cache and cookies.

I knew 3 people at Google and asked them what to do next and even applied to account recovery procedure which I can't disclose in detail. After filling out multiple forms and exchanging many mails with Google, after 2 days and lots of tension with sleepless nights, I got mail from Google:

Hello Shubham,

Thank you for your email. We've completed our investigation and we're re-enabling your access to this account.

The mail included details as in how to restore my access to account.

Really this is the best bad thing that happened to me, but all well that ends well with an important conclusion : Don't take anything for granted. So I'm back guys... Rock On!!! Njoy!!!

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