Google still polishing Chrome OS, postpones debut

SAN FRANCISCO: It's taking longer than Google Inc anticipated to deliver a new operating system designed to make computers run faster.

After more than a year building a much-anticipated system around its Chrome web browser, Google said the first laptops powered by the new software won't hit the stores until the middle of next year.

The revised timetable is about six months behind Google's goal of having the Chrome OS completed in time for it to debut during the current holiday season.

Google's engineers decided they needed more time to fix bugs and fine tune the Chrome OS before the company launches its ambitious challenge to computers running on long-established operating systems made by larger rivals, Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc.

While Google polishes the Chrome OS, it will collect user feedback through a pilot programme allowing a relatively small number of consumers and businesses to test unbranded devices running the software.

Consumers will be invited to receive the test laptops through the Chrome web browser and Google's YouTube video site.

Acer Inc and Samsung Electronics Co will make the first Chrome OS laptops available in stores next year. The prices of the machines will be determined by the manufacturers next year.

The postponement threatens to intensify the competitive challenges facing the Chrome OS machines. More people already are snapping up sleek, touchscreen Tablets such as Apple Inc's iPad to surf the Web and run a variety of applications customised for the devices.

Apple sold about 7.5 million iPads in the first six months after its April debut and the Tablet is expected to be among the top-selling gadgets this holiday season.

The rising popularity of the iPad and an array of copycats has started to undercut sales of lightweight laptops, or "netbooks," according to industry analysts. Even the next version of Google's Android operating system for touchscreen devices is supposed to include more features tailored for Tablets.

The Chrome OS computers will have a 12.1in display screen and standard-sized keyboard, but no hard drive. That means the Chrome OS computers will need online access to run more programs.

Google decided to build its own computer operating system primarily because its views the hundreds of millions of machines powered by Microsoft's dominant Windows software as plodding, cumbersome relics unable to provide speedy web surfing.

The Chrome OS machines are being designed so they're ready to navigate the Internet within a few seconds after hitting the power button, almost as quickly as a TV set is ready for channel surfing.

Developing a Web-based alternative to Windows also realises a long-held goal of Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who had previously clashed with Microsoft as an executive at Sun Microsystems and Novell Inc during the 1990s.

Google's development of the Chrome OS contributed to Schmidt's resignation from Apple's board in 2009. Schmidt stepped down because he increasingly was steering Google into the same markets as Apple, raising potential conflicts of interest.

By making it easier and more appealing for people to spend time online, Google hopes to attract more traffic to its dominant Internet search engine and boost its revenue by selling more of the ads that generate most of its income.

The push for a speedier Web experience, prompted Google to introduce the Chrome browser more than two years ago. Although it still lags behind Microsoft's Internet Explorer and the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox, Chrome has steadily been winning converts.

Google says Chrome now has 120 million active users worldwide today, up from about 30 million at the beginning of the year.

Chrome will soon get even faster by pulling up websites as people type in an address, in the same manner that Google's search engine displays different results with each keystroke. For example, typing "e:" in Chrome's navigation bar display ESPN's site in the browser, if that is a destination that the user frequently visits.

To help whet consumers' appetite for the new Chrome OS machines, Google unveiled a new store that will distribute web applications that offer more features and better graphics than the content found on standard webpages.

The Web apps store is open with about 500 free and for-fee applications, meeting the end-of-the-year deadline Google established when it announced the idea in May. More than 40,000 applications already have been developed specifically for the iPad.

The New York Times Co, Time Warner Inc's Sports Illustrated magazine and videogame maker Electronic Arts Inc are among the major companies already offering applications in the Chrome store.

Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc also previewed an application that for the first time will allow other merchants to sell electronic books for its Kindle reader. The app enables Kindle books to be read through a web browser.

Like programs designed for the iPad and mobile phones, the Chrome applications store could help publishers bring in more revenue from subscriptions and advertising. - AP

Google flashes Chrome notebook

The first generation of Google's Chrome notebook, the Cr-48, is a sleek, black, unbranded web-ready device that boots up in just 10 seconds.

It runs on Google's Chrome operating system - which is essentially just a feature-rich version of Google's existing Chrome browser.

The Cr-48 comes with built-in WiFi and 3G for any time, anywhere web browsing, a webcam, a 12in LCD screen and a full-sized keyboard and over-sized touchpad for comfortable web browsing.

"Chrome notebooks are designed to reach the Web instantly," says Google in a blog post.

They are "easy to share among friends and family, and simply by logging in, all of your apps, bookmarks and other browser settings are there. Setting up a new machine takes less than a minute. And even at this early stage, we feel there is no consumer or business operating system that is more secure."

In Google's vision of the future, laptops (and people) will live on the Web. There will be no need for desktop applications because it will be much easier to complete your computing tasks using online web apps.

"Last year, we announced our effort to design an operating system that is built and optimised for the Web. Many people already spend all their time in a web browser, and by building an operating system that is essentially a browser, we can make computers faster, much simpler and fundamentally more secure," says Google.

In 2011 users can expect to be inundated with a new range of design conscious, web-centric computers that compromise storage space and superfluous features for portability and connectivity as more users convert to web-based applications and cloud-based storage.

Apple has already given the trend a nod with its latest MacBook Air laptops.

The Google Cr-48 is currently only available to a select group of beta-testers in Google's Pilot program but both Acer and Samsung will have Google Chrome notebooks available for sale within the first half of 2011. No details about pricing have been announced. - Relaxnews 2010

Technology that can track your cellphone

PETALING JAYA: "Big Brother" is watching you, but sometimes that may not be such a bad thing, and especially when it has to do with keeping us safe.

A company called TruePosition is shopping around a technology that can effectively track mobile phones with an accuracy of within 50m - whether the phone has a GPS chip or not. Wherever there's a cellphone signal, TruePosition's technology can track a phone or any number of phones.

This handphone-location technology works in a similar manner to GPS (global positioning system), in that it relies on multilateration, which figures out where the device is by how proximate the device is to several known points - but in this case, instead of using GPS satellites, TruePosition relies on cellular service towers.

Using what's known as Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (U-TDOA), the TruePosition system measures how long it takes the signal emitted by the mobile phone to reach a cell tower. With this distance information obtained from several towers, a very high level of accuracy can be obtained to pinpoint the location of the cellphone in question.

"In my presentations I always bring up the movie, The Bourne Ultimatum, where cellphone location is used. This isn't science fiction but actually works," said Brian Varano, director of marketing for TruePositon.

While this may sound ominous to some (including privacy advocates), the technology actually has applications in search and rescue operations, as well as national security applications.

For example, in the case of an earthquake, search and rescue teams can use the technology to find the locations of victims trapped under rubble, if they have their mobile phones switched on and with them.

VARANO: "In my presentations I always bring up the movie, The Bourne Ultimatum, where cellphone location is used. This isn't science fiction but actually works."

In the case of kidnapping victims, the police could track down the location of the kidnappers if they make ransom calls from a cellphone.

According to Varano, the technology has wide applications in "homeland security" (or national security as we call it here), where the company's tracking technology could be used to identify and track a group of terrorists engaged in criminal activity.

"Cellphones are now one of the main methods terrorists use for communication with each other. Cellphones can even be used as remote detonators for bombs as well," said Varano.

In such a case, governments utilising the technology can also monitor cellphones for certain keywords and once those turn up, can track the phone using TruePosition's technology.

Each call made from the phone links the caller to another person and from there to another and another -- in this way, a terrorist cell could be identified, Varano said.

Apart from the tracking of handphones, the technology can be used to set up what's called a "geofence," where a certain building - or area around a building - is outlined with a virtual fence that only allows those with known, registered phones to enter.

Those with unregistred phones who enter this area will immediately set off a security alert, or be flagged by a computer system.

Besides protecting high-security buildings, Varano said the system is also being used to enhance border-security systems in remote areas.

TruePosition's technology can track particular mobile phones based on the IMSI (or the International Mobile Subscriber Identity) information stored on the SIM card, or the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) information stored on the phone's hardware.

For the location technology to work, Varano said, specialised equipment needs to be installed at each cellular service tower - many countries, such as the United States and Spain, already have such equipment installed.

Varano added that no Asian countries currently utilise TruePosition's technology, although several nations in the region are looking into it.

For more information, check out TruePosition's website at trueposition.com.

Watch your baby wirelessly

THE upcoming Philips Avent SCD 600 is a wireless baby monitoring system packed with the latest technologies to ensure that your precious one is safe and secure.

It's made of two parts - a 0.1-megapixel camera to monitor the baby and a rechargeable 2.4in colour QVGA display which you can take with you.

The camera has a ball-joint that makes it easy to swivel it into the best position to monitor the child. The device transmits video in real-time to the portable display unit.

It can transmit up to a distance of 150m via a secured 2.4Ghz frequency band.

The camera also has a night vision function to view your baby in the dark. To lull the baby to sleep, the camera comes with a night light and can play soothing lullabies.

To save power, the video display switches off if it doesn't detect any sound for 30 seconds.

The display unit also has a status indicator that can alert the parent with a sound when the connection goes down.

The Avent SCD 600 is expected to be available next month. The price has yet to be announced.

BADA

It is a mobile operating system being developed by Samsung Electronics. It is designed to cover both high-end smartphones and lower-end feature phones. Samsung claims that bada will rapidly replace its proprietary feature phone platform, converting feature phones to smartphones.

The name 'bada' is derived from, the Korean word for ocean or sea.

Your iPad, iPhone can give you infection

MELBOURNE: People who use display iPads and iPhones at Apple stores are likely to get serious infections and the company should do more to maintain hygiene, says an Australian expert.

Peter Collignon, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Australian National University, followed research that found a higher risk of transmitting pathogens from glass surfaces like on iPads to human skin.

"You wouldn't have hundreds of people using the same glass or cup, but theoretically if hundreds of people share the same keyboard or touch pad, then effectively that's what you're doing," the Age quoted Collignon as saying in a phone interview.

"The germs we transmit via our hands can frequently have germs that can cause anything from the flu to multi-drug resistant diseases."

Scores of people visit Apple stores around the country every day to play with the company's latest gadgets. Earlier this year, an investigation by the New York Daily News found that of four iPads swabbed in two Apple stores, two contained harmful pathogens.

One contained Staphylococcus aureus, the most common cause of staph infections, while another registered Corynebacterium minutissimum, a bacteria commonly associated with skin rash.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology cautioned people against sharing their devices, as there was a higher risk of spreading germs from glass surfaces. Collignon said Apple and other gadget stores with touchscreen devices on display should make hand hygiene products "more readily available on counters."

"It doesn't have to be anything fancy it just has to be a 70 per cent alcohol solution. Maybe the various computer stores can make a more frequent effort to clean their equipment," he said.

"If you want to protect others then preferably don't share but if you do make sure your hands are clean before you touch it and afterwards," added Collignon.

Cellphones to be charged wirelessly soon

LONDON: Cell phone users may soon be able to recharge their devices wirelessly. Japanese technology company Fujitsu has developed a system capable of simultaneously charging multiple portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras and laptop computers without the need for cable connections.

Electric cars users may also eventually be able to charge their vehicles wirelessly using the same technology according to Fujitsu, which unveiled a prototype system at an Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers conference at Osaka Prefecture University. Claiming to be the world's first of its kind, the technology works on the basis of the transmission of electricity using magnetic fields between the charger and the electronic device.

The system enables wireless charging at distances of up to several metres, with the ultimate aim of installing public "charging spots" on the streets in order to enable easy charging around the clock. Scientists at Fujitsu Laboratories are planning to commercially sell products incorporating the new wireless charging system as early as 2012 but did not disclose how much they would cost.

"This technology paves the way to integrating compact wireless charging functions into mobile phones and enabling multiple portable devices to be charged simultaneously without any restrictions on their position with respect to the charger," the Telegraph quoted the company as saying in a statement.

Apple gadgets to get wireless printing

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple said that a software update to iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch devices in November will let users wirelessly print photos, documents, or graphics.

A test version of the coming iOS 4.2 update released to software developers on included an AirPrint feature that automatically finds Wi-Fi enabled printers on local networks and connects.

"iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users can simply tap to print their documents or photos wirelessly," said Apple senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Philip Schiller.

"AirPrint is Apple's powerful new printing architecture that matches the simplicity of iOS -- no set up, no configuration, no printer drivers and no software to download."

The update addresses criticism by some that the California company's hot-selling iPad tablet computers lack ports for plugging in cables to connect with printers.

Mobile computing to get 'keyless keyboard'

JERUSALEM: An Israeli start-up has launched a system that aims to make mobile computing easier by letting users type on invisible keys instead of a keyboard that typically takes up much of the screen.


SnapKeys calls its technology the "keyless keyboard" and has forged a deal with Philips Electronics to market the product, company officials said.


SnapKeys and Philips will split revenue 50-50. "There is a fundamental problem in entering data on mobile devices," SnapKeys Chief Executive Benjamin Ghassabian told Reuters. "Keyboards were meant for fixed devices, not mobile. And screens are not supposed to be your input device; they are supposed to be output."


He said the keyless keyboard was 10 years in the making. The sucess of Apple's iPad -- which Ghassabian says is more entertainment than computer -- shows that people want more portable devices. Around 40 companies seek to market tablet computers, he said.


"The market is moving towards mobile computers -- that's why tablets are coming out," Ghassabian said.


SnapKeys, privately funded with $4 million, and Philips have started approaching the top mobile device and computer companies about using its keyless keyboard.


"We are in the phase of closing deals ... It will take a few months to get to the market," Ghassabian said, adding the system works on all Windows, Symbian and Android-based devices.


The keyboard has four invisible keys -- two on each side of the device's screen -- each comprising six to seven letters. There are other keys for numbers, punctuation and symbols.


At first, the location of the keys appears on the screen but the company believes users will quickly learn the location of letters and will not need the overlay for long. Users tap the invisible keys with their thumbs and the system predicts the words.


SnapKeys says its English version has about 100,000 words and is 92 per cent accurate. If the word isn't correct, it can be changed.


Ghassabian said the system, in which typing words is far faster than a typical keyboard, is available in all European languages as well as Chinese. An Indian version is in the works.


"The only competition for us will be voice recognition and that's not working well yet in mobile devices," Ghassabian said, noting it was not as discreet as typing.


He rejected the notion that people will not want to change their typing habits from a keyboard that has been around for a century.


"People used to have horses but when cars came out, not everyone wanted to switch to cars. But when they started driving cars, they didn't want to go back to riding horses," he said.

7 Things to know about Microsoft IE9

Microsoft Corp has unveiled the "beta" test version of Internet Explorer 9, the first of a new generation of Web browser programs that tap into the powerful processors on board newer computers to make websites load and run faster.

Here we look into all that's new in Microsoft's latest browser.

Fewer buttons

IE9, which is free, also arrives with a more minimalist look and a few new tricks that start to blur the distinction between a website and a traditional desktop application.

Following the lead of Google Inc's stripped-down Chrome browser, Microsoft's IE9 comes with far fewer buttons, icons and toolbars cluttering up the top of the screen. Its frame is translucent, and as people browse the Web, IE9 can be subtly adorned with small icons and signature colors of the websites being viewed.

Skips browser

The new browser also takes cues from Windows 7, Microsoft's most recent operating system software for personal computers. In Windows 7, people can "pin" favorite programs to the task bar at the bottom of the screen, creating a one-click shortcut. They can also customize a menu of options for each program, such as opening a frequently used file in Microsoft Word.

IE9 lets people pin individual websites to the taskbar, and some sites have already customized their so-called "jumplist" menus. For example, when people pin USA Today's site, the icon in the taskbar can display a menu that mirrors the color-coded sections of the newspaper.

New Tab page

The New Tab page has been revamped in Internet Explorer 9 to intelligently display the websites that users love most and put them one click away.

Each site's icon and primary color is used on the New Tab page to help users identify sites more easily. Also, a site indicator shows if the site is visited often or not. From the New Tab page, users can also reopen closed tabs, reopen the last browser session, clear the site indicators, or start InPrivate Browsing.

Taps PC's processing power

The aesthetic changes bring IE9 in line with Microsoft's newer software, but the changes under the hood push Microsoft's technology a step ahead of its competition. The browser can take advantage of multicore microprocessors to crunch website code faster.

It also uses the PC's graphics processing unit -- the same chips that make the images in elaborate video games run smoothly -- to make images, animations, movie clips and other visuals appear or play faster.

HTML5

And IE9 supports HTML5, a catch phrase for an updated set of rules and specifications that website programmers use. HTML5, which is currently under development, will include video playback and other graphics-intensive features that, in the past, could only be done by adding third-party software.

"What I saw impressed me," said Endpoint Technologies Associates analyst Roger Kay, who attended Microsoft's media event to promote the new browser in San Francisco. "The bottom line is, this product is good. It's pretty and it's fast."

Microsoft won't stand alone at the front of the pack for long, however. Google and Mozilla, maker of the Firefox browser, are also working on similar technical upgrades to their software. All three players have different motivations for pouring resources into making their free programs stand out from the pack.

F12 developer tools

Internet Explorer 9 provides built-in developer tools which aid developers in rapid prototyping, testing, and debugging webpages by making changes to code from within the browser itself which can then be previewed.

New in this version of the browser are a user-agent switching tool, a network traffic inspector, an improved JavaScript profiler, and integrated support for new Web standards introduced with Internet Explorer 9.

Not for Windows XP

The new browser works on PCs with Windows 7 or Vista, but not on PCs with the much more widely used Windows XP computers or on Macs. At the media event, Microsoft showed off several big-name websites that have been designed to take advantage of the new browser, including ones from Amazon.com Inc, Facebook and Twitter.

The sites are built with code that older browsers can understand, but some may be sluggish without IE9. Microsoft did not say when IE9 will leave the test phase, but the final version isn't likely to change much. It is available for download at beautyoftheweb.com.

Google Android to be no.2 mobile OS

WASHINGTON: Google's open-source Android will become the number two mobile operating system this year, leapfrogging BlackBerry and challenging market leader Nokia's Symbian by 2014, a research firm said.

The technology firm Gartner said Symbian and Android will account for 59.8 percent of mobile operating system (OS) sales by 2014. "Symbian will remain at the top of Gartner's worldwide OS ranking due to Nokia's volume and the push into more mass market price points," Gartner said.

"However, by the end of the forecast period, the number one spot will be contested with Android, which will be at a very similar share level," it said.

According to Gartner, Symbian will hold a 40.1 percent OS market share at the end of 2010 followed by Android with 17.7 percent, Research in Motion's BlackBerry with 17.5 percent, Apple with 15.4 percent for the iOS used by the iPhone and Windows Mobile from Microsoft with 4.7 percent.

By 2014, Symbian's share will fall to 30.2 percent while Android's will rise to 29.6 percent followed by Apple with 14.9 percent, Blackberry with 11.7 percent and Windows with 3.9 percent, Gartner forecast.

Symbian last year had a 46.9 percent share of the OS market followed by Blackberry with 19.9 percent, Apple with 14.4 percent, Windows with 8.7 percent and Android with 3.9 percent, Gartner said.

Gartner said it expected handset manufacturers such as Samsung to launch a number of budget devices in the second half of the year using Android and for other players such as Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola to follow suit.

"This trend should help Android become the top OS in North America by the end of 2010," Gartner said.

Nokia on Friday named Stephen Elop, a former Microsoft executive, to head the Finnish telecom giant as it battles slumping profits and an eroding market share in the smartphone segment.

That sex movie is a virus!

NEW DELHI: Almost after a decade, email virus is back. An e-mail that promises free sex movies is infecting users' PCs around the world, warn security companies.

According to security firm McAfee, the email with subject line "Here you have", purports to be either Adobe PDF documents or a free porn film.

"The URL does not actually lead to a PDF document, but rather an executable in disguise, such as PDF_Document21_025542010_pdf.scr served from a different domain," McAfee said in its blog.

On following the hyperlink included in the email, the user is prompted to download or execute the virus.

"When run, the virus installs itself to the Windows directory as CSRSS.EXE," the company said.

"Once infected, the worm attempts to send the aforementioned message to email address book recipients. It can also spread through accessible remote machines, mapped drives, and removable media via Autorun replication," according to the security firm.

McAfee said the virus also attempts to delete security software. Web reports suggest that some companies like AIG, Disney, Procter & Gamble and Wells Fargo have been affected by the virus.

In an alert sent out to customers McAfee reportedly recommended blocking .scr files at the Internet gateway. "McAfee has received confirmation that some customers have received large volumes of spam containing a link to malware, a mass-mailing worm identified as VBMania," the note reads. "The symptom reported thus far is that the spam volume is overwhelming the email infrastructure."

Both McAfee and Symantec claim to have released patches for the virus.

15 Top-paying jobs for techies

Tech jobs are back! After almost two years of belt-tightening, which saw job cuts too, IT companies are back to hiring. Shedding their initial cautiousness, IT companies in the last quarter made some record hirings. And despite some uncertainty about global economy, the hiring plans of tech companies continue to look robust.

So, what are the skills that are in demand and how well paying they are? US-based Kelly Services, a workforce solutions provider, recently released an Employment Outlook and Salary Guide. The guide looks for trends across key verticals and lists also 'Hot Jobs' across sectors.

Here's looking into the top jobs in Indian IT sector and how they stand in terms of salaries.

Information technology manager

Qualification: Degree/Diploma

Experience: 10 years

Job description: With general autonomy, responsible for global/regional supervision, support and deployment

Min salary: Rs 10,00000

Max salary: Rs 18,00000

Software development manager

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 12 years

Job description: Manage the activities and people associated with a project and the success of that project. Work with users to identify their needs.

Min salary: Rs 7,50000

Max salary: Rs 13,00000

Web application developer

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 8 years

Job description: Develop websites using HTML and various scripts. May also develop stored procedures to access DBMS from websites.

Min salary: Rs 5,00000

Max salary: Rs 7,50000

Systems development manager

Qualification: Degree/Diploma

Experience: 8 years

Job description: Analyse, operate, administer, maintain, test and implement network interconnections of devices, systems, and/or communication services to meet the functional objectives of the business.

Min salary: Rs 5,00000

Max salary: Rs 7,50000

Project manager

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 8 years

Job description: Analyse, design, develop, test, implement and maintain computer applications systems to meet functional objectives of the business.

Min salary: Rs 5,50000

Max salary: Rs 9,00000

System administrator

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 8 years

Job description: Under broad direction, assist in supervising other systems administrators and provide basic job training and guidance on regular basis.

Min salary: Rs 5,00000

Max salary: Rs 8,00000

IT security professional

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 8 years

Job description: Design, implement, assess, and manage critical security functions such as secure system design and implementation, antivirus and patch management, vulnerability assessment and remediation and security monitoring and reporting.

Min salary: Rs 5,50000

Max salary: Rs 8,00000

IT business analyst

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 8 years

Job description: Coordinate all areas of system testing, including preparation, execution and installation support to assure quality system changes.

Min salary: Rs 4,50000

Max salary: Rs 8,50000

Helpdesk manager

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 6 years

Job description: Provide customer and technical support through analysis and problem solving to facilitate installation, implementation, maintenance, education and documentation of a variety of technologies

Min salary: Rs 3,00000

Max salary: 5,50000

IT operations manager

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 8 years

Job description: Plan and direct the information technology activities of an organisation and coordinates the effective design, implementation and operation of IS systems and applications.

Min salary: Rs 3,50000

Max salary: Rs 7,50000

IT support manager

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 6 years

Job description: Provide customer and technical support through analysis and problem solving to facilitate installation, implementation, maintenance, education and documentation of a variety of technologies.

Min salary: Rs 3,00000

Max salary: Rs 5,50000

Senior technical writer

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 5 years

Job description: Research, analyse, design, develop, write, edit and publish documentation of technical applications, products, training and services. Will also have experience in coordinating entire projects and managing workflow and teams

Min salary: Rs 3,00000

Max salary: 5,50000

System analyst

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 8 years

Job description: Analyse, design, develop, test, implement, and maintain computer systems to meet functional objectives of the business. Will have responsibility with design, implementation and some project management of small teams.

Min salary: Rs 3,50000

Max salary: Rs 5,50000

Project lead

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 8 years

Job description: Analyse, design, develop, test, implement, and maintain computer systems to meet functional objectives of the business. Will also have team leadership of small to medium teams and work groups.

Min salary: Rs 3,50000

Max salary: Rs 7,50000

ERP business analyst

Qualification: Diploma

Experience: 6 years

Job description: Same as business analyst and system analyst, plus participate in project work, including analysis and requirements definition and testing

Min salary: Rs 3,50000

Max salary: Rs 6,00000

YouTube launches free movie service

NEW DELHI: YouTube has launched a free movie service that will allow users to view full movies for free. The new service can be found at www.youtube.com/movies, and will show a range of films, including several Bollywood hits.

The company said that more than 400 movies will be initially available as part of the service.

According to the company, Titles will include a range that "brings together a library of film ranging from past mainstream hits to cult classics and beyond, and YouTube hopes the Movies section will grow in time."

YouTube has signed partnerships with www.blinkbox.com, British online film and TV aggregator, and US studios like Lionsgate, MGM and Sony Pictures for the free movie channel. Some popular movies include The Addiction, Dark Side Of The Sun, The Clan Of The Cave Bear and Death Train.

Donagh O'Malley, Head of Video Partnerships, YouTube told Guardian, "This is one of many efforts to ensure that people can find all the different kinds of video they want to see, from bedroom vlogs and citizen journalism reports to full-length films and TV shows. This is a first step."

Enter the 3D camcorder

HOKKAIDO: Panasonic has unveiled the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750, at a press event in Japan.


The camcorder, when attached with a special 3D conversion lens, is capable of shooting amazing true-to-life 3D videos.


The 3D attachment uses two lenses to capture two images simultaneously - just like the human eyes - to form a 3D video.


The HDC-SDT750 records video in full 1080p resolution in AVCHD format with 5.1-channel audio.


The camcorder is also capable of taking still pictures and features Intelligent Auto mode, face detection and Hybrid OIS shake reduction system.


For editing the 3D videos, the camcorder comes with HD Writer AE 2.6T application which allows users to splice together videos and save them on a PC or burn them onto a Blu-ray or DVD disc.


Users can watch their 3D movies on a 3D capable TV such as the Panasonic Viera Full HD 3D TVs by hooking up the camcorder via a HDMI cable.


The camcorder uses a 3MOS system with improved noise reduction and manual ring for full control of the camcorder's zoom, focus and shutter speed.


It also has a large 3in touchscreen for easily accessing the camcorder's functions.

Buying smartphone? Here’s what not to miss

Smartphones are new-age computers. Almost. With more features and technology crammed into them, they're not used only to make calls and send text messages but to e-mail, for video-conferencing, for social networking, take pictures, shoot videos, play video games and watch high-definition videos on the move. 


Smartphones are getting more complex and increasingly mimic computers , but what's inside them matters more than design or looks. Here's what to look out for when buying:


PROCESSOR



At the heart of a smartphone is the processor. "These are designed specifically for mobile devices and are not just a smaller version of computer processors," says Amandeep Singh Parmar, moderator of cellphone section at erodov.com, a technology forum. 


"Unlike Intel's X86 architecture (technology on which processors are based) in the computer market, in the smartphone market, it's the ARM architecture that rules." 


Currently, all high-end smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S, HTC Desire and Google Nexus One come with a 1Ghz processor. A faster processor means a more responsive phone. 


Snapdragon, Qualcomm's 1Ghz processor, would be the ideal candidate. Samsung's Hummingbird too is one of the best. iPhone uses an A4 processor, which reportedly runs at 750-800 Mhz. 


RAM


This is important as it allows better multi-tasking . All high-end smartphones now come with at least 512MB RAM, which is likely to be more than on computers that are over five years old.


SCREEN



This is the most important component of a smartphone. "There are two major types of touchscreens in smartphones – resistive and capacitive," says Parmar. 


Highend phones use the latter as they are considered faster. Capacitive screens, unlike resistive ones that can be used with devices like the stylus, only respond to human touch, not gloved fingers. Most display panels are fused with two types of technologies, says Parmar. 


"LCD, OLED, AMOLED, SuperAMOLED – all can be found on smartphones. Most OLED and AMOLED screens produce vibrant colours and fantastic brightness indoors but give a washed out picture in sunlight. SuperAMOLED, though, has corrected this issue, to an extent. TFTLCD screens have poor viewing angle, washed out blacks and poor brightness level. If you watch a lot of videos, settle for nothing less than an AMOLED display," he says. 


Another thing to watch for in screens is the size. "If you pick one with a big display, it'll be hard to use with one hand. An ideal size is 3.2-3 .5 inches. This makes the phone easily pocketable and is just big enough to read documents, browse the internet or watch movies without straining the eye," says Bangalore-based engineer Amarendra Bandla.



KEYBOARD


Virtual vs real. That's the debate among smartphones users who say it depends on personal preference. "Many users are not comfortable with touch QWERTY.

They prefer the tactile feedback they get when they press a real button. Users who send a lot of SMSes, those who never even look at their phones while typing, can never work on touchscreen keyboards," says Bandla.

But many users have no problem with a virtual keyboard, he says.

With technologies like Swype – you don't type words but swipe your finger on the alphabets and the phone predicts the word for you – dictionary and auto correction, typing on a virtual keyboard is no longer as frustrating as it once was.


PLATFORM & APPS



However good the hardware, what finally matters is the software. Currently , Apple's iOS is considered the gold standard for user experience. Google’s Android, an open and free platform, can be used by any cellphone company. 


In the last few months, Android has gained lots of traction and Froyo, the latest Android version, has been deemed significantly faster than the competition. It may not be as polished as iOS 4 but those who love to take charge of their devices swear by it. 


Android can be customized by anyone and cellphone companies like to give their own special touch to the user interface. If HTC has Sense UI and Samsung TouchWiz for its Android devices, Motorola offers MotoBlur . Each has pros and cons. 


Bandla says that while both Android and iPhone are great platforms for devices that can give good multimedia, web-browsing and social networking experience, people who use smartphones for business still find Research In Motion's Blackberry a compelling device. 


"Business-class users don't want a phone that has 10MP camera or an outstanding media player. They prefer QWERTY keypads and apps like document editor and exchange email push functionality. Thanks to RIM's internet services, Blackberry phones continue to be very strong in this market." 

Special casing converts iPod touch to phone

BEIJING: A Chinese firm has developed a special protective case known as the Apple Peel for converting the iPod touch media player into a mobile phone, state media said on July 10.


The Apple Peel 520 from Shenzhen-based Yosion Technology is expected to be available next week in online stores and is targeted at aspirant owners of Apple's trendy iPhone who are baulking at paying the full price.


The device attaches to the iPod touch like a protective case but has a dock connector, an extended battery and a SIM card slot, enabling users to make phone calls and send text messages, the Beijing News said. Users who unlock their iPod touch can install the rubber and plastic case for 388 yuan (RM181).


The iPhone became legally available via China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile operator, in October - more than two years after its US debut.


An iPod touch costs around 1,500 yuan (700) in China, compared with 4,999 yuan (RM2,330) for the Apple smartphone.


Sales of iPhones in China were initially sluggish as the price was much higher than for those sold on the grey market, which has been thriving for years.

Google to allow phone calls from Gmail

NEW YORK: Google Inc said users of Gmail will now be able to call telephones directly from their email, putting it in direct competition with Web calling service Skype and more traditional operators such as AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications. 


While Google had already offered computer-to-computer voice and video chat services, it said that starting on Wednesday it will now allow calls to home phones and mobile phones directly from Gmail for the first time. 


Google promised free calls to US and Canadian phones from Gmail for the rest of this year and said it would charge low rates for calls made to other countries. For example it said calls to Britain, France, Germany, China and Japan would be as low as 2 cents per minute. 


Analysts said the service would likely be a bigger competitive threat to services like Skype's than to traditional phone companies, which have already been cutting their call prices in recent years in response to stiff competition. 


"This is a risk to Skype. It's a competitor with a pretty good brand name," said Hudson Square analyst Todd Rethemeier. 


Skype, which owned by private equity firms and eBay Inc and planning a $100 million initial public offering, has long allowed consumers to make calls from computers to phones. 


Skype became popular by first offering free computer-to-computer voice and video services. 


Like Skype, Rethemeier said the Google service will likely be much more popular among US consumers making international calls, than among people calling friends inside the country. 


"Calling is so cheap already that I don't think it will attract a huge amount of domestic calling. It could take some of the international market," he said. 


Another analyst, Steve Clement from Pacific Crest, said that anybody who is tempted by Internet calling services has likely already disconnected their home phone. "The type of person who would use a service like that isn't the type of customer who still has a landline," Clement said. 


Google said making a call through its service works like a normal phone in that a user could click on the "call phone" option in their chat buddy list in Gmail and type in the number or enter a contact's name. 


Calls that cost money will be charged from an online account that users can top up with a credit card, Google said. The service will not be available for making outgoing calls on cell phones because other Google apps already cater to that market, the company added. 

3 secrets of Windows 7 Start menu

WASHINGTON: If you use Windows 7, you almost certainly use the Start menu on a daily basis. But how much do you really know about it? Sure, it's the default way to launch applications and even to search for files and programs.

But there's more to the Start menu -- much more. Microsoft has tucked away lots of little surprises and a surprising amount of customisation options in the updated Start menu.

Read on for a taste of what you've probably been missing.
Launch URLs
Launching programs is just the beginning of what you do with the Windows 7 Start orb. You can think of the Start menu as a web browser, too -- or at least a launchpad for web pages. For example, you can go directly to any domain by opening the Start menu and typing the web address, as in http://microsoft.com.

Or, even better, you can use the Start menu just like a search engine. To do so, first open the Start menu and type 'gpedit.msc,' and then press Enter. The Local Group Pollicy Editor will open.

From there, in the left-hand pane under User Configuration, expand the Administrative Templates folder, and then select Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right-hand pane, double-click 'Add Search Internet link to Start Menu,' and click Enabled in the resulting dialog box.

Click OK. Once you've done that, you can open the Start menu and type any search phrase, just as you would in a search engine. Directly above the search field will be an item labeled 'Search the Internet.' Click that, and your web browser will launch, with the search results for your phrase displayed immediately.
Pin apps and files
Applications find their way to the top level of the Start menu according to how recently or how often they're used. That's a handy feature, but most of us have programs that we'd like to have always pinned to the top level for quick access.

There are a couple of ways to pin programs permanently to the top level of the Start menu. First, if you open your Start menu and see a program that you'd like to have permanently on the top level, just grab it with your mouse cursor and start dragging it to the top of the Start menu. 

How to do without antivirus

Do you wish you could do without antivirus software? There are certainly plenty of good reasons not to like it. After all, antivirus programs invariably slow down your computer, annoy you with false positives or status pop-ups, and of course most of them cost money - often on a recurring, yearly basis.

But can you just say no to antivirus software and still stay safe? The short answer is 'yes' - if you adopt some security-savvy computing practices.

Know what you download

If you only use commercial software and never install programs you've downloaded from the internet or copied from a friend, then your main sources of concern for contracting a computer virus will come from websites and email. Common sense -- and following the guidelines below -- will protect you the rest of the way.

On the other hand, if you're addicted to free downloads, shareware, and 'warez' sites that purport to offer commercial software at no cost, then you have no viable option. You must install antivirus software -- and perhaps even use a couple of programs -- to make sure you don't fall victim to malicious software or phishing attacks.

Most people, however, run just the few programs that came with their PCs and don't venture into dangerous territory on the web. For them, the guidelines below will provide adequate protection.

Upgrade your browser

Today's browsers have a lot of security controls built in, and these tend to do a fine job of preventing phishing attacks or the automatic downloading of potentially malicious software. Antivirus tools add little to their already robust protections.

So if you want to be free of antivirus software, be sure to use to latest versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or Chrome, and keep those browsers up to date through your operating system's automatic update feature. Also, do not disable or alter the default security settings of the major browsers unless you know what you're doing.

If you attempt to access a website that's known to be harmful, most modern web browsers will warn you before the site is displayed on your screen. If you'd like to feel even more secure when you're surfing, consider installing the free McAfee SiteAdvisor tool (http://www.siteadvisor.com), which adds small site rating icons to your search results and a new browser button and optional search box to your browser. These controls together do a good job of alerting you to a potentially dangerous site before you reach it.

Clean email

Most of the generalised warnings you hear about virus-carrying email messages are misleading. You can't get a computer virus merely by receiving an email message. You would have to click on a link within the message that downloads a harmful file onto your PC, or you would have to open or run a malicious file attached to a message.

So don't do either one of those things if you receive an email message from someone you don't know. Combine that common sense approach with the latest patches or updates for your e-mail program of choice, and you should have no use for additional protection offered by a bloated security package.

You can add yet another level of security by configuring your email program so that it displays incoming messages as plain text. Doing so will turn off the display of graphics, which, when clicked, may unleash a virus-carrying file. If you use a traditional email client such as Outlook or Outlook Express, add a good spam-blocking like Cloudmark Desktop (http://bit.ly/7zrVeU) to your toolkit, and chances are very good that any potentially dangerous messages will get routed automatically to your Spam folder, where you will never see it.

Periodic scans

Just because you decide to run your PC without antivirus software doesn't mean you shouldn't check for viruses occasionally. You can do so, however, without installing anything if you stop in occasionally at one of the free online virus scanners.

Among them are Eset Online Scanner (http://www.eset.com/online-scanner), Avast Online Scanner (http://onlinescan.avast.com), and TrendMicro Online Scanner (http://housecall.trendmicro.com). All of these allow you to initiate a system scan without installing a permanent antivirus package.

Go for security apps

If you don't like the idea of initiating a virus scan from a website or you just don't feel comfortable going without antivirus software, you can keep system slowdowns to a minimum and annoyance at bay by opting for one of the security applications that are known to be effective at detecting threats, relatively easy on system resources, and reasonably priced.

Titles that meet all of those criteria include Microsoft's Security Essentials (http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials) - which is free - PC Tools' Spyware Doctor with Antivirus =(http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor), and Norton Antivirus 2010 (http://www.symantec.com). Each of these will provide the background scanning and on-demand protection that you might need, and each can be configured not to bug you unless absolutely necessary. 

You may not need glasses for 3D TV

TOKYO: Toshiba Corp is developing televisions that can show 3D images without the viewer wearing special glasses, Kaori Hiraki, a Tokyo-based spokesman said by phone today. No decision has been made on when to start sales of such sets, she said.

Toshiba will start selling 3D TVs that don't require the use of special glasses by the end of this year, the Yomiuri newspaper reported earlier today.

Next-gen iPhone to go theft-proof

NEW YORK: Your next iPhone might listen to your heartbeat or scan your face to identify its rightful owner, and it could react with anti-theft measures if it ended up in the wrong hands, according to a patent recently filed by Apple. 


Filed in February and made public this month, the patent describes an invention that uses several methods to detect "unauthorised" usage of a device, such as voice and facial recognition or a heart rate monitor. 


Possible anti-theft measures include restricting access to some applications, gathering location data about the unauthorised user or shutting down the device remotely. 


One method the patent describes for detecting a stolen iPhone is checking whether it's been hacked (aka "jailbroken") or its SIM card has been yanked out. The up-close-and-personal security patent has some concerned journalists screaming "1984," interpreting the patent application as a draconian move by Apple to spy on users and punish customers who hack their iPhones. 


"The system described in the patent [would] allow Apple to effectively kill jailbroken devices under the guise of protecting customers from theft, since it may not be able to determine whether a device has been stolen or if it is being willingly jailbroken by users," writes Mashable's Lauren Indvik.

Crimping of Twisted Pair Cable (RJ45 Colour Coding)

Straight cable
It is used between unlike device (dissimilar devices) e.g. Hub to PC, Switch to PC, Hub to Router

Cross cable
It is used between like device (Similar devices)      e.g. Hub to HUB, PC to PC, Switch to Switch, HUB to Switch, exception is  PC to Router

Rollover Cable
It is used for connecting Router Console Port to PC Com Ports or Serial ports.