Buffalo Launches 16GB Thumb Key Pen Drive

Pen drives seem to be getting smaller and smaller in size. Their capacity thankfully doesn’t seem to be diminishing because of that fact though. Buffalo had developed a 5mm Thumb key USB flash drive a while back and as small as it already is, they’ve managed to increase the capacity of the drive itself and still retain the size of the device. The latest version has been increased to a 16GB capacity. They aren’t available here yet so our loss for now, but my only concern is that if it’s really that small how easy will it be to misplace? Of course it does become extremely convenient to carry around. This is something you’d expect to see in a James Bond style spy flick, only I’m thinking it would probably be smaller and flashier.

It’s available in Japan for a price of approximately Rs. 6, 565 (¥ 12,980). Perhaps they’ll consider bringing it our side.

Transcend Launches New 7-inch DPF In India

Transcend has introduced a new 7-inch Digital Photo Frame, the PF730.

The PF730 Digital Photo Frame has a gently contoured shape with an elegant embossed pattern that fits the decor of any office, bedroom or living room décor. It can read high-resolution JPG images taken with any digital camera at virtually any resolution - with no resizing or adjustment necessary. Users can choose to view photos one at time, in customizable slideshows, or in a tiled thumbnail view. Additionally, the PF730 has a bright, high-resolution (800×600) photo-friendly 4:3 screen, advanced NaturaTone user–selectable color modes, and an Automatic Orientation Sensor (AOS), which make sure photos look their best.

The DPF has 2GB of internal flash memory and supports most mainstream memory cards including SD, SDHC, MMC, and MS, also features a USB port. Slideshows can be customized with variable image sorting, transition effects, attractive frame borders and fun animation themes.

The PF730 can functions as a full-featured MP3 player allowing users to listen to music while viewing photos at the same time, and can also be used as an alarm clock. The PF730 is fully equipped to play back movies and video clips, and supports full-motion 30fps video playback. The DPF also includes a clock and calendar with options to mark birthdays.

The Transcend PF730 DPF is priced at Rs. 8000 and comes with a 2-year device warranty and 1-year panel warranty.

Nokia N86 Comes to India

Nokia has announced the launch of the N86 8MP mobile phone in India. The new handset features an 8 megapixel phone and comes in a dual-slide design with 8 GB of memory and has a 28 mm wide angle Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. It also features a 2.6-inch display that has an integrated FM transmitter and has up to 30 hours of music playback and dedicated music keys for non-stop music. It comes with dedicated gaming keys and 17 pre-loaded N-Gage games out of which customers can choose and receive one licensed game for free. It also supports full sync capability with a PC and TV-out support for slideshows.

The phone that comes close on the heel of the launch of the N97 is priced at Rs. 27,359.

Safeguard Your Orkut Profile

With the spread of social networking came a whole lot of security concerns, especially for those who're actively involved and have a good amount of their personal information stored online. Orkut, being a slightly older social network, has been known to have quite a bit of nefarious activity going on. If you wish to secure yourself and your online avatar on Orkut, here are a few tips to do so...

Secure your Password
The easiest way for someone to access all of your information is to gain your password. To ensure that this doesn't happen, never use Orkut or any other social networking software at a cybercafe you're not familiar with (or if possible, don't use it at ANY cybercafe). It's really easy to install malicious programs such as Key-Loggers that record your keystrokes and allow people to phish for your login details easily at such places. Needless to say, never enter your login details into a third party site and always look for the line https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?... in your URL while logging in.

Set your Privacy Settings
In Orkut's Privacy settings (which comes under 'My Settings') the last box allows you to set privileges or rights for what kind of content of yours is accessible to fellow social networkers. If you wish your scrap book, videos, testimonials or photos to be private, set them to allow "only friends" or "only friends of friends" to view them. This ensures that not every troll out there has access to your profile. If you wish to take it a step further, you can set it up so that that only friends of friends, or only people who know your email address can send you friend requests.

Accept Friend Requests Cautiously
Orkut's known for spam from autobots and random "fraandsheep" requests. Be vigilant and don't accept friend requests from every Tom, Dickwinder and Hari that sends one your way. In fact, its a good idea to check someone's profile before you accept their request, to ensure they're not the social degenerate or sexually frustrated low-life that would creep you out.

Beware of Unofficial Mail
Every now and then you'll come across some fishy looking email in your inbox, telling you that you need to 'reconfirm' your details (i.e. password) in order to continue using Orkut. Ignore any such mail and block those that send it. There are loads of people out there who come with with legit looking mailers and/or websites that ask you for your login details, please beware of them and trust only the main site with your account details.

Downloading Files for Orkut = Bad!
A lot of unofficial sites offer supposedly "powerful applications" that are nothing but stacks of Trojans and key-loggers. Don't download anything but official Orkut applications to ensure that you don't get screwed over.

Ensure your Password's not easy
Last but not the least, please ensure that your password is everything but easy to crack. Keeping it a variation of your name and/or your last name is downright retarded; please refrain from doing so. Using a mix of alphabetical and numeric characters is a great idea. Most of the time we get lazy and decide to keep it something that's easy to remember, which, in most cases, is easy to crack too. Keep a difficult password and remember it! If your memory sucks as much as mine does, write it down in a diary you own, or any other place that's only accessible to you.

That's about it for this list. If you think we've missed out on something, or wish to add a few tips of your own, please share them with all of us via a comment!

Window 7 To Be Cheaper Than Vista

Echoing a companywide theme of affordability, Microsoft said Thursday that Windows 7 will be cheaper than the last version of its trademark operating system.

Retail prices for Windows 7 when it rolls out Oct. 22 will range from $119.99 to $319.99. The price points are 10 percent lower than Windows Vista, the version of Windows that 7 will replace.

From today through July 11, Microsoft is running a half-off special, with Windows XP and Vista users able to pre-order the new operating system for as little as $49.99.

"For first time we will have some aggressive offers that customers can take advantage of," said Tami Reller, chief financial officer of the Windows group in a conference call Thursday.

Anyone buying a new computer that comes installed with Windows Vista starting today will qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7. "There's sort of this continuing trend with Windows 7 of removing any potential barriers to getting people to upgrade," said Michael Cherry, an analyst at independent firm Directions on Microsoft in Kirkland. "The pricing just seems to follow that pattern."

As the economy remains stalled, Microsoft has capitalized on the penny-pinching zeitgeist with several campaigns. Earlier this year, the company released a barrage of television commercials featuring shoppers hunting for a laptop that cost less than $1,000, chiding Apple computers of being expensive.

In addition, a recent online-video ad campaign for Microsoft's portable music player Zune says it would cost $30,000 to fill a rival Apple iPod with music.

Even Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has been pitching Microsoft's technology internationally as an investment to help companies squeeze more juice out of limited resources.

The Windows 7 pricing released Thursday applies only to boxed copies. Most copies of Windows are sold installed on new computers, and the computer makers pay Microsoft per copy. Microsoft does not disclose how much it charges computer makers.

The company also plans sell a simpler, less expensive version of operating system called Windows 7 Starter to computer makers that build netbooks, small laptops that cost about $300. Another less-expensive version of the operating system, Windows 7 Home Basic, will be sold only in developing markets.

Windows 7 Upgrade, Pricing Announced

Microsoft has finally announced the pricing and upgrade option details of its next major operating system Windows 7. Brandon LeBlanc, Windows Product communication manager, posted on the Official Windows Team Blog, that Windows 7 is headed towards General Availability (GA) on Oct. 22 in 14 languages. Following that, on Oct. 31, Microsoft will offer Windows 7 in 21 other languages.

Earlier this month, Apple had surprised everybody with its recession friendly pricing of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system. On the other hand, Microsoft has announced Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program which you can check here - www.windows.com/upgradeoffer. Under this program, consumers buying a new PC today onwards from the participating PC makers or channel partners with specific Windows Vista SKUs will be eligible for Windows 7 upgrade option.

However, it should be noted that the term upgrade means that the buyer already owns a Windows copy on the new PC purchased from June 29 onwards. The Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program will be available till Jan. 31, 2010 globally. Consumers can redeem the program until the end February 2010.

For India, eight major OEMs that include HP, Dell, Sony, Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba, HCL and Wipro have participated in the Windows 7 Upgrade Option program. Under this Upgrade Program, anyone who buys a new computer with Windows Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate preloaded from any of these OEMs or channel partners will receive a free upgrade to Windows 7 from Microsoft. For rest of the users, the Windows 7 upgrade pricing will be announced after Windows 7 becomes generally available on Oct. 22.
Here's the estimated pricing for Windows 7:
Windows 7 Home Premium: $120 (Rs. 5,800 approx.) for upgrade; $200 (Rs. 9,600 approx.) for full version
Windows 7 Professional: $200 for upgrade; $300 (Rs. 14,400 approx.) for full version
Windows 7 Ultimate: $220 (Rs. 10,600 approx.) for upgrade; $320 (Rs. 15,400 approx.) for full version
The offer ends July 11 in the U.S. and Canada and on July 5 for Japan or while supplies last. Customers in the UK, France and Germany, can pre-order their copy of Windows 7 starting July 15 and will run until Aug. 14 (or supplies last) to ensure folks don't miss out on this.

Flying car to be unveiled in 2011

Toronto, June 24: The flying car is on its way. An American company Terrafugia Transition, based near Boston, is set to unveil the dual-purpose car-cum-plane vehicle called 'The Flying Car' as early as 2011. The two-seater vehicle can let you fly if you wish to avoid the congested city traffic.

If you want to drive on the road, just touch the road. The vehicle will fold up its wings in 30 seconds and transform itself into a car.

"The Flying Car" can travel up to 725 kilometres in the air at a speed of more than 115 kilometres per hour.

Fuelled by gasoline, it has front wheel drive on the road and a propeller for flight.

With its wings folded, it can be parked in your ordinary car garage.

Its initial cost is expected to be around $200,000 (nearly Rs.1 crore), says the company which has already orders for 60 vehicles.

The CEO of the company told Canadian TV (CTV) network here that they have successfully test-flown "The Flying Car" as many as 28 times.

The tests have shown that the vehicle can drive, fly and switch from being a plane to a car in just 30 seconds.

"It (testing) has been very successful," Carl Dietrich, co-founder and CEO of Terrafugia, told the television network.

" We have got a very good handling vehicle and our test pilot said that the flights were just remarkably unremarkable - it just flies like a really nice, little airplane,” he said.

He said this miracle vehicle will ease problems for pilots who currently face problems like weather which sometimes doesn't allow them to take off or land.

"This vehicle allows a pilot any time, if the weather changes, to divert to the nearest airport, fold up their wings and drive safely under the weather."

"The Transition (the name for "The Flying Car" is not designed to replace the automobile. However, it will solve transportation issues for a variety of circumstances,” company vice president Richard Gersh said.

Asked whether the vehicle will be mass produced one day, he said: "That is certainly a possibility, but a number of years away."

He said the vehicle will be able travel on ordinary roads.

"Our depositors represent a wide-cross section in terms of age, interests, and intended use of the vehicle. We have deposits from both experienced pilots and non-pilots who intend to earn their Sport Pilot certificate," said the vice president of Terrafugia.

Set up in 2006, Terrafugia is run by trained aeronautical engineers and MBAs from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology