PSP PHONE???

It would seem that Sony Ericsson has plans to produce a PSP mobile phone, according to a patent filed by the company on May 31. The patent application shows a PSP-like mobile device with a rotating display, under which is a set of buttons, not unlike those found on a PSP gaming device. The screen likely flips up to a landscape position when the user wants to play games, and back to a regular vertical position for phone functions. As of today there has been no official word from Sony-Ericsson nor any details about a possible launch date.



For those who don't know what the psp is.....its "playstation portable"
For those who do..."you can pick up your jaw from the floor...hehe"
Any ways the pic above is a part of the patent that sony applied for in may this year. It , quite clearly , shows a concept phone modeled on the line of the sony psp. Here's,what could be, an extract from the patent application that sony filed:

"A mobile information terminal apparatus including a first case including a display portion, a second case, and a rotary support mechanism for supporting the first case and the second case such that the first case is horizontally rotatable with respect to the second case and the first case takes at least a first position and a second position different from the first position, in which the shapes of the mobile information terminal apparatus at the first position and the second position are substantially identical. Thus key operability, especially that for performing entertainment functions represented by gaming function, is improved and usability of the apparatus is enhanced."

So there you have it, the latest product from the rumor mills. This may ring some bells for the N-gage worshipers...and also the i-phone. Either ways Sony is taking a big gamble if at all they are planing to come out with this device...it's what we can call a two sided sword.

Here are other pictures that have surfaced on the net...






















The specifications are unclear as yet...but i believe it'll have a pretty good camera (a.k.a cybershot) , a good music player (w- series) , gaming (duhh..it's a psp) , and a touch screen (a must for high end phones these days)
Watch this space for more info about this nifty gadget.
Cheers!!!

THE CONROE IS COMING !!!

Intel has become a second name to processors from the point of view of a common man. The Indian desktop market relies on the reputation and awareness of a brand for making purchasing decisions. That is probably why in spite of having a superior processor lineup for almost four years, AMD was not able to capitalize as a market leader in India as much as it did in the international markets. Although Intel enjoyed market domination in the subcontinent, with its NetBurst architecture, it went on a clock speed frenzy with its Pentium 4 line of processors. Higher frequencies did not necessarily mean higher performance as these processors did not perform as well as their AMD counterparts, which were clocked at much lesser frequencies. Besides, higher frequencies led to greater heat generation. The Pentium 4 Prescotts were popularly referred to as Pres“hots” because of the enormous amount of heat they generated. In the last two years, AMD gathered ground with their 64-bit platforms—the Socket 754 and the Socket 939. Their Duron series of processors were considered great value for money while their Athlon 64 series became the de facto standard for gamers and multimedia content creation users. Their Athlon 64 FX-62 was the reigning king. That is until Intel launched their Core 2 Duo family of processors on July 27, 2006.

What makes the Conroe tick?
Intel learnt from its mistakes and got back to the drawing board. This time around it derived its inspiration from Yonah (Core Duo), the mobile platform used for laptops. The new Woodcrest (servers), Conroe (desktops) and Merom (laptops) are all based on the Yonah but nearly 80 % of the architecture and the circuit design has been redone. Like the Yonah, Conroe too uses the 65 nm manufacturing process. Intel has also addressed the heat problem and the Conroe uses a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 65 watts compared to the 89 watts for AMD’s Athlon 64 FX-62. It is almost half of that used by Intel’s previous generation lineup. Intel has managed to run its processors cool using the least amount of power.

Time for some jargon:
Here are the five important features that were showcased by Intel during one of their recent Intel Developer Forums:

(a)Intel Wide Dynamic Execution
(b)Intel Advanced Smart cache
(c)Intel Intelligent power capability
(d)Intel Advanced Digital media boost
(e)Intel Smart Memory Access

Intel Wide Dynamic Execution:

With the Wide Dynamic Execution, the two cores in the processor are individually capable of executing up to four instructions per clock cycle. That’s a 33 % improvement over the earlier Intel cores which could execute three instructions per clock. This basically means that the Conroe is able to process more instructions per clock cycle, thus allowing for faster execution time.

Micro and Macro Fusion:

Intel has included the short pipeline design into the Conroe. The shorter pipeline consists of only 14 stages compared to the 30+ stages in the Pressler core, thus reducing the penalty caused due to wrongly predicted data while it was being fetched in advance. The micro and macro fusion capabilities further increase the performance of the Conroe. The macro fusion feature combines two instructions called the compare and jump. This facilitates the execution of two instructions in a time frame that can only execute a single instruction. This feature increases the performance of applications with multiple compare and jump instructions.

Intel Advanced Smart Cache:

The Core 2 Duo packs in two cores onto the single 65 nm die. The two cores share a massive 4 MB cache (2 MB in case of the E6300 and the E6400). The increased cache leads to quicker access of frequently used data as the processor does not need to search for the data in the main memory. Besides, access to L2 cache is much faster then access to the physical memory. In the Pentium D the caches are independent to each core. Using a single L2 cache lets each core utilize the L2 cache depending on its requirements and hence simplifies cache coherence. Cache coherence is intended to manage conflicts and maintain consistency between cache and memory. But there are disadvantages of sharing the L2 cache. If both the cores are running heavy applications that access huge amount of system memory, they could repeatedly strike the whole cache, thus reducing its effectiveness.

Intel Intelligent Power Capability:

The Conroe processor is capable of switching off/deactivating certain parts of the processor and the cache without causing any loss in performance. This performance on demand technology ensures quick system response while drastically reducing the power required to run the processor.

Intel Advanced Digital Media Boost:

This feature significantly improves performance when executing streaming instructions like SSE, SSE2 and SSE3. The speed of execution of applications that frequently use these instructions like video, speech, image processing, encryption, engineering and scientific applications, is increased dramatically as it allows 128-bit instructions to be completely executed at a throughput rate of one per clock cycle, effectively doubling the speed of execution as compared to previous generation processors

Intel Smart Memory Access:

This feature helps in accelerating out-of-order execution by optimizing the use of data bandwidth from the memory subsystem. A newly designed prediction mechanism reduces the time for which an instruction has to wait for data to arrive. The data is moved to the faster L2 cache before execution, thus keeping the road from memory to the CPU occupied eventually increasing data throughput and system performance. It is clear that Intel has incorporated several performance enhancing changes in the Conroe processor’s DNA. Read on to find out if these performance enhancing features are reflected in our synthetic and real world benchmarks.

Real world tests

The Conroe is about twice as fast as its previous generation counterpart. As we can see from the results, both its cores share the load seamlessly during multiprocessing without a degradation in performance.

Motherboard compatibility

The socket for Conroe still remains the same i.e. LGA 775 but it works only on the newer 965P and 975X chipsets. The Biostar’s TForce P965 Deluxe board, which uses the 965P chipset was used for benchmarking. Along with that, other things used were Kingston’s 1 GB kit DDR2 1066 MHz Non-ECC CL5 (kit of 2x512 MB). At default speeds, the board under-clocked it to 800 MHz with a timing of 5-5-5-16. Conroe compatible boards with chipsets from Nvidia and ATI are also available. (The Radeon Xpress 200 chipset from ATI and the nForce 570 and 590 SLI from Nvidia support the Conroe.)

How to upgrade to Conroe

With the ASRock 775Twins 2.0 motherboard, which is based on ATI Radeon Xpress 200 chipset, you can use your existing DDR RAM as it supports both DDR and DDR2 RAM and the board costs a mere Rs 3,500. You can get the E6300 for a sum of Rs 9,700 and you are ready to roll.

Verdict

Intel has certainly made a smashing comeback with the Conroe. It breaks all performance records compared to its predecessors as well as offerings provided by its competition. It pretty much thrashes its AMD counterpart in almost all benchmarks. Conroe is definitely jackpot material. At a price point of Rs 27,500, it provides better value for money compared to the Athlon 64 FX-62 and is definitely the processor to consider if you are buying a new system or looking for an upgrade.

But as it is with these things , and especially Intel...the next big thing is always around the corner and then the price of the "previous" next big thing plumets...either ways the conroe is here to stay...lighten your pockets if you want one though.
cheers!!!

ASSEMBLING A COMPUTER

With more and more people opting for an assembled PC rather than a branded one it becomes essential to know and be familiar with the various components that one might need . Also people who are opting for an assembled PC are also choosing to assemble it on there own , and with pirated versions on OS and other softwares easily available , the entire operation is a walk in the park( ofcourse you must know what you are doing !!!)

The various components required for a basic PC are :

• A processor ( CPU )
• A compatible motherboard
• RAM chips
• A hard disk (HD)
• An optical drive (cd-rom/writer or dvd-rom/writer or bd-rom/writer)
• A floppy drive (obsolete !!!...but if you still need it)
• A cabinet ( with an SMPS and connecting wires)
• A graphics card (if you are a serious gamer )

Apart from these you'll need peripherals like:

• A monitor (TFT or CRT)
• A set of keyboard and mouse
• A printer , A router etc etc...

It goes without saying that amongst these , the processor is the single most important component that you'll buy. So it becomes essential to choose the right processor in accordance with your needs

A guide to choosing the right processor to power your PC!



Entry-level
Suggested CPU's : Intel Celeron D 326, Intel Pentium D 915, AMD Sempron 64 3200+,AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Budget : Rs 2,800 – Rs 4,500

Apart from price and clock speeds, the choice of a processor depends on several other factors
such as the number of cores, L2 cache, front side bus, and most critically, your application
area. It doesn’t make sense in arming your PC with a high-end dual core processor if you’re
only going to surf the web or use office applications—an entry-level processor will do just
fine. Processors belonging to this category are ideal for home and office users who want a
Plain Jane PC for basic computing needs. You have two options here. If you’re on a really
tight budget you can opt for a single-core processor belonging to the Intel Celeron D or
AMD Sempron 64 family. The processors from these families come with clock speeds ranging
from 1.6 to 3.6 GHz. Alternatively, you can opt for an entry-level dual-core processor if you
want more power for multi-tasking and applications like image editing or audio and video
encoding. Priced below Rs 4,500, the Intel Pentium D 915 (2.80 GHz, 2x 2 MB L2 cache) and
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (2 GHz, 2x 512 KB L2 cache) offer great performance at a sweet
price.

Mid-range
Suggested CPUs : Intel Core 2 Duo E6320, Intel Core 2 Duo E6420, AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+,
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+
Budget : Rs 5,000 – Rs 11,000

Pick a processor in this category if you want power while staying within a five-figure budget.
These processors are designed to handle moderate to heavy loads involving multi-tasking,
audio and video editing, gaming, 3D modeling and so on. Dual-core is obviously a must.
However, pay attention to the clock speed and the size of L2 cache, which determine the
performance of a processor. If your choice is Intel, look out for a minimum clock speed of
1.86 GHz with 4 MB of L2 cache (Intel Core 2 Duo E6320). AMD users shouldn’t settle for
anything below 2.4 GHz with 1 MB of L2 cache (AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+). The more
expensive processors in this category feature higher clock speeds coupled with larger L2
caches. Processors from the Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD Athlon 64 X2 families come in
varying combinations of clock speeds and L2 cache amounts. Make sure you look at all the
available options offered by Intel and AMD. This informaton will be available on their
websites. If you come across a processor with a higher clock speed or L2 cache that still fits
your budget, grab the deal.

High-end
Suggested CPUs : Intel Core 2 Duo E6700, Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700, AMD Athlon 64 X2
5600+, AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
Budget : Above Rs 11,000

This segment caters to power users, enthusiasts and hardcore gamers who crave extreme
performance. The processors here are supercharged with high clock speeds and large L2
caches handle heavy multitasking and demanding applications. Processors like the Intel
Core 2 Duo E6700 and AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ are the best in their respective families. If
you enjoy pushing your PC to extreme limits, an unlocked multiplier would make
overclocking much more flexible. All processors from the Intel Core 2 Extreme family and the
AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 come with unlocked multipliers. Quad core processors like the Intel
Core 2 Extreme QX6700 and the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 are ideal for workstations that will
need to handle demanding applications simultaneously. You will also need a high-end
motherboard and memory modules to support them. Motherboards with Nvidia nForce 680i
SLI (Intel) or Nvidia nForce 590 SLI (AMD) chipsets are the best for these processors. But be
prepared to pay through your nose for this performance.

So there you have it , a simple and basic guide for choosing the right processor for your
computer.
Please note that the prices and also the CPU's suggested are inevitable to change and vary as
developments in processor technologies are taking place even as you read this article

FIREFOX HOT KEYS

Here's a set of hot keys(if we can call them that)...that will make using firefox a lot easier.Some of these will be known to firefox users , for the rest this is a ready "a to z" reference (though some alphabets are not used !!!)
Do try them out.

CTRL + A Select all text on a webpage
CTRL + B Open the Bookmarks sidebar
CTRL + C Copy the selected text to the Windows clipboard
CTRL + D Bookmark the current webpage
CTRL + F Find text within the current webpage
CTRL + G Find more text within the same webpage
CTRL + H Opens the webpage History sidebar
CTRL + I Open the Bookmarks sidebar
CTRL + J Opens the Download Dialogue Box
CTRL + K Places the cursor in the Web Search box ready to type your search
CTRL + L Places the cursor into the URL box ready to type a website address
CTRL + M Opens your mail program (if you have one) to create a new email message
CTRL + N Opens a new Firefox window
CTRL + O Open a local file
CTRL + P Print the current webpage
CTRL + R Reloads the current webpage
CTRL + S Save the current webpage on your PC
CTRL + T Opens a new Firefox Tab
CTRL + U View the page source of the current webpage
CTRL + V Paste the contents of the Windows clipboard
CTRL + W Closes the current Firefox Tab or Window (if more than one tab is open)
CTRL + X Cut the selected text
CTRL + Z Undo the last action

cheers !!!

N-99...........when will nokia stop !!!

There are some things that leave an indelible mark...by there sheer existence...by just being there , and leaving the people who witness them......speechless. Now , you may think i am going over the top , but then , look at this thing...when nokia says ,"is this what computers have become today" , this is what they mean... I am not going to do any "beating around the bush" anymore and let the facts speak for themselves...

9 way front joystick button (look closely at the joystick...and you'll see)
16 GB FLASH internal memory.......16 !!! , bye bye i-pod nano.
up to 4GB mini SD slot
16:9 , 3.2″ wide screen
GPS (Global Positioning System)
MP3
DIVX ,XVID , MPEG , AVI
video reading
WLAN WIFI
Sliding 'qwerty' pad....(thats HTC for you)
An 8 MP camera............8 !!!...and they say this is a cellphone !!!
A 3CCD , 720 pixel wide , 30fps video capture.

Alright jokes apart...this device is serious technology...Now, if these specs would be true, I think Nokia N99 would be the first Nseries cellphone to truly justify the name of “multimedia computer”. But judging from the number (N99), it will be some time until this beauty comes out. We should see N97 before we see this "excuse for a cell phone".

Any way if and when this beauty does come into the market (will try and get review then ) , it's going to cost a lot...rumors are that the gray market pricing will be around USD 500...(don't think so.....it'll be much more expensive)
So...i say it again...start saving

cheers !!!

BUDDY-SPY

Before i begin , i sincerely apologize to my pals who are right now saying , "what the @#%$ has Pratik done ??!!". But then there are so many people who already know about this, who already know what buddy-spy is...and for those who don't ...here goes...

(the pic above is a screen-shot of the interface)
Buddy Spy is the premier program for Yahoo! Messenger status checking. With Buddy Spy you can now bypass Yahoo! Messenger's Invisible Settings with ease. With its quick and intuitive interface Buddy Spy offers you the ability to see if your friend is truly online or if they are invisible. Not only does Buddy Spy offer you online checking, but it will also tell you whether your friend is in a Chat Room or even if their Web Cam is online!

Whats New?
Buddy Spy 2.2
New in Buddy Spy 2.2 is a Scan History, which keeps a log of all the users you have scanned. The log includes, the user name, online status, webcam status, chat room status, date and time, in an easy to read format. Also new in this version of Buddy Spy, is the Web Check. The web check is a new scanning method that will detect online presence, even if they are not using Yahoo! Messenger. Features Buddy Spy allows you to keep track of what other Yahoo Messenger! users are doing, even if they are in Invisible or Stealth Mode. The program shows if the user is online, what chat room they are in (if any) and if their web cam is online. It is able to do this by connecting to Yahoo! Messenger's servers and using its YMSG protocol. Sending carefully crafted packets, and listening to their responses.
Buddy Spy's Feature list includes:
Stealth Checking Room Checking Webcam Checking Improved GUI More Custom Settings More Packet Types

Buddy Spy is a useful software that gives you the possibility to keep track of what other Yahoo Messenger! users are doing, even if they are in Invisible or Stealth Mode. Buddy Spy shows if the user is online, what chat room they are in (if any) and if their web cam is online. Buddy Spy it is able to do this by connection to Yahoo! Messenger's servers and using its YMSG protocol. Sending carefully crafted packets, and listening to their responses. Buddy Spy's Feature list include, Stealth Checking, Room Checking, Webcam Checking. Here are some key features of "Buddy Spy": · Stealth Checking · Room Checking · Webcam Checking · Improved GUI So there you have it ...now you know...

Buddy-Spy can be found easily by using any search engine (there is one on this very page......try it)
So go ahead play messenger God..(err...maybe thats an overstatement)
cheers

N-888.........DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

I know what you are thinking..."what the hell is this". Well its got nokia written on it....which could mean only one thing...this is a CELL PHONE.
If you have stopped drooling then let me tell u what this is all about.This is nokia's latest and shall i say revolutionary design for the future......
Is this nokia's answer to the I Phone...you bet it is. let me tell you how...
when apple launched the iPod , they created a revolution , a new segment , and became masters of that segment.Others followed but none could match the iPods (remember the microsoft Zune.....don't , i don't blame you!!!) there are mp3 players and then there is the iPod...no comparison.Apple has tried to repeat that sensation with the iPhone...but nokia is ready for them...the 888 isn't a competing product , it's a revolution in itself...and in it nokia has , what is undoubtably an iPhone beater.

“Form follows you”
A personal mobile communication device which lets you be free and fun. It is light, simple and carefree. You can change its form according to your needs during the day.

Features
It uses liquid battery, speech recognition, flexible touch screen, touch sensitive body cover which lets it understand and adjust to the environment. It has a simple programmable body mechanism so that it changes forms in different situations.

The functionality of design
You dont have to carry it in your pocket or on your wrist. You can carry it anywhere, in anyform. You can roll it, bend it, put on your clothes like a clip. It also makes some form changes that makes it more ergonomical: i.e. when you want to talk on the phone, the body form turns into the form of the good old telephone. You can personalize these forms and record them. So it fits you the best in the way that you have chosen. The functions that it has also create a feeling of electronical pet, as it senses your moves, understand what you want, respond you in the best way. It learns you, to fit you better.Also e-motions lets you send forms to the other 888 users. It could be the shape of a heart or a small dance. This way you can talk without words.

How the user interacts (this will blow you away)
E-motions… It means electronical motions that 888 has. You can send and receive forms from / to friends. You can send a heart shape to your girlfriend, so her telephone turns into an icon of heart. Or you can send a dancing form to your friends to call them to the party tonight. This is the fun side of the product. If we look from the functionality side, 888 is quite flexible. You can put it into your pocket, roll it and make it smaller, or put on your wrist when you want to make a video call on the go. If you want to talk like a normal telephone, there you have your telephone shape. We go through a lot of places and situations in the daily life, so it seems like one form is not enough.

The artist behind this beauty...
Tamer NAKISCI
industrial designer
Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts
Istanbul / TURKEY

Whats this thing going to cost......don't know, but i'll advice you to start saving !!!

cheers.

DEFRAGMENTATION

What is de-fragmentation...?
Lets first understand what fragmentation is...lets say you have a closet and you keep stuffing things into it just at random...you do this everyday.now after,say,a month you need to find something...it goes without saying that you 'll end up searching for a long time.
Something similar happens when we store data on our system, HD to be precise...all softwares,images,videos,games,etc etc...that we store on the HD is slotted int random sectors( small cubicles where data is stored )...now data is not stored in a random manner,it may end up in any sector on the hard disk, and so when the HD tries to read this data it ends up spending quite some time( relatively speaking )...in other words data is FRAGMENTATED...and this reduces the performance of the system
This brings us to the process of de-fragmentation.What defragmentation does is brings all the data (atleast as much is possible),together,in continuous pattern...this reduces search time...and improves system performance

HOW TO DE-FRAGMENT?
1. There are many third party softwares available in the market that can be used for de-fragmentation , but you can use the windows built-in utility program called Disk defragmenter. Before starting this utility,make sure all running programs are closed
2. To run disk defragmenter utility, go to START and type dfrg.msc in RUN option.Now here a disk defragmenter window will appear.Select any drive and press defragment button.The time rquired by the process depends upon the size of your HD.
3. Another way is...right click on the "My computer" icon and select 'manage'. A window titled 'Computer management' will appear.Select storage and in it ther is an option called 'disk defragmenter'....the utility is very easy to use
4. It is advisable to go through this process every month or so...it will improve the overall performance of your system.

Please note that defragmentation can be done only if atleast 15% of your HD is free