Nokia declines to go all in on chips

One might think Nokia would give into the temptation.

It sees Apple vacuuming up adoration and profits. It sees Apple taking more control of the components that go into a phone. In particular, Apple has worked on building its very own chip for smartphones and tablets and has acquired chip companies apace.

Perhaps Nokia too should be harboring silicon dreams. But Henry Tirri, the head of Nokia's research centres, says it is not interested.

"You can do for a while an investment like Apple is doing on their own processor stack and aim for very optimized performance," Mr. Tirri said during an interview at the company's Silicon Valley lab. "But that is very brittle."

That would be Nokia passing on the prospect of a homemade chip as one means of invigorating its cellphone lineup.

Mr. Tirri has worked in the computer science field for about 40 years and dresses the part of a Silicon Valley local. Sparkly earring, hair tumbling down his temples, a white embroidered shirt, cream pants and sandals scream anything but "icy Finn."

He knows the chip industry's patterns well and has seen specialists capitalize on their wares for short periods of time, only to be undone in spectacular fashion when more general-purpose products come to town.

"It seems to be that Moore's Law will always end up leaning toward commoditization and a faster, general-purpose chip," Mr. Tirri said.

Nokia could use a shot in the arm, but finding that boost through a homemade chip is just too risky. Any manufacturing miss or misstep on features needed in a given generation of products can leave you waiting two or three years to catch up.

"You have to be very good at predicting things or you can kill yourself in one cycle," Mr. Tirri said.

Apple, for one, appears convinced that the specialist may enjoy a solid run here in the next few years as mobile devices undergo great change. The company continues to use Intel chips in its more traditional computers but concocts its own take on the ARM design for mobile devices.

The custom work can lead to snappier performance with software, better battery life and smaller products but comes with heavy financial and engineering costs.

Away from chips, Nokia has a few surprises in store for customers as its research bets pay off, Mr. Tirri said. The company has specialists working on advances in materials that could result in phones that change color, deflect liquids and grow keyboards out of their displays. In addition, Nokia is working hard on a variety of cloud computing and network optimization services.

Mr. Tirri referenced "My Fair Lady," a favorite musical from his childhood, and said Nokia would delight again.

"Just you wait, Henry Higgins," he said. "Just you wait."

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/technology/nokia-declines-to-go-all-in-on-chips-42782?pfrom=Top-Tech&cp

How To Unlock The iPhone 4 Using UltraSn0w [ iOS 4.0 / 4.0.1 ]

More people die of medical error than road accidents

Can you imagine even in your wildest drems that almost one million people die of medical errors every year all over the world? This is the shocking report of the Institute of Medicine. This means that more people die from medical errors than from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer or AIDS. Government agencies, purchasers of group health care, and health care providers work together to make the health care system safer for patients and the public. But, finally, it is up to you not to be part of the horror story doing the rounds.

Such errors can happen during even the most routine tasks, such as when a hospital patient on a salt-free diet is given a high-salt meal. Most errors result from problems created by today’s complex health care system. But errors also happen when doctors and their patients have problems communicating.

According to eminent Medical journalist Sujata Shakeel, " this is shocking to say the least that medical errors are causing so much deaths.It is wake call for medical fertinity. They must rise equal to the occassion to prevent these deaths."

The single most important way you can help to prevent errors is to be an active member of your health care team. That means taking part in every decision about your healthcare. Research shows that patients who are more involved with their care tend to get better results. Some specific tips, based on the latest scientific evidence about what works best, follow.

Make sure that all of your doctors know about everything you are taking. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and dietary supplements such as vitamins and herbs. At least once a year, bring all of your medicines and supplements with you to your doctor. “Brown bagging” your medicines can help you and your doctor talk about them and find out if there are any problems. It can also help your doctor keep your records up to date, which can help you get better quality care.

According to report, make sure your doctor knows about any allergies and adverse reactions you have had to medicines. This can help you avoid getting a medicine that can harm you.When your doctor writes you a prescription, make sure you can read it. If you can’t read your doctor’s handwriting, your pharmacist might not be able to either. Ask for information about your medicines in terms you can understand—both when your medicines are prescribed and when you receive them. · What is the medicine for? How am I supposed to take it, and for how long? What side effects are likely? What do I do if they occur?

What food, drink, or activities should I avoid while taking this medicine? When you pick up your medicine from the pharmacy, ask: Is this the medicine that my doctor prescribed? A study by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences found that 88 percent of medicine errors involved the wrong drug or the wrong dose.

If you have any questions about the directions on your medicine labels, ask. Medicine labels can be hard to understand. For example, ask if “four doses daily” means taking a dose every 6 hours around the clock or just during regular waking hours. Ask your pharmacist for the best device to measure your liquid medicine. Also, ask questions if you’re not sure how to use it. Research shows that many people do not understand the right way to measure liquid medicines. 9.

Ask for written information about the side effects your medicine could cause. If you know what might happen, you will be better prepared if it does—or, if something unexpected happens instead. That way, you can report the problem right away and get help before it gets worse. If you have a choice, choose a hospital at which many patients have the procedure or surgery you need. Research shows that patients tend to have better results when they are treated in hospitals that have a great deal of experience with their condition.

According to Delhi based Dr RK Caroli,if you are in a hospital, consider asking all healthcare workers who have direct contact with you whether they have washed their hands. Hand washing is an important way to prevent the spread of infections in hospitals. Yet, it is not done regularly or thoroughly enough. A recent study found that when patients checked whether health care workers washed their hands, the workers washed their hands more often and used more soap. When you are being discharged from the hospital, ask your doctor to explain the treatment plan you will use at home.

'Solar tsunami' may hit Earth anytime: Scientists

The Earth could be hit by a 'solar tsunami' anytime now as an unusually complex magnetic eruption on the Sun has flung a large cloud of electrically charged particles towards our planet, scientists have warned.

Several satellites, including NASA's new Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), recorded on Sunday a small solar flare erupting above sunspot 1092, the size of the Earth.

The satellites also recorded a large filament of cool gas stretching across the Sun's northern hemisphere also exploded into space.

The explosion, called a coronal mass ejection, was aimed directly towards Earth, which then sent a 'solar tsunami' racing 93 million miles across space, the New Scientist reported.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/solar-tsunami-may-hit-earth-anytime-scientists-41912?cp

When the violent cloud hits, which could be anytime now, it could spark aurorae in the skies around the poles and pose a threat to satellites, although not a severe one, it said.

Despite being separated by hundreds of thousands of kilometres, the two events may be linked, said astronomers who studied the images from SDO that hint at a shock wave travelling from the flare into the filament.

"These are two distinct phenomena but they are obviously related," said Len Culhane, a solar physicist at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London.

Experts said the wave of supercharged gas will likely reach the Earth on Tuesday, when it will buffet the natural magnetic shield protecting Earth.

It is likely to spark spectacular displays of the aurora or northern and southern lights.

"This eruption is directed right at us," said Leon Golub, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics.

"It's the first major Earth-directed eruption in quite some time," Golub was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

Scientists recently discussed the implications of volatile space weather at the Space Weather Enterprise Forum. One of the biggest concerns is the potential for a major blackout.

Daniel Baker, Space Scientist, University of Colorado-Boulder says, " One of the that things we really saw the major impacts would be on the power grid. That a major storm could cause immense damage. It could cause major blackouts that could last for weeks, possibly months or even years."

In August 2003 a computer malfunction played a major role in the US's worst blackout putting 50 million people in the dark, including all of New York City.

The effects of a solar storm on the power grid are still unknown, but researchers are trying to assure they are prepared for the worst case scenarios.

Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division says, "Hours is okay, you can get along. A few people stuck in elevators, a few people on heart-lung machine, it's very important for them. As you go into days our water supplies are impacted. And that's an essence of life. So it's potentially a devastating blow. But we think it's an unlikely blow."

NASA recently warned that Britain could face widespread power blackouts as well and be left without critical communication signals for long periods of time, after the earth is hit by a once-in-a-generation 'space storm'.

Earlier scientists had said that they believed the Earth would be hit with unprecedented levels of magnetic energy from solar flares after the Sun wakes "from a deep slumber" sometime around 2013.

It remains unclear, however, how much damage this latest eruption will cause the world's communication tools.

Dr Lucie Green, of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Surrey, who followed the flare-ups using Japan's orbiting Hinode telescope, said this was a very rare event.

"Not one, but two almost simultaneous eruptions from different locations on the Sun were launched toward the Earth.

"These eruptions occur when immense magnetic structures in the solar atmosphere lose their stability and can no longer be held down by the Sun's huge gravitational pull. Just like a coiled spring suddenly being released, they erupt into space."

"This means we have a very good chance of seeing major and prolonged effects, such as the northern lights at low latitudes."

So how should individuals prepare for solar storms?

Richard Fisher says, "I think a little bit of extra water, a couple of flashlights, and a transistor radio are a few good things to have."

Scientists are preparing, too.

NASA, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Aviation Administration - are working together to prepare for space weather events, and will soon be launching probes to monitor radiation belts.

Motorola Milestone XT720, Backflip Out In India

Motorola has announced the launch of two brand new Android based phones in India. The devices in question are the Motorola Milestone XT720 and the Blackflip. We had earlier reported about Motorola's intentions to launch the XT720 here by the first week of August.
The XT720 boasts of an 8 megapixel camera and support for HD video recording. The XT720 is also touted to be the world's slimmest 8 megapixel phone with Xenon flash. It measures 10.9mm thick and has a capacitive 3.7-inch touchscreen display with a WVGA (480X854) resolution. The phone comes loaded with Android 2.1. The 8 megapixel camera supports features like Smart Image Capture, includes easy panorama, face detection, multi-shot (six shots in a row), face filter, red eye reduction and camera shake prevention. It also comes with an HDMI cable (in the box) that allows HD video captured on the phone to be viewed directly on an HD TV. The phone comes with an 8GB microSD card and supports cards of upto 32GB display.
As for the Backflip, as you might be aware, it features a reverse-flip design and comes with a friction hinge that allows the QWERTY keyboard to flip underneath for working in tabletop mode. It features a 3.1-inch (7.8 cm) HVGA screen and also has the Backtrack feature which is a touch panel located on the other side of the device. The Backflip has a 5 megapixel camera and auto-focus LED flash. Other features include a GPS, stereo Bluetooth, MPEG 4 capability, 3.5 mm (0.35 cm) headset audio jack and expandable memory of up to 32GB.As for the pricing, Motorola has priced the Milestone XT720 at a princely Rs. 34,990 while the Backflip will set you back by Rs. 22,990. Considering the Samsung Galaxy S is available for much lesser, do you think its worth paying almost Rs. 7,000 extra for that better camera and Xenon flash? You decide!

Spice Rolls Out Low-cost Sports Phone

Niche phones are not a new phenomenon. There have been gaming phones, messaging phones, camera phones and other such themed phones since time immemorial now. But we never expected an Indian handset maker to launch a sports oriented phone some day. Not that it is such a bad an idea but still..

That brings us to the point of contention here. Spice Mobiles has just announced the launch of its latest mobile phone. Known as the M-6, the phone is probably the first sport themed phone made by an Indian manufacturer. True to its theme, the phone is obviously loaded with sporty content. The device comes with a dedicated Sports Zone that comes with a host of sport centric applications including Ya Sports, Tennis and Yahoo Formula 1.

As for the more phone-like features, here's what we have. The dual SIM device has a front fascia that is adorned with a 2.2 QVGA TFT screen with support for 262k colors. A very basic 1.3 megapixel camera sits at the rear. It supports expandable memory of upto 4 GB. Other features include an MP3 audio player, and support for FM radio with recording. It has also included Stereo Bluetooth, WAP and GPRS. Apart from all these, a 1000mAH battery should provide quite sufficient talktime. The M-6 also supports social networking applications including Facebook, Yahoo and Nimbuzz. Thanks to Opera's tie up with Spice Mobile, Opera Mini 4 is preinstalled on the phone.

The phone is priced at Rs 4,499 which we believe is a decent price to pay for your first sports phone. Also, paying that kinda money for a niche phone sounds preposterous, but niche this is.

Now available: website to ‘jailbreak’ iPhone

Less than a week after the U.S. government said it was no longer illegal to hack your own phone, a new website launched on Monday that allows iPhone owners to “jailbreak” their smartphones online to circumvent restrictions put on the devices by Apple.

Prior to the launch of the website jailbreakme.com users had to download software to their computers and then connect their phones up in a complicated and time-consuming process. However, many iPhone users went through to this trouble to circumvent the tight restrictions on what software can be used on the popular devices.

Jailbroken phones can download any software they want, not just Apps pre-approved by Apple. Some of the most popular applications include MyWi, which turns phones into mobile Wi-Fi hotspots, and IntelliScreen, which lets users put e-mail and calendars on their home screens.

The U.S. government updated its regulations last week to legalise “jailbreaking,” though the activity still violates Apples software license and voids the company’s warranty on the phone.

Early reports said that some users of the site were experiencing difficulties using the videoconferencing feature called Facetime on their hacked phones. The new website does allow users to uninstall the software by using the restore feature available over iTunes, and this seems to fix the problem, according to online reports.

There was no initial reaction from Apple to the new software. But after the government changed the jailbreaking rules last week, the company justified its tight control over the phone’s software.

“Apple’s goal has always been to ensure that our customers have a great experience with their iPhone and we know that jailbreaking can severely degrade the experience,” Apple wrote.

BlackBerry App World 2.0 enters the Beta Zone

As more and more applications enter the mobile terrain a new enhanced App World will surely augment the entire experience of searching and downloading software. That is exactly what the official BlackBerry blog is now going to unveil, with the BlackBerry App World 2.0 out in their Beta Zone. The new version is all set to augment the entire process with new tidbits and add-ons.

The beta is available only through an invite based approach. Those who wish to try out the beta must quickly sign up for a beta account in order to be eligible for an invite. Users can expect the beta to pack in a plethora of features some of which are barcode scanning, new Top 25s, new billing options and many more.

The current version of the App World is quite popular and is available in six languages across 65 countries. The blog claims that around a million apps are downloaded on a daily basis. The company however still does not remove the haze from the release of the complete version, so all we can do is wait and watch.

Nokia C3, C6 and E5 Now Available on Nokia USA's Website

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Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is readying the launch of a series of new handsets on the market in the United States. The company did not announce anything officially, but three new devices have just popped up on the Nokia USA website, with price tags and all. The three new mobile phones listed there include the Nokia C3, Nokia C6 and Nokia E5.
The emergence of these devices on Nokia's website suggests that the official release date might not be too far, a recent post on The Nokia Blog reads, even if no other details that their price tags were unveiled at the moment. According to the handset vendor's website, the Nokia C3 should sport a price tag of $129.00 when launched in the US, the Nokia C6 would be priced at $309.00, while the Nokia E5 should cost $259.00.

All three handsets were announced officially by Nokia back in April. The Nokia C3 was launched as the first Series 40 device to sport a full QWERTY keyboard. The phone includes support for social networking sites, as well as Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat integration, something that can only suggest Nokia planned it as a cheap messaging device. The device also includes a 2.4-inch screen, a 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, and enhanced Internet capabilities.

The second device in the list, the Nokia C6, comes as a Symbian^1 smartphone that packs a 3.2-inch touchscreen display complemented by a side sliding QWERTY keyboard. The new mobile phone also comes to shelves with a 5-megapixel photo snapper, with 3G connectivity capabilities, built-in GPS receiver, enhanced email capabilities, and more.

As for the last of the three new devices spotted over at Nokia USA, namely the Nokia E5, it comes as a Symbian S60 3rd Edition device meant to prove a great option both for those interested in an entertainment device, as well as for those looking for handset for their professional lives. The E5 packs a 2.4-inch display, a 5-megapixel photo snapper with LED flash, QWERTY keyboard, enhanced support for emails, and other features more. All three phones can be seen at Nokia USA

Vodafone Brings Solar Powered Handset To India

To be priced at Rs.1500

Vodafone has announced the launch of its first solar powered handset in India.

The phone, known as the VF 247, is targeted at India's huge rural mobile phone market. The solar powered device would be a boon to many users who face shortage of electricity in the villages of India. They will no longer be required to be near an electrical outlet to charge their phones.

The VF 247's launch comes almost a year after Samsung launched its first Solar powered phone in India the Guru 1107. According to Vodafone, the VF 247 solar powered phone charges by itself, by exposure to ambient light. Sun Boost, the special inbuilt hardware and software, ensures that the phone charges also in a room, under normal daylight. This means one doesn't require exposure to direct sunlight. Normal ambient light should be enough to power this one. The phone requires eight hours of direct sunlight to be fully charged. Once charged, it will last for more than eight days and offer about four hours of talk time. As for the features, it boasts of an FM radio, color screen and a powerful torch light. More details are yet to be unveiled by Vodafone.

The phone is expected to be priced at around the Rs.1,500 mark and would be available across India starting next month.

Low-cost PCs fail to boot up fast in India

The government’s $35 device gives a sense of déjà vu. Will low-cost computing gather steam this time?

In May 2005, an Indian technology firm Encore Software announced a Rs 10,000 Linux-based mobile computer. Christened Mobilis, it was powered by an Intel processor, had 128MB of SDRAM, featured a 7.4-inch LCD screen, roll-up keyboard, touch screen with stylus input, six-hour battery life and a case that opened up as a desktop stand.

“This marks India’s leap into the future of PC technology...,” said Kapil Sibal who was, then, minister for Science and Technology. Not much has been heard of the “Mobilis” since then.

Around five years later (just last week), Sibal again — this time around as Union Minister for Human Resource Development (MHRD) — unveiled a low-cost, solar-powered computing-cum-access device. To be commercially available from 2011, he pegged its price at $35 (about Rs 1,600) per piece, assuring it would gradually drop to $20 (about Rs 900) and ultimately to $10 (about Rs 400) a piece. The device, according to Sibal, will allow users surf the internet, and also perform tasks like video web-conferencing and access multimedia content.

History reveals such initiatives have quickly run out of steam. Does anyone, for instance, remember the Simputer — the handheld low-cost computing device introduced by Encore again (along with PicoPeta)? Over the last eight years, the Simputer has been used by the governments of Karnataka and Chattisgarh besides for automobile engine diagnostics (M&M), and tracking iron-ore movement (Dempo), and (in some cases) by the police to track traffic offenders and issue traffic tickets.

Low-cost computing devices could effectively, and eventually, bridge the “digital divide”. However, Sumanta Mukherjee, lead PC Analyst of IDC India cautions that while the move of the government to introduce the $35 computing device is good, the word “computing device” creates expectations in the minds of consumers. “When these expectations are not matched, disappointment sets in,” he says.

The underprivileged sections of society, whom this $35 computing device targets primarily, may prefer a keyboard to a touch-screen. Besides, many schools in villages operate from buildings that do not have adequate infrastructure (some remote ones even operate in cowsheds). Having a Wi-Fi hotspot to leverage the device’s capability may not be ambitious.

“This is an emerging space. We appreciate the government giving it a try. However, what is needed is a strategy to mass market these devices. Besides, the country needs adequate internet (broadband) penetration to make such models a success,” says Naveen Mishra, senior research analyst, Gartner. Mishra cites the examples of countries like Italy and Japan where telco service providers have pushed up the sales of these devices.

The success of a computing model, according to analysts like Mukherjee and Mishra, revolves around a friendly operating system (OS), application-ready device, and a robust distribution model. The government, however, has neither shortlisted manufacturers nor finalised the mode of distribution.

Meanwhile, manufacturing of the device is being done in Taiwan but the government is hopeful of bringing its manufacturing to India. Analysts are not convinced. The numbers of low-cost PCs are too small to justify manufacturing in India. Around 8-9 million PCs sell in India annually.

Notebooks comprise around 25-30 per cent of the total PC sales. Low-cost PCs (which include netbooks that sell for anywhere between Rs 12,000 and Rs 20,000) comprise a mere 10 per cent of the total notebook sales. “Manufacturing in India is all about scale. This is why PC manufacturing has not taken-off in India,” explains Mukherjee of IDC.

Perhaps, the first real answer to the challenge of low-cost computing for kids was the XO (which runs open-source Linux) from Nicholas Negroponte — founder of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project. The original target cost was $100 (about Rs 4,600), but this escalated (including shipping costs) due to design upgrades (more memory and a faster microprocessor) and also because the initial production volumes would not enjoy economies of scale.

The OLPC, according to an OLPC spokesperson, has sold around 1.7 million XO laptops in 40 countries till date — Uruguay, Peru and Rwanda are the three largest installations. But only around 700 laptops have been sold in India. The OLPC Foundation joined hands with Reliance Communications (RCom), which runs a pilot in a village called Khairat, near Karjat (in Maharashtra). Around 31 XOs (one teacher) are used in a school in Khairat. The other XOs are running in places like Rajasthan’s Keekarwali village and Nainital. Cognizant, too, has supported several schools in Chennai.

Intel, which had initially partnered but later parted ways with the OLPC project, introduced its Classmate PC for developing countries (including India), which costs between Rs 9,000 and Rs 12,000, but was launched in India in July-August 2007 for Rs 18,000. Intel teamed up with HCL Infosystems (which offers both Microsoft and Linux) and Educomp.

Indian and multinational PC makers like Asus, HCL Infosystems and Wipro also have Nettops (low-cost desktops), based on Intel Atom processors. And players like Chennai-based Novatium have partnered with MTNL to offer cheap desktops at less than Rs 10,000 (including the service, monitors and so on). The desktop called netPC costs just Rs 4,999. Novatium offers a managed service, which means that customers store data on the Novatium servers — a good option for small- and medium enterprises too.

Research firm IDC has predicted that the new market segment, comprising small, energy-efficient and low-cost devices (netbooks and nettops), could grow from fewer than 500,000 in 2007 to 9 million in 2012 as the market for second computers expands in developed economies. Form factors like that of the $35 “Sakshat” device, if successful, are expected to add to the numbers.

Mumbai girl wins International Physics Olympiad

Aakanksha Sarda has created history and made India proud by winning a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad held in Croatia.

She`s just 18 years old but shot to fame in no time as she is the first Indian woman to reach the milestone.

Not only this, Aakanksha also stood first among the girls at the olympiad.

Five students each from 82 countries took part in this olympiad and overall, India stood sixth.

"The first girl to represent India at the olympiad in 2006 had managed to bag a bronze. Aakanksha has become the first Indian girl to win the gold medal," Vijay Singh, national co-ordinator of science olympiads was quoted as saying by TNN.

"It`s an amazing feeling...It hasn`t sunk in yet. People say girls aren`t good at physics, I think I have made a point here," said Akanksha Sarda, Gold Medalist, International PhysicsOlympiad.

"Noam Chomsky is not a scientist, but he practically invented modern linguistics. He is so multi-faceted. I hope to work with him when I go to MIT," she added.

Nokia X6 8GB Arrives in India, Costs Rs. 14,499

Nokia's music oriented X6 was launched in India quite some time ago. That was, however, the 16GB version which we had reviewed as well.

Now, Nokia has another variant of the X6 under its sleeves in the form of the 8GB version. The company has launched the same across India today. The 8GB X6 is similar to the 16GB X6 in all aspects. The only obvious difference is the lesser memory and somewhat low price. That said, we are wondering whether Nokia has any plans to launch the "original" 32GB X6 here in India.

As mentioned earlier, the X6 8GB comes with the same features as the 16GB and 32GB versions boast of. These include 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, Symbian S60 5th edition UI and a 5 megapixel camera with D-Flash. The X6 is powered by a ARM 11 434 MHz CPU and boasts of 128 MB of RAM. Other features include VGA video recording at 30fps, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology.

The 8GB version is priced at Rs.14,499 and is available across all Nokia Priority Dealers in the country. This is just a few thousands less then the 16GB variant. However, we suggest getting this one only if 8GB of memory is sufficient for you. This is because none of the X6 variants have microSD support. So, you'd be stuck with 8GB for a long time. Considering the low price difference, if you really need an X6, we suggest the 16GB one.

Why India's $35 computer joke isn't funny

Here we go again! India's Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has "launched" a $35 computer, evidently a "dream project" of his. The touch-screen, Linux-based device looks iPad-inspired, but we know little about how it works.

It emerged from a student project with a bill of material adding up to $47, a price that the minister wants to bring down to $10 "to take forward inclusive education". It promises browser and PDF reader, wi-fi, 2GB memory, USB, Open Office, and multimedia content viewers and interfaces.

Will it die a quick death within this year, or a painful, government-funded one over the next two? I fear the latter. Project Sakshat even has a busy website so it looks like a project well under way.

Remember the Rs 10,000 personal computer, the Simputer, the $100 laptop from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the NetPCs from a host of companies and India's so-called $10 laptop? How many flops and failures will it take to convince governments -- and brave, but misled companies -- to get these facts of life tech, products, and life?

You don't launch products until you have a product to launch. Else it's vapourware. The Indian government is building up a good track record of vapourware, from $10 laptops upward. Apple, for in sharp contrast, for instance, launches with a million units ready to sell, and midnight queues outside.

You don't show prototypes unless they are working ones with running apps, backed by a clear game plan to build up a vendor and apps network, and a clear design and specifications - and, preferably, a bill of materials.

It isn't about the hardware -- it's about the application and the applications (apps) ecosystem. What will it be used for? Who will make those apps? Where's the developer community? Where is the road map for hundreds of applications?

Apple had it all when it launched the iPhone and the iPad.

Prithvi test fire successful

Security July 24, 2010 6:27 AM Four Ways IPv6 Will Save the Internet

The world is almost out of IP addresses--or at least it's almost out of the IPv4 addresses that IT admins and users are most familiar with. Fortunately, IPv6 has been developed to exponentially expand the pool of available IP addresses while also providing a few other benefits.

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Artwork: Chip TaylorTo address issues with the current IP protocol in use (IPv4), and to add features to improve the protocol for the future, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has introduced IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6). Let's look at a few ways that IPv6 will come to the rescue and save the Internet.

1. More Addresses. IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses rather than the current 32-bit addresses allowing for an exponential increase in the number of available IP addresses. Network routing experts have been aware of the limitations of IPv4 addressing since the 1980's--before most of the world even knew the Internet existed, and before the Web became ubiquitous.

With 32-bits, IPv4 only allows for approximately 4.3 billion IP addresses. Since every Web-connected device--server, desktop, notebook, smartphone, tablet PC, and more--must have an IP address, and since the Web has exploded in countries like China and India, the world is rapidly approaching the end of the available IPv4 addresses.

With 128-bits to use for creating unique addresses, IPv6 is capable of an insane number of IP addresses far exceeding the demands of today's Internet and Web connected devices. Rather than 4.3 billion address limitation of IPv4, IPv6 has enough addresses that every single person on the planet could have billions upon billions assigned to them personally.

2. Backwards Compatible. IPv6 is backwards compatible with IPv4 so that different networks or hardware manufacturers can choose to upgrade at different times without disrupting the current flow of data on the Internet. Given the world's dependence on the Internet and Web for news, commerce, public safety, national security, and more this is an important feature of IPv6.

Eventually, all IPv4 equipment will be replaced by attrition and IPv6 will be the only address protocol in use. But, that could take decades, so backwards compatibility will be crucial for the foreseeable future.

3. Better Security. IPv6 was designed with encryption and authentication in mind. IPsec is an optional security component of IPv4, but in IPv6 it is mandatory. With IPsec each individual data packet is encrypted and authenticated, making many of the malicious attacks plaguing the Internet today impossible--or at least substantially more difficult.

4. Better Performance. Changes have been made to the way IP packets and headers are formed, and to the way IPv6 routers process the packets to improve performance--resulting in fewer missed or dropped packets, and more reliable and efficient connections. With more people and devices sharing the Internet, and higher demands for VoIP (voice over IP) and video streaming, performance will be more critical than ever.

It has been coming for more than two decades, but the IPv4 address crunch is beginning to get very real. Expect to see a spike in IPv6 adoption in the near future

Karbonn Mobiles graces Indian market with K25

Last month, Karbonn was spotted launching two new handsets namely the K485 and the K777. Extending its portfolio of affordable handsets, the company recently released the stylish Karbonn K25 in the Indian market. Packed with a QWERTY keyboard, this handset is said to offer an immersive multimedia experience and also features an optical trackpad.

The phone enhances convenience as it supports dual SIM and comes integrated with social networking apps like Facebook, Twitter, Opera Mini, Yahoo Messenger and MSN. Incorporated with rich multimedia experience, the K25 offers exceptional sound quality and several equalizer effects.

Additionally, it offers features like FM Radio, video recording, torch and extended memory space up to 8GB. Users can capture vibrant photos with a 2.0 mega pixel camera and the handset also comes enabled with A2DP Bluetooth. The Karbonn K25 blends together interesting features and various style elements.

Users can now grab this attractive handset for an affordable price of Rs. 4400.

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