Dhanush at Nokia Lumia smartphones launch

[postlink]https://tenderhub.blogspot.com/2011/12/dhanush-at-nokia-lumia-smartphones.html[/postlink]

Dhanush

True to the theme of 'Amazing Everyday', Nokia celebrated the launch of its Nokia Lumia smartphones in the city with a grand and surprise bash for consumers with an energetic performance by Dhanush and Mir with Bandage at a mall.

The campaign reached its peak with a series of impromptu concerts that were kicked off in Delhi a few days back with the music composer duo Vishal and Shekhar. In Bangalore and Mumbai, consumers were treated to performances by artists Raghu Dixit and Indian Ocean and KK and the evergreen band Parikrama at a mall respectively.

Consumers welcomed and cheered Dhanush and encouraged encores of his popular "Kolaveri Di". A cold Christmas turned out to be fun with audiences singing and dancing to it. A few even quickly captured Dhanush's appearance on their mobiles and shared it with friends online.
Additionally, residents of Delhi were treated to a surprise cricket match with Indian cricketerHarbhajan Singh with shoppers at a mall on Christmas Eve. The match was a modified version of the original sport. Harbhajan Singh chose two players to play with. The match had four balls in an over with runs being awarded for placement of the ball on the net. Finally, team members got to take a picture with the celebrity cricketer post the match. It was an evening of both unexpected delight and amazement that when they realized that they could play cricket with their favourite cricket star.

As part of the 'Amazing Everyday Campaign', Nokia also organized impromptu treats for consumers like a surprise 40 minute helicopter ride over the river Hooghly for some lucky early buyers of the Lumia smartphones and a luxurious BMW pick up and drop between their homes and the nearest Nokia Priority Partner, for consumers who had pre-booked the device. Nokia is invading cities with fascinating and surprising elements making the enthusiasm around the Lumia range contagious. The company is creating, for consumers, unique and interesting moments in their daily lives by adding a bit of a thrill to their mundane routine.

Dhanush at Nokia Lumia smartphones launch

ACER NEVER GIVE UP

[postlink]https://tenderhub.blogspot.com/2011/12/acer-never-give-up.html[/postlink]

In response to the rumor that Acer will withdraw from the tablet PC and smartphone markets, the company's founder, Stan Shih, has said that although Acer's tablet operation has not performed well, it is not time to give up the business.




Acer's board of directors has discussed the company's product development and streamlining its corporate organization, and has consented to strategies of simplifying operational goals through focusing on profitable products, Shih indicated.


Considering the much overlapped development of tablet PC and smartphones, a simplified organization is expected to increase operation efficiency, reduce conflicts in product development and consolidate resources for developing niche and competitive products, Shih explained.


Acer has clarified the rumor by stating that Acer has no plans to quit the tablet PC and smartphone business operations or downsize related personnel but will made optimal adjustments to decrease the number of product models for selective and strategic input of operational resources. If the adjustments lead to success, Acer will expand tablet PC and smartphone business operations, the company said.

ACER NEVER GIVE UP

IPv6(INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6) TRIAL ON 2013

[postlink]https://tenderhub.blogspot.com/2011/12/ipv6internet-protocol-version-6-trial.html[/postlink]

 China will allow commercial use of its next-generation internet system by 2015 after putting it on trial in 2013, a media report said.
The new system expands the capability of the Internet Protocol address and improves the speed of the internet. It is also expected to create employment, the Chinese cabinet said in a statement Friday.
The new technology, called IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6), is an upgrade of the current IPv4 whose IP addresses are about to be all used up, People's Daily reported.
The new system expands the capability of the Internet Protocol address and improves the speed of the internet.
The new IPv6 technology opens up a pool of internet addresses that are a billion to trillion times larger than the total pool of IPv4 addresses and are virtually inexhaustible for the foreseeable future, experts said.
The IPv4 was developed in the early 1980s and has a capacity of just over 4 billion IP addresses.
The new IPv6 network bandwidth can reach 2.5-10 gigabytes per second, 100 times faster than the current speed.
The government will try out the system on a small scale by the end of 2013 before expanding it in 2014 and 2015.
China is the world's biggest internet market with about 500 million online users.
Chinese companies are also encouraged to develop new technologies on the new IPv6 network, such as cloud computing, Internet of Things - uniquely identifiable objects (things) and their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure - and Three Network Convergence - an initiative that hopes to integrate telecommunications, TV and radio, and the Internet in the world's most populous country.

IPv6(INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6) TRIAL ON 2013

Inhabitat's Week in Green: hydrogen fuel cell-powered laptop, hybrid buses and bioluminescent bacteria

[postlink]https://tenderhub.blogspot.com/2011/12/inhabitat-week-in-green-hydrogen-fuel.html[/postlink]

The newswires were buzzing with alternative energy developments this week as Inhabitat reported that Apple filed a patent for a hydrogen fuel cell-powered laptop that can last an entire week without needing a recharge. We also celebrated the warm winter holidays with a look at the world's first solar-powered menorah, GE unveiled an awesome set of 3D-printed Christmas tree ornaments, and we brought you a first look at the dazzling LED-studded 2012 Times Square new year's eve ball. We also showcased several amazing examples of paper technology as Sony flipped the switch on a paper-powered battery and Joon & Jung unveiled an alarm clock with a cute paper shell.
Eco transportation was a hot topic as well this week as Porsche unveiled plans to develop the third generation of its flywheel-boosted 911 GT3 R hybrid and the UK's new hybrid double-decker busses hit the streets of London. We also showcased plans for a greenery-filled AirTrain that harnesses Nasa-patented air purifying technology and we brought you Foster + Partner's plans for a striking new high-speed rail station in Galicia, Spain.
In other news, this week we saw Waterstudio launch plans for a floating Sea Tree skyscraper that provides habitat for flora & fauna, a scientist has harnessed bioluminescent bacteria to combat pollution in a fragile Florida ecosystem, and researchers developed a new breed of self-fixing electronics that use liquid metal capsules to heal themselves. Finally, we brought you several hot developments in wearable tech - a set of 3D printed eyeglasses, a site that uses your webcam to measure your clothing size, and theworld's first pair of over-ear headphones made with sustainable materials.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: hydrogen fuel cell-powered laptop, hybrid buses and bioluminescent bacteria

LG's 55-inch 'world's largest' OLED HDTV panel is official, coming to CES 2012

[postlink]https://tenderhub.blogspot.com/2011/12/lg-55-inch-largest-oled-hdtv-panel-is.html[/postlink]

We only have a few more days left until the festivities truly kick off at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, but LG has already tipped its hand with a press release promising the "world's largest" OLED panel for the show. We've seen smaller screens from LG before and it had already promised a 55-inch OLED HDTV for mid-2012, so this news is just another sign the company is ready to take its technology mainstream. LG's tech uses white OLEDs overlaid with colors, which it claims makes for a lower error rate and clearer "ultra definition" screen, with more colors than standard LCDs. Check after the break for one more promo pic of LG's super skinny 5mm prototype, we'll get a better look at it (and the inevitable competition from Korean rival Samsung) at the company's booth January 9th.

LG's 55-inch 'world's largest' OLED HDTV panel is official, coming to CES 2012

Why Chrome has Skyrocketed but Safari Hasn’t

[postlink]https://tenderhub.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-chrome-has-skyrocketed-but-safari.html[/postlink]

The past few days, there’s been a lot of talk about web browsers. The report that Google will be paying Mozilla close to one billion dollars over the next three years to ensure that their search engine remains the default for Firefox is fascinating for a few reasons. The biggest is that Google now makes a Firefox competitor, Chrome. And it got me thinking about Safari.

Remember Safari?

While Chrome has skyrocketed from 0 percent market share in August 2008 to over 25 percent last month, Apple’s web browser lingers somewhere between 5 and 8 percent, depending on what numbers you look at. While its growth seemed to stall out in late 2008/early 2009, Safari has been growing again since then. But it has been at a very slow, methodical pace compared to the Google browser.

Given the fact that both browsers are based on WebKit — a layout engine which was born out of Apple — why hasn’t it been Safari that has taken off, instead of Chrome?

The easy answer that most people jump to is Windows. Microsoft’s OS is still by far the dominant one even with record Mac sales quarter after quarter. But while Safari is usually associated with the Mac (since it’s baked into OS X), it has actually been available for Windows quite a bit longer than Chrome has been.

Safari for Windows was unveiled in beta in June 2007. It was formally released in March 2008. Chrome wasn’t unveiled until September of that year. Incidentally, it was Windows-only at the time. But it took Google’s browser just a year to surpass Safari in market share.

So if it wasn’t Windows, what else led to Chrome’s rise?

Another thing people often point to is speed. A number of benchmarks point to Chrome being the fastest browser available in terms of both page rendering and JavaScript performance.

But remember too that when Safari for Windows was announced, several of the same tests showed that it was the fastest browser available for both Macs and PCs (remember, Chrome didn’t exist yet). If this was just about speed, shouldn’t Safari have taken off starting in June 2007 similar to the way that Chrome did in September 2008?

On the flip side, most users throughout the years have complained that Safari for Windows more or less sucks. It’s been a long while since I’ve used it myself, but I recall it being somewhere between Firefox and Internet Explorer in terms of practical performance (that is, how fast it actually feels when using it, tests be damned). But Apple has continued to iterate on it and the latest version, 5.1, is still available on both platforms.

Others point to Google itself as the reason for Chrome’s rise compared to Safari. It’s true that Google does quite a bit of promotion for their browser, including on Google.com every once in a while. But it’s hard to imagine that being a bigger advantage then either IE or Safari which are both baked into Windows and OS X respectively. To get Chrome, a user still has to download something (unless they’re using Chrome OS — but if that’s the case, they’re already probably going to be using Chrome on their other machines). I would imagine that most IE and Safari users don’t download their browser, they use it because it’s the default that comes pre-installed on their machines.

Plus, Safari being bundled by default with iTunes for a time should have helped it gain massive Windows market share. But it would appear that many people downloading it simply weren’t using it.

Maybe it’s extensions that give Chrome the advantage? Maybe, but Safari has had them as well since mid-2010. Sure, Chrome’s extensions are better and much more plentiful, but if that is all that was holding Safari back, developers probably would have stepped up their game there. Plus, Firefox had extensions way before either Chrome or Safari and while they undoubtedly helped grow that browser, it’s also shrinking now in the face of Chrome.

With the launch of OS X Lion, it seemed as if Safari might be poised for a bit of a renaissance. Because the default controls were inverted, third-party software like Chrome was largely broken to begin with on the new OS. Safari also offered features like better multi-touch support and Reading List (which syncs between iOS and OS X Lion) which rivals didn’t match. But with a few months of data in, it looks like the Safari growth is still the same slow and methodical variety, likely rising simply as more Macs are sold.

Given the rise of mobile, it would seem that the massive usage mobile Safari is seeing might help Safari on desktops/laptops too. But again, the numbers don’t really suggest that. Safari is growing, but slowly. Meanwhile Chrome, which isn’t actually a part of Android — not yet, anyway — is skyrocketing without any sort of mobile presence.

Personally, I’m a Chrome user myself. I’ve tried a few times to use Safari as my primary browser (most recently with the OS X Lion upgrade), but I always end up switching back. To me, it’s still about practical performance. Things like: with a dozen or more tabs open, Chrome seems to perform in a way that Safari cannot.

Plus, I can’t live without the URL/Search Omnibox that Chrome offers. And I’m addicted to “pinned” tabs (browser tabs I always have open and are shoved to the left and shrunken down, out of the way from general tabbed web browsing).

It has been nearly 9 years since Safari was first formally introduced on stage by Steve Jobs at Macworld 2003. It has steadily improved and grown market share, but the rise of Chrome in less than half of that time has made Safari look a bit silly.

Of course, that could all change rather quickly if devices like the iPad really are the future of general purpose computing. On mobile devices in general, there’s no question in my mind right now that mobile Safari is ahead of what Google is doing. That’s why it’s odd that the opposite is true on more traditional computers.

And it’s not entirely clear why. Some point to Apple neglect — since the App Store has been such a phenomenon, they’re more inclined to throw resources at native work rather than web work, is the basic argument — but again, given the state of mobile Safari versus the other mobile web browsers, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It could simply be that Google’s Chrome team is really good at what they do, and nailed it from the get go. Good things happen to good products.

Why Chrome has Skyrocketed but Safari Hasn’t

GoPro HD Hero 2 review

[postlink]https://tenderhub.blogspot.com/2011/12/gopro-hd-hero-2-review.html[/postlink]

GoPro has been in the HD action sports and helmet cam game for some time now, with its Hero line proving a popular sight atop many a daredevil's lid. Now, you can add HD Hero 2 ($300) to the ever growing list of options now, as this is the latest (and they say greatest) incarnation to date. Last time we tested the Hero Original -- as it's now called -- against the Contour HD, but now we're pitting new against old, like for like, side by side. Not only will we discover how the new boy stands up against the camera it effectively usurps, we'll also see how it fares out in the field. Above all, we'll see whether a smattering of new recording options, and a supposedly "two times sharper" image make it worth the extra dollars.

Hardware

Once you unbox the Hero 2, you'll be greeted by many of the same accoutrements as before. The packaging is the same Perspex-crowned cardboard box, the camera pride of place, while all the accessories are tucked away down below. The kit you get depends on which edition you buy, with three available at launch: Outdoor, Motorsports and Surf. We've been testing the Outdoor set, which is little more than a new name for what was previously known as the Helmet Hero.
In the box are four adhesive mount clips, an elasticated head mount, a padded helmet mount, three pivot arms, a waterproof case, a non-waterproof case door (for better audio), a battery and of course the camera. All very familiar if you own any GoPro gear, so much so that the new camera itself is almost identical too. There are subtle differences in the size of the recording LEDs, HDMI port, 3.5 Mic input and of course the product name emblazoned on the front, but aside from that they're identical, meaning that their cases are interchangeable also.
What is new with the HD Hero 2 is what's going on beneath that unassuming little case. According to GoPro, the Hero 2 is two times as powerful in every way. That means "two times sharper image" (however that's measured); 11MP Photos, up from the original's five; ten photos per second, up from three; time lapse down to 0.5 second increments, previously 1 second; max fps 120, up from 60; and 170 degrees FOV all the way up to 1080p, previously 170 stopped at 960p, dropping to 127 degrees at full resolution. Fortunately you won't be expected to pay double price for all this extra spec, but more on that later.

Mounting

Accessory-wise, the pivot arms are there to let you position the HD Hero 2 in a number of different positions, but they are somewhat fiddly, and limited in the number of angles. You have enough to get the camera extended, away from helmet obstructions, and change the mounting angle should you need to. As before, the adhesive clips cling to anything with vigor; because of this you have to be committed to whatever you are sticking it to. If you want to film your friend snowboarding, pray that she doesn't mind you slapping one of these on her board, as it'll be there almost permanently.
Sometimes clipping the camera in and out of these mounts can be difficult, especially if space is limited, or your fingers are gloved / wet / cold, which might be quite often considering this is an action sports device. Likewise, the pivot arms are screwed in place, and the little plastic screw heads can be extremely difficult to loosen manually with weather beaten fingers, mercifully the caps have an exposed Philips-head screw, so you can get a screwdriver in to do the job when your fleshy digits fail.

The tie-up helmet mount pad is great for those lids with air vents, and means you don't have to use up one of your four adhesive clips, but it does leave itself more open to loosening or coming undone, so a little bit of a trade off. The head-mount makes you feel wonderfully self-conscious when you adorn it, like some sort of techno-miner, but it's fairly comfortable and practical, which is by far the most important thing here.

In use

Once you've worked out how you're mounting it, the rest of the set-up is a cinch. Like its elder sibling, the front button controls power and cycles through menu options, while the top button selects, and of course, sets the camera rolling. Once again you have to contend with a tiny LCD screen for navigating through menus, but the interface is a little more friendly than before, with slightly clearer icons and text replacing the calculator-esque codes of before.
Kicking off basic filming is easy: simply select movie mode and press go. Once you're rolling the camera beeps and red LEDs on the front and top flash to let you know it's still going. The previous model suffered from not beeping loud enough to be heard over engine noise, and it's still the case with the Hero 2, meaning you aren't always sure it's shooting unless you can physically see it. Annoyingly, there is still no way of viewing what you've just shot until you either get home and upload it, or buy a the BacPac accessory at an extra cost. As a middle ground, if you have an iPad with a camera kit, the GoPro files play back just fine right off the bat. Other tablets should also handle them without a problem.

The resolutions available are the same as on the HD Hero Original, just with more frame rate options and FOV angles, conspiring expand the number of stylistic possibilities. For example, WVGA mode can now be shot at 60 and 120fps; 720p has three FOV options: 90, 127 and 170 unlike before where you just had the wide 170 setting; 960p gets a 48fps setting and up at the top 1080p again the two additional FOVs are now available.
The 1,100 mAh battery should see you through a good 2.5 hours of use according to its claims and in our tests it barely registered a loss of over half on the indicator while out and about, shooting regularly. Outputting the video you shot is now possible over HDMI which usurps the component cable offered with the last generation, but you'll need the lead already, as it's not supplied in the box like previously.

Video quality

The first thing you'll notice if you have the luxury of having both cameras is that the HD Hero 2 is noticeably clearer. Many people tend to think in pure numbers: megapixels, resolution and so on, but then forget that a lot of it really depends on the piece of glass the image is coming through. We noticed that images were generally sharper, but this was most visible with more complex textures such as asphalt, grass and so on.

The additional resolution settings and FOV options are more of a luxury than a necessity, but combined with the higher level of sharpness do give the device a more complete and professional feel. Audio still suffers dramatically when inside the waterproof case, and fares mildly better with the more sound-friendly door.
The color balance between the two models is also notably distinct, with the HD Hero 2 reproducing much more authentic tones compared to the Original's slightly brasher levels. Performance under lower-light levels also seemed to have enjoyed a marked improvement.
There are still times when you can sense that this is ultimately a click-and-go camera. For example, some jaggies are still noticeable at times, and white balance can be a little off on occasion, but all things considered, it generally puts in a solid performance.
The videos below were taken in two very different light situations, but give you a good understanding of how well the camera might perform under different weather conditions. The first was shot on a cloudy winter day about an hour or two prior to sundown and it holds up pretty well.

Wrap-up

Pound for pound, the HD Hero 2 is a marked improvement, and continues very much in the advancing footsteps of its predecessors. The price is not much more than the Original when that was new at $299.99. That said, some of our gripes remain, and they might be significant enough to change your buying decision depending on your requirements.
The main one, we found, is that the camera itself is quite heavy, especially when cased and mounted. Heavy enough that when you've got one slapped on your helmet, you definitely know about it, and sudden head movements can cause you to feel a tip in the balance – somewhat off putting when mid-action.
Likewise, the mounts themselves might lend themselves to larger, smoother surfaces, but if you want to attach it to something less regular, you might struggle. Sure you can buy different mounting kits and tools, but it soon adds up. Not to mention how fiddly it can be to get set up just right too. If you need to change the camera position on the go, you might find yourself missing some of the action. This can all be negated to some degree with the right preparation, but worth considering if prep-time isn't a luxury that you might have. For the most part, GoPro has improved on what was already a popular product, so we expect newcomers to be pleased, but upgraders might want to consider if there is enough net benefit.

GoPro HD Hero 2 review

SLIMMEST KEYBOARD

[postlink]https://tenderhub.blogspot.com/2011/12/slimmest-keyboard.html[/postlink]

• The Super Slim Keyboard measures 430 x 116 x 21mm and weighs in at 556g, and it features a total of 110 keys.
• 
  
• Here are the specifications.
• 21mm flatter keyboard design

• Slim, sleek and comfortable
• Small Footprint: Save space with a keyboard that won’t clutter your desk
• 110 keys slim link office keyboard
• Dimension: 430 x 116 x 21mm (approx.)
• Weight: 556g

SLIMMEST KEYBOARD

SLIMMEST HARD DISK

[postlink]https://tenderhub.blogspot.com/2011/12/slimmest-hard-disk.html[/postlink]

Seagate Ships World's Slimmest, Portable, External Hard Drive
New Razor–thin, 2.5–inch GoFlex® Slim Drive is the Ideal External Storage Solution for Netbooks and Ultra-thin Laptops


SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. - April 5, 2011 - Seagate (NASDAQ:STX) today announced the availability of its new GoFlex® Slim portable hard drive –– a svelte, 9mm, 2.5–inch external drive designed for the latest trend of portable, thin, stylish laptops and netbooks. Initially showcased at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics show in January of this year, the new GoFlex Slim performance drive is now available on www.seagate.com, in–store and at select online retailers. A 320GB version of the GoFlex Slim drive can be purchased for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $99.99 USD.




At an ultra-sleek 9mm, the new 320GB Seagate GoFlex Slim drive is roughly the width of a pencil and is available now for under $100.00.


At an ultra–sleek 9mm—38 percent leaner than the current GoFlex ultra–portable drives—the new GoFlex Slim drive is roughly the width of a pencil. Sliding effortlessly into a pocket, purse or messenger bag, the GoFlex Slim portable drive enables transport, access and enjoyment of personal digital content from anywhere, making it the perfect complement to today’s mobile lifestyle. Equipped with a 7200RPM drive and a USB3.0 interface to accelerate transfer speeds up to 10x faster than USB2.0, this attractive super–slim drive delivers quick access to large, multi–media files such as HD movies and video games. The faster drive speed takes full advantage of the included plug–and–play USB 3.0 interface, while still maintaining compatibility with USB 2.0 ports. The GoFlex Slim portable drive also allows for use between Windows and Mac® computers, interchangeably, without formatting or performance loss. Additionally, the drive’s included p remium backup software provides automatic and continuous backups and encrypts files and folders.


“The continued growth of personal digital media stores, our increasingly mobile lifestyles and the continued proliferation of mobile devices are driving the demand for slimmer, more portable storage solutions,” said Patrick Connolly, vice president and general manager of Retail at Seagate. “Netbooks and slim laptops are great for consuming media, but are limited when it comes to creating and storing high–definition films and photos. With the benefit of using Seagate’s Momentus® Thin drive, the 9mm GoFlex® Slim ultra–portable hard drive breaks through these boundaries—delivering a beautiful, ultra–slim, lightweight storage solution to complement existing mobile computing devices so they can enjoy even more of the content they love, anywhere they want.”


The GoFlex Slim portable drive will also be available in a version for use specifically with Mac OS X computers. The GoFlex Slim for Mac portable drive will be HFS+ formatted out–of–the–box, making it fully compatible with Apple Time Machine® backup software, while maintaining the ability to work across both Microsoft® Windows® and Mac OS X computers. To deliver a fresh look that fits seamlessly with today’s Apple product line, the GoFlex Slim for Mac drive will feature a durable, soft–touch, metallic finish, which is also designed to withstand scratches, fingerprints or other marks incurred from travel. A 320GB version of the GoFlex Slim for Mac drive will be made available in May at Apple retail outlets nationwide for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $99.00 USD.


“Consumers have a desire to have digital content available at their fingertips. However, in some cases, personal libraries of digital content are exceeding the storage capacity available in notebook PCs,” said John Rydning, IDC’s research director for hard disk drives. “USB attached HDD storage that is capacious, affordable, lightweight, and in a slim form factor will be appealing to many of these consumers.”


According to IDC, tablets, mini–laptops and netbooks are largely seen as secondary PC devices and are primarily used for information “grazing,” or as vehicles of content consumption. Additionally, tablets, mini–notebooks and netbooks have very limited on–board storage requiring them to have access to additional storage, whether it is local attached, networked or from the cloud¹.

SLIMMEST HARD DISK