Speed Up Your Windows PC

CONVERTING FAT32 TO NTFS.

The file system is how Windows stores your files on your hard drive, and it’s akin to the way a library arranges books on a shelf. Older versions of Windows used a file system called FAT32 (File Allocation Table, if you must know). Newer versions use one called NTFS (New Technology File System).

NTFS has several benefits. Most importantly, files don’t get fragmented as much, so you won’t have to defrag as often.

You can’t tell which way your drive is set up just by using it. But to get the most out of your machine, you’ll want to make sure that you’re using NTFS.
Losing FAT

First, check to see if you’re already using it. Go to My Computer, then right-click on your hard drive and choose Properties. On the window that appears, you’ll see either “File system: FAT32? or “File system: NTFS.”

If it’s FAT32, you should convert it. Here’s how:

* Shut down any running programs.
* Click Start, then choose Run.
* In the box, enter cmd, which will bring up a black command-line window. You’ll see a prompt that says something like “C:\WINDOWS” with a blinking cursor. (If you’ve ever used DOS, you’ll recognize this.)
* Enter the following: convert c: /fs:ntfs (If your hard drive isn’t drive C:, substitute the correct letter, and don’t forget the space between the colon and the slash.)
* When you press Enter, you’ll probably see a message saying the conversion will take place next time you start Windows. So click Start, choose Shut Down, and choose Restart. Windows will convert your drive--and it will also reboot your computer twice.

Hook into DMA

Next, let’s make sure your computer is transferring data efficiently by using a technology called DMA (direct memory access).

* Go to your Control Panel and double-click System, then choose the Hardware tab. Click Device Manager. This will bring up a list of every type of hardware your computer has, from “Computer” to “Disk Drives” to “Monitors,” and more.
* Click the plus sign next to “IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers.”
* Double-click “Primary IDE Channel.” (If you have two of them, don’t worry. Just repeat this procedure.)
* Click the Advanced Settings tab. You’ll probably see two devices listed (0 and 1).
* For each one, click the drop-down arrow next to Transfer Mode and choose “DMA if available.” Then click OK. (If you have another Primary IDE Channel, repeat this procedure.)
* Close Device Manager and reboot your computer.

Clean the Registry

For now, let’s just clean out anything that doesn’t belong. There are a lot of Registry cleaners out there, and my favorite--because it’s (a) easy to use and (b) free--is EasyCleaner.

* Download and install it. When you start the program, you’ll get a grid of 16 things from which to choose.
* Click the Registry button.
* Click the Find button on the bottom. EasyCleaner will search your Registry for the leftovers of old programs and other detritus. This could take several minutes.
* When it’s done, click the Delete All button. (You can’t click it till it’s finished.)
* Click Yes to confirm you really want to delete the bad entries.

That’s it! Click Close and let’s move on.

Seek and destroy

Here’s how to get rid of these unnecessary start-up programs:

The first and easiest way to seek and destroy unnecessary start-up programs is to look in your Startup folder.

* Click Start, then choose All Programs or Programs (depending on your setup).
* Find the Startup folder on the list and hover your mouse over it.
* The list of programs that automatically start will appear. Check this list, and if you see something you don’t want or need to start automatically — such as some Microsoft Office task — right-click it and choose Delete.

Repeat as necessary.
Stop automatic starts

Now let’s go a little deeper.
* Start the program and click the Startup button.
* You’ll see a list of all the programs that start automatically with Windows. Most of these should start: your anti-virus
program, a Windows program called HDAShCut, maybe a driver or two. But some things just waste resources.
* Most notorious for loading themselves are media players such as Quicktime and RealPlayer. There’s no need for them to be loaded until you need them. If you see things like that which don’t belong, select them and click the Delete button. When you’re done, click Close and close EasyCleaner.

Deep cleaning

That done, let’s go even deeper. Besides programs that run automatically when you start up, Windows also launches services — internal software that does important things, such as making your network run, managing users, and a host of other things.

But there are some services you just don’t need; running them is a waste of resources.

* To get to the list of services, click Start, then Run.
* Enter services.msc in the box.
* OR right click on my computer on desktop and manage then to services & applications then to services.
The screen that pops up is a bit intimidating at first, but it’s actually pretty straightforward. It lists every service on your machine and tells you whether it starts automatically or manually, among other things.
* Click the Extended tab on the bottom, which will create a space that will give you a description of each service.
* Now click on the words “Startup Type” at the top of that column, which will sort the services. The ones that say “Automatic” are — obviously — the ones that start when Windows does. They’re the only ones you care about.

ALERT:
Some services are critical for your computer to run. So don’t disable anything that’s not on the list below unless you’re absolutely sure that it’s an expendable item.


The following lists services you can probably do without. Of course, if you recognize one that you use such as Windows Messenger or Telnet, don’t turn it off.

Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Error Reporting Service (if you don’t want to be asked to send error reports to Microsoft anymore)
Fast User Switching
Human Interface Access Devices
IPSEC Services
Messenger
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
Portable Media Serial Number
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry
Routing & Remote Access
Secondary Logon
Server
SSDP Discovery Service
Telnet
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Upload Manager
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Workstation

Pick one from the list and double-click it. You’ll see a drop-down menu next to “Startup type” that is currently set to Automatic.

Change it to Manual and click OK. This way the service will start only if it’s needed, not all the time.
Special services

Two services deserve special mention: the indexing service and Windows themes.

The indexing service’s job is to keep track of every file on your computer, so if you use Windows’ search function you’ll be able to find things faster. But if you don’t use search that often, the indexing service is a waste of resources and will slow you down.

That’s why disabling the indexing service is high on the list of many speed tweakers. To do that, go back to your list of services (Start, Run, enter services.msc — see above), scroll down to Indexing Service, and set the Startup type to “Disabled.”

Finally, if you’re using the Windows Classic theme you can free up some memory. Scroll down the list of services to Themes and set it to “Disabled.”


The Registry stores all sorts of information about your system in what are called “keys.” A key might describe how Windows handles a particular type of file, or how it manages memory, and many other things. You get into the Registry by clicking Start, choosing Run, and entering regedit in the box that appears. Then welcome to the Registry, perhaps the most intimidating part of Windows. Here you can make all sorts of internal changes to the way Windows operates.

Note:
Changes made to the Registry will not take effect until you restart Windows.


ALERT:
Be very cautious editing the Windows Registry. Changes made here can completely disable your computer if they’re done incorrectly. We recommend that you follow the instructions below very carefully, and encourage you to back up your data files before proceeding.


Saving your configuration

Before you do anything else, set up a System Restore Point. That tells Windows to save everything about your current configuration, so if something goes awry you can tell it to revert back to that point — kind of like a big “undo” button.

To set a Restore Point:

* Click Start and choose either Programs or All Programs.
* Go to Accessories, then System Tools, and choose System Restore.
* On the welcome screen, you’ll be asked whether you want to restore or create a restore point. Choose Create a Restore Point.
* Name it something you’ll remember, such as “Before CNET Changes.”
* Click Create.
* Now if something doesn’t work, you can repeat these steps and choose “Restore” instead, to return to the status you just saved.

That done, let’s tweak.

The first things you’ll see are the five main sections of the Registry’s entries. They have cryptic names: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, and so on. Next to each of those five sections is a small plus sign. Click that to view that section’s subsections. Note that you can end up going several levels deep before getting to the key you want to change. The standard way to point to a key is to list the various levels separated by slashes. For example, if you see:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel / Desktop

it means you should click the plus sign next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER, then the plus sign next to Control Panel, then look for Desktop.

Make your menus load faster

For your first trip to the Registry, we’ll do something simple: Make your menus work faster.

* Start regedit (see above).
* Navigate to the following key by clicking the plus signs next to the name of each level:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel
* Click “Desktop.”� A list of entries will appear on the right side.
* Double-click “MenuShowDelay”� and change the Value data to 0.
* Click OK.

Free up memory from closed programs

When you shut down a program, Windows will often keep part of it in memory even if it’s not being used. Called dynamic link libraries (DLLs), they take up memory and sometimes cause other problems. You can change a Registry key to prevent Windows from doing this.

* Start regedit, following the instructions in this lesson.
* Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion
* Under CurrentVersion, right-click on Explorer, then choose New->Key.
* In the box that appears (”New Key #1″), change the name to AlwaysUnloadDLL.
* Hit Enter. On the right side, double-click the word (Default).
* For the value data, enter 1.
* Click OK.
* Close regedit (unless you want to tweak some more).

Speed program startup
Windows can be set to load information about some applications to make them start up faster by changing how much work a program called the Prefetcher does.

* Using regedit (instructions above), navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control / Session Manager / Memory Management / PrefetchParameters
* When you click PrefetchParameters, the right side of the editor will display a list of entries.
* Double-click “Enable Prefetcher” and change the value data to 5 (in decimal, not hexadecimal).
* Click OK.
* Close regedit.

Reduce Windows’ workload
If you have many folders and subfolders, every time you access one, Windows will spend a lot of time updating the “last accessed” time for that folder and all its sub-folders. Stopping that process will buy you some time.

* Using regedit (see instructions above), navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Control
* Under Control, right-click on FileSystem, then choose New, then DWORD Value.
* Replace “New Value #1″ with NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate and hit Enter.
* Double-click NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate and change the Value data to 1.
* Click OK.

Improve Swapfile performance
Many programs use a lot of memory, and if you run more than one or two at once, Windows might run out of RAM. In that case, it will start using a section of your hard disk called the “swapfile” to store information. It’s a lot slower than RAM, but it beats not being able to run a program. But sometimes Windows uses the swapfile before it has to. This tweak will tell it to wait till the last moment before doing that.

* Click Start, then Run.
* Enter msconfig in the box.
* Click on the System.ini tab.
* Click the plus sign next to 386enh.
* Click New, then type “ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1″ in the box that appears.
* Click OK.

Improve your Internet browsing

If you have Windows XP Professional, follow these instructions to disable QoS:

• Click Start, then Run.
• Enter gpedit.msc in the box.
• Under “Local Computer Policy,” click the plus sign next to “Computer Configuration,” then the one next to “Administrative Templates.”
• Click the plus sign next to “Network” and select “QoS Packet Scheduler.”
• In the right-hand box, double-click on “Limit Reservable Bandwidth.”
• On the Settings tab, choose Enabled.
• In the “Bandwidth Limit %” box, set it to 0%. (Do not leave it blank.)
• Click OK.

If you have Windows Home Edition, follow these instructions to disable QoS:

• Click Start and then the “Settings” option.
• Select the Control Panel, and open up “Network Connections”
• Right-click “Local Area Connection”and choose Properties.
• On the General tab, uncheck QoS.

Windows XP has a lot of new cool looking visual elements, however, those new elements take up more RAM and cause your computer to be less responsive. By tweaking your graphics settings, you can increase the performance of your computer.

To get started, Let's reduce the color quality. This setting determines how many colors are displayed on your screen.

1. Right click on your desktop and select properties.
2. Click on the settings tab and adjust the color quality drop down box to Medium (16 Bit).
3. Click OK.

Next, let's use the windows performance settings to optimize your computer for performance. This will revert back to the old Windows 2000 look as well as take away a lot of the fancy graphics effects. However, if you are really into performance, this is the price you have to pay.

1. Right click on the My Computer icon on your desktop or in your start panel and select properties.
2. Next, Click on the Advanced tab and hit the setting button under performance.
3. On the visual effects tab, select Adjust for Best Performance and hit OK.
4. Hit OK once more to exit system properties.

Now your computer will run slightly faster!

Shutdown XP Faster

Start - Run - Regedit
Navigate to the following Registry key:
HKEY CURRENT USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Double click on the AutoEndTasks entry and replace the 0 with a 1 in the Value data text box

For the next two, if the dword value indicated does not exist, create it:

Double click on the WaitToKillAppTimeout entry in the right pane and change the Value data to 2000

Double click on the HungAppTimeout entry in the right pane and change the Value data to 1000

Reboot

If still having a problem, make the next change:

2) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
Right-click on WaitToKillServiceTimeout and change it to 2000

NOTE: The lowest value Windows will recognize is 1000 (1 second)

ADVISORY: While rare, the "WaitToKillService" tweak can cause problems. If an application is in the process of saving data and the associated service is stopped prematurely, the data will not be saved and may be lost. (Tweak, Note and Advisory from Forum Admin)

Speed Boot

I found that creating a script to run on shutdown that deletes the temp folder and history shaved 2.5 seconds on my boot time, down do 10.5 secs.

Create a batch file by doing the following:

1) Open notepad and enter the following lines:

RD /S /q "C:\Documents and Settings\"UserName without quotes"\Local Settings\History"
RD /S /q "C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Local Settings\History"
RD /S /q "D:\Temp\" <--"Deletes temp folder, type in the location of your temp folder"

2) Save the file and then rename is something like deltemp.bat

3) Now click Start, Run and type in gpedit.msc --->Computer Configuration --->Windows Settings --->Scripts and double click on Shutdown --->Click Add and find the batch file you created and press ok to set the script

Tweak worked wonders for me, hope it works well for you.

Cheers

HERO HONDA HUNK

Hero Honda’s newest member in the premium segment ‘HUNK’ (Err…What name?) has been launched today, with a price tag of Rs. 55K (Ex showroom Delhi). The Hunk Does not come with all the features that it was speculated to come with, and is a 150cc premium segment bike, sharing a tweaked engine with CBZ Xtreme. The engine volumes 149.2cc and produces 14.2 bhp @ 8500rpm with a max torque of 12.8Nm @ 6500rpm.

The Hunk now comes with gas charged, adjustable rear shocks (first on a Hero Honda) and no mono shock as expected. There’s a new tank design with a fairing extending from it. The tail piece though is disappointingly similar to Hero Honda’s Ambition. No Digital instrumentation, no LED tail lamps, no rear discs, no split rear grabs, no body colored mirrors and full fairing as expected but you can do without them either.
Hero Honda Hunk

There some freshness in the bike’s design by means of the new tank and a new bikini fairing (not the one that I would hate in the CBZX), but the tail piece though could have been improved. The design however feels very Apache-ish in terms of the tank design and the rear tail piece. Similarities in looks can also be drawn to Yamaha YBR 250, but of course I am not belittling Hero Honda’s efforts in to the design. I do criticize Hero Honda for their sticker upgrades; this one thankfully has no silly stickers stuck around, surprising right?

The bike is available in two options, kick start and self with the self start option being at Rs 57K (Ex Delhi). Here are the rest of the tech specs as posted by Diesel on Autocar India Forum


Hero Honda Hunk Tech Specs







Hero Honda Hunk

The only problem, how would you say to your friend “I ride a Hunk” Some one please help Hero Honda with some good bike names.




Sources:
Business Standard: Hero Honda Hunk @ Rs 55,000
The Economic Times: Hero Honda launches new Hunk
Autocar India Forum: Pics of HERO HONDA “HUNK”
Pics posted on Autocar India Forums by user Diesel, who inturn has sourced the pics from Rearset’s blog. Special Thanks to Rearset and Diesel.

RAPIDSHARE

SAMSUNG ULTRA MOBILE PERSONAL COMPUTERS

Samsung already has some cool UMPCs (that is Ultra Mobile Personal Computers for the non-geeky personas), like the Q1 that was launched in 2006, and its big-brother Q2, but the latest news are about the SPH-P9200 - a beauty in terms of design and features - that was presented earlier this year at the 4G Forum 2007 that took place in Korea.

Like you can see on the image, the keyboard on this UMPC can be unfolded for all the occasions when you actually want to use a QWERTY styled keyboard. And when you want to make it smaller + compact, just fold the keyboard and you’re good to go - your choice.

In terms of technical specifications, the Samsung SPH-P9200 which is also known as Deluxe MIT, comes with a small 5-inch touchscreen display that provides a “normal” 800×480 resolution. Not too shabby, but not brilliant either, I guess it is good enough for its size. The processor is powered by a VIA C7-M that runs at 1GHz, and the RAM memory includes 512MB, while on the hard-drive there is space for 30GB.

On the connections department there are 3 wireless options, more exactly the usual WiFi, HSDPA, and last but not least, WiBro, which according to the wiki is a “wireless broadband Internet technology being developed by the Korean telecoms industry”.

There are 2 values for the battery life, depending on what type you use - 2 to 2,5 hours while using the “standard” battery, or 5 hours when using an extended battery. Additionally, the SPH-P9200 UMPC comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera, an optical joystick, and a port replicator that includes 2 USB ports, LAN, VGA, and the power mode.

NEW IPODS

For the unknowing, Apple started shipping its new iPod Touch late last week. This is the new iPod that’s essentially the iPhone sans the phone; prices start at $300 for 8GB and go up to $400 for 16GB. While they’re usually sold out as quickly as they come in, I managed to grab one and made a nice little review, at least I hope it’s nice. I’ll be covering the design and structure of the device itself, the UI and applications, music playback, video playback, and the iTunes WiFi store (I know it’s an application, but it’s special!).

Design & Structure
Apple is known for designing products that are beautiful, and the Touch is no exception. But still, upon closer inspection, it’s easy to figure out that Apple didn’t want the Touch to look too beautiful, that’s for the iPhone. The two main things that anyone will notice is the “scratchtastic” mirror-like back and the out-of-place black piece of plastic covering the WiFi antenna. Another annoyance is the lack of any form of tactile buttons for controlling music, something the iPhone has (volume rocker, headphone controller). It’s pretty difficult, and I’m speaking from experience, to fumble through your pocket on the metro to skip to the next song. There’s just no reason for those controls not to be there because it would cost Apple what, a dollar or two tops to put them in. Still, even with those gripes, the Touch feels solid and looks great, but you’ll definitely be wanting a case.

UI & Applications
iPod Touch playing musicLike the iPhone, the Touch has an intuitive, touch based user interface. Navigating through the few built in applications is easy and, I hate to say it, kinda fun as well.

On to the apps that come with your Touch. There are dedicated buttons on the bottom of the screen for your music, videos, photos, and the iTunes WiFi store. Navigating your music is a breeze, either by scrolling through a list of artists/songs/genres etc or by using Cover Flow (which is much snappier than on the new Nanos and Classics). The actual “now playing” screen looks awesome if you have cover art, otherwise it looks a little bare. My only gripe in this area of the Touch is how hard it is to adjust the position of the song; because of how tiny the bar is, it’s very difficult to get it just where you want it and very easy to skip to either the beginning or end.

Videos are equally easy to navigate. They’re simply organized by movies, TV shows, and music videos. Playing a video looks great, except for one thing, the blacks look extremely so-so, a problem many users are reporting.

iPod Touch Video Playing

Photos, organized by albums synced from your computer, look great on the Touch, and yes, you can pinch to zoom! It’s also easy, as in one button easy, to have an automated slideshow with transitions and music form your library created.

iPod Touch Music Store
Now, this is my favorite new feature of the Touch, you can buy songs (no videos! :() from the iTunes Store over any WiFi connection. In a year’s time, you’ll be able to use Starbuck’s in-store WiFi to browse the WiFi store and make purchases; unfortunately that’s all you can do, so if you want to check your mail, you’re still going to have to pay for it. Can’t say I’m too excited about that. From the store app, you can select to view featured artists and tunes, the top tens for various genres, and, the most powerful option, a search box where you can enter in an artist, song name, album, etc. A nice touch (heh, get it?) is that the app will try to autocomplete your search for you. Once you find something you like, just tap it to load the standard 30 second preview from within your window and then tap “Buy” to have it quickly download to your Touch after you enter in your password. In a surprising move, Apple choses not to completely screw you over when you use the WiFi store because, the next time you sync your Touch, your purchased songs are copied right over to your computer in a special playlist called “Purchased on Name’s iPod”. You won’t have to re-buy those songs you already bought at the standard price. I know, that sounds crazy, but there are people out there. . .

That covers the real core applications of the Touch. You also have Safari, YouTube, Calendar, Contacts, Clock, Calculator, and Settings. All of these, except the calendar where you can’t add appointments, work well, especially for a mobile device. Notably absent from the Touch is the Mail app, something I really think would be helpful to have. Going to Gmail through Safari is easy enough, but having a dedicated application makes it much easier. And really, since the Touch is based off the same OS as the iPhone, it seems like Apple just didn’t feel like giving you your money’s worth for this product. How hard is it to copy the Mail app to the Touch? One might venture a guess: not hard at all. Come on Apple.

Overall. . .
Being an Apple fanboy, I expected to give this thing a glowing review, but it has plenty of flaws that I can’t even convince myself are small. I tried to be as objective as possible with the following list:
Pros

* The UI is fantastic, especially Cover Flow
* Videos, except for the blacks, look great on the 3.5″ screen
* iTunes WiFi Store is well implemented and makes it easy to buy songs on the go

Cons

* $400 for 16 GB is expensive — Apple should’ve gone the hard drive route, even if it meant a few extra millimeters of thickness
* No tactile buttons to control playback
* The back is prone to scratches and the black nub (WiFi antenna) just looks out of place
* Apple, without any apparent technological reason, crippled the device by not including all of the already-developed iPhone’s applications (most notable: Mail).

If you’re interested in my recommendation, I would say this: if you want it now, and don’t mind that it’s just an iPod with so-so storage, go for it. But, if you can, wait for the second generation. By then, you’ll get more storage and hopefully a higher quality device, both physically and in regard to the included applications.

The iPod Touch is available from Apple for $300/8 GB or $400/16 GB.

CREATIVE ZEN STONE

Creative Throws a Stone at the iPod Shuffle

Creative has set its sites square on the flash driven MP3 market with the Zen Stone - a 1 GB MP3 player for $40 that comes in six different colors: black, white, red, blue, pink and green.

Using the 1GB capacity as a starting point, the Stone will be able to play up to 250 songs in either a random “shuffling” or by blindly navigating from from folder to folder to concentrate on one artist or playlist specifically.

The Stone offers 10 hours of playback on a full charge, uses a basic USB connection, and supports MP3, WMA and WAV files. It will also play books by Audible.

With a price point so low, it does make sense to have a backup mp3 player when you don’t want to carry a higher capacity one like the ZenVision 30 GB model. And it’s so small, it can fit in your pocket.

Down the road, accessories like the Creative TravelSound™ ZEN Stone, player will come on line which will act as a docking player for the Stone. It’ll be a portable speaker system (think tiny boombox) which will give twice the playing time on two AAA alkaline batteries. It’ll list for US$39.99 which means you can have the complete system for less than an iPod Shuffle.

SAMSUNG ANSWERS TO SONY WALKMAN CELLS

Samsung has gone on from strength to strength where cellphones are concerned, and this time their new line up will cater specifically for music lovers while attempting to offer an alternative to Sony Ericsson’s line of Walkman cellphones. This trio of handsets will place more weight on music compared to other phones from Samsung’s stable, and hopes to strike a balance between a cellphone and a music player. The three phones in question are the Samsung SGH-i450, the Samsung SGH-F330 and the Samsung SGH-F210. For more details on each individual handset, kindly head on after the jump.

The Samsung SGH-i450 will occupy the position of top dog among the three, boasting an amplifier that was developed by high-end audio specialists Bang & Olufsen. This will definitely grab the attention of anyone around whenever you play back your favorite tunes, and chances are you won’t miss any more incoming calls in a crowded and noisy environment. The SGH-i450 will be powered by the Symbian S60 operating system and comes in a dual slider design format - sliding the handset up will activate the smartphone features, while sliding it downwards will see music player functions make an appearance on its 2.4″ LCD display. Unfortunately, the 35MB internal memory doesn’t do a music phone justice, but thankfully there is a microSD memory card slot that can hold up to another 4GB worth of music.

As for the SGH-F330, this is a HSDPA slider handset that comes with music control keys on both front and sides of the phone. Other features include a 2 megapixel camera, 24MB of internal memory, and a microSD memory card slot, all packed into a form factor that measures just 13.5mm thin. Last but not least, the SGH-F210 features a swivel design where the bottom half reveals a keypad whenever the top part is swiveled around. It is equipped with an FM radio, 1GB of internal memory, and a microSD memory card slot.

NVIDIA GAMING WITH MICROSOFT AND HCL

NVIDIA Advances PC Gaming with World’s First Certified Support for Microsoft DirectX 10

NVIDIA® Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) today released the world’s first WHQL-certified drivers for Microsoft DirectX 10, coinciding with the release of the first DirectX 10 test kit from Microsoft, which allows other hardware vendors to test their graphics processors using the DirectX 10 WHQL tests. Microsoft DirectX 10 is included with Windows Vista and delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects for games, all rendered in real-time on NVIDIA GeForce 8-series GPUs. GeForce 8-series GPUs are the first and only Microsoft DirectX 10-capable GPUs currently available.

The new ForceWare 100.65 drivers support GeForce 6-, 7-, and 8-series NVIDIA GPUs. NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GPUs now meet the Vista Premium Device Logo requirements, in addition to GeForce 6- and 7-series GPUs which previously met the requirements. The new drivers can be downloaded from: http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GPUs are the reference GPUs of DirectX 10 application developers as they create and test groundbreaking next-generation content. Several of the most anticipated titles for 2007—including Crysis (published by Electronic Arts), Hellgate London (EA/Namco), World in Conflict (Sierra Entertainment), and Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (Funcom)—are designed on NVIDIA hardware to exploit the new features of DirectX 10. Several other titles are being adapted to support DirectX10 features, including Company of Heroes, Eve Online, Lord of the Rings Online, and Microsoft Flight Simulator X.



NVIDIA Advances PC Gaming with World’s First Certified Support for Microsoft DirectX 10

NVIDIA® Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA) today released the world’s first WHQL-certified drivers for Microsoft DirectX 10, coinciding with the release of the first DirectX 10 test kit from Microsoft, which allows other hardware vendors to test their graphics processors using the DirectX 10 WHQL tests. Microsoft DirectX 10 is included with Windows Vista and delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects for games, all rendered in real-time on NVIDIA GeForce 8-series GPUs. GeForce 8-series GPUs are the first and only Microsoft DirectX 10-capable GPUs currently available.

The new ForceWare 100.65 drivers support GeForce 6-, 7-, and 8-series NVIDIA GPUs. NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GPUs now meet the Vista Premium Device Logo requirements, in addition to GeForce 6- and 7-series GPUs which previously met the requirements. The new drivers can be downloaded from: http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GPUs are the reference GPUs of DirectX 10 application developers as they create and test groundbreaking next-generation content. Several of the most anticipated titles for 2007—including Crysis (published by Electronic Arts), Hellgate London (EA/Namco), World in Conflict (Sierra Entertainment), and Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (Funcom)—are designed on NVIDIA hardware to exploit the new features of DirectX 10. Several other titles are being adapted to support DirectX10 features, including Company of Heroes, Eve Online, Lord of the Rings Online, and Microsoft Flight Simulator X.


NVIDIA Powers India's Latest Gaming PC by HCL

HCL Beanstalk Game Master Ultimate PC combines NVIDIA® SLI technology with Intel® Core 2™ Extreme X6800 processor to create one the fastest gaming machines available in India

Gaming PC by HCLBANGALORE, INDIA-30TH SEPTEMBER 2006-NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in programmable graphics processor technologies, announces that India's leading information enabling & integration major HCL has selected NVIDIA technology to drive its latest gaming PC. The HCL Beanstalk Game Master Ultimate will be based on the NVIDIA nForce® 5 chipset and features two NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics processing units (GPUs). Combined with the Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme X6800 processor, this configuration is widely recognised as the ultimate gaming platform.

This awesome HCL system will include:

* nForce-Intel edition chipset
* 2 x NVIDIA GeForce 7900GT GPUs
* Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor (2.93 GHz clock speed, 4 MB cache, 1066 MHz front side bus)
* Two GB DDR2 RAM
* Microsoft Windows Media Centre edition

"The equation is simple: NVIDIA SLI technology + Intel Core 2 Extreme = unbeatable gaming performance," said Alain Tiquet, NVIDIA Group Director for Marketing Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. "All over the world reviewers are coming to this same conclusion and now we're very excited to be working with HCL in bringing this system to the Indian market."

"With NVIDIA powering the HCL Beanstalk Game Master Ultimate it's the ultimate PC gaming machine," continued Rajender Kumar, Executive Vice President of HCL. "HCL is passionate about creating products which meet the evolving needs of our customers. By anticipating how the PC will develop, the company is maintaining its leadership with a range of technology solutions for the Indian market. Now we have created the HCL Beanstalk Game Master Ultimate by blending together the world's fastest processor, richest graphics capabilities and most engaging gaming content to deliver one of the fastest PCs available presently in India."

"The Intel® Core™2 Extreme Processor provides the best gaming performance known to mankind!" explained Prakash Bagri, Director, OEM Business at Intel. "We are delighted to be part of the new HCL Beanstalk Game Master Ultimate and confident that the Intel® Core™2 Extreme Processor will bring in new levels of excitement, helping to spearhead India's gaming revolution."

Rishi Srivastava, Director of Windows Client Business Group, Microsoft India, agrees. "India has today emerged as a booming gaming market - NASSCOM estimates that this market will grow at a significant CAGR of 89.1 percent to touch $205 million in 2009. This Windows Media Centre powered HCL Beanstalk Game Master Ultimate provides consumers with the ultimate gaming experience. We are very excited about this launch and are sure that Indian consumers will see immense value in the offering."

HCL Beanstalk Game Master Ultimate availability
Available ex-stock through HCL Digilife and HCL key Channel partners. For more information or to order, please contact Mohammed Danish at +91-9818567868 or email at mdanish@hcl.in. The HCL Beanstalk Game Master Ultimate retails at around Rupees 149,990 plus taxes.

About NVIDIA
NVIDIA Corporation is the worldwide leader in programmable graphics processor technologies. The Company creates innovative, industry-changing products for computing, consumer electronics, and mobile devices. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA and has offices throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. For more information, visit www.nvidia.co.in.

About HCL Infosystems
HCL Infosystems, with an annual revenue of US$ 2.6 Billion, is India's premier information enabling and system integration company. HCL offers products and infrastructure solutions in the fields of computing, communication, networking, office automation, broadcasting and imaging. It has partnerships with leading global players like Intel, AMD, Toshiba, Bull, Ericsson, Cisco, Microsoft, Nokia, Apple, Computer Associates, Symantec and Konica Minolta among others.

HCL has a direct sales, channel sales and retail sales network pan India. HCL has a support of 300+ customer service centers and four ISO 9001 certified state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. HCL Infosystems has pan India presence across metros and non-metros. With a mission to provide world-class information technology solutions and services to enable its customers to serve their customers better, HCL Infosystems is forever setting new standards of IT in the country. For more information please visit www.hclinfosystems.in.

ASUS P5K3 PREMIUM MB

Asus has introduced the P5K3 Premium motherboard with Turbo D3 Onboard Memory feature.

Asus claims that 2GB Dual Channel DDR3 onboard memory will enable DDR3 overclocking speeds of above 1,500 MHz, and reduced clock cycle timings for random data access.
The integrated DDR3 2GB memory modules are custom-made, and only about three-quarters the length of standard DDR3, claims Vinay Shetty, product manager of component business, Asus India.

The P5K3 is based on the Intel P35 Express Chipset and supports Intel next generation 45nm Multi-Core CPU.

Asus claims the new technology incorporates the Perfect T-Tree design and Hyper PCB design, and works seamlessly with Super Memspeed technology for superior overclocking performance.

The PSK3 utilizes the Perfect T-Tree design to provide simultanous random data access on every memory chip. Which means that data access to each memory chip occurs at the same time, instead of conventional DDR3 Fly-by Topologies that require time to be spent waiting for one by one random data access. This in turn reduces clock cycle timing by 50 percent for random data access, thereby ensuring faster memory speeds.

Asus however recommends installing a CPU with 1066 MHz FSB or later to enjoy the guaranteed overclocking speed.

Meanwhile, the Hyper PCB design, according to the company, provides good power delivery and cleaner signals with less crosstalk. The technology also provides more ground layers for better heat dissipation, thus allowing users enjoy faster speeds for better overclocking.

The motherboard has two slots -- each of PCI-E 16x and PCI-E 1x specifications. It also has 3 PCI slots for adding other devices, and 10 USB 2.0 ports.

The new Asus P5K3 Premium motherboard is priced at Rs 70,150.

HD VMD TO BATTLE BLU-RAY DISC AND HD DVD

Players and discs using a new high-def format will appear soon--but will consumers make room for yet another combatant in the HD format wars?

At the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) trade show in Denver, a company promoting a new high-definition optical disc format demonstrated set-top players and high-definition movies that cost far less than ones that use the competing Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD formats. The only faux pas: Arriving late to a two-party format war that consumers are already reluctant to support.

Next month, New Medium Enterprises' 1080p set-top players, which use the HD VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc) format, will go on sale on Amazon.com and in stores such as Radio Shack and Costco for around $150--about half the cost of the least-expensive 1080p HD DVD player, and perhaps a fourth the cost of the least-expensive Blu-ray player. The movies that work in them are similarly inexpensive.

"Expect a small premium over DVD [discs], and a big discount over Blu-ray and HD DVD," says Jim Cardwell, an advisor to the company and former president of Warner Home Video.
Red-Laser Technology

Instead of the blue-laser technology embraced by the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps, the HD VMD format uses the red-laser technology already used to create DVDs, and as a result, keeps the cost of manufacturing discs and drives low, says Eugene Levich, director and chief technology officer of New Medium Enterprises. He said that manufacturing a Blu-ray drive costs ten times as much as manufacturing a DVD or HD VMD drive, because the latter two are essentially the same drive but with different firmware.

HD VMD discs, which hold up to 30GB on a single side, are encoded with a maximum bit rate of 40 megabits per second; that's within spitting distance of Blu-ray's 48 mbps, and quite a bit more than 36 mbps for HD DVD. The format uses MPEG-2 and VC1 video formats to encode at 1080p resolution for the time being, and will possibly move to the H.264 format in the future.

Levich said the video quality is "at least as good" as that of the other formats. Using a projection system, HD VMD reps showed me clips of "We Were Soldiers" and "Apocalypto." The movies looked very good--not as stunning as I expected, but I'd just arrived from the CEDIA show floor, where every television vendor uses phenomenal, highly doctored content to show off their products.

The HD VMD format supports up to 7.1-channel Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS audio output, though it will not offer the high-bit-rate Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio surround-sound codecs.


Multitalented, Inexpensive Players
HD VMD player

The ML622S and the ML775S players each have a single HDMI 1.3 connection and can play HD VMDs, DVDs, CDs, and MP3 CDs, as well as a few other formats. The ML622S costs about $150; the ML775S will cost slightly more. The ML775S adds USB ports and a media-card reader for displaying photos and playing video content from devices such as thumb drives and external hard drives. Both players have Ethernet ports designed for downloading firmware updates, not the interactive features supported by HD DVD and Blu-ray. They come in black, red, gray, and white.

At launch, 20 U.S. movie titles will be available, including many from Mel Gibson's Icon Entertainment International. That's pretty sparse, and the list doesn't include that many hot titles. Of course, Blu-ray and HD DVD didn't start out with many more than that either, and New Medium Enterprises says that much more content from around the world, including many Bollywood titles, will be available.

Cardwell says that if the set-top players sell well, that will convince more major studios to sign on for HD VMD. But without content, buyers may be reticent to buy the set-top players. However, HD VMD players work with other, non-HD VMD content--and because they're inexpensive, buyers may be willing to take a chance.

SONY DSLR-A700

Sony unveiled its latest prosumer Alpha digital camera today. The new DSLR-A700 is priced at a base $1,400 for the body only and should be available starting in October. Several kits with lenses will be available as well.

The Sony DSLR-A700 sports a 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor and offers special image stabilization technology for more steady shots. It incorporates a new auto-focus system with 11 wide-area sensors including a center dual cross sensor for better AF, a maximum shutter speed of 1/8,000th of a second and shooting at up to five frames per second in JPEG fine or standard mode.

You get the feeling from the few features we’ve listed here Sony is quite serious about this camera. It definitely is the case, especially with HDMI output for showing off your favorite shots on that Sony HDTV you just purchased. Go ahead - put yourself into hock for Sony. It doesn’t mind at all.

SONY ERICSSON W910I

A mobile phone that reads your mind?

Oh sure, there had been movement-sensitive devices before, but it was Nintendo's Wii games controller that kicked off the latest spate of interest, followed of course by the iPhone, which can sense rotation and turn the screen image to suit.
Now it's Sony Ericsson's turn - in its latest W910i Walkman phone, it's added an accelerometer so you can change music tracks simply by flicking the phone. It sounds strange at first, yet the movement is actually quite natural - like flicking a horse's reins or a dog's lead, say.

The accelerometer-equipped phone can also be used Wii-style as a games controller. For example, if you're playing a driving game, you can hold the phone in both hands and turn it like the steering wheel on your virtual car.

Who'll be the first to take this technology and apply it to more serious applications, though? For example, how about paging through the messages on your handheld by flicking it left or right, or flipping the device Star Trek communicator-style to open or close a message or window?

PHILIPS TECHNOLOGY

Philips showcases the latest advances in consumer lifestyle technology at IFA

Philips is showcasing its leadership in consumer lifestyle electronics at this year’s IFA, being held in Berlin from 31 August until 5 September.

Highlights of the show include the revolutionary new Aurea FlatTV, which builds on Philips’ 11-year leadership in flat television technology. The Aurea’s application of the latest advances in Philips Ambilight TV technology results in a minimalist design that radiates an aura of light and color beyond the frame to create an immersive, ambient viewing experience.

Retailers, journalists and consumers visiting the Philips stand at IFA will also be able to see:

• Philips’ full range of 2007 FlatTVs, including the 47PFL9732D, named European Full HD LCD TV of the Year, 2007-2008 by the European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA). The 47” set is one of a number of Philips FlatTVs this year to feature both the new LED-based Ambilight system and the acclaimed new picture quality platform, Perfect Pixel HD Engine.

• The Philips HTS8100 SoundBar with Ambisound technology, winner of the European Home Theater Compact System 2007-2008 EISA Award. The HTS8100 is a true innovation in home entertainment, delivering true 5.1-channel surround sound in a single unit, sleekly designed to fit underneath any flat panel television.

• Philips-Swarovski Active Crystals – the unique new range of headphones and USB storage devices encrusted in Swarovski crystals and to be worn as fashion accessories.

• GoGear portable video and audio players – Philips is expanding its presence to cover a range of MP3 Video players including mobile TV tuners and DVD playback.

• Advanced technology applications being developed for commercial introduction by Philips Research are on display in the FutureZone. Highlights include the TagTiles home learning tool, and new applications of 3D display solutions for professional signage applications.

About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and technology, delivering products, services and solutions through the brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 125,800 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 27 billion in 2006, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home appliances, as well as consumer electronics.

Fring

What is Fring?

fring™ is a free mobile VoIP software that lets you talk and live chat (IM) using your handset's Internet connection instead of costly mobile airtime (GSM) minutes. fring enables free mobile calls over Wi-Fi Internet access or your GPRS, EDGE or 3G Internet data plan.

fring lets you easily communicate with all your fring, Skype®, MSN® Messenger, Google Talk™ , Twitter and regular phone contacts from one, integrated contact list. fring also supports SkypeOut and hundreds of SIP-based services such as GizmoProject, VoipCheap, VoipStunt, Free World, even from non-SIP enabled handsets, enabling cheap local and international VoIP calls to contacts’ PCs, mobile phones and landline numbers. fring is also enhanced with real-time contact availability (presence) so you can see who’s available before dialing.

All you need to use fring is a 3G handset (see list of supported devices) with Internet connectivity that is already available from your mobile service provider (how do I know?) or through your nearest Wi-Fi hotspot. fring does not require any proprietary hardware or airtime, and works with phones purchased through any mobile operator. fring can be simply downloaded into your handset via SMS received from another fringster™ or from our website download page – it’s as easy as downloading a ring tone.

fring roams seamlessly between Wi-Fi and 3G networks while bypassing traditional mobile voice and SMS text messaging services mobile-to-mobile calls, mobile-to-landline calls, and mobile-to-PC calls including integration into Skype, MSN Messenger and Google Talk wherever you are. The patent-pending peer-to-peer mobile VoIP technology delivers full-duplex voice quality with rich internet functionality and maximum network efficiency.
Why use fring ?

gain true mobility
with your Skype, MSN, Google Talk & Twitter contacts on your mobile you'll stay connected wherever you go

save money!
using mVoIP for local or international calls, rather than costly airtime minutes, and free chat rather than SMS

presence status for all of your contacts
and know who's online before dialing!

make cheap calls to landlines & regular cellular contacts
using your SkypeOut account or SIP provider.

pay us nothing!
you will NOT receive an invoice from us!

don't wait for call-backs
just pick a contact and hit the green button.

no physical limitations
all you need is your mobile phone! No need for a PC, Wi-Fi or special hardware.


How Fring Works?
fring mobile-VoIP network diagram

The fring™ mobile VoIP solution is designed to optimize the embedded internet capabilities within the subscriber's handset. The fring™ solution establishes a Peer-To-Peer VoIP connection between calling parties, enabling true VoIP sessions between fring-enabled handsets and also between handsets and PCs.

fring™ is based on a unique thin-client technology that for the first time enables true VoIP over 3G, GPRS and Wi-Fi networks. fring™ dynamically adapts itself to the optimal network and handset characteristics while enabling seamless roaming VoIP on multiple networks. The dedicated three-sided P2P network architecture has been developed to support near telco-grade voice quality and network efficiency.

fring™ leverages the Internet connectivity traditionally used for mobile email retrieval and web browsing to provide mobile VoIP communications so users can instant message (IM) and make free mobile calls.

Bajaj Pulsar DTS-Fi 220cc

Bajaj is coming out with the new Bajaj Pulsar DTS-Fi motorcycle, following the huge

success of its Pulsar DTS-i. Bajaj's answer to Hero Honda's Karizma is expected to

be out in some months. The Bajaj Pulsar 180cc DTS-i took biking to a new level, and

the new Pulsar DTS-Fi is all set to take it to greater heights. The Bajaj Pulsar

DTS-Fi is powered by a 220cc engine and offers a cool 20bhp. With 1.95kg of torque,

it would be a wonder if this bike from Bajaj does not make it to the top of the

charts.


The Bajaj Pulsar DTS-Fi is expected to touch a top speed of 135kph. That is an

excellent top speed in Indian conditions, probably matched only by the Kinetic

Aquila - which anyway is not available in India now.What are the big innovations in this motorcycle?

The most important feature of all is the fuel injection mechanism, which is

responsible for the quick throttle and the linear power curve. The Bajaj Pulsar

DTS-Fi is the first Indian motorcycle with an oil cooled engine. Together, they

make for a potent combination. The Hero Honda Karizma as well as the Pulsar DTS-Fi

weigh 150 kgs, and the extra 3 bhp of the DTS-Fi as well as the power delivery

characteristics make this an easy Karizma-beater.
What else do we get? A longer wheelbase, factory-fitted rear and front disc brakes,

an interesting front faring, an all digital meters. The LCD speedometer on the DTS

-Fi is orange in colour and the entire speedometer mechanism is a pleasure to

watch.


Those who have test-run the bike say that the DTS-Fi's brakes are the best in the

market. The Pulsar DTS-Fi conquers corners with astonishing ease and makes you feel

confident while braking.

The Pulsar DTS-Fi is the ultimate driving machine that one can expect from a highly

competitive Indian two-wheeler market. The DTS-Fi offers no-compromise performance,

irrespective of the terrain. The engine is low noise and is low in vibration, all

thanks to fuel injection and oil cooling.


The tyres of the new DTS-Fi are tubeless and hence offers an exciting riding

experience. The 55 watt projector low-beam headlamp offers a decent view of the

road ahead. The fully digital dash is easy to read and difficult to mistake. The

distinctive tail lamps of the Pulsar DTS-Fi adds a bit of dash. Overall, the body

of the motorcycle still looks like the Pulsar family, but with sharper edges. The

front faring is the difference - It is well integrated into the rest of the

bodywork, and the side lights and indicators look excellent.


With a performance motorcycle, one should really not expect a high fuel efficiency/

mileage figures - still we expect the Pulsar DTS-Fi to get around 45 kilometers to

a litre.


The Pulsar DTS-Fi is expected to have a price tag of Rs. 92,000 on road.

Officially, its around Rs 83,000. Of course, the figure will change a bit when it

hits the road. But anyway, thanks to Bajaj for giving the average bike enthusiast a

real good bike, loaded with features and that too, at an approachable price.

At last if you want to grab this monster you have to wait till august in mumbai.

Meals For The Monsoon

The reason we all look forward to the rainy season every year is that it washes away the blistering heat of summer. The rain not only clams the weather, but also brings in what ayurveda calls the “Varsha ritu”.
In this season, the atmosphere is filled with molecules of water and the temperature falls to bearable levels. Along with this, the quality of ground water changes. You no longer relish the kind of fruit that you eat in summer, because it is now too watery. Similarly, this season calls for a different kind of taste in all foodstuffs.

Water: in this season, it is imperative to drink purified of boiled water because the ground water, particularly in cities, is affected by overflowing drains and sewage. If you find yourself less thirsty than, for instance, in summer, and therefore not so interested in water, drinking water flavoured with chamomile, dalchini (cinnamon) or fennel (saunf) to detoxify your system. People who suffer from arthritis should drink warm water with a little tulsi and dalchini first in the morning, on an empty stomach. This improves bowel movement and also decreases pain in the joints.

Fruits: cut down on watermelon and musk melon as these are too watery for this season. Instead, eat fruits like mangoes, apples, pomegranates, pears and mausambi (sweet lime). A fruit is the ideal food for this season, as it has the ability to balance energies. However, avoid fruit juice because it is too sugary and tends to upset the insulin balance. Eat the fruit whole, because cut fruit is prone to infection and putrefaction. For best results, eat fruit on an empty stomach.


Cereals: in this season, eat ‘old’ grain. That is, grain that was harvested months ago, because it is believed that ‘old’ grain is less likely to cause gas and disturbances in the vata energies that predominate now.


Vegetables: all bitter and sweet vegetables are good this season. But wash leafy vegetables carefully to avoid infection. Then steam them to stay safe. Avoid vegetable juices. This is the best season to do the panchakarma, or five-pronged ayurvedic detoxification treatment. But more about that another time.

New Generation Computers

DETAILS HAVE EMERGED of the future design of Intel’s Tejas/Pentium V processor, and of how the chip firm will present it to the world.

The chip will sample internally at Intel in January 2004 and will take between four to six months to get to market. The Pentium 6 will follow a very similar schedule.

The Pentium V is likely to fly along at between 5GHz to 7GHz, have 2MB plus of level two cache, be built on a 90 nanometer process, and have a stackable design.

The processor we believe, sits in the LGA 775 pin socket, and above it is a very thin heatsink. But, according to sources close to the firm’s plans, another permeable heatsink can sit between this and another microprocessor module, giving a stackable design.

The final design of this arrangement is not set in stone.

According to this source, and the details have not been confirmed, a module sitting on top could provide 64-bit extensions.

And the source claimed, Microsoft is ready to launch a version of Windows called Elements with 64-bit extensions.

The idea seems to be that people can buy a 32-bit module, and then add in the 64-bit processor.

There are three samples of an arrangement of the Pentium V here in Taiwan this week, with a very thin processor and lots of wires and patches stuck on it, just to show proof of concept.

The Pentium V could have a front side bus speed of as much as 4000MHz, the source claimed, although this may be reserved for the next chip along, the Nehalem.

INCLEMENT WEATHER ON this side of the Atlantic ocean threw a turquoise parakeet off course today and a note it was holding in its beak fell into the INQUIRER's back garden.

The contents of the note appear to reveal future plans for future Intel desktop processors right up until 2005.

By then, according to the note, Intel will be able to deliver 10.20GHz desktop CPUs codenamed "Nehalem" and produced using 65 nanometer technology.

If Intel manages to migrate away from the 90 nanometer technology it will introduce towards the end of this year, by then the "Prescott" core will deliver at least 5.20GHz using the 800MHz system bus.

The immediate successor to Prescott after it tops out at 5.20GHz will be the "Tejas" core, also produced on a 90 nanometer process and delivering 5.60GHz using a 1066MHz system bus. That's slated to start appearing towards the end of 2004.

Tejas will increase in steady increments which appear to be 6GHz, 6.40GHz, 6.80GHz, 7.20GHz, 7.60GHz, 7GHz, 8.40GHz, 8.80GHz and topping out at 9.20GHz.

The first Nehalem is supposed to appear at 9.60GHz before Intel succeeds in its goal to produce a 10GHz+ chip, the Nehalem, and using a 1200MHz front side bus.

ACES HARDWARE has been prompted to dig through the Intel Museum to dredge up talk of an Intel Pentium 8.

A roadmap "guestimate" posted on Japan's PC watch features a processor code-named Nehalem due, according to the guestimate, in 2005.

Further research uncovered the wise words of an Intel architect, Doug Carmean, who confirmed he had been working on "the next all-new processor, a processor called Nehalem."

The interview is undated but Carmean says the 65nm processor, designed from scratch, could be called the "Pentium 8, or something like that."

Carmean said the processor might tip up in 2004, an assertion that leads us to believe the museum piece has been around for a while.

Intel, of course, won't talk about unannounced products, so we talked to a celebrated chip analyst here in the UK who told us: "It looks like that by the time this chip comes out -- probably in 2010 or something that -- Intel might finally succeed in producing a chip with a brain the size of a bumblebee."

"Better not quote me on that though," he added.

Aces Hardware is here and you can follow the discussion onto their forum.

Here's the PC watch roadmap guestimate. And here's the interview with Carmean from the "Intel Museum".
Intel Latest Gaming Processor.Intel® Core™2 Extreme quad-core processor QX6800,with
intel 975x express chipset is best for gaming experience.

What is love’s favourite number?

Every one has their favourite number. Perhaps you do too. And it’s often favoritism that makes this number find its way into our livers. Your favourite number might just make your new house a beautiful home, turn a ticket into a fortune by winning you the lottery and even keep your car accident-free.

Like people, love and romance have their favourites as well. Red is love’s favourite colour while roses are its favourite flowers. But believe it or not, love has its favourite number as well.

Read ahead and find out more………….

Seven Wonders of the World

While some wonders of the world were constructed with stone, others were build with love, passion and in some cases, fond memories of past lovers. Given their exquisite beauty, the Seven Wonders make excellent tourist destinations for affectionate couples in love with each other. Sprawling over six continents, they serve as a faithful reminder of the endless possibilities that love holds.

Seven Seas

In Western culture, the Seven Seas were called with different names, depending upon the part of the world and the period of time. For lovers, however, the Seven Seas take on a whole new meaning. The Seven Seas were (and still are) viewed as a test that lovers are willing to take, in order to be with each other. So much so, that they’ve found mention in song, poetry and literature.

Seven Lifetimes Together

Jim Morrison once told, “One lifetime isn’t enough to truly show someone you love them.” What Jim Morrison didn’t tell is that sometimes even seven lifetimes aren’t enough. Romance like fine wine only gets better with age, and maybe with every reincarnated lifetime together.

Six Great Life Investments

There are many kinds of investments. We are used to thinking of investing in property, stocks or building a business. Sometimes we forget that there are other important investments to be made.
Here are six ways to invest in your life that will help you to be wealthy no matter what the size of your bank account.

1) Invest your time in the people you love.
If you are too busy to spend time with your family and friends, you will find that your life is not filled with love, but with the activities that you have found more important. Along with your earthly family, find and spend time with your spiritual family. Fellowship with like-minded souls is essential for long-term spiritual health.

2) invest in your continuing education.
Never stop deepening your knowledge of the subject that interests you. Keep your mind open to new possibilities through exposure to fresh and inspiring ideas. Reading is one of the most powerful ways to do this.

3) Invest in a giving nature.
Acts of spontaneous and unselfish giving are rewarding in ways that selfish people can’t imagine. Giving without the thought of what we will receive in return attunes us to the positive joyful energies of life. When we live in the natural joy of the soul it will be its own reward.

4) invest in self – study.
Take the time to get know yourself. Take a good look at your motivating energies and the kinds of thoughts that pass through your mind each day. Release the energy that you give to negative thoughts and qualities by giving more attention to your positive inner qualities and thoughts.

5) invest in your physical heath.
Exercise regularly and consciously eat foods that are rich in nutrition and low on artificial flavours and sugar.

6) invest in your relationship with life itself.
No matter your religious affiliation – or lack thereof – spend time in silent meditation. Inwardly explore the central truth of your existence. Through this inner journey you will discover the greatest of all rewards: God’s infinite love and joy.
By making regular deposits in each of these areas, your experience of wealth in life will grow regardless of the changes in the economy or interest rates.

When A Vegetarian Diet

A vegetarian diet includes grains, pulses, roots and tubers, fresh and dry fruits, and abundant supply of fresh, green, leafy and non-leafy vegetables that God has blessed the earth with!
There are some people who claim that milk is an animal product and therefore, should not be included in a strictly vegetarian diet. But the fact remains, that we do not kill a cow to obtain its milk.
Mahatma Gandhi, an ardent advocate of vegan diet- one which did not include milk- excluded milk totally from his diet for about six years or so. Then in 1917, he fell ill, and in his own words, “was reduced to a skeleton”. The doctors warned him that he would not be able to build up enough strength to leave his bed, if milk and milk products were not included in his diet. However, Gandhiji had made a vow that he would not take milk.
A doctor then suggested to him that when he had made the vow, he could only have had in mind the milk of cow and the buffalo- so the vow should not prevent him from taking goat’s milk! That was how Gandhiji began to take goat’s milk.
At that time, he himself admitted, it seemed to bring him new life! He picked up rapidly and was soon able to leave his sickbed. On account of this and several similar experiences, he wrote, “I have been forced to admit the necessity of adding milk to the strict vegetarian diet.”
Gandhiji wrote prophetically: “I am convinced that in the vast vegetable kingdom there must be some kind, which, while supplying those necessary substances which we derive from milk, is free from its ethical drawbacks.” Nutrition experts now feel that soya milk and tofu can indeed provide such an alternative.

Tongue Twisters

Let’s see if you can repeat the following 5 times in a row without having a slip of your tongue!

If you understand, say “understand”. If you don’t understand, say “don’t understand”. But if you understand and say “don’t understand”, how do I understand that you understand?
Understand!

Mr. Inside went over to see Mr. Outside. Mr. Inside stood outside and called to Mr. Outside inside. Mr. Outside answered Mr. Inside from inside and told Mr. Inside come inside. Mr. Inside said “NO”, and told Mr. Outside to come outside. Mr. Outside and Mr. Inside argued from inside and outside about going outside or coming inside. Finally, Mr. Outside coaxed Mr. Inside to come inside, and then both Mr. Outside and Mr. Inside went outside to the riverside.

We surely shall see the Sun Shine shortly. Whether the weather be fine, Or whether the weather be not, Whether the weather be cold Or whether the weather be hot, We will weather the weather whatever the weather, Whether we like it or not. Watch? Whether the weather is hot. Whether the weather is cold. It is weather, whether we like it or not.

She sells sea shells on the sea shore, but the sea shells that she sells, on the sea shore are not the real ones.

I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won’t wish the wish you wish to wish.

Giving Up Too Soon Is Disaster

Some people in this world give up too soon, half way or even before they start. The fine line between persistence and pest is rather blurred. Patience is a vital virtue in personal, official and social life.
William Faulkner said it best: “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on, after others have let it go”.
Winston Churchill said: “if you are going through hell, keep going. There is no point in returning to the same point. The excitement of discovery will be lost”.
Most creative people come up with wonderful fascinating ideas but few follow through and consistently promote them. Those who can stick around are the ones you hear about. Those are lucky ones doing the right things.

Maratha graham once said: “great dancers are not great because of their technique. They are great because of their passion. Passion and promotion go hand in hand. If you have a dream and you are passionate to achieve it, you are more likely to be filled with enthusiasm and able to sustain that enthusiasm for long time. Passion pushes you to an unlimited extent.

J.R.D. Tata said: “Give me a clerk with a goal and I will give you a man who will make History”.
Remember that you get born only once but you can die again and again. Life is a bicycle with gears but we never use the gears. We go at the same speed.
Harry Beckwith in his book, ‘Selling the Invisible,’ says: “Suppose you are hearing a song again and again. First you listen and after a few days start singing the tune. In due course of time, you may become a singer on the stage. All depends on your commitment, ambition and ultimate goal”.
We should be dare to be different and allow our originality, creativity to flower and blossom. If it perishes in the bud-stage, there could be no flower and fruit. It is up to us to find a way to make life an interesting game to play.

There is a story of Dennis Woodruff who lived in a trailer in Los Angeles permanently. He had no home, no car, and no money but became famous because of his eccentricity. So with limited means, with unlimited energy, we too can become celebrities.

Between Me And The Bowler ! -- A joke

A batsman was facing a fast bowler at his best. The first ball flew past his left ear, the second knocked his cap off and the third came close to his heart.The Batsman was perplexed for the the time being. After a few minutes, however, he recovered and prepared to take the next strike. But he wanted the sight screen moved. The umpire asked him where he would like the sight screen moved?........,"Between me and the bowler",replied the batsman.

How Does An Aqualung Work?

Aqualung is a modern aid to diving. It makes it possible for a diver to go on berating underwater. He carries his own air supply with him, strapped to his back. He is a free diver.
For air supply the aqualung has two or more sturdy steel bottles filled with compressed air. A special valve gradually lets the air out of the bottles. A hose from the valve goes to a mouthpiece. The diver has to breathe through his mouth because; his nose is covered with a face plate.
With the aqualung strapped to his back and a heavy belt to keep him down, a man can swim almost as freely as a fish. He uses big flippers on his feet, so he does not need his hands for swimming. He can even hold a camera or a fishing spear. In shallow water he may be able to stay down for half an hour or more.
There is a problem in deep diving. The compressed air in the aqualung bottles is about four-fifths nitrogen and about one-fifth oxygen, like ordinary air. We need oxygen to stay alive. Ordinary the nitrogen we breathe in is breathed out again. But as the pressure of the air increases, some of the nitrogen dissolves in blood and tissues.

As the diver comes up, the nitrogen must leave his blood and tissues. If it cannot come out fast enough through his lungs, it turns into tiny bubbles inside his body. The bubbles squeeze nerves and block blood vessels and the diver is overcome by the ‘bends’. The diver feels great pain. A bad case of the bends may kill him or cripple him for life.
This is why diver must come up quite slowly when he is down to a depth of two hundred or three feet. And he must stop often on the way up.

EXAM IS CRICKET

1 EXAM : CRICKET
2 EXAM ROOM :STADIUM
3 BENCH :PITCH
4 SUPERVISOR :UMPIRE
5 STUDENT :BATSMAN
6 SUBJECT :BOWLER
7 QUESTION PAPER :BALL
8 ANS PAPER :BAT
9 HARD QUESTION :FIRST BALL
10 EASY :SLOW BALL
11 FILL IN THE :LEG SPIN
12 MATCH :OFF SPIN
13 FULL ANS :6 RUNS
14 SHORT ANS :4 RUNS OR LESS
15 COPY :CATCH OUT
16 CAUGHT RED HANDED :RUN OUT
17 BLANK PAPER :CLEAN BOWLED
18 MARK SHEET :SCORE BOARD
19 PASS :WIN THE MATCH
20 35% :MATCH DRAW
21 FAIL :LOST THE MATCH
22 SECOND RANK :MAN OF THE MATCH
23 FIRST RANK :MAN OF THE SERIES

THE DYNAMIC MUMBAI CITY

Mumbai is a place where everything is possible especially, the impossible.
it is place where-
Where lovers love-but never marry
Where there is a place for every tom, dick and harry.
Where telephone bills make a person ill.
Where a person cannot sleep without pill.
Where carbon-dioxide is more than oxygen.
Where the roads are full of men.
Where college canteens are full & classes are empty.
Where attendance scares between 0 to 20.
Where skyscrapers overlook the slums.
Where houses collapses as the monsoon comes.
Where doordarshan tries to compete CNN.
Where policeman acts a businessman.
Where people act first & then think.
Where there is more water in pen than ink.
Where roads are leveled when the ministers arrive.
Otherwise it is like a roller coaster ride
Where roads become seashores in monsoon.
Where the beggars become rich soon.
Where a person is praised after he dies.
Where the food is reserved sometimes enriched with flies.
THIS IS MUMBAI , MY DEAR
BUT DON'T FEAR , & DO COME HERE,
YEAR AFTER YEAR.

HOW STUDENTS FAILS IN THEIR EXAMS

It's not the fault of the student if he fails, because the year ONLY has 365' days. Boring Lecture

Typical academic year for a student:

1. TV Sundays - 52, Sundays in a year, you know Sundays are for rest. Days left 313.

2. Melting Summer holidays - 50 where weather is very hot and difficult to study.Days left 263.

3. Sleepy 8 hours daily sleep - 130 days GONE. Days left 141.

4. Swinging 2 1 hour for daily playing - (good for health) means 15 days. Days left 126.

5. Munchy 2 hours daily for food & other delicacies (chewing
properly & swallowing) - means 30days. Days left 96.

6. Gossip 1 hour for talking (man is a social animal) - means 15 days. Days left 81.

7. Cheater Exam days - per year at least 35 days. Days left 46.

8. Presents Quarterly, Half yearly and festival (holidays) - 40 days. Balance 6 days.

9. Sneez For sickness - at least 3 days. Remaining days=3.

10. Movie Theater Movies and functions - at least 2 days. 1 day left.

11. That 1 day is your birthday. Make A Wish

How can you study on that day??????!!!!!!!!!!

Balance = 0

"Then how can a student pass ??"

HOW TO SAVE ELECTRICITY ?

My guide is different. I not only give you meaningful tips for slashing your electricity consumption, I give you the tools to figure out exactly how much you're saving as well. Finally, I've answered countless questions from readers about saving electricity. If you have a question, it's probably answered here already.

Maybe you didn't know that there are environmental consequences to using electricity? That's certainly understandable. After all, when you plug something into the wall, it seems clean enough -- you don't see or smell any pollution, like you do with your car. But the pollution is there -- it just happens at the power plant. Most electricity is generated by burning coal and running nuclear power plants. Every time you turn on the lights, you create a little pollution. (See the sidebar.) So saving electricity doesn't just put money in your pocket, it helps keep the air and water clean, too.

Note also that as fossil fuels become scarcer (we've already used more than half of the oil that exists on the planet), our energy appetite puts more pressure for utilities to build dangerous nuclear power plants.

Thinking about going solar? There's good news and bad news. The bad news is that unless you're very proactive about reducing your consumption, a solar system can probably supply only 1/3 of your energy use. The good news is that there's a new program that installs the system for free (you just pay a 23000 deposit), and then you pay for the energy it generates, locking your rate in for up to 25 years.

Before we get to the tips on specific appliances, remember one simple thing: You'll save more electricity by dealing with the biggest electricity-guzzlers rather than worrying about items that don't use much electricity. Worrying about whether it's better to boil a cup of water on an electric burner or in a microwave, or whether you wear out your lights quicker by turning them off rather than keeping them on, is a waste of time and misses the point. Such trivia won't make a dime's worth of difference in your electric bill. It's the bigger things that matter.

Basic Strategies
Strategy	Up front cost	Savings per year
(1) Use space heaters to heat only the rooms you're in, rather than a central system that heats the whole house, and turning off the heat when you're not home.	3680	52992
(2) Use ceiling fans instead of the air conditioner	4600 if you don't already have ceiling fans	28060
(3) Use a clothesline or a laundry rack instead of a dryer	920	7176
(4a) Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot	none	6670
(4b) Wash laundry in warm water instead of hot	none	3358
(5) Use a spin dryer to dry your clothes	5980	4462
(6) Replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescents	1472	4140
(7) Stop watching TV	0	3772
(8) Sleep your computer when you're not using it	0	2714
Total	16560 once	109986 every year
Aggressive Strategies
(9) Replace 1990 fridge with 2004 model	13800+	2070
(10) Replace a CRT computer monitor in a home office with an LCD display	9200	966
Total	23000+ once	3036 every year

A typical desktop computer uses about 65 to 250 watts.
Add another 80 watts for a 17" CRT monitor, or 35 for an LCD monitor.When your computer sleeps ("standby") the the computer uses 1-6 watts.
while the monitor uses next to nothing. You can set your computer to sleep automatically after a certain amount of idle time. Setting your computer to auto-sleep is the best and easiest way to save on computer energy use. In Windows XP go to Start > Control Panel > Power Options.
Laptop computers use about 15-45 watts, far less than desktops.

Make a fridge that uses 93% less electricity than a normal fridge.
The trick is to just use a chest freezer as a fridge, after installing a new thermometer to turn the freezer off when the temperature drops too low. Chest freezers are more efficient than fridges because they have more insulation and because the cold air doesn't spill out when you open the door, because cold air falls down, not up.

A whopping 85-90% of the energy used by a washing machine goes to just heating the water. So you can save a bundle by either lowering the temperature, or getting a machine that uses less water (or both). How much energy can you save by lowering the water temperature? A lot. Here's the cost when your water is heated with electricity:

Wash/Rinse Setting	Electricity Use kWh/yr	Cost per year
Hot / Cold	1,547	7130
Warm / Cold	825	3818
Cold / Cold	103	460

To put in perspective how wasteful hot water is, washing your clothes in hot instead of cold uses more electricity than leaving the refrigerator door open 24 hours a day. (Fridge open 24/7: 180 watts x 13 extra hours day x 365 days/yr. = 854 kWh.)In the typical home, air conditioning uses more electricity than anything else -- 16% of total electricity used. In warmer regions AC can be 60-70% of your summer electric bill. If you're serious about saving energy, address your cooling costs first, since that's what uses the most electricity
A window unit AC uses 500 to 1440 watts, while a 2.5-ton central system uses about 3500 watts. That's a lot of energy. A floor fan uses only 100 watts on the highest speed, and ceiling fans use only 15 to 95 watts depending on speed and size.