Archive for January 2009

Computers : New Era

January 02, 2009 Add Comment

Computers : New Era



A computer is simply defined as a programmable machine that receives input, stores and operates data, and provides output in a useful format. There are two main characteristics of computers: it can run a prerecorded list of programs and it responds to a set of instructions in a very well defined manner. These characteristics have made the computer a very useful device which can perform tougher tasks in just few clicks. Computer has made things easy for us and almost used in every aspect of life.

Today, most of the work is done by computers. Many industries from banking to industrial sector and from business to domestic class largely rely on the computer in one way or another. Computer along with internet has made things as easy as with one click you can buy things online, you need not to go to market. You can make online transactions while sitting in your bedroom. You can read news; contact your friends and family sitting abroad conveniently. This all become possible due to the rapid development in the computer industry. The advancement in technology brings new aspects of computer development everyday. It is important to keep pace with this development to get maximum performance out of your computer device.


Most of the people know how to keep their computers up to date, but there are many who don't know the ways to keep them pace with rapid computer development and often find themselves in great trouble. Hereunder are given some points to help you keep pace with the rapid development in computer technology.

Getting Updates Online
Often you find that the device is not performing up to the mark. You may need a driver update and you can get these updates online on specific manufacturer sites. Updating the drivers is the easy way to keep pace with newest version of the drivers and software.

Getting Help from Newspaper and Online Resources
Another way to keep you update with the recent developments is to read technology page on the local newspapers and other technological magazines or even you can take help from unlimited online resources. There are many sites and online technological magazines which provide help on latest updates and recent developments in the computer technology.
Sign Up for News Alerts

You can even sign up for online alerts regarding computer updates. You can confine the alerts to specific drivers and model, especially for your computer. As soon as the new version is released those sites send you an alert for that. Google and CNN offer such online services. Different forums can also help you to keep you up to date with developments.
Online Software Inspector (OSI)

Many software has been designed to scan your computer for common software applications to check whether your software require any update or not. This software makes things easy for the user for he has not to go here and there to search for the available updates. Secunia Online Software Inspector (OSI) is one such software that scans your computer for common programs and assists you in updating.

iPhone OS 3.0 review

January 01, 2009 Add Comment

iPhone OS 3.0 review




Tonight I am booted into my Ubuntu partition, which doesn't get much attention these days thanks to Windows 7 RC, which is the primary OS on this 2+ years old Dell M1210 laptop. I will write more about that some other day, but today a different upgrade is the topic of this post - the upgrade to iPhone OS 3.0.

Being a user of iPhone 3G (converted from Windows Mobile after years of use, but that will also be discussed in some other post) I was keeping an eye on iPhone OS 3.0 since it was initially rumored. And when it was announced, I found it very exciting for the developer community with all those notifications and hardware accessories. Although there wasn't a lot new for the average user, Copy Paste, MMS and video were welcome announcements.

Then came WWDC 2009, and it was clear that existing iPhone 3G users will be left out on the video features. This didn't go very well with me, especially when I know that people have successfully demonstrated video features on jailbroken iPhones. Qik had a working app with video streaming which was never approved by Apple.

But being someone who is always eager to jump on updates, I refreshed Apple's website frequently on THE DAY and kept an eye on the Engadget RSS feed for any updates. Then the bits were finally released to the world, and the first thing I did after coming back from work was to plug my iPhone in and initiate the glorious update.

On the surface, everything went smoothly. When it was (apparently) all done, I opened the Mail app, and was shocked to see that there was nothing in my Exchange email account. Something had messed up the settings during upgrade. I went to Settings, and tried to delete the account, hoping to fix it by recreating it. And (oh, horror!) iPhone's UI hung on me. A hardware reset later, I tried again with same results. Then I poked around a little and found that the account needed my password again. So I entered it and tapped on it to save it, and once again (more horror!) iPhone's UI hung on me.

After spending 2 frustrating hours with it, I decided to flash it back to factory defaults. So I sync'd up all purchased apps and music (a progress indicator per app would have really helped for big apps like Dictionary), restored the device to its original state, and sync'd everything back again. Then I spent another frustrating hour customizing some 70+ apps again.

With all this behind me, iPhone OS 3.0 on iPhone 3G was ready to go. At first it felt somewhat sluggish and I could notice a lag between gestures and response occasionally, but with time it got smoother. Perhaps it was related to some background indexing required for the new search, which is perhaps my favorite feature in this update. Since Windows Vista introduced search in the start menu, I rarely navigate the start menu the old way anymore. I hope to find similar level of usability with iPhone search as well.

Minor tweaks in apps, and inclusion of Voice Memos app aside, the next most useful feature for me was the keyboard in landscape mode. I tried typing with 2 thumbs on Mail and Notes and it was much faster than before. It was almost on par with hardware keyboards I had on Tilt and other similar devices. Now I can realistically use iPhone to take notes in meetings.

Overall, iPhone OS 3.0 seems to be yet another step in the right direction. Although I was disappointed to see that iPhone 3G didn't get video features and didn't have a smooth upgrade experience, the free upgrade makes up for that. I hope Apple will issue updates to address the performance issues I am having, but for now it is a great feeling (as always) to have the latest bits on my iPhone.

Google Voice Search: New Tools by Google

January 01, 2009 Add Comment

Google Voice Search: New Tools by Google


Google is pushing its voice-recognition technology to Apple's iPhone first, before devices running its own Android mobile platform.

The New York Times offered photographs of Google employees Vic Gundotra and Gummi Hafsteinsoon using an iPhone for a voice search. The free application was expected to be available on Apple's App Store on Friday. Google reportedly will soon offer the technology for other devices, presumably including the T-Mobile G1, which uses Android.

"This is an expansion of types of applications Google has already been developing," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence. "Google has GOOG411, which is the underlying technical engine. They also have a voice-search client for the BlackBerry which is limited to maps. So this is an evolutionary step."

Inside Google Voice Search

Here's how it works: The iPhone user asks a question, such as "Where's the closest Burger King?" or "How wide is the Grand Canyon?" The user's voice is converted to a digital file and transmitted to Google's servers.

Google Search then serves up the results -- in a matter of seconds if the user has a fast wireless network, the Times reports. The search results always include any local information.

"The question with these types of technologies is how good is the speech recognition? It's getting much better, and that's why Google feels this is the right time to introduce this," Sterling said. "Google has confidence now that voice recognition is good enough to open it up to the full Web search as opposed to the much more structured search on GOOG411."

Google is playing catch-up, in a sense. Yahoo and Microsoft Relevant Products/Servicesalready offer a voice-recognition option for mobile phones. Microsoft's Tellme service offers users information in specific categories, such as movies, maps or directions. Yahoo offers voice services through its oneSearch platform.

"In one sense this is new, but it's not new, because Yahoo and Microsoft have been doing versions of voice recognition -- and so has Google -- for some time," Sterling said. "A company called Dial Directions was the first to formally introduce voice search for the iPhone, but it was limited to selected local sites through the Safari browser."

Building a Killer App

Could voice recognition be the next killer app for mobile? The market is growing at breakneck speed. Voice-recognition technology sales topped $1 billion in 2006 for the first time. Datamonitor expects that number to swell to $2.6 billion by 2009.

The market is heating up -- and going global. Voice-recognition software maker Nuance Communications earlier this month acquired Austria-based Philips Speech Recognition Systems for $96.1 million. Philips develops speech-recognition solutions in 25 languages.

Voice recognition on the mobile phone is still not completely accurate, and may not see mainstream use until it improves. But Sterling said it is ever-improving and thinks Google's voice search will be a popular mobile-phone feature.

Specifically, he sees the new Google application for the iPhone as most useful when a user might need to call directory assistance or do a simple search, but can't do it safely on a keyboard while driving. Another benefit is the ability to enter potentially long search queries that would be difficult to type. But accuracy is still a factor.

"This is an evolutionary step in the whole realm of voice search," Sterling said. "So far it has not proven to be the killer app for mobile, but it's getting there and it's very useful in selective situations."

Windows Vista - System Recovery Options

January 01, 2009 Add Comment

Windows Vista - System Recovery Options


The System Recovery Options menu Windows Vista contains several tools that can help you recover Windows from a serious error. You can perform repairs to the files that Windows uses to start itself, perform a restore operation using System Restore, and restore your entire computer and system files using backups that you have made previously.

The Recovery Console in earlier versions of Windows has been removed in Vista and replaced by several tools located in the System Recovery Options menu. The System Recovery Options menu is on the Windows installation disc. The menu might also be installed on your hard disk if your computer has preinstalled recovery options.
Here are the tools you can use to recover your system:

Startup Repair
Fixes certain problems, such as missing or damaged system files that might prevent Windows from starting correctly. When you run Startup Repair, it scans your computer for the problem and then tries to fix it so your computer can start correctly.

System Restore
This option helps you restore your computer's system files to an earlier point in time. It's a way to undo system changes to your computer without affecting your personal files, such as e-mail, documents, or photos. If you use System Restore when the computer is in safe mode, you cannot undo the restore operation. However, you can run System Restore again and choose a different restore point if one exists.

Windows Complete PC Restore
Restores the contents of your hard disk from a backup. Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore is not included with Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic, or Windows Vista Home Premium.

Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Scans your computer's memory for errors.

Command Prompt
Command Prompt replaces the Recovery Console from earlier versions of Windows. Advanced users can use Command Prompt to perform recovery-related operations and also run other command line tools for diagnosing and troubleshooting problems.

For more detailed information on how to use these tools type in the name of the tool in Windows help.



To access the System Recovery Options menu

If you have a Windows installation disc:

1. Insert the installation disc.

2. Restart your computer.

3. If prompted, press any key to start Windows from the installation disc. If your computer is not configured to start from a CD or DVD, check your BIOS settings.

4. Choose your language settings, and then click Next.

5. Click Repair your computer.

6. Select the operating system you want to repair, and then click Next.

7. On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it.



If your computer has preinstalled recovery options:

1. Remove all floppy disks from your computer, and then restart your computer.

2. Do one of the following:

If your computer has a single operating system installed, press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you will need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer.

If your computer has more than one operating system, use the arrow keys to highlight the operating system you want to repair, and then press and hold F8.

3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Repair your computer, and then press Enter.

4. Select a keyboard layout, and then click Next.

5. Select a user name and enter the password, and then click OK.

6. On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it. 
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