FINAL TEST MATCH BETWEEN INDIA AND AUSTRALIA

Australian opener Simon Katich looks up the ball after a leg side swipe, on the last day of the final India-Australia Test match in Nagpur on Monday.

Indian player Zaheer Khan, left, runs-in to congratulate Amit Mishra after he dismissed Australian captain Ricky Ponting on the fifth day of the final Test cricket match between India and Australia in Nagpur.

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, second right, walks back after being dismissed as Australian players celebrate during the fourth day of the fourth and final Test cricket match between India and Australia in Nagpur.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting, left, and Umpire Aleem Dar confer during the fourth day of the final cricket Test between India and Australia in Nagpur.

Amit Mishra, second right, is congratulated by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, right, as Zaheer Khan, left, and Rahul Dravid run-in on the fifth day of their final cricket Test against Australia in Nagpur.


Amit Mishra, second left, reacts after dismissing Australian batsman Mike Hussey as umpire Aleem Dar, left, declares him out on the fifth day of the final cricket Test between India and Australia in Nagpur.

VIRUS PROTECTION FOR PALMS

Viruses for palms r still relatively rare, but........there's no time like the present to take preventive measures. B'cos a PDA has the ability to run programs, it can also run a virus.

McAfee's new Wireless Security Center has developed several virus protection programs for the palm. Subscribe or purchase and u get a full year of the wireless security center for only $29.95. A 10 day FREE trial of McAfee.com Wireless Security Center is also available.

When u subscirbe to McAfee's wireless security center, u will have access to several anti virus programs.

--Guard Dog For Palm runs on ur PDA i.e.(Palm III and higher and Palm OS 3.0 to 3.5). If a program attempts to make any sort of change to ur PDA, Guard Dog alerts u and asks if it should allow or prevent it.

--McAfee also has virus scan for HandHelds such as (Palmtops, Pocket PC, etc.). Virus scan for Palm OS scans the files on your palm whenever u HotSync with ur PC (Palm III and higher and Palm OS 3.0 to 3.5).

--MARS (McAfee.com Anti-virus Resident Scanner) protects ur Palm OS device from known Palm viruses and Trojans. The application resides on ur handheld so u can scan ur device at anytime i.e, after receiving data via infrared beaming, or from an infected PC or from a wireless modem. You must have HotSync Manager 3.0 0r the latest version.

PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS (PDA'S)

What is PDA? Some words or terms creep into daily use and PDA is a good example - - Personal Digital Assistant. According to the Computer Desktop Encyclopedia,


"A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is an handheld computer that serves as an organizer for personal information. It generally includes at least a name and address database, to do list and not taker. PDA's are pen based and use a stylus to tap selections on menus and to enter printed characters. The unit may also include a small on-screen keyboard which is tapped with the pen. Data is synchronized between the PDA and Desktop computer via cable or transless transmission. A PDA is like a palmtop uses a small Keyboard. Apple's Message Pad, more commonly known as the"Newton", was the first to popularize the concept."


These are the several types or brands of PDA's, including Handspring Visor, Palm and Rim Blackberry. The most popular is the palm and offers several advantages. The Palm has the following features without any aditional software, They are:

--Ability to synchronize data with desktop or laptop.
--Access email.
--Appointment Manager.
--Address book.
--Calendar.
--Calculator.
--Memo Pad.
--To Do List.
--xpense manager / or record.

PERONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS

WHITEBOOKS

Many people build custom PCs for themselves or customers. These home-made computers, called whiteboxes, represent a significant portion of the computer market. Some people also modify their computers for cosmetics or performance. This is called modding. But what about building or modding a laptop?­

A­ modded or homemade laptop is called a whitebook. Whitebooks represent about 5 percent of the notebook market right now, and this number is slowly rising. The industry has done a pretty good job of keeping end users out of laptops. They've made it difficult to open, modify and get parts for a laptop. In addition, opening the laptop chassis voids the manufacturer's warranty in most cases.

It is still difficult to find parts to build a laptop from the ground up, but vendors like ASUS and ECS allow some customers to order blank laptop shells. They are especially open to resellers who build whitebooks and sell them to customers. In addition, people can mod or upgrade what came with the shell. Companies like TechStyle have made a business of it.

A laptop shell consists of:

• Chassis
• Motherboard
• Optical drive
• Display
• Keyboard
• Graphics Card

This means that anyone wanting to build a whitebook must find:

• Microprocessor
• RAM
• Wireless card

At this point, there are no real standards for the form factor (shape and design) of laptop parts. Processors designed for laptops are available for sale, but finding a motherboard for those chips is a different story. Hard drives are pretty standard, and SODIMM system memory is easy to come by, but other parts may take some digging.

LAPTOP BATTERIES

Laptops ­and desktops both run on electricity. Both have small batteries to maintain the real-time clock and, in some cases, CMOS RAM. However, unlike a desktop computer, a laptop is portable and can run on batteries alone.

­ ­Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad) batteries were the first type of battery commonly used in laptop computers, and older laptops sometimes still use them. They have a life of roughly two hours between charges, but this life decreases with each charge based on the memory effect. Gas bubbles form in the cell plates, reducing the total amount of available cell space for recharge. The only way around this is to discharge the battery completely before recharging it. The other drawback of NiCad is that if the battery charges too long, it can explode.

Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries are the bridge between NiCad and the newer Lithium-Ion (LiIon) batteries. They last longer between charges than NiCad but overall have a shorter total lifespan. They suffer from the memory effect, but to a lesser extent than NiCad batteries.

LiIon batteries are the current standard for laptop computers. They are light and have long life spans. They do not suffer from the memory effect, can be charged randomly, and won't overheat if overcharged. They are also thinner than any other battery available for laptops, making them ideal for the new ultra-thin notebooks. LiIon batteries can last for anything from about 950 up to 1200 charges.

A laptop battery

Many laptops with LiIon batteries claim to have a 5-hour battery life, but this measurement can vary greatly depending on how the computer is used. The hard drive, other disk drives and LCD display all use substantial battery power. Even maintaining wireless Internet connectivity requires some battery power. Many laptop computer models have power management software to extend the battery life or conserve battery power when the battery is low.

LAPTOP SCREEN, GRAPHICS N SOUNDS.

A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a microprocessor that handles the calculations necessary for 3-D graphics rendering. Like a CPU, a GPU produces a lot of heat. Most laptops have graphics capability built into the motherboard or have smaller graphics cards with a GPU designed specifically for laptop use. GPU manufacturers ATI and nVidia both make GPUs specifically for laptops. Laptops frequently share memory between the CPU and the GPU, saving space and reducing power consumption.

A laptop GPU

Many people don't notice a laptop's reduced graphics performance. Laptops have plenty of processing power for Web surfing and productivity applications. However, they may struggle with the latest 3-D games. A few specialty laptops, designed for gaming enthusiasts, include more powerful GPUs and additional video memory.

A laptop displays its graphics on a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. Most screens measure between 12 and 17 inches, and the size of the screen affects the overall size of the laptop. In addition, laptop screens can be:

• Black-and-white (16 grayscale) or color (65,536 colors)
• Active or passive matrix
• Reflective or backlit

­ Active matrix displays have sharper images and are easier to read, and backlit screens are better for low-level lighting conditions.

This back view of the Toshiba's LCD panel is showing the fluorescent tube that provides the light and the screen that diffuses the light evenly over the surface.

Most laptops also have sound cards or integrated sound processing on the motherboard as well as small, built-in speakers. However, there is generally not enough space inside a laptop for a top-of-the-line sound card or a high-quality speaker. Gaming enthusiasts and audiophiles can supplement their laptops' sound capabilities with external sound controllers, which use USB or FireWire ports to connect to the laptop.

LAPTOP MEMORY N STORAGE

A laptop's memory can make up for some of the reduced performance that comes from a slower processor. Some laptops have cache memory on or very near the CPU, allowing it to access data more quickly. Some also have larger busses, allowing data to move between the processor, motherboard and memory more quickly.

SODIMM modules

Lapto­ps often use smaller memory modules to save space. Memory types used in laptops include:

• Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module (SODIMM)
• Dual Data Rate Synchronous RAM (DDR SDRAM)
• Single data rate Synchronous RAM (SDRAM)
• Proprietary memory modules

Some laptops have upgradeable memory and feature removable panels for easy access to the memory modules. ­

­ Like a desktop, a laptop has an internal hard disk drive, which stores the operating system, applications and data files. However, laptops generally have less disk space than desktops. A laptop hard drive is also physically smaller than that of a desktop. In addition, most laptop hard drives spin more slowly than desktop hard drives, reducing both heat and power consumption.

Desktop computers have multiple bays for installing additional drives, such as CD and DVD ROM drives. However, space in a laptop is in much shorter supply. Many laptops use a modular design, allowing a variety of drives to fit in the same bay. These drives come in three different designations:

• Hot swappable - The computer can stay on while changing the drive.
• Warm swappable - The computer can stay on while changing the drive, but the corresponding bus (the path the drive uses to send data to the CPU) must be inactive.
• Cold swappable - The computer must be off during the swap.

In some cases, these drive bays are not just limited to drives but will also accept extra batteries.

Next, we'll look at the video processing and display capabilities of a laptop.

LAPTOP PROCESSORS

The microprocessor, or CPU, works with the operating system to control the computer. It essentially acts as the computer's brain. The CPU produces a lot of heat, so a desktop computer uses circulating air, a fan and a heat sink -- a system of plates, channels and radiator fins used to draw heat off of the processor -- to cool off. Since a laptop has far less room for each of these cooling methods, its CPU usually:

• Runs at a lower voltage and clock speed -- This reduces heat output and power consumption but slows the processor down. Most laptops also run at a higher voltage and clock speed when plugged in, and at lower settings when using the battery.

• Mounts to the motherboard without using pins -- Pins and sockets take up a lot of room in desktop PCs. Some motherboard processors mount directly to the motherboard without the use of a socket. Others use a Micro-FCBGA (Flip Chip Ball Grid Array), which uses balls instead of pins. These designs save space, but in some cases mean that the processor cannot be removed from the motherboard for replacement or upgrading.

• Has a sleep or slow-down mode -- The computer and the operating system work together to reduce the CPU speed when the computer is not in use or when the processor does not need to run as quickly. The Apple G4 processor also prioritizes data to minimize battery drain.

­

An IBM ThinkPad’s processor

Some laptops use desktop CPUs that are set to run at lower clock speeds. Although this can improve performance, these laptops typically run much hotter and have a significantly reduced battery life.

A laptop heat sink and fan

Laptops usually have small fans, heat sinks, heat spreaders or heat pipes to help dissipate the heat from the CPU. Some higher end laptop models reduce heat even further with liquid coolant kept in channels alongside the heat pipe. Also, most laptop CPUs are near the edge of the unit. This allows the fan to move the heat directly to the outside instead of across other components.

HOW LAPTOP WORKS

In a way, the skyrocketing popularity of laptop computers is ironic. They 're completely portable, and they use less power and make less noise than desktop models. But, they're often a little slower and have less graphics and sound processing power, although these differences can be too small for most users to notice.

Laptops are also more expensive than desktops. The price gap is closing, though-laptop prices are falling faster than desktop prices, and laptop PC's actually outsold desktop models for the first time in May of 2005.

How can all the equipment found in a desktop tower fit into such a small package? And how can laptops be efficient enough to run on battery power alone?

-Overall, laptop and desktop computers are very similar. They have the same basic hardware, software and operating systems. The primary difference is how their components fit together. A desktop computer includes a motherboard, video card, hard drive n other components in a large case. The monitor, keyboard, n other peripherals connect wireless or with cables. Whether the case sits vertically or horizontally, ti has lots of space for add-in-cards, cables and air circulation.

A laptop, however, is much smaller and lighter than even the most compact PC tower. Its screen is an integrated part of the unit, as is its keyboard. Instead of a spacious case with lots of room for air circulation, a laptop uses a small, flat design in which all the pieces fit together snugly.

-Because of this fundamental design difference an b'cos of a laptop's inherent portability, components have to:

"Fit into a compact space"
"Conserve power"
"Produce less heat than desktop components"

Often, these differences make the components most expensive, which can contribute to higher laptop prices.

AZENTEK SMARTMIRROR

Azentek Smartmirror:

-- The SmartMirror features a 4inch touch screen LCD monitor with integrated speaker, built-in GPS navigation, Bluetooth capabilities and optional back up camera.

-- The Bluetooth functions include hands-free phone, incoming caller ID display on the screen, a call history log and manual/auto call answering.

-- Additionally, a 2GB SD memory card can store maps, pictures, and e-books for those long road trips.

-- features of the SmartMirror include lane assistant and reality view for extra driving guidance, spoken street names via text-to-speech, DirectHelp for emergency assistance, intuitive menus and even 3D maps.

-- Samsung S3C244OA-400MHZ processor

-- 64MB internal memory .

-- Built on Windows CE .NET 4.2.

-- 4.0” Touch screen LCD monitor with 16:9 aspect ratio.

IPOD RING

IRING CONTROLS YOUR IPOD:


-- With a stylish design and wireless Bluetooth connectivity with your iPod and iPhone.

-- the iRing allows you to control playback and volume on any of your Apple media devices.

-- iRing features a bright OLED status display with touch-sensitive function strip

-- a rechargeable battery life of up to 2 days.

-- recharge your iRing using the included cradle.

-- Its minimal size and unique ring-lock mechanism make it an ideal companion for charging and storing your iRing.

-- To adjust the volume, you simply need to slide your finger across the touch sensitive surface of the ring.

-- To play or pause songs, just tap the apple icon on the ring.

-- to skip tracks you need only touch on either side of the icon depending on which direction you want to go.

-- with a touch sensitive face, isn’t there a chance of constantly tapping the ring by accident?

-- there is a lock function ,Simply bend the finger that the ring is on to squeeze two rubber pads on the underside of the ring, and you can listen to Sarah Blasko all the way home without interruption.

-- The cradle is also used to recharge the iRing through a USB connection.

IPOD-TO-IPOD TRANSFER DEVICE

-- The iPod does not have wireless capability to transfer tunes to another iPod, has this tool to
help it out.

-- It automatically recognizes when you plug in iPods (either Mac or PC formatting) on either
end.

-- it can transfer a three-minute song in five seconds and a 30-minute video in three minutes

-- The device can also transfer any files when the iPods are set to “disk drive” mode.

-- Its rechargeable battery provides up to 1 1/2 hours of operation during transfers.

-- includes an AC adapter that recharges the device in four hours.

-- iPods are recharged while connected.

NOKIA 888

-- A personal mobile communication device which lets you be free and fun. It is light, simple and
carefree.

-- You can change its form according to your needs during the day.

-- You can roll it, bend it, put on your clothes like a clip.

-- It also makes some form changes that makes it more ergonomical: i.e. when you want to talk
on the phone, the body form turns into the form of the good old telephone.

-- The bracelet-like 888 is envisioned to use a liquid battery, feature speech recognition, a
flexible touch screen, and a touch sensitive body cover.

-- including an alarm clock, PDA, GPS, phone, push email receiver, digital wallet and, of course,
jewelery.

-- E-motions… It means electronical motions that 888 has You can send and receive forms from
/to friends.

-- You can send a heart shape to your girlfriend, so her telephone turns into an icon of heart.

BUSINESS CARD

Digitize That Stack of Business Cards


-- Just slide in any standard size card and an image capture is kept in memory.
-- You sort and thumb thru each card via a jog dial and everything shows up beautifully on an
OLED screen, sharp enough for small text.
-- place the card and push scan button b-scanner will scan the card
-- scanned image of the card is saved in OLED
-- mode button helps to organize the information.
-- you can view different cards using search wheel.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Wednesday called for a fresh vision in the country to overcome problems of poverty, food, health and employment to make India a developed country by 2020.

Addressing a gathering of teachers, university senate members, students and officials of Punjab University at its 56th annual convocation here, Kalam said that a strong partnership among research and development institutes, academicians, industry and the community was required to accomplish the vision of a developed India.

'We have a population of over one billion people of which 220 million are still living below the poverty line. They need education, they need habitat, and they need healthcare and creation of employment potential. To meet their needs we have the second vision of transforming India into a developed nation by 2020,' he told the gathering.

Kalam said the five core areas where India had competence for integrated action were: food and agriculture, education and healthcare, information and communication technology, infrastructure development in power and transport and self-reliance in critical technologies.

He said having a 9 percent growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) alone was not enough. 'Economists say that we need to grow at over 10 per cent for one decade to eliminate poverty and other problems.'

Kalam added that the country and its intelligentsia needed to ensure that the National Prosperity Index (NPI) continued to grow and that the fruits of growth reached all sections of society.

Along with growth in all fields, people should cherish the rich culture and value system of the country, he said, adding that lectures in moral science, especially by great teachers, were important and should be part of the curriculum of every institution.

Kalam later honoured a few persons with degrees.

He also participated in the annual convocation of the Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).

Ayan

AUDI