iPhone can’t act pricey

It’s cool and trendy. But can iPhone, the cult device from Steve Jobs Apple that turned one year old on Sunday, take on India’s hot market when it launches in the cold of the coming winter? The jury is out but Apple needs to watch out. The touchscreen device must cope with a price conscious market - and a bunch of affordable look-alikes from big brands including Korea’s LG and Samsung. Read on» » » »

Technology giants battle for USB 3.0 standards

Even though the USB 3.0 standard, with transmission speeds nearing 5GB/s, has not yet matured and is not expected until 2009 or 2010, technology leaders Intel, AMD, and nVidia are battling to take the lead on the USB 3.0 specifications.

The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) was founded in 1995 by Intel, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments, NEC, and NXP Semiconductors. These companies are also promoting the new standard of USB 3.0. Read on» » » »

Phoenix lander confirms presence of water ice on Mars

In the lower left corner of the left image, a group of lumps is visible. In the right image, the lumps have disappeared, similar to the process of evaporation. Image: NASA/JPL

For the first time ever, NASA has confirmed the presence of water ice on Mars. The Phoenix lander which landed on Mars on May 25, has confirmed to scientists that the white substance it found while digging a trench on June 15, is water ice.

“It is with great pride and a lot of joy that I announce today that we have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance,” said Peter Smith, the primary investigator for Phoenix, at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

The chunks were left at the bottom of a trench informally called “Dodo-Goldilocks” when Phoenix’s Robotic Arm enlarged that trench on June 15, during the 20th Martian day, or sol, since landing. Several were gone when Phoenix looked at the trench days later. Though the chunks were visible on June 16, when Phoenix looked at the trench again on June 19, some of the material appeared to have evaporated, or melted.

“This tells us we’ve got water ice within reach of the arm, which means we can continue this investigation with the tools we brought with us,” said primary investigator for Phoenix’s stereo imager, Mark Lemmon. Read on» » » »

XI/PI: Value Mapping Using Graphical Editor

This article explains the concept of value mappings in SAP XI using a simple example. Read on» » » »

Mozilla Sets a New World Record

Mozilla’s new browser Firefox 3.0 has been downloaded over 8 million times within 24 hours of its launch. The Mozilla Foundation had encouraged users worldwide to download their latest browser on the Download Day in an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. The target of five million downloads was reached earlier on June 18, and with few minutes to go, the eight million mark was reached as well. Read on» » » »

Apple launches 3G iPhone

Image: Blake Burris, CC

Apple Computers today launched a 3G version of its iPhone device. Steve Jobs, the Apple Chief Executive Officer, announced the development at a developers’ conference, where he promoted the iPhone by saying that, “just one year after launching the iPhone, we’re launching the new iPhone 3G that is twice as fast at half the price.”

Apple has claimed that the 3G iPhone will provide internet access at double the speed of the internet access provided by the previous versions. Read on» » » »

Disable Flash Plugin Temporarily to Protect Your PC

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Nearly 20,000 websites have been attacked by unknown hackers using a technique known as an SQL injection. The hackers have inserted code to install malware onto visitors’ computers. The code exploits a newly-discovered weakness in Adobe Flash Player, a very common web-browser plugin. The attacks prompted an investigation by the Taiwanese information security industry into the source of these attacks. Read on» » » »

U.S. ISPs to test restricting heavy Internet users

photo: cell105

On June 3rd, 2008, two United States Internet service providers (ISPs) announced they would begin tests to slow web access for their most active customers and charge them for extra speed. Comcast and Time Warner Cable, two of the largest ISPs in North America, both made separate announcements of their plans. The actions come in the wake of an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), over whether Comcast had restricted some customers from sharing videos, music, and similar files. The FCC investigation led to a US Congress debate over whether and how much control ISPs should have over the flow of customer data. Read on» » » »

Firefox on a Mission to Set a Guinness World Record

Mozilla Firefox 3 is on the way to set a Guinness World Record to become the most downloaded software in 24 hours.

You too can participate. Firefox 3 will soon be launched. All you have to do is to download Firefox 3 within 24 hours. Currently as I write this post, there are 728,067 supporters already who will download FF3 within 24 hours of its launch Read on» » » »

XI/PI: SAP XI Troubleshooting Guide

Here’s a list of common errors/problems in SAP XI and their possible resolutions. This Guide will help you troubleshoot your integration scenarios in SAP XI/PI. Read on» » » »