If anyone questions why things are this way, the answer is quite simple. The NVIDIA G200 core consists of one point four billion transistors. And that is quite a great number when it comes to putting all those transistors on a chip manufactured using the 65nm lane process, mainly because the number of faulty chips per wafer would be a big one too. Before the launch, the chip was expected to become quite expensive, meaning $100-110, due to the fact that suggested yields were somewhere in the low 40%. This may sound somehow extreme, but the reality may prove to be better than we thought.

The release of G200 caused, in fact, many Nvidia partners to be left outside and unhappy, as there was quite a shortage in chips. On the other hand, those Nvidia partners that got the chip seem rather unhappy too, considering the margins. Since its associates are quite upset with the situation, the Santa Clara company is pushing itself to the limits in the development of the 55nm "G200b", trying to get it ready as soon as possible. That would be a great achievement for the graphics card manufacturer, but things point in the opposite direction right now.

Yet, if the company manages to get it to work, the G200 at 55nm is expected to be about 470mm2, and a 300mm wafer should have enough room for about 120 dies. At best, this will get yields closer to 50%, but, given the circumstances, Nvidia would probably be more than satisfied if they are above 40%.

Another piece of the puzzle consists of the limitations to partners' playing ground Nvidia has brought with its new Unilateral Minimum Advertised Price Policy (UMAP), which also minimized competition among the company's associates. Partners are very likely to get upset if Nvidia decides to launch new cards based on existing cores, but at the same time lowers prices, because the earnings are diminishing this way. On top of that we also have AMD's new RV770 chip, which may look pretty tempting to some of those partners.


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MORE RELATED ARTICLES: ATI Graphics Cards to Get PhysX Support Nvidia Drivers Suspected to Cheat 3DMark Vantage Score ATI to Counter 9800GTX with Overclocked Radeon 4850 Cards AMD and Nvidia Wrestle Again for Mainstream Market Share NVIDIA Lowers Prices for GeForce 9800 GTX NVIDIA Wants Its Name in the Guinness World Record Book Nvidia Cards Don't Need Quad-Core Chips for Extreme PCs Nvidia GeForce 177.39 Brings PhysX Support NVIDIA to Release New GeForce

A New Definition for "Luxury": the AKG K702 Headphones - Reference listening for discerning ears

Following the great success and unanimous appreciation of the exquisite K701 high-end headphones, AKG have taken things further and created another piece of audio excellence in the body of the K702 headset. Introduced at the InfoComm '08, the AKG K 702 headphones are a proud and praiseworthy successor of the acclaimed 701 edition, boasting the same surprising features and aesthetic refinement.

The AKG K 702 is built on the same amazing technologies which have made the 701 so popular and coveted throughout the worlds of personal monitoring and studio production as well. The voice coils run on the same top-drawer flat-wire winding technology, ensuring an accurate acoustic reproduction and excellent transient response, capable to meet the expectations of the most discerning audiophiles.

The drivers in the AKG K 702 boast the revolutionary Varimotion diaphragm, with a two-layered design producing clear and clean, shimmering highs while at the same time delivering a well-contoured bass with round and creamy definition, extending down to 10Hz. The 39.8 kHz high frequency threshold of the AKG K 702 makes sure you can use these headphones for any over-demanding application, no matter whether we're talking about a relaxing listening session in your comfortable sofa at home or when working on complex high-def audio tracks in high-tech sound engineering projects.

This headset boasts a massive 105 dB SPL efficiency, driven by a max 200mW input power in 62 Ohms. Unlike the K701, which came in an elegant white finish, these new headphones come with a "tougher" appearance, in dark shades for the 3D-form soft ear pads, making them less susceptible to a worn-out look after being heavily used.

The flagship K702 headset from AKG will be available in August 2008 but so far, a price hasn't been announced. Anyway, I guess nobody is expecting anything near "cheap".

AMD Brings Back ATI All-In-Wonder Series with New HD Version - HDTV, HD graphics and HD video for PCs, all from a single card

As mentioned in one of yesterday's articles, these past few days have been extremely busy and tumultuous on the graphics card market, both major players in this particular segment (ATI/AMD and NVIDIA) launching a couple of very interesting products, some of them targeting the exact same specific price points. And in order to capitalize on the momentum created by the release of the HD 4850 and HD 4870 models, AMD has decided to let yet another little wonder out of the bag: the ATI All-In-Wonder HD.

Practically, the new hardware component combines ATI Radeon Premium graphics and ATI TV Wonder HD tuner technology card in one PCI Express 2.0 solution, providing twice the data throughput of older PCI-E 1.0 interfaces. Furthermore, Blu-ray disc playback can be enjoyed in full HD glory (1080p) thanks to ATI All-in-Wonder HD’s unified video decoder (UVD) technology.

The All-In-Wonder also provides support for Microsoft DirectX 10.1 and is accompanied by the ATI Catalyst Media Center software that provides an easy method of viewing video content. Additionally, the ATI All-in-Wonder HD provides expanded connectivity with built-in support for six channel (5.1) Dolby Digital surround audio transmission through HDMI, native dual-link DVI-I for high resolution panels and optional component video connectivity.


"Never before has this level of HDTV and graphics performance been seen in an all-in-one PC multimedia solution," said Matt Skynner, vice president of marketing, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "The award-winning ATI All-In-Wonder lineage is built on long-standing leadership in TV and video on the PC. For the hundreds of thousands of owners of previous ATI All-In-Wonder models and for those hungry to realize the full potential of their PC, we’re excited and proud to introduce the newest addition to AMD’s PCTV product family."


The ATI All-In-Wonder HD is also AMD LIVE! Ready and Certified for Windows Vista, has a manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of $199 and will arrive in stores at some point in late July, probably just after the first overclocked HD 4850 units will hit the shelves.

Nokia E51 Review - Powerful business tool

One of the latest Nokia Eseries' handsets available on the market, Nokia E51 is the perfect successor of the older E50. Furthermore, Nokia E51 comprises all the E90 Communicator's technical features in a slim candy-bar design. Based on Symbian operating system, Nokia E51 is the perfect tool for businessmen, as it features rich communications skills, perfectly completed by a stylish design. Nokia developed a wide range of Eseries handsets, which targeted different customers that had various needs: enhanced messaging, mobile office, Communicators and high-end business devices. The last were and still are the best choice for the 'ultimate businessman' on the go.

Announced in September 2007, Nokia E51 was made available on the market two months later, in November 2007. Nokia also launched a camera-free version of the E51 in February 2008. Anyway, Nokia E51 can be bought for around USD 350$, depending on the location
Design

Instead of searching for a design that will make the handset stand out from the crowd, Nokia decided to center upon the sturdiness of the device. The stainless steel that covers the edges of the front faceplate and the entire back cover makes the phone feel compact and durable. Size-wise (114.8 x 46 x 12 mm), Nokia E51 is neither too large, nor too heavy (100g, including battery) to carry. These traits make it a perfect fit for almost any pocket or hand. Nokia took care of the ergonomics of the device, thus the business candy-bar is very comfortable to use. The sturdiness of the phone is fully reflected onto the few external keys that are placed on different sides of the handset. All of these are too rigid to use, but not impossible.

The Power key is again present on the top side of Nokia E51, while on the right side of the phone, there's a voice command button flanked by the two volume keys. All external keys have been covered by a rubber-like finish, which makes them even more unyielding. On the bottom side, there are miniUSB, 2.5mm jack and charger ports. The left side of the device integrates a small Infrared port that is barely visible. Above the screen, there is a small ambient light sensor and the in-call speaker. The keypad layout looks pretty standard for a Symbian device with few exceptions. One of these is the lack of the 'Pencil' key and the replacement of the S60 icon with another one that looks like a house.

Besides the usual numeric keys, the keypad also contains some specific buttons such as: D-pad, two selection keys, Menu key, Calendar key, Contacts key, Messaging keys and, Call and End keys. Right under the D-pad, there is the Clear key, which also changed the logo from 'C' to one that looks like that on the Backspace keys of every PC. The keypad is extremely responsive and the tactile feedback is at the highest. It has been a real pleasure to text SMS or emails, even tough it doesn't have a QWERTY keyboard. In fact, Nokia E51 features so many shortcuts and dedicated keys that users won't even feel the need of a touchscreen or QWERTY keyboard. Any important function or menu can be accessed with only one hand and at first touch.

The back of the phone includes a 2 Megapixel camera that lacks autofocus and flash, but instead has 4x digital zoom and the capability to record clips. Above the camera, on the plastic part of the back cover, there are the Nokia logo and a small loudspeaker. The stainless steel part of the phone is surely a fingerprint magnet, but a swipe on the surface will solve this issue. Overall, I believe Nokia kept the same standard bar design that has been a main characteristic for its business phones, but with the addition of the stainless steel and rounded sides transformed the E51 into a stylish, compact and solid business mobile phone.


Display and Camera

At first glance, I was a little bit disappointed by the size of the screen (only 2 inches), but when I started using the phone to browse the Web or the menu, I was amazed by its image quality and forgot all about size. The TFT display supports 16 Million colors and 240x320 pixels resolution, and is one of the best on the market. The screen is well protected against scratches by a special glass and it is perfectly visible outdoors in strong sunlight. The old benchmarks used revealed almost maximum performance, which says it all, even if the Finnish-manufacturer over-optimized its device against these tests


I'm not sure why the 2 Megapixel camera has been included but since it's there, let's see what it can do and what it lacks. Well, it can take pictures and record movies, but it doesn't have any flash, autofocus or macro capabilities.


The camera can take pictures with a maximum resolution of 1600x1200 pixels and record clips in QVGA standard (MPEG-4 format) at 15fps (320x240 pixels resolution). The quality of the pictures is average, which was expected, as we're talking about a business phone.


The snapshots taken are extremely sharpened and a little bit low on color contrast. Sharpening the pictures to the extreme loses some of the vividness of colors and makes the pictures look a little bit 'dull'. White balance (Sunny, Incandescent, Fluorescent), Colour tone (Sepia, Black & white, Negative) and Night Mode can be accessed from the camera interface, but they won't help improve the quality of the pictures.


Still, users that don't care too much about the camera can choose to buy themselves the free-camera version of this handset. The samples below reflect clearly the quality of the pictures in good light conditions.

Menu and Software

Nokia E51 candy-bar runs Symbian operating system version 9.2 and is based on S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1. The Feature Pack 1 provides 3D graphics hardware support, over-the-air (OTA) firmware support, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR support, Flash Lite 2.0, screen turning feature that permits the user to turn the screen to landscape or portrait mode (very useful for browsing the Internet), as well as a better organization of the file cache.

The phonebook has almost an unlimited number of entries as all the contacts can be saved onto the phone's memory. Symbian OS and Java compatible third-party applications can be installed with ease on the phone through the USB connection, just check the requirements. Navigation on the Web can be a real joy because of the high-quality display and HSDPA and WiFi connections. The business phone even supports four pre-installed themes, which can change its look entirely

Communication

Nokia E51 features HSDPA connectivity for those in need of fast data transfer speeds, but also EDGE and GPRS class 32 technologies as a cheaper version of the HSDPA. Users won't have any problems with either of the connectivities as data transfer speeds are way over the charts: 1051 Kbit/s download and 305 Kbit/s upload with HSDPA and 144 Kbit/s download and 79 Kbit/s upload with EDGE. These are the highest results that we managed to attain with a Nokia handset, after having used Nokia N95 and N95 8GB devices.

Wi-Fi 802.11g with VoIP over WLAN support is also on board and works even better as a free option for Web browsing instead of the HSDPA connectivity. Furthermore, Nokia E51 features miniUSB v2.0 and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and EDR profile support and IrDA (115 kbps), which makes it the ultimate communication tool.


Impressive to the last, Nokia E51 includes an Internet browser that displays webpages perfectly. No matter the size, webpages fit into the small screen and look amazing. The virtual mouse cursor makes the browsing experience even better. A mini-map can be activated to help navigating around complex websites where lots of scrolling down/up or left/right is required. Users also have the possibility to adjust the zoom level to their needs.

Nokia features four different message editors, one for each of these types: SMS, MMS, audio message and e-mail. The phone is fully compatible with POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP accounts. Also as mobile email, the E51 supports various solutions including Mail for Exchange, Visto mobile and Seven Always-on.

The quad-band phone has worldwide coverage and is GSM900 / GSM1800 / GSM1900 / GSM850 / HSDPA network compatible. This will simply enlarge the market of the phone and will attract consumers all over the world. Nokia E51 has a mediocre in-call sound, but is extremely good on signal reception.









Processor and Memory

Nokia's E51 smartphone runs a very good ARM11 family processor working at speeds up to 369 Mhz. Practically, this is the same CPU that was embedded in Nokia N93 model and Nokia 6290 a little while ago. And that’s another reason to believe that Nokia E51 approaches the high-end series through its performance
The business phone comes with 130 MB internal memory (96 MB SDRAM memory), which can be expanded through the microSD slot card up to 8GB.







I have tested the phone with a 4GB card by transferring some data through miniUSB cable and everything worked fine. This should be more than enough for a businessman who wants to carry all his documents into a pocket-sized device

Multimedia

This is the only department where Nokia E51 lacks consistency. Even if it hasn't been developed as a multimedia tool, Nokia E51 provides a limited multimedia experience. The mediocre sound quality and the poor music player interface don’t recommend the device as an MP3 player.

The music player is compatible with MP3, AAC, WMA, AMR-NB and AMR-WB formats and features five pre-defined Equalizer settings: Bass booster, Classical, Jazz, Pop and Rock. If these are not enough, the phone offers the possibility of adding new customized settings. Music library is automatically scanned after each USB synchronization with the PC and new music files are added. Users can sort the files by artist, song or album and can define playlists. Nokia E51 supports Bluetooth with A2DP profile, which allows listening to music on a wireless stereo headset.


Other multimedia offerings include Visual Radio that can store up to 50 base stations, video streaming and playback in H.264 (MPEG-4), 3gpp and Real codecs. Videos are played using the integrated RealPlayer and can be watched in portrait, landscape or full screen.

Battery

The handset includes a Li-Polymer (1050 mAh) BL-5F battery. The talk time that I found on Nokia's site says that it should last about 4 hours and 20 minutes in talk time mode (only GSM) and about 13 days in standby mode (GSM only). For a heavy user, this phone will need recharging every two days, while for a medium user, one recharge in 4-5 days will be enough. The phone has great functionality, and features a big screen and HSDPA, which will both kill the battery even faster. Nokia E51 is a low "battery drainer", which means that it's even more fitted for business use

Impressions

The only thing that impresses at first glance is the stainless steel material that covers most of the phone. That's because 'slim size' has become a standard for these days’ handsets, and E51 cannot stand out from the crowd just because it's slim. Anyway, for a business phone, Nokia E51 really looks stylish and will probably attract more buyers than its Eseries predecessors. Only after actual use, owners will understand what this little piece of technology can really do. Nokia E51 is a well-balanced phone that has been 'stuffed' with only the best technical features, which makes it one of the most powerful communication tools available.


The Good

There are many key features that Nokia E51 embeds, such as: HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, fast user interface, powerful CPU, microSD card, Symbian 9.2 OS Series 60 3rd edition UI with Feature Pack 1. Also, the fact that the phone doesn't freeze at all and is very fast makes it even better. Let's not forget about the low price (only 350 USD).



The Bad

Maybe the phone should've been launched without a module camera or, at least, a better one could've made a difference. A longer talk time is also needed to maximize E51's functionality. Some small improvements should've been added, such as: possibility of editing documents, charge via miniUSB and a better multimedia interface.



Sales package

Nokia E51 handset
1050 mAh Li-Polymer Battery (BP-6MT)
Nokia AC-5 DC charger
miniUSB connection cable (DKE-2)
Wired stereo headset (HS-47)
Eseries CD-ROM
Quickstart guide and User guide


PICTURES ---

Sagem my411C Lulu Castagnette Review - The teddy bear clamshell, not so adorable after all

After reviewing Sagem's my721X 'So Ice' handset, I didn't have any surprises with the latest phone for girls - Sagem my411C. Except for the design, everything seems to be the same and no improvements are noticeable. my411C is definitely a low-end phone and targets women that are looking for an adorable mobile phone, but don't care about performance. Furthermore, Sagem partnered with the French company Lulu Castagnette, a fashion brand that features a teddy bear as main icon, to develop the Sagem my411C clamshell. Thus, the phone bears the teddy bear trademark and has been tagged with the clothing producer's name - Lulu Castagnette. Hmm, there's no wonder most of the girls will want one the moment they see it.

Announced in January 2008, Sagem my411C Lulu Castagnette was made available on the market a month later for about 85 Euros (135 USD).



Design

While the clamshell doesn't come with anything innovative in terms of design, the teddy bear pictured on both front and back cover of the phone will definitely catch young women's eyes. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't tested it - three out of four women showed interest in owning such a device, regardless of the fact that it offers only basic features. I'll try to be as objective as I can and see what's good and what's bad about the device. Still, I would've preferred to have a woman colleague review this clamshell for a better perspective. Now, back to the design of the phone, I believe Sagem did a good job. Without introducing anything new and keeping the same old school clamshell form factor, the shiny plastic, the colors and the small teddy bear sketched on the surface of the phone suddenly became the truly main attractions of the device. As a side note, I haven't been impressed at all by the little teddy bear, but that's acceptable since I'm a man and not a woman.

Sagem my411C measures 91 x 46 x 16mm, which makes it rather 'dull' for those expecting a slim, small clamshell. When closed, users will be able to notice a microSD memory slot card, covered by a rubber stripe, on the left side of the phone. The right side features two volume keys, which are flanking the key that opens the music player, but also a proprietary Sagem port that can be used to attach the wired headset that comes with the phone or the charger. At the bottom of the clamshell, there's a small gap where users can insert a short string that has a miniaturized teddy bear attached to it. The latter can be found in the sales package and looks girlish enough so I cannot talk about it. The VGA camera has been placed on the front cover of the phone, right above the small secondary display. Below, it's the Lulu Castagnette logo, written with silver letters. The back of the phone features the teddy bear icon and Sagem's logo.

When open, the clamshell reveals a large keypad that strongly resembles Motorola's SLVR handset. This happened for the second time, Sagem my721X featuring the same type of keypad. Fortunately, my411C's keys are easier to press, its only drawback being the fact that is a fingerprint magnet. The plastic used for manufacture seems exquisite and shiny, which impresses. Even if it's a low-end device, the clamshell won't look cheap or affordable. Right above the main display, again, there's a small teddy bear, while below the keypad Sagem strategically placed two rubber dots that will prevent your display from touching the keys.

I have counted a total of three teddy bears printed on the various parts of the phone; in fact, there are four if you include the one attached by the string found in the sales package. Definitely a girl's thing, Sagem my411C Lulu Castagnette attracts through its imprinted teddy bears, rather for its clamshell form or features. Men will surely stay away from this handset, but I suggest you guys try keeping your girls away from the device too as it only offers basic features.
Display and Camera

Oh, well I'm thinking that there are worse phones than Sagem's my411C when testing its display and camera. On the other hand, both are sub-mediocre. The main CSTN display supports 65k colors and 128x160 pixels resolution, but quality is way under today's standards. The secondary monochrome display is there to show you the time when you press any external key (volume or MP3 player). The only positive thing I found about the main display is the fact that it is visible under strong sunlight. Otherwise, as you can see from the benchmarks, this is a low-end display, which means that talking about quality is out of the question.

The VGA camera can take pictures using a maximum resolution of 640x480 pixels and features only 4x digital zoom. Lack of a bigger number of megapixels, flash and autofocus make this camera almost useless. The interface is very simple and features few settings such as: Effects (Sepia, Grey Scale, Negative), Exposure (Night, Back light, Sunny, Cloudy, Tungsten), Timer and Click sound. Videos can be recorded and are limited only by the amount of memory available. Again, we cannot talk about quality.

Menu and Software

Sagem's UI, while not the most user-friendly interface, is pretty straightforward and offers a pleasant user experience. Because of the low resolution, the phone is pretty fast when browsing through the menus. The latter has been divided into more sections, pretty easy to guess what they are used for. The first on the left is the Music player; then, there is the WAP browser, Games area (Air Strike and Brain Challenge).

The Basic Sony Ericsson J132 Showcased in Promo Video - The candybar will only be available in the fourth quarter of the year

Helpful Tricks That Your Mobile Phone Can Do - For a better "mobile world"

Your mobile phone, be it high-end or only basic-featured, can do more things than you might be aware of. We're presenting some of these "tricks" below, hoping that they will be of help, although some of you might already know one or more of them.

The GSM emergency call is the same all over the world: 112. This number can be dialed even when your keypad is locked and, on most handsets, even without a SIM card. Just try it – it works anywhere as long as a GSM network is functional.

In case you locked your car key(s) inside the car and you don't have spare keys with you (let's say you're on vacation and the spare keys are at home), your mobile phone can help. Call someone that has access to the spare keys (a relative from home, maybe) and ask him/her to get the keys close to his/her cell phone and push the unlock button. Meanwhile, you have to keep your cell phone close to the car's door (at about 8 inches or 20 cm). When the other person pushes the unlock key, the car's doors will open. It even works with the trunk door – we've tested it!

Of course, the "long distance door opening" is only applicable as long as your car has a remote keyless system (but most of the new cars do).

In the unfortunate case your mobile phone is lost or stolen, there are little chances to ever get it back. Usually, someone else will get to enjoy the handset's functions, as putting a new SIM card in it is an easy thing to do. But there's a way to completely block the use of your "ex-phone" and not only that of your "ex SIM card".

Every GSM cell phone has an IMEI code that's unique in the world and usually consists of 17 digits. This will appear on your display after dialing *#06#, without pushing any other key – not even the dial key. Sure, most of the handsets (if not all of them) also have the IMEI code written inside their cases, usually under the battery, but it's way simpler to just dial *#06# in order to find out the code.

Now, assuming you know the IMEI code, when your cell phone is lost or stolen, contact your operator, give them the code and ask them to block the handset. After this is done, the device will become non-functional, regardless of the network that someone else might try to use it on. Imagine if everyone knew this "trick" – thieves would have no reason to steal cell phones anymore.

softpedia

Ladies and Gentlemen, Bill Gates Has Left the Building - As of June 28, Microsoft is officially sans Bill Gates

Ladies and Gentlemen, Bill Gates Has Left the Building - As of June 28, Microsoft is officially sans Bill Gates

Helpful Tricks That Your Mobile Phone Can Do - For a better "mobile world"

Your mobile phone, be it high-end or only basic-featured, can do more things than you might be aware of. We're presenting some of these "tricks" below, hoping that they will be of help, although some of you might already know one or more of them.

The GSM emergency call is the same all over the world: 112. This number can be dialed even when your keypad is locked and, on most handsets, even without a SIM card. Just try it – it works anywhere as long as a GSM network is functional. In case you locked your car key(s) inside the car and you don't have spare keys with you (let's say you're on vacation and the spare keys are at home), your mobile phone can help. Call someone that has access to the spare keys (a relative from home, maybe) and ask him/her to get the keys close to his/her cell phone and push the unlock button. Meanwhile, you have to keep your cell phone close to the car's door (at about 8 inches or 20 cm). When the other person pushes the unlock key, the car's doors will open. It even works with the trunk door – we've tested it! Of course, the "long distance door opening" is only applicable as long as your car has a remote keyless system (but most of the new cars do). In the unfortunate case your mobile phone is lost or stolen, there are little chances to ever get it back. Usually, someone else will get to enjoy the handset's functions, as putting a new SIM card in it is an easy thing to do. But there's a way to completely block the use of your "ex-phone" and not only that of your "ex SIM card". Every GSM cell phone has an IMEI code that's unique in the world and usually consists of 17 digits. This will appear on your display after dialing *#06#, without pushing any other key – not even the dial key. Sure, most of the handsets (if not all of them) also have the IMEI code written inside their cases, usually under the battery, but it's way simpler to just dial *#06# in order to find out the code. Now, assuming you know the IMEI code, when your cell phone is lost or stolen, contact your operator, give them the code and ask them to block the handset. After this is done, the device will become non-functional, regardless of the network that someone else might try to use it on. Imagine if everyone knew this "trick" – thieves would have no reason to steal cell phones anymore.
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First Patch for NeoOffice 2.2.4 Out

NeoOffice users who've recently updated to version 2.2.4 can now download the first patch for their favorite free office suite of apps. NeoOffice 2.2.4 Patch 1 includes fixes, weighs in at 11MB and is available as a free download right here on Softpedia.

NeoOffice is a full-featured set of office applications developed especially for Mac OS X. It includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing and database programs. The application is based on the OpenOffice.org office suite, integrating native Mac features. It boasts the ability to import, edit and exchange files with other office programs. Most Microsoft Office 2007 Word, Excel and PowerPoint files are supported, as well as Excel VBA Macros.With the release of NeoOffice 2.2.3, the app suite offered QuickTime video support for the first time (but only for Mac OS X 10.4.x and higher), with the ability to import images from scanners and cameras, for different kinds of projects. NeoOffice version 2.2.3 also brought command-clicking on window title bar and Mac OS X Leopard grammar checking support.NeoOffice 2.2.4 adds native floating tool windows and magnify & swipe trackpad gestures for MacBook users. For those who've had trouble with horizontal scrolling in NeoOffice 2.2.3, horizontal scroll wheel support has also been added in 2.2.4. The first patch for NeoOffice 2.2.4 fixes a few bugs and even a "possible" bug. Those include:- an issue where clipping of background images failed when printing- a problem where Fontwork was missing or banded when printing- possible crashes at startup or when editing a form in Base due to preferences corruptionUsers should note that NeoOffice 2.2.4 Patch-1 requires a full installation of NeoOffice 2.2.4 or NeoOffice 2.2.3 with NeoOffice 2.2.4 Patch-0 and will not install on any version of NeoOffice 2.2.2. Patch-1 includes all fixes and additions of previous patches.Click HERE to download NeoOffice 2.2.4 Patch 1 now.

he is a grat person

MOTORALA EQ7

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ---


Product Type: Bluetooth enabled mono headset

Color: Silver/Black ,Vacuum Metallization

Form Factor: Ear bud w/ear hook for extra security

Weight: 12 grams

Dimensions: 41mm x 18mm x 12mm

Talk Time: up to approximately 9 hours

Standby Time: up to approximately 200 hours

Connector: Micro USB – located on charging solution

EasyPair Technology

Automatic low power mode

Volume orientation

Dedicated power switch

. This device supports Bluetooth® Serial Port profile. In order for Bluetooth® devices to communicate with one another, they must utilize the same Bluetooth® profile. To determine the profiles supported by other Motorola devices, visit. www.hellomoto.com/bluetooth.For other devices, contact their respective manufacturer.Certain Bluetooth® features including those listed may not be supported by all compatible Bluetooth® enabled devices, and/or the functionality of such features may be limited in certain devices, or by certain wireless carriers. Contact your wireless carrier about feature availability and functionality. The use of wireless phones while driving may cause distraction. Discontinue a call if you can’t concentrate on driving. Additionally, the use of wireless devices and their accessories may be prohibited or restricted in certain areas. Always obey the laws and regulations on the use of these products.
Airtime, data charges and/or additional charges may apply when checking compatibility.


Call button:answer, end, reject, mute and hold

Bluetooth Version: 2.0 with EDR

Bluetooth Range:Class 2 (up to 10 m/33 ft)

Bluetooth Profiles: HFP 1.5

HP simplifies data storage, back-up

Hyderabad, June 27 Hewlett Packard today announced the roll out of a range of disk-based storage products that simplify the cumbersome task of managing rapidly growing data.
Apart from creating backups, these products help streamline retrieval of information.
Through HP StorageWorks, the company announced a slew of products based on data de-duplication technology. These meet the requirements of not just an individual, but the growing needs of small and medium business segment as also enterprises.
“The availability of these products is backed by a strong consulting, training and implementation services through its partners,” according to Mr Jim Wagstaff, Vice-President - StorageWorks Division, HPAsia Pacific.
In a conference call hosted from Singapore along with representatives of HP India, Mr Wagstaff explained how the rapid explosion of data continues to engage IT managers. No one size fits all. Therefore, they have products and solutions that meet a small household with data storage requirement all the way up to enterprises.
It is estimated that there are about 1.5 million small and medium sized enterprises in the country alone managing their business through personal computers. Of them, 70 per cent are with offices spread around in more than one location. This poses a challenge in terms of protection and securing data. DATA DE- DUPLICATION
The Country Head of HP StorageWorks(India), Mr Manoj Suvarna, said “average requirement of these small firms varies from anywhere between 220 gigabytes to about four or five times of that. This is where de-duplication technologies help. Through this, most of the information, which is not regularly used, is backed up.”
The amount of disk and memory space required is reduced by technology developed by HP Labs. This helps create more capacity. Through de-duplication technology and HP products, it is possible to keep back-ups on disks. This is offered through simple USB access and goes on to higher levels where even parallel disaster recovery sites could be created, he said.
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Lean and mean, but how green?

Next-generation PCs promise to be energy-efficient and eco-friendly. But are they going far enough? Anand Parthasarathy checks out how leading computer players are ‘greening’ IT.

In the mid 1980s, the Government of India asked what was then Computer Maintenance Corporation (CMC) to come up with a technology solution for the Family Planning programme of the Ministry of Health. The problem? Family Planning volunteers were being provided Apple Macintosh laptops in some experimental areas, the machines loaded with audio visual instructional programmes on birth control techniques that were used to motivate women in the villages.
Unfortunately many of the villages lacked electricity — and the female volunteers found that their laptop batteries ran out before they could complete their day’s schedule. CMC came up with a neat solution. It found, in Australia, a supplier who manufactured photo voltaic solar panels in a flexible form, like a roll of cloth. CMC engineers used this material to create solar ‘thailas’ or shoulder bags in which to carry the laptop. As the volunteers walked from one meeting to the next, the bag recharged the laptop. It was an eco-friendly idea that harnessed non conventional energy in a meaningful way — but once the government’s pilot project ended, the idea was forgotten; it died prematurely, due to lack of official vision and support from government.
Today, in a new era where energy, or the lack of it, looms as a major global concern, the solar-operated laptop battery seems like an idea whose time has come. Then why is not a single mainstream laptop maker offering this eco-friendly option? CMC is now a Tata company. Maybe old-timers still serving with them should remind their current leaders about the green alternative that they once innovated. Maybe they could dust off the old project files and see if flexible solar panels can still be sourced — and CMC could re-invent the technology for a new generation of PC users.
A rapid search on the Web showed that Solar PCs — computers running solely on solar power — are largely ‘bespoke’ or custom-made items, offered by small outfits rather than major brand names. Based in London, UK, Aleutia Ltd ( www.aleutia.com) seems to specialise in sourcing such offbeat products.
The challenge in a solar-only PC is to keep the power requirement down to levels that can run on the fairly low trickle charge that typically flows from a solar photo voltaic panel. Aleutia’s E2 all-in-one has the power requirement down to 23 watts… enough to power the PC running Ubuntu Linux and a 15-inch LCD monitor.
The Prince of Wales Secondary School on the outskirts of Freetown, Sierra Leone, lies, ironically, in the shadow of a large power distribution yard — but it has no electric power. Old students of the school based in the US have banded to turn the POW into a solar powered school, using some 30 solar panels to generate the 5 or 6 kilowatts required to power every PC and laptop as well as the satellite-based broadband Internet connection. IDG News reports that it is going to cost about $70,000 and major contracts have already been awarded. In other ways too, Africa has shown the way in harnessing green sources to drive its IT penetration, while in India there is little apparent cooperation between the central departments of Information Technology and non-conventional energy.
One way, albeit indirect, to attack the energy challenge is to drastically reduce the power required by PCs and peripherals. Intel’s recently launched Atom processor promises to do just that … a sharp departure from the days when leading chip makers flaunted processor clock speed and number crunching capability, while the power requirement crossed 150 watts and made such technologies ‘too hot to handle’. In addition to being frugal with power requirements — its 47 million transistors draw just 600 milliwatts of power, that is just over half a watt — the Atom is both lead and halogen-free. But it has enough muscle to power hand- held Internet access devices with basic PC functionality.
At the recently concluded Computex Taipei expo, a number of device makers, including Benq, Gigabyte, Panasonic, Sharp and Fujitsu, showcased Mobile Internet Devices or MIDS fuelled by the Atom. HCL, Zenith and Wipro, the Indian PC makers, have also announced Atom-based products for the local market. HCL, which makes the MiLeap ultra mobile PC to Intel’s Classmate PC design, will change the Celeron chip to an Atom in future editions.
Dell, a PC maker more known for its innovative direct marketing and aggressive pricing rather than design innovation, has made up for lost time in recent months and assumed leadership position in ‘greening’ its operations and offerings.
Putting its money where its mouth is, Dell has powered its main 2-lakh sq.m corporate office in Austin, Texas, totally from renewable sources of energy and challenged the entire IT industry, to offer free recycling of its products to all customers. It has created a Web site to encourage green awareness. ( http://www.regeneration.org/)
On World Environment Day this year, Dell previewed a soon-to-be launched ultra small consumer desktop, as yet un-named, that will be 81 per cent smaller in footprint and consume 70 per cent less energy than desktop machines of comparable performance.
When he unveiled a prototype at a Fortune magazine Green conference in Los Angeles, the Dell CEO, Michael Dell, also showed a variant that came with a bamboo casing. Though the Bamboo PC, as the media quickly dubbed it, is not being officially acknowledged, photos grabbed at the conference have appeared on ‘green’ Web sites such as earth2tech. Bamboo is being ‘discovered’ as an eco-friendly, light, strong and flexible alternative to metal housings — and not just for PCs. The West Drayton, Middlesex (UK)-based PlayEngine offers monitor, keyboard and mouse all housed in ‘environmentally friendly" laminated bamboo.
The new Energy Star 5.0 requirement currently in draft from the US government, and due to be mandated from June 2009, is a key piece of legislation that is driving the PC industry to achieve better power performance.
A PDF copy can be found at http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/revisions/downloads/computer/Computer_Spec_Version5_%20Draft1.pdf
Major PC makers including HP have said they will cut the power demand of their desktop and portable PCs by at least 25 per cent by 2010.
This may become easier to achieve because Intel is not alone in offering a low power processing option: AMD, Samsung, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and, most recently, nVidia, have announced power-efficient versions of their flagship chips.
Yet it would appear that the industry has still a long way to go and has insufficient appreciation that greening has to go beyond shrinking the size and power budget of their devices and must go outside the covers of their products … to encompass alternative energy sources such as the sun or the wind.
And what about water?
Recently, IBM researchers joined the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin to deliver the first working prototype of a water-cooled supercomputer…. not pipes of cold water running around the installation, but within each chip!
Tiny rivulets as thin as a strand of hair will run behind tomorrow’s silicon chip and between the multiple layers, drawing the heat away from the hottest portions.
A water-cooled supercomputer, with 448 processors, nicknamed a Hydro Cluster, was realised a few weeks ago and it reduced the conventional air-conditioning load by 80 per cent.
(For details, see http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/23826.wss)Water inside, the wind and the sun outside….
Tomorrow’s PCs might turn out to be as earthy in their power requirement as the sand that goes to create the silicon within.
Related Stories:Wipro launches Eco Eye initiativeSun Micro driving Green movement
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BGR Energy Systems: Buy

Investors with a three-year perspective can consider investing in the stock of BGR Energy Systems.
The recent results posted by the company and the strong growth in order book belie fears of a slow down in the engineering services space. BGR’s well entrenched position as an EPC player in the power segment and a multi-equipment supplier in the oil and gas segment makes it a good proxy for the energy sector.
The current market price, at a sharp discount to its offer price of Rs 480, provides an attractive entry point. The stock currently trades at about 13 times its expected per share earnings for FY 2010.
BGR has an order backlog of Rs 3,212 crore and secured 46 per cent more orders than the previous year. This order growth inspires confidence at a time when some companies in the engineering sector have reported slowdown in the growth of order intake. Order inflows are key indicators of any slowdown in the sectors serviced by engineering companies. BGR’s strong order intake is indicative of capex spending in the power and oil and gas space.
Of the total order book, power EPC and balance of plant (BOP) segment account for 85 per cent. BOP involves other works in a power plant excluding the key equipments boiler-turbine-generator (BTG). BGR has managed to stay competitive in this segment as it manufactures in-house 40-50 per cent of the products needed to execute a BOP.
The company has recently stated that it would soon announce its entry into the BTG segment as well, through foreign tie-ups. This segment, currently dominated by a few players such as BHEL, would enable forward integration. If successful in this planned foray, BGR could be among the few integrated solutions provider for power plants.
Therefore while the company would continue to receive orders in the oil and gas space, we expect the power segment to be the key contributor to revenues over the next few years.
BGR Energy’s sales for the year ended March 2008 grew by 190 per cent to Rs 1,521 crore, while net profits registered a 223 per cent jump. Operating profit margins, however, declined 100 basis points to 10.2 per cent. The company has written off some losses from its Kochi road project, although the same is still under arbitration. We believe that this one-time write-off could be the reason for the dent. On the raw material front, while bulk buying of steel and price escalation clauses could provide some relief, any further hike in cement prices could pose a risk to margins.
Vidya Bala
Related Stories:BGR Energy’s net doubles to Rs 84 crTN power panel okays BGR’s Rs 6,000-cr thermal projectOrder wins may help BGR Energy in EPC
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Nokia targets youth with N78 mobile

Chennai, June 4 Nokia has launched its ‘N78’ mobile phone, a multimedia device that fuses music, navigation, photography and mobility. The product is targeted at the youth and the ‘tech savvy’, “who are always on the Internet”.
With low personal computer penetration (31 million PCs) and low broadband level, the Rs 19,990 Nokia N78 phone acts as a convergence device. “We are looking at the next generation of Internet that has evolved towards social networking or Web2.0 where people can participate and share their experiences through communities such as Facebook and Flickr,” Mr Vineet Taneja, Head of Go to Market, Nokia India Pvt Ltd.
Over a fifth of India’s 260 million-plus mobile subscribers use their mobile phones to log into their favourite Websites to have access to mobility. This makes mobile phones the single largest consumer durable in the country, he told newspersons.
“We are moving towards ‘context aware Internet’, where people need to know what is available in a place they visit,” he said. For example, if a person with N78 is visiting the Spencer’s Plaza, information on various stalls should automatically be fed into the device. This makes it easy for the user to go to the right shop, he said.
Nokia will use the Internet as a key medium to market the N78 devices among the youth. This will be in addition to the retail network, he said without disclosing any projection on the unit sales.
An interesting feature of the N78 is the ‘location tagger’ application, which automatically tags location data to the picture, allowing users to save picture by date and by geographical coordinates.
The slimmest of N-series devices with a 2.4 inch screen, the Nokia N78 comes with high speed connectivity with wireless local area network and a 3.5G High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, a 3G mobile telephony communication protocol. Enabled with global position system, the phone also has a 3.2 mega pixel camera pre-loaded with Nokia maps of eight cities with points of interest across 52 categories, including bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels.
The Indian market for GPS-enabled device is now at $22 million, with potential to reach $448 million in three to four years, a Nokia press release says.
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SELLING THE CELL

Makers and retailers of mobile phones are faced with the challenge of selling them as both necessity and fashion accessory.

With changing lifestyles, new trends have been emerging in the way mobiles are being constructed. Going by the fact that technology needs to be ahead of consumer wants and not follow them, top mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia, Samsung and Mo torola are constantly innovating and leading this change, rather than reacting to it. The consumer is spoilt for choice today. With constant innovation, the cell phone user is being exposed to newer things to do and experience. It’s no longer the ‘luxury’ we used to think of it as ... it’s now an integral part of lives.
With all this, selling the right handset to the right hand has become a challenging task. Mobile manufacturers and retailers are trying in ways more than one to provide the best buying experience to the consumer, while also helping them identify a handset that would reflect their personality.

Marketing for mobile phones is quite different from that of other gadgets. “Mobile as a category is linked with the projection of ‘who you are’ and is seen as a style statement or an extension of your personality,” says Sunil Dutt, Country Head, Samsung Telecommunications India. Thus, selling the product and the brand behind the product has to be unique and compelling.
“No other technology has created such a large social change as the mobile phone,” says Subhash Kamath, Group CEO, Bates 141. Earlier, marketing theory compelled advertisers to look at brands as either premium or low-cost, primarily on the basis of their price points, but mobile phones have broken that paradigm by playing at radically different price points, and yet driving aspiration at every level. “Nokia, for example, is available between Rs 3,000 and Rs 35,000. So is it a premium brand or a popular brand? It’s neither! It’s an aspirational brand, regardless of its price,” says Kamath.
The marketing strategy for mobiles has to take into account the fact that the market is changing very rapidly and that new products are being continuously introduced.
For instance, Samsung Mobiles strategy is called ‘Next is what’ for all its gadgets. It expresses Samsung’s philosophy to help the consumer evolve to the next level in mobility and technology. “We want to redefine the consumer interaction with the mobile phone – beyond mere communication, we want to be an enabler that will allow him/her to experience the mobile phone as an instrument to learn, grow and enjoy,” says Samsung’s Dutt.

Marketing for cell phones is mostly about the brand, but through the product/ model route. Each model that is launched fulfils a different consumer need, whether it is connectivity, entertainment, business solutions or gaming. But it all adds to the mother brand’s image of innovation and consumer understanding. This is why advertisers constantly need to innovate and create new needs. It keeps the brand exciting in the consumers’ hearts.
Samsung, in fact, promotes different models in different ways. “The core or the essence of Samsung’s mobile strategy is the innovation that is reflected in the overall approach. However, the expression of this strategy is slightly altered for different models,” adds Dutt. For example, Samsung has branded its entry-level mobile handsets as ‘Guru’ series linked with the fact that the phone offers some very differentiated yet relevant features such as unrestricted talk time of nine hours and a mobile tracker facility, at an affordable price point.
Motorola has a totally different take on this. Lloyd Mathias, Director (Marketing - India & South-West Asia), Motorola, says selling the handset in today’s developed markets has become very much like selling an FMCG product, as the mobile handset has become an integral part of our lives. It is moving from the image of a technology product to a consumer product. “At Motorola, we adopt a 360-degree selling approach to effectively market each of our hero products, while constantly communicating our core brand message,” he adds. Apart from this, they also have exclusive experience outlets with well trained Moto agents to assist the consumer in decision-making.
Nokia, on the other hand, banks on experiential marketing. Nokia offers an end-to-end portfolio and hence creates campaigns specific to target consumers. Late last year it renewed its brand values to reflect its business and changing environment.
Apart from drafting unique strategies for its hero products, most of Nokia’s marketing spend is allocated towards retail. Taking pride in the one lakh retail outlets in India, Devinder Kishore, Director -Marketing, Nokia India, says that “while the mobile subscriber base is rapidly growing, the market dynamics are changing too. We are continuously aligning our retail strategy towards that direction.”
Apart from this, Nokia has nine Nokia Concept Stores (NCS) in key metros. The company began investing in setting up this network much before other players. In a diverse market like India where there are first time buyers looking for purely ‘functional’ devices as well as seasoned mobile users looking for a ‘heightened sense’ of mobility, the needs and aspirations of consumers are different. Kishore adds that companies such as Nokia need to seek a differentiated view of the market so that they are able to offer the ‘right’ mix of products, services and importantly, the ‘right’ experience to consumers. “To achieve this, Nokia has invested much ahead of time and has taken a lead in addressing the entire spectrum of consumers through Nokia Concept Stores and Nokia Priority Dealers.”
But for HTC’s data-centric handsets, it is a totally different business altogether. Unlike Apple or BlackBerry, HTC is not positioned as a business phone/ smart phone. Since its inception, HTC has pioneered the smart phone market through partnerships with Microsoft and key mobile operators, including Orange, 02, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Sprint.
HTC as a brand has pitched itself as something for everyone. Today, HTC is one of the fastest-growing companies in the mobile sector. Well known for its innovation, it is constantly expanding the range of devices it offers – introducing gadgets to support specific applications and new form factors that meet the diverse needs of its customers and partners.
Its promotional strategy is done in two ways, based on the product differentiation, i.e., open channel and closed channel. Adding that its marketing mix is redefined based on its hero product, Ajay Sharma - Country Manager, HTC India says, “We partner with Microsoft when it comes to promotion through press and Airtel is our outdoor partner.” Apart from advertising, HTC also optimises on a few below-the-line activities for a 360-degree marketing approach.
However, selling business phones, or smart phones as they are called, is quite different as the gizmos cater to niche consumers who expect their mobiles to be more than just communication devices without compromising on the look, comfort, simplicity and usability of a standard mobile phone. Nokia E Series devices, for instance, are designed to offer enterprise features and functionalities and are ‘one-stop solution’ devices. “As the target consumers for the Achieve category (business handsets) comprise corporate users/professionals/entrepreneurs, the advertising campaign has a very business-like look and feel and the media used is the one that has higher viewership among the target consumers,” adds Nokia’s Kishore.
If marketing is all about fulfilling needs, then mobile phone marketing is changing almost every few months. And the winners will be those who have better insights into consumers’ lives.