Mobile World-15: "Apple Sells Unlocked iPhones"

Apple has started selling unlocked models of its popular iPhone 3G in Hong Kong which allow users the freedom to select the telecom provider of their choice.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, September 28, 2008.

Grateful thanks to The Hindu.

Digital World-5: "The Chip is 50 Years Old!"

A grateful world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Integrated Chip or simply IC as it is known to everybody.

To quote Dan Nystedt of IDG News Service, “chips are the brains and nervous system of every electronics device around, from computers to iPhones and are finding their way into more devices all the time, including cars and refrigerators, to make them more energy efficient”.

The inventor of the IC, Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments, went on to win the Nobel Prize for 2000. Unfortunately the co-inventor, Robert Noyce, passed ten years before that.

The annual revenue of the IC industry today is $ 300 billion.

Based on “Celebrating the IC’s 50th Anniversary” by Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service, September 12, 2008, which appeared on Network World.(http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/091208-celebrating-the-ics-50th.html)

Wikipedia article on “Integrated Circuit": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit

Grateful thanks to Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service, Network World and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Computer World-12: "Supercomputer for $ 25,000!"

Cray and Microsoft have come up with a supercomputer. This supercomputer is called CX1 and it uses Windows HPC (High Performance Computing) Server 2008. As it comes with software, one can directly plug in and use it straight away. This will be useful wherever intense computing is required like simulation and modelling studies in life sciences and other areas.

Digital World-4: "Pulse", the Smart Pen

Picture this scene: a student attends a classroom lecture, switches on a high tech pen, starts jotting away the points he considers necessary, while his pen records both his handwriting as well as the lecturer's voice or any other audio available then. Minutes later, the student does a playback of the lecture by simply tapping away on any word on his special 'paper notebook' and presto, the entire lecture is recreated down to each and every word.

Technology experts are bracing themselves for what they call the 'next big thing' in writing technology. The smart pen named as 'PULSE' has been launched by a company called Livescribe aims at bridging the gap between the traditional world of paper and the new age of voice recognition.

The specialty of the device is its ability co-relate everything that you have written to the corresponding audio available at that given point of time. Later on, you can simply tap on the handwritten notes and hear the audio playback from the exact moment it was written, so that you never miss out on any word spoken by anyone.

It can greatly help people with or without learning disabilities easily recall and review information for better understanding.

The brainchild of Jim Marggraff, an entrepreneur and the inventor of paper-based computing, including the LeapPad and Fly Pentop computer and who founded Livescribe in 2007, the Pulse pen has become a hit among college goers, journalists and other professionals for whom taking notes on the go is part and parcel of their jobs. Priced at $149, the 1GB version can capture over 100 hours of audio, while the 2GB version (priced at $199) can capture over 200 hours of audio. Although it is currently unavailable in India, the pen can be purchased through the Internet.

Excerpt from "A 'smart' pen mightier than the sword' by Bijoy Bharathan in the "Chennai Chronicle", Supplement to Deccan Chronicle, Chennai, Sep.15, 2008.

Wikipedia article on "LIVESCRIBE": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livescribe

Grateful thanks to Bijoy Bharathan, Deccan Chronicle and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Dotcom World-17: "iDUMP"

If you want to downloads songs from your iPod to your PC, then this software will help you. The link is:

www.softpedia.com/get/IPODTOOLS/Multimedia-IPODtools/iDump.shtml

Dotcom World-16: "Softpedia.com"

It is an encyclopedia of free software downloads. I came across it by mere chance. Have a look at it. It contains some very good free software.
www.softpedia.com

Wikipedia article on Softpedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softpedia

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

IT News-4: "Obama to discourage outsourcing"

Barack Obama, the Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of USA has stated that if he becomes President, he would demand American business to give up the practice of outsourcing. Those who persist in outsourcing would lose tax rebates.

Courtesy: Ananda Vikatan, Tamil weekly, September 10, 2008.

Wikipedia article on "Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama_campaign

Grateful thanks to Ananda Vikatan and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mobile World-14: "20.6 crore mobile connections in India!"

There are 20.60 crore mobile phone connections in India.

Courtesy: Ananda Vikatan, Tamil Weekly, September 10, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Ananda Vikatan.