How to clean up the junk on your PC

MUNICH: It's a familiar problem for anyone with an older computer: a PC may run lightning-fast and smooth when it's new, but over time it starts coughing up unusual error messages and unidentifiable icons appear on the taskbar.

If the computer also starts getting slower at the same time as well, then it's time for a spring cleaning.

'When any computer is used under normal circumstances, a certain volume of garbage data is automatically produced,' says Harald Goerl, a professor for operating systems and computer architecture at the Bundeswehr University in Munich, Germany. Goerl nevertheless sees no need for routine clean-ups. 'You only need to do this if you can really feel that the speed has been impaired,' he says.

The primary culprit for PC slowdowns is software that is installed and then removed again. That's because many programs actually leave behind digital traces after uninstallation. The most common collection spot where junk data collects is the Windows Registry file. It's a database of information about all installed applications.
Many programs 'forget' to delete their entry in the registry when being removed. That continues expanding the database, which means the computer has to search longer to find a specific entry. 'You can compare it with a telephone book,' Goerl says. 'The thicker it is, the longer it takes to browse through.'

You can get help in cleaning up those clogged registry files with free programs such as CCleaner, Wise Cleaner, and Advanced System Care. They search through the registry automatically looking for unnecessary entries, washing away the junk.

Linux and Apple users are actually no better off in this respect, Goerl says. 'Deleted programs leave traces behind in Linux and Mac OS, too. Because there's no central registry, though, cleaning up can actually be more difficult in some cases,' he says.

Programs that are not properly removed under Windows can create other problems as well. 'When some programs are being uninstalled, they also delete libraries still needed for other programs,' explains Joachim Geiler, dean of academic affairs at the IT working group at the Mittweida University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

Libraries are files with information that multiple programs need to be able to access. If they are deleted by accident, then applications may stop functioning, either partially or completely. This problem can generally be fixed by reinstalling the affected program.

Reinstalling the operating system is generally only needed in exception cases, says Goerl. 'Only in cases involving serious security problems should you have to reinstall the OS,' he says. 'If numerous files have been infected with tough-to-remove viruses, then reinstalling the operating system is probably the only remedy.'

The best recommendation for boosting speed that you suspect has been degraded as a result of application detritus: clean up your hard drive. 'At least 10 per cent of a hard drive's capacity should always be free,' says Joachim Geiler.

Otherwise files have to be split up across multiple sectors of traditional hard drives, and this results in data that is scattered in fragments throughout the hard drive, leading to slower access. The Windows defragmentation utility is needed to bring the files back to a contiguous state.

If you don't push your hard drive to its capacity all the time, then defragmentation need only be a seldom-used tool. 'Routine defragmentation used to be a common thing. Modern file systems like FAT32 create the files intelligently from the start, meaning users don't typically have to get involved,' says Geiler. The exception is for users who frequently work with especially large files, such as those used for video editing.

A clean hard drive is important beyond just the speed of the computer. It also makes work more relaxing. 'It's all about being able to find important files fast when you need them,' explains Joerg Schieb, who authored a book on keeping computers clean and running fast. For this reason he recommends routine cleanups every three months or so.

There are programs to help clean up, too. 'Lay users in particular may be better served by those programs,' Schieb says. Applications like TuneUp Utilities, Twin 7 2.0 from Data Becker, or PC Check & Tuning 2011 from Magix cost between 30 and 40 dollars and offer a number of cleanup options.

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U.S. shuts down massive cyber theft ring

(Reuters) - U.S. authorities claimed one of their biggest victories against cyber crime as they shut down a ring they said used malicious software to take control of more than 2 million PCs around the world, and may have led to theft of more than $100 million.

A computer virus, dubbed Coreflood, infected more than 2 million PCs, enslaving them into a "botnet" that grabbed banking credentials and other sensitive data its masters used to steal funds via fraudulent banking and wire transactions, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

The government shuttered that botnet, which had operated for a decade, by seizing hard drives used to run it after a federal court in Connecticut gave the go-ahead.

"This was big money stolen on a large scale by foreign criminals. The FBI wanted to stop it and they did an incredibly good job at it," said Alan Paller, director of research at the SAN Institute, a nonprofit group that helps fight cyber crime.

The vast majority of the infected machines were in the United States, but the criminal gang was likely overseas.

"We're pretty sure a Russian crime group was behind it," said Paller.

Paller and other security experts said it was hard to know how much money the gang stole. It could easily be tens of millions of dollars and could go above $100 million, said Dave Marcus, McAfee Labs research and communications director.

A civil complaint against 13 unnamed foreign nationals was also filed by the U.S. district attorney in Connecticut. It accused them of wire and bank fraud. The Justice Department said it had an ongoing criminal investigation.

The malicious Coreflood software was used to infect computers with keylogging software that stole user names, passwords, financial data and other information, the Justice Department said.

"The seizure of the Coreflood servers and Internet domain names is expected to prevent criminals from using Coreflood or computers infected by Coreflood for their nefarious purposes," U.S. Attorney David Fein said in a statement.

In March, law enforcement raids on servers used by a Rustock botnet were shut down after legal action against them by Microsoft Corp. Authorities severed the Rustock IP addresses, effectively disabling the botnet.

Rustock had been one of the biggest producers of spam e-mail, with some tech security experts estimating they produced half the spam that fills people's junk mail bins.

A botnet is essentially one or more servers that spread malicious software and use the software to send spam or to steal personal information or data that can be used to empty a victim's bank account.

U.S. government programmers shut down the Core flood botnet on Tuesday. They also instructed the computers enslaved in the botnet to stop sending stolen data and to shut down. A similar tactic was used in a Dutch case, but it was the first time U.S. authorities had used this method to shut down a botnet, according to court documents.

Victims of the botnet included a real estate company in Michigan that lost $115,771, a South Carolina law firm that lost $78,421 and a Tennessee defense contractor that lost $241,866, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

The government plans to work with Internet service providers around the country to identify other victims.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz and Jim Finkle; editing by Gary Hill and Andre Grenon)

 

JMDComputerIndia.com

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Cyber attack hits WordPress.com, 18 million blogs compromised

Automatic, the company that owns the Word Press.com blogging platform that powers more than 18 million blogs, announced this morning that its servers had been broken into and source code, among other things, could have been exposed.

 

Word Press founder Matt Mullenweg writes 'Tough note to communicate today: Automatic had a low-level (root) break-in to several of our servers, and potentially anything on those servers could have been revealed.'

According to Mullenweg, the break-in was limited but proprietary information could have been accessed:

We have been diligently reviewing logs and records about the break-in to determine the extent of the information exposed, and re-securing avenues used to gain access. We presume our source code was exposed and copied. While much of our code is Open Source, there are sensitive bits of our and our partners' code. Beyond that, however, it appears information disclosed was limited.

Update: According to Automatic, this break-in 'affects most of Automatic's services Root level access potentially allows access to everything on the servers."

Tech Crunch's Alexia Tsosis argues that Mullenweg is downplaying the severity of the incident, pointing out that "Word Press.com VIP customers are all on 'code red' and in the process of changing all the passwords/API keys they've left in the source code." Tech Crunch, among other big blogs, is a WordPress VIP customer.

"While Automatic is down playing the leak, site source code includes API keys and Twitter and Face book passwords," writes Tsosis.

Mullenweg says that the investigation is ongoing and that they have "taken comprehensive steps to prevent an incident like this from occurring again."

Mullenweg also suggests that users should use strong passwords, different passwords for each site and, "If you have used the same password on different sites, switch it to something more secure." In other words - change your passwords, folks.

- JMDComputerIndia.com

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Vibrant Mehsana

Vibrant Mehsana

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Intel launches second generation processor - Intel Insider

Intel today launched a second generation processor called Intel Insider, a feature that will help people download and view movies in High Definition (HD) on their laptops and PCs.

The PCs and Laptops with the Intel Insider processor would be available in the country from next month onwards, Intel's Managing Director, South Asia, R Shivakumar told PTI here.

'The launch of Intel Insider in India is absolutely befitting considering it is the home of one of the largest film industries in the world -- Bollywood. With Intel Insider, people can watch their favourite movies in HD at their homes on the day of release itself,' Shivakumar said.

In a bid to boost its sales, Intel has tied-up with Hungama.com, which will act as a platform for download and streaming of famous Bollywood and international movies, including blockbusters from Yash Raj Films , Paramount Pictures , T-Series and Reliance Home Video .

The introduction of Intel Insider is a significant breakthrough in the entertainment space where consumers can unlock an ever increasing and expanding world of high- definition content on their PCs, he added.

The technology also offers a 'proactive queue' capability that will help consumers pre-download films ahead of the release date, and give them the ability to purchase those films, securely, even if they are not connected to the Internet.

This will allow consumers to start watching their movies immediately on the release date without waiting to download during peak traffic times.

-JMD Computer

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Nokia job cuts might begin from April end

The world's leading mobile phone maker Nokia said Wednesday negotiations with unions over upcoming job cuts would begin at the end of April.

'We don't have an exact starting date, but we are planning to begin talks at the end of April, and then we will of course talk about the numbers,' company spokesman Tomi Kuuppelomaeki told AFP.

Nokia has not yet said how many of its 16,000 developers worldwide it will let go as part of a new corporate strategy to phase out development of its smartphone platform Symbian.

On February 11, chief executive Stephen Elop announced the company would begin adopting Microsoft's Smartphone platform instead, resulting in 'substantial' job losses.

The move was a dramatic strategy shift aimed at streamlining a company that has so far been steadily losing ground on the Smartphone market to Apple's iPhone, RIM's Blackberry, and phones running Google's Android platform.

The announcement sent shock waves through Finland, where most of the company's Symbian development is done, and where around 20,000 people work for Nokia.

Some industry analysts have speculated that up to 6,000 jobs could be at risk, with hundreds or thousands more lost among subcontractors.

-JMD Computer

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9 Things you can do with Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi can be used for a lot more than just connecting to your computer or phone to the internet. The technology can come handy for a variety of other tasks.
Here are nine little-known uses of Wi-Fi.

Make DTH signal go the distance
Monsoon Multimedia's Vulkano is a device that connects to (and controls) your existing DTH set top box (STB).

It has to be set up so that the STB outputs to the Vulkano, while the Vulkano is connected via HDMI to the TV.

You can watch TV normally, but Vulkano also lets you stream your existing TV, which you've already paid for, to any internet-connected PC, Android phone or iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch.

Whether you're within your Wi-Fi connected home, or anywhere in the world, you can connect to the Vulkano box, switch on the STB and watch or record live TV.
If you have a recorder like TataSky+, the Vulkano box can also be used to schedule a recording on it.

At $280, this is a cool new way to make your TV channels go the distance.

Control DSLR over Wi-Fi with your iPhone
If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, an app called DSLR Camera Remote by OnOne Software ($19.99 for the pro version, $1.99 for the lite) can work as a remote viewfiner and shutter release for one of the compatible Nikon or Canon DSLRs.
Connect the DSLR to a PC using USB, download and install the client software and then the app on the iPhone/iPod.

As long as both the iPhone and the PC are on the same wireless network, you'll be able to see what the DSLR sees, even in another room.
Apart from actually taking the photograph, you can also control the exposure and various other settings remotely.

Turn webcams into surveillance cameras
An app called iCam ($4.99) for the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch can be used to remotely monitor your home when you are away.

You need to install the free iCamSource software (available for Windows & MAC) on each laptop or PC that you want to use, and then configure it to the iCam software in a simple , two-step process.

You can configure up to 12 different webcams with each iPhone, and view the feeds from four of them simultaneously. Like a high-end surveillance system, iCam also offers push notifications.

The app continuously monitors the camera feeds for movement. If movement is detected, a message will pop up informing you of the same.

Share Net connection using Wi-Fi
Free program called Connectify turns your Windows 7 machine into a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Download Connectify from connectify.me and set it up by giving your Wi-Fi network a name and password, just as you would with a regular Wi-Fi router.

So whether your laptop is connected via Ethernet or to a USB broadband modem, you can share internet with other nearby laptops or devices like Wi-Fi enabled phones, iPods and tablets.

Similar functionality can be found on smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S and HTC HD2; both have built in software that lets you share your GPRS connection with other Wi-Fi devices in the vicinity.

Transfer photos from digicam to PC
Imagine a memory card for your digital camera that never ran out of space. That's what the Eye-Fi wireless SD can do for you.

The card packs in regular flash memory and a Wi-Fi adapter into a standard SD card that can fit many digital cameras.

When you first get it, you need to configure the card to your Wi-Fi network by connecting it to a PC.

You can also configure it with Flickr, Picasa, Evernote, YouTube, Snapfish, Photobucket and many more.

When you get within range of your configured Wi-Fi network, photos and videos stored on the card will automatically get transferred to your computer or connected site.

The 4GB Eye-Fi SD card is available for 3,800 (including customs & delivery) from eBay India's Global Easy Buy program.

Note: Although Eye-Fi is supported by over 1000 camera models, before buying, do check the compatibility list on the company website.

Send photos to digital photo frame
The iGala Wi-Fi photo frame looks just any other 8-inch photo frame. But it's actually pretty advanced.

Based on Linux, the touchscreen can be used to configure it to your Wi-Fi network.

Sign in to your Flickr account on it to instantly have it display photos from your stream.

You could also use it just like any other photo frame, by displaying images from the 1GB built in memory or external SD/USB devices.

Available from Thinkgeek.com for $240 (They ship to India; customs and shipping charges extra).

Make your own portable Wi-Fi hotspot
You may not always have an available Wi-Fi connection to get your fix. However , with the help of a handy new device, you can create your own Wi-Fi hotspot wherever you go.

The Tata Photon+ Wi-Fi is a small, battery-powered device that connects to Tata Photon's broadband network (just like the USB device) and instantly creates a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that can be used by up to five devices at a time.

It also has a single Ethernet port to connect to a desktop or laptop without Wi-Fi .

Buy the device for 6,499 and choose from a number of different plans starting at 500 per month.

Modern warfare with the Parrot AR.Drone
Designed solely for the Apple iOS platform, the AR.Drone is a toy quadricopter that you can control via Wi-Fi from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

The Drone broadcasts its own Wi-Fi network and connects to your iPhone/iPod once you download the free app.

Each pairing between an AR.Drone and iOS device is unique, so you can even have multiple Drones in the same area.

Meanwhile, two cameras built into the drone relay a live video feed directly to your iPhone/iPod so that you can send it along on reconnaissance missions (just don’t stray too far away).

Multiple AR.Drones can take on each other in a dogfight or a race around obstacles if that takes your fancy.

For indoor use, the supplied hull shield needs to be out on that surrounds the rotors and protects them from any impact against the wall or other Drones.

The hull can be removed for outdoor use.

The Parrot AR Drone is available from international reseller shopyourworld.com for 21,000 (including customs and all shipping charges)

Monitor entire house with Rovio
Rovio is a toy, but a pretty advanced one at that. The battery-powered, camera-toting and Wi-Fi enabled Rovio will wait patiently at home for your command. Connect to it from a remote location, and you'll see what Rovio sees.

You can also move Rovio around and use it to communicate with other people thanks to the built in speaker and mic.

Teach Rovio your home's layout by setting waypoints and Rovio can navigate to those preset locations all by itself.

And Once Rovio's battery is depleted, it can automatically back itself into the charging dock at home.

Available from http://jmdcomputerindia.com for $199 (They ship to India; customs and shipping charges extra).

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Acer launches Android-based Liquid Metal

Acer has expanded its Smartphone portfolio in the country with the addition of Acer Liquid Metal. Acer Liquid Metal is based on Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system and runs on 800MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Core processor.

Measuring 115 X 63 X 13.5mm inches, the Smartphone has a curved 3.6" display with a TFT capacitive touch screen. The Smartphone has a stainless steel battery cover, which is solid and resistant.

The Liquid Metal supports HSDPA for on-the-go Internet access at speeds up to 14.4Mbps as well as Wi-Fi allowing data transfer 10 times faster than previous devices. The LED signal on the upper part of the telephone notifies the user of missed calls, the need to charge the battery, and new incoming messages clearly.

Acer Liquid Metal's 1500 mAh battery coupled with intelligent power management means you have up to 8 hours talk time and 550 hours in standby mode. Acer Liquid Metal comes with 3 popular keyboard layouts including Clever XT9 predictive text support to save users typing unnecessarily.

Liquid Metal is built in with a pinch to zoom feature, 5-megapixel camera with digital zoom, LED flash with a maximum resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. The camera offers 720p HD video recording as well as autofocus and smile recognition.

Key specs:

* Powered 800MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Core Processor

* Android 2.2 Froyo OS (5X faster than the earlier versions)

* Display : 9.1 cm (3.6-inch) TFT capacitive touch screen, 16M colors, 480 x 800 pixels resolution

* Fastest Connectivity Suite : HSPA 14.4 MBPS , 3G (3G + WiFI), GPS, Mini USB

* Record video in HD at 720p (30fps)

* Dolby Surround technology , EQ profiles and Dynamic Bass Boost Push Mail

* 3 Predictive Dialers (3 KB with XT 9)

* Superior Battery Life up to 8 hrs of talk time (1500 MAH Battery)

* Top LED Indicator

* Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate

* Wireless LAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, UPnP

* Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP

* Camera: 5 mega-pixel,auto-focus, LED flash ,Geo-tagging, face and smile detection, image stabilization

* Unique Acer Interface

* Pinch to Zoom option

* 8GB Micro SD Card (up to 32GB)

Available in silver, brown and tiffany Blue colors, Acer Liquid Metal is priced at Rs. 20500.

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CISCO - LINKSYS E-1000

GO WIRELESS AND EASILY PUT THE SPEED AND POWER OF WIRELESS-N TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR HOME…..

PRESENTING LINKSYS E-1000 WIRELESS N ROUTER……..

BEST FOR   : - 

STANDARD, QUICK TO INSTALL, WIRELESS – N CONNECTIVITY FOR SURFING THE WEB, SENDING EMAIL AND FILE SHARING….

BENEFITS : -

Ø WIRELESSLY SURF THE WEB AND SEND E MAIL.

Ø SHARE FILES AND PRINTERS

Ø QUICK SET UP

PASSWORD PROTECTED GUEST ACCESS, PARENTAL CONTROLS, ADVANCED SETTING

HOW WE DO IT :-

Ø WIRELESS N TECHNOLOGY WITH 2 INTERNAL ANTENNAS

Ø 2.4 GHz BAND OPERATION

Ø CISCO CONNECT SOFTWARE

Ø ADVANCED SECURITY AND FIREWALL PROTECTION

Specifications

Ø Standards                              :               802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.3, 802.3u

Ø Ports                                      :               Power, Internet, and Ethernet (1-4)

Ø Buttons                                   :               Reset, Wi-Fi Protected Setup

Ø LEDs                                    :               Ethernet (1-4), Wi-Fi Protected Setup, Wireless, Internet, Power

Ø Cabling Type                           :               CAT 5e

Ø RF Pwr (EIRP) in dBm                :               17.5 dBm

Ø Antenna Gain in dBi                 :               1.5 dBi

Ø UPnP able/cert                       :               Able

Ø Security Features                  :               WEP, WPA, WPA2

Ø Security Key Bits                   :               Up to 128-Bit Encryption

Environmental

Ø Dimensions                           :               7.95" x 1.34" x 6.3" (202 x 34 x 160 mm)

Ø Weight                                   :               9.81 oz (280 g)

Ø Power                                    :               12V, 0.5A

Ø Certification                            :               FCC, CE, IC-03, Wi-Fi, Windows 7

Ø Operating Temperature             :               32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C)

Ø Storage Temperature               :               -4 to 140°F (-20 to 60°C)

Ø Operating Humidity                  :               10 to 85% Noncondensing

Ø Storage Humidity                    :               5 to 90% Noncondensing

Please call for any support or inquiry….

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ViewSonic ViewPad 10 tablet review

The first dual-boot tablet is surely worth a look, but needs a price cut. 

There are a lot of tablets that have been launched in India within the past few months and more are on the verge of being launched. Most tablet manufacturers have chosen to go with Android as the operating system, whereas few others have chosen Windows 7. However, ViewSonic comes with a tablet that dual boots both operating system, that almost provides the user best of both sides.

Looks & Ergonomics
The ViewPad 10 is not the slimmest or the sexiest tablet out there, but its got a vibrant 10.1” display. There are three touch sensitive buttons on the matte finish bezel that extends below the glossy bezel and perform different functions under the two OS. There is a 1.3MP front camera present as well. The tablet has two full size USB2.0 port, mini VGA port, microSD card slot and 3.5mm audio jack and microphone on the side.  The back has a brushed metal finish with the ViewSonic logo printed in the centre with speakers and heat vent at corners.

 

The tablet weighs just under 1kg and was easy to use with two hands. Using the tablet in vertical as well as horizontal position did not pose any problem. The brushed metal back and the matte finish bezel provide excellent grip.

Display
The tablet has a 10.1” capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels. We loved the touch response on the tablet and multi-touch worked superbly across windows and android. Of course, like every other tablet out there, the large display is a fingerprint magnet and requires cleaning every now and then.

Hardware & Software
The ViewPad 10 is powered by an Intel Atom processor running at 1.66GHz with 1GB of DDR 3 RAM along with 16GB SSD storage. The SSD provides quick boot up and thought the hardware is more than enough for Android, 1GB RAM makes the overall windows experience slightly sluggish. It comes with WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, 3G and assisted GPS.  The tablet also has a G-sensor, E-compass sensor and an ambient light sensor.

The tablet comes loaded with Windows 7 Home premium and Android OS v1.6 as operating systems, which can be selected, on start-up. We loved the fact that Windows on the tablet performed the same way on a laptop. In fact, when we tried connecting to the Internet using a Reliance Netconnect USB modem, it worked flawlessly. We installed various windows application and other than the slight sluggishness due to low RAM we faced no issues.

It comes with Android is v1.6 and ViewSonic has no plans to upgrade it on the tablet. The performance on Android is fantastic, though due to the older version the number of apps is limited across categories.

Multimedia
Thanks to Windows 7 and the full size USB 2.0 port, the ViewPad tablet provides for the easiest access to multimedia. Like a standard desktop, various codecs and multimedia player could be loaded allowing the user to play any format of video as well as audio. Watching videos on the tablet was superb due to the large sized display. The sound output from the tablet is not too loud, but is higher than that for personal listening. The sound output in the earphones is great though with excellent clarity.

User Interface
ViewSonic has not done any modification across either of the interface than the standard wallpaper change to Viewsonic’s logo. Windows 7 interface is like a standard laptop, instead of physical mouse and keyboard; the user gets an onscreen keyboard and the multi-touch display to work with. In Android, it’s the same basic android interface that was in phones around a year back.

Conclusion
Although, the tablet has excellent hardware with a great touch-screen display, it’s the dual-boot operating system that is the major advantage over competitors here. However, we barely used the Android operating system over windows as it provided more options. The battery backup of the device lasted us just over a day, which is impressive considering we constantly worked on it and it was connected through WiFi constantly.

The ViewPad 10 is priced at Rs 38,000, which is too steep for an average consumer who now has options in terms of the MSI Windpad at 35,000 and the Apple iPad starting from Rs 28,000 in the same screen size.

Specifications

10.1" LCD screen with Capacitive multi-touch screen

1024x600 with LED backlight

220 cd/m2 Brightness

700:1 Contrast Ratio    

Intel Pine Trail N455 1.66GHz processor

DDR3 1GB SDRAM 667MHz

16GB SSD SATA

Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 (optional 3G module) + EDR, 3G and assisted GPS
Windows 7 Home Premium

Android 1.6

0.875 kg

1.3 megapixel camera (front)

G-Sensor, E-Compass sensor and ambient light sensor

Ports-3.5mm audio jack for stereo headset, 2 USB 2.0 ports, mini VGA port, Micro SD card slot

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HP Dreamscreen Review

A fancy desktop with lots of eye candy, but very limited use

Touchscreen tablets are expected to be the top selling gadget this year. With around 100 tablets announced at CES, touchscreen devices seem to be the direction to go. Looking at all the hype, HP has tried to go a step ahead and instead of providing a portable tablet; they incorporated touch-screen into their new desktop offering called the DreamScreen.

The DreamScreen is pure eye candy in terms of looks. This All-in-one desktop has a large 18.5” display with 1366 x 768 resolution. The display has a clear plastic bezel around the display frame that adds to the looks of the system. There is a large indicator right at the front bottom that looks like a power button, but works only as a power indicator. Other controls are placed on the right hand side. All the connectivity ports for USB and card reader, headphones are placed neatly on the left hand side with additional ports at the back. There is also a slot load DVD drive on the right hand side just above the control buttons. All in all, the Dreamscreen looks very good and can easily add to the décor of a room. The only issue is that it takes a wire with an adapter for power that is clearly visible behind the monitor.

The HP Dreamscreen is powered by an Intel processor and comes with a 250GB hard-drive. There is very little information about the hardware that has been shared by HP. It comes with a mouse and keyboard as well even though the onscreen keyboard of the PC is very responsive and easy to use. It has inbuilt WiFi for connectivity and also comes with an Ethernet port at the back.

The desktop runs on a Linux based operating system, which has been heavily customized.  The interface has been tweaked to be touch-interface friendly. The good thing is that HP has provided large icons to use on the desktop for various activities. You can either log in as the administrator or as an student. The student account has limited privileges in terms of installing and purchasing content. HP has tied up with various vendors to provide content on their machine across categories such as News, music, videos etc. Some content is paid, while other is free. Video streaming is free from various channels, whereas to use application for astrology, you need to subscribed etc. The User interface overall is very easy to use and quick to respond.

What we didn’t like was the operating system is too limited and restricted. It will play media of very few formats, does not remember your last sites/applications and does not even remember you WiFi connection password on restart. Moreover, a user cannot install additional applications, which is a major downer.

The HP dreamscreen is priced at Rs 19,999 and is aimed at the mid-level consumer who wants to have a good looking desktop with internet and multimedia capabilities.
Start your day with the LD2 Daily Bytes newsletter. It's the best gadget advisor in the country.

Whats Hot

- Looks
- Easy to use
- price
- touchscreen
-
Whats Not

- restricted OS
- paid subscription model
- limited media support

Estimated Street Price

Rs 19,990/-

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BELKIN Play Max wireless router

One of the best routers available today with just one flaw. The name ‘Play Max’ raised our expectation before we actually tested this IEEE 802.11n based router and when we did it we were not at all disappointed, in fact disappointment came from other features. 

Once out of box what you have in hand is a compact clean looking router with hidden antennas and single indicator light and WPS button in front for hassle free secure connection setup. Number of connection ports at back is where Play Max has edge when compared with other similar products; there are 5 gigabit ports (1xWAN, 4xLAN) which would be ample for any wired connection plus being gigabit would mean faster data transfer speeds.  2 USB 2.0 ports are also present at the back for connecting external USB based storage devices with FAT 16/32 and NTFS file system, USB printers are also supported by Play Max giving you ability to convert your USB based printer to network one.

Setting up this router was the simplest of jobs and a mere 3 step process with initial configuration provided in small booklet attached to box. To use most of the features of this router including using USB storage/printer you have to install router management software that would sit in task bar and add to CPU usage, which as per us is a major con of Play Max. The main issue we faced with the router was that it does not support plugging in a 3G USB modem.

To test the performance of this router which supports true dual band in 2.5 Ghz and 5 GHz  band respectively, we carried out two tests. First we used Qucheck 3.0 to test throughput, we connected one machine with wire to router and other wirelessly to N based laptop (both laptop and machine were running Windows 7) and then checked throughput over TCP protocol. Play Max was able to transfer 1000 Kb payload at 64 mbps which is one of the best scores we have seen. In second test we transferred 40 MB of mixed data from machine to laptop; Play Max was able to complete this transfer in 4 seconds which is again very high when compared to other products. We also tried using the router to stream HD videos from a windows media center to an Xbox 360 over WiFi, and it worked great.

Besides performance and features there are number of bundled utilities for different purposes like torrent gene for downloading files to external storage, bit boost for traffic prioritization, music mover for wireless music play from external storage. All in all, a high performing router with not so user friendly bundled software.

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XPRSS – easy to use feed reader for BlackBerry

XPRSS is a fast, clean and easy to use feed reader for BlackBerry smartphone users. There are very few feed readers available in the market which can come anyway near XPRSS.

XPRSS comes preloaded with variety of feed categories. You can easily add new feeds of your choice. Variety of options are available for the user to choose from. One can add feeds to the reader directly using the feed url or just by giving the main website address and it will automatically find the feed location.

The most useful feature of it is it also allows the user to import feeds using OPML. So if you are an existing google feed reader user or using some other software to manage your feeds, you can simply export your feeds and import it into XPRSS.

If you like sharing what you discover then again XPRSS comes handy. It allows you to share articles directly from the post page to almost all popular social booknarking and social media sites. So if you are a BB geek and love to stay updated all the time then XPRSS is a must have app for you.

Download XPRSS for blackberry (Freeware)

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3 free softwares to turn your Webcam into video surveillance camera

There are many situations in which you require to monitor your work area or your home. Here we have few free softwares which can turn your Webcam into a surveillance camera .

1. Rise Sun:

Rise Sun is a free Windows based video security software. Which uses a webcam for motion detection. In case of any movement detection it automatically takes a snapshot and saves it on your hard disk. It can ring an alarm if any movement is detected.  You can read more about this software and download it from here.

2. TeboCam:

TeboCam does the same job as Rise Sun. But it can send you emails also in case of any activity. TeboCam can generate snapshots at regular intervals and if any movement is found it can create emails and send the snapshots to you via mail or it can directly upload it on the website. To know all the features of it just download it and use it . Here is the download link. TeboCam

3. Prog’z WebCamSpy:

Prog’z WebCamSpy is not as good as the previous two softwares mentioned here. But it can be used to make your webcam a spy cam. It is a lightweight software. Does not require much resources to work. It just sits silently and takes snapshots using webcam at regular interval and saves them on your computer. It also can zoom on particular portion while recording so you can use it for monitoring specific areas. Download Prog’z WebCamSpy

If you know any other good software which can be used for the same purpose then please share it with us using comments form below.

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Interesting story behind Trojan Horse

We all have heard about the viruses named Trojan Horse, Trojan Horse is a kind of virus which appears to perform it’s intended tasks, But silently steals all the information from your computer or harms your computer in a way which may be difficult to recover.

Interestingly I got to know a story about the name Trojan Horse virus, Here it goes…

In Greek Mythology they believe there was a city called, City Of Troys & there was other kingdom of Greeks. They fought for about 10 years and the war was called the Trojan War. After 10 years of fight the greeks still had nothing in their hands, it was a fruitless siege , So the greeks declared that they quit from the War.

Now the greeks built a giant horse made of wood & gave it as a trophy of victory to the citizens of Troy called TROJANS. The trojans happily took the horse inside the city. On the same night the trojans were busy celebrating their victory while 30 soldiers who were hiding inside the Giant Wooden Horse came out  & opened the city gates for the Greek Army. The Greek army then destroyed the entire troy city.

Since then everything that causes the target to bring a vulnerable object in to a secured area is referred as a Trojan Horse. Hence the name Trojan Horse is given to viruses that pretend to be something else, but once they are inside the system they start messing up the entire system.

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