Editorial
The online way
W
What I love most about being Indian, is latter. While one person started playing
our welcoming nature. I love belonging weird sounds through his microphone,
to a country where neighbours are often others started ridiculing the guest speaker
closer to us than family, and friends never – especially when he stated that he was
need to announce their intentions of tired from traveling and had to wrap up
coming over. We’re a warm, fun-loving the interview quickly. I don’t know a
culture, and we’re really good at making single person who would behave that way
even total strangers feel at home. if this were a face-to-face meeting. What’s
One would think such a deep-rooted with the false bravado people show when
ethos would also find its way online, but they’re online, and know that they’re
Digit, and I, learnt the hard way, that anonymous?
nothing’s further from the truth. This is not something any authority
The net’s become a country of its own, will ever be able to control. We’re here
with no laws, and certainly no official to learn, and to share insights with you,
moral code of conduct. Of course, this is and we’re going to continue to have such
not something new to any of us, but I’m meetings – without technical snags – and
guilty of being foolish enough to think all keep giving you opportunities to interface Robert Sovereign-Smith, Editor
Digit readers were different. directly with important industry people.
All of you know we are undertaking It’s our collective responsibility to keep the “The net’s become
new initiatives to connect with each and uninterested away, and outnumber them at a country of its
every one of you – through workshops, every meet. own, with no laws,
reader meets, boot camps and webinars, It is a pity that disruptive elements and certainly no
which we kick-started under the “Eighth made that particular meeting much less
Anniversary Carnival” banner. You can fruitful for those who were genuinely official moral code of
turn to page 132 for details of some of the interested in learning something. My conduct”
amazing experiences we’ve had over the concerns go beyond just netiquette,
past month. However, in this space, I want though. Blogs, for one, have changed
to talk about the solitary experience that the way the citizens of the web behave
caused me to write this month’s column. in general. With information flowing
One of the webinars, conducted at a instantaneously around the globe, the
press conference – and thus in a relatively false bravado that netizens display under
uncontrolled environment – was an the cover of anonymity has turned into
interview with a global product-design a false sense of knowing. Edward has
head from a notable technology company. written previously about Wikipedia and
The idea was to get the person to take how often it’s wrong, and I also find that
some time out to connect with our readers, numerous blogs publish opinions that are
and answer some of the questions they riddled with factual holes. Most bloggers
might have. It started disastrously, with are not as open-minded as Wikipedia
no audio for about half an hour. The first though, and choose to moderate
thing we learnt from this was to make sure comments on their blogs. Sometimes, this
never to take hardware for granted. Half can end up meaning that a few hundred
an hour later, we finally did get the audio or thousand vocal netizens can control
working, and apologised profusely to both, what a billion internet users just accept to
the participants as well as the guest, but be “the truth”, thanks to search engines
people were restless by then. ranking them highy .
Here’s where people hit the proverbial This is another reason why it’s
fork in the road, and are usually presented important that readers like yourself get
with two choices... In this case, the first your answers straight from the industry
is to just forget the initial technical snags leaders – keep an eye open for more
and get on to making the most of the such webinars and meets, because we’re
opportunity – to get some insights from certainly continuing undaunted.
someone most of us are likely never to
meet in the normal course of our lives.
The second is to continue to be peeved
off and just keep disrupting the webinar.
Thankfully, most of the participants chose
the former, however, a few chose the editor@thinkdigit.com
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
yo u r t e c h n o lo g y n av i g ato r July 2009 • volume 9 • issue 7
Managing Director Sales and Marketing To advertise
Dr Pramath Raj Sinha VP Sales and Marketing
Printer and Publisher Naveen Chand Singh South East
Kanak Ghosh Product Manager Navneet Miglani Sanjay Bhan Jayanta Bhattacharyya
Publishing Director Assistant Brand Manager Arpita Ganguli Email: sanjay.bhan@9dot9.in Email: jayanta.bhattacharyya@9dot9.in
Asheesh Gupta Marketing Communication Mobile: +91-93418 29285 Phone: +91-93318 29284
Editorial Thomas Varghese Phone: +91-80-2554 6370/73 +91-33-2231 7344/46
Editor-in-chief Co-ordinator, Scheduling, Fax: +91-80-4151 8330
Edward Henning MIS and Ad-sales Aatish Mohite Phone: +91-44-2823 5186/88 North
Editor Fax: +91-44-2823 0731 Pranav Saran
Robert Sovereign-Smith Production and Logistics Phone: +91-40-2789 4167 Email: pranav.saran@9dot9.in
Senior GM - Operations +91-40-5522 1051 Phone: +91-93126 85289,
Editor-at-large and Online Architect
Ahmed Shaikh Shivshankar Hiremath Fax: +91-40-2772 0205 +91-11-4160 8655/56/57/58
Production Executive Vilas Mhatre
Head - Copy Desk Logistics M P Singh, Mohd . Ansari,
Nash David West International
Shashi Shekhar Singh ganesh lakshmanan navin chand Singh
Writers
Aditya Madanapalle, Email: ganesh.lakshmanan@9dot9.in Email: nc.singh@9dot9.in
Siddharth Parwatay, Circulation and Subscription — Sales Mobile: +91-98196 18498 Mobile: +91-99013 00772
Kshitij Sobti GM Circulation Milind Prabhughate Phone: +91-22-2437 2214/19
Co-ordinator Vijay Mhatre Fax: +91-22-2448 2059/1123
Test Centre Customer Service Prerana Panchal,
Manager - Test Development and Vrushali Londhe, Pushpa Mahar,
Sourcing Michael Browne
Manager - Testing and Processes Shabana Shariff
Rossi Fernandes Customer Service: Advertisers' index
Reviewer Kumar Jhuremalani +91-22-4078 9612/13/14
Client Page No LG Back Cover
Design Head Office: Editorial, Marketing
Creative Head Kabir Malkani 3COM 15 Microsoft 3, 122
Art Director Rohit A Chandwaskar and Customer Service
Senior Designer Vijay Padaya, Nine Dot Nine Interactive Pvt. Ltd Airtel 19 Microworld 79
MV Sajeev C/o KPT House, Plot 41/13, Sector 30,
Asus 17 One Network 123
Illustrators Shrikrishna Patkar, Vashi (Near Sanpada Railway Station),
Ashwini Baviskar Navi Mumbai 400 703 Cricket Today 112 Sandisk 31
Sr. Photographer Jiten Gandhi Phone: +91-22-4078 9666
Dell 13 Seagate Inside Front Cover
Multimedia Fax: +91-22-4078 9540, +91-22-4078 9640
Project Head Robert Sovereign-Smith Ebay 28,29 Sun Microsystems 44,45
Content Co-ordination
Aditya Madanapalle
Cover Design Kabir Malkani Fortune 127 Taitra Inside Back Cover
Cover Photography Jiten Gandhi
Iball 11,35 Topgun 73
Kg Hosting 129,131 Zotac 53
Tell us what you feel about Digit
Each month, Digit walks through the technology maze to
bring you the most relevant, and the most researched
stories. If you have an opinion about anything published Products reviewed this month
in Digit, or about technology in general, please write to
editor@thinkdigit.com Security Suites Comparison Test . 58 Linksys WAG160N
AVG Internet Security 8.5 Linksys WAG54G2
Product testing Microworld eScan Internet Security Linksys WRH54G
Want your product reviewed by Digit? ESET Smart Security 4 Linksys WRT160N
Contact our Test Center at F-Secure Internet Security Suite 2009 Linksys WRT310N
testcenter@thinkdigit.com G DATA InternetSecurity 2010 Linksys WRT54G2
K7 InternetSecurity 9.0 Linksys WRT610N
Software on DVD Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 Netgear DGN2000
To submit and suggest software for
McAfee Internet Security 2009 Netgear DS834G
inclusion in Digit DVDs, write to Symantec Norton 360 Netgear WNDR3300
cdcontent@thinkdigit.com Panda Internet Security 2009 Netgear WNR 3500
Help! Photo Printers Comparison Test 64 Netgear WNR2000
For subscription or copy-related issues, Epson PictureMate PM 215 Bazaar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
HP Photosmart D5468 Apple iLife 09
send an e-mail to help@thinkdigit.com
Canon Pixma iP100 AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition
Endorsements / reprints Canon Pixma iP2680 ASUS EAH4890
Interested in ordering article reprints, Canon Pixma iP1980 ASUS Rampage II Extreme
or using our logos? Contact Canon Pixma iP4680 ASUS VK266H
reprint@thinkdigit.com Canon Pixma iX5000 Canon imageCLASS MF4370dn
Canon Selphy CP760 Cooler Master Hyper N520
Business enquiries Wi-Fi Devices Comparison Test . . 70 Corel Painter 11
For any business-related enquiries, contact Apple AirPort Extreme 802.11n Genius BT-031i
business@thinkdigit.com Belkin N1 Vision Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 HTS545050KTA300
Belkin Wireless G Router Hitachi Travelstar 5K500.B
News and new product launches Belkin Wireless N Router HTS545050B9A300
To announce new product launches, and press releases, Buffalo WHR-G300N HP LaserJet P2035
email us at pressrelease@thinkdigit.com Compex NP25G Kingston Media Reader
Dlink DAP-1150 Kingston SSDNow M 80 GB
Disclaimer: For every Digit contest, there will be only one winner, unless
specified otherwise. In the event of a dispute, the Editor’s decision shall be final. Dlink DIR-300 MSI 770-C35
Dlink DIR-655 Novatium Navigator
Printed and Published by Kanak ghosh, for Nine Dot Nine Interactive Pvt. Ltd. C/o KPT House, Plot Dlink DSL-2640T Seagate Momentus 5400.6 ST9500325ASG
41/13, Sector 30, Vashi (Near Sanpada Railway Station), Navi Mumbai 400 703
EnGenius ESR-1221EXT Wacom Intuous 4
Editor: Sujay nair, C/o KPT House, Plot 41/13, Sector 30, Vashi (Near Sanpada Railway Station),
Navi Mumbai 400 703 EnGenius ESR-9750G XFX GeForce GTX 275
Printed at Printed at Silverpoint Press Pvt. Ltd, Plot No. A, 403, MIDC, TTC Industrial Area,
Mahape, Navi Mumbai 400709
Digit | June 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Contents Enter 50 The future of
8 Inbox search
What innovations waits for us in
the most used web service
10 Industry Connect
Mr. Pramoud Rao, Managing
Director of Zicom Electronic 56 Visual Story
Security systems shares some How Conficker works
insights
Tried and Tested
12 Industry Connect 58 Security Suites
A one on one with Mr. P. K. Find out how security suites
Thomas, the Chief Operating measure up against each other
10 Officer of Cleartrip.com
64 Photo Printers
16 Buzz A range of photo printers are
From six core processors made to run our harsh gauntlet
to the word that got to be
16 28 the millionth in the English
language
70 Wi-Fi Components
22 Connections
Make a smart decision for a
home networking solution
20 Web watch 80 Bazaar
Microsoft’s Bling, Wolfram|Alpha
and Google Wave
Toolbox
22 Mobile watch 90 Revision control
Apple iPhone 3G S, augmented software
reality browser and Nokia life A look at revision control
24 tools. software, SVN, CVS and
mercurial
24 Mobile malware
Are we on the verge of a major 93 Best Bloatware
cell-phone infection? replacements
The low footprint alternatives
27 Online Encryption to bulky and resource hungry
The secure ways to handle your software
activities online
96 Remotely monitor
29 Secure your your home
portable devices The details on how to set up
A workshop on how to encrypt a system to keep watch at all
29 and password protect data times
DIGITAL LIFE 97 Tips and Tricks
32 Drool Maal
107 Q&A
34 Ethical Hacking
You could even bag a job as a
32 penetration tester
Street Smart
110 Agent 001
Agent 001 discusses optimum
37 Security Lessons PC configurations
from the UK
Should the streets of India be
infested with CCTV cameras?
112 Best Buys
114 Price Watch
41 Reimagining the 116 Consumer
Netbook Protection
Going back to the drawing board
HP responds to complaints by
users
SCI-TECH
46 E-homes and Tech@Work
automated security 118 Smart SOHO
37 We dissect the homes of the
future
Set up a CMS in Wordpress
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
121 Developer’s Corner
We look at procession.org and
JQuery.com 126 132
Esc
124 Unwind
126 Game Review:
Infamous
128 Game Review:
Prototype
130 Geek Review: The
Gameworld Trilogy
132 Community
136 Last Word
130
112
152
121
107
110
64 41
97
56 16680 70
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Remote Monitoring
Keep tabs on what is going on at Antivirus Suites Tested
Enter DVD Contents 96 home using a webcam tool called
Dorgem 58 We find out how Antivirus suites
measure up against each other.
•LimeWire 5.1.3 hates us
Tools •Miranda IM Portable 0.7.19 Rv2 Digit •In Zaire - In Zaire
Multimedia •Palringo 1.3.1 Coldplay - Left Right Left Right
Picture Collage Maker Free 2.0.7 •RapidShare Downloader 4.8 Digit Left
Picture Collage Maker Free is a •Skype 4.1.0.130 beta •Unboxing Videos
simple-to-use Windows freeware •Photos of reader meets
Gaming •Mumbai Bootcamp Video
Games Secure Your PC,
•Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason 12 Major Anti-Virus Suites,
•Battlestations: Pacific Bloatware Replacements,
•Drakensang: The Dark Eye Tips n Tricks
that turns ordinary photos and Game Trailers Tools
pictures into stunning keepsakes Need for Speed SHIFT •Dorgem
to share with family and •Digit Archive
friends. With just a few clicks, •Opera Unite Games
you can create digital collages, Overlord 2
scrapbooks, posters, invitations, Entertainment
calendars and greeting cards. HD Trailers
•Aliens In the Attic
•Advanced DVD Player 3.03 •Away We Go
•All2WAV Recorder 4.0 Push the pedal to the metal and •Children of Invention
•Alternate Pic View 1.415 understand how the shift works •Gamer
•Apex Video Converter Free 7.66 in this high-energy trailer. •Gooby
•Converter Free 5.16 •Pandorum
•Artisan CD & DVD Burner •Lost Planet 2 •Princess and the Frog Overlord II is the sequel to
•Berberus Mass Image Resizer •Mass Effect 2 •Sherlock Holmes the hit warped fantasy action
•FLVPlayer4Free 3.4 •Operation Flashpoint 2 •Street Dreams adventure that had players being
•FotoMorph 7.1 •Split/Second •The Road delightfully despotic. In Overlord
•Kodak Easyshare Software 7.1 •The Saboteur •Toy Story 3 II, a new Overlord and a more
•Memeo Share 1.0.1685 •Whatever Works powerful army of Minions take
•Snapact Photo Manager 1.3.1 Videos on an entire empire in a truly
•WIA-Loader 1.5.6.1 Linux Journals Movies epic adventure, inspired by the
•Return of Street Fighter rise of the Roman Empire.
Internet Introduction to Robotics •Night of the Living Dead •X-Motor Racing
•BearShare 8.0 •Lectures 11 to 16, Lagrange •Street Fighter
•Camfrog Video Chat 5.3.208 Equations to Compliance E3 Videos
•Download Accelerator Manager Music •Microsoft Press Conference
•eMailaya 3.7.0b2 Astronomy 160 •Doom - the Dark side of •Nintendo Press Conference
•Gbridge 2.0.0.1272 •Lectures 9 to 12 - Relativity and Phobos •Sony Press Conference
•IDrive Online Backup 3.2.6 super massive black holes. •Boxing Fox - The Shepherd
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Head to www.thinkdigit.com to check out the online avatar of Digit
1 We first check out the tools and features that the home page provides
Sign-in:
rum
If you are a fo
can click
member, you
here to sign-in
ration:
Quick Regist
register
Click here to Top Categories:
e forums
yourself to th Want the latest Agent 001 dope?
gn up:
Newsletter Si Jump straight to your favourite
t technol-
Get the lates category by using this bar
Digit,
ogy dose from cribe
subs
click here to
Cart:
If you have added
something to your
shopping cart, the
item(s) and total will
show up here
Videos:
Check out the latest tech
videos from Team Digit
Popular Stories: and around the world!
Stories most loved
by the Digit com-
munity will show up
here, as will popular Downloads:
dated with
discussions on the Frequently up est
Forum the coolest and lat
softw are
Now that you are familiar with the home page, let’s take a look at what you will see when you
2
click on a headline. There are plenty of tools to comment, rate and interact available here...
The stamp of approval: Rate this article:
Any article stamped with Like it, hate it — tell us what
the ‘d’ logo means that it you think of the article you are
is written by Team Digit. reading. The ‘+’ sign will show
If you see a ‘u’ here, the us your approval, while ‘-’ means
article has been submitted you think less of it
by a member of the Digit
Community
Comment:
Don’t forget to comment — it’s
a quick, painless process that
DIGG it, mail it, print it: let’s us know your thoughts
Use these tools to navigate on a piece. We love reading
stories and to share them comments!
with friends and your
favourite community
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Inbox Zicom Cleartrip
10 A talk with Pramoud Rao,
Managing Director of Zicom 12 PKX Thomas, COO, Cleartrip talks on
online security measures
rocks! I’m a newbie of Moreover we can keep it and
sorts to Digit as I started use it anywhere.
reading it occasionally, Thats all I ask.
only from December Shobhit Khinvasara
last year. But after your Rajasthan
March issue, I’ve moved
on from PC World to Head over to the Unwind
Digit, permanently. section, we have a short
All your cover designs glossary of all the most difficult
from April to June have terms and phrases used in the
been fantastic. Same for magazine, for initiating the
the CD and magazine newer readers.
content. The June issue Aditya
has a letter written
by some guy called Congrats to all of you for
-------- who gives you a another year of high quality
lot of crap feedback. paperback entertainment. It
Don’t listen to him and was sweet to see all the stuff
continue the way you are. you packed in.
You guys are perfect and DVD content was good
I bet that 99.9% of Digit I really liked ‘Things’ and I
Regarding gaming section in on the 1st of every month. I readers will agree with me. would like to see more of it in
the DVD: get mine only after the 15th of Keep up the great job :) the future.
i. You should also provide every month. That’s weeks after Saurya Sengupta I have made a list of
gave trainers, cheats etc. the release date. Kolkata suggestion that you might like:
additionals in this section. Last month, I got my copy 1. Updating The Digit DVD UI.
ii. Games category such as of Digit on the 27th! I believe Thanks for the vote of I never liked Vista and when
action, strategy should be you heard me. I got it on the confidence :) you imitated vista style I was
maintained. 27th May. When others were Robert a little uncomfortable at first
iii. Minimum hardware waiting for your anniversary but eventually I got a hang of
requirements to run the issue, I just got your May issue! Firstly, Congratulations it though I didn’t really liked
game should be given in the My only problem has been with on 8 highly successful years it. but now I think its time
DVD. your delivery dates. Year after of publishing this awesome you upgrade.
Jasbir Singh year, you promise me to look magazine. Even though I • Smaller Volume Control Box
Jharkhand into it, but that never happens! subscribed to your magazine and double click muting.
Now the June issue. God knows from March I have been • Lose the sidebar, floating
Hello, thank you for your when I’ll get mine... hopefully following its development for gadgets would be great.
feedback. It’s great to know before July! a long time by purchasing an • Widescreen support if
that we are contributing to your People out there, please issue now and then. possible.
interest in technology, which look into this - after all I’ve I’ll illustrate what I just love • Software with a link to their
is why we are here. Giving the been complaining for so long. your magazine for (please webpage.
trainers and cheats is of dubious Something has to be done excuse me for my English) • a minimise button (semi-
legality, and we cannot include about this. Next time you 1) Your DVD’s are awesome. transparent large button like
them in the DVD. However, give me a chance to complain 2) The Paper Quality of June in Picasa-3) or u can hold a
updated cheat databases are against my favourite magazine, issue was perfect UI design contest where we
a common request. We give I’ll not settle for anything less 3) The articles in the magazine enter and submit personal
only the latest game demos on than a proper compensation don’t just concentrate on creation.
our DVDs, which keeps a low from your side. computers but on everything 2. It would be great if you
count on the number of demos Hmmmm ... regarding technology, include the DVD background
in every issue, categorising the Mahesh Krishna.G making it very interesting music in the DVD itself as
handful of demos included is not to read. you do with wallpapers.
an option. We will include the Our subscribers have been I can read your magazine 3. Also I would like to see you
minimum requirements for the complaining to us about the late for the whole month, and its giving out more movies like
games we give, which is a great delivery of the issues. It is unfair great to receive another one you used to give before and
idea. To give us more feedback, that they should watch the with tons of goodies in the I would also like the readers
or demand particular games issues on the newsstands while next month. I have a request to contribute if they find
you’d like in the DVD, head over waiting for their issues to arrive. regarding the Fast Track something interesting.
to our forums at Thinkdigit.com. This month, we were ironing magazine. Could you publish 4. You published a book on c++
Aditya out some kinks in our delivery a Computer/Technology which was good and i would
system, and are working on Dictionary (especially all the also like you to do something
My issue is regarding delivering the issues on time to short forms) so that we can of that sort for Python for
the delivery dates of the those who get it late. understand and learn better which i am not able to find
subscription copy. Being your Milind from your magazine? any good study material or
regular subscriber has its down It’s somewhat confusing to institute.
sides too. When a news stand Happy Birthday Digit!! I comprehend the efficiency of a 5. Some resources on digital
reader gets his copy of Digit bought your June Issue, and it gadget with all the short forms. painting for beginner and
8 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Phenom 2 Inbox
Buzz AMDs Phenom 2 processors are powerful as well
16 What’s happening in the world of
technology
as cool running. We tested a 3.2 GHz part that
registered only 36 degrees at the core
intermediate in Photoshop
and Painter.
LETTER OF THE MONTH
Sahil
Hi, This is my first letter to Digit. I have HDTV or multimedia or even small time
Dear Sahil, been reading Digit since 3 years and as far as I gamers. Please start listing from the lowest
You have some great know their is no equal to Digit. It is absolutely component price in the market to the
suggestions, and we will try and wonderful and unbeatable (I have read 2 other costliest
incorporate them all soon. After top magazines so I can say that). 2) Although the essential part of DVD is quite
finishing with the magazine All of your articles are crisp, enlightening, perfect wouldn’t it be nice if you could cycle
redesign, we’ve started on knowledgeable and well versed, and as all between Firefox and Opera, I know Opera is
the DVD, and you should see of the Digit readers I am also considered the a pioneer but Firefox is the favourite browser
something new in the coming most knowledgeable guy in my class, family of the world (28% share). You could provide
months. and neighbourhood which I think is the most Opera in one month and Firefox in the
Robert common compliment you receive after being following month
called “the best”. People consult me before 3) The website could use a serious makeover
I have been a subscriber to buying any electronic gadgets. like the Mag.
Digit now for the last 10+ yrs Although some points have to be pointed 4) Revisit old articles, DVD contents and fast
and have always appreciated out. So here are some good points along with tracks i.e articles on Windows, and games
what you have offered to the some suggestions for improvement (there can like Ragnarok which you provided years ago
readers. The learning has been be no bad points). and haven’t repeated yet, considering the
immense, continuous and fact that lakhs have joined the digit readers
pleasurable. I thank you for Good points: bandwagon since then.
that. For the last two months I 1) You guys know the pulse of the readers every 5) Provide more tutorials on Ubuntu and other
was having serious problems time I think of writing to you for any DVD popular Linux distributions (because I have
reading the articles because content I find it in the next issue (Ex: the seen a rival mag carrying articles on Ubuntu)
of the font size. It causes a office service packs) sure you provided it in PDF format but that
lot of strain on the eyes and 2) The presentation of the content in the DVD was last year and Ubuntu has grown since
depletes the joy of reading. and the mag is absolutely fantastic at the then.
Reading complaints from same time very professional. 6) Please separate the killer rig (suggestion
other readers was reassuring. 3) The essentials part of the DVD is in fact very for assembling PC`s) section into Basic,
You did try to rectify but essential. Entry level gaming, enthusiast gaming and
event is seems insufficient 4) Even the ads are most of the time apt to the workstation as you done in the issue of
since the print quality has articles on the adjacent pages. December 2007
gone down too. You seem to 5) You guys are big time achievers in the field Hope my suggestions are helpful but
have printed the magazine of promoting free and open source and anti- nevertheless you guys are unbeatable and
in the ink economy mode piracy masters of tech.
which again mars the 6) With reference to the point 5, most of my Saleem U.
happiness of reading Digit. friends have turned quite ethical by turning
Please compare the print towards free alternatives of commercial • We do cover all ranges of hardware. Next
quality with the Aug, 08 software’s instead of pirated versions (Ex month, you can expect to see some budget
issue. I am sure you will Gimp, Peazip and many games) graphics cards.
make necessary changes to 7) The tech sense articles on the first page is • We provide all the latest versions of FireFox
keep your readership intact. always informative. when they’re released.
Looking forward to a more • Visit the site now to see the redesigned look.
readable issue next time. Suggestions: • If there are updates to a technology or a game,
Anand Duggal 1) Don’t you think you are slowly moving to we cover / provide them, not otherwise.
Batala being a mag only for the rich. No offence • We will cover Linux more, read next month’s issue.
but even your hard drive listing starts from • Popular demand wanted Basic, Multimedia and
This has been a common 500GB where as still 160 or better 250GB is gaming configurations. In this case, sorry, but the
complaint for the last few considered more than enough the graphic majority wins.
months. We are continuously card section could start from 9400GT for Robert
in efforts to improve the
readability of the content that
we provide. hope to learn a lot more hobbies You guys should have a
Asheesh the same way! I didnt get my reader segment filled with Great to know of your
connection with computers their funniest screenshots interests Varun. Keep looking
Hi and congrats on a great through Digit though, the game / game stories / nostalgic at the thinkdigit.com web site,
magazine! I’m glad to see your Half-life is to blame for that. comp moments etc. you’ll find a whole community
dedication towards improving When I first bought it, I just filled in my subscription of like-minded readers on
the tech-savvyness of your we had an aged computer form for Digit, and cant wait for the forums, and we keep
readers. It is great reading that frequently crashed at the next issue! you posted on the Digit staff
about readers having learnt the slightest provocation. As Introduce us to more interacting with the readers
new hobbies through Digit! such, I developed a long- Digit staff, besides Agent through webinars, workshops,
It just shows how a magazine running fear of computers, 001! offline meetups, and of course,
can change lives! Digit got me but some sharp expertise in Varun, the forums.
interested in photography and I dealing with errors. “Finalblur - The Happy noob” Ahmed
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 9
Pepper sprays MN2000
Priced approximately at Scent Detection Technologies was recently
Rs. 150, pepper spray cans honoured with the 2009 Explosives & Narcotics
are an affordable security Trace Detection Product Line Strategy of the Year
Enter Industry Connect measure for women Award by consulting firm Frost & Sullivan
Feel safe
Pramoud Rao, Managing Director, Zicom Electronic Security Systems Ltd sheds light on measures we
can take to be safer in society and also on interesting facts of the security and surveillance scene
Nash David
nash.david@thinkdigit.com
You ventured into security
when there weren’t any
Indian brands. Did you
foresee it to be a viable
business?
In 1995, electronic security
as a category did not exist.
With a large number of
MNCs entering India and
requiring security, we saw
the opportunity, evaluated
the risk and decided to build
this category. We anticipated
further growth with
liberalisation, globalisation
and the Y2K problem.
The business viability was a
serious concern, since we were
first generation entrepreneurs
and category building often
takes years. However, we took
calculated risks and ventured
into this unknown category.
Fourteen years later, we’re still Pramoud Rao, Managing Director, Zicom Electronic Security Systems Ltd
in the process of building this
category.
Which personal security not investing as much as they Brother’ critique of the
What are the upcoming product would you should do. same?
technologies in the field recommend the average I personally feel CCTV cameras
of security systems? Indian? Any tips for The demand for personal are a great boon especially
Security being a closely related women and children who security systems for post investigation. Often,
to IT, keeps evolving everyday. are highly vulnerable would have definitely CCTV has proved to be a
Currently, the flavour of the these days? increased after the boon rather than a bane and
markets are remote video I would recommend people to recent Mumbai attacks. whenever there is an incident
surveillance, video content use our home alarm systems Have you introduced any the ROI is instant.
analytics, explosive detectors, while at home or even our new products for public
thermal imaging cameras, video door phones. Women places, offices, halls, etc? While the three security
border security solutions, should carry Pepper Spray The demand post the terror systems types (personal,
coastal security solutions, etc. or personal security alarms, attack has gone up indeed. home and public) are
while children should carry Nevertheless, the demand meant to complement
Do you personally carry an anti loss alarm kit. is more for law enforcement each other, if you had to
products with you, such products. We have recently pick one over the other
as a taser? If so, which What are the trends you introduced the MN 2000, for yourself, what would
one? have witnessed in the which is trace and scent be the order you prefer
We do have a range of average Indian’s needs for detection used for all kinds and why?
personal security products home security? and types of explosives. I would prefer a home security
(PSPs). However, all of these The video door phone is the There are many products in system since charity begins at
are non-intrusive products. most popular home security the pipeline, which will be home. Security also follows
Tasers have not yet got the system currently being released depending on market the same logic. At home, I
approval from the Home used. The latest model with demand. have my personal belongings,
Ministry and cannot be used memory is gaining acceptance my loved ones and valuables.
in India. I personally do not and popularity. Home alarm What is your opinion on Lastly, it is all the more
carry PSPs, although my wife systems come second. the introduction of CCTV important for me to protect
carries a pepper spray. However, consumers are still cameras and the ‘Big what I value the most.
10 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Online Travel
Contributes close to
60 per cent of the Going places
overall eCommerce By 2010, online bookings will be worth $6 billion
Enter Industry Connect business in India from about $1.75 billion in 2008
Clear to travel
Cleartrip.com is a portal that caters to air and rail travel as well as hotel booking.
sites will compulsorily make while on amazon it’s a single
you use a virtual keyboard. click. So in an era of one click
A shift towards VbyV implies systems, we’re doing it the hard
a drop in business by 20 to way.
25 per cent. This is because Also VbyV is not going to
many times consumers are not stop frauds from happening.
aware. The bank’s web site will If VbyV is a solution to stop
ask you for a password. The frauds, then everybody might
consumer may not be aware of have done that. When a bank
it. Or perhaps it may ask you sells you a VbyV gateway, they
for certain details such as date always say that if your fraud
of birth, which the consumer is goes beyond three per cent
very surprised answering and they’re not responsible. So
therefore wary of it. Ultimately, banks know that ultimately
you just want to buy an air it’s only as secure as a regular
ticket, so why should you gateway. A phishing email
be asked for all these things is easy to identify, but you
As Chief Operating Officer, PKX Thomas oversees all operations and services of
– is what the customer thinks. should know how. Plus you
the company. Thomas comes to Cleartrip with experience in the field, spanning
Also, the moment redirecting should know how to react to
over 16 years. He specializes in Infrastructure Management and Knowledge
to another page takes place, it. Education and that level
Management.
people are concerned if there of comfort is required. Ask
is some kind of phishing going freshers out of college – they’ll
Siddharth Parwatay Now the trouble is that very on. A regular guy is worried know all this terminology, but
siddharth.parwatay@thinkdigit.com few banks can support it because he has no clue and an when it comes to detecting a
without a VbyV (verified by informed person is worried phishing attempt it’s a different
What are the concerns you visa) transaction or a Master because he knows too much! story. Awareness and education
face in terms of security? Secured transaction. The way about eCommerce, online
If you look at Cleartrip, this works is by directing the Is there an alternative? transactions is much needed.
instances of some kind of data client from our site to the No there is none. Bank Another issue that goes
theft or someone flicking credit bank’s site, from the bank side validation has to take place towards making consumers
card information is unknown to the gateway site and then and with the impending RBI more comfortable about
– it’s never happened. This is redirecting the whole thing directive which will probably transacting online is building
because of the level of security back. Here the efficiency of the come into effect on 1 August, a brand that they can trust.
which we provide on the site system depends on three other there is definitely going to Branding is very important.
and the level of security that we people. None of the banks be no alternative. This gives Somebody buying a ticket is
have in terms of access control or gateway providers will say us two disadvantages. One is actually paying in advance for
for developers or the NOC that in case the site is down that being an Indian company, a service that he is going to use
team; they won’t be able to see we’ll cover your damages. The being in India having a gateway in the future. The ticket comes
the card details. This is because attitude is that, here is the in India, we are bound by to you via email. It’s digital
it is stored in that fashion. service, please use it, if you RBI guidelines. Somebody and so the thought comes that
Even when a customer calls can’t then that’s your problem. who is not an Indian Co and anybody can create that email.
on the telephone helpline the has an international gateway So what is the credibility that
agents answering the call will So currently what is the is not obliged to follow any assures me that I can take this
not be able to know all the payment mode? guidelines. So it’s not a level piece of paper and board a
details. They will know the Currently it is through a playing field. A foreign travel flight? That is where the brand
first few digits and the last few gateway. You put your credit company offering an India- is important.
digits. This is as prescribed card and we have a validation based product can get by. In
by the banks. Other issues in mechanism. If your card is effect, we’re being discouraged How do you resolve
security are strangely enough validated, it goes through from transacting online. If you security issues?
from the RBI’s side. The a regular payment gateway are a non-India company and Our fraud rates are very low.
RBI recently came up with so you are not redirected to you have a gateway abroad, you Much lower than the industry
a directive that if you do an another page. Most online don’t have to worry. So with standards. Around 0.18 per
online transaction, you should transactions happen via credit this, what happens is you can cent. These frauds are what
be able to validate it on the card rather than debit card. buy a product on say amazon. we call chargebacks. We catch
basis of some information that When you go to the bank’s site, com but not indiatimes.com. most of the frauds, and many
is not on the card. It can be a your user experience changes. So on indiatimes it’s an entire tickets are cancelled. However,
password or PIN or anything. For example, some bank web bank redirected transaction whenever we cancel on account
12 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
What’s here?
Oyster.com This latest option Google Industry Connect
The service aims to provide users with Maps lets users find out more
professional reviews of hotels from information about any location
around the world on the map
of a fraud, the airline will With clear trip you can search and book through over 5500 domestic
definitely charge us. For a hotels and 1,09,000 international hotels, railway tickets, holiday
fraudster, it’s simply about packages, insurance and mobile services for travel and global
getting somebody’s card destination guides
or card details. I need the
card number, the date
and the CVV number and I can trying all sorts of these things the API quickly and built our something known as Cleartrip
transact. So if you have these to enhance our customers’ application around it. We have videos, but we pulled it out
details, you can do a transaction. experience and they are a symbiotic relationship with eventually. These consisted
Now, Cleartrip has a dedicated like our “labs” applications. the railways though. They sell of destination videos and we
fraud team. When a warning is Some flourish, some die their rail tickets through us while we wanted to build a community
raised, depending on the case, natural death. Innovation is supply them with hotels. Many around it. But the response
the transaction is cancelled. important. of the hotels on IRCTC’s web wasn’t that great, although, we
We have a fraud scoring from site are sourced through us. did get some 1000-odd videos.
1 to 10. Anything above 7 is Your train calendar and
definitely a fraud. In tricky cases, graph utility is one such Any other new initiatives? You’re probably one of
like say 5.1, there is a process of initiative? Google is an open company. only few players in railway
physical verification of calling Yes, absolutely. The air graphs, They support development booking. Why should a
and confirming that we follow. in fact, were used initially by greatly. We too love technology customer book through
We see the person’s response most of our suppliers to weigh and supplement our data with you and not through the
and judge. out their positions. We created Google products. We use the IRCTC web site? And what
the tool for suppliers, but Google maps API to show about the price difference?
What about building adapted it to our customers. locations of hotels. Our web There are several issues to
something for the mobile Train calendar was then site is end to end web 2.0. consider here. At times, the
platform? adapted from that. When We use various platforms for IRCTC web site is working
We had in fact launched a you’re travelling by train, often development. For example, fine while their back end will
few things in the mobile you’re fine travelling any date. our trains platform runs on a not be working. Sometimes,
platform as beta. Problem is You have a desired date and a platform called Ruby On Rails. it’s the other way around; in
that though it created a lot which case we will do a lot
of search volumes and hype, of bookings. This is possible
nobody booked. Conversion is because their APIs and web
also important, right? Purely site are on different systems.
WAP applications too need Again, there is the issue of
network provider support. So branding. Some still feel that
they’re no good. These days a ticket issued from IRCTC is
phones in any case are offering an original, while that bought
full browser experience. You elsewhere is duplicate. As for
can easily access the site from week around that is OK with It’s a platform which we bet price, we are allowed to take
these phones. Only a few of you. So with the calendar, you will be the next enterprise level Rs. 10 per ticket that we book.
the functionality attributes can just see visually which platform to really hit it off. Many Nobody minds Rs. 10 on a Rs.
may not be available such trains are available on what of our hotel applications are 300 ticket. Also, we provide a
as drop down suggestions, dates. Click on the suitable based on Java. Air products run better user experience. Once
not being supported. Our solution and just book. on Lisp which is rarely used by you book a ticket and you want
initial design philosophy Instead of going day by day people in India, or abroad for to act on it. Say you want to
provided for access by almost or searching for the next five that matter. Again using Lisp cancel it. It’s much easier on
everyone. For example, ours days over and over again. as a back end, we’re delivering our site. The way you search
is a machine readable page. The train calendar interfaces a web 2.0 product. We have also is different. Some of these
all our technology serviced in they ‘borrowed’ from us too.
We want to be the Google of the travel space. house. None of the development We have, for example, an all
is outsourced, so we’re able to Mumbai search. This search will
Anybody looking for any travel products should integrate new products and cover trains originating from
be able to get it through us. Whether it’s bus, platforms much quicker too. VT, Borivli, Panvel and Thane.
flight, rail, accommodation, anything. For instance, the API integration All of these are essentially
That is our end game. of IRCTC. Till the time the API Mumbai. This was a bit of
released, much of the back end innovation through human
was already ready. Our product judgement. Multi-station
Hearing aid applications can with the back end of IRCTC. teams were busy understanding boarding is also something we
read out the page easily. The integratin of the systems their system since long. We have have. Sometimes a Mumbai–
Apart from mobile, we was quite a challenge and the tech development teams both Delhi train is not available,
even tried voice-based search. reason most of our competitors in Mumbai and Bangalore. This but a Thane–Delhi train is. So
So you call a number and are lagging behind in doing it. makes our balance sheet stronger people are OK with finding
ask your query and the All the OTAs got the APIs at too. In-house technology and we alternative modes of transport
recognition software interprets the same time except for one love open source! to Thane. We provide such kind
it and reads out results player who got it two months As far as user generated of smart search on our web
(text to speech). We keep earlier. But we understood content we used to have site.
14 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Office on a netbook New GPUs
A new office suite has been announced by Corel, Five new mobile GPUs have been added to
the Corel Home office. This suite has been designed the 200M series by NVIDIA. These new GPUs
specifically for SoHo environments. It is also said to
Enter Buzz be netbook friendly as it takes up low memory.
are all based on the 40-nm manufacturing
process and are said to be Windows 7 ready
suggested that other browser
Have you been to Istanbul? be included in the package so
consumers can make a choice
for themselves, but Microsoft
A
have retaliated by giving
MD recently launched Recently, Dell also has been European consumers no choice
the world’s first six- Tweeting and has actually made at all.
core server processor a profit of $ 3 million, thanks So guess who benefits from
under the AMD to the followers on Twitter this major move? Google,
Opteron series, codenamed clicking their way through and Mozilla, Opera and Apple as
Istanbul. making purchases on their site. each of them have a browser
OEMs such as Cray, Dell, Dell has been using Twitter for that can now be installed on the
HP, IBM and Sun Microsystems the past two years, but saw a new OS. Internet Explorer is
are already in the process of significant rise in sales over the used by about 60 per cent of the
churning out new systems last 6 months, as they made world’s population connected
based on the new six-core AMD more than $1 million in that to the internet, followed by 30
Opteron. time span. per cent using Firefox, 4 per
The really great thing about So why are we telling you cent using Opera, and Chrome
these new processors is that all this, well the reason Twitter and Safari make up the rest,
they can be used to field- is still free, is because they according to StatCounter.
upgrade existing quad-core are unable to come up with The decision to force
Opteron systems as the same a business model to show Microsoft to include options of
Socket-F connector is used. This Ncomputing and Haier have how their site can rake in the browsers with Windows 7 is
works out as a real plus point already set the ball rolling as moolah. Well according to a still in discussion, but we will
compared to the Intel Nehalem they have accomplished task Gartner analyst, all they need have to wait and watch these
Xeon processors as one would of “one-computer-per-child” to do is show the success of turn of events.
have to go for new mainboards, program in the Republic of companies such as Dell, who
systems, chipsets and sockets. Macedonia. Along with the have used the web site to their The spam fighter
The Istanbul comes with help from the Macedonian benefit and they should be set. Spam and junk emails are a
a power-efficient DDR2 government, the two groups Twitter is working on new thing of the past. More recently
memory architecture and AMD helped install 1,80,000 add-on tools and services spam through Short Messaging
virtualization technology. computing seats throughout for businesses too, but we Service (SMS) has become
These new processors will schools which included sure hope this doesn’t affect quite a big thing. Most of you
already be available by the time hardware, software and a our daily tweeting rituals as guys might have already faced
you read this and would be a network infrastructure. nobody would give twitter a such an issue of receiving
great upgrade to your existing Now these companies are second look if you had to pay pointless SMS ads and offers
Quad-Core Opteron, as long as looking into the future as for using it. that never seem to stop even
your server vendor gives your they have set their eyes after activating certain servicing
system the needed BIOS update on governments in Africa, Browser woes to stop receiving these messages
to move to the new processor. Latin America, Europe and Windows 7 is going to be from their service provider. So
Asia to provide computing released worldwide later how does one counter these
Obtaining computers opportunities for everybody. this year, but in Europe, the spam messages?
is easy retail copy of the latest OS Not only in India are we
Ncomputing, a low-cost Tweeting to success from Microsoft will not come facing this problem, but in
computing solutions company Currently, Twitter is known pre-installed with a browser. China too it is not unusual to
catering to government as a micro blogging site that Internet Explorer, till recently get at least a dozen SMSes in
schemes and even educational people use for fun and enjoy was a part and parcel of the a single day. Well China has
institutes, announced recently typing out 140-character status Windows OS. This change of come up with an interesting
a partnership with Haier updates to keep their friends circumstances has evolved way to keep the spam under
Computer Group. Haier and followers informed about due to the pressure from the control by limiting the number
Computer Group, part of the what they have been up to. Now European Commission, not of SMSes that a single number
Haier Group, is based in China with the current world scenario, only that, this was announced can send per day. Now you
and along with Ncomputing companies have started just before the ruling of might be thinking how absurd
hope to spread large using this micro Microsoft’s anti-trust this is, taking away the right to
educational and government blogging site to charges. send messages whenever one
computing solutions. post updates The European needs to, but relax it’s not that
Ncomputing is the same about services, regulators also bad either. They have come up
organisation that provided offers and added that with really good numbers that
computer labs to students in contests for Microsoft abuses should keep people happy, as
Andhra Pradesh. That was people and in its dominant a single number cannot send
a program implemented by turn make a status by adding more than 200 messages per
the government to provide profit. And what is their own internet hour or 1,000 messages per day
computer education to 1.8 Twitter getting for browser leaving on weekdays. For the weekend
million students in Andhra all this? Nothing, as it users with no choice holidays, the SMS count goes
Pradesh. is a free to use service. on that subject. They had up to 500 per hour or a total of
Viruses attack Mac users through porn sites Nintendo products outsell competitors 2:1 Tetris celebrates a silver jubilee
16 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Chinese Phones no more
USB drives grow The government of India has recently banned the import of Buzz
The Kingston DataTraveler 200 has been introduced with a capacity Chinese mobile handsets without an IMEI number. Without this
of a whooping 128 GB. But don’t expect these to come cheap as they number mobile handset operators find it difficult to validate
are estimated to be priced at around Rs. 25,000. handsets and also track sales.
2,000 in a day. penetrate the wall of privacy, which should be out in the world and was therefore,
All three of the main mobile created by the Castro family, September, NFS Online, which awarded the status of the
network operators in China: and came to know about is going to be PC centric, and millionth word.
China Telecom, China Mobile the daily routines and life of NFS Nitro, something for the Web 2.0 basically means
Ltd. and China Unicorn, have Antonio Castro and also found Wii and DS users. the next generation of the
given this method a thumbs up out some very intimate details. EA’s move of getting World Wide Web, it may
and have decided this to be a Another thing this operation Criterion Games is quite a include upcoming products,
great way to deal with the SMS has revealed is how the internet positive new approach, and we technology and services. The
spam problem. can be used to conduct sting are quite certain that they will word had been coined some
When are we going to operations, though we aren’t be working on NFS Online for time back but has been used in
see India come up with advising any of you to mess the PC and not the Wii version an overdose within the last six
such ideas? Maybe once the around with your friends in this first. But we hope that from months.
mobile operators stop sending manner. now on the NFS series does not The same monitoring group,
messages to users offering them Apparently, Dominguez is clash with the Burnout style of Global Language Monitor,
new schemes… offering no apologies for what racing. Even so, it is going to be has calculated that there are
he has done and is proud a long wait, as this will be out about 14.7 new English words
When online romance to have achieved his goal by only after NFS Shift, sigh! or phrases being created daily
goes wrong invading the privacy of the Adding to game racing news, and pointed out the pace at
Interesting internet love stories Castros. Activision has announced a new which the English language is
are not new - the type that even In Cuba, people are denied Hot Wheels game along with evolving.
though it is forbidden and internet access even from Mattel. Hot Wheels is a very
people know it to be wrong, still Hotels, but Antonio Castro used popular name amongst kids as Freebies from
indulge in it. But what if it goes to chat with Claudia from his they are basically small toy car Microsoft
terribly wrong and one falls BlackBerry device which had models, even grown ups should Microsoft is soon to unveil
in love with a woman, who is unlimited access to the net. know about this as it has been its latest offering in terms of
actually a man wasting time and Here’s the best part of this all, around for ages. The upcoming software. No we are not talking
playing a prank, how does one Antonio is engaged to a 26 year game is titled Hot Wheels: about a new operating system
react to that? old TV producer in Havana, Battle Arena 5and is also after Windows 7, but instead
A common scenario of a wonder how she is reacting to scheduled to release somewhere they are working on a Free Anti
prank like this is when the all this? in September. Virus for personal computers,
victim is actually known by This game will have a codenamed Morro.
the prankster, so all the details Do you still feel the Transformers approach, Testing of this software is
about his or her likes and need, the need for where during intense battles, already underway with its own
dislikes are known and can be speed? the cars can transform to get employees and the product
exploited upon. But why would For those racing fanatics out special weapons for use during is said to compete against
anybody do such a thing. there, the good news is that gameplay. antivirus solutions sold by
Well recently, the latest they are going to get a new Along with the game, Hot Symantec Corp and McAffee
person to have fallen prey to NFS game in September 2009, Wheels: Battle Force 5, the Inc. A trial version or beta
this type of internet abuse the bad news here is that it is animated series will be aired a version of the application will
is none other than Antonio being developed by EA Black month prior to the release of soon be available to download
Castro, the son of Cuban leader Box together with Slightly Mad the game on Cartoon Network. from their web site but an exact
Fidel Castro. The individual Studios, titled NFS Shift. date of when this will happen is
to blame for this – Luis If you remember, Black Web 2.0 crowned the yet unknown.
Dominguez, who has been Box is who developed NFS millionth English If this free service is
word successful in what it is meant to
Web 2.0 has been claimed to be do, then it will definitely hurt
the world’s millionth word or the sales of low-end similar
phrase in the English language products offered by Symantec
by a US based language based and McAffee.
monitoring group. Morro is supposed to
This has brought a lot of provide basic protection against
distress to linguists around the a wide range of threats such as
exiled from Cuba and has been Undercover, the last NFS title, world as there is no set rules to viruses, spyware, rootkits and
blogging from Miami. He posed which according to us was not have this determined. trojans. A similar product from
as a 27 year old Columbian up to the mark of a game in the The monitoring group has Microsoft was the Live OneCare
sports journalist under NFS series. come up with this result as they suite, which was a major
the name of Claudia. Now The next piece of great news used a math formula to track disaster and they are planning
Dominguez knew that Antonio here is that the title going to be words that were frequently to kill the product to come up
had a weakspot towards young released after NFS Shift, is being being used over the internet. the free Morro service.
women and sports, so he developed by Criterion Games, They created a list of words Speculations are that Morro
combined the two to create this the developers of Burnout which included Web 2.0, Jai Ho, will be a stripped down version
fake identity. Paradise. Slumdog, Cloud Computing of Live OneCare, but we will
How has this helped EA had already stated in and even N00b. Out of these, come to know only once we
anybody? Well for starters January that they are working Web 2.0 came up more than get our hands on the beta or
Dominguez was able to on three games: NFS Shift, 25,000 times in searches across complete product.
US military is using Facebook and Twitter to post Live news from Afghanistan Apple claims Windows 7 is ‘old technology’
18 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Web watch Enter the mobile virus
Mobile Watch With mobile devices advancing with each
22 The latest happenings with mobiles,
wireless devices and handhelds 24 passing day, we need to be more aware of
virus attacks
even at the speed of sound. You
Search Engine Galore
won’t even have to enter the
Mangaluru form of the name.
It already know it! Sounds like
the sci-fi computers we’ve read
Y
in so many novels right? It is
es, Bing, Microsoft’s exactly that – the character
revamped search Data from Star Trek but not in
engine, has launched the android form. So, in effect
to much hype. We got what Google or other search
all sorts of reports from early engines try to do with questions
adopters ranging from “meh” like Population of India,
to “it’s okay” to “it’s good Wolfram will do much better.
and I’m making it my default Conventional search engines
search engine”. While we’re all will either parse language on a
for change, should we really page and return many results,
be switching to something or if human intervention by
sub-optimal just for the sake way of tagging is involved, it
of change? Probably not. But will return information based
is Bing sub-optimal? Let’s on tagged data, or as a last
look at what the search engine alternative point you to web
offers. Like Google, it’s fast, it pages that should contain the
has image search, news search answer. On the Wolfram web
integration – which for local site it says its aim is to make
news is better than Google something. Will Google be able in the main results page. Bing, “all systematic knowledge
News – and your regular maps, to show me something else?” however, has a nice little feature immediately computable by
videos and products search. It Let’s put it through a small that lets you expand the snippet anyone”. Wolfram alpha has
even offers auto suggestions as test. First to level the playing text by moving the mouse over aligned all the data it has
you type your query. However, field, we change the location of to the side of the search result. available to it in such a way
in spite of all the glitter, a search Bing to United States. This is This little back of the that it can actually make sense
engine is only as good as the because the search engine has envelope test is of course not of it; compute it. It has built
results it’s able to deliver, right? become notorious for geography perfect but it is indicative. tiny models of computational
To be able to look at this based content filtering. There Even if Bing is just as good as knowledge to compute human
objectively we need to first is no way to turn the censor off the currently reigning search fields of data systematically.
analyse what the various except to change your default champion, will we trust it So you can ask it to tell you
search scenarios for most of location. Bing definitely looses enough to be exhaustive and anything from “Number of
us normally are. At times we’re a few points here. Next we accurate? Most likely, we’ll keep internet users in Asia” or how
looking for some yes or no threw a set of search terms benchmarking it against Google much time it will take you to
(factual) type of information. at both the contenders. The for days to come. Are the type 3000 words at standard
For instance, if you were to terms include a deliberately breathtaking backdrops with typing speed, or find out which
type Digit Magazine, you’re misspelled word (yes many tidbits of interesting click-able year in history was the name
probably expecting a search folks use search engines as information enough to make John most popular and it will
engine to take you to our web spell checkers), a single answer it the search engine of choice? actually compute the answer;
site. There is nothing better or query like “Population of India”, Some folks might switch, replete with charts, graphs
worse that a search engine can and a more research oriented enamoured by the novelty and any other information you
provide other than a link to the search term such as “server and buzz. But most will keep might require. Of course by now
thinkdigit web site and maybe virualization”. In the first query coming back to Google at least you might have guessed that it
a Wikipedia entry. But what both search engines perform for now. Until of course Google is not pre-programmed with all
about a search where you don’t equally well. So we kept does some major blunder down sets of questions and answers
really know what you’re looking entering many more misspelled the line. that can ever be asked – that’s
for. In this case, your knowledge words. Google proved just not feasible.
of a particular subject will better at its “did you mean?” Wolfram|Alpha Whatever little gimmicks
be restricted to the search suggestions. For “Population Wolfram Alpha is not a search we mentioned so far are simply
engine results. This brings in of India” the results were quite engine. It’s a computational wolfram being told to be a
the question of trust. Here is curious. Google returned knowledge engine. Confused? cheap conjurer of tricks, and for
probably where Bing stands to 1,147,995,904 while Bing Well, in a nutshell it is designed the world to marvel at. There
loose out to Google. When it showed 1,147,995,900 – from to simply give you answers to is however, immense power
comes to such searches, users different sources! Next comes factual questions. For example and value in this technology.
will constantly find themselves the more open ended test. Both if you were to ask it – the It can be used to mash up and
cross checking with the search performed quite well, returning distance between Mumbai and find co-relation between stock
giant to see if the older more almost identical results. Except Mangalore. It will not only tell movements, create charts and
experienced search engine Bing showed three sponsored you the distance as the crow graphs to make sense of tons
gives them better results. results eating up valuable screen flies, but also by road, the time of socio-economic data and
There is always the underlying space. Google had a few news it will take to reach there by reveal patterns. The domains in
doubt – “Am i missing out on results too, which Bing did not regular aircraft, at light speed or which the engine delves into are
A search engine launched by Jews called koogle.co.il hunts for only Kosher results l Social networking tools like Twitter and
20 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Secure your portable drive Web watch
Secure Digital Identity Prevent your data from being abused in case of
27 Get to know how digital signatures make
online transactions easier and safer 29 theft, loss or casual snooping on your
portable devices
vast too. You have engineering Wave. Perhaps the best thing
knowledge computation, about wave is that it can be
music – ask it to play any note, embedded on other sites.
finance, geography, even the Another interesting feature of
human genome sequence. wave is that discussion and
These are just some of the content collaboration can be
applications it can have. There done on documents in the same
are plans to leverage it to tool i.e. wave. So you don’t have
create custom versions for to follow the traditional Wiki
internal data, connections and document format.
with other forms of content, Wave is open source. That
and deployment on emerging means that developers will
mobile and other platforms. get their hands on a set of
As it’s database grows and external APIs with which they
computational knowledge can build widgets for wave
increases it will only get smarter. (which they call extensions)
As of now it has 10+ trillion of and even discover better ways
pieces of data, 50,000+ types flow of work to see what was original communication. What of using its functionality. App
of algorithms and models, and missed. Okay now lets get down you’re typing gets bounced off developers only have to worry
linguistic capabilities for 1000+ to the real world. Your canvas a server straight to the other about coding XML on the
domains. is actually based in HTML5 recipients of participants of the client side and the server takes
So if it knows so much and can be run in several of wave. If you wish to add new care of updating over the wire.
will it take over the world? today’s browsers. To speed up participants to a wave its as Collaborative games are also
No, because it doesn’t communication and give added simple as dragging their picture on the drawing board amongst
have a consciousness. But functionality it features a spell from a contacts panel on the left. other things. There is also the
if everything is answered checker that auto corrects on All this free for all scope of developing server side
so easily it might make us the fly. The spell checker draws communication might just not extensions using bots. Google
brainless retards. Google only on a huge contextual linguistic go down well with those who demoed one such bot “Rosy”
helped us locate stuff; we still model, so it knows the context are a little reticent. That’s one that can translate 40 languages
had to make sense of it for of words being used and of the first things that comes on the fly! Since Google is
ourselves. This little puppy corrects them appropriately. to mind when you watch the keeping the much of the code
on the other hand is going to The interface consists of panels wave presentation; “hey I don’t open source, other corporations
answer everything for us. which they call – you guessed want people to see what I’m are free to come up with their
it – waves. These waves contain typing while I’m composing own deployments of the wave
Google Wave conversations that can be edited a mail”. Understandable. And system. By the the time Wave
Google wave is a cool piece of in real time! Forget about hand the developers of Wave are formally launches, in a year,
technology that centres around picking text to first quote and not unmindful of that. They’ve it might very well become a
live and concurrent editing then reply. You can just pin up incorporated a feature that refined and extremely powerful
and workflow management. your response to any part of the hides you from the rest of the tool. We’re eagerly waiting.
What this translates into is a
personal collaboration and
communication tool that is
fun, and perhaps an extremely
powerful a platform that can be
used in many different ways.
Now, there is an hour and a half
long presentation available on
the Google wave web site. But
without going through it for
you to get an idea of what wave
is lets put forth this analogy.
Think of a blank canvas. You
and a bunch of other folks are
simultaneously working on
it. But you’re not just using
paint and brushes. Instead,
you have a multitude of tools
at your disposal such as videos,
pictures, maps and so on that
you can pin up to the canvas to
better present your point. And
all this happens in real time.
Say one of your fellow ‘artists’
leaves. He or she can come back
and rewind and playback the
Facebook enable critical information to come out of Iran l Steve Jobs slated to return after a recent liver transplant
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 21
Fastest full touch
Mobile watch handset
The current title holder is the recently Fold
launched Samsung Jet which boasts an Nokia’s latest clamshell phone, the 3710 fold,
800 MHz processor. combines style and functionality
A new iPhone...
about time
A
pple recently unveiled spec comparison charts. reports also suggest
the iPhone 3G S – a However a T-Mobile web that the phone has a
faster version of its page reportedly had put up new graphics chip –
popular smart phone. hardware specs of the new Imagination Technologies’
Yes, the ‘S’ stands for speed; phone. The page was instantly PowerVR SGX. This
trust Apple to come up with pulled down but several chip supports a shader-
something simple, even in the reports suggest that the page driven tile-based deferred
naming convention. So what’s showed the 3G S to have a rendering architecture. iPhone 3G S and the compass feature
so special about the 3G S ? Is it 600 MHz processor and 256 The phone sports a better
just an iPhone 3G with the new MB RAM. The iPhone 3G camera this time around. The watching the video tour of the
OS 3 software preinstalled? on the other hand had a 412 camera is supposed to take 3G S on the Apple web site. As
Certainly not. Although the 3G MHz processor and 128 MB better pictures compared for the body, it is supposed to
S may have the new OS 3, it’s RAM. So, twice the ram equals to any of the earlier models have a new oil resistant coating
faster functioning lies mainly twice the speed? Going by thanks to the improved pixel that will make cleaning the
in the hardware. Many of the what was said at the WWDC count. The 3G S come with a 3 phone easier. About time that
3G S UI functions including keynote during the phone’s MP camera instead of the 2 MP they did something about the
copy and paste, MMS support, unveiling, most functions in one on the earlier model. The finger smudges.
the new Voice Memos app, the phone, including launching camera will work much faster Let’s now conclude with
and search capabilities are apps, opening web pages, in line with the other hardware the aspect that worries all
part of the iPhone 3.0 software and viewing attachments, will improvements. Along with of us – price. How much
update. And consequently will be at least twice as fast. The the camera come additional does the iPhone 3G S cost?
be available to iPhone 3G users numbers thrown about were in features such as auto-macro The contractual schemes
who simply upgrade to the the range of 2.4 to 3.6 times for picture capability and ‘tap under which it is available
new firmware. different functions. to focus’. This feature allows through a network operator
you to tap and focus on any are as complicated as our
part of the screen. By default, constitution. But the full
the iPhone would focus on price of the phone without a
the centre of the screen but network lock-in is $599 for a
now you can tap on, say, an 16-GB model and $699 for a
object in the background to 32-GB.
focus on. Not only will the
app now focus on it, it will Augmented reality
also automatically adjust other browser
settings such as white balance Imagine looking through
and exposure. your phone’s camera. You see
To give a Boy Scout helping a couple of buildings, and
hand to some of us who are within moments an overlay
directionally challenged, Apple starts displaying all sorts of
has a built-in digital compass information about them. The
in the 3G S. The compass will kind of information you see
tell the phone which direction will include, say, the price
Tap to focus and the improved 3MP Camera you are facing even when you of the building, information
What then do the are stationary. Earlier this was on various establishments
innards of the new iPhone hold It’s not just the speed of figured out via GPS by judging located within, such as
in terms of hardware? Well, no the iPhone 3G S that’s sent your direction of movement. In bars and restaurants, and
one is quite sure yet and Apple joygasms down the spines of the maps application the maps even whether there are jobs
as always is tight lipped about geeks worldwide. The phone will automatically reorient available there. Kind of
the specs of the iPhone. Why reportedly is going to come themselves to the direction reminds you of the heads-up
should it bother with giving with graphics that will equal, the user is facing. This should display we saw in Terminator
out specs anyway? Since the if not surpass, some of today’s definitely help in navigation. 3. Particularly the sequence
time of its launch Apple has gaming handhelds. The phone So, is there anything where Arnie analyses clothes
sold the iPhone based on its supports an advanced graphics different in terms of looks? Not sizes for himself with
design, mind blowing UI, and API for mobile phones – the really. In fact we had difficulty information constantly being
the bountiful app store. Not OpenGL ES 2.0. Unconfirmed telling the difference while displayed on screen, and
The launch of the iPhone 3G S saw a shorter line of customers compared to the launch of the original iPhone launch back in 2007
22 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Keyless phone Eleven per cent Mobile watch
The 5530 XpressMusic reportedly doesn’t The number of mobile phone
have any physical keys. Brings new subscriptions worldwide that
definition to the term full touch, right? are 3G
finally zeros in on one that’s a release the browser in other The agriculture portion of for ICSE, CBSE and state
perfect match. countries as well. Plans are Tools has two plans to choose board-level exams mapped to
Well, that type of overlay being chalked out for sourcing from: the basic plan, available the relevant curriculum; and
experience is now being local partners in Germany, across India at Rs. 30 a month, general knowledge, which gives
offered by a browser through a the UK and the United States provides daily weather updates subscribers useful information
mobile phone. Layar, a mobile this year. Furthermore other and relevant agriculture-related about the world around
phone browser launched by platforms like the Apple iPhone news, advice and tips. The
SPRXmobile, is the world’s 3GS are also being considered. premium plan, at Rs. 60 a
first mobile augmented reality month, will be available in 10
browsers. It displays real time Nokia Life tools states, including Maharashtra,
digital information on top of the Remember old eChoupal, the and provides the closest
visuals being viewed through ITC initiative from a while ago market prices for three crops
the camera. Whilst looking that revolutionised information chosen by the subscriber, as them. The pricing of these
through the phone’s camera flow for the Indian farmer? well as weather, news, advice components will be Rs. 30 a
lens, a user can see things like Nokia has launched a similar and tips. The service will month.
houses for sale, information service, except this one is commence first in Maharashtra Entertainment services will
on popular bars and shops, available on mobile phones. before it goes countrywide. include astrology, news, jokes,
establishments where jobs are Nokia had been talking about Nokia has implemented a cricket and ringtones, offered
available, healthcare providers this kind of service since tie-up with Maharashtra at existing market prices. The
and ATMs. Currently, the app November last year, and it has State Agricultural Marketing content provider for this will
is built only for the Android now come to fruition after a Board (MSAMB), who will be OnMobile.
operating system, provide expertise The pilot models to deploy
such as on the HTC in the areas of this service are the Nokia 2323
Magic, but a version commodity prices classic and Nokia 2330 classic,
can presumably be from its network but other models will soon be
built for other smart of 291 local incorporated.
phones including mandis (markets).
the Apple iPhone. All MSAMB will in Audio Movies?
the phone needs to turn have the Movies are to be watched
have to support the opportunity to right? Well not anymore.
browser is a camera, deliver relevant Looks like the guys at UTV
GPS and an in-built news, alerts on are planning to revolutionise
compass. schemes and the way we ‘watch’ movies.
The service is for other information With the launch of the new
now only available directly to service called UTV@Play’s
in the Netherlands, grassroots Audio Cinema they plan to
where the content consumers. bring to users one hour audio
for the browser is Reuter’s Market versions of movies, complete
provided by partners Layar in action Light (RML) Syngenta, with dialogues, narration, and
such as local market Madison Research, Skymet will plot summary. Sure, there are
leaders ING (bank), funda pilot project in the form of also provide inputs. people who recite dialogues
(real estate web site), Hyves Nokia Life Tools. Life Tools, Under the Educational of their favourite movies,
(social network), Tempo-team which was designed as a service services banner, Nokia plans but will anyone be able to
(jobs agency) and Zekur.nl specific to emerging markets, to offer three components: sit around and listen to an
(healthcare provider). The is a range of agriculture, learn English, with basic, hour of a movie without any
technology underlying the education and entertainment intermediate and advanced supporting visuals? UTV sure
system is quite fascinating. services intended for the non- levels; exam preparation, which hopes so. To access the service,
When you look at a scene urban consumer. offers students tips and advice users are expected to dial in to
through the camera the GPS 505999555 and the charges
tells the service providers are Re. 1 per minute. To start
of your location while the with, Audio Cinema is offering
compass tells them where the movies such as Fashion and
phone is pointing. The content Sholay (Hindi), Prem Loka
providers then provide the (Kannada), Thalapathi (Tamil)
relevant data that is tagged and Gang Leader (Telugu). Just
according to coordinate like in the theatres, the movie
details, and this is displayed listing changes every Friday.
as a layer on top of the scene The service has features that
being viewed. Each provider let you let you skip, forward,
gets access to one overlay, or repeat scenes, or reconnect
layer. Tapping on the side of later and start from where you
the phone switches between left off. The service is available
different layers provided by the through various operators
different providers. such as Idea, Vodafone, Airtel
SPRX mobile is planning to Mobile and Reliance.
According to a recent study the world mobile phone market declined by 11.9 per cent in the first quarter of this year.
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 23
Suspect zero Botnets
Feature The first ever mobile ‘virus’ was in fact
an anti-piracy code made by a company
A collection of devices infected on an
always-on network set up to forward
called Ojam in its Mosquito game back in transmissions including spam or
2004, to get back at illegal users viruses to other devices
Siddharth Parwatay The virus story so far... The later variants of Cabir and other viruses
siddharth.parwatay@thinkdigit.com Ever since the iPhone changed our view of could completely disable a phone, delete
E
smartphones, there has been no stopping the data on it, turn icons into skulls, or
ven the most cautious of PC users this segment. But that doesn’t mean that force the device to send costly messages to
will have certainly faced at least smartphones weren’t around prior to that. premium-priced numbers. Soon the number
one instance of virus infection. Sometime in 2004 came devices that were of recorded viruses for mobile phones grew
We all know how frustrating a able to download applications from the to about a hundred, but mostly on Symbian
virus attack can be. Viruses, worms and internet and share software with one another and Windows Mobile platforms. This
trojans, under whatever category they’re through short-range Bluetooth connections; growth was very similar to the growth rates
classified, can cause anywhere from minor they also had worldwide multimedia of viruses on the PC platform after Brain,
irritation to total system failure. Instances messaging service (MMS) communications the first pc virus, made its appearance.
of PC virus attacks are fairly common. and memory cards. With these phones Soon, by 2006, there were several Trojans
These days, with mobile devices becoming came the first mobile phone virus written doing the rounds. Some of the common
increasingly similar to fully functional for the Symbian series 60 OS. It was dubbed mobile Trojans to have attacked mobile
PCs, it makes one wonder whether
All you ever wanted to know about mobile phone viruses and other
malware, and how you can protect yourself
The stage is set
Enter the mobile virus
these devices will be the next to face an Cabir and was a classic proof-of-concept phones and smart phones are: SymbOS.
epidemic of a virus threat. Turns out they virus, clearly created to prove a point and Sendtool – a trojan horse that runs on the
are surely on the target list for malicious perhaps claim bragging rights. The first Symbian operating system. This trojan
code programmers and that we may be on variant of Cabir was not very harmful; it drops a hacktool that can be used to send
the brink of a widespread virus attack in simply replicated itself through Bluetooth malicious programs, such as variants of
the near future. A recent research study and draining the battery was its only the SymbOS.PBStealer family of trojans,
that appeared in Science magazine had malicious intent. Later variants, however, to other mobile devices via Bluetooth.
scientists studying human behavioural were not so benign and did considerable CDropper is another family of Symbian SIS
patterns to find out the reasons behind damage. The transmission mode for Cabir file trojans that will install Cabir variants
this and what to expect if such a scenario was through Bluetooth. The virus would into the device. Mainly, this variant makes
were to take place. The study revealed basically search for other devices that were the menu icons go blank. Commwarrior
that the only type of phone that is left in the ‘discoverable’ mode and jump that then emerged on the scene and had its
susceptible to a virus attack is one that way from phone to phone. Cabir comes into biggest impact in Spain where it infected
runs an operating system — a smartphone. a phone as a Bluetooth message in the inbox about 1,00,000 phones in 2006. It infected
Considering that even in these difficult as a caribe.sis file. Opening the file would phones running Nokia’s Symbian series
times the growth of smartphones is unleash the virus and soon it starts looking 60 second edition operating system and
unstoppable and nearly doubling every for other devices. spread via MMS messages — text messages
year, the time is not far off when we see a Soon many malicious code writers took containing an audio, video or picture file.
full-fledged virus attack. a cue from Cabir and began modifying it to Certainly an irritant, it drew up large phone
make more damaging forms of the virus. bills for users. According to Panda Security,
24 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Mobile phishing Feature
Mobile worms A fraudulent text message that lures people
Self replicating code that automatically to reveal passwords, financial details or
spreads from one phone to another. other private data
as of 2008, 90.34 per cent of mobile host’s name then relays it to the malware the existence of the iPhone OS and strong
malware targets the Symbian platform, 4.14 author. WINCE_INFOJACK.A also changes contender Android. The Palm Web OS is also
per cent Windows Mobile, 3.35 per cent security settings on the affected phone. The being hailed as a thoroughbred multitasker.
Palm OS, and 2.07 per cent targets J2ME. worm originates from an infected memory The impending popularity and proliferation
Both networks and manufacturers card on a mobile device or through SMS. of these operating systems will likely bring
soon realised the impending threat and In addition, another very recent virus in the era of wide-spread mobile viruses. Yet
steps were taken back then to stem the attack was “Curse of Silence” virus. This another issue regarding the spread of viruses
proliferation. Apple for instance, when denial-of-service attack prevents incoming needs to be addressed here. The transmission
it launched the iPhone, came up with SMSes from reaching the inbox once the mode or vectors. So far we have seen viruses
the App Store so that trojans couldn’t user receives a specially formulated text that have spread through Bluetooth primarily.
creep in through non-trusted third-party message”. This is also a reason that no virus outbreak
applications. Both Nokia and RIM have Phones affected by CurseSMS required is very widespread. For a virus to be spread
followed; creating their own app stores. Yet, a factory reset. Another important virus through Bluetooth it needs to be within a
people continue to jail break their phones report of recent times was of the appearance 10 to 30 meter radius of another Bluetooth
or indiscriminately install any application of the first iPhone Trojan – a crude piece enabled phone. MMS proliferating viruses
that could perhaps hold trojans. of code, with no means of propagation, are not so restricted in their spread. Like
We asked Amit Nath, Country Manager, purportedly written by a twelve year old. computer viruses they spread using the
Trend Micro India & SAARC to tell us about address book of the device and a network
the most problematic threat that they’ve Why isn’t there a big boss connection. The bad news is that hybrid
encountered so far. He said, “Trend Micro virus yet? viruses are also conceivable and these will
researchers have encountered a fair number Having noted all the outbreaks so far, there pose the most significant threat.
of mobile threats in the past two years, but has not been a single major catastrophic virus
WINCE_INFOJACK has similar capabilities to the most dangerous information-stealing malware seen on
the desktop. The worm targets the Windows Mobile PocketPC and runs on a Windows CE environment
and steals information like the serial number, OS version, model, platform, and host’s name then
relays it to the malware author
it would be a stretch to call any of them event of the likes of Mellissa or Conficker in What does the future hold?
except one anything truly problematic. The the PC world. Why is this so? According to Thieves will always go where there is
one exception we’re referring to is WINCE_ recent research the reason is fragmentation in money. Now that people have begun
INFOJACK, which has similar capabilities the market. Viruses will pose a serious threat transacting business on their phones there
to the most dangerous information-stealing only once a single mobile operating system’s is sure to be a surge in spyware written
malware seen on the desktop. More recently market share grows sufficiently large. For for mobile platforms. Around the end of
Trend Micro researchers detected malware now, different vendors use different operating last year a new report on emerging threats
targeting the Windows Mobile PocketPC. systems and so just as compatibility is an from the Georgia Tech Information Security
Detected as WINCE_INFOJACK.A, the issue with applications so it is with viruses. Center mentioned that botnets are going
worm runs on a Windows CE environment A virus written for one OS will not work on to hit cell phones by mid-2009. Even if
and steals information like the serial another. A virus friendly eco-system is just operating systems are different, browsers
number, OS version, model, platform, and what will happen in the near future given are still common. You have Opera Mini
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 25
Feature Virus Trojan
A generic term to cover all An application that is
malicious code such as trojans, supposed to be useful but
worms, etc is actually malicious code
on most Java and Symbian phones Blue Jacking
while Windows Mobile comes
with Internet Explorer; on Apple’s The term BluJacking as it turns out is a misnomer. What is commonly believed by the general public is that
iPhone you have Safari. All of these BlueJacking is a way to take control of another phone using Bluetooth. Giving rise to the wrong belief that the word
browsers have vulnerabilities that is an amalgam of Bluetooth and hijacking. This concept in fact is known as BlueSnarfing.
can be exploited, although not Bluejacking actually is simply sending messages via Bluetooth to other phones. Most commonly people
would rename a contact in their phone to something like “You have been Bluejacked” and send it as a Vcard
always on the mobile version. Now
to nearby phones. More mischievous and startling messages would be something like “Hey there cutie, I
that people have started transacting
like your black top”. The technique is often used as a guerrilla marketing tool. The term is supposed to have
on their mobile phones, we will see
originated when a Malaysian IT consultant used his phone to advertise a particular phone brand. The name
more instances of data theft than was a combination of the words Bluetooth and ajack – his username on an online fan forum. BlueSnarfing on
denial of service (DoS) attacks. the other hand has a more malicious intent. It is a technique that could be used to copy sensitive data from a
victim’s phone as well as take complete control of their devices to make calls. This was done by exploiting a
Attack vectors of the security flaw in the Bluetooth standard of earlier phones that has since been rectified.
future
In virus parlance, a vector refers to the ingenious method can be developed by a full version starting at $20 upwards to
mode of attack. For example, an infected malicious coders. around $50 a year.
USB drive is a common vector for desktop Physical media – Commwarrior has been Apart from antivirus packages,
viruses. In the case of mobile phones, there known to infect physical memory media disinfection tools designed for specific
are several virus vectors too. And more such as SD cards or memory sticks. viruses are also available. Such tools can
are likely to emerge as we enter the 3G detect and remove a particular type of virus.
era. Some of the attack vectors for mobile How do you protect yourself? FSecure had a disinfection tool for both
phones could be: Prevention is the key. Most big names in Cabir and CommWarrior. FortiCleanUp Tool
Peer-to-peer connectivity – this includes antivirus software such as Trend Micro, from FortiGuard is also another clean up tool
Bluetooth and infrared. Bluetooth is used as McAfee, FSecure and Kaspersky have security that is available free and offers the removal
a vector by most viruses. solutions for mobile phones. In fact, some of most known viruses. Other packages such
Synchronisation with a PC – PCs are more suggest that much of the hype and panic as NetQin and Commander are also available
susceptible to viruses. So, if a phone virus about mobile viruses has been raised by for certain platforms. But the efficacy of these
has crept in on one and is lying dormant, it AV companies. So the obvious question will only be tested when more sophisticated
can easily get transmitted when the phone is is – do you need an antivirus solution for viruses surface. Spybot Search and Destroy is
connected to the PC. your mobile phone? The answer to this is also available for Windows Mobile, Windows
Data services – this includes MMS, SMS, ambiguous. Firstly, in the case of mobile CE and Symbian UIQ 2.
WAP and other packet service connectivity. viruses spread through MMS, they have to Apart from installing antivirus software
You click a link or download an application go through the network operator’s servers. there are certain simple precautions that
from a non-trusted source. With malware filters, the threat can be you can take. The most basic precaution
Wireless LAN – this will be the same as curbed from proliferating. However, for is to keep your phone in the hidden
getting a virus across the internet. viruses spread through Bluetooth, it’s best to mode. You obviously lessen the chances
Telephony – instances of such viruses have protection native to your phone. Most of virus attacks if the phone is not visible
have not occurred yet, but perhaps some of these antiviruses have trial versions, with to worms at all. Activate Bluetooth only
when needed. Other Bluetooth precautions
include devices pairing in secured areas
and choosing a strong PIN. Some of the
same rules of the web apply to the mobile
world. Be extremely cautious when opening
attachments to messages or emails; be
it from known or unknown sources.
Keep an eye on file extensions; an alarm
should always ring in your head when an
innocuous extension such as MP3 or JPG
asks you for an application install dialogue
box. Another rule of thumb that you must
follow is – always choose no. Most of the
Bluetooth viruses ask you to install a SIS
file. In most cases, simply clicking NO
would averted the problem all together.
Although this may restrict the applications
you install on your phone, it’s best to stick
to applications from trusted sources to
lower the risk of infection.
Perhaps manufacturers and the powers
that be should take a cue from what
happened with desktops and provide for
security from the word go, instead for
waiting for malicious code to be developed
first and then go about countering it. In
conclusion we leave you with the boy
scouts motto – be prepared.
26 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
S/MIME Feature
S/MIME (Secure / Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions)
is a standard used for embedding the public key or the
signature in the MIME of the message
that time. It’s all well and good to see proof of authorship of documents with his signature.
your love for your girlfriend carved on a tree A signature is something that anyone can
years in the future, but it can get embarrassing read and possible verify, and as such it gives
with your wife standing next to you. no security to the contents of the documents.
The biggest threat our online identities Like any form you fill (in quadruplicate) for a
face is the damage that can be caused government organisation, your signature just
by unscrupulous and unauthorized verifies that you filled the form, the contents
intrusion. Many of us have been through of it are still open for perusal by the dozens of
the embarrassment of emails sent with our people it bounces between before reaching its
good name to unsuspecting habitants of our destination or the Recycle Bin.
address books, and the sheer horror that Any signature scheme needs to enable
follows. The messy explanations, “No, I’m anyone to 1) easily and effectively sign their
NOT selling ‘enhancement’ products” OR own documents 2) easily verifiable and
“No, I don’t have any relatives in Nigeria”. identifiable as yours (or anyone else’s), and
The worrysome fact is that this is so very 3) be very difficult if not impossible to forge.
easy in the digital world. Even though new We see this in our day-to-day signatures, since
forms of communication have become more they are almost a part of our identity, they
popularised, and better secured, a large portion are easy to produce. They can be verified by
of our online persona lies in our email boxes. matching with a copy, and it is difficult to
Stories may be spun and rumours may produce someone else’s signature. A digital
fly, but when it comes right down to it, in the signature by comparison provides much
“It’s not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you”
A Secure Digital Identity
Kshitij Sobti world outside computers, it is your signature more security than an ink signature as it is
kshitij.sobti@thinkdigit.com that defines the authenticity of the written practically unforgable.
word. Flawed as it might be it is a system
Authenticity verification
I
that provides a measure of security to our
t’s true – while your greatest transactions. Authenticity verification is more to do
accomplishments may barely see the with ensuring that the contents of the
light of day, it’s your most embarrassing Digitised validity document are safe from modification, and
moments that will most often reach a How would you share a secret? Perhaps any modification made by unscrupulous
wider audience. While we try our best to live by whispering it to a friend, or discreetly entities can easily be detected. This is similar
our lives in frivolous anonymity, we are on slipping a note of the same. However, in most to laminating a paper document with a plastic
some level aware, that we leave clues to our situations neither is an option. We may need sheet, this prevents modifications, and any
identity as we move through our lives. We to get secretive or sensitive information across, forced modifications made are liable to be
may call up work and say we are sick with however the party delivering the message easily detected.
a fever while we watch a film, all the while cannot be trusted with it. When we look at Here, the source of the document is not
knowing that all it takes is a simple call home computers transmitting information over the important, what is important is the validity of
to confirm our dishonesty. internet, what we have is a communication the document. Although such is the case with
being sent over a possibly unsecured channel the example of lamination, it is not necessary
A digital identity that could be monitored or even tampered everyone should be able to detect unauthorised
As the internet draws inroads deeper into our by adversaries. Depending on the content modifications. We can take the example of a
personal lives, we find ourselves increasingly of the message, and its target audience, we document written in special ink which cannot
concerned about our online personality. relate to different security schemes. In some be differentiated from normal ink by most
Today, a simple Google search can yield cases verifiability of a message’s authenticity people. In such a case, only people with the
all your tweets on Twitter, all your blog posts, is all that is required, while in other cases the ability to differentiate the special ink will be
your forum interactions, your video posts, the authenticity of the source is more important. able to detect whether there has been any
list goes on. All the breadcrumbs Hansel and Here lies the difference between the unauthorised modifications.
Gretel need to reach the deepest recesses of concepts of digital signatures, message Again as in the case of digital signatures,
your identity. authenticity verification and encryption. authentication tags need to be easy to produce
One rarely worries about the implications and verified for the parties involved, but
of what we leave behind, and often forget who Digital signatures impossible for an outsider to produce.
all can see it. The ease and seeming anonymity A digital signature may be taken pretty much
of the internet are just too lucrative. What in the same terms as a physical signature, it Encryption
many people do online is the equivalent of identifies the authorship of a document, thus Encryption is the most effective way to
carving every bench, every tree, every wall we authenticating the source. It gives security keep things away from prying eyes. Unlike
encounter in our lives with our thoughts at to the author, as he is only liable to accept authentication tags and digital signatures,
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 27
Feature Non repudiation
Non repudiation is a provision of Digital
Secure signatures
To enable usage of a digital signature on
signatures to ensure that the signer cannot multiple computers, it can be securely
claim that they never signed a document stored on a smart card
encryption garbles the content of the since they have a decryption key
message / document / data in such a (their private-key).
way that only the intended parties can When we use digital signatures
decode it. practically, a software generates a
Encryption gives security to the signature for our given message.
content by making it impossible The signature is such that if any
for anyone to access it unless they part of the message / document is
specifically know how. If digital changes, the signature would no
signatures are similar to putting longer match and we would know
a name tag on your lunch, and immediately that someone has
authentication tags are like wrapping tampered with the message.
it in plastic, then encrypting is Digital signatures aren’t limited
analogous to locking it in a 10-tonne to email messages or documents,
stainless steel safe. they are not used in almost every
Encryption relies on algorithms field where the source of the data is
for which the coding is far simpler important. Microsoft uses digitally
than the decoding. The encoding signed certificates for drivers it has
operates on two things, the data, and tested, and warns the user if an
the key. The algorithm is designed unsigned driver is being installed.
such that without the key it is nearly Signing a digital document with a “hash” key is a common security measure Digitally signed files, if modified by
impossible (or unfeasible) to get the a virus, will invalidate the signature,
data back from the cypher. However have been encrypted with the private key. which can serve a warning to the
unless combined with a digital signature user.
mechanism, you have no way of knowing if the Public-Key encryption A signature is only as good as the one
encrypted data is from right source. Unlike the public key system, which is who signed it. A million dollar cheque will do
Encryption schemes also present another symmetric, i.e. the encrypting key and you little good if the signature is of a pauper.
conundrum. How do you transfer the decrypting key are the same; public-key Likewise, a digital signature by its nature needs
encryption “secret”?Whether it is an algorithm encryption uses different keys for encrypting to be easy to produce and as such by itself
or a key, transferring it through an insecure and decrypting data. This may seem shouldn’t inspire any confidence. A digitally
medium is as good as not encrypting at all. counter-intuitive, but is incredibly useful. In signed virus which deletes all your files, will
a Public-Key encryption, the encryption key only do its job if it’s signature is intact.
Private-Key encryption is openly published for anyone to see, while For simple cases of authenticating your
The private key encryption method is one the decryption key is kept secret. What this emails and files for personal purposes, digital
that most people are aware of. Two parties essentially means is that while everyone is signatures are almost free to use. There are
agree on a secret key which will be used capable of encrypting messages that you can many tools capable of generating signature for
to encrypting any further communication. decrypt, however they are unable to decrypt your messages and documents. Software that
This initial communication where the key any messages encrypted by the public-key work with documents have some support for
is exchanged can be done in person or via even the ones they encrypted themselves! digital signatures. Microsoft Office products,
a secure channel. Much like whispering or In this case, a secure line of for example, allow you to generate and attach
passing a note. communication can be obtained by a digital signature to your documents.
The obvious disadvantage having the participants exchange
here is the need for a secure public keys, and use them for any Conclusion
way of communication, and if secure communication. A secure As we see our digital identities take a
that is available, the whole need channel is not required for increasingly important role in our lives,
for encryption becomes a sending the keys in this we need to protect it as much as we can.
little moot. case, since the key is only With digital signatures and encryption we
In simple cases, we capable of encrypting and can ensure that our message gets across
may share a password not decrypting, furthermore, unhindered and without misrepresentation.
over telephone with our it is impractical to determine The need for security is thus becoming more
friend for files we are the decrypting key given apparent. The measures of security and
about to share. When the encrypting key. Even if privacy are becoming a more integral part of
it is your job to be your adversaries were to every online service.
paranoid about your Digitally sign your emails gain access to you public The internet is no longer just for
companies security It is quite easy to use digital signatures key, it would only enable communicating with people far away. We
however, that doesn’t with Thunderbird. For this one merely them to encrypt data use it daily to communicate with people in
needs to install an addon called Enigmail
cut it, and a security with your key, they our schools, offices, with our neighbours
and an OpenPGP system such as GnuPG or
enabled channel would still be helpless or even the people in our own homes.
gpg4win, all of which are free and open source
will be used. If to decrypt any data that This makes what we do online even more
software.
having a secure After installing both of them, you they intercept. important and relevant to our daily lives.
communication will see an OpenPGP menu in In this kind of system, There is no longer a Neo and Mr. Anderson,
channel is expensive, thunderbird. Enigmail comes the sending party encrypts we now have one personality of which the
we can use the channel with a setup wizard located confidential data with the internet is a part.
merely to exchange the key. in the OpenPGP menu, which public-key of the party which The ease with which we can create online
After which the internet will allow you to easily set up is to receive said data. The identities for ourselves only exacerbates the
can be host to further your email client to use the recipient of the data is then fact that it is as easy for someone else to
communications which installed openPGP software to able to decrypt the message assume our identity online as it is for us.
add digital signatures to your email.
28 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
IronKey
The IronKey is marketed as the most
secure USB drive in the world. The
Workshop
drive is lined with a small amount of
explosive, to self-destruct on intrusion
Secure your
format, such as a ZIP file. We image file to the same folder
will be using a free and open as the archive. Then use cd or
source archiving software called cd.. to navigate to the relevant
portable device
7zip. 7zip stores archives in folder. Once there, enter the
the .7z format by default, but following command.
also works with BZip2, GZip,
TAR and ZIP formats. WinRar copy /b image.jpg +
is a great software for handling archive.7z image2.jpg
Prevent your data from being abused in case archive files, but you have to
of theft, loss or casual snooping on your purchase the full version before The image2.jpg will be the
portable devices. you can password protect your image file with the hidden
archives. Once you install 7zip, archive. To extract the archive,
the archiving operations show change the extension of
Aditya Madanapalle PicoCrypt is a small up in the context menu when the file from image2.jpg to
aditya.madanapalle@thinkdigit.com encryption and decryption you right click on a file or folder archive.7z. Note that you need
P
tool. It can be used to encrypt you want to archive. Right-click to remember the format the
ortable memory has any kind of file. It is a small and select “add to archive”. In archive was originally in. Using
become a mainstay programme (16 KB) that runs the Encryption field, enter a a .zip extension for a .7z archive
of modern computer without an installation, and can password, and enter it again. If won’t work. The image2.jpg
usage. Executives, be carried around on a USB you check the “Show password” file can be opened in image
employees, government drive. When used to encrypt checkbox, you don’t need to viewers, and even in image
officials and individual users a file, the file will be visible, enter the password twice. In manipulation programs. The
have a range of reasons to but not readable. An image or the Archive Format drop down archive will get corrupted only
protect the data on their a text file will appear garbled menu, select the archive format if the image file is overwritten
portable devices. Two basic or as gibberish. Some kinds of you want to use. 7zip portable with changes.
security measures include extensions cannot be opened at and one of the more obscure Sometimes it is necessary to
password protecting the all. However, the thumbnail of formats, will discourage casual hide or lock away entire folders.
the document snoopers. If anyone wants When working regularly with
will be visible to access the contents of the files, the above methods are not
if Windows archive, they will need the of much help, and are pretty
has the password. This is a great way of laborious.
thumbnail sharing files over public hosting TrueCrypt is a great open
saved before services, such as yousendit or source encryption software
the file was rapidshare. for such purposes. When
encrypted. People can still delete the installing TrueCrypt, there are
Also, users archive if they want to. To two options available. A disk
can delete the circumvent this, archives can installation will install the
file from the be hidden inside other kinds software on the hard drive. An
system if they of files, such as an image or a extraction, will however place
Simple encryption and decryption of single files want to. text file. To do this, once the the software on an external
To encrypt archive is created, you will drive, and can be run from
a file, simple have to navigate to the folder there. This is essentially a
data, and encrypting it. Many drag and drop it into PicoCrypt. using the command prompt. portable version of TrueCrypt,
portable device manufacturers, A window will ask you if you Go to Start>Run>cmd and but this version is limited in
such as Buffalo Systems or want to encrypt or decrypt the hit [Enter]. First, copy an capability. After you encrypt
Kingston, have versions of file. Click on encrypt. You will
portable memory devices be prompted for a password,
that offer in-built encryption and a confirmation. If you
and/or password protection. drag and drop multiple files
This is achieved through the into PicoCrypt, you will be
agency of software that comes prompted to enter a password
pre-installed on the portable and confirm it for each of the
device itself. Such devices are files dragged into PicoCrypt.
marginally more secure than To view the files again, start up
the methods described below. PicoCrypt, and drag and drop
These software are pretty the files you want to decrypt,
straightforward to setup and then enter the passwords for
use. Invariably, such software each of them in turn. Now the
allow users to protect a files can be opened and edited
section of the data stored on on programmes.
the portable device, or all the Another simple way to
data stored on the device. The protect files is to put them in
methods described below will an encrypted archive. This
allow you to use some simple is essentially the same as
tools for effectively disallowing the above method, but the The image file, the archive to be hidden, the command line code, and the two
access to your files. extension is changed to archive images opened side by side
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 29
Theft through USB drives
Workshop Companies should encrypt data on their Corporate Theft
hard drives as well, so employees cannot Studies show that 45% of employees steal
walk out with sensitive documents on their data while changing jobs, are often hired by
USB drives competitors
secure an entire which leaves absolutely no A ten character password or
portable device, traces as it is located invisibly so should be beyond what
including USB within the encrypted volume. a casual snooper can crack
drives and portable This is for advanced users, using a brute force method,
hard drives. This and not really necessary in which is trying every possible
option is Encrypt a most cases. Simply select the combination of letters and
non-system partition Standard TrueCrypt volume numbers as the password. Next
/ drive. The third and proceed. The next step is you will be asked to move the
option is to encrypt to select the drive or device cursor around the window in a
an entire partition that you want to encrypt and random way. This just generates
or a system drive. password protect. Click on random strings of data that will
Choose the second Device, and select a device from be used in the encryption. Click
option and click on the list that appears, then click on Format after this is done.
next. on Next. If there is data on your
Selecting a location for encryption The wizard The next step
then offers you allows you to
a drive in TrueCrypt, the two options for either format the
computer will recognise a the type of volume. The first device and encrypt
plugged in drive, but not allow option is a Standard TrueCrypt it, or encrypt the
you to access it. Instead, any volume, the second option is a partition in place.
computer will prompt you to Hidden TrueCrypt volume. The The first option
format the drive before you Hidden TrueCrypt volume adds simply erases all
can use it. TrueCrypt can be another layer of security. If for the data on the
used to mount the drive, which any reason, anyone finds out partition, then
means that the encrypts it. The
same drive will second option,
occupy to drive encrypts the
letters. The drive, moves the
default one will data around, and
be inaccessible encrypts the data Mounting the encrypted volume
and the mounted as well. The second
drive will be option is very time consuming, device, you will be prompted
available only and it is faster to copy the data about the loss of the data. Note
after you enter to a secure location, format and that the drive will be formatted,
the password encrypt the drive, then copy the and all the data overwritten
in TrueCrypt. data back to the volume. Select using garbage values. Even a
TrueCrypt is Create encrypted volume and file recovery software cannot
available for format it, then click on Next. recover your data after you
Linux and Mac This is where things get a proceed. Click on Next to
systems as little geeky. You get to choose continue. TrueCrypt will now
Selecting a cipher, or a combination of ciphers
well, so your from a range of encryption erase all the data, and encrypt
encrypted drive will be truly that you have encrypted your ciphers. There are a range of the external drive. Even with
portable. portable drive, and force you to options available. Generally the default formatting, and the
To encrypt a drive, plug reveal it using a password, then speaking, the more the time fastest encryption algorithm,
it into the computer, start the Hidden TrueCrypt volume displayed, the more secure the the process will take about
up TrueCrypt, and go to will come to your rescue. You ciphers are. See box for more five minutes for each GB. It
Volumes>Create New can hide sensitive looking data details. Once an encryption is a good idea to leave the
Volume. A volume is a location in the TrueCrypt volume, but method for a drive has been process overnight, if you are
where encrypted and password the real sensitive data will be selected, it cannot be changed encrypting a portable hard
protected data can be stored stored in the hidden volume, later on. Click on Next. drive. The portable version of
securely. This starts up The size prompt box TrueCrypt can mount volumes,
the TrueCrypt Volume Ciphers in TrueCrypT now appears. This is but not create them. To mount
Creation Wizard. There are useful only for creating a volume, select a drive letter
three possible locations for All the options available in TrueCrypt are block containers, or volumes from the list of available drive
the data to be stored. The ciphers. Block ciphers take pieces of the input hidden within a file. The letters. Then click on Mount,
data, and convert it into pieces of coded data.
first option is to create an size of the drive will show and select the drive as it shows
The pieces range from 16 bits to 256 bits.
encrypted file container. up in this window, and you up in the system’s drive list.
The different encryption options available are
This option allows you cannot change the values. You will be prompted for a
different methods of substitution. The AES is
to create an image file, the most commonly used encryption algorithm, Click on Next. You have password, which you have
which stores all the data and is the standard for the official purposes of to enter a password and to enter at this point of time.
encrypted; you can write many governments. The other options available confirm it at this stage. If Now the drive will show up in
any kind of data inside include Twofish and Serpent. Serpent is more you use anything less than explorer. You can use it as any
this image file. This image secure than AES, but is understandably slower. a password of 20 strings other drive, copy and paste data
file can be carried around Users can use any combination of the three in length, TrueCrypt will from it, but without TrueCrypt,
in portable devices. The ciphers, or use all three together (very slow). prompt you to choose a and your password, it cannot be
second option lets you more secure passwords. opened by anyone else.
30 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Geek Life Security in the UK
Digital life Drool maal 34 Get into the realms of ethical
hacking 37 Since 26/11 we’ve heard a lot about CCTV cameras.
Find out how CCTVs have helped the UK
MasterOne
The Swiss audiophile company has come out with a new model of speakers,
called the Piefa MasterOne. Piega’s claim with the MasterOne is that these
are the first dipole speakers that are designed as a single source of sound,
which makes the speakers crystal clear even in demanding room conditions.
A single unit is available for $20,850 (Rs. 9,92,055)
Anti Gravity Globe
The Levitron Anti Gravity Globe, is both, a great display piece and a toy for
children. Microchip controlled electromagnets levitate a slowly revolving
globe above an anti-gravity base. There are no anti-gravity waves involved,
but the resulting effect is stunning nonetheless. Unfortunately, the countries
and the continents are labelled, spoiling the effect a bit. Order one of these
at Thinkgeek or Amazon for $80 (Rs. 4,282)
Switchblade
The Samson Motorworks Switchblade is a sleek, aerodynamic flying
motorcycle designed with Ferrari aesthetics. The three wheeled motorcycle
with a 120 hp engine has retractable blade wings. The motorcycle seats two
people side by side, and has a small storage space at the back. The range
of the bike on ground is 1,400 kilometres, and 550 kilometres in the air on a
single fuel up
32 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Nextbook Drool maal
What started as a bare minimum
41 netbook, could become the
laptop of the future
Flight System G940
Logitech’s Flight System G940 is a controller kit aimed at
flight-sim enthusiasts. Compatible with most flight-sim
games, the package consists of a controller kit, pedals
and a split throttle. We can understand the force
feedback allows for turbulence and the behaviour
of the aircraft, we are unsure of how the gadget
can simulate g-forces, but Logitech claims it
can. Club this thing with the CRV-43
for the ultimate flight-sim fanatic
experience. Pick one up for $300
(Rs. 14,274)
CRV-43
The CRV-43 from NEC Display Solutions is a staggering 43-inch display. Four DLP
monitors are stitched together, to give one seamless 2880 x 900 display resolution.
We are guessing that the monitors will be used for workstations, but gaming rigs
may benefit if the game can handle the 30:1 aspect ratio. The monitor is available for
$8,000 (Rs. 3,79,680), but good luck finding wallpapers for it
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 33
Black or white? Hacker lingo
Geek life The terms White Hat and Black Hat
originate from old western films where
The titles of this article are written in hacker
speak aka 1337 $p33| if only the 7-inch screens were actually at least the cheapest ones try teaching the massses how to use
usable so imagine you using Symbian ALL the time irfanview instead of MS Picture and Image
oh they are, so long as you don’t surf my phone’s symbian.. it does docs, and viewer
everything else is fine on them internet, and other misc shite you cannot break MS dominance that easily
800x480 there’s a certain speed you just cannot live course not... but that doesn’t mean everyone
dark age stuff without should just say “ah **** it” and give up
heh they should get 10 inch resolution on and a certain screen size but right now at least netbook = cheap
the 7 inch and that’s quickly looking to be 9/10 inches alternative to notebook, which = MS OS
i’m waiting for the ARM netbooks yeah, and even at that size, ARM is capable people train themselves to learn their mobile
with android of doing wonders if someone writes an OS OSes quickly enough
which might work... or might not around it assuming the OS is decent
it’s cool because android is designed for but apps aren’t available why not netbooks?
small screens the x86+windows is the easy way out why not on a portable device that does
unlike windows or linux distros in this day and age, no tech company wants everything they want it to?
betcha microsoft designs WM for netbooks to invest time and money into something because humanity still associates them both
or at least their own netbook OS that will come out in 3 years even as different tasks
doesn’t look like they are doing that for 7 even Apple took that easy way out mobile = texting, calling and fun
which is surprisingly snappy, btw why not others :) laptop = work, chat, mail and fun
the whole netbook approach is arseways look at the need anyway i still think netbooks will remain MS
anyway the need is “computing on the go” / Linux dominated, simply because everyone
how so? not mobile on the go wants and buys a PC
they should have said let’s make a big or powerful mobiles android is linux-based though
smartphone people want to be able to compute ... and sure but a lame version
not a small PC the way we know how to compute today is all they have to do is make it run regular
nah the notebook linux apps
you are arseways yeah but how much computing is oh like that’s gonna happen overnight
tell me 10 things you do without typing computing? no, but start work
i’m not saying ditch the keyboard ARM is perfectly capable of everyday use analysis paralysis is a dangerous thing
i’m not talking design at all and has built-in hardware mods for video like Google is gonna enable yum install lol
i’m saying use ARM and audio Google doesn’t have to
and use an OS that is meant for small you seriously think ARM would have enough android = lin = open source
screens power to run something like microsoft office fine, let’s wait and watch...
and apps that are meant for small screens not MS office, but the Next Mobile Office
nah, ARM can’t run OSes to do what we want Suite (TM) For more chats like this one, you can go to
but the whole point of a netbook is net + no one wants that irc://irc.thinkdigit.com, and chat live with other
basic office stuff like no one wants to shift from outlook readers, as well as members of the Digit team.
how much the world loves netbooks—so
unless the 7-inch, 1024 x 600 LCD becomes
much cheaper, netbook manufacturers will
either have to apply custom stylesheets to
make sites look right, or just let you suffer.
But even badly designed sites are not
going to stop anyone.
Fight!
Unbeknownst to you, this topic has been
the subject of a few heated IRC debates,
even within the Digit team. While some of
us are rooting for the ARM-based underdog,
others don’t see the merit in trying to redo
the netbook — “try getting professionals to
ditch Outlook”, they say. As long as Intel
continues to improve on the Atom (and any
x86 platform that succeeds it), there’s no
compelling reason to switch to a completely
Moblin’s M-Zone page takes a leaf out of your mobile phone’s “Home” screen, with a quick overview of the alien platform.
stuff you’ve done recently But we train ourselves to use our
smartphones quickly enough — why not
on a cheap netbook, as long as it does
Teh unsolvable interwebz scrollbars as you surf. And since 800 x 480 everything we want it to?
Ironically, the one thing 7-inch netbooks is way bigger than your mobile phone’s It all comes down to you: do you want to
won’t be able to do — not while they’re 800 screen, the mobile layouts for the sites will stick to your Windows or Linux netbook, or
x 480, anyway — is provide a great internet look quite silly. will you jump ship to an Android netbook
experience. Most sites are designed for It’s wishful thinking to expect that web that’ll do all that you need it to, only in
screens that are at least 1024 pixels wide, developers are going to modify their sites different programs? The forums, as always,
so you’re going to see ugly horizontal just for a bunch of netbook users—no matter are open.
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 43
Sci tech Feature 50 Facility
The next evolutionary step in search? 56 Visual story
How the Conflicker worm works
eHomes Electronic homes, for both control
and security
Have you ever landed in mid-winter, wishing you could telephone your flat
and have the heating turned on and bath water warming up? Intrigued by
the possibility, Edward Henning went along to visit a couple of eHomes
projects from Designarch, and meet the architect responsible, J. K. Jain.
Edward Henning of dozen seats), communal library, billiard
edward.henning@thinkdigit.com room, steam room and sauna — with more
planned. A key feature is that a resident can
J. K. Jain uses the term eHome — which he check availability of these services from the
has trademarked — to mean much more than electronic control system in the home and
just electronic-home. It is that aspect that also make bookings. This is being extended
is of most interest to us, but we should first to home delivery from the local mall, where The frame structure of these buildings
describe the full range of meanings. There are one exists, and also certain local shops. is also strengthened by the addition of
four specific intentions in the use of this term: extra rings at junctions, and fly ash (a
Electronically operated: both for control of Earthquake resistance residue from burning coal) is used to
systems in the home and for security. This is a topic in which J. K. Jain has taken produce a more rich and dense, hence
Eco-friendly: energy conservation, better a particular interest over many years, and stronger, form of concrete; one that also
hygiene and reduced environmental impact. in which he is considered something of strengthens over time as it dries out and
Earthquake resistance: taking into an expert. He explained that, like most is generally more durable. Less water
consideration the soil type and foundation developers, his group extracts ground water is needed to produce concrete using fly
of a building and the materials and design. for mixing concrete, but unlike many, they ash, which is also a recycled material,
Entertainment: the facilities available with purify the water before use. This removes otherwise a waste product, and its use
the home. chemicals that would be likely to react thereby contributes to the eco-friendliness
We’ll take these in reverse order, in with the steel reinforcing in the concrete of the buildings.
increasing interest to us here. and cause deterioration over time, with the
concrete separating from the steel, thereby
Entertainment losing strength.
The eHomes projects consist of high-
rise block in two locations, both near
Delhi — Vaishali and Greater Noida. The
entertainment aspect mainly involves
communal facilities that are available to all
the apartments in the blocks. These
include such things as health
club and swimming pool,
a small “home”
theatre (couple
Illustration: Shrikrishna Patkar
Eco-friendly
There are several aspects of
these buildings that contribute to a
more eco-friendly approach. The most
obvious is energy conservation, and there
are many ways in which this is achieved.
One is the use of foam concrete blocks
— partly composed of the just-mentioned fly
ash. These provide generally better thermal
insulation. Also providing extra insulation
are uPVC windows. everybody has heard
46 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Home Automation Remote control is green
A setup whereby all the electronic appliances and
fixtures in the house are intuitively controlled by the
Controlling appliances remotely and monitoring
electricity usage can decrease the carbon
Feature
movement of the people through the homes. Look at the footprint tremendously. Such measures would
leading research at smarthome.com also help individuals save up on running costs
of PVC — polyvinyl chloride. uPVC is considerable attention to detail has
unplasticised PVC, sometimes called rigid gone into the design.
PVC. This also has good thermal insulation
properties as well as sound insulation. Electronically operated
However, not everybody would agree that What should one expect from an
these are otherwise eco-friendly — there are electronically operated home, one
chemicals involved in their manufacture that is wired for modern technology?
that have been recognised as carcinogenic. Certainly the ability to have an internet
As much recycled material as possible is connection, but what about connectivity
used in the manufacture of the buildings, and within the home? We might well want to
also in their operation. For example, water connect one or two PCs, the odd laptop,
drained from the sinks is recycled and used printer, scanner, media hub (such as
for flushing toilets and watering the small recently released by Cisco), television,
gardens (just a few square yards each) that are audio system and so on.
attached on the balconies of each flat. Non- Some of this will be done
toxic paints are also used in the buildings to using USB, but the first thing I
help provide more hygienic conditions. looked for in the eHomes was it is very much
Another key element is waste the presence of Ethernet easier with Ethernet.
management. Every kitchen sink has a connectors — I expected Also, WiFi degrades
waste crusher so that biological waste can at least one in every very badly as you move away
be pulverised and flushed down. All general room, perhaps from the router. At the time of
waste is also segregated for recycling as more in the key writing we are testing such routers
appropriate — bio-waste, solids such as tins rooms such as here in our offices, and with a couple
and paper, and glass. These are then sent to living room. of concrete walls between the router
private companies for recycling. These are and a laptop, we have been measuring
Power is also saved by having certain completely something around a 60 per cent drop in
lighting systems automated. For example, non- signal strength and similar drop in data
the lights in the corridors by the lifts throughput rates. Some routers attempt to
are usually off, but sensors detect when self-adjust when they receive a weak signal
somebody comes into the area and turns from a device, but this is not at all a perfect fix,
and the devices themselves do not necessarily
do the same. There is nothing better yet
than a simple direct connection.
The central focus of the electronic
control of an eHome is basically a PC
with a flat touch-screen placed on the
wall relatively near to the front door.
This control system can be accessed
also by means of a remote control
- similar to one that you would use with
a TV, also remotely by telephone, and,
most interestingly, from a browser across
the internet. This means that you can have
access to all the main controls of the home
when you are travelling.
The system is a normal PC running
Windows, and so, at least theoretically,
existent, and this strikes me as the it could be integrated with any other PC
biggest mistake that Designarch has made. systems in the house, although I have not
the lights on for as long as How can you possibly call an apartment seen this in operation. The control system
they remain. A similar feature is also applied an eHome, without in-built connectivity allows access to many basic features in the
inside the homes where appropriate. between rooms? It just does not figure. home. You can turn certain appliances on and
Naturally, there are multiple backup power In answer to this question, J. K. Jain told off, such as water heater, television, lighting
generators and voltage stabilisers me that he would expect an owner to set up and air conditioners, lock and open the front
Just as I was about to leave J. K. Jain’s a standard broadband connection using the door, and so on. When I first discussed these
office, I noticed a book about trees on his telephone line, and then install a WiFi router ideas with Designarch I was told that only a
desk. He then started to tell me about to communicate with and between devices simple on/off control was possible. However,
which trees use up the most ground water, in the home. This is all very well for those now further levels of control are becoming
which use little, which attract termites, devices to communicate with the internet, available, such as one might want for turning
and so on. He has been researching these but not much more than that. If I am in the on an oven and setting it to a particular
issues in order to determine which are the living room with my laptop, can I print out temperature. I am not sure such an oven is
most appropriate and environmentally on my printer connected to the PC in the available, but this is a good example of the
beneficial trees to have in the grounds of spare bedroom? There are some ways in kind of control one might need.
the buildings. One may not agree with which one can stream data between devices Some presets are available for so-called
many of the choices made in the style of talking to the same WiFi router, but this is not “mood settings”. You can, for example, save
these homes, but there is no denying that straightforward or common. At the very least, certain lighting levels in particular rooms
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 47
ZigBee
Feature The open source ZigBee protocol is widely touted to be the standard
for home automation applications. The protocol allows third parties to
offer services based on inputs from appliances at home
and set for the curtains to on or off might cause ignition!
be opened, and save this as In the second eHome that
your morning setting, and of I visited, I noticed no internal
course have it come on at a cameras. Surprisingly, these are
particular time, just as your now optional extras, as many
alarm goes off. Similarly, you customers have complained that
could save different settings they are an intrusion of privacy,
for “watching a movie”, and even though they are under
so on. the complete control of the
The control extends out to occupants.
the general building, in that
the whole site is managed Conclusions
by an Intelligent Building We looked at these eHome
Management System. This projects from Designarch as
is the basic control system an example of the direction
which takes care of power, in which electronic control
fire and water management. and security are moving. The
A key factor in the overall individual products used
management is of course, are not the key features here
security. For the overall — there are many suppliers
system, one interesting that can equip a home with
feature is the ability to controllable cameras, switches
check during the night for internal systems such as
if the guards are awake! heaters and curtains, and so
But it is the security of the on. The main control system
individual homes that is Touch screen access to the main control system. Top left window shows view from the featured in the eHomes is
most interesting. front entrance. by Homesdigital (www.zeos.
The first security feature co.uk), a company that is based
that you notice is the front door control. The be accessed remotely. You can call up your mainly in the UK and India.
lock itself can be controlled in three ways system, turn on the lights and inspect the Increasingly, the prices for all of
— by a magnetic card that you hold in front rooms. When might you do this? Just to give these products are falling and there is
of a reader, by the main control system in yourself peace of mind, perhaps; to check no doubt that demand is rising. So, you
the house — which you could, if you really that the kids have not wrecked the place could assemble most of what has been
wanted to, access from a mobile phone as with a party, and also when some alarm has described here and have it installed in
you approach the door — and by a good old- gone off. your own home. However, to see it all in
fashioned key. The key is the most likely way There are sensors in the home that detect one place, then the first projects in India
one would secure the apartment when it is motion inside and if a window has been of which we are aware are these ones from
empty, as the electronic control only engages broken. These intrusion alarms can trigger Designarch. No doubt many others will
a latchbolt, whereas the key engages first the SMSs or emails, and you can then call into follow in the near future.
latchbolt and then three deadbolts. the home and see what has been going In my view the most impressive aspect of
It seems that the electronic control on. Similarly, there is a gas leak detector the eHomes projects is certainly the security.
would be best used when the home is that will also send a message so that you This has been well thought out and seems
occupied. When somebody comes to the can then call up the home, turn off the gas comprehensive. I asked about the reliability
door and rings the bell, you see them from supply, and then turn on the cameras to of the systems, and was told that where
the camera at the front door and can speak check if there has been a fire. The detector possible, multiple means of control are in
to them and then release the door catch. should capture the presence of gas before place. The most obvious was the front door
Usefully, their image is captured. This also enough accumulates that turning anything lock. Not only do you have both electronic
happens when the home and key access, but there are
is unoccupied, and when two electronic systems, and they
you return home you have a are separate. So, the magnetic
complete set of images of all card works in parallel to, and
the people who have come not through, the central control
near the front door, even if system, and if the latter should
they have not rung the bell. have failed — it is a PC running
As the system can be Windows, after all — the card
accessed remotely, you can should still work, and vice-versa.
call it up across the internet, The type of setup here would
and access, for example, the be suitable for people wanting
images captured at the front a modern electronic home, but
door since you left. This may not with particularly demanding
not seem immediately useful, comuting needs or expectations.
but security devices are for More demanding home owners
unexpected circumstances. would no doubt expect Ethernet
Similarly, you can have to come as standard — the most
cameras installed inside the surprising thing missing from
home, and these can also Kitchen and dining area. Not visible in this photo, a TV image can be displayed on the mirror. these particular projects.
48 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Ballmer talk
Microsoft’s Chief Executive Steve Ballmer
Feature has expressed regret over the late start in
the search engine business. This statement
comes after Bing managed a mere 8 per
cent market share.
Long sceptical of Tim Berners-Lee’s vision of the semantic web, Edward Henning
Digit’s Edward Henning met up recently in London with Gianpiero edward.henning@thinkdigit.com
Lotito, co-founder of the Italian company Facility, and discovered
O
that there are other ways to organise and retrieve the information ne of the interesting, and
out there on the web. And they’re coming to a PC near you soon. perhaps key, points about the
history of the Facility search
engine is that the project grew
Facility:
out of a publishing background. One of the
two founders of Facility, Gianpiero Lotito
The next
has worked in the publishing sector for
many years, transferring the processes there
over to digital systems.
He told me “We began to work with
evolutionary
desktop publishing in 1987, with Aldus
Pagemaker on the Mac, together with
Adobe Illustrator. We were one of the
first companies in Italy to work with DTP,
in Milan, and soon, after about a year or
step in search?
year and a half, we started to work with
big publishers. In this way we began to
work with many big projects, which were
being transferred from analogue processes
to digital processes. To help them make
this passage, we began to learn the core
of the processes, we began to learn and
understand the secrets of the publishing
workflow and processes. In about three
years we had learned to work with all the
modern digital technologies: multi-media,
CD-ROM, internet sites and so on.
“Through ten to fifteen years, we came to
learn these processes for books, magazines,
archives, photo-guides, CD-ROMs and so
on, and we translated all these processes
into an idea: the next generation search
that is not only able to search and to find
information, but is also able to organise
it and to manage it. The problem for the
next generation of search engine is to help
people to organise information. I agree with
your earlier comment that the semantic web
is a chimera. Also, if it were possible to tag
everything on the web (as suggested, for
example, by Tim Berners-Lee), if this is not
coordinated, if you have no standard, then
you lose the advantage of tagging. On the
other hand, if you have purely algorithmic
engines, you cannot solve many search
problems.”
The work on developing a next-
generation search engine started in
2001 — so what is wrong with existing
search engines? Lotito explained to me
the difference, as he sees it, between
the approach of the engineer, typified,
presumably by Google, and the approach
of the publisher. The engineer’s approach
would consider the perfect map of London
to be on a scale of 1:1 — it would be the
same size as London, and would contain
every single detail. But this is not practical
— you cannot put it in your pocket. The job
of the publisher is to find that balance; to
make the map small enough to fit in your
50 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
WolframAlpha, anyone? 4,609,984
Is WolframAlpha really a search engine?
It does not search the web for answers,
The number of web sites the
open directory project currently
Feature
but its own database of information, and catalogues and organises into
computes answers from its data. over 5,90,000 categories.
pocket, but sufficiently detailed that you can
find the places that you need.
The engineer’s approach to information
produces too much unnecessary data when
a search is performed. Data-management
experience is needed to filter the data
appropriately. This is the publishing
approach. Information is not normally the
domain of engineers, and yet it is they that
have been designing search engines up until
now.
The implied point is this: does having
several tens of thousands of search results
which you will never look at really help you
answer whatever question you are posing or
problem you are trying to solve? Of course
not, it is just a big number that might well
be impressive, but where in that haystack is
the one needle that you need?
Early search engines were blind in their
search methods, and it is for this reason that
users needed to develop skill in entering
their search in the most effective way to
narrow down the results and focus in on the
information they were trying to find.
Lotito gave me the example of a
warehouse. If you simply fill a warehouse Facility is more flexible in its approach while searching
with boxes, then when something is
needed, you will have to go through and any way that they want. He told me “This the semantic confusion in the Ballmer
search in all of them to find the one that is would be very confusing. If you do not example just given. In a dictionary, you
needed. But if when filling the place up with regulate this, or you do not have technology might find the words “fly”, “flying” and
boxes in the first place you label and tag that is able to recognise when words and “flown” all grouped under the lemma “fly
them all properly, when one is needed, you phrases are semantically the same. (v)”, the headword or keyword for that
can go straight to it. It is the same difference “When you tag information, the context semantic group.
with the information on the internet cannot be constructed automatically. For Ontological search is similar to some
— access to this information needs to be example, sometimes the term environment of the principles used in Wolfram|Alpha,
Does having several tens of thousands of search results which you will never look at really help you
answer whatever question you are posing or problem you are trying to solve? Of course, it is just a big
number that might well be impressive, but where in that haystack is the one needle that you need?
structured properly. might refer to technology and the Windows where an answer, or result, can be
So, what is the approach offered environment; sometimes to ecology, and computed from existing and well-structured
by Facility? It is not a blind crawler- other times to a situation. Tagging words data. For example, you may have two simple
based search like Google, and it is not in this way has a level of precision that is taxonomies: a list of cities in England, and
a limited computational engine such as very low. There are two ways to solve this a list of European cities that are capitals
Wolfram|Alpha. It can in fact use methods problem: humans will tag information, of their countries. If you ask the question
similar to both of these, and perhaps in that or you will have an engine that will help “Which is the capital city of England?” the
flexibility lies one of its strengths. humans to tag information. But I don’t result can easily be computed from these
During our meeting, to stress the think it is possible to have a completely two lists, as London is on both lists. If
importance of the semantic approach in automatic system.” you ask for the capital of England, you are
search, Lotito ran three Google searches, The point was made that if you had asking an ontological question, because the
on “Steve Ballmer”, “Steven A. Ballmer” software that could accurately tag all ontology is the connection between any two
and “Steven Anthony Ballmer”. All came textual information, then the tagging taxonomies. You are asking for the intersect
up with different results, and yet all refer to would no longer be needed, as the software between these two: London is a city in
the current president of Microsoft. Lotito’s is effectively understanding the main England; London is a capital city; therefore
point was that all three are semantically meanings of the words and their contexts. London is the answer to the question
equivalent, and for the search to be truly We are probably many decades away from “Which is the capital of England?”
meaningful, this should be understood this possibility, and so some kind of human The Facility engine does not avoid the
by the engine, so that all three searches assisted tagging is needed. algorithmic approach — it can go out there
produce the same set of results. The approach taken by Facility involves and crawl websites with all the others.
He does not like the idea that we should tagging, but also the use of lemmas and It combines these different methods in a
simply leave people to tag information in ontological search. Lemmas help to alleviate flexible manner.
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 51
Semantic web
Feature The concept of adding intelligent structure
to the content of the web as first proposed
by Tim Berners-Lee in the 90s. It never
took off in the way he proposed.
According to Lotito, his methods can results. Their starting point is the ODP
bring greater precision to the accuracy of taxonomy of the internet. The Open
search results. He claimed that the accuracy Directory Project is an ongoing attempt
of results from purely algorithmic engines at cataloguing the contents of the web,
is of the order of 30 per cent — in other and claims to be “the most comprehensive
words, for every meaningful hit, you get human-edited directory of the Web,
three or four results that are just data noise. compiled by a vast global community of
He claimed that with better automated volunteer editors.”
organisation of the information that the Going down a level of detail, there is also
precision could become around 70 per built into the system an ability to catalogue
cent, but with some human intervention Gianpiero Lotito and Mariuccia Teroni, the two structured sites automatically. This is called
to validate and organise the data, you can founders of Facility the Automatic Taxonomy Extractor, and
come close to 100 per cent precision. Of would be useful for such things as blogs,
course, this will not be possible every time. for all future search engines is to be able to databases, perhaps news sites, and so on.
But it will be possible when you have structure the information that you need to Sites where there is a regular format to the
closed data sets of information, and if you search.” It is impossible to provide advanced information. The engine will produce for
begin to put many closed data sets with services in search without structured you an automatic taxonomy, which you can
the same kind of organisation, you can get information, or, structured access to that then go in and edit — discarding mistaken
better results. So this is highly applicable to information. And there lies the difference in headings and tags, adding or combining
intranets, social networks — any closed set his approach to that usually suggested. others, and so forth. This is an example of
of data. It is important to point out that there how the human editing function is aided by
For this reason, the first uses of this is no intention here that web sites should software that performs the first part of the
system will not be a publicly accessible themselves be changed in order for their work.
general search engine — although that will information to be tagged and structured This can also work in two ways. If I am
come — but the engine embedded in some — the methods of Facility lie in creating a developing a search engine for a particular
system such as a social network, university structured approach to information on the field, then the taxonomy that is developed
web site, government web site, scientific web. Part of that structuring process lies in this way does not, of course, change
research database, linked network of sites in assessing the reliability of sites, and this the entries in the target site. But, if it is my
with a common theme, and so on. There are can only be done by human intervention. own site that I am preparing, then I could
many possibilities. This also changes the ranking of sites very well use this tool as a way of tagging
Lotito agreed with my comment that — engines such as Google rank mainly on directly. This does more than just tag
Facility sounded like an advanced engine the basis of the number of links to various individual items — the overall collection,
for LASEs (limited area search engines), sites, but this is completely blind to issues on say a blog, is structured because the
but added that these could be combined such as reliability. taxonomy is developed and stored. Many
together, eventually covering most of the Facility employs a pre-filtering engine people are currently tagging posts on such
web. I got the strong impression that he which reduces the number of potential sites, but without having an overall scheme.
wants to set a standard here. sites, and then the experts judge those This system can propose such a scheme for
He made the point that “The problem that are the most reliable from the you, which you can then edit and improve.
It will also read those existing tags if they
are there.
So, with Facility you have a two-way
connection between the engine and the
contents of the web. Of course, this is
not the semantic web of Tim Berners-Lee
that grows from the bottom up. Instead,
this is a pragmatic approach, because the
tagging of all information on the web in
existing web pages is simply not possible.
It will never happen.
For Lotito, the display of information
in a structured manner is as important
as the way in which the results are
obtained. The interface is complex at
first sight, but easy to use.
The interface is entirely based on
Web 2.0 and all the technologies used
are open source — the engine can be
embedded in other internet systems
without licence problems.
The display screen is divided into
several sections — Lotito calls them
widgets, perhaps not the best term
— which include the different formats
of information, sources and media that
Facility structures, organizes access to information being searched and then displays the results as the have been identified by a search. These
widgets seen here are tiled panels on the screen, in three
52 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Search engine rankings Google reigns
According to research firm comScore, Google
is the leader in the US market with 9.3 bn
With the near apparent failure of three
attempts — Cuil, Trooker and Exalead as
Feature
searches, followed by Yahoo! at 2.9 bn and Google alternatives, Page and Brin have
Microsoft at 1.2 bn searches. reasons to cheer.
columns, the top one in the middle being preview of the contents of the site. You do in a customisable way the display of the
the most important: this main display not have to click and open a new window results. Potentially very useful is the fact
panel is called simply “Web” and tells you or tab; the widget itself will expand and that when you save a result — a video, PDF,
the number of results that are proposed display the movie or whatever format etc. — the search request that produced that
by Facility experts. In other words, the the information might be in. You can, if result is also saved; this way the context
results from Facility’s editorialised map of you wish, also save the content. In this is retrievable. This should help avoid
reliable sites. case you are saving the content itself for problems such as seeing a saved bookmark
The other widgets need not necessarily later viewing, not just saving a bookmark and not remembering the particular line
have been through the same filter, and or link to the item. It is clear here where of thought that led to it being saved. Every
may very well be the result of “normal” Facility’s background in publishing item that might result from a search can
algorithmic search methods; they display comes into play — this would be a suitable be managed in this way. The exception to
other categories of results. The various interface for any kind of multi-media based this is anything that is copyright protected.
categories include: Last minute News for any set of information. This is detected automatically and the item
relevant items on news sites; Social Network The display is also customisable. cannot be saved.
— possibly relevant comments found The user can move the widgets around The idea is to give users maximum
on social networking sites; Encyclopedia according to their relative importance. If flexibility to manage information. They do
— for hits in Wikipedia and similar sites; you were doing a search on the use of the not have to keep leaving the search system
Downloads — these are typically PDF files; tobacco mosaic virus in genetics, then the to view information — it is brought into
Presentation — any presentations, typically News widget should hardly be at the top, the Facility system instead. Of course, this
education or perhaps business oriented; but it certainly should be prominent if the has benefits for advertisers, who like it if
Video, Images and Audio, all self-explanatory; search were on the US president, as in the the user is not always shooting off to some
and, Disambiguation — this is to display a example screenshot that is with this article. other site.
variety of possibilities, such as in the search You, as an end user, can add comments Over the next few months the final
shown, on Leonardo da Vinci. You may well to search results, so that if another user patents for this system will be settled, and
have been looking for information on the makes the same search, they will be able to the engine will start appearing in certain
man himself, or a hotel that uses his name, see your comments. How this will work, if sites such as social network sites. The
or, of course, a certain best-selling book at all, when large numbers of people use the frequency with which Gianpiero Lotito
by Dan Brown. This widget displays such system remains to be seen. mentioned such sites suggests that at least
possible ambiguities. So, Facility does not only structure and one must be high on his list of prospective
An interesting point about the display is organise the access to the information that clients. The general purpose public search
that the widgets give you, where possible, a is being searched, but it also organises engine will follow later.
WWW.ZOTAC.COM
THE ULTIMATE GAMING SOLUTION
•GEFORCE GTX 295
•1792MB GDDR3 MEMORY
•DIRECTX 10, OPEN GL 3.0
ZOTAC ION ITX-A SERIES
•Intel® Atom™ N330 Dual-Core CPU
•NVIDIA® ION™ Graphics Processor
•DVI / HDMI / VGA
•Integrated WLAN
•DirectX 10
•External power adapter THE ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE VALUE
•Mini-ITX
•GEFORCE GTX 275
•896MB GDDR3 MEMORY
ZOTAC ION ITX-B SERIES •DIRECTX 10, OPEN GL 3.0
•Intel® Atom™ N230 Single-Core CPU
•NVIDIA® ION™ Graphics Processor
•DVI / HDMI / VGA
•Gbit LAN
•DirectX 10
•Mini-ITX
ZOTAC Motherboards ZOTAC GeForce Graphics Plus Cards
Distributed by: Distributed by:
Top Notch Infotronix (I) Pvt. Ltd. Aditya Infotech Ltd.
Tel : 044-43936000 Tel : 011-46665666
ISO 9001:2000 Certified Company enquiry@zebronics.info sales@adityagroup.com
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 53
Visual Story
Internet
GeoIP data is
downloaded from
an online server
How the Conficker
worm works
Viruses have evolved into intelligent programs. Conficker is
the perfect example of the modern day worm. Here’s a visual
representation of how it spread over the months using loopholes and
constantly updating itself to paralyse security suites .
Conficker opens up
ports in the firewall
to allow external
Local network access
Conficker spreads
over the local
network through
shared folders
Top 10 countries with Conficker infections (A and B)
China Russia Argentina Italy Malaysia
26,49,674 8,35,970 5,69,445 3,74,513 2,12,477
25.00% 8.00% 5.00% 4.00% 3.00%
Illustrations: Shrikrishna Patkar
Brazil India Taiwan Chile Korea
10,17,825 6,07,172 4,13,762 2,80,182 2,01,107
10% 6.00% 4.00% 3.00% 2.00%
SepTemBer 2008 oCToBer 2008 novemBer 2008 deCemBer 2008
Initial reports of Conficker Microsoft patches the critical Conficker.A out – exploits the Conficker.B out – adds infection
hit the internet vulnerability - MS08-067 which MS08-067 vulnerability quickly DLL to removable drives which
involves the Windows service spreading over networks further increases the reach
(SVCHOST.EXE)
56 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Binary Host
Visual story
The worm binary is
downloaded from
the server
Firewall
Conficker checks if the
keyboard layout is set
to Ukrainian, if yes,
the PC is not infected.
A later variant of
Conficker hooks
onto removal flash
drives
unlocker
confick
cert bit9
autoruns
admin 12345 avg f-prot
filemon
56136DF6 E72EFE45 CA86ECDF admin123 freedom nai kaspersky
regmon
ABE91715 31ED091B 5037EF78 abc123 games microsoft nod
970B077A E816D789 364173F6 qwerty aaa tcpview
98574572 617BF0CF 56B9248A symantec eset
qweewq work sysclean
5BF2764E 56136DF6 E72EFE45 spyware quickheal
E85616BA ABE91715 31ED091B zzzz cookie wireshark
malware etrust
50F4E6C3 970B077A E816D789 1234 account filemon
4B96E24F 98574572 617BF0CF 123 1234567 f-secure sophos
..
CA86ECDF 5BF2764E E72EFE45 5555 1234abcd gdata panda
5037EF78 E85616BA 31ED091B ...
364173F6 50F4E6C3 E816D789
4444 123456789 wilderse- ..
root test ....
56B9248A 4B96E24F 617BF0CF curity ...
login . avp ....
passwd ..
password123 ...
Applications and
Verification of the services with
Conficker has a list of Sites with keywords these names are
worm binary is passwords it uses to such as these are
completed. terminated
access shares blocked
feBruAry 2009 mArCh 2009 April 2009
Conficker.C out – downloads Conficker.D out – disables access Conficker.E out – disables
content using HTTP from 250 to security sites by blocking DNS; removal virus removal utilities;
random domains virus scan updates and access to antivirus and security suites are
sites are cut off. disabled
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 57
Security suites snap it, print it Free Yourself
Here we look at printing 802.11 is here to stay. For all who
64 photos and sharing them
with friends and family 70 missed the bandwagon we present
the means to connected freedom
A
s much as we might reboots, horrible performance, example, came with data shredder to delete files and
like to deny it, services not running anymore backup features. The features make them unrecoverable.
computer viruses in are just some of the visible let users move data to a F-Secure InternetSecurity
their various guises symptoms. An antivirus isn’t different drive, a network share 2009 focuses on parental
have made people paranoid. sufficient to protect your and in the case of Norton 360, control, and access to the main
We’ve even met some not so system. Although many even to their online service. The control panel is denied unless
computer-savvy who’ve thought developers still offer standalone service provides 2 GB of online authorised.
it’s a real biological virus! In antivirus solutions, they’re backup space that can be McAfee Internet Security’s
addition to viruses, there are also looking at security suites. expanded. This is a great way to installer recommends that the
trojans, spam, popups and They are a combined suite of an ensure no data is lost if your PC installation be downloaded
rootkits that can easily take antivirus and a firewall system gets infected or even if there’s a from the internet. The suite
over a system and wreak havoc that can also handle spam, system crash. even scans the system before
without you ever knowing. filter ADs, and other suspicious Norton 360 has a free the installation to make sure
Numerous PCs are infected content. There are too many downloadable parental control that the system isn’t already
and slowed down by viruses. solutions available, but we’ve addon that gives control over infected. Another one of the
There are many that run selected some of the best that every user account on your unique features from McAfee
unstable and users assume that are locally available. Windows account and over is the ability to securely delete
to be their hardware at fault. the kind of content allowed. files to prevent recovery
Unfortunately, many don’t have A look at the features There is a feature that lets you – something similar to G
the patience and systems are While all of the suites have delay the startup of suspicious DATA’s file shredder.
usually infected, because these an antivirus and firewall applications during bootup. Another unique feature of
rules are broken. component, there are suites Other than the backup and G DATA InternetSecurity is
It’s not only about viruses that come with some additional malware components, special that it constantly monitors
today; there are way too many features and is probably where emphasis is on system cleanup the registry. It immediately
malicious scripts and code the major differences between utilities as well as security prompts you whether you want
in advanced forms that don’t the suites will be visible. online. G DATA too has a to allow it or block the process
really infect PCs, but make Norton 360 and McAfee’s free downloadable addon for that needs to make registry
the system unusable. Random Internet Security Suite, for parental control and a file changes. AVG is one the suites
Locked &
Security suites are here to ensure your
PC isn’t mistaken for a playground for
viruses and worms!
Rossi Fernandes
loaded
rossi.fernandes@thinkdigit.com
P2P VPN
Bazaar
The Pirate Bay
launches a VPN
Security suites
80 Latest exciting products
reviewed. Read more...
service aimed at P2P
users
with a lot of features. One of how we tested
the features is the ability to set All the tests were run on and worms were detected by the parental control features
the firewall into gaming mode Windows XP with the internal the suites. As part of a basic of suites which had them that
which allows access of games firewall turned off. We made a network test, we did some ping could block the explicit content
to the internet through the disc image of this installation of flood attacks and then some on these sites.
firewall without any hassles. Windows. After every security port scanning trying to find One of the biggest
For those who don’t have suite was tested, we restored if the security suites detected complaints that users have
an internet connection, AVG the system back to its initial these attacks and displayed any about security suites is that
allows updating of downloaded clean state with no viruses security alerts or messages. they are very high on system
virus definition by importing present or any security suite For the spam, we setup two resources and the PC slows
them from a folder. installed. The next security different dummy accounts with down a lot once an antivirus
eScan Internet Security’s suite would then be installed POP3 access enabled. One after or security suite is installed.
approach towards flash drives and all updates completed. We the other, we setup Outlook We checked the memory
used the default settings with Express to download mails from consumption of the suites and
can be considered a little over-
which the suites were installed. these accounts. One of the the accompanying services
the-top, but is an effective way
Tweaking the settings would accounts had mails that could when idle and then again while
to make sure no one infects make it unfair. exploit the vulnerabilities of mail scanning the drive for viruses.
your PC with a flash drive. It The first component to be clients and the other had spam Finally, we must emphasise
requires the user to enter a tested was the antivirus. We mails in it. We downloaded that we’ve only used a small
password to access the flash had a collection of around 300 mails using Outlook Express sample of viruses available and
drive. This is great if you have viruses from the last couple of trying to see if any of the suites so the detection results from
many users using a single PC. years all put into a folder on detected and filtered the mail. this test are not an accurate way
An easy-to-use parental control the drive. We copied the files Those using Firefox or Opera to judge the performance of a
system is available as well. from a flash drive and checked are rarely victims of spyware suite. The fact is that there are
Kaspersky has one of the if the scanner would detect the and malicious scripts on the new viruses released every day
nicest looking interfaces and viruses on the flash drive itself. internet, so we used Internet and the performance of every
one they’ve implemented is an This folder was copied to the Explorer to access some sites suite will differ every day. A lot
on-screen keyboard that allows local drive and then scanned with popups and ADs. At the depends on the frequency of
users to type in passwords on to see how many of the viruses same time, we also looked at the update.
online banking and shopping
sites without suites that detected again, McAfee stood out and
worrying about the more viruses and it was able to find and mark
password logged. worms than we vulnerability and spam mails.
Onscreen keyboard put into the folder. It did so once the mail had
is available with AVG Internet been downloaded to the mail
Windows, but the Security and client. ESET’s Smart Security 4
suite makes it easily Kaspersky Internet was the other one which was
accessible. It even Security detected capable to finding the spam
scans your system more viruses than mail. It almost detected all the
for vulnerabilities were in the test spam accurately, but it couldn’t
asking you to patch sample. All the detect any of the vulnerability
the bugs. All the alerts suites were able to test mails.
are displayed in one delete the viruses Some of the other suites
single window. The from the folder, such as K7TotalSecurity
updating was a bit of but Kaspersky required the user to train the
a problem for us. We Internet Security filter for the spam and over
updated and it kept suite was one the time, it could be more effective.
on asking for even top performing On a clean install, the suite
more updates. After ones that could couldn’t catch any of the
a couple of updates fix the files. vulnerability test mails or the
and a reboot or two, menu, Panda Internet Security K7TotalSecurity spam. F-Secure InternetSecurity
everything was back to normal. lets you create rescue disks and 9.0 was able to detect all the 2009 was able to detect some
ESET Smart Security upload suspicious files to their viruses accurately. of the sites with popups and
has basic features, but the database for inspection. Most users today use web- banners.
customisations and controls based mail services and many There were no such issues
available for those functions Detection rates of these have built-in spam as far as network security was
are very detailed. This might In all, we had 289 viruses and removal features. Developers concerned. All the firewalls
be a good thing, but for trojans packed into separate advertise their suites’ ability blocked the denial of service
users looking for a simple ZIP files and the antivirus to locally clear spam from (DoS) attempts and the port
solution, this might be a little component of the suites had mail clients. We used Outlook scans completely. Kaspersky
overwhelming. Panda Internet to scan each ZIP file before Express because it was the Internet Security displayed
Security 2009 monitors the detecting the virus and then client that came bundled with clear alerts pointing out to the
wireless network and if a new trying to either clean it or every Windows installation. source of the attack and it even
PC appears, it shows up an quarantine it. All the suites We were shocked to see almost blocked the entire IP. eScan
alert asking whether it is to detected almost all the viruses none of the suites being able to Internet Security and solution
be allowed access to the PC in the folder, with a few minor filter out spam or even the set from Kaspersky were able to
or not. As part of the services exceptions. It was odd to find of vulnerability test mails. Once block out objectionable content
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 59
Security suites Opera Unite End to rights!
Opera’s new service allows users to Moby calls for the Recording
host web pages, share music and Industry Association of America
even chat on their browser (RIAA) to be disbanded
Brand AVG ESET F-Secure G DATA K7
Product Internet Security 8.5 Smart Security 4 Internet Security 2009 InternetSecurity 2010 InternetSecurity 9.0
Price Rs. 1,999 (out soon) Rs. 2,879 Rs. 1,154 (1 yr, 1 PC) Rs. 1,500 (1 yr, 1 PC) Rs. 1,678 (1 yr, 1 PC)
Features (Out of 35) 31.5 28 31.5 33.25 33.25
Performance (Out of 65) 32.11 44.77 35.51 37.02 40.36
Overall (Out of 100) 63.61 72.77 67.01 70.27 73.61
Features
Antivirus Y Y Y Y Y
Firewall Y Y Y Y Y
Anti-spyware Y Y Y Y Y
Data and Identity protection Y N N N Y
Instant messenger protection Y N N Y N
Ad/popup blocker Y Y Y Y Y
Parental Controls N N Y Y Y
Performance
Virus and spam detection 527 265 292 288 290
Infections detected (Out of 7) 0 0 0 0 0
Vulnerability mails (Out of 10) 0 6 0 0 0
Spam
IP bombing attacks (Y/N) Y Y Y Y Y
Port scan (Y/N) Y Y Y Y Y
Ads/popups blocked (Y/N) N N Y N N
Memory consumption (Idle) (MB) 82.6 53 90 41 28
Memory consumption (Activity) (MB) 82.6 55 133 104 124
ESET Smart Security and missing in other suites. AVG
Norton 360 were also very light was a consistent 82 MB on idle
suites to run at all times. ESET and also with some scanning
Smart Security was particularly operations on. CPU utilisation
impressive as it only consumed kept spiking randomly as well
some 55 MB of system memory while constantly trying to
while scanning the drive, validate certain files.
which is a lot lower than the Panda Internet Security had
rest which used over 100 MB considerably high resource
of memory. K7 TotalSecurity consumption at all times.
too consumed under 30 MB of There was an option in the
memory while idle, but went to preferences window that
as high as 124 MB during scans. let CPU load be dropped
eScan Internet Security and to allow other tasks to run
McAfee Internet Security were simultaneously without any
some of the suites with the major performance hit.
most features and the memory
consumption also showed. If Ease of use
banners and popups effectively. consumption went right up you have systems with over 1 Security suites are some of
The others weren’t able to stop to 150 MB. This version of GB memory, you should have the most complicated piece of
the ads or popups. For now, it’s Kaspersky Internet Security no problem running these software you can find. There
still recommended that users suite is a big improvement over suites. With 512 MB, you might are too many controls which
use alternatives to Internet earlier Kaspersky products. notice some slowdown. have all been stuffed into a
Explorer. eScan Internet Security G DATA InternetSecurity tiny interface. They have to be
allows users to turn down the 2010’s memory consumption practical while not being overly
Performance process priority of the scan was constantly around the 100 complicated for the end user.
Most security suites run so system performance isn’t MB mark. It would occasionally Of all the suites, we found that
many background services affected a lot. Even without the shoot upto 200 MB or more Norton 360 had the simplest
each of which consume a lot CPU utilisation level altered, and come right down. When it approach. Like the antivirus
of memory. Kaspersky had eScan takes considerably longer isn’t scanning, it’s a very sane program that we’ve all seen
few services running in the to scan and clean viruses. and stable security solution over the year, Norton 360 is
background in comparison In our test, 10 MB of files to use. There are two virus now a very easy to understand
to the other suites. On idle, with some 289 viruses took scanning engines in G DATA, application with four separate
the consumption was a tiny around 5 minutes to complete. both of which can be used for sections – PC security, Identity
30 MB of system memory. Disinfecting speed usually isn’t better performance or better protection, Backup and PC
However, while scanning this a priority for most users. detection. It’s a unique feature Tuneup. The controls are now
60 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Microsoft’s extension Slim and secure Security suites
Microsoft 7 extends its downgrade Kensington creates a new lock for thinner
period to 18 months notebooks and netbooks
Kaspersky McAfee Microworld Panda Symantec
Internet Security 2009 Internet Security 2009 eScan Internet Security Internet Security 2009 Norton 360
Rs.1,559 (1 yr, 1 PC) Rs. 1,986 (1 yr, 3 PCs) Rs. 1,250 (1 yr, 1 PC) Rs. 2948 (2 licenses, 1yr) Rs. 3,760 (3yr, 3 PCs)
35 35 35 35 35
40.48 44.30 34.29 30.45 32.80
75.48 79.30 69.29 65.45 67.80
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
454 262 287 280 251
0 10 0 0 0
0 7 0 0 0
Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y
Y N Y N N
30 150 105 110 52
142 10 155 155 105
hidden away behind the very options to get into.
user friendly interface. All the K7TotalSecurity was simple
settings are clearly explained to use but the interface wasn’t
so even if a new user decides to the nicest design. The custom
explore, it’s a reasonably easy options aren’t a lot but they are
environment. put into separate menus and
McAfee on the other hand tabs which can be confusing.
is a little more feature-rich but A lot of the spam and AD
isn’t as light as Norton 360 or blocking filters are left for you
Kaspersky’s suite. There are to setup for yourself. This can
plenty of options to play and be a tedious job. The filters
they aren’t tucked away behind present are very basic and
any fancy interface. When you might not be enough to block a
first use Kaspersky, it looks as lot of ads.
simple like Norton 360. We ESET Smart Security 4
really like the presentation of is simple as well. The main
Kaspersky Internet Security emphasis is on the local disk
2009 program. The use of great scans and also on the statistics.
colours, icons, graphs and There is a real-time display of
clearly distinguished sections the amount of activity on the
of the suite like Norton 360 network and the disk. There’s
makes it a nice solution to use. also a list of programs and
eScan Internet Security Suite connections being made to and
probably is the dullest of the from it. Although the primary
lot. The colours and design are interface is really simple to
a little too simple even though understand and use, it’s the
it performs rather well in the options that might scare some.
tests. As a client for home use, There are plenty of menus and
it might not be the simplest checkboxes for almost every
to configure but for a SoHo setting. ESET are the same
environment with a system company that made NOD32
administrator, it’s should work which is known as a great
just fine. It’s a similar case with antivirus and it too had a lot of
K7TotalSecurity. The interface controls that users could tweak.
is very plain but there aren’t G DATA InternetSecurity
too many advanced menus and comes with a very simple
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 61
Security suites DirectX 11 soon? Nicknames
ATI predicts huge flow of DirectX 11 Facebook offers free
games later this year personalised IDs
interface and almost all staying out of trouble
of the controls are visible • Use Firefox (with Adblock
right in the first menu. The plus), Opera (with a urlfilter.
advanced scanning functions ini list installed) or any other
can be accessed through secure browsers
this menu itself by clicking • Disable Windows file and
on a dropdown. It’s similar print sharing if yours is
the only computer on the
for almost all of the features.
network
The settings window for each • If you must use file sharing,
component of the suite can use password protected
also be accessed from the main shares with permissions to
window. certain users and PCs
F-Secure Internet Security • Update your Windows at all
has a wizard at the end of the times
installation. This wizard helps • Choose a secure for your
setup everything for the suite Windows account
• Disable Guest accounts and
including the parental control.
any shared folders
Information such as categories • Avoid executing suspiciously
to block and time limits named files
during which internet access suites without any errors or McAfee Internet Security 2009 • Avoid clicking on links sent on
is allowed can be entered. alerts. The next was plugging to be a good overall solution e-mail, instead copy the URL
Updating is also done right in a flash drive with almost but the only downside being and paste in your browser
before the installation process. 300 viruses. Some of the times, its high memory consumption. after verifying it
even copying files to the local Like we mentioned earlier, if • Do not use the autorun
Conclusion drive didn’t sound any alarms. you have a sufficiently powerful function while inserting flash
drives, instead Explore using
At the end of the test, there On manually scanning, viruses system, this shouldn’t worry
Windows Explorer
were a few shocking revelations. and worms in comparison were you. Right after McAfee • Every once in a while, run
It was weird to have AD handled a lot better by all the Internet Security 2009 in MSCONFIG and look for
banners and spam passed suites. the rankings is Kaspersky’s any suspicious applications
through almost all security Of all the suites, we found Internet Security 2009. It’s loading on startup
a very good • If you do not use an antivirus
overall solution or security suite, use free
but without the online scanners to check your
same memory system for viruses
requirements. ESET new comers to the market and
Smart Security 4 it’s a very promising solution.
is also suitable Right from its interface to its
for your needs two virus engines and a light-
although not as weight system, it’s something
flashy as the other that is worth considering. We
two winners. were impressed by it.
Norton 360 Some of the other suites
is recommended such as K7InternetSecurity and
if you want eScan Internet Security were
something that’s pretty good as well but their
extremely simple interface and aesthetics let them
to use with zero down. The performance and
hassles. G DATA detection rates even with our
InternetSecurity tiny sample are at par with some
2010 is one of the of the well known suites.
ContaCt sheet
Product Contact Phone E-mail Web-site
AVG Internet Security Milestone Interactive Group sales@milestoneinteractive.com www.avg.in
Microworld Internet Security Microworld Software Services +91-22-2826 5701 sales@msspl.co.in www.mwti.net
ESET Smart Security 4 ESET www.eset.com
F-Secure Internet Security Suite www.f-secure.com
G DATA InternetSecurity ACI Infocom Ltd. +91-22-4037 1999 gdatasupport@aciinfo.com www.gdatasoftware.com
K7 Internet Security 9.0 K7 Computing Pvt Ltd. +91-44-6611 7777 info@k7computing.com www.k7computing.com
Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 Kaspersky Lab www.kaspersky.com
McAfee Internet Security McAfee +91-22-4029 1300 hemant_baghel@mcafee.com www.mcafee.com
Norton 360 Symantec India +91-22-3067 1400 www.symantec.com
Panda Internet Security 2009 Panda Security info@es.pandasecurity.com www.pandasecurity.com
62 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Dye sublimation The new core
Photo printer test This technique is used by certain
printers to transfer dye on a medium
Rumours have been spreading about Intel releasing a
new CPU: The Core i7 960. Intel was supposed to have
such as paper, plastic card or even released a new Core i7 950 CPU at the end of May, but
fabric using heat those plans did not see fruition
Kumar Jhuremalani so compact. Compact photo with Sony, as it does have some via a USB cable. There are no
kumar.j@thinkdigit.com printers are used mainly to compact photo printers, but ports for networking, no card
T
churn out instant snapshots the company did not want to reader and not even a USB port
aking photos is just with standard print sizes, participate in this comparative for PictBridge support.
half the fun. Who usually of 4 x 6 inches and not review. Why, we don’t know; The body of the iP1980 is
doesn’t like to print larger than 5 x 7 inches. The you can draw your own predominantly made of plastic
pictures of loved non-compact photo printers conclusions. and does not feel that sturdy.
ones and important events, can print photo quality images There is no locking or clicking
and pass them around? At the on A4 sheets and some even Canon Pixma iP1980 mechanism present to stop
same time we desire good, if print on A3 sheets of paper. The Pixma iP 1980 is an entry the lid from accidentally being
not the best, quality of print. There are even photo printers level inkjet from Canon. The lifted, as happened quite often
For these purposes a new used for business purposes design is rather plain and with us when moving this
range of inkjet printers has that give quality prints at sizes simple with the colour of the printer around.
emerged, known as photo starting from 24-inches right body being entirely black. The printer is easy to setup
inkjet printers. These photo up to 60-inches, but we are There are only two buttons and the iP1980 uses two
printers are suitable, not only not testing these here. We on this printer: one to power cartridges, black and colour.
for budding photographers, but have kept this test specific to on the device and the other to Once the head alignment page
also for people shooting family compact and non-compact clear any paper jams. is printed you have to manually
reunions and outings with photo printers. Since this is just a basic adjust the settings and select
friends and families. We received products from photo printer, its connectivity is the boxes with the least
There are two types of photo Canon, Epson and HP for this also very limited and the only number of lines.
printers: compact and well, not test. We also made contact option you have is to connect The paper is loaded from the
snap it, print it
Taking photos is just
half the fun. Here we
look at the second half
— printing them out
to share with friends
and family. Read on to
find out the best photo
printers out there in
the Indian market
64 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Cook while you surf
History lesson A USB microware has been created by Gama Microwave Technoloy Photo printer test
The first high speed computer printer and Heinz called the Beanzawave. This device once connected to
was used on a Univac computer and was your PC, doesn’t really use microwaves, but instead, warms food
developed by Remington-Rand in 1953 using combinations of cellphone and radio frequencies.
well as print uses, black and colour, are the in terms of connectivity and
speed, but the same as that of the iP1980. The features.
j u ly 2 0 0 9 prints were very head alignment in this case is The Pixma iP4680 sports a
fuzzy and even also a manual task in which you nice silver border along the top.
the text showed have to judge for yourself which It also comes with two buttons,
jagged edges. box has the least lines. but the position has been
There were also The print quality of this shifted from the top to the right
yellow bands Pixma is slightly better in the side of the printer. One button
visible when first two test photos than the is for power, while the other is
we printed out iP1980, but overall the prints to clear paper jams.
the test image from this printer also had a This Pixma comes with USB
number three in warm tone. A little less banding, PictBridge support, something
eco-mode. This compared to the iP1980, was missing from both the iP1980
clearly shows visible when we printed the and iP2680. It also comes with
Canon Pixma iP1980 that the Canon first test image. The darker a paper tray at the bottom,
rear via the document feeder, Pixma iP1980 is shades of black also merged which is supposed to be used
but here there is a major design overall rather average, although together in the greyscale for normal paper. The rear
flaw: there is no paper out it is priced at a very attractive portion of the image. The print document feeder is supposed to
tray. This means that printouts Rs. 2,695. showed a slightly better effect be used for photo print paper.
are bound to slide all over the of ripples, but overall it looked We don’t really see why Canon
place, and if the desk on which Canon Pixma iP2680 dull and there were many has opted to make this a bit
the printer is placed is too The Pixma iP2680, as the name details missed. more complicated. The bottom
small, the paper will fall to the suggests, is also a photo inkjet The second test image also tray is tightly fitted and not
ground. printer from Canon and is in a showed some banding, and really visible. Unfortunately,
The print quality of the different series from the iP1980. some pixels in the image were there is no display or additional
Pixma iP1980 is not that The design of the iP2680 is visible, but not as much as properties that can be adjusted
great. The overall outcome of similar to that of the Pixma with the iP1980. The third test on this printer. Compared to
the three test photos showed iP1980, but is more stylish with print had an excess of red, to the iP1980 and iP2680, this
that the colours were on the a black glossy exterior with a an extent that some black areas printer can hold 50 more
warmer side and there was also silver line, running horizontally, looked red and merged with an sheets, a total of 150 sheets of
some visible bands printed. facing the front. object behind them. Also some A4-size plain paper. There is
The first test photo showed This printer also has only shadows on the object were not
the end of the darker shades two buttons, one for power printed correctly and looked
of black merging together in and the other to clear paper very artificial. The Combi
the greyscale chart included jams. There is also no network document showed better
in the image. The ripples and or PictBridge support with the results than the iP1980, as
reflections in the water do not Canon iP2680. the images looked better
look that good either. There is One much needed and the reds were not
huge loss of details with this improvement over the iP1980 merged as with the iP1980.
printout. Eco-mode gave us similar
The second test image results to those of the iP1980,
shows that this printer wasn’t with some yellow banding on
able to recreate some subtle the image and jagged edges Canon Pixma iP4680
details in the photo on the text and very bad
and was left with pixelation in the images of also a CD tray with this printer,
some dull and the Combi document. in which you can place CDs or
blended portions. The Canon Pixma DVDs in order to print images
The black wasn’t iP2680 has not taken a huge onto them directly. There is
really looking that step forward in terms of a slot above the paper-out
black in the third print quality. Moreover the extension where this CD tray
test image due speed at which this printer has to be fitted.
to the abundance prints is almost the same as Five print cartridges need
Canon Pixma iP2680
of red tingeing that of the iP1980. It certainly to be loaded into the Pixma
throughout. Also in one scene is the inclusion of a paper-out has a few design improvements, iP4680; these consist of CMYK
in which there are purple tray. This tray has to be pulled but paying Rs. 3,695 for it colours along with a separate
pebbles in a fish bowl, these down to use and there is also doesn’t make much sense as black cartridge. Installing these
pebbles came out on the darker an extension on the tray that it is still only average in print cartridges was very easy, as
side and tended to merge you can swing into place so quality. there is just a simple push and
with one another. Our Combi that the paper doesn’t slide click mechanism involved. This
document showed the text to off. Paper is loaded from the Canon Pixma iP4680 printer automatically does a
be sharp and readable, but at rear document feeder and this Finally, Canon shows its game head alignment — all you have
the same time the images were printer can hold a maximum of face with its Pixma iP4680. to do is load the paper for it to
rather pixelated and the reds 100 sheets of plain paper. This printer is good looking, print the alignment sheet.
weren’t reproduced correctly. Setting up the printer is the and although there are design The overall print quality of
The eco-mode prints showed same as with the iP1980. The similarities to the iP1980 and the Pixma iP4680 gave a cooler
a clear difference in quality as two print cartridges the iP2680 iP2680, this printer offers more tone compared to the warmer
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 65
Printing Press Stop music sharing
Photo printer test The mechanism of the first printing press was
invented by a goldsmith named Johannes
Jammie Thomas-Rasset, a mother of four from
Minnesota, has been put to trial and ordered to pay $1.9
Gutenberg around the year 1440 in Germany million in a case against her for violating music copyright
laws as she was caught sharing 24 songs illegally
tones produced by the Pixma
iP1980 and Pixma iP2680.
how we tested
Along with that, there was We setup a test rig for this photo a pond and a house, with in this image.
clear banding and pixellation printer test as follows: CPU: Intel reflections of the house in The third test image is
visible. The first test image P4 @ 3.2 GHz, motherboard: the water and ripples on the another mix of many small
does not show the reflections ECS PF5 Extreme, memory: 2 pond. This can give us a good scenes; these include a wide
in the water, or even the ripples GB of DDR2 memory running at idea of how well greens are range of colours, many details
of the water, clearly. Also the 800 MHz, graphics card: Nvidia reproduced and also how some and skin tones.
darker shades of black were 7300 LE, monitor: 17 inch LG nice details are printed. There In each test we also made
merged towards the end of the Studioworks 700E. The photo is also a scene with buildings a printout of our Combi.pdf
greyscale chart. paper used was Compu Color’s which is used to spot the document; this is a combination
The second test image gave a Premium Gloss Photo paper, name of a shop. There is also a of text and images and the
complete lack of reds and it was which is 130 GSM paper. greyscale chart and a sharpness intention here is to judge the
We calibrated the LG test included in this image. quality of the printed text.
not able to give a good quality
monitor using the Spyder3Elite The second test image All the images were studied
print. The third test image
so that we could compare the we used is a photograph under a magnifying glass in
revealed the same blue tone
print-outs to the test images as shot by Manas Parekh, our daylight in order judge which
over the entire image, though closely as possible. We used a photographer. This photo one of the printers gave us the
the black was reproduced better total of three test images and depicts a glass of cognac; this best results.
than the iP1980 and iP2680. one PDF document. includes some fine details, and The time taken to print the
Some brown colouration The first test image is a also enables us to judge how images in best quality as well
looked better in this image, but compilation of images which well the printers are able to as in the fasted quality or eco-
there was still loss of detail and include a green scene with recreate the more subtle tones mode was also recorded.
pixelation all over the image.
The Combi document print photo printer we received for of using this extension is not much as with Canon’s iP1980,
showed us that this printer our test, but we followed the too smooth and the tray feels iP2680 and iP4680.
was not able to reproduce reds same procedures and testing wobbly. You do not expect to move
correctly and the grey text was as with the rest of the printers, The Pixma iX5000 uses four an A3 printer frequently, but
leaning towards green. Even so, using A4-size paper only. print cartridges, each for the once it is set, there should be
the red cherries in the image, This printer will need some CMYK colours, and installing no problem; the PictBridge
though rather desk space especially them is quite easy with a simple is an added bonus, but like
pixellated, with a width of 23.6- clip mechanism. the other Canon Printers, a
inches. It looks pretty The printer also reproduced display would have certainly
simple before the covers our test images with a warmer benefited this printer. Paying
have been opened, but the tone, similar to the iP1980 and Rs. 18,995 for the Canon Pixma
rugged looks begin to iP2680 but not as strongly. In iX5000 would make sense for
show when you lift the first test image, there was a SoHo print media workplace,
the paper loading some loss of detail, but there certainly if you are on a budget
and receiving trays. was no banding. The image and can’t spend too much.
It has a very angular did not show clusters of pixels
design, with no as was seen with the others. Canon Pixma iP100
smooth edges. The Also the darker shades of black There were mixed opinions
buttons are located, were merged. regarding the Canon Pixma
facing the front. Canon The second test image iP100: whether it should be
has stuck with the no in the general category of
Canon Pixma iX5000 display and two button photo printers or it should
approach with the iX5000 be considered a compact
were well differentiated and as well; one button for photo printer. In the end,
looked better, but this wasn’t power and the other to we decided that this should
enough to ignore the other clear paper jams. The USB be included as a general
flaws we found in the quality of PictBridge port is located photo printer, due to the
the prints. below the buttons and fact that it can print sheets
The Canon Pixma iP4680 allows you to print straight in A4 size.
costs Rs. 8,155; this would be a from a compatible digital The Canon Pixma
decent price if the print quality camera without the need to Canon Pixma iX5000 iP100 is a portable photo
were really good. But it is not, connect it to a computer. printer, it has a very thin and
judging by the bad results we Paper is loaded through the was clear, but wasn’t able to stylish form factor, which lead
obtained. This is one printer rear tray and this Pixma can reproduce some dark shades us to consider that it was a
that we cannot recommend hold up to 150 sheets of plain correctly. The third image compact photo printer. The
you buy. A4 paper. The rear portion can was also on the warmer side, silver exteriors with smooth
be extended and unfolded to and did not reproduce black edges really add to the printer’s
Canon Pixma iX5000 quite a height as it has to give correctly. The purple pebbles sleek look. The main reason
Another entry level printer from support for A3 paper, the same present in one scene, though this printer is a portable
Canon, but this time around is the case with the paper out differentiated, were printed printer is not that it has a carry
it is an entry level A3 photo tray which can be extended out with a darker shade. There handle, but that Canon has
printer. This is the only A3 to hold A3 paper. The process was some detail loss but not as also provided an attachable
66 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
laser printer languages etc.
The prototype of a laser printer was invented by Gary
Starkweather working at Xerox in 1969. The printer
Facebook has launched the Swahili version of their
social networking site. This move was done to
Photo printer test
was built by modifying one of the Xerox copiers target the 110 million and above Swahili speaking
people so that Facebook can increase its userbase
Compact Photo Printers
T
here are many people provide a few sheets of paper areas dark and
who sometimes just so that you can try printing on others light; basically
need to see their postcards directly. There are no unreadable. The
photographs printed separate trays for in and out, the yellow text on a
out immediately, wherever they single paper cassette functions black background Canon Selphy CP 760
might be. To that end, the new as both. was equally bad and
trend in photo printers is the This Canon Selphy CP 760 unreadable. Text is
compact photo printer, that can prints in a very different manner not this Selphy’s strong point, Similarly to the Canon Selphy
be carried anywhere and print with the ink cassette that was but if you give it images, it will CP 760, the Epson PictureMate
mainly 4 x 6 photos – also called mentioned earlier; it prints in just produce them with ease. PM 215 also comes with a
as 4R size. We tested two such layers. Once the print command Priced at Rs. 5,495 this single cartridge called an Epson
compact photo printers; the is given, the paper goes in and makes a great buy, with the Photo Cartridge which has to
Epson PictureMate PM 215 and only a layer of yellow is printed, only exception that you will be loaded from the rear of the
Canon Selphy CP 760. with all the yellows present in need to replace the ink cassette printer. If the cartridge is not
the image and this is followed after every 36 prints. Canon installed, the PM 215 displays
Canon Selphy CP 760 by magenta, then cyan and sells postcard packs with a an error message and also gives
The entire range of Selphy lastly an overcoat is printed that combination of 108 sheets of instructions on how to install
products from Canon are keeps the print safe from water postcard size paper and three the cartridge.
compact photo printers and the spills and finger prints, generally ink cassettes – this will cost you The Epson PM 215 was the
one we received was the Canon supposed to give prints a longer around Rs. 1,250, which is still fastest printer to deliver prints
Selphy CP 760. This Selphy is lifetime. This is known as dye a good deal for the quality that at maximum quality as it took
really compact, smaller than the sublimation. this printer delivers. just 47.1 seconds. The colour
Epson compact printer and also The quality of the prints reproduction with this printer
lighter, weighing in at around was exceptional – the first test Epson PictureMate was quite accurate, but there
950 grams. The CP 760 comes image showed the overall tone PM 215 was loss of detail. With the first
with a 2.5-inch display located to be slightly on the yellow side, The shape, size and weight test image, the scene with the
on top. This display can’t be but the detail that was printed of the Epson PictureMate PM water was good and accurate
tilted or rotated, but it already was just perfect. Each and 215 is very different from the with little loss of details. In the
has been positioned at a slight every tiny detail could be seen Canon Selphy CP 760. It is larger greyscale chart, the last two
angle which indicates a well under the magnifying glass and and also much heavier, with a shades of black were merged
thought out design from Canon. that too with these relatively weight of about 2.2 kgs. The together and in the sharpness
The buttons of the printer are small 4 x 6 prints. Even so, the PictureMate PM 215 looks like zone, there was some jagged
located just below the display. darker shades of black merged a small square plastic bucket or lines reproduced towards the
There are two USB ports on the together in the greyscale chart. picnic basket that you would end. With the second test
left side of the printer, one to The second test image was spot take to the beach, and it even image, the entire image looked
connect to the PC and the other on – it was just perfect. The has a nice handle so it can be balanced, even though there
for PictBridge connectivity. third test image showed the carried anywhere conveniently. was supposed to be more of a
The Canon Selphy CP 760 same yellowish tone, but again The PM 215 has a 2.5-inch green tone to the image; also
uses a single ink cassette which the detail was brilliant. The only display which is covered by a the colours at the base of the
is very different from that which place where the Selphy CP 760 turquoise coloured lid. The lid image were too fluorescent.
the Epson PM 215 uses. This was not able to output a great also has a dark-tinted window The third test image was also
ink cassette is loaded into the quality print was with the Combi right above the display, so you well-balanced and had black
printer from the right side; this document – the images were can have a quick look without reproduced correctly. Even so,
is pretty easy, as it just needs to printed out stunningly, but the even opening it up. When there were details missing in
be pushed in and once you hear text was bad. It was not smooth you lift the lid, the display and some parts of the test image,
the click, you are all set. at all, and the ink did not spread the buttons of this printer such as the dimples in the golf
The Selphy CP 760 also evenly on all characters. Each are exposed. The display, by ball and some textures. The
supports direct printing from character had different shades default, is flat, but can be tilted Combi document was much
memory cards, slots for which of green and black to adjust the angle. The paper better than that produced by
are located at the front side of which feeder is located just behind the Canon Selphy CP 760, and
the printer. This printer works made the display. The paper-out the text was also reproduced
with detachable paper cassettes some tray is revealed by a simple smoothly. The red cherries
that correspond to specific Epson push at the front, which then looked great and were well
paper sizes. These will have to PictureMate reveals the tray. Memory card differentiated. The only place
be carried separately, if you PM 215 reader slots are also present where this printer was lacking
intend to use this printer on behind this tray and the direct was with the yellow text on
the go. print button is together with all the black background; here it
The paper cassette the other buttons. The power showed a similar outcome to
provided only prints adapter is connected at the rear the Selphy CP 760.
postcard 4R size, which we of the printer, where you also The Epson PictureMate PM
found is slightly different find the USB ports to connect 215 is priced at Rs. 9,999, which
from the regular 4 x 6 the PM 215 to a PC or to a is slightly high, but you get
photo paper. Canon does camera. overall well-balanced colours.
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 67
Olympus shrinks a DSlR Amazon’s MEGAFAIl
The new E-P1 DSLR, is part the classic Pen series Amazon.com, the online retail shop, mistakenly cut prices of
Photo printer test of compact cameras from Olympus. This camera certain music albums and were available for 29p each till this
comes with a 12.3 megapixel MOS sensor, 3-inch mistake was corrected after four hours
HyperCrystal LCD and can even play 720p movies
j u ly 2 0 0 9 j u ly 2 0 0 9
Brand Canon Canon Canon Canon HP Canon Epson Canon
Model Pixma Pixma Pixma iP4680 Pixma Photosmart Pixma iP100 PictureMate Selphy CP760
iP1980 iP2680 iX5000 D5468 PM 215
Price 2695 3695 8155 18995 6498 20995 9999 5495
Grand Total (Out of 100) 39.8 40.25 45.61 53.04 71.41 54.81 72.07 62.24
Features 3.19 3.26 13.82 10.33 24.5 10.4 23.89 19.09
Performance 36.61 36.99 31.78 42.71 46.91 44.41 48.18 43.2
Connectivity
PictBridge Support (Y/N) 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 3
USB Flash Drive Support (Y/N) 6 6 6 6 3 6 6 6
Network printing support (Y/N) 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
WiFi support (Y/N) 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Bluetooth Printing (Y/N) 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Memory Card support (Y/N) 6 6 6 6 3 6 3 3
Features
Number of Print Modes 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 1
Maximum print resolution (dpi) 4800 x 1200 4800 x 1200 9600 x 2400 4800 x 1200 600 x 600 9600 x 2400 5760 x 1440 300 x 300
Power Saving Mode (Y/N) 6 6 6 3 3 6 3 3
Ink Saving Mode (Y/N) 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Red Eye Reduction (Y/N) 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Zoom / Fit to Page (Y/N) 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Colour Correction on printer (Y/N) 6 6 6 6 6 6 3 6
Size of display on printer NA NA NA NA 1.5 inch NA 2.5 inch 2.5 inch
Number of Cartridges Used 2 2 5 4 5 2 1 1
Cartridge Colours Black and Black and CMYK and CMYK CMYK and Black and Colour PicturePack Ink Cassette
Colour Colour Black Black (Y, M, C and overcoating)
Ease of cartridge installation 7.5 7.5 8 8 8.5 8.5 9 9
(So 10)
Build Quality of Tray (So 10) 4 5 5.5 5.5 7.5 6 8 7
Total Paper Tray Capacity (Plain 100 100 150 150 145 50 20 36
A4, 4 x 6)
Performance
Photo 1 (Quality Test) (So 10) 6.25 6.5 6 7.5 8 7.75 7.25 7.5
Photo 2 (Quality Test) (So 10) 6.5 6.75 5 7.5 7 7.5 7.25 7.75
Photo 3 (Quality Test) (So 10) 6 5.5 5 6.75 7.75 7.5 7 8
Mixed Document Print Quality 6.75 7 4 7 7.5 7.5 7 6.75
Max settings (So 10)
Mixed Document Print Quality Eco 4.5 4.75 3 4.75 5 5.5 7 NA
mode (So 10)
Photo Quality (Eco mode) (So 10) 3 3.5 4.25 4 4 4.25 7 NA
Time taken Photo print (Max 163 163.8 89.7 113.9 67.9 112.4 47.1 78.9
quality)
Time taken Photo print (Eco 35.2 35.1 43.2 27.2 15.6 28.5 42.2 NA
Mode)
Miscellaneous
Bundled Cables Power cable, Power cable, Power Power cable, Power Power cable, USB Power cable, Power cable, USB cable
USB cable USB cable cable, USB USB cable cable, USB cable USB cable
cable cable
Software Supplied Easy-Photo- Easy-Photo- Easy- Canon Easy- HP Pho- Easy-PhotoPrint EX Epson Canon Utilities, EOS Util-
Print EX Print EX PhotoPrint EX PhotoPrint, tosmart EasyPrintMod- ity, Ulead PhotoExpress
Easy-Web- Essentials ule, Epson Easy LE, ZoomBrowser EX
Print, Photo 3.0, HP Photo Print
Record, Smart Web
Easy-Print- Printing,
ToolBox
Dimensions (mm) 442 x 237 442 x 253 431 x 296 x 153 601 x 317.6 x 457.9 x 322.5 x 60.9 x 182.8 231 x 169 x 149 200.6 x 83.8 x 142.2
x 152 x 142 193.2 385.6 x mm
183.2 mm
Weight (Kg) 3.3 3.7 5.7 9.3 5.8 2 2.2 0.95
68 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Hydrogen cars for everybody SMS craze
A car that runs on Hydrogen was revealed recently in
London and will be available in UK sometime in 2010.
A 15-year old girl won the LG National Texting Championship
and won a cash prize of $50,000. She defeated 2,50,000 fellow
Photo printer test
The manufacturers plan to make the design of this car competitors and went through various rounds including blindfolds
‘open source’ and quizzes to win the title.
battery pack. The size has more on the orange side. Also
been intelligently designed the yellow on black text was
to accommodate for travel unreadable at smaller font
purposes and the addition of j u ly 2 0 0 9 sizes, something that the
a battery pack makes a huge other printers were able to get
difference in portability. correctly. The red cherries in
There is a magnetic clip the image looked good and
mechanism used to open the well differentiated.
lid of this printer, and once In eco-mode, there was a
you open the rear lid, the small huge difference and you could
front tray also opens. This front clearly see jagged edges on the
tray is not too long and won’t text and lots of pixels all over
really hold paper, but being a the image.
portable printer, this can be HP Photosmart D5468 The HP Photosmart D5468,
overlooked. Paper is loaded with a few exceptions, did
from the rear tray and this can the photo correctly. The last above the other, the top tray reproduce some really great
be extended to keep the paper test image did not show any being used only for 4 x 6 photo images and with a price tag of
in place. major differences between prints, while the lower paper only Rs. 6,498, it really makes
The Pixma iP100 also has the iP100 and the ix5000, but tray can be used for other an excellent purchase.
a two-button design, similar the purple pebbles were more paper sizes, including A4. The
to all the other Canon photo differentiated and looked much top paper tray can be removed The final decision
printers we tested, and they better in the case of the iP100. to make the bottom tray more If you are looking for the most
perform the tasks of powering This printer is priced at Rs. accessible. This printer can also basic photo printer, you don’t
on/off and clearing paper 20,995, and we do feel this is a print images straight onto a CD really want to spend much
jams. These buttons have small bit on the high side. But if you or DVD. To do this, there is an money and can do with average
LED indicators next to them; really need something portable, extension located at the base of quality, then you should get the
this helps somewhat if you especially with the addition of the bottom tray where the CD Canon Pixma iP1980. If you
need to print in the dark, but a battery pack, this does make or DVD has to be placed. want something better and are
complete backlit buttons would for a sensible buy, but it will This HP Photosmart willing to pay more for it, and
have been even better. There not give you the best prints. D5468 gave us the most at the same time want added
is a small clip near the base, balanced colours of all the features such as PictBridge
where you can switch between HP Photosmart non-compact photo printers and USB flash drive support,
envelope and normal paper. D5468 that we tested. The first image along with something that
Unless this clip has been set The HP Photosmart D5468, shows that the colours were you will use occasionally to
in the right place, your print HP’s one and only entry in this nicely reproduced, but there print images on CDs, then you
will not start and you will be test, is part of its D5400 series. was a slight concern with the should definitely go for the HP
greeted with an error. The printer has a nice rounded greens, as two shades looked Photosmart D5468.
The print quality of this edge design with grey and as though they were merging. If you are frequently
Pixma iP100 was really good; white colours. There is a front This photo printer was the printing A3 sheets, then
similar to that of the iX5000 facing silver bezel, atop which only one to differentiate all the starting off with the Canon
in some cases, but overall, a 1.5-inch display is present. colours of the black and white Pixma iX5000 makes good
managed to outperform it. Next to this are the printer chart that is present on the test sense, as it is an entry level
The iP100 was also similar controls, Print photo button, image. The overall reflections A3 photo printer. If you need
to the other Canon products red-eye removal button, cancel and ripples in the water were portability and something that
in that it produced an overall and power buttons. also much better than with the prints A4 size sheets, then the
warm colour in the images, Along with this printer other printers. Canon Pixma iP100 is a good
though not as much as the being the only one in this test In the second test image, choice. Though it might seem
other Canon photo printers. to have a display, other than though the image looked good, a tad pricey, it gives above
The first image showed detail the compact photo printers, there was slight over-contrast average print quality, has a
in some parts and was able the Photosmart D5468 also of orange towards the bottom compact design and the extra
to reproduce shades of blue has memory card support and of the image. The third image battery pack is a much needed
very well, though the darker a USB port that can be used showed the best results among feature. If you are someone
shades of black towards the as a PictBridge connect; it also all the printers, where the who likes to take snapshots
end in the greyscale test were supports USB flash drives, black was actually reproduced and keep collecting them, the
merged. The second image another feature missing from properly as black. With our Canon Selphy CP 760 is the
revealed this printer missing the other photo printers. Combi test document, we one for you as the details are
out on a few dark shadows This printer comes with found that some parts that superb and it also comes at a
and did not blend a part of two paper trays arranged one contained yellow were printed reasonable cost.
Contact Sheet
Brand Company Name Email address Phone number Web site
Canon Canon India Private Limited info@canon.co.in 1-800-1803 366 www.canon.co.in
Epson Epson India think@eid.epson.co.in +91-80-3051 5000 www.epson.co.in
HP Hewlett-Packard Sales India Pvt. Ltd. bharat.kharbanda@hp.com 1-800-4254 999 www.hp.com/in
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 69
New Netgear Wi-Fi enabled phones satisfy
Wi-Fi Test wireless-N router Survey by ABI Research shows that 77 per cent of
Netgear Unleashes WNR3500 users of WiFi enabled handsets are fully satisfied
RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with their devices
F r e e Yourself
Michael Browne been painfully slow. notebooks, PDAs, phones and
michael.browne@thinkdigit.com One myth we’d like to bust even Wi-Fi-enabled PMPs; the
T
right now is that Wi-Fi networks possibilities are virtually limitless.
o most users Wi-Fi is aren’t secure — this is hogwash. We tested 24 wireless devices.
a buzzword...the kind With adequate caution, a Five out of these were ADSL
that everybody uses half-decent wireless router and routers that come with RJ11
and wants a piece of. the correct settings, a wireless (telephone) connects for internet.
Unfortunately, IEEE 802.11 network is as impregnable as a There were 18 routers and one
(the proper name for Wi-Fi and wired one. In terms of speed, access point. An access point
interchangeably used hereon) Wi-Fi is still a good bit away simply accepts a wired connection
802.11 is here to stay. is a phrase that is most often from RJ45 speeds; but, things and passes on a wireless
For all who missed misunderstood or at best, poorly have gotten faster the last time connection — it has no routing
understood. At Digit, we’re we checked. The fact is no abilities. We had the biggest
the bandwagon we believers in the goodness of household internet connection brands and some of the finest
present the means to 802.11, but most of our readers in this country delivers even 20 models in the global market.
connected freedom. aren’t — if the mails and calls per cent the bandwidth that a Among the people who did not
we receive are an indication. A wireless connection provides. participate were ASUS, Gigabyte
general consensus is 802.11 is So if you feel that a wireless and MSI. These brands are not
mostly for technology buffs with access point will bottleneck your selling Wi-Fi devices in the market
very little real world advantages. download speeds, think again. at the time of this test. Level One
After all, good old RJ45 (wired For other users Wi-Fi is a hassle is another well known brand we
LAN) is still faster right? Not to set up and a bigger hassle contacted, but they didn’t seem
to mention the multitude of to secure. Quirks still abound, too keen on participation for
security concerns. An allied but setups and security features unknown reasons.
technology WiMAX (also called have been simplified. One of
IEEE 802.16) has become the major assets this technology ADSL routers
the darling of urban internet has, and one we cannot deny, A few service providers still offer
service providers (ISPs) in India. is convenience of use. Wireless internet access via telephone
Although 802.11 finds many a internet browsing on a single lines and when you purchase
fan in the corporate fraternity, internet connection for all such a connection a modem is
its adoption in households has devices including desktops, required. An ADSL router does
70 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Safari 4 downloaded 11 3GS outsells hotcakes Wi-Fi test
million times in 3 days Apple sells over one million iPhone
since release copy 3GS models
everything a router does but ADSL routers cost more than specification is some time away household scenario (it’s unlikely
instead of having an Ethernet, double some of the others. The from finalisation nobody knows the router will be placed in the
(RJ45), WAN port it has an Netgear DGN2000 has a power for sure which of the Draft N same room as all the clients)
RJ11 WAN port. Additionally, button on the rear which many devices will fully comply with we don’t recommend anyone
an ADSL router will also have routers don’t have. There are the final specifications. For your looking to stream videos
a built in modem. In fact, such also a couple of buttons information IEEE will decide wirelessly waste his time here.
routers are often referred to on the side, the final specification for Draft The Netgear DGN2000 is
as DSL modems. If you are one to toggle N sometime later this year. wonderfully fast at transfers but
opting for a new internet Wi-Fi on and off The real world transfer tests it’s also quite expensive at Rs.
connection you should make J u LY 2 0 0 9
which is very were what we most closely 8,260. The Linksys WAG160N
sure exactly what interface useful monitored and the random is equally costly but much
your ISP will provide. In case file transfer was of special slower and so totally loses out.
a regular Ethernet connection interest because it The Dlink DSL-2640T is what
is provided, you cannot use stresses the device. we recommend for budget users
an ADSL router for your The Netgear who need an ADSL router and
internet connection. We DGN2000 is by far it wins our Best Buy award.
tested five ADSL routers the fastest device If you must buy ADSL for
across Dlink, Netgear in this segment speed, get the DGN2000 – the
and Linksys. and it was the only best performing ADSL router.
device to transfer more If you don’t need the RJ11
Features Dlink DSL-2640T
than 1 MBps in zone 3. connectivity, consider buying a
Linksys’ design on both their Surprisingly in zone 1 it also non-ADSL router.
routers was attractive and and the had the lowest signal strength
very space age-like. Since your other to enable (80%) and still managed a routers
router is likely to be placed on WPS, a security feature. whopping 4 MBps which A lot of ISPs provide Ethernet
a table or mounted on a wall The Netgear DS834G was is pretty good. The Linksys connectivity for the internet. A
we figure looks should warrant built around the same lines WAG160N is the second fastest wireless router can also function
at least a cursory mention. The as the DGN2000, but it’s a device, but it trails by a huge as an access point if need
WAG160N looks futuristic glossy white finish instead of margin. The Dlink DSL-2640T be. Since all wireless routers
with a square appearance black. Interestingly, Netgear is also pretty decent and for an (including ADSL routers) have
with no sharp corners. The provided a couple of feet for 802.11G device, gets pretty close at least four LAN ports they
outer bezel is higher and the this router so it can stand by to the DGN2000. Interestingly, can be used as a wired LAN, a
centre portion gently bulges. itself, no such paraphernalia none of these devices are really wireless only LAN or a mixed
The centre is finished in piano with the DGN2000 which is suitable for streaming video (wired and wireless) network.
black and the outer bezel is weird because we found the content so multimedia junkies Their WAN port is RJ45 and
gun grey. The design has no signal to be stronger when the will want to look elsewhere. they can serve the functions
external antennas. All activity device is standing up instead The Netgear DGN2000 does of a router to both wired and
LEDs are embedded in the of lying flat on the table. The manage well with DVD videos, wireless clients. There were big
black bezel and icons of the Netgear DS834G misses a few but 1080p content proves a bit names from the 18 wireless
indicators are clearly visible options in the firmware. Under too much to handle, especially routers we tested; these included
that speaks of a top quality Wireless Settings, you can only in zone 2 and 3. Belkin, Linksys, Netgear, Dlink,
product. The LEDs green aren’t select between B and G modes. Senao, Buffalo, Apple and
intrusive. The WAG54G2 is There are no speed settings Conclusion Compex. The price range was
entirely black although the available that nearly every Since these zones are as diverse, the cheapest router
finish is matte and not glossy. other router/ADSL router had. more indicative of a was an uber-affordable Rs.
Netgears DGN2000 also The firewall section is very 1,990 while the costliest router
looks neat with its rounded easy and intuitive and there weighed in at Rs. 10,999. For
design. Build quality is top is a simple option available the purpose of comparison and
class. Both the WAG160N to block IM ports. There awards we divided this category
and the DGN2000 are Draft is no option for J u LY 2 0 0 9 into two parts, routers up to
N routers and the WAG160N conditional Rs. 5,000 and those above Rs.
supports MIMO technology blocking of 5,000.
that helps throughput by IPs.
improving spectral efficiency Features
or the ability to transfer more Some routers were beauties
bits per available hertz of – works of art with great care
wireless bandwidth. The other taken in their sculpting and
routers were based on the Performance design. Apple’s Airport Extreme
slower 802.11G specification. We expected the Draft N 802.11 N was built like a tank.
There is also a stark difference routers to be speed demons This pure white square shaped
in the price and the Draft N and they were. Since this new Netgear DGN2000 router had rounded edges and
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 71
Seagates new FreeAgent
Wi-Fi Test series of USB drives get
new giant, a 640 GB Suggestive Google?
version replaces the 500 Google Suggest disabled in
GB at the top of the lineup China due to porn
will look completely at home felt slightly cheap and a letdown how we tested
with your Apple Macbook from the overall quality. The
and iPhone. There is a single menu system is simple with a we divided the products into was placed 25 feet away from
large LED that is a capable lot of options available. This three categories: the router. Here we actually
diagnostics tool, it can remain router also has a USB port and 1. Access Points moved the laptop one floor
steady, blink slower or faster can be used as a multimedia 2. Routers (subdivided into lower. We also ensured the
and has three colour options server. Netgear’s WNR3500 two parts on the basis of price) laptop wasn’t exactly above
— orange, green and blue that was the largest router physically 3. ADSL Routers. the router placed a level below
In terms of features, we (this would be too easy). This
represent the status of the and it cannot be wall-mounted,
logged everything from the was the most difficult test for
device. The LAN ports at the thankfully it has a neat stand
connectivity options to the the any wireless device as there
rear also have tiny LEDs, but so takes up little space. It’s
firmware interface, build are multiple obstructions and
there is no indication at the built well and looks classy with quality, security features and also a lot of metal in the ceiling
front. The software interface is a mixture of plain and glossy configurable settings. We structure that really messes
very different from most routers black finishes. A strip of blue did not give scores for all with Wi-Fi signals.
and is available after installation LEDs flash along the top of the features though, only the Our first test involved a
of software present on CD. the router and this becomes ones we felt were pertinent sequential transfer (one large
There are fewer options when annoying because we could enough to warrant attention. file) and a random transfer
compared to the firmware of find no way to switch them off. The weights assigned to each (multiple small files of varying
other routers. The presence After dark, it’s super annoying feature were given on the sizes) from a desktop PC
of a USB port means it can be and the blue colour hurts the basis of its relative importance wired via Ethernet to the
hooked up to a printer or a USB eyes. This router has a very in making the product more wireless device and a laptop.
drive. The Senao EnGenius neat firmware interface that is usable, functional or feature The speeds were recorded
ESR-9750G is really compact shared by all Netgear routers rich. Testing was done in Megabytes per second
and well built with a glossy — simple, well laid-out and simulating all possible real- (MBps). Please note that most
white body. The blue pretty intuitive. The wireless world conditions, for which we manufacturers quote figures in
front LEDs are painfully repeating function is present. created the test ‘zones’ that Megabits per second (Mbps)
bright and there are fewer Content filtering is powerful we’ve described below. Please where 1 byte = 8 bits.
note that distances aren’t as Next we used PassMark’s
options available in the and easy to set up with very
important for benchmarking Performance Test as a
transparent settings. Sites
any sort of 802.11 networks benchmark. The inbuilt
can be blocked on the
it’s the obstructions between network benchmark simulates
basis of keywords, the emitting device and a data transfer and measures
while sites can be the recipient that matter. throughput in megabits per
J u LY 2 0 0 9
blocked to certain Metal along with brick and second (Mbps). PassMark’s
or all IPs and all concrete cause the most signal Wireless Mon 3.0 was used to
these activities attenuation. Even wooden measure signal strength as a
can also be set on a furniture and an unclear line percentage.
toggle timer – useful of sight (LOS) will scramble Next we streamed a 1080p
if kids surf the internet Wi-Fi signals. A reduction in video clip from the desktop
at particular times or signal strength brings about PCs hard drive to the notebook
otherwise as a security a crippling reduction to wirelessly. We awarded points
feature. We noticed that bandwidth and therefore slows based on the entire viewing
Netgears firmware interface data throughput. With this in experience. We also streamed
Belkin Wireless G Router is simpler than Linksys’ – less mind, we designed each of a DVD and watched for
jargon used, which is newbie these zones to actually take jerkiness in both cases. All this
firmware menu although to friendly. each of these wireless devices testing was repeated through
be honest this will be a relief The WNDR3300 was the to their performance limits. the zones.
Zone 1 – The laptop was test PC: Core 2 Duo E6700
for newbies as the menu is next Netgear product we looked
placed within eight feet of (2.66 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 800
really intuitive to work with. A at. It’s large, but neat looking
the wireless device although MHz RAM, Gigabyte P965 DQ6
hardware button is provided for with a glossy black finish and
a clear LOS was not allowed motherboard, XFX GeForce
enabling WPS, but there’s no a transparent bezel running since the device was placed on 9600GT graphics card, Seagate
indicator for whether the feature right around the sides. There is a table, away from the edge 7200.11 500 GB HDD.
is active or not. The Dlink DIR- a large, translucent dome atop Zone 2 – We placed the test notebook: Dell Studio
655 is a classy looking router the unit that doubles as a WPS laptop within 30 feet of the XPS 16 – Core 2 Duo 2.53 GHz,
finished in a glossy white with button, the bright blue LEDs router. This time we ensured 4 GB RAM, ATi Radeon 3670
a black band running around inside are overdone though that there was a good deal graphics card, 320 GB, 7200
three sides. Build quality is and a part of the blue PCB used of obstructions. There was a rpm HDD, Intel 802.11n WiFi
exemplary and it has three large, is visible through this button. concrete wall and also a couple solution (Centrino 2)
detachable, external antennas. There are two activity indicators of wooden partitions
The front LEDs are bright and for Wi-Fi – one each for 2.4 Zone 3 – Our test laptop
blue – too garish. Instead of GHz and 5GHz bands. This is a
cutting the shape of numbers dual simultaneous band router, theory, this is useful when extra 5-GHz band can be used for
into the plastic, Dlink chose meaning that not only can it bandwidth is desired. A 2.4-GHz streaming movies or gaming.
to simply cut little squares, so create two wireless signals of band can be used for regular Conceptually, this reduces
the wired LAN indicators are two different frequencies, but network traffic and browsing, congestion in a wireless network
bright blue little squares – this it can do so simultaneously. In while the higher bandwidth since different functions can
DMZ Demilitarised zone, an army term. It allows one computer on a wired/wireless LAN to be placed outside the NAT since this allows
72 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
WiFi enabled phones satisfy Wi-Fi test
Survey by ABI Research shows that 77 per cent
of users of WiFi enabled handsets are fully
satisfied with their devices
be assigned to different was really something else. to video streaming though
bands and there is double This MIMO supporting the Netgear WNR2000
the theoretical bandwidth router is built very well ate them for breakfast and
available. Sadly, this device and skips the activity LEDs while the performance
had no bundled stand; we for a monochrome LCD gap wasn’t very great it
found that adding a stand display that is very useful was noticeable enough.
boosted signal strength in and not just a cosmetic Buffalos WHR-G300N also
zone 1, 2 and 3 by 17, 6 and add-on. Not only can you performed well in zone
3 per cent respectively. change quite a few settings 1 and 2 but performance
The Netgear WRT610N here via the soft, rubberised dropped off in zone 3, this
was another stunner. It looks buttons but one can also bespeaks a slightly weaker
like something Darth Vader view the connection antenna. Dlinks DIR-655
would wear and has a dark status, connected clients was the fastest performer
blue outer bezel with the and even check on the when it came to sequential
entire body finished in glossy quantity of data uploaded transfers in zone 1 – it
black. A USB port has been and downloaded – ultra crossed the magic 5 MBps
provided along with the RJ45 neat. The matte silver body mark. Netgear’s WNDR3300
ports and any storage device and glossy black facia are is also pretty fast and
connected means you have a certainly attractive and although it cannot trail with
ready multimedia server that the overall the quickest it does
can be accessed both from effect is classy. manage to hold its
within the network or even The firmware own with good scores
over the internet. This is also interface shared in zone 1 and zone 2
a dual simultaneous band by the other two that trail off in zone
router and the firmware is Belkin routers J u LY 2 0 0 9 3. The missing stand
replete with options and is intuitive with really hurts this
settings, advanced users will sufficient Netgear product
have a field day. The Linksys settings and we hope retail
WRT310N and WRT160N and clearly versions of this
also share the same shape designed router ship with a
as the WRT610N and its with the stand for desktop
sterling build quality but are newbie in use. Belkins N1
slightly smaller in terms of mind. Like Vision did well
their footprint. Since these the other overall and beat
routers all have internal Draft N its cheaper sibling,
antennas they do not have and some the Wireless
stands and are meant to 802.11G N Router by
be placed flat atop a table routers a fair margin.
or wall mounted. The from Sadly most of
WRT310N has a silver outer Netgear and the 802.11G
bezel, while the WRT160N is Linksys, routers get left
totally black. The WRT310N Dlink and behind no doubt
supports 256-bit SPI firewall, Buffalo this Netgear WNR2000
due to their
while the WRT160N has one supports DMZ. lower maximum
regular 128-bit SPI. Once throughput. One revelation
again the firmware features Performance post test was that none
are rich with a lot of options When it came to raw of the Draft N routers are
and the menus, although throughput and our as fast as the 802.11N
replete with advanced gruelling real-world specification claims they
settings are pretty intuitive. transfer tests three routers should be. A mere 40
Buffalo’s WHR-G300N stood head and shoulders MBps is a poor score for a
is a super-slim router with above the rest – Linksys’ standard that is supposed to
a sleek stand, although WRT610N and WRT310N deliver 600 MBps.And these
removing the stand after and Netgear’s WNR2000. devices are nowhere close to
inserting it is a pain and Trailing a bit behind was even half this figure.
you can actually see the two Linksys’ own WRT160N.
sides of the routers fibre In fact the scores in zone Conclusion
bezel move apart to free the 3 surprised us – both Up to Rs. 5,000
tines of the stand. Other the WRT610N and the Belkins Wireless G Router
than this build quality is WRT310N managed over took our Best Buy award. It’s
very good and the firmware 2 MBps in the sequential not particularly fast, but will
interface is intuitive and transfers and well over get you through all but the
easy to work around being one megabyte per second most bandwidth intensive
less technical than Linksys’ in the assorted transfer operations. It’s built well, if
interface. Belkins N1 Vision – super stuff. When it came simply and at a price of Rs.
seamless connectivity for applications like games or video conferencing
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 73
Wi-Fi Test
Wi-Fi Comparison Test J u LY 2 0 0 9 J u LY 2 0 0 9
ADSL Routers
Brand Dlink Netgear Linksys Linksys Netgear
Model No DSL-2640T DS834G WAG54G2 WAG160N DGN2000
Price (Rs) 3700 4731 4999 7925 8260
Plus (+) Good Value Looks neat, solid Neat looks, Slick, futuristic Fast, built well
build solid build look, features
Minus (-) Slow Slow Slow Very slow Expensive
Grand Totals (Out of 100) 46.93 45.50 45.45 47.85 61.81
Features (Out of 40) 30.16 28.31 29.72 29.87 29.00
Performance (Out of 60) 16.77 17.19 15.73 17.98 32.81
Features
Protocols Supported (802.11 A / B / G / Draft N / Draft 2) G G G Draft N Draft N
Type Of WAN Port (Ethernet / ADSL / USB) ADSL (RJ11) ADSL (RJ11) ADSL (RJ11) ADSL (RJ11) ADSL (RJ11)
No Of RJ45 (LAN) Ports 4 4 4 4 4
No Of USB Ports 0 0 0 0 0
Device Features:
Power / Connectivity / LAN port / Activity Indicators 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4
(4/6)
Security Indicator / Hardware Security button (4 / 6) 6 /6 6 /6 6 /6 6 /6 4 /4
Factory-Defaults Reset Button (4 / 6) 4 4 4 4 6
Wall Mountable (4/6) 4 6 4 4 6
Security:
Encryption Types WEP, WPA, WEP, WPA WEP, WPA, WEP, WPA, WEP, WPA, WPA 2
WPA 2 WPA 2 WPA 2
Firewall (Types Supported) SPI SPI SPI SPI SPI
LAN I/P Based Site Blocking (4/6) 4 4 4 4 4
Wireless Isolation (4/6) 4 4 4 4 4
Port Mapping (Forwarding) 4 4 4 4 4
Firmware Interface Features:
Basic Setup Wizard (CD / Browser) (4 / 6) 4 /4 4 /4 4 /6 4 /6 4 /4
Online / Offline Firmware Upgrade (4/6) 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4
Settings, Backup To HDD / Load From HDD (4 / 6) 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4
ease of Installation/use (So 10)
Bundle (Includes Software, except firmware) 5 5 5 6 5
Firmware Interface 7.5 8 8 8 8
Device Configurable Settings 7 6.75 8 8.25 7
Build Quality 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.25 8
Performance
Zone 1 (100 MB File transfer)
Signal Strength in Zone 1 (Wireless Mon 3.0, %) 82 90 85 86 80
Sequential (MBps) 1.402 1.425 1.164 2.381 4.052
Assorted files (MBps) 0.546 0.649 0.577 0.732 1.079
Zone 2 (50 MB File transfer)
Signal Strength in Zone 2 (Wireless Mon 3.0, %) 33 41 33 41 33
Sequential (MBps) 0.988 1.304 0.867 1.232 3.429
Assorted files (MBps) 0.496 0.829 0.761 0.582 1.313
Zone 3 (50 MB File transfer)
Signal Strength in Zone 3 (Wireless Mon 3.0, %) 27 30 21 31 22
Sequential (MBps) 1.032 0.855 0.617 0.856 2.012
Assorted files (MBps) 0.688 0.637 0.523 0.469 1.256
Passmark Performance Test Zone 1 / Zone 2 / Zone 3 12.77 / 12.53 / 11.21 / 11.33 / 8.37 12.53 / 9.11 22.68 / 16.05 / 25.01 / 24.19 / 12.58
(Mbps) 8.16 / 5.6 8.831
Video Streaming (1080p) Zone 1 / Zone 2 / Zone 3 (So 10) 7/5/2 3/5/2 8/5/2 8 / 3 / 1.5 8.5 / 7 / 3.5
Video Streaming (DVD) Zone 1 / Zone 2 / Zone 3 (So 10) 8 / 5 / 1.5 5 / 6 / 2.5 8 / 7.25 / 3 6/4/2 9/9/5
WPA - Acronym for WiFi protected setup. It was created as a simple, newbie friendly security protocol that can be configured to
74 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Wi-Fi test
J u LY 2 0 0 9
Routers up to Rs. 5,000
Dlink Belkin Linksys enGenius Linksys Compex Belkin
DIr-300 Wireless G router WrH54G eSr-1221eXT WrT54G2 NP25G Wireless N router
1990 2143 2299 2520 3199 3500 3993
Very affordable Good pricing Solid build, looks Ultra compact Built well Solid build Affordable, neat looks
neat
Slow Plain looks Very slow Ultra slow No draft N support Terribly slow, over- Very slow
priced
48.23 51.67 46.34 43.59 53.15 38.98 43.08
32.02 30.70 30.52 29.87 29.38 29.56 30.53
16.21 20.97 15.82 13.72 23.77 9.42 12.55
G G G G G G Draft N
Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45)
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 6 /4/4/6
6 /4 4 /6 6 /6 6 /6 6 /6 6 /4 4 /4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA WEP, WPA, WPA 2
SPI SPI SPI SPI SPI SPI SPI
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 /4 4 /6 4 /4 4 /4 4 /6 4 /6 4 /6
6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4
4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4
5 5 5 5 5 5 5
8 8.25 7.5 8 7.5 7 8.5
7 8 8 6.75 7.5 6.5 8.25
7.25 7.25 8.5 7 8.5 7.75 7.5
85 83 87 92 90 81 81
1.691 2.408 1.75 1.596 1.763 0.417 2.812
0.759 1.363 0.795 0.584 1.267 0.352 0.602
42 41 31 41 47 40 38
1.265 1.776 1.236 0.73 1.618 0.623 0.455
0.674 1.377 1.056 0.648 1.081 0.437 0.236
25 30 23 28 30 23 30
0.589 0.49 Failed 0.563 1.011 0.244 0.642
0.283 0.449 Failed 0.449 0.963 0.218 0.583
17.1 / 14.08 / 4.83 21.96 / 5.56 / 3.43 15.67 / 12.26 / 4.34 15.05 / 6.24 / 2.9 16.17 / 14.62 / 11.31 9.32 / 7.64 / 3.15 4.943 / 12.12 / 10.34
6.5 / 4 / 1.5 9 / 7 / 2.5 9 / 6 / 1.5 6/3/1 8 / 7.5 / 1.5 6 / 3 / Failed 4.5 / 2 / Failed
7 / 6 / 3.5 9 / 9 / 2.5 9/9/2 7 / 4 / 2.25 9/8/4 7.5 / 3 / Failed 5 / 3 / 1.5
protect with minimal settings. It used a lot of the protocols laid down by the yet unprepared (at the time) IEEE 802.11i.
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 75
Wi-Fi Test
Wi-Fi Comparison Test J u LY 2 0 0 9 J u LY 2 0 0 9
Routers up to Rs. 5,000
Brand Netgear Apple Linksys enGenius Buffalo
Model No WNr2000 AirPort extreme WrT160N eSr-9750G WHr-G300N
802.11n
Price (Rs) 4720 4900 5999 6580 7000
Plus (+) Blazing speed, Amazing looks and Looks great, very Built well Very compact
superb value build fast
Minus (-) Looks boxy Few settings, None in particular Expensive Slow, overpriced
interface
Grand Totals (Out of 100) 66.70 52.44 60.88 60.97 54.87
Features (Out of 40) 32.60 25.94 29.87 32.23 32.30
Performance (Out of 60) 34.10 26.50 31.01 28.74 22.57
Features
Protocols Supported (802.11 A / B / G / Draft N / Draft 2) Draft N Draft N Draft N Draft N Draft 2
Type Of WAN Port (Ethernet / ADSL / USB) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet Ethernet (RJ45)
(RJ45)
No Of RJ45 (LAN) Ports 4 4 4 4 4
No Of USB Ports 0 1 0 0 0
Device Features:
Power / Connectivity / LAN port / Activity Indicators 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/ 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /6/4/4
(4/6)
Security Indicator / Hardware Security button (4 / 6) 4 /4 6 /6 6 /6 6 /4 4 /4
Factory-Defaults Reset Button (4 / 6) 4 4 4 4 4
Wall Mountable (4/6) 6 6 4 4 4
Security:
Encryption Types WEP, WPA, WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WEP, WPA,
WPA 2 WPA 2 WPA 2
Firewall (Types Supported) SPI SPI SPI SPI SPI
LAN I/P Based Site Blocking (4/6) 4 6 4 4 4
Wireless Isolation (4/6) 4 4 4 4 4
Port Mapping (Forwarding) 4 4 4 4 4
Firmware Interface Features:
Basic Setup Wizard (CD / Browser) (4 / 6) 4 /4 4 /6 4 /6 4 /4 4 /6
Online / Offline Firmware Upgrade (4/6) 6 /4 4 /6 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4
Settings, Backup To HDD / Load From HDD (4 / 6) 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4
ease of Installation/use (So 10)
Bundle (Includes Software, except firmware) 5 4 6 6 5
Firmware Interface 8 0 8 8 7
Device Configurable Settings 7 6.5 8.25 6.75 8.5
Build Quality 8 9.5 8.25 8.5 6.5
Performance
Zone 1 (100 MB File transfer)
Signal Strength in Zone 1 (Wireless Mon 3.0, %) 87 57 86 78 68
Sequential (MBps) 5.171 3.296 2.922 2.814 3.085
Assorted files (MBps) 1.277 1.275 1.509 1.108 1.118
Zone 2 (50 MB File transfer)
Signal Strength in Zone 2 (Wireless Mon 3.0, %) 43 25 33 42 38
Sequential (MBps) 3.207 2.731 2.406 2.309 2.127
Assorted files (MBps) 1.272 1.058 1.115 1.784 0.722
Zone 3 (50 MB File transfer)
Signal Strength in Zone 3 (Wireless Mon 3.0, %) 30 18 33 27 17
Sequential (MBps) 1.476 1.536 1.654 1.462 0.738
Assorted files (MBps) 0.791 0.933 0.798 1.098 0.603
Passmark Performance Test Zone 1 / Zone 2 / Zone 3 36.69 / 25.22 / 25.34 / 20.72 / 8.58 32.9 / 20.61 / 20 27.7 / 26.43 / 39.08 / 22.51 /
(Mbps) 11.48 13.89 14.12
Video Streaming (1080p) Zone 1 / Zone 2 / Zone 3 (So 10) 8.5 / 9 / 9 8 / 5 / 1.5 9 / 7.5 / 4 7 / 4 / 1.5 9 / 6.5 / 2.25
Video Streaming (DVD) Zone 1 / Zone 2 / Zone 3 (So 10) 9/9/8 8.5 / 6 / 3 9/9/9 8/6/3 8.75 / 6.5 / 3
WAN - Wide area network is a network whose communication links span regional or national boundaries DSL - Digital subscriber line
76 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Wi-Fi test
J u LY 2 0 0 9
Routers above Rs. 5,000 Access Point
Linksys Netgear Netgear Dlink Belkin Linksys Dlink
WrT310N WNDr3300 WNr 3500 DIr-655 N1 Vision WrT610N DAP-1150
7999 8142 9145 10500 10616 10999 3192
Super fast, feature Very neat looks Great look and build Compact, built well Novel LCD display, Speed demon, Solidly built
rich features feature rich
Expensive Mediocre perform- Poor performance, Expensive, slower Expensive, mediocre Price Poor video stream-
ance pricey than expected performance ing
64.00 57.09 50.07 60.69 56.21 67.51 42.52
29.96 32.72 32.60 35.08 30.25 32.42 33.03
34.04 24.37 17.47 25.61 25.96 35.09 9.49
Draft N Draft N Draft N Draft N Draft N Draft N G
Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) Ethernet (RJ45) NA
4 4 4 4 4 4 1
0 0 0 1 0 1 0
4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/4 4 /4/4/6 4 /4/4/4 4 / NA / 4 / 4
6 /6 4 /4 4 /4 6 /4 4 /6 6 /6 4 /4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 6 6 4 6 4 4
WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2 WEP, WPA, WPA 2
SPI SPI SPI SPI SPI SPI SPI
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 6
4 /6 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /6 4 /6 4 /4
6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4 6 /4
4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4 4 /4
6 5 5 5 5 6 5
8 8 8 8 8.5 8 7.5
8.5 7 7 8 8.25 8.5 6.75
8.25 8.5 8 8.5 8 8.5 7.5
80 60 80 80 86 76 87
3.426 3.96 1.819 5.187 2.426 3.521 1.241
0.945 1.208 0.665 1.102 1.163 1.084 0.441
26 30 26 38 40 36 41
3.195 2.71 1.157 1.705 2.511 2.9 0.891
1.523 1.376 0.679 1.07 1.249 1.202 0.45
26 18 13 21 25 20 26
2.153 0.58 0.678 0.788 0.915 2.45 Failed
1.104 0.282 0.422 0.295 0.555 1.538 Failed
26.23 / 17.51 / 22.63 25.27 / 18.51 / 28.5 / 18.3 / 10.02 37.96 / 13.36 / 5.32 52.75 / 16.9 / 10.33 25.7 / 20.57 / 18.6 9.9 / 8.06 / 4.3
4.021
9/8/6 7.5 / 7 / 3.5 6 / 4 / 2.5 9 / 7 / 6.5 8.25 / 7 / 3.25 9/9/7 5 / 1.5 / Failed
8/9/9 8.5 / 8.25 / 4 7/5/2 9/8/8 8.25 / 6.75 / 3 8/9/9 6/3/1
is the name given to a spectrum of technologies that provide digital data transmission over regular telephonic networks
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 77
Wi-Fi WolksWagon If you know exactly where your
PC is going to be you can opt for a
Wi-Fi Test If you drive off with the newer versions
of the Wolkswagon Routan, you will directional antenna which will provide
get a moving hotspot, as the car comes a much better signal strength in a
with a Autonet Wi-Fi kit. certain direction and location
2,143 we reckon this router is dlink dAP-1150 – Route me not Linksys WRT610N), this shows
a steal. Linksys’ WRT54G2 is the performance overall was well
a smart looker that also just Dlink sent us the only access point in this comparison, the short of both our expectations
missed out on an award, its DAP-1150 – a solid little AP with a large antenna and a good and acceptable levels. And this
faster than the Belkin Wireless build. The entire device is black and has a silver front bezel. is not really a device flaw. When
G Router and costs around a It’s attractive enough to warrant attention and Dlink a device supporting a standard
thousand rupees more, if thought it prudent to supply it with a hardware that promises 75 megabytes per
you want a bit more security (WPS) button and a security indicator. second delivers 40 megabits
It’s wall mountable as well and screws have
speed this may per second we call it a new
been supplied for the same. The interface is
be a better bet. technology that’s yet to mature.
pretty simple and the firmware certainly newbie
If you happen to Like SATA 2.0 for hard drives
friendly. In terms of performance, sadly this little
want blazing speed and still thing cannot keep up with many of its 802.11G or USB 2.0 for USB devices
don’t want to burn your brethren let alone the Draft N speed demons. We we’re yet to see theoretical limits
pocket we have a stunner for were surprised to see it fail the transfer in zone even remotely approached.
you – Netgear’s WNR2000. 3 and tried this thrice. With a price tag of Rs. However five megabytes per
A sweet looking router that’s 3,192, it’s as costly as routers that are faster and second is rather ludicrous even
well-built, feature-rich, highly as such we suggest giving it a wide berth. for a specification that hasn’t
configurable and to top it all a fully emerged. And what about
sterling performer with superb and build quality. Linksys’ connectivity as an option and signal attenuation? If even
scores all round. At a price of WRT160N is another speed is the fastest device in test eight antennas cannot boost a
Rs. 4,720, it is the second fastest demon not very far from winning the Best Performer signal past 88 percent when the
device in the entire test and is the fastest trio in terms of award. In fact it was faster than router and client are just four
less than half the price of the throughput. It’s a great looking the Netgear DGN2000 feet apart with thin air
costliest model. If you want a router that delivers the best of that won the Best
Draft N router and have five features and performance at this Performer award
thousand bucks to burn, you price point and is our Best Buy in the ADSL router
J u LY 2009
couldn’t spend it any better, award winner. Another highly category. With
and the WNR2000 is our recommended device is the nearly 20 megabits
unanimous choice for Editor’s Linksys WRT310N – a smart, per second for
Pick. feature packed router and the sequential transfers
second fastest wireless device in zone 3 and the
Above rs. 5,000 in test. At Rs. 7,999 it is costly, highest score of
While some might argue there’s however advanced users will 12.3 megabits per
not much value to be had when swallow the bill with little fuss. second for assorted
one goes burning upward of Rs. The Linksys WRT610N is the transfers the
5,000 on a router, we disagree. most expensive device in test at WRT610N is the
Features matter Rs. 10,999 and while few will one for you if you
to some users be looking to spend that much demand the best.
as do security, we guarantee blazing speeds Although there
configurability and features galore. It has USB were some truly Linksys WRT610N
J u LY 2 0 0 9
amazing routers in
this comparison and we were between, what will? To mention
surprised both by the prices nothing of that fact that a single
and their firmware features 3-inch thick wooden partition
and options careful readers will is enough to cause signal losses
notice that while we praised of more than 50 per cent! Draft
some of these devices for their N has seen two revisions and
performance we weren’t happy there is still no final standard
with the overall performance so manufacturers are free to
on display. Our maximum include or drop features. While
performance figure was 60 this is a liberty of sorts it’s also
and the fastest performer just a pitfall since very few people
Linksys WRT160N about crossed 35, (35.09 for the are sure just how many of these
routers will quality as 802.11N
Contact Sheet Wi-Fi Comparison Test devices when the standard is
Brand Company Name Phone Number Web site finalised by September this year.
Buffalo Buffalo INC +91-99713 52580 www.buffalo-asia.com We’re waiting impatiently to test
Belkin Belkin Corporation +91-99996 36133 www.belkin.com the new lot of devices based on
Apple Apple India Pvt. Ltd. +91-80-2574 4646 www.apple.co.in
the final 802.11N specification.
Sure, things have gotten a lot
Linksys Cisco Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd. +91-22-4043 4020 www-in.linksys.com better (read faster) since our
Netgear NETGEAR Technologies India Pvt. Ltd +91-11-2620 7270 www.netgear.com last test but we’re an impatient
Dlink D-Link India Limited +91-22-2659 1088 www.dlink.co.in bunch and the orange glow
Senao Rashi Peripherals Pvt. Ltd. +91-22-6709 0828 www.rptechindia.com dancing on the horizon holds
Compex Rashi Peripherals Pvt. Ltd. +91-22-6709 0828 www.rptechindia.com much promise.
802.11i - An amendment to 802.11 specifying the security features and mechanisms to be used in wireless networks
78 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Keep Scanning
Bazaar With two new scanners from Fujitsu named the VAIO NW
ScanSnap S1500 and the S1500M. The S1500 has Is the new range of VAIO laptops from Sony aimed at being
support for Windows operating systems while the a Lifestyle range. This notebook has a 15.5 inch display, new
S1500M has support for Mac OS X textures and even two-tone colours
There are more advanced
lessons available for a small
fee from the Lessons Store.
iMovie ’09 is the next
application we looked at. A
very nifty feature is the ability
to minimise image shake in
captured videos and we were
surprised to find this works
pretty well. Although it cannot
compensate for a jerky hand
while shooting (obviously), it
does iron out the odd shake.
Precision Editor is another
feature worthy of mention — it
allows you to choose exactly
which frame to edit and the
navigation between frames that
have been edited is smooth. You
can see exactly which frames
Apple iLife ’09 will be affected by the changes
being made and the interface is
intuitive and simple. However,
editing is very resource intensive
And life began anew and even our 2.66 GHz Macbook
A
Pro with 4 GB of DDR3 memory
pple’s iLife series is one, the saturation slider can was slowed to a crawl.
a bundle of image preserve skin tones — obviously iWeb, Apple’s application
and video viewing very useful and sorely missed in that enables easy creation of
and editing software, iLife ’08. The retouching brush personal web changes hasn’t
music player and a host of will not dull edges anymore, seen much changes and
other multimedia and fun useful for highlighting and iWeb ’09 is very similar to its
applications that Apple likes subtly merging as required. predecessor. The interface
to call “lifestyle utilities”. There is a Definition tool that is very simple. One addition
Whichever way you look at it, can be used to highlight edges. since the previous version
there’s a fair bit of additions Some of the new features seem is a new tab called Widgets.
and tweaks since iLife ’08. like they’ve been borrowed Some of the widgets include
iPhoto — Apple’s answer to from Aperture, Apple’s image YouTube video embedding
anything related to imaging editing software. and an RSS feed viewer. To
has been spruced up with a GarageBand is has also be honest with the number
couple of new features — Faces seen major overhaul. Gone is of social networking sites
and Places. Besides this, the the podcast-heavy interface around, one has to question
interface is a lot less cluttered and the focus is once again the inclusion of this feature.
Contact as compared to earlier versions. on instruments and music. iDVD hasn’t been changed at
Apple India Inc. Faces uses face-recognition Lessons is a nifty not to all and the interface looks the
Phone: 1-800-425 0744 algorithms to identify people. mention useful addition same. Burning Blu-rays is still
Email: indiasales@mac.com Once you name a face that for budding musicians that impossible which we think is
Web site: www.apple.co.in has been identified, Faces can teaches the basics of guitaring a glaring omission.
Price: Rs 4,700 scan through other photos and and the piano. The interface Priced at Rs. 4,700, iLife ’09
identify those with that person is cleanly laid out with the can be termed as feature rich
and suggests a name to all the instructor occupying the just as easily as someone else
System Requirements: faces that match. Places is a top half of the screen and might term it as overpriced
OS X 10.5.6 or later, dual core CPU geotagging application that the piano keyboard/guitar — it all depends on how much
2.0 GHz or more, 512 MB RAM allows tagging of photos. Places fretboard occupying the use you have of the bundled
(1 GB recommended), 4 GB disk can either automatically tag the bottom and you can learn applications. We really liked
space, DVD-ROM for installation photos by looking up the GPS the guitar and the piano. The iphoto and GarageBand
coordinates of the photo and Lessons themselves consist of and these applications are
RATINGS place it on a map, or manually a brief introduction followed something that will satisfy
where you have to add a by a demonstration from the needy users. Some of the others
Features ..................7.5 location to each photo. This is on-screen teacher and after like iWeb are nifty but a little
Ease of Use ..............8 done by entering the name of that you get to practice the unnecessary. People buying a
Performance ...........7 the nearest city. Places has a piece. You can loop the piece new system will save a load of
Value for money......6.5 slightly confusing interface. if you need more practice. cash and end up with a free
iPhoto has a few nifty new Once done, you can play copy, and nobody throws away
Overall .....................7
image editing options. For along with the instructor. freebies, especially good ones.
Nokia 5630 XpressMusic phone, showcased at the Mobile World Congress; Finally reaches European shores
80 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
More Satellite TV Rs. 9,999 Bazaar
Kolkata will be the first city in India to Is going to be the price of a new PC called Wizard Utility
experience Videocon’s new Direct to Home – People’s PC from eSys. The price has been set to
service called ‘Videocon D2H’. compete against Acer’s entry level desktop – EL-1600.
Seagate Momentus ST9500325ASG
The price is right
T
he Momentus series assorted data took 67.7 sec Contact Seagate Momentus will be the
of 2.5-inch drives giving an average read speed Fortune Marketing cheapest.
from Seagate are great of also 64 MBps. Opening a Phone: +91-11-2641 4468,
notebook storage 1 GB Photoshop image took 2647 2491
solutions. The ST9500325ASG 60.6 seconds, which is really Email: sales@fortune-it.com
model that we received has great for a notebook drive. Web site: www.fortune-it.com
a capacity of 500 GB with an The only area where this Price: Rs. 5,250
8-MB cache. drive lost out in performance
Seagate has used a two was when we did an internal Specifications
platter design for this 2.5-inch file copy of the 4 GB data Specifications: Interface: SATA
drive. This drive is 9.5 mm files. This hard drive took 3.0Gb/s, Cache: 8 MB, Areal
thick which is the standard for about 240 seconds for both density (avg): 394 Gbits/inch2,
notebook hard drives now. sequential and assorted files. Spindle speed: 5400 rpm
Synthetic benchmarks This is a great drive if you Dimensions (H x W x L):
aside, this drive did well in want an upgrade for your 9.5 x 69.85 x 100.35 mm Benchmarks Gigabyte MSI P7NGM
EG45M-UD2H Digital
our real world tests too. It notebook, especially if you Weight: 98.8 grams
took 56.4 seconds to write like to store a lot of data on Average Read
(MB/s)
67 63.4
a 4-GB sequential file and it. Paying Rs. 5,250 for this
Average Write 59.4 57.23
72.7 seconds to write 4-GB drive would definitely result RATINGS (MB/s)
assorted data resulting an in a win-win situation for
average write speed of about you. The Seagate Momentus Features ..................8 Random Access
Time (Read) (ms)
18.9 15
64.48 MBps (sequential 5400.6 is great value for Performance ...........7.5 Random Access — 3
and assorted). Read times money considering its Build Quality ...........8 Time (Write) (ms)
were also mighty impressive performance and price. If you Value for money......8 CPU Utilization 4% —
as 4 GB of sequential data are buying a notebook hard Overall .....................8 Burst Speed 246 —
took 60.6 sec while 4 GB of drive look no further as the (MB/s)
Genius BT-031i
Just slide
Contact
S
KYE System Corp. tereo Bluetooth
Phone: +91-11-4158 0611 headsets are
Email: sales_india@geniusnet. becoming the new
com.tw thing to have,
Web site: www.genius.com especially if you’re always
Price: 4,500 on the move. The Genius
BT-031i is one such stereo
Bluetooth headset and that The touch buttons are located decent bass, it lacks in mids
Specifications too with touch sensitive on the left side, while the mini and highs.
Support: A2DP buttons and a very unique USB port (for charging) and the Call quality was above
Grip: Silicon ear hooks design. power switch is on the right side. average as we could hear
Charging: USB connector The BT-031i is a street style To adjust the volume, slide your the person speak, but the
Weight: 82 grams or neck band style of a headset, finger in a circular manner. Tap microphone wasn’t able to
though it may look similar to the centre area to accept and end pick up everything that was
RATINGS standard headphones that rest calls. The touch buttons respond being said clearly. Pairing
Features ..................7.5 on the head. There are rubber well. One feature we didn’t like this device was simple and
Performance ...........5 straps over each side of the is the way it lights up each time wasn’t an issue.
headphone which are supposed the buttons are touched; there is Paying Rs. 4,500 for just
Build Quality ...........6.5
to hook onto your ear. The really no point in this. average performance is really
Value for money......5.5 earpads themselves are on the The sound quality of this not a good idea and we don’t
Overall .....................6 smaller side and we did not headset is decent. Although recommend you buy this.
find them very comfortable. the BT-031i reproduces
Images of Sony Ericsson’s Xperia 2 codenamed ‘Vulcan’ have been leaked on to the internet
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 81
Bazaar Dragon Sniper
Cooler Master has customised the Storm Sniper cabinet
for AMD and has launched it as Sniper: AMD Dragon
Platform Edition
Novatium Navigator
When Windows is better than Linux
F
or the users on the With the Linux OS, it takes games are flash games that
go, manufacturers around 100 seconds to start are access through the
have come up with up, excluding logging in time. browser as they have been
netbooks, but what The desktop of this OS is really stored on local. One really
about for those that want to use clustered and there is also irritating thing about this
a desktop solution just for the an Ad banner present on the OS is that everything you
internet. That’s where nettops bottom on the screen. You have open is in full screen mode
come into play. Nettops are four sections on the desktop: and there is no way to even Contact
computers that perform the Internet, Documents, Games minimize these windows. Novatium Solutions (P) Ltd.
most basic tasks such as surfing and Utilities. Applications such The Navigator OS does Phone: 1-800-425 6682
the internet, basic audio and as Skype, Ebuddy, Radio and not support all printers, infact Email: info@novatium.com
video playback, and document Mozilla Firefox. Mozilla Firefox it only supports the HP brand Web site: www.novanavigator.com
processing. The Novatium has also been modified to fit of printers, which again will be Price: Rs. 3,999
Navigator is one such nettop. the Navigator, but it hasn’t been a problem if you have anything
The cabinet is compact and executed very well. It looks other than HP. Specifications
fits an Intel G945CLF mini- like Firefox has been cut, the As a nettop it is not bad, but Motherboard: Intel G945CLF,
ITX form factor motherboard. Help menu on the menubar if you intend to buy this, we Processor: Intel Atom @ 1.6 GHz,
When placed vertically, the is missing, each menu on suggest you go for the one with 150 W Power Supply Unit, 512 MB
150 W power supply, custom the menubar does not have a Windows XP, as the custom OS DDR2 memory, 160 GB Hard drive.
made to fit into the cabinet, is border and looks really bad. does not let you do much. The
mounted on the top. One really big problem we see barebone PC costs Rs. 3,999, RATINGS
There is a choice of with this OS is that you can’t but you have to pay a BSNL
operating systems that needs download any word, excel or subscription cost of Rs. 195 per
Features ..................7
to be made before purchase; powerpoint file formats as month for a single user or Rs. Performance ...........6.5
either a custom made Linux there is nothing installed that 99 per month for two users. Build Quality ...........7.5
OS for the Navigator or can view them. The only thing This might even be a good Value for money......8
Windows XP Professional available under Documents solution for cybercafes just for Overall .....................7
before you purchase this. is a PDF viewer. Most of the browsing.
Canon MF4370dn Fax and Scan. There are also
buttons to change the size
of the document, change the
scanning is also possible with
this MFD.
The first print of a text
The small office companion image quality either and also document took 12.1 sec.
T
to set the order of the prints. Individual prints in both
Contact he imageCLASS The MF4370dn also offers two- standard and economy mode
Canon India Private Limited MF4370dn is a sided printing and copying. were tested and they took 9.5
Phone: 1-800-180 3366 monochrome MFD PC Fax is also possible and so sec each. The print quality in
Email: info@canon.co.in from Canon, aimed at is network scanning. Network both standard and economy
Web site: www.canon.co.in being an all purpose solution mode were identical, making it
Price: Rs. 27,395 for offices. wiser to print using economy
This MFD is dark grey in mode so as to save on the toner.
Specifications colour with the buttons and But this was only the case for
Print Resolution: 600 x 600 dpi, controls of this device text documents. It took 16.8 sec
Print Memory: 32 MB on a silver bezel. A to print our test PDF document
Paper Feeding: 250 sheet small display is also in economy mode and 20.3
cassette and single sheet present on this bezel. sec in standard mode. The
multipurpose tray The cassette tray quality of the images were
Dimensions (W x D x H): 390 x comes with a dust almost identical with
442 x 470 mm cover that does not slight brightness missing
Weight: 15.15 kg. completely attach, in economy mode.
but is just left atop Overall, this printer has
RATINGS the tray. It also has some good print speeds
a multipurpose tray and well the quality is also
Features ..................7 that supports single way above average. This
Performance ...........6.5 sheets, located above makes a good buy for small
Build Quality ...........7.5 the paper cassette to medium sized businesses
Value for money......8 slot. looking for a fast feature
Overall .....................7 You can quickly rich printer that doesn’t
select between Copy, need a PC for its operation.
FujiFilm FinePix S2000HD is the latest offering from FujiFilm and is a 10 MP camera having full support with HDTVs
82 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Don’t Pre-Plan They live!
Finally the one phone that is supposed to beat the
iPhone or atleast be the closest to defeating the
Alienware is soon to launch their M17x gaming laptop in India.
Base specs include C2D 8600, 64-bit Windows Vista and an Nvidia
Bazaar
iPhone is here – Palm Pre. Too bad it hasn’t launched GTX260M as a graphics solution. The price of this mean machine will
in India yet, wonder when that day will come... start at around Rs. 86,000 but it will definitely go higher.
Contact
Cyberstar Infocom Pvt. Ltd
Phone: +91-99725 80117
Email: saurabh.gupta@
cyberstarindia.com
Web sites:
www.hitachigst.com
www.cyberstarindia.com
Price for 5K500: Rs. 7,800
Price for 5K500.B: Rs. 7,500
5K500/500.B
Specifications
Interface: SATA 3 Gb/s, Capacity:
500 GB
Data disks: 3/2
Data heads (physical): 6/4
Data Buffer: 8 MB
Dimensions (H x W x D):
12.5 x 70 x 100 mm/9.5 x 70 x
Hitachi Travelstars
100 mm
Weight: 148 grams
A tiny difference RATINGS 5K500/500.B
N
otebook hard over the SATA connectors write tests in comparison Features ....................... 8/8
drives are the while the 5K500.B does have to the 5K500.B. The CPU Performance................ 7/8
2.5-inch versions it. The 5K500 drive is based utilisation of the 5K500 Build Quality ................ 7.5/8
of 3.5-inch drives. on a three-platter design, drive is less. The only place Value for money .......... 7/7.5
We received two 2.5-inch whereas the 5K500.B drive where the 5K500.B shines Overall.......................... 7/7.5
notebook hard drives from has a two-platter design. is the burst speed — 246.5
Hitachi — the Travelstar We tested these drives MBps in comparison to 184.6
5K500 HTS545050KTA300 with Windows Vista, an MBps. The higher the burst B is the superior drive.
and the Travelstar 5K500. Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 speed, the faster you will Both these drives kept
B HTS545050B9A300. Both processor @ 2.66 GHz and be able to open up files and silent and neither of them
have a capacity of 500 GB 2 GB of DDR 2 memory. The applications. got too warm. When it comes
and an 8 MB cache. benchmarks for these drives When it comes to real down to pure performance,
The 5K500 measures 12.5 include HD Tach RW, SiSoft world tests, the 5K500.B it would be better to get the
mm whereas the 5K500. Sandra 2009. SP2, 4 GB file outperforms the 5K500 by Hitachi 5K500.B rather than
B has a height of 9.5 mm. transfer tests and a 1-GB quite a margin. With our real the 5K500.
Both these drives have SATA Photoshop scratch disk test. world file transfer tests, we The 5K500.B is priced
interfaces with the only In these benchmarks, the found the average read and at Rs. 7,500, whereas the
difference here being that the 5K500 showed better overall write speeds of the 5K500 5K500 is priced at Rs. 7,800.
5K500 does not have a cover performance in read and drive to be 41.92 MBps and The prices of both the drives
58.23 MBps, respectively. are on the higher side, and
In comparison, the 5K500. if you intend to go for a
B gave us average read notebook hard drive, then we
4 GB file transfer in seconds and write speeds of 58.17 suggest you get the Seagate
200
207.9 MBps and 61.98 MBps, Momentus 5400.6 as it is
188.2 respectively. These scores great value for money.
172 clearly show why the 5K500.
Travelstar 5K500 Travelstar 5K500.B
101.1 HD Tach (32 MB Zone)
94.5 89.1
82 Random Access Time 18.2 ms 18.1 ms
66.1
58.2
CPU Utilization 3% 4%
Average Read 54.8 MB/s 67.7 MB/s
Average Write 52.8 MB/s 65 MB/s
Sequential Read Assorted Read Sequential Write Assorted Write Photoshop
Scratch Disk Burst Speed 184.6 MB/s 246.5 MB/s
Nokia N97 is rumoured to launch by the beginning of July and
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 83
BenQ keeps fighting Vevo
Bazaar BenQ announced that they are trying to get back into
the mobile market by introducing new smartphones
A new online music video service is going to be launched by
Sony Music Entertainment and is called Vevo. They foresee
based on the Android OS. They also plan to use the this service best being used by newly launched products
Android platform for their netbook range. such as the PSPGo and Sony NWZ OLED Walkman.
ASUS EAH4890
Just another RV790
A
SUS has followed GB of DDR2 memory at 1066
the reference cooling MHz. We have compared the
Contact and design provided results of this card to that of
ASUS Technology Pvt. Ltd by AMD and has put the XFX 4890 that we had
Phone: +91-22-6766 8800, 1- forth its version of the 4890. previously tested.
800-209 0365 The cooling and clock speeds From the performance
Email: media_india@asus.com of this card are the same as this tests, the ASUS version of the
Web site: www.asus.in is not the TOP version. This 4890 did not perform as well is priced somewhere around
Price: Rs. 19,500 card comes with a Core clock as the XFX version of the card. Rs. 19,000, so if you definitely
Photographs: Manas Parekh
of 850 MHz, Memory clock of The ASUS EAH4890 is priced at want to buy a 4890, we would
3900 MHz and 1 GB of DDR5 Rs. 19,500, while the XFX 4890 suggest you opt for XFX.
Specifications video memory.
Engine Clock: 850 MHz This card comes with two
Memory Clock: 3900 MHz Dual Link DVI connectors and Benchmarks ASUS XFX Radeon
EAH4890 HD 4890
Memory Interface: 256-bit a single S-Video connector
Video Memory: DDR5 1G located between the two 3D Mark Vantage (Performance 3D Marks) 9732 / 9084 10668 /
DVI connectors. With the (Overall / GPU) 10220
RATINGS package, ASUS has provided PC Mark 05 (PC Marks) (Overall / Graphics) 8945 / 15286 9597 / 17018
a DVI to HDMI converter and
Features ..................8 a DVI to D-Sub converter. A Doom 3 (fps) (1600 x 1200, Ultra) 194 216.1
Performance ...........7 leather mousepad with Company of Heroes (fps) 177.9 / 139.6 137.3 / 117.5
Build Quality ...........8 the ASUS logo on it has also (1600x1200/1920x1200 - 4xAA 4xAF)
Value for money......8 been provided with this card;
F.E.A.R. (fps) 139 / 105 138 / 100
Overall .....................7.5 something to remind people of (1600x1200/1920x1440-4xAA 4xAF)
ASUS’ presence.
The card was tested using an Crysis (fps) 20 20
(1600 x 1200 – 4xAA, 4xAF)
Intel QX9650 @ 3 GHz and 4
Kingston SSDNow M 80 GB
The smaller the faster
Contact
K
Benchmarks Kingston WD Ve-
SSDNow M lociraptor
ingston has recently along the edges that makes 80 GB 300 GB Kingston Technology Company
launched three this drive even more rugged. File Write 4 GB 61.5 46.1 Inc.
different series of Either way, in the absence of Single File (sec) Phone: +91-22-2659 2927
SSDs that go under moving parts, SSDs have an File Write Test 65.7 54.7 Email: vishal.parekh@kingston.
Assorted 4 GB
the name of SSDNow. advantage over HDDs as far File (sec) com
as durability is Internal File Read 73.3 94.9
Web site: www.kingston.com/
concerned. Test Single 4 GB india
File (sec)
We compared Price: Rs. 32,999
the performance Internal File Read
Test Assorted 4 GB
82.2 106.6
of the Kingston File (sec)
SSDNow M with a Photoshop CS2 37.1 42.1 Specifications
WD Velociraptor Image Load (1 GB
file) (sec)
Form Factor: 2.5 inch
300 GB and found Dimensions: 69.85mm x 100mm
that the SSDNow world file transfer tests show x 9.5mm
is definitely fast that the Kingston SSDNow Weight: 86 gram
in terms of read is slower than the WD
scores, but not Velociraptor when it comes RATINGS
able to beat the to write speed, but is faster Features ..................8
WD in terms during read cycles. Performance ...........9
Kingston SSDNow M series of write scores during the We feel that SSDs just cost
uses Intel’s X25-M SSD and synthetic benchmarks such too much and you should wait
Build Quality ...........8.5
has put a slight twist on it. as HD Tach RW and SiSoft till they become main stream Value for money......6.5
Kingston has given the drive a Sandra. and cheaper before going for Overall .....................8
thick external plastic covering The results of our real them.
Delta releases new range of UPS which range from 1kVA to 3kVA. These UPS fall under their E Series Kingston
84 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
I see 3-D
Nvidia has brought their GeForce 3D Vision kit to the Dual-core galore Bazaar
Indian Shore. The kit contains a pair of wireless battery New 45 nm dual-core AMD processors, codenamed Callisto soon
powered glasses and an infrared emitter. But remember to arrive. The processors to arrive are the Phenom II X2 550 and
you need a 120 Hz display for the 3D feature to work 545 as well as a Athlon X2 250.
Contact
MSI 770-C35 MSI
Phone: +91-11-4175 8808 / 09
Email: marketing@msi-in.com
Web site: in.msi.com
Red is in Price: Rs. 4,800
Specifications
W
ith all the craze of Hyper Transport Bus: Upto
new processors 5200MT/s
being released, Chipset: AMD 770+SB710
MSI is one of the Max memory: 16 GB
few to introduce a mid-ranged DDR3 support:
AMD board based on the AMD 800/1066/1333/1600*(OC)
770 and SB710 chipset and is
named the MSI 770-C35. RATINGS
This board has the length Features ..................7.5
of an ATX form factor Performance ...........8
motherboard but is not as
wide as a standard ATX board,
Build Quality ...........7
which will cause a full length Value for money......7
high-end graphics card to equally strange to see a COM the FSB by up to 20 per cent. Overall .....................7.5
stick out even further than it port at the I/O side of this The DIMM slots are pretty
would with a standard ATX motherboard. close to the CPU socket, but
form factor. The northbridge When it comes to even after we used a Cooler We got some great scores
and southbridge heatsinks expansion, this motherboard Master Hyper TX2, we could in benchmarks such as 3D
are dark red in colour. The has one PCIe x16 slot, two fit the a memory stick into the Mark 06 (16361), PC Mark 05
southbridge heatsink is small PCIe x1 slots and three PCI first slot, so it isn’t much of a (11875), Cinebench (10465)
and gets heated up quite a bit. slots. The MSI 770-C35 concern. and even with games such as
Now MSI has done something comes with an interesting We used the AMD Doom 3 and Prey.
really interesting, not only overclocking feature, which Phenom II 955 BE to test DDR3 memory prices are
is this motherboard AM3 is controlled by two switches. the performance of this already slowly on the decline.
ready, but this motherboard According to the different motherboard along with 4 This motherboard would
also supports DDR3 memory. positions you place the GB of DDR3 memory and make for a decent upgrade
But at the same time, it was switches in, you can boost an ASUS ENGTX285 TOP. and not a high end gaming rig.
ASUS VK266H barely passed the 16 shade
colour intensity shade, as
all the primary colours just
HD movies on, then this is
a definite recommendation
from us.
26-inch wonder about made it through without
I
merging of the last few colours.
f you thought your 22-inch We calibrated the display The VK266H uses a TN Contact
LCD monitor was enough, using Display Mate and panel and in conjuction with ASUS Technology Pvt. Ltd
think again, owning a Datacolor Syper3Elite the large size (and therefore Phone: +91-22–6766 8800 / 1-
26-inch LCD for your PC calibration tool. The buttons wider viewing angles) is not very 800-209 0365
is something to brag about and were quite bad, more over suitable for multimedia content Email: media_india@asus.com
that’s just what the VK266H there is no grip as such while and definitely not for imaging Web site: www.asus.in
from ASUS is all about. constantly adjusting the professionals. Price: Rs. 26,250
The ASUS VK266H has good brightness and contrast using After the Spyder3Elite
looks, the panel around the the monitor’s controls. When calibration, the difference in Specifications
screen is glossy black, except for it comes to colours, this LCD the before and after profiles Panel Size: 25.5 inch Wide
the silver line at the bottom were very visible, and we Screen, True Resolution:
that holds the buttons of this actually found the default 1920x1200, Contrast Ratio
display towards the right. colours to be on the cooler (Max.): 20000 :1 (ASCR),
This display holds a whole side, not reproducing reds, Response Time: 2 ms (Gray-to-
bunch of connectivity options and to some extent even Gray)
— VGA port, DVI port and greens, properly. Also the
even an HDMI out. This contrast ratio was found to RATINGS
display also comes along with be 527:1 instead of 20,000:1;
speakers and an integrated mentioned on the LCD.
Features ..................8.5
web cam. There is also audio This LCD display is Performance ...........6.5
connectivity through 6 ports great, though it needs some Build Quality ...........7.5
for a home theatre setup or calibration, and if you are Value for money......7.5
through 3.5-mm ports for PC looking for a rig that you Overall .....................8
connectivity. can comfortably watch full
released new Solid State Drives called the SSDNow V Series and are available in 64 GB and 128 GB capacities
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 85
Not a netbook Price Cuts
Bazaar Intel’s new processor, Pentium SU2700 and a new Intel
G40 chipset were launched at Computex 2009 in Taipei.
Apple fans who were waiting for a cheaper MacBook can
now rejoice as price cuts in the MacBook and MacBook
This processor and chipset combo is aimed towards slim Pro series have been announced. Even the prices for the
and light laptops not classified as a netbook. MacBook Air have been reduced.
Kingston Media Reader Contact
Jack of all cards Kingston Media Reader
T
Phone: +91-22-2659 2927
he Kingston Media Email: vishal.parekh@kingston.
Reader is a memory com
card reader that Web site: www.kingston.com/
supports 19 memory india
card formats. Price: Rs. 1,099
It is grey in colour and has
rounded edges. The base of the
device has two rubber strips Specifications
that acts as a grip. The USB Cards supported: Compact
cable is attached to the reader Flash type I and II, MicroDrive,
and is tucked away at the rear. SD, SDHC, miniSD, miniSDHC,
To access the memory card short, but an extension has same, but the read times microSD, microSDHC, MMC,
slots, Kingston has used a slide been provided with the pack. is where the Media Reader MMCplus, RS-MMC, MMCmobile,
mechanism, where you need The performance of the overtook the inbuilt card reader. MMCmicro, Memory Stick, M2,
to push the Kingston logo and Kingston Media Reader was This product is great as it MS PRO, MS PRO Duo, MS Duo.
slide the ports to the front. This tested by comparing it to the gives good performance and
logo also lights up in red when Memory Card reader present and also supports 19 different
RATINGS
a memory card is inserted into in the Samsung R610 laptop. types of memory cards. This Features ..................8
one of the slots. The slider We transferred 1 GB of is a great buy at Rs. 1,099 and Performance ...........8.5
mechanism isn’t that strong sequential and assorted data will benefit anybody who uses Build Quality ...........8
and would have made better using a Kingston 32 GB SDHC memory cards for data as well Value for money......7
sense, if there was a dust cover card. The write times of the as photography enthusiasts
of some sort. The USB wire Media Reader and the laptop who need to transfer data
Overall .....................8
attached to the device is rather card reader were about the frequently.
AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition
Unlock the potential
A
MD has introduced socket, backward compatible
a new line of Athlon with the AM2 socket but
X2 7000 series make note that this this
dual-core processors CPU is not compatible
christened KUMA. This line with the AM3 socket. The
could be considered the KUMA architecture is based Contact
low end of their processors, on the previous generation AMD India
now with the Phenom II Phenom X4 processors, and Phone: 1-800-425 6664
processors. We received the is manufactured with 65-nm Email: fusion.india@amd.com
AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black process technology with a Web site: www.amd.com
Edition to test, which is the most The Athlon X2 7850 BE is TDP of 95 W. The specifications Price: Rs. 3,700
powerful among the 7000 series. compatible with the AM2+ CPU of the 7000 series is the
same as that of the quad-core Specifications
processors which means that Core Clock: 2.8 GHz
these CPUs are actually quad L2 cache: 1 MB, L3 cache: 2 MB,
cores with two cores disabled. CPU socket: AM2+
This processor comes with a TDP: 95 W
clock speed of 2.8 GHz, 512 KB Bus speed: 200 MHz.
per core of L2 cache and 2 MB
of shared L3 cache. RATINGS
This CPU is a good Features ..................7.5
performer for its price and Performance ...........7.5
makes great value for money.
Being a Black Edition processor,
Build Quality ...........8.5
its multiplier is unlocked, Value for money......8.5
which makes it a good product Overall .....................8
for gamers and overclockers.
The iPhone 3G S with a better processor and an option for a 32 GB version is now available in the US
86 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Nintendo likes to colour In with the new Bazaar
A black Nintendo Wii gaming console is scheduled for At Computex 2009 in Taipei, AMD revealed the world’s
an August 1st launch in Japan. Along with that a Red first DirectX 11 GPU and is supposed to be available to
Nintendo DSi is due to be released on July 11th. consumers by the end of 2009.
ASUS Rampage II Extreme
clear by adding this to the ROG
line. If you are building a high
end rig around the Core i7 then
this is definitely the board you
An overclockers delight want, but if you are on a budget,
but are still going to go the i7
T
way, then it would be wiser to
he Rampage II the LCD poster device opt for something with less
Extreme is a full provided with the features like the ASUS P6T
ATX form factor motherboard and use Deluxe or the Intel DX58SO
motherboard, unlike it to overclock while
the Rampage II GENE which your OS (Windows) is Contact
is an X58 motherboard with a running. There is also Phone: +91-22–6766 8800 / 1-
micro-ATX form factor, also a a line of solder points 800-209 0365
part of the ROG series. One of called Probelt where you Email: media_india@asus.com
the first things that will catch can measure the voltage Web site: www.asus.in
your eye when you look at this of the RAM, CPU, Price: Rs. 25,800
board is the inclusion of a full Chipset and PCIe by
line of tweaking features and connecting a multimeter. Specifications
backlit buttons located next to Chipset: Intel X58 / ICH10R,
Benchmarks Results
the DIMM slots. The power and We used the following setup System Bus: Up to 6400 MT/s
reset buttons are also among PC Mark 05 (PC Marks) 12419 to test this board: An Intel with QuickPath Interconnection,
(Overall)
these buttons. Next you will Core i7 965 @ 3.2 GHz, 3 GB Audio: SupremeFX X-Fi Audio
also notice the large passive 3D Mark 06 (3D Marks)
(Overall)
19672
of Kingston HyperX DDR3 Card, External LCD Poster
cooling heatsinks that ASUS Cinebench 15956
memory and an ASUS GeForce
has used. One thing missing GTX 285 TOP. RATINGS
from this cooling system is 100 MB DivX file conver- 46.5 The ASUS II Extreme
the inclusion of water cooling
sion (sec)
definitely has some great
Features ..................9
support. 4GB File Transfe!r (sec) 145.9
performance and some great Performance ...........8.5
The overclocking buttons Doom 3 (fps) (640x480, 350.8 / 213 features that make it an Build Quality ...........8.5
low / 1600x1200, 4xAA)
that we mentioned earlier outstanding product. But these Value for money......7
have been labeled TweakIt.
Prey (fps) (640x480, low /
1680 x 1050, 4xAA 4xAF)
202.1 / 400.9
features don’t cater to everybody Overall .....................8
This feature allows you to use and ASUS has made that pretty
HP LaserJet P2035
Fast in black and white
L
aser printers are quickly second paper tray holds upto was set with 600 dpi and the Contact
moving towards home 250 sheets and is located at the EconoMode checked, whereas HP LaserJet P2035
and home office bottom. This tray can be pulled standard was tested at 600 Hewlett Packard India Sales
users for their fast out. One thing that is out of dpi alone. The time taken with Pvt. Ltd.
print speeds and good quality place is that this tray is left open both these modes is more or Phone: 3030 4499
prints. The LaserJet P2035 is a at the rear of the printer. less around 7 seconds, but Email: hplaserjet.india@hp.com
monochrome laser printer from This printer is really great there was a definite difference Web site: www.hp.com/in/
HP aimed for home or SoHo use. when it comes to printing and between the quality of the laserjet
The HP LaserJet P2035 is speed. The LaserJet P2035 prints. Compared to standard, Price: Rs. 18,499
white with a simple design and shot out the first print in 8.9 the economy mode prints were
suits most environments. The seconds. We tested the printer less saturated and also had Specifications
quality of the buttons are really in two modes – economy and rough edges. The standard Print Quality: Up to 600 x 600
bad, though they do serve the standard. The economy mode prints were much better and dpi
purpose of what they have had smoother edges. We Standard Memory: 16 MB
to. There is no display on this also printed our combi. Input Capacity: Upto 300 Sheets
printer, but instead there are pdf test document, which Dimensions (W x D x H): 365 x
simple indicative lights in case contains images, but found 368 x 268 mm
of any problem such as paper a lot of noise in these images
jams, no paper, etc. and they were unclear and RATINGS
There are two paper trays pixelated. 20 pages took
in this printer. The first a under a minute at 45.4
Features ..................7
one is a multipurpose tray seconds which makes it
Performance ...........8.5
which has to be unfolded by really fast. Build Quality ...........7.5
opening the centre area of If you use a printer for Value for money......6.5
the printer. This tray can hold occasional printing, then Overall .....................7.5
upto 50 sheets of paper. The this is not for you.
Acer launches 5 new smartphones in India: X960, F900, M900, DX650 and DX900
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 87
Bazaar
NVIDIA announces the 200M Delta launches a compact series UPS
series of laptop GPUs ranged between 1kVA and 3kVA
XFX GeForce GTX 275
Benchmarks Results
3D Mark Vantage P13333 / 10940
(Performance 3D Marks)
(Overall / GPU)
The green lightning PC Mark 05 (PC Marks)
(Overall / Graphics)
9975 / 19032
Crysis (fps) (1600x1200/ 22 / 19
1920x1200, 4xAA 4xAF)
Contact Unreal Tournament III (fps)
(1600x1200/1920x1200,
142 / 133
Rashi Peripherals Pvt. Ltd 4xAA 4xAF)
Phone: +91-22-6709 0828 Doom 3 (fps) (1600x1200, 175.3
Email: email:response@ 4x AA)
rptechindia.com
Web site: www.rptechindia.com Memory speed of 2268 MHz.
Price: Rs: 17,500 To test the performance
of this card we used the
Specifications following: ASUS P5Q Deluxe
GPU Clock: 633 MHz motherboard, Intel QX9650 @
Memory bus: 448, Memory 3.0 GHz processor and 4 GB
T
Size: 896 MB of DDR3 memory running at
Memory Speed: 2268 MHz he GeForce GTX 275 provided. The card has two 6-pin 1066 MHz.
is a high-end graphics power connectors and does take This card has is a great
card from NVIDIA up two slots, which is the case of performer, but with this much
RATINGS and this time around most high-end graphic cards. The of performance, you would
Features ..................8 we received the XFX version of sticker that XFX has used on this have to shell out Rs. 17,500
Performance ...........7.5 this card. card looks great; it has the words for this card. If you are on a
Build Quality ...........8 XFX has used NVidia’s ‘GTX’ on it with electrifying tight budget and still want a
reference cooling solution green lightning all around. great performing card, then we
Value for money......7 and there are two Dual DVI This card from XFX comes would suggest you opt for the
Overall .....................7.5 connectors located on this card. with the standard clock speeds; GTX 260.
For HDMI, an adapter has been GPU clock of 633 MHz and
Cooler Master Hyper N520
Screw down to cool
Contact
C
Cooler Master Co.Ltd. ooler Master has just attached. The drawback here
Phone: +91-98338 70302 / +91- brought forth a new is that these are just too short.
94225 01592 dual fan design CPU We were only able to attach one
Email: Tanmay_L@Coolermaster. cooler with the Hyper of the adapters to the CPU fan
com N520 which sports two 92-mm header on the motherboard,
Web site: www.coolermaster.com fans, one pulls air, while the that too with a struggle, while
Price: Rs. 2,950 other pushes it. the other was attached to an Intel QX9650. We recorded the
The Hyper N520 is big, one extension connected to a 4-pin temperature of the CPU under
Specifications concern is that it might not fit MOLEX. Idle and Load using Speedfan.
CPU Socket: Intel Socket all cabinets, so make sure Mounting brackets were To get the CPU to 100% load
(LGA1366 / LGA775), Socket (LGA To connect the fans to provided for Intel and AMD we ran Cinebench R10 in a
771 Skulltrail only), AMD Socket the motherboard, there are CPU sockets including AM2+ loop.
(AM2+ / AM2 / 940 / 939 / 754), two separate 3-pin adapters and LGA 1366. The winner here was indeed
Dimensions (L x W x H): 122.35 x We put this the Cooler Master Hyper
102.5 x 141 mm CPU cooler up N520 with a maximum CPU
Weight: 688 g against the Intel temperature of 36 degrees
Stock Cooler and Celsius.
RATINGS a Cooler Master The Cooler Master Hyper
Hyper TX2. We N520 does make a good buy,
Features ..................8 used the Cooler especially for those enthusiast
Performance ...........9 Master Thermal overclockers and even for those
Build Quality ...........8 Fusion 400 as who want to keep their system
Value for money......8 the thermal cool. But in all reality, the
Overall .....................8.5 paste. The CPU cooler you keep your CPU, the
selected for this: longer it will last.
Sony has denies rumours of price cuts in their PS3 console The Indian Air Force now possesses the Awacs
88 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Take it easy Bazaar
Winzip Be it any software or tool, initial preparation is vital
The most widely used file compression when attempting sketching or drawing. Start with
software is owned by Corel. fine lines, and get bolder as you proceed.
Corel Painter 11 Requirements
Different Strokes Windows XP or Vista, 700MHz
C
processor or higher, 1 GB RAM,
orel’s Painter is meant There is no shortage of of 500 MB disk space.
for 2D artists who brushes and there are plenty
normally use a canvas of presets for each kind of Contact
and painting and brush. The application is Corel Corporation
drawing tools to create artwork. really simple to get used to Contact: Sathish Venugopal
The interface hasn’t changed a lot and layout is more or less like Phone: +91-99450 12340
from previous versions. One of any other image editor. There Email: sathish.venugopal
the nice features of Painter is the is basic provision for creating @corel.com
mixer window that lets you add animations as well. Although, Web site: www.corel.com
and mix colours like they would painters don’t usually use Price: Rs. 25,000
in a real palette. Painter even lets effects tools, there are the
you use different kinds of canvas basic effects such as blur and color Painter 11 is excellent for
and there are some brushes like tone changing tools in Painter . anyone deeply interested
the watercolours that won’t work The improvements and in painting and sketching.
on regular canvas. additions to this version are There are a few alternatives
Thankfully, layers are basically a few brushes. There but Painter is probably the RATINGS
present so you can separate is a noticeable improvement most matured one of the lot.
bits and pieces of a painting. in performance. We tried on A slightly simpler and open Features ..................8
The watercolour and spray different systems including a interface would be nice. The Performance ...........8
paints spread on paper like Pentium 4 with a gigabyte of price of Rs. 25,000 is steep but Ease of use ..............6.5
they would in real life. So, there RAM and it ran perfectly fine. despite it, this software is a Value for money......5.5
is very good attention to detail We also had the Wacom Intuos must-have for anyone in the 2D Overall .....................7
and at the same time, it makes 4 tablet with us for review and it art industry or a lot of interest
Painter good fun to use. worked well with Painter. in the art form.
Wacom Intuos 4
Different strokes
T
he Intuos 4 has a set of The Wacom
controls on the left and Intuos 4 Contact
a fine display next to supports 2048 Contact: Unicon Infosolutions
the controls. It also has levels of pressure Private Limited
a touch-sensitive pad that lets so you while Phone: +91-11-2669 1748
you zoom in and out or rotate drawing you Email: rajeev.nagar@wacom.
the canvas. More functions can can actually co.in
be accessed by pressing the press down on Web site: www.wacom.co.in
centre button. The controls of the the pen more Price: Rs. 21,280 (Medium)
Intuos are perfectly designed so to get a darker
that you don’t have to use your stroke like you Specifications
keyboard while using the tablet. would with a real pen and paper. with it. The advantages of using Pressure level: 2048
The shortcuts are handy while To keep things very realistic, any software and the flexibility Tilt sensitivity: 60 degrees
panning or changing settings there are nibs with different that this gives makes it well Dimensions (Medium):
for your brushes in applications feels and pressure sensitivity worth the effort. 370 x 254 x 12 mm
such as Adobe Photoshop and provided with the package. It’s Overall, it’s a great tool to Usable area:
Corel Painter. the 2D artists which include have. Anyone with an inclination 223.5 x 139.7 mm
The performance is impressive those who sketch, paint or do towards 2D art will find it amazing Weight: 1 kg
if you haven’t used a tablet before. some kind of touch up work to use. The medium sized Intuos
The strokes don’t feel very smooth who will find tablets such as 4 is priced at Rs. 21,280 and the RATINGS
and there might be some skipping this most useful. Artists who’ve small one is priced at Rs. 14,000. Features ..................7.5
while putting long quick strokes. been using brushes and pens on Although a little expensive for Performance ...........7
Sometimes, you have to slow down paper won’t feel right at home. someone learning painting, it’s
for the tablet to perfectly capture Slight adjustments to styles and a good long-term investment
Build Quality ...........7
your inputs. The precision button techniques along with some time for professionals and everyone Value for money......6
allows slightly slower, but more getting used to will be needed into painting and touch up work Overall .....................7
accurate tracking. before you can be comfortable should use one.
plane which is a surveillance aircraft that can track aircrafts and other threats on land and sea.
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 89
Bloatware
replacements
Workshop
Tool box Open source 93 Replace resource hogging software
with streamlined applications 96 Watch when no one’s watching
Change we need
Kshitij Sobti of files of which only a few will ever be of what they are doing. This is clearly a loss
kshitij.sobti@thinkdigit.com any use, and many changes will be lost as of productivity, especially if that file is
C
people will use outdated revisions of the essential to your work.
hange is the only thing that is file and build on those. Then again, if a person locks a file and
constant, yet it is the thing for Wouldn’t it be great if your file system forgets to unlock before going on a vacation
which we are least prepared. itself could store each change separately? / quitting his job / or even going to sleep,
In some ways we measure Such that it would be invisible until you are at a deadlock until an administrator
progress by how many changes we make in needed? Many such file systems indeed frees the shackles.
completing something. exist (ext3cow, wayback, tux3 etc). Finally, it doesn’t even really solve the
Human error is unavoidable, and in However a simpler solution, which doesn’t problem completely since changes in one
today’s computing world, we have become involve shifting to *NIX and messing file may still conflict with the changes being
used to undoing and redoing our changes. around with kernel modules is to use made in another.
We have now come to rely on such revision control software.
measures to the extent that otherwise risky We can categorise revision control Copy-Modify-Merge
steps becomes trivial. Yet the scope of such systems based on how the system manages A more elegant solution for managing
systems is often limited to the application its repository of data, and how it manages simultaneous access, is to simply give it.
we use. There is no easy cure for a file to avoid conflicts. Each user can create their own copy of the
deleted weeks ago, correcting a mistake you Two approaches to resolving conflicts as
have been building upon for a long time is multiple people try to modify the same file
no easy task. at the same time are the lock-modify-unlock
Such problems are common in the model, and the copy-modify-merge model.
programming world, where a large
number of people modify a single code Lock-Modify-Unlock
base towards a single common goal. How This system is remarkably simple.
can changes be tracked? How can we Whenever one member of a team needs to
ensure two people don’t change the same modify a particular file, it is locked, so that
lines of code simultaneously? There are no one else can make changes to it until it
numerous methods to track and maintain is unlocked again.
changes made to the source code. Let us Think of it as setting a file as read only
see how you can use these technologies for for everyone else while you modify it to
purposes other than coding. your pleasure; once you are done, you can
“unlock” the file again and other people
The need for revision control can begin their work.
If you’ve ever worked on a complicated The disadvantages here are quite
project, you will surely understand the evident. Firstly, you are at the mercy In the Modify-Merge scheme, users independently
benefits of saving multiple copies of your of the first person who locked the file, modify the documents
work in progress. Imagine working on your even though in most cases the changes
history project for weeks, only to realise you might make would not conflict with file which they then proceed to modify as if
that the original introduction would fit in no one is watching.
better. Without backups at multiple stages Finally, they can “merge” back their
– you’re helpless. changes. By this, we mean that the revision
Often we accomplish this by repeatedly system itself determines if there is any
saving the file with a different name, conflict in the changes made in the file
hopefully with some kind of patter such as contents. In most cases, different people
“HistoryProject-v1.doc”, “HistoryProject- will modify different parts of the file and
v2.doc” or “HistoryProject-20090615.doc”. the system will work quite well. However,
However, over time this will surely create in the rare case of a conflict that cannot be
a mess. solved by the software itself, users can be
The problems complicate even further informed of the problem and can make the
when you have multiple people working on decision themselves.
the same project. How do you reconcile the To see how this would work, let us
barrage of changes that a team can inflict? take revision 1 of a document, which
It may seem simple to have the file two people AlphaGeek and BetaDood
hosted on a shared server where everyone copy simultaneously. AlphaGeek,
can access and modify it. However, if alpha as he is, manages to complete his
everyone were to save files affixed with changes first and merges the changes
their name and timestamps, you would into the main document bringing it up
soon end up with an unmanageable mess An example of Lock-Modify-Unlock to par with his copy.
90 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Tips & Tricks Open source
Secure your PC, File Hamster, Q&A
97 Benubird PDF, SmoothDraw,
Zoom Player Max 107 All your PC related questions
answered
or for starting an offshoot / spin-off of
the project (branching) or experimenting Subversion
with a new feature (branching), the system After reading about the power of Revision
usually creates only an internal reference to control systems, you might be excited to set up
the revision it is associated with, instead of your own. For some systems this can be as easy
an actual physical copy. as simply installing a single software tool!
Subversion (SVN) uses a Client Server
When working with files in a revision
system for revision control, and as such
controlled system, you will often come
you will need to set up both a client and
across trunks and branches, tags and tips server if you intend to use it. If you need it
– it’s time for a biology lesson. simply for your documents which you will
probably work on alone, this can be quite
Of trunks and branches an overkill.
In the programming world, branching To get Subversion up and running on
and tagging are concepts that pop up your computer, you need to install SVN,
frequently. For any software project, the following which you will need to set up
“trunk” of the code is that which contains the subversion server. Subversion can
the latest revision of the code made to date. work with Apache server, using a module
It is the one shooting upwards towards provided with the SVN setup. Unless you
After modifications are made, the changes can be
the next version. Branches in a code occur have Apache already installed and running,
merged
when a developer decides to take a different however, it is much easier to set up and
When BetaDood tries to update his approach to the code thereby “branching” configure it’s own server. Apache provides
copy, he will be told that his copy is out out in a different direction; maybe a some more facilities such as WebDAV
of date, since his updates were made to different UI, or a different feature, or an support, auto-versioning and a web
revision 1, while the current revision is 2. experimental approach to a problem. These interface of you repository contents.
BetaDood will now have to first merge changes are often merged back into the Once the server is set up, you can access
it using the computers local IP (127.0.0.1)
the changes in revision 2 into his local original trunk when they are considered
or “localhost” (if you are using it from the
copy. This will be a simple process, as stable enough.
same computer).
changes will usually be made in different Take for example an evolving work of art With SVN you are left always shuffling
parts of the document and will not conflict. done in Paint, a silly concept, but humour files back and forth from a server, which
His latest copy, now based on revision us. As you make each significant change, can be quite slow, even one which is
2 can now be merged into the main file, you save and “commit” it to the trunk. running on your own computer. Also the
giving us revision 3. At one point though we decide that the server will need to be running if you wish
This may seem like a tedious process background is too dull, and decide to try a to access the repository, this basically
but there is rather little effort involved in different colour, and here, we make a new means that the server process will always
most common scenarios, and this ends up branch. When you have a piece that you be running on your computer hogging up
being a much more efficient and element think stands on its own, or something that memory.
solution. is otherwise special, you can tag it. If you intend to use a revisioning system
Change again is the most important For storing your files in a revision alone on your computer, Mercurial might
factor here and that is what drives any control system, branches and trunks may turn out to be a better option.
revision control software. not seem as useful, but still it is nice to
know they are always there to lend support. Decentralised version control systems have
Quantifying change How and where a revision control only recently started to become popular,
A variety of systems exist for maintaining system manages its content is also an and some of the best known decentralised
revisions. However, there is one thing they all important factor, and based on this concept solutions are just a couple of years old.
have in common. They include a mechanism we have centralised and distributed revision
to detect the changes made to files. control systems. Centralised Revisioning
Using revision control you have access In the client-server model, the code
to every change ever made that was Models of Revision is stored and maintained in a central
submitted or committed to the repository. While the centralised system is based on repository. People send changes directly to
Like a time machine that can stop at any the old client-server model, decentralised this server, and the server alone maintains
and every revision ever made in any file! revision control systems are built on the histories and change logs of the files.
It may seem like storing each and every the increasingly popular P2P model. This concept is quite easy to grasp, as
version of each and every file will it is one we are quite familiar with
take a rather large amount of space, already. If you take revisioning out of
however, usually, revision control the equation it is basically like having
programs are very optimised for an FTP server.
changes in files, since that it their In a centralised system, the
primary metric anyway. repository is hosted on a server,
Revision control softwares which all the team members access in
use smart algorithms to store the order to access the latest revision of
minimal amount of data needed to the code, or to submit changes.
differentiate each revision from the It is clear to see where such a
previous one. Only the changes made system would be advantageous. As all
in each revision are actually stored. the files are stored in one convenient
If a copy of the repository contents location, it is easier to control and
is made either for release (tagging) moderate. It is easier to track changes
The centralised system
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 91
Free hosting
Many online services such as BitBucket and
Tool box Open source Google Code, provide free hosting for open
source projects
and establish a time line. Access restrictions With decentra-
are also easier to establish, as the server is lisation, changes can
in control of a single entity. not only be made to
However, this is also akin to putting and loaded from a
all your eggs in to one basket, as all repository, but also
the content and its revision history is between repositories.
maintained at one single place. Using the “push”
One of the most popular examples of operation, the changes
this is Subversion or SVN. made in one repository
(which could consist
Decentralised revisioning of multiple commits)
In the essence of P2P, distributed revision can be transmitted to
control systems give people equal power. another repository,
It is in essence a true democracy. These and using the “pull”
are much more recent; however, they are operation, changes
seeing rapid adoption in the development can similarly be The distributed system
community. merged with your own
In the distributed system, as the repository.
name suggests, there is no need for a This may seem like a nightmare
central repository, although one may be if you imagine even a small group
present. Instead, individuals maintain of 10 people pushing and pulling
their own copy of the repository where each other and committing, syncing,
they can make changes without the merging and branching. With such a
need for a network connection. cacophony of actions it seems more
like a soap opera than a
team programming effort!
To simplify this you can
of course have a central
repository for storing the
final work of the team,
pretty much the same as a
central system.
GIT is a distributed
revision control system
designed by Linus Torvalds,
the creator of Linux, which Merging changes
is used for maintaining the
Linux kernel. Another popular Mercurial
example of a distributed system Mercurial is a decentralised system,
Distributed push and pull
is Mercurial, now used for despite the apparent complexity, it is a
Mozilla projects. much simpler and faster system to set up
Each person is in charge of their own Evidently, distributed systems are perfect and use.
repositories which they maintain. However, for single user scenarios. You can easily set The simplest way to use Mercurial,
you may wonder, how does work get done in up such a system and use it to maintain, for and one which will appease GUI buffs as
a group if each person works independently. example, your documents folder. well, is by using the TortoiseHG tool. This
software not only installs the Mercurial
Conclusion sytem, but also installs extensions to
Collaboration in Google Wave As you begin work on your next Windows Explorer. As a result, it makes
Google Wave is a powerful service indeed, and masterpiece keep in mind, how revision it much simpler to perform the most
being open source and free, it has the potential control software can play a vital role. These common tasks. Using TortoiseHG you
to change the way the internet works. It is
systems are usually associated only with can manage your repositories easily from
powerful enough to replace current email and
large software projects, but you can clearly explorer
IM systems and perhaps change a lot more.
Google Wave is a powerful collaboration
see how they can be useful even to the After installing TortoiseHG, all you
tool, where teamwork and versioning form most casual computer users. need to do to enable revision control
an integral part of the service. Every step Even without being able to employ is to simply right click in a folder and
of the conversation is recorded, and every it to the fullest, and with little need under the TortoiseHG menu click on
change in the structure of the posts is for branching and tagging in a casual “Create Repository Here”. That’s it! After
recorded, so that it can be played back at or individual work environment, the a repository is created in a folder, you can
any given point. advantages are enough to justify the instruct it to add the files to the repository
Teamwork is the very concept Google learning curve. Don’t dismiss these systems using the Commit command.
Wave is based on. Being primarily a as something that can only be of advantage Mercurial comes out as a much simpler
communication tool, it quite obviously to developers, find your own usage solution for single people maintaining a
requires the participation of many people. scenarios. Think of it as a supercharged project, however as you bring in multiple
Whether it is in holding a conversation, backup solution (although it is not to be people, each with their own version of
or editing an online document, or even taken as a replacement for one!). May your the repository, SVN may seem worth the
playing a game of chess. future come in multiple revisions. whole effort of setting up a server.
92 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Old versions Bullet-point engineering Feature
If for any reason, you prefer older The process of looking at competitor’s
versions of software, head over to feature list and incorporating them in the
www.oldversion.com developer’s own feature list
Aditya Madanapalle timeline, a list of improvements, bug fixes subsequent releases. Winamp and VLC,
aditya.madanapalle@thinkdigit.com and new features. The consecutive releases are both commonly used media playback
B
of the software are called versions. As the software, and have advanced features that
loatware is a dirty word bandied versions increase, the amount of aggregated is not of use to everyone. Feature bloat
about below the noses of code in the software also increases along is just one kind of bloatware. Games,
commercial software development with the file size. Consider the popular and professional multimedia processing
companies, mostly by users who video player — VLC 0.8.2: the first version software include code for handling copy
prefer modularity over comprehensiveness. to be released to the public, started as a 1.7 protection, and ensuring that the software
To understand what exactly bloatware is, MB download. The latest installation, VLC is licensed and authenticated. Adobe
it is necessary to peek into the production 0.9.8 is 15.8 MB! Photoshop and Premiere both struggle on
process of software. Software is a lot of even on the best rigs available in the market.
code compiled together, and run as an Why software bloats Then there is process bloat. For example,
application. The code itself is often written Every modern commercial software, has a the latest version of Winamp runs both an
by many people, over a code skeleton. This bunch of mainstay elements. Even for free agent as well as the player itself. These are
process is known as development. Software, software such as Adobe Reader, there are two processes for essentially the same task.
in active development, has a release just too many features being included in Printers, soundcards, and routers often
come with CDs that install software on the
computer, that are not really necessary.
These software perform essentially the
same task as the OS, but with little added
functionality, and a better looking user
interface. Another kind of bloat is almost
opposite to that of feature bloat. There are
multiple software installed in a system, for
essentially the same, or similar tasks.
Quicktime and RealPlayer are players
for their native formats, and both the
media players suffer from feature bloat as
Replacements
well. Often users have to install multiple
browsers on their operating systems, even
if they need and use just one. This happens
for two reasons – firstly; until Windows
7, it was not possible to uninstall Internet
Get rid of all the resource hogging software that you use, and Explorer. Secondly, not all web sites could
replace them with streamlined applications that use system be viewed on all browsers. A user will
resources only when you need them to. typically have a download manager, a P2P
client and a torrent client, when a single
Illustration: Chaitanya Surpur
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 93
HTML bloat 80-20 rule
Feature Most web pages that you visit, have long The 80-20 rule applies to software as
unwanted code. This increases the time well, statisticians claim. 80% of the
needed to load the web page users, use 20% of the features
application can do all these jobs. More than Dangers of using alternatives pack, along with Windows Media Player
one messenger client also does not really Bloatware is also a relative term. Expert users classic should do the trick now. Media
make sense, but many people have installed and professionals often use obscure features Player Classic handles QuickTime and real
the default messenger clients of MSN, that the lay user may not need. A certain player formats. The latter better than the
Yahoo! and Google. alternative to the bloatware in question may latest version of VLC. It is fast, simple, and
Free and open source software are not work as well as the bloatware for some minimalist, a design philosophy that VLC
generally perceived as being less bloated applications. For example, Foxit Reader, a seems to have drifted away from. The older
than their commercial counterparts. One widely touted replacement for the bloated version of VLC, 0.7.0, can still handle most
of the most important reason for this is Adobe Acrobat Reader, videos, and is a 5 MB install.
the lack of competition. These software cannot handle embedded Yagni Audio players are more
are written for multiple platforms, and forms as well as Acrobat The Yagni Principle: The You complicated. Winamp has
often follow the UNIX software design Reader can. Ain’t Gonna Need It principle become the de facto due
philosophy, which is to write a software for While bloatware encourages coders to not put in to the wide range of skins
one particular purpose only, and make it alternatives may not functionality unless the software available, and for being
streamlined for that purpose. Those who collect usage data, have no absolutely needs it. around for such a long time.
compile the programs they use have the licensing process involved, However, the latest version
option of leaving out features they deem and carry a minimum file of the player forces a lot
unnecessary. In the commercial software size, they are more difficult to use than of features on you. The media library, for
arena, the rules of the game are entirely the commercial or bloated alternatives. example, is a constant irritant. There is no
different. Paint.net and Gimp, both alternatives to way to get rid of it, unless you choose the
A DVD burner with the ability to Photoshop, depend heavily on plug-ins for classic skin. The newer skins are also heavy
transcode data is perceived as being better added functionality. You can do everything on resources. Feature bloat was a problem
than a DVD burner that does not. This may you can on Photoshop, but only if you hunt ever since version 5.0 came out, which was a
seem like a minor addition on the surface, down the plug-ins for the purpose and long time after 3.0, and skipping everything
but adds significantly to the system’s install it. This increases the footprint of the 4.x, because that is how much Winamp
software footprint. There are a number of software, but you get to customise it the had changed. Not everyone welcomed the
video and audio formats to choose from, way you want, with the features you want. change, and a lot of tech enthusiasts prefer
and a host of codecs for each of those Most new users of either of these software the older version of Winamp. Typically, they
formats. Every added feature significantly are either unaware of the existence of these use whatever 2.x series is available to them.
bloats up the software. plug-ins, or unwilling to take the trouble to 2.95 is the last version in the 2.x series, but
find and install the ones they need. There is an interesting release was the 2.666 version,
Why bloatware should no correct approach to this problem, and it which enthusiasts prefer merely for the
bother you depends heavily on the individual users. connotations in the version number. 3.0 was
Bloatware may eat up essential system The direction that the development of another release, the only one in the short
resources from the task at hand. Alternatives the software takes, may not be the same lived 3.x series. A lot of users swear by the 3.0
are more streamlined for your purposes, as the direction the alternatives take. For version also, a suitable compromise between
run faster, and give you better results. If all example, although Photoshop CS4 allows the simplicity of the earlier versions, and the
you do with software such as Photoshop users to work with 3D models, it’s unlikely feature set in the later versions. However,
is a little cropping, adding captions and that Paint.net or Gimp will ever add such finding skins for 3.0 is a difficult thing now,
colour correction, Paint.net will do the functionality to their releases. The formats and it does not support 2x skins.
job using less than half the resources, and used by bloatware, are also not always An alternative to Winamp, and another
never running out of scratch disk space. supported by the alternatives. media player which has its own fan
On a desktop this may seem unimportant, Some software have “lite” versions, following among techies is Foobar2000.
but on laptops and netbooks with limited with reduced features. Some installation This software is small, functional, and the
processing power and hard disk space, this procedures allow for undesirable processes tweaker’s dream as it can be customised in a
becomes absolutely vital. to be removed, including an option to send hundred different ways. Foobar2000 is one
Another important aspect is privacy in usage data. Often, as in the case of VLC of the few software that has struck the right
and bandwidth usage. Windows Media or Winamp, the previous versions of the balance between default features and plug-
Player from Microsoft, and the CS3 suite by software are less bloated and preferable to ins. There are many plug-ins available, but
Adobe, are both known to have sent discreet the newer versions. All these aspects have to these are not overwhelming in number and
packets of data over the net, with details on be considered before choosing the software are for highly specific features.
usage. While the license agreements state you want; this is a guide to choose the best
that personal information is not collected one for your usage. Download managers
in this usage, and that it is done solely to The default download managers for most
improve the software itself, they are taking Media players browsers, are not aggressive in the sense
up a small portion of your bandwidth. Most users prefer to use a different software of consuming bandwidth. Even without
Software from lesser companies have been for viewing music and video. The default any other internet activity, these browsers
called spyware for doing exactly the same. for both in modern windows systems is typically download using just a single
Automated updates often take up a Windows Media Player. Windows Media connection with the server. Multi-threaded
considerable share of the bandwidth. Player takes unusually long to open files, is download managers connect multiple times
Weekly definition updates of most slow to respond, buggy when handling large to the same server, and download data faster.
antivirus software is somewhere in the files and can handle a very limited number This was the reason download managers
range of 20 MB. For careful users, who are of codecs to start with. VLC, one installed, such as FileZilla, Free Download Manager
smart about their external drives and web would be godsend to many, simply because and Orbit Downloader showed up in the first
habits, this is just a waste of space and users were able to play videos encoded place. However, modern download managers
bandwidth. using obscure codecs. K-lite mega codec require some added features beyond mere
94 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
KISS principle Scope Creep
Most Linux distros and programs Scope Creep is the steadily increasing Feature
follow the KISS principle — Keep It scope of a single software. Adobe
Short and Simple Photoshop is a good example of this
multi-threaded downloading. These features particular kind of document, the file format plugins and add-ons. Computers however,
ensure that there is no need to install itself started accommodating different kinds were used in far more ways than was
additional programs for downloading data. A of data, which the reader grew to handle. thought possible when they were first
download manager should ideally be able to Adobe Acrobat Reader is probably the best introduced to the general public. In a
download flash videos from a number of web example there is, of a software mad scramble to appease
sites. If the download manager can handle that has been in active
Bullet-point Engineering the dumb consumption of
torrents, even better, the need for a torrent development for too long. software by a large mass of
The process of looking at
client is removed. Free Download Manager Even the commentary on the competitor’s feature list and people who couldn’t bother
has these features packed in, but retains a documents carried back and incorporating them in the to train themselves to use
small size despite this. The application is forth can have embedded developer’s own feature computers intelligently,
very utilitarian, and users will discover that videos. Commentry itself list is known as Bullet-point issues similar to software
they eventually end up using most of the is an obscure enough Engineering. An unfortunate bloat appeared. Remember
features Free Download Manager has to feature for most users, video tendency of opinion leaders (read that users are actually
offer. We would be interested if a download commentary is going too tech journalism), involved tables paying for the bloated
manager could additionally connect to P2P far. Users can also web- of competing software, with software. The cost of coding
servers, as well as capture streaming audio. conference while reading a points given to the most features. authentication algorithms,
This is one of those cases where additional document. A simpler and The size of the software, or the developing all the features
features actually reduces by feature bloat, by understandably, much amount of memory it consumed, you one does not use,
limiting the number of software needed for smaller PDF reader is FoxIt were not given enough weight and of the increasingly
the task at hand. reader. as the number of features in the tough copy-protection,
software. Naturally, the coders is all transferred to the
Internet software Editing for the software tried to fit in as person who purchases the
Microsoft Outlook is slow to start up, heavy Typically, users tend to have many features as possible into the software. Reducing bloat
software, to gain an edge over
on the system resources, and has nervous an image editor, an image is something that both
their competitors.
ticks if it is alive for long durations of batch processor, and a the developer’s and the
time. A great alternative is Eudora, which software for remote hosting. users want, but finding
manages most of the functions of Outlook This is apart from the software that came a commercially viable alternative is the
quite well. Mozilla Thunderbird is another with their cameras. This is accumulated problem.
great application, but suffers from having bloat, and it is best to un-install all of them, A simple way to handle bloat in the
a few superfluous features. These however, then start over with the programs and future is to use remotely hosted applications,
include a calendar and a manager, which features that you most require. similar to Google apps. Such a setup would
is something that quite a few find useful. Picasa 3 should ideally solve all three reduce bloat in a lot of ways. Consider a
Eudora is the choice for strictly mail related needs. It has a basic range of image editing set-up like this: the end user has nothing but
matters, Thunderbird is the way to go for a options available, handles batch resizing a screen and a high-bandwidth connection
personal information manager (PIM) along before uploading to the web, and is an image to a remote server. The server has all the
with an email client. viewer with decent enough eye-candy. If hardware necessary to run the software, and
Instead of Gtalk, MSN Messenger and adding a watermark, or bat-processing images a single instance of the software itself. Even
Yahoo! Messenger, a great alternative IM in many ways is necessary, then IrfanView if most users use only a few of the features,
client is Pidgin. Pidgin is easy to use, has is a very small software, that nonetheless since the software is centrally located,
a simple interface, and is portable, which has a surprising number of features built in. there is little or no wastage. Of course, the
gives it an advantage over the other free IrfanView also allows for plug-ins for added interface for the software will be highly
multi-network chat client, Miranda. functionality. For advanced image editing, customised, so that the individual users
both Gimp and Paint.Net are great alternatives don’t waste the space on their screen with
Document handling to Photoshop. Gimp is a little difficult features they don’t use. Next, as part of the
Although MS Office is pretty to figure out, and needs a lot of plug- development cycle, the software is updated
bloated, the alternatives such as ins before the functionality reaches in one place only, standardising the formats
Open Office or Lotus Symphony anywhere close to Photoshop, but across all the users.
are simply not as smooth, and easy has a few tricks up its sleeve that even Till such systems come into place,
to handle as MS Office. Moreover, Photoshop does not. Paint.Net is very regular users have little choice in choosing
Open Office suffers from feature easy to figure out, has a familiar user the features as well as the software
bloat simply because it has interface, and the plug-ins are easy they want to use. The problem with the
to handle a whole range of to install. Our suggestion for the assumption that users have a steadily
competing formats, and does not amateur: Paint.Net. increasing amount of hard disk space and
handle all of these formats well Both Audacity and Wavepad memory to use, is that the users are forced
enough. A simple to use, and low are great when it comes to sound to keep upgrading their system. Perfectly
footprint word processor is Abiword. editing, but the functionality that sound hardware for most purposes
This is a no-nonsense word processor, Wavepad offers in comparison to the gets obsolete quickly for this reason. A
built for a single purpose, and is not part size of the download is unmatched. A 50 kb computer purchased in the mid eighties
of an office suite. Google Docs, with their download, and you get to record, mix, and lasted five years without any hardware
spreadsheet and word program, are great add a host of effects to your track. upgrades. The same cannot be said for a
alternatives to an installed office suite. The computer purchased in the mid nineties.
collaboration aspect greatly improves the A bloat-free future The kind of modularity envisioned for
appeal of Google Docs. The original vision for all software was all operating systems, is true to an extent
Adobe Acrobat Reader is notorious for a highly modular approach. The basic for the Linux OS, which is a great option
being bloatware in the past few releases. software would do very little, it was upto for reviving and putting to good use an
While all it was expected to do was open a the user to find or code in the required “obsolete” system.
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 95
DCS-1130 CCTV
Workshop D-Link recently launched its network camera
capable of Wi-Fi and also 3GPP mobile
To know more on how CCTVs
have made the UK secure, flip
surveillance to Pg. 37
Watch when no
one’s watching
Nash David in this method, however, is with the timestamp
nash.david@thinkdigit.com that your PC would need to be and saved on the
I
powered on as long as you need location specified.
n these days of rising surveillance. You can set an
crime rates, surveillance In addition to the web appropriate capture
assures us of some cams, you would need web interval as 5 sec.
safety. The sole purpose cam software to process the Depending on the
of this set up is to be able still images and direct the feed available bandwidth
to monitor your home while of the web cam to appropriate or speed of your
you are away. We advise you folders. There is a long list of system, you can
to maintain restraint and use software available online. One select the frame size
this set up only for ethical such software suitable for this of the image. We
purposes.Whether you have appplication is Dorgem. At recommend a frame
young children at home, or 400 KB, it’s a relatively small size of 320x240.
whether you’re on vacation executable that has some This way, the file
wondering if your home is promising surveillance features. size of each image is
safe, this short guide should You can download dorgem relatively small; as
help you without burning a at http://dorgem.sourceforge. a result, the system
hole in your pocket. net/download.html. You can also response is quicker
Web cams are no longer find it on our DVD. The initial Configuring the camera just takes a minute and files are dumped
luxury. Socialising by means set up doesn’t take too long faster – be it on the
of IMs, video-conferencing and in seconds you should be the drop down in the middle. PC or on a remote
through clients such as Skype able to view images from your For typical plug and play server. In order to view your
and the likes have made web web cam. The best feature of devices, select Microsoft WDM files from a remote location,
cams a part of today’s standard Dorgem is the ability to send Image Capture (Win32). Click you simply need to configure an
PC configurations. After your feeds either via HTTP, FTP, on the Source button. FTP server on the PC to which
completing this workshop, you save them as files or even let Under the Capture Source your web cams are connected.
should be able to view the latest an external program further tab, select your device. If For this, you need FileZilla
image from your home in real modify them. you’re using your laptop, FTP Server. The whole process
time or view sequential images The Dorgem interface is select Integrated web cam, can be further simplified
archived on a PC that could basically divided into two else select your camera by if you have access to file
later serve as evidence in the sections. You have Camera name. You can also set various hosting services. Simply enter
unfortunate event of a crime. options on the top, followed by parameters for the desired the database username and
Your set up largely depends Caption and Storage settings. image. For example, if you password and set a location.
on how far you can stretch your First, select your web cam from are going to monitor a darker The images would then be
budget and the number of room or under low-light uploaded to your web site. This
rooms you need to monitor. conditions, then increase way you could monitor it from
You could either use a the brightness levels any PC that can connect to the
single-cam or multi-cam and change the contrast internet. Alternatively, you can
configuration. You also have levels accordingly. Also, also view the image by remotely
the option of implementing if the entry/exit points accessing the PC on which
network web cams into your are far from the position the images are saved. For this,
design. This way you don’t of the camera, adjust type the command ftp://
need a PC powered on all the zoom level. Check : @
the time. the visible feed during . Here,
Nevertheless, the cost of initial set up. If you need username and password are
such a set up is atrocious. an archived record of all those set on the FileZilla server
For a rough estimate, a movements happening in on the host PC. Depending on
basic IP web cam costs your home, you can use the speed of your connection
approximately Rs. 8,000; the wildcard %g after the (especially on slow systems and
while you would get a filename. This way, each connections), adjust the image
decent web cam starting image generated after the size and intervals to avoid
at Rs. 800. The downside Adjust the image settings for optimum results, stipulated time is named conflicts.
especially file size
96 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Tips & Tricks
Workshop: is as high as possible. In fact, in
a report by AV-Comparatives,
Securing your PC Avira Premium has the highest
Whether you’ve assembled overall detection rate of 99.6
a new PC, bought one right per cent. Since no AV offers
off the assembly line or if the total (100 per cent) protection,
growing concern of security this brings the question of
has finally dawned on you whether one should bother
after countless crashes and having an AV at all? The
system formats – you have answer is quite simple – Yes!
now decided that your PC The premise is to do your
deserves a higher level of best. Implement other security
protection. How do you go procedures and tools that will
about executing this mountain help in cases where malware
of a task, considering all the makes it past your anti-virus
armies of viruses, trojans, defences. We’ll talk about these
worms, spyware and other fire fighting measures later on
monstrosities of the digital TIPS Zoom Player Max............................56 in the workshop.
world just waiting to claw Most antivirus solutions
File Hamster .......................................52
their way into your beloved are single-click applications
computer as soon as you Benubird PDF ....................................52 WORKSHOP that are self configured in the
connect it to an internet SmoothDraw......................................55 Securing your PC.............................49 best possible way. This means
line? This is quite true. In they are easy to use for average
fact, some estimates say that users. What you should know
it can take only about 20 • Does the antivirus This consumes resources is that if you use multiple AV
minutes for an unpatched and solution have internet reducing the overall system solutions it may not offer you
unprotected computer to be updates? resources available to you to the proportionate increase in
attacked once connected to Most antivirus solutions worth run other applications. You protection. In fact, it is likely to
the internet. their while have a virus definition wouldn’t want an antivirus that cause conflicts. Also, remember
Read on and find out the database that is constantly slows down your PC to a snails to keep your virus database
various steps you can take to updated. The anitvirus software pace. Some applications such up-to-date.
help save your precious PC. then connects to this database as the Norton AV, although Some antivirus providers,
While some of the steps are and downloads the latest virus popular and effective, are even the free ones will often
of a fire fighting nature, you’ll definitions and signatures. This notorious for being heavy on include another class of
find that most of them are way, it is prepped and ready with the system. security application such as
preventive. Many are just safe information on how to fight the anti-spyware, or rootkit checker.
computing practices that you newest baddies of the virus world. • Is the detection rate These may also prove to be
need to follow to the tooth satisfactory? advantageous, but remember
to avoid infection at all costs. • Is it easy on system An antivirus is after all only to disable them if you are using
When you get an infection, resources? as good as the number of standalone solutions for each of
chances are that your installed Antivirus software has to viruses it is able to detect. those purposes.
security will be rendered be in an ‘always on’ state to There are independent third
useless so the key lies in not provide you with constant and party organisations that test the Install firewall
letting an infection occur in continuous protection. Any AV detection rate of AV products. A software firewall is like a filter
the first place. After all, as application ads itself to the list According to leading authorities that allows certain packets of
they say, prevention is better of processes that are constantly on the subject, your antivirus information to pass based on
than cure. So let us begin. The running in the background. must have a detection rate that some rules and parameters.
first and fore most step is to It disallows applications to
install an antivirus. freely communicate over a
network. Therefore, most
Install antivirus firewalls will raise a pop-up
An antivirus is the first layer dialog whenever an application
of protection that you can tries to communicates over
install on your PC. There are the internet. When such a
literally hundreds of antivirus case happens the firewall asks
solutions available out there. the user to allow or deny the
Some of the biggest names application communication
are obviously paid solutions rights. If the user allows then
such as Norton, Symantec, the application is placed
Kaspersky and McAfee. under the exceptions list of
However, in the free realm the firewall. These exception
there are solutions available programs are allowed to
too. Free solutions include communicate outward, but if
packages such as Avira AntiVir a worm or malicious program
Personal, AVG and Avast. tries to send information
When choosing antivirus outwards it will be blocked.
software, you need to ask Windows too has a built in
yourself these questions: Avira Updater firewall but one can install a
Digit | July 2009 | vol 9: 49 | www.thinkdigit.com
Tips & Tricks
third party firewall for added Install anti-spyware Run rootkit checker come from the users side. If
protection. There are several Spyware as we all know is a A rootkit is a method by which you are a careful user you can
third party firewalls available out program that is installed on a a piece of malware hides itself prevent most malware from
there. Some of the best free ones PC without the users consent from antimalware utilities such entering your system. More
include Online Armor, Comodo or knowledge and is intended as antivirus and antispyware than antivirus software, your
and Zone Alarm. All of these at collecting personal / sensitive programs. There are various common sense should be the
are easy to configure and pretty information about a user or the kinds of rootkits such as first line of defence against
much single click in operation. computer. An anti spyware is a persistent, user-mode and kernel malware. Don’t get what we
You can customise and tinker program that blocks malicious rootkits that hide themselves mean? It’s quite simple, if you
with the settings, but they’re programs from fulfilling from process lists and even follow these best practices
designed to be ‘install and forget’ their motive. Telltale signs registry entries. RootkitRevealer norms:
type of products. that a computer is infected from Sysinternals is a powerful
However, the fact remains that by spyware include a flood detection tool that successfully Keep software up to date
a Hardware firewall – one that of popups, browers opening detects many persistent rootkits Having up-to-date software
is built into your router – offers web sites you didn’t specify, including AFX, Vanquish means that the latest
the best form of protection. In appearance of bookmarks or and HackerDefender. The vulnerabilities that the
fact a few research papers on new toolbars, etc. The threat way it works its that it shows developers have detected have
securityfocus.com have even of spyware is so great that the discrepancies in registry hive been patched up. This makes
gone on to expose ways in which US Federal Trade Commission entries and the files accessed software more stable and less
software firewalls can be made has defined guidelines to deal by the Windows API. To scan a susceptible to attacks. You
vulnerable and even bypassed with the problem. Among system, launch Rootkit Revealer should make sure that popular
by malware. In this regard, the the guidelines is the obvious on the system and press the products such as Opera,
report goes on to say software mechanism of installing anti- Scan button. RootkitRevealer Firefox, Flash plugins and
firewalls are akin to being made spyware. There are several scans the system reporting its media players are definitely
of straw. So, as with antivirus anti-spyware suits available. actions in a status area at the updated, since malware
programs, the question arises – The best among the free ones bottom of its window and noting coders are constantly on the
should you then have a firewall at are Spyware Blaster, Lavasoft’s discrepancies in the output list. lookout for exploiting them.
all? The answer is yes. Especially Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition Once a rootkit is revealed it’s best Most applications have auto
if you have a portable PC and Spybot Search & Destroy. to format the system or follow updates but if for some reason
(notebook) which will definitely S&D has functions such as removal procedures for specific they don’t work or have been
be used outside of the protection SDHelper and TeaTimer that rootkits that can be found on the disabled then you would have
offered by your router. Also if you are quite useful. The paid Sysinternals forums. Since this is to check manually for each and
are one to install applications like software offer higher detection a post infection measure, it’s is a every application installed on
keygens or cracks, then comodo rates. There is also the option firefighting technique. However, your system. A better way to
for example allows you to define of installing Windows Defender since this is an advanced level check version status is with
an application that you most which is included with all configuration, proceed only if Secunia OSI – Online Software
definitely don’t want connecting versions of Windows Vista and you’re sure of what you’re doing. Inspector (http://secunia.com/
to the net. Comodo seems to be is available to download free for vulnerability_scanning/online/).
the preferred choice amongst the genuine copies of Windows XP Follow safe It will scan your system and
available free firewalls. If you zero SP2 or later. Many people use computing and give you details of problem
in on Comodo, use the proactive anti-spyware in combination security best areas and suggestions about
security mode for aggressive so as to add multiple layers of practices which applications need to
protection, alternatively you can security. But should a conflict Any old hand in the field of be updated. There is also the
use the firewall only setting. occur, it is recommended to use security will tell you that the Personal Software Inspector
only one solution at a time. best prevention measures (PSI) application which is
Comodo firewall Secunia PSI at work
Digit | July 2009 | vol 9: 50 | www.thinkdigit.com
Tips & Tricks
available for download. The come from a trusted source. If
app can do a more thorough you come across an application
inspection and gives you that you’re not quite sure of,
direct links to update old and you can verify its signature
programs that are potentially from online services such as
not secure. http://virusscan.jotti.org/en or
http://www.virustotal.com/
Avoid shady web sites:
You should avoid web sites Run high risk programs in
that offer serial numbers, key a virtual machine:
generators, cracks and other If you absolutely must run
below-the-line content. These an application that could be
websites are crawling with potentially dangerous, try
malware just waiting to infect running it in a virtual machine.
your system. In general, as a This is a form of virtualisation
thumb rule be careful where wherein a virtual hardware
you surf. In order to make platform is created on top of Vista running in virtual box
sure that you accidentally a software layer that keeps it
don’t end up stumbling on to separated from your underlying and therefore, restricts even what O
Dhis
such a web site, you should OS. This way if a virus infects malware can do. However, the t
install plug-ins/addons such your VM, your underlying downside is that it is slightly HOSTS file tweaking
as LinkExtend and McAfee OS remains safe. Vmware inconvenient to use. To set A HOST file contains the IP
Site Advisor. These plug-ins and Virtual Box are popular up a limited user account go addresses to hosts on the
give you a security rating of virtualisation solutions. the Control Panel, select User internet. By redirecting them
any link in searches. Use an Accounts and create a new user back to your own home IP
ad blocking plugin such as Internal tweaking account as a limited user. (127.0.0.1) you can effectively
Adblock Plus or a site filter Enabling or disabling certain block out ad servers, cookies,
list (urlfilter.ini for Opera). Windows features can also Disable file sharing and bugs. The names of most
known offenders are known.
Download free software only strengthen the security of your If you’re using Windows XP SP
Fortunately you don’t have to
from sites you know and trust. PC. Here are some common 2, click Start > Control know the name of each and
Attractive looking free software techniques. Panel. Click Security every one since ready made
downloads frequently bundle Use a limited user account Center > Windows hosts files are available online.
other software, including All you need to do is download
spyware, adware, trojans and such a HOSTS file and replace
other junk. Besides this, here it with you existing one. The
are a few DONTs: default location for the hosts
• Don’t click on links inside file is as follows. Be sure to save
a copy of the original if you
pop-ups.
wish to revert back:
• Don’t click on links in spam Windows Vista = C:\
or popups that claim to WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\
offer anti-spyware software; DRIVERS\ETC
you may unintentionally Windows XP = C:\WINDOWS\
be installing spyware. And SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC
please don’t fall for web
pages that open small dialog
boxes designed to look like You should be able to spot
system messages. such a file on account of the
extension.
Switch to non standard Avoid clicking links in emails
applications: Example of a spurious spam mail with a suspicious link that look suspicious or on the
Non standard applications are internet
generally more secure and less Most viruses that get installed Firewall. Click the Exceptions
prone to attacks. Part of the reason under an admin account have tab. Under Programs and
is that malware makers don’t access to enable/disable many Services, uncheck the box Online virus scans
think it’s worthwhile to make internal configuration settings. next to File and Printer Trend Micro Housecall
attack codes for them as against For example, if you accidentally Sharing. Click OK. This will (http://housecall.trendmicro.
popular software. You could try download a virus while you are disable your files from being com)
using Firefox as against IE, or Foxit logged in through the admin shared over any network. Bitdefender Online Scanner
instead of Adobe reader. Besides, account (that has full rights (http://www.bitdefender.com/
non standard applications are enabled), the virus can disable Use common sense scanner/online/free.html)
quite light on resources. AV and firewall on its own. To Differentiate between icons. Kaspersky Online Scanner
avoid this kind of a complication, For instance a new folder and (http://www.kaspersky.com/
Use signature scanning you should do your day to New Folder.exe. Some viruses virusscanner)
services: day work from a limited user make an EXE file with the ESET Online Scanner
As a rule, one should only account. This type of a user name of the most frequently (http://www.eset.com/
install applications that have account has limited privileges, clicked folder on a USB drive. onlinescan/)
Digit | July 2009 | vol 9: 51 | www.thinkdigit.com
Tips & Tricks
File hamster make an initial revision copy
There are lots of backup for. It’s best to select all files.
applications available out there.
However, at times you don’t want Defining the maximum
a back up but a previous version size and number of older
of a file. File Hamster is not only versions
a backup application, but it also Right-clicking on a file or
allows you to make retrievable main library will bring up
copies of your files as saved a number of options in
versions, on the fly. This version the right click menu. Click
tracking application provides on Options to set various
real-time backup and archiving of behaviour options for that
your files while you work. Sure, file or library. Under the core
you have Shadow Copy bundled options tab enter desired
with Vista, but this applications value in the Max Revisions/
does the job much better and is Size table value. Entering
free; besides you can even install zero (0) will disable the
it even on XP. The application option. Click OK when done.
allows you to monitor specific
files on your hard drive and Installing Plugins Specifing number of revisions
automatically create incremental FileHamster has support
backups whenever those files are for installing add-ons and ignore file/file type. By default, revision timer select a file and
modified. The best part about it plugins. There are a number the bubble appears for a hit [Ctrl]+[P]. In the event
is that it lets you make notes for of plugins available on the painfully small amount of time options that appear you can
each version about the changes developer’s site but only two and therefore doesn’t give you set the time for delay. The
that have been made, allowing of them are free – the MOG enough time to click on it. To default is set for one second.
you to quickly locate a specific Plugin and the Log Window change this click on Options The time can be fed in the
revision or provide a detailed plug-in. Go to mogware.com/ > Preferences > Hours:Minutes:Seconds format.
account of the work you’ve done filehamster to download the Bubbles Button. Here you Setting this time will specify the
on a file. plug-ins. Some of the plug- can change certain attributes of minimum delay time before a
ins were free until recently the pop up bubble with respect new revision is created. Usually
Getting started and are quite useful but cost to appearance interval, the time the revision is created upon
One you install the application under a dollar. The plug-in it will stay, and position where saving a file.
it will automatically run a will be downloaded as an it will appear. Even the size and
wizard that lets you specify the executable so all you need type of animation it uses can be Protecting files
location of the Library where to do is double click, specify changed. The default Stay Time Files that are backed up
all your revisions to files will be path and say next. is 2000 ms. Change it to at least can be protected using
saved. Specify a location and 10,000 ms. FileHamster. Even a particular
click next. Once you are on the Changing the behaviour of revision that you feel is
main interface go to View > the popup bubble Trigger delayed revision important can be protected
Revision List. This will When you edit files which are This option is available in the from being deleted or
bring up the revision list pane from a watched folder each File Menu. What it does it overwritten. If protect is
at the bottom of the screen. So time you hit save a pop up that it will save a revised copy chosen on a revision it will
now the interface is divided bubble will appear with options of any files using the delayed protect only that revision from
into the Watch Tree and the such as Comment, Protect, and revision timer. To set a delayed being deleted or expiring. If
Revision List. protect is chosen on a file,
folder or library in the watch
Create a Directory watch tree it will protect all revisions
Right click your library and contained in it at that
select Add Directory watch... moment. To activate protect
This will basically let you on a file right click on it and
specify which folder(s) select ‘Protect’. Alternatively,
FileHamster should keep you can even hit [Ctrl] +
track of. Once you specify the [T]. This will overlay a lock
location of the folder it will icon on the file.
ask you the manner in which
you want to track it. The Benubird PDF
options include watching for Benubird is a document
all files or specific file types. management program that
If you wish to track only helps users store and manage
documents, select the ‘Watch all sorts of documents in
this type or pattern’ radio an effective manner from a
button and enter *.doc in centralised interface. The
the text field. On clicking OK, application allows you to
you will have to select which slice and dice documents
files the application should using several options such as
Creating a new watch
Digit | July 2009 | vol 9: 52 | www.thinkdigit.com
Tips & Tricks
filters, tags, meta data search parameters such as Author,
etc. so that no document is Subject, Category, File type,
more that a couple of clicks Date added and more. To
away. A great organisation filter files check the Navigator
tool, Benubird can find uses button under Show/Hide
in both an office and home panel of the Home menu
environment. Anyone who ribbon. In the navigator
has to organise, categorise that will appear in the main
and manage documents will screen area you can select
appreciate the features it has one or more properties and
to offer. It uses the Microsoft the file list below will reflect
Fluent interface which allows the files that fit the criteria
for greater ease of use and instantly. On the left pane
an intuitive layout. Like you will find a single criteria
many media management (file type) filter. Browsing files
applications out there, an this way is definitely quicker
application help manage than going through folders in
documents is a great idea. windows explorer.
Adding files Use tags for quick retrieval Adding folders and files to benubird
You can either add single files by multiple parameters
or entire folders to Benubird. To be able to use tags to find
To add files simply click files you will first have to files that match any/all of the missing data easily and in bulk.
on Home > From File. tag files. Simply select a file tabs selected. This can be done in two ways.
But it’s always better to add or group of files, right click The first way is to add metadata
more than one file. So, to and move the mouse over Define more tags to files while importing them
add entire folders to the Add Tag in the right click Benubird by default has a set into Benubird. To do this simply
document manager click on context menu. Here you will of predefined Tags. But at follow the normal adding
Home > From Folder. find twenty or so predefined many times the need to create procedure and click on the
This will import files into the tags. Tags can be applied your own tags may arise. To properties button in the Add
application. These file may even while importing files define more tags click on the folder dialog box. Give relevant
range from several document in bulk. Remember multiple Library Tags button in the details and click OK to import.
formats to presentations, tags can be applied to each Ribbon. Click Add for adding The other way is to select a
spreadsheets to even videos file. For example a file can a single tag to the list or click bunch of files withing Benubird
and images. You can specify be tagged both ‘personal’ Add Multiple for adding more and click on properties.
the path of the folder and as well as ‘career’. To filter than one tag. For multiple
even which types of files you files using tags click on Tabs tags, define each tag on a Zip entire collections
want the application to pick in the Show/Hide menu of separate line and click OK. Collections are essentially virtual
up. Select a collection to add the ribbon. The tags will be folders. So if you’ve added a
the files to and click OK All displayed in the left column. Batch process metadata bunch of files to say a collection
files from the specified folder Click on any of them and to files called “holidays”, comprising files
will be added to the Benubird the file list will automatically Many times we find that the such as documents (travelogues)
library. In this process, the change to show those files. metadata attached to files such and pictures of all your holidays,
program actually copies Hold down CRTL and select as Title, Author Name, Subject, you can export them to a zip
files to the default location multiple tags. Click on the Category etc. is incomplete. file. This will help you easily
C:\Users\username\ radio button below to show Benubird helps you add this distribute it amongst friends and
AppData\Roaming\ family. To add collections to a zip
Benubird\Library. archive, right-click and then go to
Export To > Zip Archive.
Changing library location In the dropdown menu you can
To change the default location choose which type of files you
of file library or workspace want included in the ZIP archive
location click on the Benubird such as only DOC or .xls etc. If
Button at the top left corner you want to encrypt the package
of the screen. Click on the with a password, simply check
options button and go to the the appropriate box and set a
File Library tab. Here you can password.
specify an alternate location.
The workspace is the location Make a Smart Collection
where files are temporarily This is one of the best
stored when opened from features of this nifty
Benubird for editing. management tool. Sadly
enough it is only available
Filter files in the Pro version of the
You can find files quickly software (which is yet to be
by filtering files as per released). Smart Collections
Filtering by Tags
Digit | July 2009 | vol 9: 53 | www.thinkdigit.com
Tips & Tricks
provides a way to create benubird. This way you have
a rule-based method of better efficiency in filtering
automatically creating and and searching for files when
updating collections. To you need them. Benubird adds
create a Smart Collection, all such files with incomplete
select the Smart Collections properties to the Incomplete
button from the Create Properties smart collection. You
panel, which will open the can enter properties for each
Smart Collections dialog, file or select a bunch of files
where you can specify your and right click and click on
rules. For example you could properties. A smart way to add
give a rule in such a way incomplete properties is to let
that Author IS “Digit Team” the application automatically
AND Subject CONTAINS generate the required fields. To
“July Issue” AND File Type generate tags and the subject
is “.doc”. Yet the same field based on certain parameters
functionality can be achieved go to Benubird Button> Benubird Edit file meta data properties
by using the Navigator. Options>Import. Check
Once the files are filtered the boxes for Automatically There is a button to reset all if the buttons to the toolbar. Be
according to parameters just generating Tags based on folder you wish to revert to defaults. sure to add the Benubird Options
select all and add to a new hierarchy and generating subject button since it will be used quite
collection. based on containing folder name. Add buttons to the Quick frequently. Alternatively, right
This should work because most Access Bar clicking on any button in Benubird
Create watched folders often we tend to name folders Adding buttons to the Quick will bring up the option of adding
A watched folder is a folder that based on these two parameters. Access Toolbar helps in navigating that command to the toolbar.
a user can specify from where around in Benubird. To do this
files will automatically be added Set keyboard shortcuts click on the dropdown button Change required
to the Benubird Library. You Benubird uses the Fluent next to the Quick Access properties
can even specify the frequency interface which allows the Toolbar>More Commands. Select You can change which file
with which these watched added functionality of being the required commands and click properties are needed for a file
folders will be scanned for new able to use keyboard shortcuts. on the add button to move then to appear in the incomplete
files. The program will add a Hovering over any button in to the right column. This will add properties collection. To do this
new process to tasks which will the interface will show you
run in the background. As with the keyboard shortcut for that
a regular import you can even command. For instance the
specify meta data properties shortcut for importing files
to be added, such as author, from a folder is [CTRL + L]
subject etc. as well as specify and attaching files to mails is
which file types to add and [CTRL + M]. To change these
which collection to append files default shortcuts click on the
to. To create a watched folder dropdown button next to the
click on the Watched Folders Quick Access Toolbar. Click on
button in the Manage panel of More Commands>Keyboard
the Ribbon. Shortcuts Customise.
Select various categories
Exporting file or collections of commands and hit the
to folder keyboard for new shortcuts. Adding buttons to the Quick Access Toolbar
Exporting to a folder is
essentially like exporting to a
zip file. This function comes go to Benubird Button> Benubird
in handy when you wish to Options>Incomplete Properties.
filter out certain file types Here you can check or uncheck
into folders for sorting. To any of the metadata properties
do this right click on a file or such as Author, Title, Subject,
collection and go to Export Tags etc. This any new files
To>Folder. Next be sure to imported into Benubird will be
select type from drop down scanned for missing properties
menu. Specify output location and it will prompt you to enter
and click OK the missing data.
Adding incomplete Activate preview
properties Having a preview of the files is
It is best to add incomplete quite helpful, especially when it
properties to files right at the comes to image files. Benubird
time of importing them into Creating watched folders allows for previews to appear
Digit | July 2009 | vol 9: 54 | www.thinkdigit.com
Tips & Tricks
in the right panel when any file menu bar and select Resize.
is selected. But by default this Either use the arrow keys or
option is not turned on. To turn type in the width and height
it check the Preview button for the canvas size. By default,
in the Quick Access Toolbar. width is directly proportional
Alternatively you can even hit to height, so if you input the
the keyboard shortcut [ALT + 4] value of width as 1024, you will
get the height as 768. To create
Change interface colour a canvas with custom values
Fluent provides for a standard uncheck the option ‘Keep
blue colour which frankly Width/Height Ratio’.
can get quite boring in the
long term. To tinker around Change the size of the
with the interface colour click canvas
on Benubird Button > To increase the size of the canvas
Benubird Options > and at the same time move the
Interface. Here you will find image position on the canvas,
three options in the dropdown first increase the size of the
Using the Clone Tool in SmoothDraw
menu – Blue (default), Black canvas. Make sure the option
and Silver. Hopefully more ‘Resize canvas but keep image
options will be added in further size’ is selected. Below that displayed in the layer window. the blending modes is also
updates to the software. there is a nine cell block, which To create a new layer click on present alongside.
represents the position of where the ‘Commands’ button in Changing the opacity of the
SmoothDraw 3.1.3 the image will remain on the the layer window and then layer is also possible through
canvas after resizing. Click on the select ‘Add New Layer’. A new the layer properties window.
Digital freehand drawing appropriate cell where you want layer will be created above the Either adjust the slider or put
software the image and click on ‘OK’. background layer. in a value for the Layer Opacity.
SmoothDraw is a basic and To resize the image so that To hide this layer, or the Adding a name to the layer
simple digital drawing software it fits on the canvas, first put background layer, click on the is also possible, just type the
which can be used to either in the values for width name in the box next to
create images or retouch photos and height. Next, select Layer Name, in the Layer
if needed. SmoothDraw is not ‘Resize image’ instead of Properties Window.
as complicated and does not ‘Resize canvas but keep
have as many features as Adobe image size’. This will Brushes and Presets
Photoshop, but has its own set either stretch or shrink SmoothDraw has a set
of features that we are going to your image directly to of preset brushes, which
tell you about. the canvas size you have include Pen, Leaky Pen,
created. Digital Pencil, 2B Pencil,
Creating and resizing the Dry Media, Felt Pen,
canvas Layers Saturated Writing Brush,
Stating up SmoothDraw will The Layers window Digital Airbrush, Fine
give you a canvas with width is located as the last Spray Airbrush, Graffiti,
and height of 800 x 600 pixels section on the Left Bristle Brush, Kind of
by default. To change this Panel. By default, when Water Colour, Cartoon
according to what you want to you open an image, the Create new layers and adjust their properties Fill, Light Hash Brush,
set it at, click on Canvas on the background layer is Dark Hash Brush and
Clone Brush. There are
‘Eye’ symbol next to the name also shape presets which
of the layer. include Star, Grass and
To move the layer order up butterfly. There is a row of
or down, first select the layer these brushes and shapes
in the layers window and then located below the menu bar.
click on the up or down arrow. To use the Clone Brush,
There are basic blending first select it from the row of
options that you can add brushes. Next hold down the
to the layers which include Ctrl key and select a point on
– Normal, Multiply, Screen the image that you want to
and Overlay. To change the start cloning from. Release the
layer blending options, first Ctrl key. Each brush stroke
click on the Layer Properties that you take will now have
button, located next to the that point as the starting point.
Commands button. In the To add images as shape
layer property window, you presets, first select Image Hose
can select the blending mode. from the line of presets. Next
Resize the canvas in SmoothDraw A one line description of click on the image which will
Digit | July 2009 | vol 9: 55 | www.thinkdigit.com
Tips & Tricks
be displayed on the Paintbrush To reveal this Top Bar, click on
section of the Left Panel. Select the circular icon (Show Top
the desired image and next Bar) located on the right side
when you use that preset, the of the multimedia controls.
image will be displayed on the Once that is done, click on the
canvas. first option – Skin Selector.
Alternatively, you can enter
Saving the Skin Selector mode by
To save the image that you right clicking on the Zoom
have made or manipulated, Player screen and selecting the
either go to File on the menu Skin Selector option from the
bar and then click on ‘Save contextual menu.
As’. This will give you more The window that is now
options and formats to save open is where you can select
your image. By pressing and configure the theme of the
[Ctrl] + [S] or clicking Zoom Player. By default, you
on ‘Save’ from File in the menu can select between two skins
EVR Advanced options
bar, you get quick JPEG save – Default and Fusion. More
options. The window that pops skins can be downloaded from All tab, all the formats that are Mode button. Click on the
up displays JPEG options. http://www.inmatrix.com/ missing from the system are arrow next to Playback to
There is a preview window on skins.shtml. There are many displayed. A button will be expand that menu list and
the right and Quality vertical tint presets that will change present at the bottom of this then click on Videos and
slider on the left. Adjust the the basic colour scheme of screen that says ‘Click here Subtitles. Once here select EVR
quality of the image by moving the player. You can further to run the Install Center and (Requires Windows Vista or
the slider from Bad to Superb. customise these presets by install missing components’. .NET3 installed) option from
The quality that is selected will adjusting the red, green and Once you click here, you the drop down menu. Also
be displayed in the preview blue tint with drag controls. will be asked permission to remember to check ‘Allow EVR
window. connect to the internet. Next to span videos across multiple
If the images are going to be Fixing missing formats the Install Center opens where monitors’ which falls under
used for web sites, put a check When you initially install the missing components the Video Renderer Settings on
next to Progressive as this will Zoom Player, it scans your are checked. This window the same Options screen and
lower the size of the image. system for missing add-ons also gives you information then click on Apply and then
or plug-ins that are needed to regarding total download OK Now you would also need
Zoom Player Max 6.0 support certain file formats. size and also the licenses to get rid of the entire Zoom
Although it appears simple, To find out which formats are of the missing codecs and user interface so that you get
Zoom Player Max 6.0 is missing, go to the Options addons that you are about to only the video playing across
a media player that also menu by using the shortcut download. your monitors. For this just
supports DVD playback. It is [Ctrl] + [O]. Click on the press [F7] and you are set. If
packed with loads of features arrow next to System & Files Setting up EVR you want to restore the user
ranging from customising and select Missing Formats. EVR is the acronym for interface press [F4].
skins and even setting up This window will show you Enhanced Video Renderer For EVR to work properly
advanced features like EVR. two tabs: Important and All. In which basically allows you to with Zoom, you will also
The Zoom Player has different the Important tab, the formats play a single video spanning require to set the Zoom Player
modes to play different formats that are used often and are over several monitors. This is to play across all screens.
such as DVD Mode, Media missing from your system are a useful feature especially if To achieve this, a shortcut
Mode and even a separate displayed. Similarly, under the you have multiple monitors needs to be created on the
Audio Mode. and want to setup a nice desktop, so right-click on the
panoramic view to watch desktop, go to New and then
Customising Zoom movies using Zoom select Shortcut. Select zplayer.
player skins and Player. Unfortunately, exe from the path which will
colour schemes this feature is limited to be located in Program Files
The first thing you will Windows Vista and not under Zoom Player by default.
notice about Zoom Windows XP. Right-click on the shortcut
Player is its simplistic Initialise Zoom Player and select Properties. You will
layout – only the video and select Options need to the add the X, Y, W
screen is seen along from the top bar. If it is and H, where X and Y set the
with the multimedia hidden, you need to click top left position of the total
controls. There is no on the small circular icon video window and W and H
menu bar of any sort (Show Top Bar) next to are the total Width and Height
visible by default. Even the multimedia controls of the monitors connected.
if you try to press the on the player or use The values will have to follow
[Alt] key to reveal the the shortcut – [Ctrl] the Target in such a manner:
menu bar it won’t show + [O]. Make sure you “C:\Program Files\Zoom
up. Zoom Player has are in the Advanced Player\zplayer.exe”
a different sort of tool mode, or else click on /X:0 /Y:0 /W: 1920 /H:
bar called the Top Bar. Skin options the Switch to Advanced 1080.
Digit | July 2009 | vol 9: 56 | www.thinkdigit.com
HDMI Q&A
Google Docs add support for HDMI 1.4 to support 100Mbps
Office 2007 file formats network capibilities
Your Questions, Our Answers
All your computer niggles and nags are dealt with here!
One of the major causes
Overheating could be a wrongly fitted CPU
processor heatsink. There might be no
Whenever I play games such as thermal paste between the heat
Gears of War, Crysis, GTA IV, or sink and the processor. If the
Quake 4, my CPU temperature heatsink normally feels hot
shoots to 90 degrees and my to touch, remove it and apply
motherboard temperature also a thin, even layer of thermal
reaches 50 degrees. I’m not paste on the processor and
sure about the graphic card re-attach the heat sink. If the
temperature, but I’m sure the temperatures are still that high Memtest86+ is a good utility to scan for memory errors
CPU temperature is high. and the heat sink isn’t getting
Although these games work very hot, it could be a bug with and how do I get rid of it? DDR3 graphics chipset. I want to
well, I’m worried about the the thermal monitor. Check the Biswajit Tudu create a new partition to install
hardware temperature. How can updates for your motherboard’s Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit,
I fix this? BIOS. If it’s a known bug, The default drive action so can you please guide me? As
might have been modified by you know that the track pad of
a worm or virus. To change this notebook doesn’t have any
this, you’ll have to reset the click buttons so can you please
setting for the drives. One of tell me how to right-click on a
the simplest ways to fix it is to folder or file in Windows Vista?
click on Start > Run. Type Shekhar Sinha
regsvr32 /i shell32.
Memtest86+ is a good utility Partitioning of the drive
to scan for memory errors. can be done using Bootcamp.
Faulty hardware could be You can also resize existing
one of the causes for the blue partitions and make space
screens. Bad memory, faulty for new partitions during the
hard drives, buggy drivers installation process itself.
could also cause this. Run a
program called Memtest86+ DVD drive
(www.memtest.org) to scan problems
your memory for errors. My system consists of an AMD
Athlon 1700+ and an ASUS
A few Macbook motherboard. My operating
Applying thermal paste to the CPU queries system is Windows XP with
I recently bought an Apple Service Pack 2. I have a LG DVD
Macbook Pro 15 with a 2.66 GHz RW drive on my system. It was
My system configuration is you will have to flash your Processor, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, working fine but two to three
given below: motherboard’s BIOS. 320 GB 7200 RPM HDD and a weeks back, I found that the
l Intel Core2 Duo E8400 NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT 512MB drive wasn’t able to write CDs.
l ASUS P5QE motherboard
l RAM - Transcend 2 GB x2 Random blue
800Mhz DDR2 screens
l Cooler Master Extreme Plus My computer configuration is:
460W PSU Intel Celeron 2.53 GHz Processor
l XFX 8800GT - 512MB Asrock 775 i65GV Motherboard
l Samsung SyncMaster 2243NW 80 GB Seagate HDD
l Seagate Barracuda 500GB Supercomp 400W SMPS
HDD Windows XP Professional SP2
l Sony DVD Writer My problem is that when I click
l Windows XP Professional on a drive, it does not open. Can
Jayesh you tell me how to set Open as
the default action. Can you also
The CPU temperature of 90 tell me more about the Windows
degrees is extremely high and Blue Screen of death? I have
it’s not advisable to run your faced it two or three times so
PC at such high temperatures. far. How do I get it on demand Using Bootcamp to setup partitions and install operating systems
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 107
Q&A Intel P55 Wolfenstein
Manufacturers show off New Wolfenstein game
Intel's P55 chipset boards; is expected to be
P57 expected soon released this August
It isn’t even detecting blank CDs 128 kbps broadband internet
now. It gives an error message connection.
- “Insert a disk into drive”. I have three questions
Reading of DVDs and regular 1. Every time a torrent finishes
CDs works fine. It even reads downloading, a message pops up
and writes blank DVDs. Please saying that a download has been
help me solve this problem. completed. Is there any way to
Pranab Shyam disable this message?
2. I want to pause torrent down-
It appears your drive is loads at 50%, I don’t want to
spoilt. If the drive is still in the do this manually. Is there any
warranty period, get it repair or way I can enter this value into
replaced. uTorrent so that all torrents are
paused at 50 per cent.
Printer doesn’t 3. Is there any way to hide the
print all characters uTorrent icon without uninstall-
When I print an e-mail which is ing it?
basically a scanned document, it I use uTorrent 1.80. I don’t
misses some characters on the mind using other bit torrent The boss key lets you quickly hide all signs of uTorrent
right. Please advise me on how downloading application if
to print a scanned document. Do necessary. General tab and set a boss key. on my computer seems to be
you know of a software which Ashish Mathew Preferably, use a combination affected. I have scanned my
can print the scanned document of keys. Setting up uTorrent to PC with some scanners that
properly. I have HP 640C printer The download completion run on another account using were bundled with Digit last
which can print A4 size. pop-up is just an alert that the Windows Task Scheduler is month. I also updated them but
Rajesh Kumar mTorrent gives. It can be turned also possible. this worm doesn’t seem to be
off by clicking on Options affected. I have tried using MSN
One of the simplest ways is > Preferences. Under the MSN worm woes Cleaner but nothing works.
to setup the page in the printer UI settings tab, uncheck Show I have got this weird worm Please help me solving this
properties properly. If some balloon notifications in tray. on my MSN Live Messenger. menace. I had freshly format-
characters are being left out, This will stop the popups from Apparently, when any of my ted my system before I got this
set the printer to resize the showing up. contacts comes online, they get problem. I am facing this prob-
page down to size before giving mTorrent has no way to stop spam messages from me. I don’t lem for first time.
the print command. While downloads when they reach see these message from my end, danbabyface from Digit Forum
scanning, make sure you scan a certain point. You can set nor does it ever kick me off the
the entire page instead of just a schedules for the time slots you messenger as if I’m being logged There is definitely some
fixed area. Use the Page Preview want it to download or to limit in somewhere else. I have run kind of worm on your system
to get an idea of how much of download speeds. Click on the several different spyware scans and the problem you are
the page overflows. Scheduler tab to do this. but none of them have helped facing is common online. You
The boss key lets you quickly fix this. I have tried changing should try some other anti-
mTorrent hide all signs of uTorrent my password and secret ques- virus applications to try and fix
questions The boss key is one way tion from a clean computer, the problem. A temporary fix
I have an ASUS Eee PC with to hide the mTorrent window. and I have reinstalled updated would be to stop using MSN
an Intel 1.6 GHz Atom proces- Click on Options > versions of MSN Messenger Messenger and use a third-party
sor and 2 GB of RAM. I have a Preferences. Click on the several times. Nothing else MSN messenger client. Miranda
An example of the page preview function in Irfanview Turning off balloon notifications in uTorrent
108 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
nVIDIA
NVIDIA claims that the Q&A
Tegra platform can decode
video with just 150mW Windows 7 to launch on 22nd
October 2009
IM (www.miranda-im.org) and yourself. When the other users When I format the parti-
Pidgin (www.pidgin.im) are two need to use the computer, ask tion, the files remain intact. I
free alternatives. In future, avoid them to login through the have tried file shredders but
clicking on suspicious links other account. Set a password they fail to delete the files.
posted on instant messengers. for your own account. If you’re They exist in this location and
using Windows XP, go to the even in the partition where
Password Control Panel. Click on User I have windows installed C
protection errors accounts and change the way and D:\Program Files\
with flash drive users log on or off. Multiple Common Files\Adobe\
1. I have an 8 GB Kingston pen user accounts can be logged in Acrobat\ActiveX.
drive. One day I gave it to my simultaneously this way and so If you know a way to
friend and after I got it back I your downloads will continue. delete these files, please let
have been unable to copy any me know. I currently have
data, neither am I able to format Downgrading to XP Windows in the D partition.
it. Every time I try to copy data, it My Lenovo 3000H Series PC wildr.slimshady from Digit Forum
says write protected. Is there any configuration is an Intel Pentium
way to remove the write protec- Dual Core (1.86GHz), 160 GB HDD After uninstalling certain
tion or is it useless now? and 1 GB RAM. I use Vista Home applications, a few DLL files
2. I have a 512 MB MicroSD Basic. Even though I have Quick are left behind. These DLL
Kingston memory card. I locked Heal Anti virus Plus 2009 (SP1) files might have been left
it with a password. Now I have installed with latest updates, behind after you uninstalled
forgotten the password to my Windows Security Centre shows some Adobe Product. I
card so I am not able to use it me a message saying “Windows suggest letting them be there
with any other cell phone or on did not find an anti-virus software as some other application may
Miranda IM is an all-in-one
any card reader. Is there any on this computer”. How do I be using them and moreover
messenger, is extremely light and
way or any software to change correct this? such files just takes kilobytes
very customisable
or remove the password of my I also wanted to ask you of space so why bother?
memory card? if I can install Windows XP mrintech from Digit Forum
3. I wanted to know if we can should be present in a text file (Professional or Home Edition)
connect XP and Vista over the in the root folder. on this computer since it came Email account
network. Windows XP and Vista will pre-installed with Windows Vista being misused?
Alok Aswal have no problems accessing Home Basic. I have an email account. The
each other over the network. Rudrashish Bose password is only known by me
Try using USB Once on the network, you and I don’t think the account
WriteProtector (www.gaijin. should be able to see shared There might be some has been compromised. I have
at/dlusbwp.php) to unlock folders through the Network kind of interfacing glitch changed the password recently.
the drive. With any flash drive link in Windows Explorer. between the anti-virus and Since the last few days, I have
or memory card, one of the Just make sure to share folders Windows. One way to get rid been receiving lots of mails;
simplest ways to remove the before you do by right clicking of the error is to manually set some of them saying remove me
write protection is to delete on a folder and clicking on Windows to ignore the anti- from mailing list. What are these
the partition. Click on Start Sharing. virus alert. Go to the Security emails? Is it some kind of a virus
> Control Panel > Center from the Windows or a joke.
Administrative Tools People keeping Control Panel. Click on Check What do I do next? I have
> Computer Management. shutting off my Settings for the anti-virus been receiving lots of these
Click on the flash drive, right downloads! component and click on I emails and I have been send-
click on the only partition and Congrats on being the most have no anti virus that I’ll ing back mails asking them to
delete it. Remember that this efficient technology team in monitor myself. Yes you can remove me from the list.
will delete all the data on the this country. I have a little prob- install Windows XP in a dual- My ISP uses a proxy server.
drive. If nothing works, it might lem with torrent downloading. boot configuration on top I don’t use any SMTP nor do
be worth trying to format the Others using my computer turn of your existing Vista Home I have a mail server or client
drive also. off uTorrent. Using the boss key Basic installation. You might installed on my computer. Is my
If you are using a Nokia is not always possible so I’m need to prepare a partition for computer being misused over
phone, use an application always around the computer the installation though. the internet? I haven’t been on
called FExplorer and access the when the others turn on the any of the sites mentioned in the
memory card. The password computer. I want to know if Problem deleting email. I use the latest version of
there is any script that some files NOD32 and the firewall doesn’t
automatically turns on Guys, help me out here. There show me any problems.
the boss key when uTor- are these three files on my Saharika from Digit Forum
rent loads. hard drive – AcroIEHelper.dll,
Divyatanu AcroPDF.dll and pdfshell.dll It’s just spam. Use a spam
that refuse to delete. When I try filter or ignore the junk mail.
If there are users to delete them, I get an error Also, never reply to junk mail
turning off your uTorrent message - “Access is denied. - this just confirms that your
client, you should create Make sure the disk is not full or email address is genuine.
USB WriterProtector may help unlock flash drives
a separate account for right protected.” sakumar79 from Digit Forum
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 109
Agent 001 Best Buys Price watch
Section Opener Agent 001 112 Build the PC that best suits your
needs 114 Find out the best deals
in the market
Platform Builder
Agent001 want to look at a budget dual- as little as Rs. 2,500. 920) is priced at Rs. 14,500.
agent001@thinkdigit.com core processor. Keep aside a If you’re looking for a You must also invest in costly
budget of around Rs. 4,000 gaming PC, remember that DDR3 memory as the X58
Economic conditions not for the processor. Both Intel your processor is not as doesn’t support DDR2. For a
withstanding, many readers and AMD have good offerings important as your graphics Core 2 Duo platform based
have written in over the past at similar price points. A card and you should spend on a single GPU solution, we
two months with queries couple of AMD entry-level tri- most of your money on a recommend a motherboard
relating to upgrading their core Phenom CPUs sneak into high-end card, as this is based on Intel’s P45 chipset.
ageing PCs. When building this price range. what really enables gaming ASUS’ P5Q-C is available for
a PC, my advice is to look at I recommend AMD’s at higher resolutions and at Rs. 10,200 and is a superb,
exactly what you want and Athlon X2 5200+ (2.6 GHz) higher graphics settings. Most feature-rich solution. Even
buy according to your needs for those looking for a decent users believe a very fast CPU cheaper is Gigabyte’s EP45C-
and applications. Blindly multimedia PC. It’s priced at is important, but the CPU DS3R and is as good in terms
opting for a quad-core CPU Rs. 2,950 and represents the should be fast enough not of quality and features. You
with 4 GB of RAM doesn’t rock bottom CPU from AMD; to bottleneck your graphics can pick it up for Rs. 7,900.
work for everybody. for something faster look card. Games are largely single- Once again we recommend 2
There are no less than at the X2 7750 (2.7 GHz) threaded with the exception x 2 GB of RAM.
40 processor models and priced at Rs. 3,200. Gigabyte’s of a few titles and while this Some power users will
well over 150 motherboards MA78GM-US2H built around will change in the future, a want a quad core processor
available today – a wide the 780G chipset is a good fast dual core is much better for bragging rights. Others
variety. Once your decision board for these CPUs. Priced than a slower clocked quad will demand more grunt for
to upgrade (or buy a new at Rs. 4,750, this board is core. Hardcore gamers should rendering and encoding, both
machine) is made, ask feature rich and powerful. look at Intel’s Core 2 Duo of which are multi-threaded
yourself for what exactly will Alternatively, ASUS has an E8500 (3.16 GHz) or E8400 applications. If you must have
you use this configuration? offering based on the same (3.0 GHz). These CPUs are a quad core, look at Intel’s
This is the most important chipset called the M3A78- priced at Rs. 9,500 and Rs. Q8200 (2.33 GHz, Rs. 8,400),
part of making a good EM but this board does not 8,400, respectively. it’s a reasonably fast CPU and
decision. Are you a casual have an HDMI port. Invest in The choice of motherboard can also be used for gaming.
multimedia user or a gamer? at least 2 GB of DDR2 RAM is more dependent on the The Intel Q9550 (2.83 GHz)
Do you do a lot of encoding? or 4 GB for Vista. DDR2 is choice of video solution. is also available for power
Most casual multimedia dirt cheap and 4 GB from Those looking at multi-GPU users and this CPU has a
and basic home users will Kingston or Corsair will cost setups will be forced to pick massive 12 MB L2 cache. It’s
from a limited number costly though, at Rs. 14,400,
of chipsets – NVIDIAs but will satisfy almost any
nForce 780i and 790i user. For a motherboard,
DDR2 RAM is cheap for SLI and Intel’s X48 the two P45 options from
these days and nearly and X38 chipset-based Gigabyte and ASUS remain
everyone can afford boards for CrossFire. unchanged. Once again,
These boards can also the fastest quad core is the
4 GB. DDR3 prices get expensive. For an SLI Core i7, but the cost of a
have also reduced setup, we recommend motherboard and DDR3
compared to six Zotac’s GeForce 780i memory will be prohibitive
months back Supreme for Rs. 9,500. for most. However, if you
Unfortunately, X38 and must go this way, opt for a
X48 boards are costlier, Core i7 920 (2.66 GHz), Intel
in the price range of Rs. DX58-SO motherboard (Rs.
14,000 or so. Another 14,500) and at least 4 GB of
solution exists, but it’s DDR3 1,333 MHz memory
costly albeit a bit more from Kingston/Corsair/OCZ.
flexible. Intel’s Core i7 Expect to pay at least Rs.
processors are based on 6,000 for a 3 GB, tri-channel
its X58 platform and this kit, while faster kits with
solution has support for speeds of 1,600 MHz will cost
both SLI and CrossFire close to Rs. 10,000. There are
– useful for a long term 6 GB kits also available, but
rig where one might we don’t recommend these
want to change GPU unless you are on a 64-bit
Ashwini Baviskar
solutions. An i7-based operating system that can
system gets costly as the utilise more than 4 GB of
cheapest CPU (Core i7 RAM and you really need it.
110 Digit | June 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Consumer protection New i7 steppings Ionised! Agent 001
We speak out on your behalf, Intel’s i7 940 (2.93 GHz) is soon to NVIDIA’s 9400M graphics solution adds much
116 protecting your rights as a
consumer
be discontinued and replaced by the
i7 950 (3.06 GHz)
needed grunt to Intel’s Atom processors, and
together form the ION platform
I want to buy a new PC. My bit as good a phone and 6630 has the most basic camera.
total budget is Rs. 70,000. I has good battery life.
already have an LCD TV and I live in Andaman and I’m a
speakers, and so I don’t need Can you help me select student. I want to buy a digicam
these. Is Quad Core required or a graphics card for mid- with at least 7 MP. My budget is
will Core 2 Duo be more than end gaming (FIFA’09 etc) Rs. 8,000.
sufficient? Which series in Core 2 within a budget of Rs. Rahul Bairagi
Duo is good? I want to be able to 5,000 to Rs. 7,000. Does it
add performance in the future. make any difference with I recommend Canon’s A480
Which motherboard do you respect to performance, or the A590IS, although the
recommend? Should I go in for a compatibility and service latter may be a bit overpriced.
full tower cabinet or a compact between NVIDIA & ATI? Please remember to check the
one? I don’t wish to compromise Also, does it require a street prices instead of
on performance unless it is very higher capacity power purchasing it from some mall
marginal. Do I need a 1000 W supply? or showroom, since the prices
power supply or will something I’ve the following existing will be much lower.
smaller do? Remember, I want configuration:
SLI or Crossfire in the future. Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo I plan to upgrade my old PC
Also, which ISP should I choose? E6420 2.13GH, RAM: 2GB for some future proofing and
I wish to have good download Jinesh Gandhi decent computing experience.
speeds. My budget for this is Rs. My motherboard does not
300 per month, not more. I recommend the Dell I recommend an NVIDIA support a graphic card slot, has
Anand Krishnan Studio XPS 16 if size is not a GeForce 9600GT-based 512 MB of RAM and an Intel
constraint for you. Alternatively, graphics card. Brands such as Celeron 2.0 GHz CPU. It would
Hi, regarding the ISP, you if you want something compact EVGA, Zotac, ASUS and
will have to check locally, since the Studio XPS 13 is my Gigabyte are the best. You
tariffs differ. I have found suggestion. Both of these are could also look a Palit,
Reliance’s WiMAX service to be available from Dell India, but which may be a bit
good. BSNL is also convenient I’m not sure about their cheaper. All of these
for most, but your budget needs availability in Nepal. You could brands should have
to be extended. Regarding your try getting in touch with Dell’s offerings priced below the
PC, unless you can go for a helplines in India. Both Rs. 7,000 mark.
Core i7, remember that both notebooks will fit within your
SLI and Crossfire will not be budget and with shipping After scoring good in
possible on the same should come close to Rs. my boards, my father
motherboard. I recommend a 70,000. Alternatively, try down wants to gift me a mobile, after be very kind of you if you could
Core 2 Quad-based PC based New Road in Kathmandu. reading two to three of your suggest some serious upgrades
on DDR2 RAM. I don’t magazines I ended up on for my antique piece. I require
recommend either SLI or I want to buy a good camera Samsung L700. It fits best in it for smooth game play, for
Crossfire; stick with a single phone. I want something new our budget with a street price being able to play a few of the
card. and flashy looking. My budget is of Rs. 6,800. Is there any other latest games like Prince of
My PC configuration is Rs. 10,000 to 13,000. option? My basic requirements Persia 4, COD4, DMC-4,
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Vishal Singh is 3G, a good camera (best one Spiderman 3, although not at
(Rs. 15,500), ASUS P5Q I can get) with great looks. My highest detail levels. I have a
motherboard (Rs. 8,500), 2 x 2 I suggest Sony Ericsson’s budget is Rs. 6,000 to Rs. total budget of Rs. 8,000. You
GB DDR2 800 MHz (Corsair) K850i, available for Rs. 14,000 8,000. may extend it by Rs. 2,000.
(Rs. 3,600), ZOTAC GeForce on the street, although the MRP Varun Dhiman Piyush Mishra
GTX 285 (Rs. 25,000). Buy a is much higher. It’s got a great
Corsair HX 620 or TX 650 PSU camera and is a good phone if Since you want good features, I recommend AMD 740G
(Rs. 6,500). The Coolermaster you can live with the tiny I suggest hunting around for based motherboard. Brands to
690 chassis (Rs. 4,500) should keypad. It’s also very compact. some of the older models in the look at are Gigabyte, MSI and
be suitable for this rig. You Else, Nokia’s N73 Music market. Sony Ericsson’s K750i ASUS. Expect to pay around Rs.
will spend Rs. 63,600 on these Edition will be available for Rs. (non 3G) and Nokia’s 6630 are 3,500 for the motherboard. A
components. 12,000 or so, and while its two great models that have GeForce 9400GT graphics card
camera is not as good, it’s every become very cheap because they will set you back by Rs. 3000
I live in Nepal and want are old. However, their more. AMD’s X2 5400+ should
to buy a laptop. My budget capabilities have not cost you around Rs 3,000.
is Rs. 70,000. It should diminished in any Finally pick up 2 GB of DDR2
have about 2 GB RAM, 160 way. You could also RAM for Rs 1,500. If you could
GB hard disk and I also check out the Sony extend your budget further,
want to use it for light Ericsson K660 that spend an additional Rs. 3,000
gaming. If I have to buy it has a good camera. All on the graphics card and pick
from India, what will be of these should be up the GeForce 9600 GT – a
the shipping cost and price priced below the Rs. sweet deal that will play all
in Nepalese currency. 8,000 mark. Out of these games with some of the
Anish Dhami the three, the Nokia eye candy enabled.
Digit | June 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 111
killer rigs
everything you will ever need to build your
nBasic rig = Rs. 19,950
nMultimedia-cum-gaming rig = Rs. 83,100
nUltra high-end PC / Gaming rig = Rs. 1,61,400
own PC. whatever your budget.
hard disk cabinet
monitor nSeagate 250 GB 7200.11 / Rs. 1,900 nZebronics Antibiotic / Rs. 2,100
nAcer 1916W / Rs. 6,800 nSeagate 1 TB 7200.11 / Rs. 6,500 nCoolerMaster 690 / Rs. 4,400
nDell E228WFP / Rs. 14,500 n
Western Digital Velociraptor 300 GB nCoolerMaster Sniper / Rs. 11,500
nDell S2409W / Rs. 15,000 / Rs. 11,500 or Western Digital 1 TB
Black Edition / Rs. 7,000
power
nVIP 350 Watts / Rs. 850
nCorsair TX 650 / Rs. 6,500
nCoolerMaster RealPower Pro
850W / Rs. 11,200
Graphics card
nNone
n Radeon HD 4870
Palit
1 GB SONIC / Rs. 18,100
motherboard n
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 295 / Rs. 35,000
n NVIDIA 7025
ASUS
video
card
M2N68-AM / Rs. 2,250
nAbit IP35-E Rs. 5,300
n P5Q Deluxe
ASUS
/ Rs. 14,000
mouse
speaker nLogitech 3 button scroll / Rs. 300
nNone nLogitech MX518 / Rs. 1,300
n Lansing MX 5021
Altec nRazer DeathAdder / Rs. 2,500
/ Rs. 6,500
n
Logitech Z5500 keyboard
/ Rs. 15,500 nLogitech Multimedia / Rs. 400
nLogitech G15 / Rs. 4,500
nLogitech G15 / Rs. 4,500
sound card
nNone / NA
nASUS Xonar DX / Rs. 3,700
nASUS Xonar DX / Rs. 3,700
mouse
nLogitech 3 button scroLL / rs. 300
nLogitech mX518 / rs. 1,300
nrazer DeathaDDer / rs. 2,500
sound
card
ram
CPU
nAMD Athlon XP 6000+ / Rs. 2,850
nIntel Core 2 Duo E8400 / Rs. 8,200
nIntel Core 2 Quad Q9650 / Rs. 23,000
RAM
n2 x 2 GB DDR2 800 MHz (Kingston Value) / Rs. 1,350
n2 x 2 GB x 2 DDR2 800 MHz (Corsair XMS2) / Rs. 3,600
n2 x 2 GB DDR2 OCZ Platinum 1066 MHz / Rs. 7,000
112 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Price watch
Motherboards
Model Market Price Tested in Socket PCI-e x8/x16 slots SATA Ports No. of rear USB
ASUS M3N78-EH Rs. 5,200 November 2008 AM2+ 1 6 4
ASUS P5Q Deluxe Rs. 12,600 June 2008 LGA775 2 6 6
ASUS P5Q-PRO Rs. 6,900 LGA775 2 6 6
ASUS P6T Deluxe Rs. 21,650 April 2009 LGA1366 3 6 8
Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 Rs. 17,500 LGA775 3 6 8
Intel DX58SO Rs. 15,000 LGA1366 2 6 8
MSI X58 Eclipse Rs. 19,500 LGA1366 3 10 8
XFX nForce 790i Ultra Rs. 16,000 LGA775 3 6 6
Zotac 780i Supreme Rs. 14,500 LGA775 3 6 6
Hard Drives
Model Market Price Tested in Speed Cache Interface
Seagate 1.5TB Rs. 7,700 March 2009 7200RPM 32 SATA 2
Seagate 1TB Rs. 5,250 April 2009 7200 RPM 32 SATA 2
Seagate 7200.12 500 GB Rs. 3,150 April 2009 7200 RPM 32 SATA 2
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB Rs. 7,500 7200 RPM 16 SATA 2
Graphic Cards
Model Market Price Tested in Core Speed Type of memory Memory
EVGA 9600GT Knock-out Rs. 7,000 November 2008 700 MHz GDDR3 512 MB
Palit Radeon HD 4850 SONIC Rs. 9,550 685 MHz GDDR5 512 MB
Palit Radeon HD 4870 SONIC Rs. 12,000 October 2008 750 MHz GDDR5 512 MB
XFX GeForce 8600 GT Rs. 3,700 540 MHz GDDR2 256 MB
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 285 Rs. 24,500 February 2009 648 MHz GDDR3 1024 MB
Monitors
Model Market Price Tested in Size Resolution Contrast Ratio Response time
Acer AL2216 Rs. 9,800 22-inch 1680 x 1050 700 : 1 5 ms
BenQ T2200HD Rs. 9,750 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 1000 : 1 5 ms
Dell 1909W Rs. 7,200 19-inch 1440 x 900 1000 : 1 5 ms
LG 177WSB Rs. 6,400 May 2008 17-inch 1440 x 900 700 : 1 8 ms
LG W192W Rs. 7,550 19-inch 1440 x 900 700 : 1 5 ms
Samsung 2033SW Rs. 7,850 20-inch 1600 x 900 1000 : 1 5 ms
Samsung 943NWX Rs. 7,500 19-inch 1280 x 1024 1000 : 1 5 ms
ViewSonic VX2255WMB Rs. 12,500 May 2008 22-inch 1680 x 1050 1000 : 1 5 ms
ViewSonic VX2835WM Rs. 28,000 28-inch 1920 x 1200 1000 : 1 3 ms
Digital Cameras
Model Price Tested in Sensor Optical Zoom LCD Screen Size
Canon Powershot A470 Rs. 6,399 September 2008 7.1 MP 3.4x 2.5-inches
Canon SX10 IS Rs. 24,500 June 2009 10 MP 20x 2.5-inches
Kodak C140 Rs. 5,499 8 MP 3x 2.4-inches
Nikon Coolpix L19 Rs. 7,200 8 MP 3.6x 4.7-inches
Olympus FE25 Rs. 6,990 10 MP 3x 2.4-inches
Sony DSC-H10 Rs. 15,660 8.1 MP 10x 3.0-inches
114 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Obama for Consumer Protection
Consumer Protection As part of Barack Obama’s plans for revitalising the economy, the White
House has announced plans for a new state sponsored agency called
Consumer Protection Financial Agency which will deal with mortgages and
credit cards among other things
Digit asks, HP responds...
Many readers have written to us complaining of repeated problems with HP laptops, particularly
those with NVIDIA chips overheating. We first contacted HP about these problems at the end of March,
and the company has recently responded, endeavouring to determine just what has been going on,
and to help solve our readers’ problems.
Edward Hennings case after just a few days over has told me that there are three motherboards have been
edward.henning@thinkdigit.com ownership, and the laptop ways in which a user can access repaired eight times, Manoj
crashed to the ground - should this channel: Nair’s laptop has been repaired
I
HP replace the laptop? On the website, go to and returned to him. He has
t came to us as quite a HP told me that checks the page entitled “Register a told me that his laptop is, for
surprise, after asking and balances are in place, but Complaint” - this page is not now, working fine. Mridhul
readers to write in with sometimes these go overboard, easy to find. Searching on those Sanjeev has been given a
service problems to find and a user with a genuine words does not locate the page. replacement laptop, and
that nearly half of those that problem finds it difficult to his own one has been sent
arrived concerned HP laptops. get a proper response. So, The cause of the to Cupertino for analysis.
As I wrote at the time, in what if a user has a genuine problems? Hopefully, we will have an
our May issue: “So, is this a problem, and does not get an Given that most of the answer soon.
statistical cluster, or does HP appropriate response from problems our readers have
really have a problem?” The HP? We have two readers reported entail repeated Warranty
answer seems to lie midway whose motherboards have failure due to overheating, Of the cases that we had passed
between the two. Statistically, been replaced or repaired eight it is natural to consider the on from readers to HP, a few
we are likely to see a fair times - surely, once two or three problems that arose a year or were in fact outside of warranty.
number of problems with repeat repairs have been done, so back with NVIDIA chips, The standard warranty is for
HP simply because of the a different approach should be particularly the GeForce 8x one year. However, a user can
company’s large market share taken? and 9x series. These contained purchase an HP “Care Pack”
and the sheer size of the HP told me of the “escalation a manufacturing flaw that did which effectively extends the
operation. Problems are bound channel” to use in such an cause overheating - reported warranty by up to three years.
to occur. instance. Looking at the huge in laptops from HP, Dell and There are many different levels
In the top seven cities in HP web site, it is not clear what Apple. However, this was some of service that you can pay for:
India, according to HP’s figures, process is intended by this. HP time ago, and according to whether you want a six-hour call
the company’s market share of NVIDIA, the problem was fixed out, or will next day do, whether
laptops is 61-62 per cent, with a V3000 advisory “two generations [of chips] you would need a replacement
national average of 54 per cent. ago”. Also, HP has assured machine while yours is being
The advisory apparently fixed, etc.
This means that the company me that none of these chips
mentioned by HP service staff to We have mentioned the fact
is shipping between 65 and made their way into the Indian
Manoj Nair, is called “HP Pavilion that checks and balances are in
70 thousand units per month. dv2000/dv6000 and Compaq
market, but were restricted to
place to determine whether a
These are serviced through over Presario v3000/v6000 Series the north American market.
complaint is genuine or not, and
350 service points across the Notebook PCs - HP Limited Some may have been grey one aspect of this is whether the
company. Things are bound to Warranty Service Enhancement”. imports, of course, but the machine is still under warranty.
go wrong, and HP has told me This advisory certainly exists on company has told me that all HP explained that the end of
that each month a handful do the HP web site, but it is very HP laptops for sale in India warranty is very much an on/off
experience serious problems. difficult to find. I needed help - a are made in China, and there type of thing; there is no good
But not all problems are direct link - from HP to access, were no shipments of the faulty calling HP, or any other company
genuine, and clearly any and so how a user will come NVIDIA chipsets there. for that matter, and pleading:
company like HP will need to across it when they might not And yet our readers laptops “It’s just one week after the end
distinguish between genuine even know it exists, is beyond me. are still overheating. What of warranty.” That simply will not
and invalid problems. I was The advisory mentions the is going on? HP operates a work.
told that it was not possible availability of extended warranty process called “unit capture” So, make sure that all your
to formulate an unambiguous for these models, and also a BIOS when there is a persistent and paperwork is in order when you
policy to cater for all instances upgrade, and describes problems repeating problem. A user is purchase a machine or other
and problems. For example, such as failure of the WiFi adapter given a replacement machine, product, check the date on
somebody in the channel might to work, lack of video display and their own laptop is sent the bill, and fill in and post off
and failure of the laptop to start. any registration forms that are
drop a unit, it then gets passed over to HP in Cupertino,
But there is no mention of the required, making a copy of them
onto the customer, who tries to California, in order to diagnose
overheating problem at all. first, if possible.
get a fix from HP. One user had what has been going wrong.
the strap break on his laptop Of our two readers whose
116 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
President Patil for standards
Closer home, opening the ISO consumer plenery Fight the sms spam Consumer protection
meeting, the president stressed on standards on The Indian Consumer protection act allows you to
products for building confidence in the market and complain against the service provider if you get
putting an end to the recession unsolicitated messages
Another reader who Write in
experienced repeated problems If you have a genuine example
was Dr. Sanjay Tharoor, and of truly bad service, such as a
he has also told me that at product going wrong within
warranty and the supplier
least for now, HP has fixed
refusing to fix or replace it,
the problems with his laptop
then please let us know at:
and it is working normally.
servicewatch@thinkdigit.com.
HP considers that the Make sure that you have proper
problems have finally been documentation (receipt, etc.)
resolved. Another reader with to back up your complaint. We
overheating problems with cannot promise even to reply
his Pavilion dv2701TX was to all the emails we will receive,
Sumir Josan. HP tells me that but we will pick a selection and
his heatsink has been replaced, take them up with the relevant
and that the laptop has been companies at the highest level.
returned. We have not yet
heard from Sumir.
However, some readers uses it in a normal atmosphere;
have told us that HP service like, when, you know the
engineers had told them that temperatures in Delhi; OK, In the May and June issues of Digit, we reported
overheating is inevitable with obviously you will tend to
these system, and one reader see temperatures like we have a large number of complaits to Hewlett-Packard.
had been informed that there [here]; we can’t avoid it. Even I This month, HP responded with their side of the
was an HP advisory on his find a difference when I use my story and have also replaced several readers’
model and that it was not notebook. In the office I don’t laptops.
suitable for sale in India. The feel any issue.”
advisory certainly exists - see Perhaps these notebooks characteristics in India as in, designs its chips to match the
the box for the details - but are not suitable for sale in India say, Europe? Is that what HP is specified thermal characteristics
it does not suggest that the - at least, not suitable for use doing? in order to avoid overheating.
models are unsuitable for this in India during the summer NVIDIA in the US has told The company had not heard of
country. But are they? without air-conditioning! It is me that the configurations problems such as our readers
By chance, a colleague in certainly the case that a hot and of laptops are very similar have been reporting, and is
our office has an HP Compaq humid climate is not good for among different vendors, and going to look into this further
Presario CQ50-106AU. computer hardware, but surely, each particular chassis has and help us understand just
When used in his home does it make sense to sell well defined and understood what might be going on here.
- not air-conditioned - even laptops with the same thermal thermal characteristics. It
Register your complaints on HP’s web site at:
h20526.www2.hp.com/cchs/forms/submitcase_eu.asp?CaseType=Complaint&country=in#
Alternatively, send an email to: in.ced@hp.com or telephone: 080-2504 1020.
when running idle, it simply
shuts down after about 15
minutes, apparently due to
overheating. So, it was brought
into our office, and placed
in a properly air-conditioned
room. It happily spent a couple
of hours running a video - a
compute-intensive application
that would be likely to cause
overheating, if anything would.
A sample of one is not sufficient
to draw conclusions, but what
does HP say about this kind of
experience?
Diptesh Ghosh, HP Category
Manager for notebooks, talked
to me of one of our readers
who had been running a fairly
CPU-intensive application. He
said: “The issue here is when he
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 117
Fast track to PHP
Developer corner For a better understanding of this
Tech@work Smart SoHo 121 Give your site some Web 2.0-ness
with jQuery
subject, read the Fast track to PHP with
the January 2009 issue of Digit
Get your site up
and running with
WordPress
Construction Complete
Nimish Chandiramani Need to know obtain), you can design a theme • The ability to access your
readersletters@thinkdigit.com Before you run off to start of your own in a day or two. site’s files via FTP
E
creating a WordPress-based site, Thirdly, while WordPress’s • The latest version of
very business needs a there are a few things you need core features are impressive on WordPress, from wordpress.
place on the web, and to remember. First, WordPress their own, they aren’t tailored org/download.
the quicker you can is best for a site that is regularly for businesses. It doesn’t
get a functional web updated, so it’s perfect if a have any ad management Setting it up
site up, the better. There are a business blog or newsfeed is features, for instance, nor Several hosting providers
number of great open source part of your plan, but overkill does it have any site statistics provide you with cPanel or an
content management systems if all you want is a few static built in. Again, this is easily equivalent – a simple control
(CMSs) to help you start and pages. remedied—WordPress has a panel for you to administer
run a web site, but you’ll Secondly, WordPress huge database of plugins that’ll your website – which will let
need time to figure them out still is, at its core, a blogging add these functions to your you install WordPress without
– and while you do, your site’s engine. The default WordPress site, and installing them is needing any configuration.
visitors must bear with the installation looks like a blog, embarrassingly easy. Even if you don’t have this
“under construction” sign so don’t plan on using that for Finally, before you begin feature, installing WordPress is
on your home page. your website. The good news setting up WordPress, you’ll need simple enough.
WordPress, meanwhile, stands is that there are a number of to have some information handy: Before beginning, create a
out as one that’s extremely WordPress themes tailored for • A MySQL username and new database in MySQL – this
flexible, easy to set up, and all sorts small businesses, and if password for your site (you will hold all the content and
easy to customise. you have some skills with CSS can get this from your site’s information for your site. Unzip
layouts (which aren’t hard to host) the WordPress archive that
118 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
WordPress users
WordPress Mobile Edition Famous sites that use WordPress:
Smart SoHo
A plugin that’ll format your site for mobile Wall Street Journal Magazine,
phone browsers, so you can make your site Wired Blogs, TechCrunch, The New
accessible on the go Adventures of Mr. Stephen Fry
newest-first order.
Recommended WordPress Plugins
You also can’t put
them in categories. Ultimate Google Analytics
Categories are Track how much traffic you’re getting, where
self-explanatory. that traffic is coming from, and how many sites
are linking to you.
WordPress lets
OIOpublisher
you put posts in
This one’s paid ($47), but might be worth
as many categories
it—it’s an insanely advanced ad manager, even
as you need, and automating the ad sales process.
can even put WP e-Commerce
uncategorised posts Lets you turn your WordPress site into an
in a default category online store.
you can select. To Theme My Login
create and manage Makes registered users see a special login and
your categories, profile page that matches your theme, rather
go to Posts > than the WordPress defaults.
Categories in Breadcrumb NavXT
your dashboard. To Lets you add breadcrumbs (Home › Category ›
change the default Post, for example) to your templates.
You can customise WordPress to work for any kind of site category for posts, Microkid’s Related Posts
go to Settings Adds related links to your posts manually, so
you downloaded, and you’ll Dashboard, which gives you > Writing and you don’t have to rely on tags or keywords to
see all the files you need inside a quick overview of what’s change the Default determine which posts are related.
a folder called wordpress. happening on the site. Post Category. OnePress Framework
A theme “framework”, which you can use as
Rename wp-config-sample.php And finally, you
the basis for designing an elaborate theme of
to wp-config.php. Open the file How the content can add tags to
your own. Nearly every area is widget-ready,
in any text editor, and enter works posts, which are key
and it even comes with a few widgets of its
your database name, username When talking about content in terms that describe own. As a bonus, OnePress also comes with
and password under “MySQL WordPress, we use four terms the posts. Search the ability to integrate your WordPress site
Settings”. – posts, pages, categories, and engines pick up with a phpBB forum.
Now use an FTP client to tags. these terms when is_human()
upload the contents of the Posts are the most basic they’re crawling sites, Have users verify their humanity by answering
wordpress folder to your site units of your site: every time so if you’re starting questions or solving an equation (probably the
(if you upload the folder itself, you add new content to the a company blog, most effective way to avoid spam registrations)
you’d have to access the site site, you do it as a post. To add tagging your posts is
by going to www.yoursite.com/ a new post, go to Posts > always a good idea.
wordpress). Once the upload Add New in your dashboard. Without customising your
is complete, visit your site to You can also add excerpts to theme, however, your content
begin installing WordPress. All posts, which are summaries is still going to look like a
you have to do now is enter of the posts’ content. On your blog.
a name for the site and your site’s main page, posts appear
email address, and WordPress newest first. Customising the site
will give you an admin Pages are similar to posts, As of this writing, the
password so you can begin but are for static content – an WordPress theme directory
using your site. “About Us” page, for example. has 832 free themes, and
Once you’ve got your They fall outside the normal counting. You can even get
administrator password, structure of your site, and your hands on a premium
you can log into your site’s unlike posts, don’t follow the theme for anywhere between
$5 (Rs 250) and $100 (Rs
5,000).
Once you’ve found a
theme you like, download Default WordPress site, with a single sample post
and extract it to your hard
disk, upload the theme folder and drag the widgets you want
to wp-content/themes/ on your into the sidebars you want
site, and go to Appearance them in.
in the dashboard to activate And when your site looks
the theme. Most WordPress like it should, you can add
themes will give you one or plugins to make it work like it
more sidebars (which may or should. Installing a new plugin
may not be on the sides), to is as easy as the theme—
which you can add widgets, download and extract it, upload
such as a calendar, a list of the folder to wp-content/
categories, and so on. To add plugins/, and go to Plugins in
widgets to your sidebars, go to the dashboard. To enable the
Appearance > Widgets, plugin you just uploaded, click
Installing WordPress is a no-brainer
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 119
Smart SoHo WordCamp WordPress on the fly
Keep an eye on india.wordcamp.org to find WordPress applications for the iPhone (and
out when the next WordCamp—an event soon, for the BlackBerry) let you update your
designed around WordPress—will be held site from wherever you are
widgets into in column 3.
First, the news. Here, we’ll
use the query_posts()
function, which lets you
change the way that WordPress
fetches posts from the database.
//start
the loop But this means your theme
if ( now needs two more files:
have_posts() ) : while sidebar.php and functions.php.
( have_posts() ) : Create a new file called sidebar.
the_post(); php and enter this:
?>
Gridfocus is a simple theme that gives you three sidebars to pollute with widgets exists(‘dynamic_
on the Activate link against it. the_post(); ?>
don’t meet your needs, you can you display content--> the_excerpt();?>
exploit the almighty WordPress ”>Read
Getting Started With time, ready for you to display as More..
A Theme you want it. For example, let’s
There aren’t enough pages for say you have a three-column endwhile;?> This makes your sidebar
us to get into the nitty-gritties layout, and the HTML looks dynamic, and hence capable of
of theme design, but you need something like this: As you can see, WordPress holding widgets. The second
two files to get started: a style. quite self-explanatory: use the sidebar. Create a new file
CSS styles for your theme, and title, the_excerpt() to this bit of code:
template that all your pages are the_content() to show all if ( function_
the content), and so on. exists(‘register_
Column 2 is much the same: sidebar’) )
?>
That covers the most
make specific designs for.
”> you’re just modifying a theme
your time to see what the Loop
WordPress Loop: posts from the News category is capable of. For more, visit the
wordpress.org.
120 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Backed by the industry
J Query gas gained support from many Forget ready () and Click () Developer corner
quarters: Nokia loves it, and Microsoft You can assign your own events to HTML
is going to feature jQuery support in the elements—just use bind (“eventname”,
next Visual Studio function(e){//code here});
JavaScript Done Right
Give your site some web 2.0-ness with jQuery
Nimish Chandiramani );
readersletters@thinkdigit.com
W
and here’s what the HTML code looks like:
e’ve all wished that our web pages would have some Click here for a
really cool animations, but we’ve all thrown those
wishes out the window as soon as we discovered how
tedious they are to do in JavaScript. It’s clunky and
cumbersome, and not designer-friendly at all. That’s why a really
smart egg named John Resig came up with jQuery, which is a “fast
and concise JavaScript Library that simplifies HTML document
traversing, event handling, animating, and AJAx interactions for
rapid web development.” Basically, Resig’s done all the dirty work, The jQuery version of a “Hello World” script
and all you have to do is call the functions he’s written.
To use jQuery, you need to know your way around CSS, and message!
this tutorial will assume that you do. You’ll also need some basic and here’s the result:
knowledge of JavaScript, but any experience with a C-like language And now, we can move to bigger, better things—like messing about
will help you understand the code. with design.
The First jQuery The jQuery Style
To include the jQuery framework in HTML, download the latest file With jQuery, you can manipulate elements’ CSS properties to no
from jquery.com, or refer the online version: end—add classes, remove classes, alter styles, and so on. For example,
button. That’s when you use jQuery to change the CSS code:
This ensures you’ve always got the latest jQuery running, so you $(document).ready(function() {
don’t have to worry about upgrading. On the other hand, if the latest $(“#buttonID”).click(function() {
version decides to drop a function that you’re using, things may go //select the button by its ID
horribly wrong. //select oldclass divs
Once you’ve included the jQuery framework, you can start and change the background
accessing its functions. Let’s start with initialising stuff on the page: $(“div.oldclass”).
$(document).ready(function () { css({background-color});
//put your initialisation code });
here });
}); As you can see, we’ve used the CSS-style selector “#buttonID”
The “$” is the “query” in jQuery - you use it to select elements in to select the button, and then attached a function to its “click” event.
your document. You use the standard CSS selectors here: $(‘div’), You can use these selectors to alter the layout of the document as
for example, will select all divs in the document, well:
$(‘.someclass’) will select all elements of the class “someclass”, $(document).ready( function() {
and so on. $(‘#mergeButton’).click(
The next bit - .ready( function () {//function function() {
code}); - attaches the function to the document’s “ready” event. In $(‘#blue’).
plain English, when the document ready, the function will execute. appendTo(‘#green’).parent().appendTo(‘#red’);
Let’s start with a simple example: });
//whitespaces aren’t bothersome, so you can “pretty- });
print” code if you want The “appendTo()” function, true to its name, appends the
$(document).ready blue div to the green. The “parent()” then selects the green div
( (which is now the parent of the blue), and finally, the green div gets
function() appended to the red. The HTML code here goes from this:
{
$(‘a.alert’).click
(
function() to this:
{
alert(‘Hello!’);
}
);
}
121 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 121
JQ GUI Get started
Developer corner To build “rich” web applications, use
jQuery UI—a jQuery plugin that lets
You can try one of the
hundreds of plugins
you create animations and interactions available for it at
similar to desktop applications plugins.jquery.com
Modifying styles and layouts is powerful and fun, but not as much page, without reloading your current one. Our external data, in this
fun as watching that happen with animation. case, will be an xML file (it could be PHP or HTML, for that matter).
Technically, since this doesn’t involve the xMLHttpRequest object, it’s
The jQuery Effect only AJAx in the loosest sense of the term.
jQuery comes bundled with all sorts of special effects for your (and Here’s the type of data we’ve got in the xML file:
8 Kingdoms
8 Kingdoms is a 3D turn-
based fantasy strategic game in which players
become kings, build their empires and conquer
enemy kingdoms.
Free
Gaming
Free Games
34.6 MB
Gaming\Games\8Kingdoms-1.1.0.exe
June
2008
Freeware
And here’s what our HTML looks like:
AJAX!
Taking separate divs and merging
your visitors’) entertainment. It all starts with the simple “show()”
and “hide()” functions: And finally, this is the JavaScript that gets it all done :
$(‘#someID’).show(); $(“#ajaxgetter”).click( function() {
$(‘#someID’).hide(); $(“#ajaxinfo”).
load(“sample.xml”);
which can also be animated, if you like: });
$(‘#someID’).show(‘fast’); The result:
$(‘#someID’).hide(‘slow’); The “load()” function will bring up whatever you pass to it—you
could even load entire websites in that little space. You can also
You don’t, however, want to check whether an element is visible submit forms using “$.get()” and “$post()” (for the GET and
or hidden to decide which function to use, so you use “toggle()” POST methods respectively), and show the results in your AJAx
instead—as the name suggests, it’ll hide a visible element, or show a area.
hidden one. It, too, can be animated: .end();
$(‘#someID’).toggle(‘slow’); If you’ve been wanting to try AJAx but were daunted by
And when you’re done playing with special effects, you can try JavaScript, jQuery is your thing. If you’ve been using JavaScript for
your hand at some basic AJAx. AJAx so far, you can leave that mess behind and make your code
lighter with jQuery. Most important of all, though, jQuery brings
From The Beyond simple JavaScript-ing to the hands of web designers, and that’s
This is the simplest form of AJAx—getting information from another something we’ve waited for for too long.
122 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Escape
128 Game review
Prototype 130 Game review
Infamous
Geek culture : Steampunk advanced world with transportation and gadgets powered by steam
and gears – like the worlds of Jules Verne or H.G. Wells. Recently,
Steampunk is a somewhat nostalgic science fiction genre, that looks steampunk has grown from a marginal science fiction genre to an
backwards towards time and draws up an alternate timeline of events art and style movement. A number of steampunk modifications of
– an advanced and progressed world without electricity. Think an modern gadgets exist on the market.
The League of Dark City Brazil
Extraordinary Gentlemen
Movies
Set just before 1900, this The film has one of Undoubtedly the most
film has a 6 wheeled car, the largest steam- critically acclaimed
a submarine, metallic punk cities shown on steampunk films,
armours with flameth- cinema. Sequences based on George
rowers, and machine of gigantic cityscape Orwell’s 1984. A
guns as edge of weapons changing machines are computer glitch brands
technology. a pleasure to watch. an innocent man as a terrorist.
20,000 leagues under The Difference Warlord of the Air
the sea Engine
Books
A classic Jules Verne novel One of the defining works Equal parts Sci-Fi, and
featuring captain Nemo and of the genre, featuring equal parts fantasy, Michael
the Nautilus. It’s refreshing clockwork computers as Moorcocks works follow an
to read about submarines, against microchip ones. alternate timeline where
diving suits and oxygen There are even renegade the British Empire still exists
pumps in an era when “clackers” who use punch and the World Wars never
these were not yet around, cards as the tools of their happened. Look out for the
and were science fiction. trade. Airship Armadas in this one.
USB Drive LCD Monitor Gakutensoku
Gadgets
This just showed http:// Look closely at
up in a Russian steampunkworkshop. the lenses, there
modding forum, com has detailed are iris shutters
a handcrafted, shots and for each eye that
user made one instructions for a can be independ-
of a kind piece. number of Steam ently controlled by sliders to let the
This is however, one of the many modded Punk modifications, including this LCD right amount of light in – and they look
peripherals based on steampunk aesthet- Monitor. This was made to go with the cool. Instructions and more images at
ics. This piece is called Zdesya. maker’s keyboard. http://bit.ly/PWaYz.
Digit Diary end of it all, Kumar did not win anything. but since Siddharth
The month of June was pretty crazy around the office with the escaped near death a couple of times he won the Slipper Supari
Digit Carnival events going on in and out of the office. Along award and received the prize of absolutely nothing.
with that, Kumar and Siddharth took part in an ARG called Rossi made all kinds of excuses to stay idle at home, so
Supari that took place over three weeks. Both of them were Robert finally brought his guitar and amp to office. As of now,
roaming in the office with some eye-raising objects (meant to Rossi has been asked to stay away from it. But we did manage to
be immunity) that included some Hindi magazines and even a catch him trying his hand at it when no one else was watching.
copy of the Mumbai city guide. They both gloated about their Vijay keeps getting gifts, Ahmed gave him his 22-inch Viewsonic
kills and also about their deaths in this game as both died by last month. This month, Robert gave him his printer and his 2.1
the hands of two different women on separate occassions. At the speaker set.
How we unwind
Movies Music Game
Heavy Metal: Animation that Tabla Beat Science: A pleasant Monster Hunter – Freedom:
goes into the past and future, detour for the team, this month’s We’ve been on epic quests kill-
with songs by Nazareth, Black issue closing had some fusion of ing prehistoric abominations in
Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult. Indian classical and electronica. this innovative PSP RPG.
124 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Phenom 2 Escape
Community AMDs Phenom 2 processors are powerful as well
132 Latest happenings in the Digit
community
as cool running. we tested a 3.2 GHz part that
registered only 36 degrees at the core
Recession throws The Pale Blue Dot HIstory
spaceflight plans for a Almost everyone has seen the image known as the Blue Marble,
which was one of the first images taken of earth from outer
toss News space. A lesser known picture, is the “Pale blue dot”. Voyager 1,
the man made object that has ventured most into space, turned
In a major setback to the human spaceflight program, NASA around to look back just as it was leaving the outer limits of the
representatives of the Human Spaceflight Review Committee meeting Solar System. This was because Carl Sagan, the sci-Fi author of
in Washington DC, announced that all plans for spaceflight beyond Contact, asked NASA to photograph the planet from 3.7 billion
low earth orbit were temporarily on hold. The budget for the next miles away. The purpose of this exercise was to show mankind’s
five years, till 2014 is apparently on hold. This is a considerable humble place in the universe, and the resulting photograph had
setback for the Saturn V program, which is the rocket of choice for a small blue dot basking in the rays of the sun. Technically, it
future space missions. Of course, this also puts back the plans for was half a dot as the planet was so small from so far away that it
NASA’s circa 2020s plans for another series of moon landings, with registered only half a pixel on Voyager’s sensor.
elaborate permanent habitation plans. All the space agencies are pool-
ing resources for some time, to pull through, because of the already
colossal costs of space travel.
tech art: pixel art
For those who came in late
Muddled by so many terms used in the mag? Here’s your short
guide to the tech lingo
TLD: Top Level Domains, such as .com, .net, .org etc, maintained
and managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers.
Rootkit: Rootkits are processes in the system that hide the pres-
Image Credit: Helm
ence of trojans, worms, or other exploits from the user.
AES: The advanced encryption standard, a secure algorithm
used for encrypting data worldwide.
Pixel art is the process of drawing pixel by pixel. This is a painstaking
and long process, and there are a number of approaches. Any form E3: Electronic Entertainment Expo, an annual convention for
of digital painting that calculates pixels, or does not give absolute the gaming industry.
pixel-level control to the artist is not considered to be pixel art. The
early versions of pixel art used software that allowed artists to hand Semantic Web: Ideally an intelligent web, that responds to our
draw individual pixels only. Pixel art is usually very small in terms of needs, practically a layer of information processing and packag-
dimensions, but there are large and extremely detailed pixel art web ing between the reader and the content.
sites around. For more, head over to http://www.pixeljoint.com.
Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com 125
1 Million GB Pounds Flash Crowd
Geek review The amount signed by former
astronaut and Space Opera writer
Larry Niven’s novel predicted riots
assembled using technology over three
Alastair Reynolds for writing 10 decades ago — a-la #IranElections
Sci-Fi books
Geek Review:
The Gameworld Trilogy by Samit Basu
Aditya Madanapalle too far in many places. This The second book is where second book, the world is on the
aditya.madanapalle@ includes a dramatic King Kong the author really shines through. threshold of a war.
thinkdigit.com like sequence where a giant The story follows a great The Unbawa revelations has
S
gorilla kidnaps a girl and goes political game, with wit and one of the most imaginative
amit Basu’s Gameworld to the top of a tower, the girl satire. Some new characters are descriptions of large scale war
trilogy is marketed as escapes on her own, and the introduced, and old ones that in fantasy. There are two great
India’s first SFF work, monkey sets the city on fire. seemed secondary are explored battles written in detail, and
which is Sci-Fi/Fantasy This strange bridge between a further. Prying beneath the one of them uses an interesting
for the uninitiated. The three monster movie and Ramayan layers of allusions, there is a very device for introducing humour.
books in the trilogy are The seems a bit misplaced. However, strong influence of Moorcock, The story follows two scribes, in
Simoqin Prophecies, The as the story progresses, you another fantasy renegade author the heat of the battle, describing
Manticore’s Secret and the can’t deny Basu’s wordplay who defied all the established the goings on in the war in a
Unwaba Revelations. The books and sense of humour. Most of rules. This is most apparent legendary manner, while Basu
read as if every fantasy, sci-fi and this is centred around a bar in a scene where Kirin sees outlines the “reality” of the flesh
mythological work in history has called Frags. There are also through the eyes of a dragon and bones flying about. The
been pounded together between a whole range of interesting as it flies. The development fight is won by a bunch of oddly
the pages of three volumes. The and complicated biological of each of the civilisations on shaped air-ships, that fry entire
allusions to other stories are alternatives for modern the gameworld, and of the armies. As the Ravians fight the
many and varied, the opening technology. This includes giant many and varied characters humans and Rakshasas, Kirin
line itself fits Alice and Maya are engaged
in Wonderland and in an endeavour of
The Hobbit into the their own – to defeat
sentence “In a hole the gods in their own
in the ground, there game, and establish a
lived a rabbit”. The world where mortals
story follows with a can live without
disparate ensemble the influence of
of characters, where the gods. They are
manticores and helped in this effort
centaurs are spoken by an unreliable little
of in the same breath creature called the
as rakshasas and Unbawa, which calls
dhabas. itself “the oldest of the
The Simoqin chameleons” and is in
Prophecies fact, one of the gods
introduces the imprisoned in the
political and Gameworld. Poetry
geographic makes a come back
landscape of the in the third book, and
gameworld, which has one tubeworms used as trains, and themselves are a pleasure to this time around, it is actually
large vertical sea around it, and an elaborate system of imps and read. There are shapeshifters well crafted. There are “journals”
a bunch of states. The political “muwi leaves” that have to be with multiple personality written by the secondary
centre of the world is a city smoked, for making movies. Just disorders, underground characters, something that only
called Kol (referred to as the when it seems that the author civilisations that are paranoid of Maya had in the first two books.
“Big Mango”), where the main had too much muwi, things external influence and trades in The story is told from the point
characters Kirin, Maya and suddenly get better. Every information and knowledge, and of view of all the races, above the
Asvin live. The first few chapters fantasy stereotype in the book the Ravians – a race of super ground, below the ground, in the
of the book just mix and match is methodically demolished, intelligent star travellers. As the heavens, and the unfortunate few
too many themes from too many the heroes, for a change, ends world prepares for a war that in between these realms.
places, which starts getting up taking the easy way out… will eventually end the world, a The climax of the third book,
frustrating as if the author is and the Gameworld turns totally different series of things is and the conclusion of the series
trying to do too many things out to be a place where Luke happening in the heavens. Enter seems a little contrived. This is
at once. There is also a piece of Skywalker actually ascends to the gods. As things turn out, the because the solution seems to
really horrible poetry, which the dark lord’s throne when history of the planet is a bunch be too easy, and something that
just adds to the stereotype Vader throws him the offer. of gods playing a God game. does not make sense. However,
that all Indian authors simply Somewhere between the pages, In a world of intense politics, the series is worth a read for
have to write poetry, and end there is a fleeting hint of a much spying and mind-control, Basu its sensibilities – and the sheer
up doing it wrong. The story larger picture, of a goddess draws a very strong worldview, delight of following a bunch
builds up carefully on every throwing a pair of dice, true to a world made of grey hues of feminist pirates in a slave
fantasy stereotype in the Einstein’s dictum that a God where not everything is what it auction rescuing a yeti from a
book, and seems to go a little does not play with dice. seems to be. At the end of the life of servitude.
126 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
Game review
Aditya Madanapalle Mercer is a rogue beast, madly There is no scope for acting Then there is the endless
aditya.madanapalle running through the city. The on the stealth, even if the barrage of unnecessary and
@thinkdigit.com sandbox style encourages mission demands it. There are distracting information. Some
you to experiment, and the certain delicate operations, of the people you consume
A
experimenting is fun. You can involving consuming specific can tell you their stories from
lex Mercer, a virus pick up and throw anything human targets, or neutralizing inside you, in a mind-map
infected shapeshifter – hurl people across the street, some detectors. When you called the web of intrigue,
is set loose in New throw cars into the sea from approach them chances are, which is more difficult to
York city, teeming the top of the building, or lob you will attack them, consume navigate and keep track of than
with what look like zombies, a helicopter at an attacking the wrong person, or end the city itself. The storyline
helicopters, tanks, and a helicopter. The moves and up a block away because of requires you to run between
bunch of mutant beasts. combos are spectacular, you an unintentional jump, glide the houses of Mercer’s sister
Mercer jumps, runs and glides can deliver a spinning kick to and wallrun. This is because and girlfriend, who sit on
across the skyscrapers, seeking a helicopter in mid-air, surf the controls are not precise computers and throw up leads,
revenge on the scientists down the road on the bodies enough, and cool looking which could easily be obtained
and military personnel who of people you have just killed, moves are executed half by by any random soldier during
infected him. Mercer’s body and hammer the ground the game itself. The controls a mission. There are hint-
grows in strength and abilities taking out a ring of enemies. overlap for a number of moves, points and area exploration
throughout the game, which Unfortunately, there are and can be used only in very points, which are obtained
can be upgraded using missions, and a storyline particular situations, which in the form of glowing orbs
Evolution Points (EP), which to follow. These mess up you discover at the cost of scattered around the city, a
you can pick up on the many the game terribly. The AI is many retries. You can pick la PoP. The storyline itself is
missions in the game. The horrible. The army will ignore up weapons whenever you not captivating at all, Mercer
player can transform the whole you right under their noses, want to, but using them is a eventually discovers that he is
body, based on the DNA of and attack you when you are pain. You have to press the the reason why the whole city
anyone Mercer “consumes”, doing nothing but running Tab button before aiming is infected, and in fact, infected
convert his limbs into weapons down the road. The lack of AI at anything, and this is an himself too.
such as adding blades or is compensated by numbers. unnecessary additional button The gameplay is not
claws, and the “Devastator” The city has an endless supply to press while shooting. captivating enough to justify
attacks which involve massive of tanks, helicopters and Moreover, the Tab locks on to the torture of the storyline
chunks of dangerous biomass soldiers, who will keep coming the nearest enemy, so you will and the missions. The look
blossom out of his body and at you if you keep taking them probably end up firing behind and feel of the game is OK,
the surrounding environment, out. Eventually, you have to you while looking ahead with most of the city always
in various shapes and sizes run and hide, to escape them. of you. being covering in an obscuring
that can take out a whole blue or brown mist. This was
bunch of enemies at the Ratings a release a lot of gamers were
same time. looking forward to, and has
Make no mistake about it,
Consoles ................ PS3, XBOX 360, Windows disappointed heavily.
Publisher .........................................Activision
Developer .................. Radical Entertainment
128 Digit | June 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com Score.........................................................5/10
Game review
Sameer Desai very well thanks to some wonderfully
readersletters@thinkdigit.com fluid animations. The enemies attack
S
by the numbers and combat segments
andbox-style action games lately often get pretty intense, so you will
seem to be running out of ideas, need to strategise to come out alive.
with little innovation in them. While the powers and weapons are
Superhero games have been even more hopeless, great, the real clincher in inFamous is the moral decisions
with over 90 per cent of them ending up sucking. So you you need to make throughout the game. Considering the
could be forgiven for not brimming with excitement at the superhuman powers Cole possesses, he could either use
prospect of a superhero sandbox title. And that’s where them for good or evil, and you can actually make Cole
inFamous surprises you; it is one of the better sandbox play the way you want him to. You will often be given
titles to have released in recent times, and it’s one of the moral choices, where you can either choose the selfless
best superhero games ever made. act, which could be harder, or go the easier route and
You play Cole McGrath, a bike messenger in fictional possibly harm innocent citizens in the process.
Empire City. A package Cole is carrying causes a massive A karma scale keeps track of your moral decisions.
explosion, wiping out half the city and setting off a plague. If you perform selfless, helpful acts, you earn good
Soon after, the government blocks off all exits from Empire karma, and this is reflected in Cole’s appearance and
City to quell the spread of the epidemic and as the law his electrical powers. While good Cole will be dressed
and order situation deteriorates, gangs take over the city. immaculately and shoot blue electricity, bad Cole looks
Despite being at the epicentre, Cole somehow survives the more evil with torn, dusty clothes and paler skin. He
blast, and on regaining consciousness weeks later, finds will also shoot red electricity. The nature of the weapons
himself with special powers. also changes according to your moral position. Good
The blast gives Cole the ability to absorb, manipulate Cole’s weapons are more precise, while bad Cole’s are
and channel electricity in many ways, allowing him to use it more geared towards maximum chaos, even if that means
as a weapon, a defence mechanism or a healing tool. Besides causing harm to innocent civilians. The citizens will also
these powers, Cole is now also stronger and more agile, react differently to Cole based on his karmic standing.
allowing him to land from high drops without a scratch and While they’ll praise, applaud, and take pictures of good
effortlessly scale pretty much any manmade structure. Cole, bad Cole is hated and feared.
Cole starts out with three basic attacks; the ability to zap Many of the game’s main missions also require you
enemies, a shockwave attack that takes out all objects within to take moral decisions, and some of these will really
its range, and an atomic drop, which can be performed while make you think twice. They aren’t superficial in nature
landing from jumps, sending a similar shockwave through either and the decisions you make will affect how the
the ground. All these attacks dish out minimum damage at game plays out. Even though the game will eventually
the start, but as you earn experience points (XP), you can lead to a predetermined conclusion, developers Sucker
upgrade these attacks and even buy new ones. Punch have done tremendously well to let the player feel
Weapons in inFamous are basically variants of like he is in complete control of Cole’s fate. They’ve also
weapons you would find in any shooting game. But there done a remarkable job of portraying the self-doubt and
are no guns here; just electricity. You have the shock dilemma that any superhero would go through given the
grenades, which are sticky hand grenades, a precision overwhelming superpowers granted to him. With no
attack that acts as Cole’s sniper rifle, the Megawatt multi-player component to this game, the morality
Hammer that is essentially a rocket launcher, and many system ensures that you will play inFamous at
more. You also have other unlockable powers that least twice; that’s more than you get from most
help to make life a lot easier. These include the single-player campaigns.
grinding ability, which helps Cole travel fast along While inFamous is far from the best
rail tracks and the many power cables connecting looking game on the PS3, or even the
rooftops. Later on, you also unlock the static best looking sandbox title, the art design
thrusters, which allow Cole to glide in mid-air. is incredible. The portrayal of a city in
The great thing is the game doesn’t spoil you ruins and the helplessness of its citizens
with all these powers and weapons from the is nailed down to perfection. While
get-go and you will unlock them gradually over character models, shadows and textures
the course of the game. XP is earned from may not be the best, draw distances
completing missions across Empire City’s are phenomenal and there are only
three islands. You have story missions as occasional drops in frame rate. In
well as optional side missions. While the the sound department, the game has
main missions help you progress on your some solid voice acting, backed up by
quest to find who caused the explosion a competent musical score that never
that gave Cole his powers, side seems out of place.
missions, besides giving you XP, help inFamous also manages to
clearing enemies from a particular accomplish something most sandbox
area. Clearing enemies makes it a lot titles have failed to do, and that is to
easier to take your time in collecting Ratings keep the game’s story from getting
blast shards and dead drops, which Genre ..................................Action/Adventure lost in the cacophony of missions,
are collectibles strewn all around the Platforms ..................................................PS3 side quests and collectibles. The
city, usually on the top or sides of Publisher ............................... Sony Computer story is always at the forefront, and
buildings. Entertainment combined with the brilliant morality
The main missions have a fair Developer ................................. Sucker Punch system and Cole’s addictive powers,
amount of variety to them, and it helps inFamous deliver a complete
there is a lot of emphasis on vertical
Productions single-player experience few other
platforming, which the game does Score........................................................ 8/10 games can match.
130 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com
The last word
Unreliable communication
I I
n the UK press, the early part of Apart from the breathtaking and
summer is often called the silly season. boneheaded incompetence of these people,
And there I was not realising this also there is one serious point that arose when
applied in India. I had heard more I looked into this system from Reliance – it
than a couple of times people joke that involves a cap on the quantity of material
Reliance Communications was named that you can download. The most attractive
ironically, because the company’s service scheme that I could find entailed a cap
is anything but reliable, but this did not of 10 GBs per month. This ensured that
stop me trying out the company’s new I would never sign up to such a scheme,
offering – a USB broadband system, said even if the system had worked perfectly
to be capable of up to 3.1 Mbps. After all, all the time I was trying it out. I would not
my own local internet provider in Delhi recommend anybody else to do so – apart
– the entertainingly named “World Impulse from people who just want to do a little
Network” – is awful. email from time to time. But why would
It goes off-line just about every day, they need a fast connection? For everybody
often more than once, and sometimes for else, 10 GB is very little – a joke.
several hours. I often have to call them up This capping – and I am told that
perhaps 20 times in order to get them even Reliance is not the only company trying
to answer a phone, and when I get through, such a scam – is an attempt at irresponsible
very often I get somebody apparently not profiteering. One question that I was Edward Henning, Editor-in-Chief
able to hear me: “Hello ... hello ... hello...” unable to get answered with the Reliance
Shouting very loud and angrily sometimes system was how I would determine my “I often have to call them up
switches this into a slightly better form of usage at any point in time – when have I perhaps 20 times in order to
communication. The internet magically just gone over, say, nine GB, so that I know get them even to answer a
starts again, and then it rains. Internet off now to slow down? I have heard stories of
again. So, I have a strong incentive to find a people being shocked at the painful bills
phone, and when I get through,
decent service provider for myself, and our they receive having inadvertantly gone over very often I get somebody
readers might well be interested in this new their cap limits. apparently not able to hear me:
Reliance system. After all, what could be This policy misses the whole point “Hello... hello... hello...”
worse than my local provider? You guessed of broadband systems. People that want
it right... broadband are likely to want to download
I contacted Reliance and told them that more material, and anyway, this is not
not only did I want to investigate this and always voluntary. Many websites are
write it up for Digit, but that I might take it increasingly using “rich content” and
up myself and become a real customer. you can often find yourself on a page
A neat USB stick arrived, was installed with a couple of videos playing, when
in my desktop PC and then my laptop, you have just come to read a small news
and it worked for a couple of days – and item. And those videos are eating away
then stopped. I tried calling a couple of your cap allowance for the month. Does
contacts in Reliance a few times, I emailed Reliance want to encourage internet use,
the original contacts – all to no avail. It or strangle it?
continued not to work. At one point I was These caps have been tried in other
told that the device would be replaced that countries, and when I first used a
afternoon, but this did not happen. broadband system in the UK, it was capped.
After about six weeks of zero service, I But the cap was never imposed and was
was telephoned by somebody in Reliance later withdrawn – customers just would
to ask how I was getting on with the not put up with such a silly system. I hope
system! I told him in no uncertain terms, people here resist it as much as possible.
and the response was that some people
have good experiences and some have
bad! And I thought P.R. was bad in the UK.
What a good way to get a contract signed!
Then, a few days later, when I was at our
office one day, two people turned up at
my flat to collect the device. My wife called
me and passed the phone to these chaps.
I asked if they wanted me “to tell all our
readers that this service is total rubbish
and simply does not work?” They left,
apparently grinning broadly. edward.henning@9dot9.in
136 Digit | July 2009 | www.thinkdigit.com