TechReef2008-11-22T16:30:11Zhttp://tech.skitsol.com/atom.aspxQuick BlogcastWiredness.com : A cool websitetag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-29:58ce4a5d-7f50-41d8-975f-1ba5a832db2fSushant Kumarsunriseofblog@gmail.com2008-05-29T11:48:06Z2008-05-29T11:29:00Z
Wiredness.comis an image manipulation website that allows you to manipulate images. It is currently in its beta phase but the features it offers can help it make a popular website in future. It is more for photo enthusiasts who want to experiment with their images and don't want to use a software like the  adobe photoshop. The interface it gives is much like your file explorer interface make it intuitive and easy.

The scoial bookmarking available helps you to bookmark your images easily.

It includes support for multiple languages which for now only includes a German, Portuguese and Turkish version but French and Chinese versions will be added soon.

It has been integrated with picasa and flickr. The integration is not bug free but there are plans to smoothen it in future.

As a developer you can use the API provided by wiredness.

So wire yourself to the website and check it out at www.wiredness.com
 wiredness ]]>Wiredness.com is an image manipulation website that allows you to manipulate images. It is currently in its beta phase but the features it offers can help it make a popular website in future. It is more for photo enthusiasts who want to experiment with their images and don't want to use a software like the  adobe photoshop.Windows 7 in 2010, Microsoft silent on detailstag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-28:2f4dcd68-f9f6-48c7-872a-e82887256addSushant Kumarsunriseofblog@gmail.com2008-05-28T01:30:49Z2008-05-28T01:22:00Z
Microsoft is staying quiet on many of the details of its Vista follow up, dubbed Windows 7, until the company gets closer to its expected January 2010 launch date, blog post.

Microsoft is careful and has decided to strategically decided to share information on Windows 7 as it says that talking about the planes for Windows 7 significantly impacts partners and customers.

The developmental process of the Windows 7  is on and it will shipped approximately 3 years after the general availability of Windows Vista. The early releases and builds of the Windows 7 will be released for feedback prior to its general availability.

]]>Adobe DreamWeaver CS4 betatag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-28:6784f01d-ddcb-4e32-b4a9-da4823c20bc0Sushant Kumarsunriseofblog@gmail.com2008-05-28T01:14:40Z2008-05-28T01:11:00Z
Adobe Systems Inc, the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat software, started public trials of its next-generation design software on Tuesday.
Registered owners of Creative Suite 3, however, will be allowed to use these betas until the release of CS4, which currently has no release date. However, unless Adobe has some kind of registration system built into those betas, they may need to be installed on production systems alongside CS3.
The beta software is available for free download.

Beta programs are near-final versions of software that its makers allow users to try out in a bid to discover bugs before the products go on sale. Some software makers conduct their betas publicly while others do so in secret, requiring users to sign nondisclosure agreements.

Adobe has yet to start public trials of the CS4 versions of other programs in the CS4 suite, which includes Photoshop and Illustrator.
Adobe's popular Web design and development tool Dreamweaver received a couple of noteworthy updates, including a Related Files toolbar, a Code Navigator, and a Live View Mode. The related files toolbar provides instant access to files used within a page, whether XML, JavaScript docs, or HTML; and the code navigator function allows code updates to be performed in several places with a single entry. Live View Mode is based upon the open source Webkit browser engine which also powers Safari. With this tool, a live preview of projects can be viewed within Dreamweaver.
]]>Adobe Systems Inc, the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat software, started public trials of its next-generation design software on Tuesday.<br>Registered owners of Creative Suite 3, however, will be allowed to use these betas until the release of CS4, which currently has no release date. However, unless Adobe has some kind of registration system built into those betas, they may need to be installed on production systems alongside CS3HOP 1800: The $10 cell phonetag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-26:8eac2f3b-3146-44a7-8131-7629a92903a6Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-26T16:59:16Z2008-05-26T16:47:00ZHOP HOP and HOP on the 1800 MHZ spectrum. You are there. Only $10. What else do you need. You have a rough and tough phone with 4 hours of talk time and 150 hours of standby time. Looks fairly ok and has embedded vibration, sim lock and keypad lock. Wow! What a fabulous approach when the world is busy selling cheaper iphones. This strategy perfectly makes sense.

Whats on the other side

On the other side is a phone that costs you more and only has a screen. This phone is screen less phone or to say a faceless phone and only has a keypad. It is a cordless phone with a good range and sim in it. Lets see what the world goes for and are they willing to put an extra 0 in their budget to buy a cellphone.
]]>Video game not to focus on fitnesstag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-26:51d10969-3837-47f3-9ffc-12d547120cb4Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-26T16:42:01Z2008-05-26T16:37:00ZThe game's novel appeal is delivered through an electronic Wii balance board controller, sold in a bundle with Wii Fit for $90. The board, with multiple sensors, measures a player's weight and turns steps and shifts in balance into moves on screen.

Players can chart their weight and body mass index over time and work to improve them by engaging in about 40 activities including yoga, aerobic step routines, strength and training exercises, and balance games. The balance board can track the progress of up to eight players, so users can encourage each other toward their respective goals.
]]>NASA probe lands on Marstag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-26:1e95fe66-f299-4197-ad66-97217a188ad5Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-26T16:35:16Z2008-05-26T16:29:00ZThe pictures sent by the probe after landing confirmed that probe had landed successfully. There was a lot of doubt earlier on the landing of the probe. The scientists confirmed that probe had landed and unfolded its solar panels that provided the life support or the power to the probe. It was a long nine month journey for the probe to Mars. The key task still is to use the landers robotic arm which also carries a box shaped camera.

]]>iphone prices to reducetag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-26:26f80a73-af3d-47cc-a5e7-788001fe5ee7Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-26T16:28:08Z2008-05-26T16:22:00ZThe buzz is growing ahead of Apple’s debut of the sleeker 3G iPhone, expected during the company’s worldwide developers conference starting June 9. The iPhone is expected to go on sale on the anniversary of the original iPhone introduction on the last weekend of June.
This reduction in price has been cited as a promotional discount.

]]>Microsoft loses a Zunetag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-26:d64a5110-2e82-4106-b0e3-621d3941a51cSushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-26T02:35:20Z2008-05-26T02:33:00Z GameStop, a leading video game retailer, has decided that it will no longer stock Microsoft's Zune players, citing poor sales. And while I don't quite agree with my fellow-blogger Don Reisinger that this is the beginning of the end for Zune, it's hard to see any silver lining in the news.

Microsoft's entry into the consumer electronics space came with a thorny channel problem. Microsoft sells the vast majority of its products through PC makers, who bundle Windows (and often Office and other software) on new PCs, and through well-established partners who specialize in selling to large organizations and businesses. Microsoft had a retail channel for selling Windows and Office upgrades and other consumer products (like Money, Encarta, and keyboards and mice), but for the most part these products were sold through computer specialty stores like CompUSA. To succeed in capturing a broader audience, Microsoft had to broaden its retail channel.

The Xbox business helped take care of that problem: once Microsoft proved that it was serious about developing and promoting the first Xbox, and once it began to show reasonable sales figures, a new class of retailers--including game-specialty stores like GameStop--were happy to make shelf space for Microsoft's consoles and games, right alongside Sony and Nintendo.
]]>GameStop, a leading video game retailer, has decided that it will no longer stock Microsoft's Zune players, citing poor sales. And while I don't quite agree with my fellow-blogger Don Reisinger that this is the beginning of the end for Zune, it's hard to see any silver lining in the news.China's Internet sensors survive after the deadly earthquaketag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-26:e5f4c106-cc9d-4323-a57c-2623e91c939eSushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-26T02:29:01Z2008-05-26T02:23:00Z
 As China dealt with the aftermath of deadly 7.9-magnitude earthquake earlier this month that killed more than 55,000 people, the Chinese government's internet censors were on the job.

"Reporters rushed to the scene, and there was general feeling that the government had lifted the restrictions on reporters," said Robert Dietz, the Asia program coordinator for the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists. "But the central propaganda department never stopped handing down directives, never stopped telling people how much to report."

That China's response to a massive natural disaster included censorship is no surprise to Dietz, or other panelists speaking about the state of global internet freedom at the Computers, Freedom and Privacy conference here Friday. China pioneered draconian internet controls with its "Golden Shield" program in 1998 -- better known in the West as the "great firewall."


]]>As China dealt with the aftermath of deadly 7.9-magnitude earthquake earlier this month that killed more than 55,000 people, the Chinese government's internet censors were on the job.Google locks horns with Facebook over open socialtag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-26:d9fa5bdf-76f1-49f9-8eda-f04cbc508df6Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-26T02:20:38Z2008-05-26T02:06:00Z
Days after Google unveiled Friend Connect, which lets the sites of musicians, political campaigns and others incorporate profile data from several social networks, Facebook began to block the program.
Google was taking advantage of the same tools that Facebook made available free to other outside developers, Facebook said Google was violating Facebook's restrictions on data sharing.
This month, Google unveiled Friend Connect, which promises to pool profile data from Facebook, Google Talk, Orkut, LinkedIn, Plaxo and hi5, though not MySpace. The profile information gets incorporated into other sites - a political campaign, for instance, can build communities of supporters by tapping existing networks - with Google serving as the intermediary.


In a blog posting, Facebook developer Charlie Cheever said Google's Friend Connect "redistributes user information from Facebook to other developers without users' knowledge, which doesn't respect the privacy standards our users have come to expect."
Google responded, acknowledging it passes along data. But it said sharing is limited to links for profile photos of users and friends who have expressly consented to sharing with that particular site. The user's name and numeric ID on Facebook are replaced with Google's own identifiers, Google said in a company blog post.
Google also said it purges Facebook data from its systems every 30 minutes, more frequently than the 24 hours required by Facebook.

]]>Google Inc.'s online communities have little traction in the United States, but the search leader continues to seek a spot in the social-networking hierarchy. First, it must contend with Facebook, the No. 2 online hangout behind MySpace. Google, whose Orkut social network has tens of millions of users in Brazil, tried to reach further into social networking with the November unveiling of a consortium called OpenSocial, which lets developers write applications for use on multiple social networks. News Corp.'s MySpace has joined, but Facebook hasn't. This month, Google unveiled Friend Connect, which promises to pool profile data from Facebook, Google Talk, Orkut, LinkedIn, Plaxo and hi5, though not MySpace. The profile information gets incorporated into other sites - a political campaign, for instance, can build communities of supporters by tapping existing networks - with Google serving as the intermediary.Twitter down againtag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-25:e8f2bcca-db5b-40be-9150-9ceca084e4daSushant Kumarsunriseofblog@gmail.com2008-05-25T00:54:02Z2008-05-25T00:40:00Z

Twitter goes down again


Twitter down again

Twitter, one of the most popular micro blogging service is down again. Earlier also technical snags have been a big problem for twitter. It was shut for full 6 days in the past.The micro blogging giant is now on the rocks again.

twitter_down


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]]><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/2518457621_4fa2741a5e_m.jpg" alt="twitter down again and on the rocks" height="175" width="240"> Orkut and Open Social API: A quick glance into the futuretag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-22:cc5e9ab5-196a-466e-bccb-e4769806ae7fSushant Kumarsunriseofblog@gmail.com2008-05-22T23:58:19Z2008-05-22T23:41:00Z

Orkut and Open Social API : The beginning of a trend


Orkut and Open-Social

Orkut is the most famous social networking websites in India. As the developers of orkut are facing problem in converting the popularity of the website into big bucks, the website is riding high on its powerful networking feature and easy interface. Recently (Nov last year ) Google introduced the opensocial application programming interface (API) following the trend started by Facebook.

I recently met two developers at the Delhi Bar camp 4 where they demonstrated how they had developed an application on Facebook last year and how it brought their server down within few months because of the enormous amount of traffic (million page views daily). Finally they decided to sell their application in January this year. Not a bad start for two students.

According to the CHIP magazine, 8 out of 19 applications on Orkut have been developed in India. A game Teen Patti is attracting a lot of people and is all set to become a rage in future. Teen patti which is a cards game played by people on festive occasions can be players between people and the players can chat with each other. It also has a ranking system that tells you who is the best player.

The successful social networking website Orkut is still proving to be a fat elephant to push in terms of revenue it is generating. Manu Rekhi, the product general manager of Google says that it is just a matter of time. It took three years to get the search revenue model right.

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]]><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2514421906_9f3118bd52.jpg" aly="Orkut logo" align="left">According to the CHIP magazine, 8 out of 19 applications on Orkut have been developed in India. A game Teen Patti is attracting a lot of people and is all set to become a rage in future. Teen patti which is a cards game played by people on festive occasions can be players between people and the players can chat with each other. It also has a ranking system that tells you who is the best player.</p> <p>The successful social networking website Orkut is still proving to be a fat elephant to push in terms of revenue it is generating. Manu Rekhi, the product general manager of Google says that it is just a matter of time. It took three years to get the search revenue model right.Wikipedia on Google Maps and Mobiletag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-21:04012694-c0e5-482d-9e53-dda435a9cd9cSushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-22T14:41:04Z2008-05-21T18:50:00Z

Wikipedia on Google Maps

Wikipedia on your mobile


Wikipedia on google maps

You might have used the Wikipedia and the google maps. But hey, how about both at one place and the same time.

Yes, thats true.

You can access Wikipedia on Google Maps without a hassle to find out the wikipedia entries near a location. Just go to google maps, click on more which is on the upper right corner of the map. Select Wikipedia.

As you select it, you will start seeing small icons of Wikipedia. Just put your cursor on them and simply get the description of the location.

See below in the picture

wikipedia on google maps

Wikipedia on Mobile

You are out somewhere where you need to access some critical information which is available on wikipedia, then don't panic. You might have gone for a job interview where you wanted to get access to information about the company or some other topic, just use Wikipedia on  mobile.
Enter wapedia.mobi
It helps you search and browse wikipedia.
So no more tension, only great combination. Make sure you atleast have a GPRS connection.

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]]>You might have used the Wikipedia and the google maps. But hey, how about both at one place and the same time.</p><p>Yes, thats true.</p><p>You can access Wikipedia on Google Maps without a hassle to find out the wikipedia entries near a location. <h3 Wikipedia on Mobile<br></h3>You are out somewhere where you need to access some critical information which is available on wikipedia, then don't panic. You might have gone for a job interview where you wanted to get access to information about the company or some other topic, just use Wikipedia on mobile. Control your PC Iron Man styletag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-21:2307b5dd-ae13-41c8-9f69-2790da4f3ed1Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-22T14:43:42Z2008-05-21T18:01:00Z  

Control your PC with your voice : You can do it Iron Man style

Also: Download uTorrents


Control your PC with your voice : You can do it Iron Man style

This may sound straight out of a sci-fi movie and you might feel you are 10 years ahead. Controlling and dictating to the PC on the hand are things which sound familiar and bring in mind those expensive and tedious softwares in mind. The Windows speech recognition macro is nothing of the future. It is present and happening. You might have seen the iron man and how Tony Stark, perfectly portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. used his voice to complete his iron man suite, which he used to save the world. Lets not get too dreamy. But yeah you can make a miniature version of Tony Stark's lab in your house with your Home PC.

It is simple: Just download the Windows speech recognition macros (WSRM) and you can control your PC, with your very own voice. The only problem is that if you are using a pirated PC (like the bad guys in iron man) you might not be able to do so as it requires authentication.

The Windows Speech Recognition Macros tool – or WSR Macros for short – extends the usefulness of the speech recognition capabilities in Windows Vista. Users can create powerful macros that are triggered by spoken commands which can perform a series of tasks from as simple as inserting your mailing address to as complex as providing a completely different speech interaction with applications.

Recommended Software:uTorrent

uTorrent is an efficient and feature rich BitTorrent client for Windows sporting a very small footprint. It was designed to use as little cpu, memory and space as possible while offering all the functionality expected from advanced clients.
  • Multiple simultaneous downloads
  • Configurable bandwidth scheduler
  • Global and per-torrent speed limiting
  • Quick-resumes interrupted transfers
  • RSS Downloader
  • Trackerless support (Mainline DHT)

Download uTorrent from FileHippo.com

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]]><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3273/2511323644_6704af6233_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="ironman on Techreef" align ="left"></a><p>This may sound straight out of a sci-fi movie and you might feel you are 10 years ahead. Controlling and dictating to the PC on the hand are things which sound familiar and bring in mind those expensive and tedious softwares in mind. The Windows speech recognition macro is nothing of the future. It is present and happening. You might have seen the iron man and how Tony Stark, perfectly portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. used his voice to complete his iron man suite, which he used to save the world. Lets not get too dreamy. But yeah you can make a miniature version of Tony Stark's lab in your house with your Home PC.</p>Microsoft Launches Mobile Display Advertisementstag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-21:7d04d7ef-3d6f-4311-98ec-7b1800dbcaf8Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-21T12:10:53Z2008-05-21T04:32:00Z  

Microsoft Launches Mobile Advertisements 

Microsoft Launches Mobile Display Advertisements

Microsoft on 20 th may (Tuesday) let their advertisers display the banner ads to mobile users of Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail.

This move by Microsoft is a after following other companies who had started supporting mobile ads.

The Mobile users in France, Spain, U.K. and U.S. will see these banner ads while using the Microsoft services.

Google had made an announcement in April, inviting AdWords advertisers to display their banner ads.
Google, initially displayed tonly text ads on mobile phones. 

Yahoo, Third Screen (owned by AOL) and AdMob, are among other companies that display ads (banner) on mobile phones. 

Recommended Software: Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

Microsoft® Virtual PC 2007, you can create and run one or more virtual machines, each with its own operating system, on a single computer. This provides you with the flexibility to use different operating systems on one physical computer.

Save time and money as Virtual PC allows you to maintain the compatibility of legacy and custom applications during migration to new operating systems and increases the efficiency of support, development, and training staffs. 

 

Download

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]]><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2007/2510041943_a01665a121_t.jpg" width="100" height="80" alt="microsoft_logo" align="left"><p>Microsoft on 20 th may (Tuesday) let their advertisers display the banner ads to mobile users of Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail.<br> <br> This move by Microsoft is a after following other companies who had started supporting mobile ads.<br> <br> The Mobile users in France, Spain, U.K. and U.S. will see these banner ads while using the Microsoft services.<br> <br> Google had made an announcement in April, inviting AdWords advertisers to display their banner ads.<br> Google, initially displayed tonly text ads on mobile phones.&nbsp;<br>Youtube : What makes you stay longertag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-16:b50c645c-88a2-4270-8c1d-56988783e0f7Sushant Kumarsunriseofblog@gmail.com2008-05-16T19:58:03Z2008-05-16T18:41:00Z You tube Logo

YouTube: What makes you stay longer

A glance at the watch and oh! you've just spend an extra hour on youtube, the world's third largest visited website. 

A cool video that you checked out let you to another video and that led to another and this continued till you realized that you had just spent some extra time, tubing on youtube.

I decided to look into what it was in the design that made us watch the extra videos and here is what I found.


#1 Related Videos concept

This is the section which is the on the right side of the video you are watching and contains the videos related to the current one. The advantage of this section is that it helps you find a video that might be more relevant or a in relation to what you are looking for.
Youtube and related videos on Techreef




#2 Videos recommended for you

This is something which went un-noticed since I used to directly search what I wanted. On the front page of Youtube this section comes below the featured video. The best part of this section is that it recommends you videos based on the those  you have watched previously.
Youtube recommended videos on Techreef





#3 Your Candidate

This part I thought is one of the best things Youtube has given to this world. Your candidate's channel on Youtube. Before the elections we get to know about the candidate only through news channels and party rallies. A Youtube channel of the candidate, where your candidate expresses his ideology and his agenda is something very valuable in-order to give a mass appeal. And yes, you can also contribute through Google checkout. Although I can't say much about the Obama-Hillary campaign, but I can surely say that at this pace youtube might soon overtake other video sources(television).
Youtube and related videos on Techreef






#4 Featured Video

The featured video is another cool feature.It helps you look outside you tube scope
Youtube and related videos on Techreef





#5 Most Active videos

Lastly, you can also see what the world has been watching. This is not one of the best things, I'd say about Youtube since the most active videos have the most freaky titles, which could lead you to an embarrassing situation.
Youtube and related videos on Techreef


 

Anything else that you think has kept you glued to Youtube, let me know

  

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]]><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2240/2496074615_b8ea899d5d_m.jpg" width="240" height="210" alt="Barack Obama on Youtube" align="left" ><p>A glance at the watch and oh! you've just spend an extra hour on youtube, the world's <a href="http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_500" target="_blank"> third largest</a> visited website.&nbsp;</p> <p> A cool video that you checked out let you to another video and that led to another and this continued till you realized that you had just spent some extra time, tubing on youtube.</p> <p>I decided to look into what it was in the design that made us watch the extra videos and here is what I found.</p> The five points that makes us sit longer on YoutubeMothers take on GTA 4tag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-05-01:63f326a7-cc9f-4388-89f8-317fc7dd2dfeSushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-10T22:48:56Z2008-05-01T13:37:00ZGTA4 taken on by Mothers against drunk driving GTA 4 has been in the center of controversy for quite long now. There numerous people and organizations who are saying the game is not good for the people as it contains a too much of violence and contains a lot of explicit material which could hamper the proper mental development of people playing it. This could lead to the people playing it to commit crimes. When all this was no less, here comes the caring mother

According to gamespot a parental interest group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) gave an official statement decrying the game.


What is MADD asking


MADD is asking the Entertainment software rating board to change the Grand Theft Auto 4's rating from M(Mature) to AO (Adults only)

The ESRB describes that the game includes "Use of drugs and Alcohol"

Also try reading

  1. GTA IV slammed by critics 

  2. Grand Theft Auto (GTA): The complete information

  3. Grand Theft Auto receives perfect reviews



]]><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2262/2455694597_9df18c72ac_m.jpg" alt="GTA4 taken on by Mothers against drunk driving" align="left">GTA 4 has been in the center of controversy for quite long now. There numerous people and organizations who are saying the game is not good for the people as it contains a too much of violence and contains a lot of explicit material which could hamper the proper mental development of people playing it. This could lead to the people playing it to commit crimes. When all this was no less, here comes the caring mother.<br> <strong><h3>What is MADD asking</strong></h3>Windows XP SP3 featurestag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-30:c20031be-34d2-4276-ac48-f8b6fcb84936Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-16T03:00:45Z2008-04-30T00:27:00Z

Service Pack 3


Windows XP sp3


The third service pack for Windows XP has finally arrived. The 300MB+ standalone installer will be available from the Microsoft Download Center later today. XP SP3 is also available through Windows Update, where it's just a 70MB download.

The third service pack for XP gives you all the Windows XP performance updates, security updates and hotfixes that have been released since Service Pack 2 came out way back in August 2004.

While Service Pack 3 may not be as big of a change as Service Pack 2 was, there are some noteworthy features from Vista that have been included in this release. Namely, NAP, a policy enforcement platform for limiting network access to secure machines, “Black Hole” Router Detection, a cryptographic module for the kernel and a new Product Activation module allows you to install XP without a product key.

If you want to give it a try, here’s a direct link to the English download (300+ MB, EXE).

Microsoft is reporting that over 1,000 fixes have been packed into in SP3 along with some performance improvements as well. Interestingly, Internet Explorer 7 is not included as part of SP3 (could be fallout from the anti-trust settlement); you’ll have to grab that separately from the Microsoft Download Center if you haven’t already.




For now, the release is just the x32 version. The release of Windows XP SP3 x64 will coincide with the release of the Windows Server 2003 update, due to arrive in early June 2008.

Problem with Internet Explorer and Windows XP sp3

XPSP3 will continue to ship with IE6 and contains a roll-up of the latest security updates for IE6. If you are still running Internet Explorer 6, then XPSP3 will be offered to you via Windows Update as a high priority update. You can safely install XPSP3 and will have an updated version of IE6 with all your personal preferences, such as home pages and favorites, still intact.

Problem with IE 7

If you are currently running IE7 on XPSP2, Windows Update will offer you XPSP3 as a high priority update. If you choose to install XPSP3, Internet Explorer 7 will remain on your system after the install is complete. Your preferences will be retained. However, you will no longer be able to uninstall IE7. If you go to Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs, the Remove option will be grayed out.

Why do you need to uninstall IE7 or IE8 beta 1 ?

This behavior is by design and here is why. When we install IE7 on Windows XP SP2, we backup the existing IE6 files in an uninstall directory.  Those IE6 files are the ones that shipped on XPSP2 plus all the security updates you’ve installed while using IE6.

Windows XP SP3 contains a newer version of the Internet Explorer 6 files. If you have XPSP3 on your system and uninstall IE7, your system would revert to the backed up (older) version of the IE6 files rather than the newer XPSP3 version. You would end up in a mixed file state in Windows where most files would be the upgraded XPSP3, except for the IE6 files restored when uninstalling IE7.

This state is not supported and is very bug prone.Hence to prevent this state unistalling IE7 has been disabled.

Internet Explorer 8 beta 1

we strongly recommend uninstalling IE8 Beta 1 prior to upgrading to Windows XP SP3 to eliminate any deployment issues and install IE8 Beta 1 after XPSP3 is on your machine.

Related Pages


Also try reading: Why did thompson slam GTA 4

TechReef

]]><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2011/2453228936_ee3e903390_m.jpg" alt="Windows XP sp3" align="left">The third service pack for Windows XP has finally arrived. As we mentioned last week, the 300MB+ standalone installer will be available from the Microsoft Download Center later today. XP SP3 is also available through Windows Update, where it's just a 70MB download.<br><br>The third service pack for XP gives you all the Windows XP performance updates, security updates and hotfixes that have been released since Service Pack 2 came out way back in August 2004. While Service Pack 3 may not be as big of a change as Service Pack 2 was, there are some noteworthy features from Vista that have been included in this release. Namely, NAP, a policy enforcement platform for limiting network access to secure machinesGTA IV slammed by criticstag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-30:c251cf89-7402-46b3-a887-d956d09812bcSushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-10T23:36:00Z2008-04-30T00:02:00Z

The Thompson review

Thompson, a self-appointed uber-critic of the industry, has spent the last few years railing away at games he deems too full of sex or violence. Never was he out in more force than during 2005's so-called "Hot Coffee" scandal, in which the monster hit Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was discovered to have hidden, but easily uncoverable, animations that mimicked sexual activity.

In the lead-up to the midnight Tuesday release of Rockstar Games' follow-up game, Grand Theft Auto IV, Thompson was at it again.
Grand Theft Auto out of controlAccording to online technology news site Softpedia, Thompson wrote an e-mail to Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick's mother (Take-Two is Rockstar's parent company).

"Your son last week was reported to have said the following about Grand Theft Auto IV," the letter allegedly began. "'We've already received numerous reviews, and to a one, they are perfect scores. My mom couldn't write better reviews...' Taking your son's thought, I would encourage you either to play this game or have an adroit video gamer play it for you. Some of the latter gamers are on death row, so try to find one out in the civilian population who hasn't killed someone yet."

In an e-mail to CNET News.com Monday, Thompson confirmed that he wrote the letter, but said he sent it to Strauss' attorney and not to his mother.

"I sent it to Strauss' attorney to make the point that if you drag your mother into your porn business pimping," Thompson told me by e-mail, "you had better be prepared for blowback.




What Sen. Hillary Clinton has to say

Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was one of the loudest members of the anti-GTA: San Andreas coalition in 2005, has decided to sit this round out.

"We are not planning to issue a statement at this point," Clinton spokeswoman Sarah Gegenheimer wrote in an e-mail.

And the National Organization for Women, which, according to the International Game Developers Association took GTA III to task for "encourag(ing) violence toward and the degradation of women (and) glorifies violence and degrades women," has also decided to remain calm.




Try Reading

Grand Theft Auto (GTA): The complete information

Grand Theft Auto receives perfect reviews


]]><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2294/2452399373_00b8c10966_m.jpg" alt="Grand Theft Auto out of control" align="left" >Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was one of the loudest members of the anti-GTA: San Andreas coalition in 2005, has decided to sit this round out. "We are not planning to issue a statement at this point," Clinton spokeswoman Sarah Gegenheimer wrote in an e-mail.Grand Theft Auto 4 (GTA 4): The complete informationtag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-29:e2398e91-9fe2-4588-ba05-b178d3211765Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-05-01T14:13:47Z2008-04-29T17:01:00Z

What is GTA 4?

 
On paper, the “Grand Theft Auto” games are shorthand for everything wrong with America: Violence. Prostitution. Drug smuggling. Gun-running. Political corruption. Racial tension. And — oh yeah — grand theft auto.

GTA 4: The Review

The “Grand Theft Auto” series of open-world action games drill deeper into mainstream culture with each installment. The violent, stylized portrayal of thug life has earned “GTA” poster child status among political watchdogs for all that’s evil in video games.

It will be a great shame if the inevitable hubbub overshadows the epic, revolutionary nature of “GTA IV.” The developers, Rockstar Games, have crafted a wildly ambitious game world complete with an engrossing story of an immigrant's rise to power, unforgettable characters and expertly honed gameplay. It will be weeks, if not months, before I get my fill of “GTA IV.”


GTA: Grand Theft Auto

Why is GTA 4 so much fun ?

But despite the criminal themes, the “Grand Theft Auto” games are some of the best-selling and best-reviewed in the business. “Grand Theft Auto IV,” which is being released to ecstatic fans on Tuesday, could smash not only video-game sales records but opening-day box-office numbers, too.

What is it about “GTA” games that appeal to gamers? Why is it fun for otherwise law-abiding citizens to roll hookers, shoot at cops and steal helicopters?

The characters you play in the “GTA” games aren’t good guys. They’re criminals — typically small-time criminals, whose objective is to rise up through the ranks to become The Big Boss.

In “GTA IV,” the main character is Niko Bellic, a former war criminal from Eastern Europe lured to the fictional Liberty City by his petty-thief cousin. Bellic does plenty of despicable things during his rise to the top of the underworld, but he’s also a multi-layered, sympathetic character with a noble motive.

Back in the day, most games were linear. You had a set list of objectives, and a set way to accomplish them. “GTA” turned that on its ear, allowing players any number of ways to progress through the game — and get in lots of trouble.



The GTA 4 controversy



As a result, the “GTA” games, with their mature themes — and ratings — have been a lightning rod for controversy and criticism. Sure, video games had blood and gore and violence. But criminals as heroes? Think of the children!
When gamers found a hidden sex scene in “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,” politicians fell all over themselves condemning it, including Sen. Hillary Clinton.

“The disturbing material in ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and other games like it is stealing the innocence of our children and it’s making the difficult job of being a parent even harder,” she said.

Sexy scenes aside, many objected to the unapologetic violence and lawlessness in the “Grand Theft Auto” games. Anti-game crusader and attorney Jack Thompson initiated several lawsuits against Rockstar owners Take-Two Interactive, saying that the games trained players how to commit real-life murders. Some of the lawsuits have been dropped, some are still pending.

Creativity and Sales of GTA 4


This creativity has translated into big sales. Take-Two says that the series has sold approximately 70 million copies since its inception. The last iteration, “San Andreas,” (the one with the sex scene) was the biggest yet, selling over 20 million copies since its release in 2004.

Industry watchers expect “GTA IV” to have similar legs. Analysts predict that the game will sell 9 million copies in its first few months, and up to 13 million by year’s end.

Slinger is one of the faithful — although he’s not in front of a console today. He’s on Maui with his wife — and says he almost considered trying to move his vacation around to account for the release of “GTA IV.”

Also read

]]><h3><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3020/2453228730_19b7d14d0b_m.jpg" alt="GTA: Grand Theft Auto" align="left">What is GTA ?</h3>&nbsp; <br>On paper, the “Grand Theft Auto” games are shorthand for everything wrong with America: Violence. Prostitution. Drug smuggling. Gun-running. Political corruption. Racial tension. And — oh yeah — grand theft auto.<br><br><h3>GTA: The Review</h3> The “Grand Theft Auto” series of open-world action games drill deeper into mainstream culture with each installment. The violent, stylized portrayal of thug life has earned “GTA” poster child status among political watchdogs for all that’s evil in video games. <p class="textBodyBlack"><span id="byLine"></span>It will be a great shame if the inevitable hubbub overshadows the epic, revolutionary nature of “GTA IV.” The developers, Rockstar Games, have crafted a wildly ambitious game world complete with an engrossing story of an immigrant's rise to power, unforgettable characters and expertly honed gameplay. It will be weeks, if not months, before I get my fill of “GTA IV.”</p> <h3>Also read, why is it so much fun and the GTA controversies</h3>Apple unveils new all-in-one iMac systemstag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-29:adaa530a-93d6-47b0-b76b-48f707711424Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-04-30T04:55:00Z2008-04-29T16:57:00Z

Apple has unveiled new all-in-one iMac systems, sporting an updated processor, more standard memory and a faster graphics card.

Retail customers will be offered new systems with Intel Core2 Duo chips ranging from 2.4GHz to 2.8GHz.

Apple will also offer a new 3GHz Intel chip as an option for built-to-order 24in iMac systems. All the new iMacs will feature a faster 1066MHz system bus and 6MB of level 2 cache.

All but the cheapest of Apple's three standard iMac offerings will now ship with 2GB of Ram.

The $1,199 20in model will sport 1GB of Ram and an ATI Radeon 2400 XT graphics card. The $1,499 model will have a Radeon 2600 Pro card, as will the $1,799 24in iMac.

Apple will also offer the Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS card as an option on built-to-order 24in systems.

]]><p>Apple has unveiled new all-in-one iMac systems, sporting an updated processor, more standard memory and a faster graphics card.</p> <p>Retail customers will be offered new systems with Intel Core2 Duo chips ranging from 2.4GHz to 2.8GHz.</p> <p>Apple will also offer a new 3GHz Intel chip as an option for built-to-order 24in iMac systems. All the new iMacs will feature a faster 1066MHz system bus and 6MB of level 2 cache.</p>Nokia Sports tracker | Free Download | GPS utility softwaretag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-29:8891d0de-a360-4187-b7ed-f2003de9bce8Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-04-29T00:50:14Z2008-04-29T00:31:00Z Nokia sports tracker, a GPS utility softwareNokia Sports Tracker is a GPS based activity tracker that runs on S60 smartphones. Information such as speed, distance and time are automatically stored to your training diary. To be able to use application for real, you need Nokia S60 3.0 or 3.1 phone with Bluetooth GPS device or Nokia S60 3.0 or 3.1 phone with integrated GPS.
If you want to see your recorded track on the map, you can export the workout to a file in KML format (in workout summary choose Options->Save as->Export to Google Earth) that can be visualized using 3rd party applications, such as "Google Earth".

Download Nokia Sports tracker

 
]]><img src="http://skresource.googlepages.com/screenshot0278.jpg" alt="Nokia sports tracker, a GPS utility software" align="left">Nokia Sports Tracker is a GPS based activity tracker that runs on S60 smartphones. Information such as speed, distance and time are automatically stored to your training diary. To be able to use application for real, you need Nokia S60 3.0 or 3.1 phone with Bluetooth GPS device or Nokia S60 3.0 or 3.1 phone with integrated GPS.AVG Anti-Virus Free 8.0tag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-29:6eb66a79-78ea-4c9f-bc83-d486d90ea3c3Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-04-29T00:11:25Z2008-04-29T00:08:00Z
AVG Anti-Virus Free 8.0, the latest version of the company’s popular and widely-used free security software, which now incorporates protection against spyware through a new combined anti-virus and anti-spyware engine.

AVG Free provides basic protection against viruses and spyware, together with the safe-searching component of the company’s patent-pending LinkScanner® technology, incorporated into the new AVG Security Toolbar. The Free product does not include the proactive safe-surfing (“drive-by download” protection) of the full LinkScanner module that is included in the commercial AVG products, nor the protection against hackers, keyloggers, spam, phishing attacks, and malicious file downloads that can come through instant messaging and attachments from seemingly friendly sources. The free product also does not include the round-the-clock email support provided with the commercial products.

Download Avg 8.0(Free!)

“With the release of AVG Free 8.0, we are underscoring our belief that all computer users, regardless of their computer usage needs, have the right to a safe and worry-free computing experience,” says Karel Obluk, chief technology officer at AVG Technologies. “However, it is important for users to remember that AVG Free does not protect against the full range of today’s web-borne threats. For complete protection, users should consider AVG’s commercial products, which scan for and block threats before they can infect the computer or disrupt the user experience.”

AVG Technologies released the 8.0 versions of its commercial products in February 2008. Home users can choose AVG’s full Internet Security suite, AVG Anti-Virus or AVG Anti-Virus plus Firewall, while business users can select networked versions of the Anti-Virus and Internet Security products as well as file- and email-server based Anti-Virus.]]><a href="http://www.grisoft.com/ww.93836" target="_blank">AVG Anti-Virus Free 8.0</a>, the latest version of the company’s popular and widely-used free security software, which now incorporates protection against spyware through a new combined anti-virus and anti-spyware engine.<br><p> AVG Free provides basic protection against viruses and spyware, together with the safe-searching component of the company’s patent-pending LinkScanner® technology, incorporated into the new AVG Security Toolbar. The Free product does not include the proactive safe-surfing (“drive-by download” protection) of the full LinkScanner module that is included in the commercial AVG products, nor the protection against hackers, keyloggers, spam, phishing attacks, and malicious file downloads that can come through instant messaging and attachments from seemingly friendly sources. Skype's new application for Mobile Phonestag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-28:abfddde2-1a75-4d42-bc91-2d4d82422449Sushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-04-29T00:01:40Z2008-04-28T23:59:00Z
EBay-owned Skype has released into open beta testing a client for mobile phones that supports phone calls, chat and other features of the popular voice-over-IP application.

"This product is a part of our goal to be on as many platforms as possible," said Wilhelm Lundborg, product manager, Skype for Business.

About 50 handsets from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson are compatible with the service. Other phones might work as well, as long as they support Java, since that's what the client is based on.

Right now, all the features work in the U.K., Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Poland and Estonia. Elsewhere, the data features and incoming Skype calls work, but the software does not allow outbound calls.



The mobile data network is used to send presence information and instant messages.

What a user pays depends on a number of factors. Calling a Skype contact abroad will be cheaper than making regular calls, because users pay whatever their mobile carrier charges for a local or national call, which will be less expensive than regular international connections.Read

]]>EBay-owned Skype has released into open beta testing a client for mobile phones that supports phone calls, chat and other features of the popular voice-over-IP application. <p>"This product is a part of our goal to be on as many platforms as possible," said Wilhelm Lundborg, product manager, Skype for Business.</p> <p>About 50 handsets from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson are compatible with the service. Other phones might work as well, as long as they support Java, since that's what the client is based on.</p> <p>Right now, all the features work in the U.K., Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Poland and Estonia. Elsewhere, the data features and incoming Skype calls work, but the software does not allow outbound calls.</p><br>Web attacks affect 500,000 webpages: Microsoft says not our faulttag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-28:cdae6121-3a2b-464b-8d5a-efb74dfe751bSushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-04-28T23:56:14Z2008-04-28T23:42:00Z

Microsoft Corp. late Friday denied that vulnerabilities in its Web and SQL Server software had been exploited to hack hundreds of thousands of Internet pages.


Attacks on legitimate Web domains, including some belonging to the United Nations, have expanded dramatically this week, security researchers said today. Hundreds of thousands of pages have been hacked already.

One antivirus vendor said the sites might have been compromised through a "security issue" in Microsoft Web server software that has been reported to Microsoft Corp. engineers.

On Wednesday, several security companies, including San Diego-based Websense Inc., said large numbers of legitimate sites, including ones with URLs belong to the U.N., had been hacked and were serving up malware. Those latest compromises were only the most recent SQL injection attacks, however. Similar attacks have been launched since the first of the year and were last detected in large numbers in March.

"Our investigation has shown that there are no new or unknown vulnerabilities being exploited. This wave is not a result of a vulnerability in Internet Information Services or Microsoft SQL Server," said Bill Sisk, a communications manager at Microsoft's Security Response Center, in a note posted to the group's blog.

Sisk said the post was in response to reports that over half a million pages, including some belonging to the United Nations, have been compromised by SQL injection attacks. Once hacked, those sites were modified to download malware to visitors' PCs.

Early on Friday, Panda Security said it had notified Microsoft of what it called a "security issue" in the company's Web server, Internet Information Services (IIS). However, Panda stopped short of dubbing the problem a "vulnerability."


]]><p>Microsoft Corp. late Friday denied that vulnerabilities in its Web and SQL Server software had been exploited to hack hundreds of thousands of Internet pages.</p><br>Attacks on legitimate Web domains, including some belonging to the <a title="United Nations" href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/inform.do?command=search&amp;searchTerms=United+Nations">United Nations</a>, have expanded dramatically this week, security researchers said today. Hundreds of thousands of pages have been hacked already. <p> One antivirus vendor said the sites might have been compromised through a "security issue" in <a title="Microsoft Corporation" href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/inform.do?command=search&amp;searchTerms=Microsoft+Corporation">Microsoft</a> Web server software that has been reported to Microsoft Corp. engineers. Filter Google search results by date and timetag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-28:129ec4f9-c2ba-41be-830a-0a1acbd9c7caSushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-04-28T23:21:23Z2008-04-28T16:36:00Z Google can reorder search and news results from the last day, week, a few months, or entire year by adding a small string to the end of the search URL. Just add this string &as_qdr=d to the address bar and hit enter. You'll get a custom drop-down box that lets you re-order results based on date. It's great for getting past the same top results you've already looked through, as well as grabbing only the newest links related to gadgets, software, or whatever else you're searching.


Filter your google search results by date ]]>Google can reorder search and news results from the last day, week, a few months, or entire year by adding a small string to the end of the search URL. Just add this string <strong><code>&amp;as_qdr=d</code></strong> to the address bar and hit enter. You'll get a custom drop-down box that lets you re-order results based on date. It's great for getting past the same top results you've already looked through, as well as grabbing only the newest links related to gadgets, software, or whatever else you're searching. <br> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-7877182659039976"; /* Text link, created 4/28/08 */ google_ad_slot = "4557023602"; google_ad_output = "textlink"; google_ad_format = "ref_text"; google_cpa_choice = ""; // on file //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <br><br>Google silent about spamtag:tech.skitsol.com,2008-04-28:ab98a65d-df1f-4511-ab88-6be3e646722dSushant Kumarsk.insync@gmail.com2008-04-28T23:41:45Z2008-04-28T16:17:00ZAccording to the