Subscribe to web2feel.com
Subscribe to web2feel.com

ITS MY OWN LIFE

Vidya Balan, Aditya Chopra mend fences

Posted by Abhishek Tuesday, 22 March 2011 0 comments

After years of refusing to work with YRF, the actress may finally agree to a film for Aditya Chopra, thanks to mentor Pradeep Sarkar. 



Vidya Balan and Yash Raj Film scion Aditya Chopra are on

 their way to mend fences. Her mentor Pradeep Sarkar is acting as the mediator.

Vidya Balan has continually refused to work in YRF films, first it was Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom followed by Pradeep Sarkar's Laaga Chunari Mein Daag. This had obviously not gone down too well with Chopra.

Pradeep Sarkar too had a fallout with the actress after she refused his second film. But the two made up later. It is Sarkar who now, wants Vidya to patch up with the Chopras.

Sarkar wants Vidya back for the third on his 3-film contract with YRF. The first two Laaga... and Lafangey Parindey bombed at the box office.

Considering Vidya has been his lucky charm, Parineeta being Sarkar's most acclaimed film till date, it comes as no surprise that the director wants this YRF Vidya patch up to work out.

The director convinced Aditya Chopra, who wasn't to keen on meeting the actress. A source reveals, "If all goes well, Vidya will star in YRF's film to be directed by Sarkar.

And knowing Vidya's sensibilities of choosing a role, Sarkar has a tailor made script for her. Only Aditya should give the green signal."

When contacted, Sarkar laughed and said, "Am I making Aditya meet Vidya?" "Well...," he continued, "Abhi tak baatchit nahin hui hai. Let me complete the script in all respects. But yes, I would love to work with Vidya again."

Though Vidya remained unavailable for comment, here's wishing that things work out for both her and YRF. And we get some decent cinema. 

Full Story

Vidya Balan, Aditya Chopra mend fences

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments

After years of refusing to work with YRF, the actress may finally agree to a film for Aditya Chopra, thanks to mentor Pradeep Sarkar. 



Vidya Balan and Yash Raj Film scion Aditya Chopra are on

 their way to mend fences. Her mentor Pradeep Sarkar is acting as the mediator.

Vidya Balan has continually refused to work in YRF films, first it was Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom followed by Pradeep Sarkar's Laaga Chunari Mein Daag. This had obviously not gone down too well with Chopra.

Pradeep Sarkar too had a fallout with the actress after she refused his second film. But the two made up later. It is Sarkar who now, wants Vidya to patch up with the Chopras.

Sarkar wants Vidya back for the third on his 3-film contract with YRF. The first two Laaga... and Lafangey Parindey bombed at the box office.

Considering Vidya has been his lucky charm, Parineeta being Sarkar's most acclaimed film till date, it comes as no surprise that the director wants this YRF Vidya patch up to work out.

The director convinced Aditya Chopra, who wasn't to keen on meeting the actress. A source reveals, "If all goes well, Vidya will star in YRF's film to be directed by Sarkar.

And knowing Vidya's sensibilities of choosing a role, Sarkar has a tailor made script for her. Only Aditya should give the green signal."

When contacted, Sarkar laughed and said, "Am I making Aditya meet Vidya?" "Well...," he continued, "Abhi tak baatchit nahin hui hai. Let me complete the script in all respects. But yes, I would love to work with Vidya again."

Though Vidya remained unavailable for comment, here's wishing that things work out for both her and YRF. And we get some decent cinema. 

Full Story

I hate love stories, says Shah Rukh Khan

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has collected the maximum number of Best Actor awards for My Name is Khan this year, has no reservations about being given the Golden Kela award for Worst Actor for the same film.



"I think they did not have my address to officially invite me for this award. But, I want to ask these people as to why they are copying the Hollywood concept of giving away the Razzies. Why can't they come up with something original?" SRK quipped.
The actor has a very philosophical take on various awards conferred on him. "There are people who praise you endlessly while there are people who are ready to rob you off those praises.
These people think that may be you were not as fantastic. I feel that the truth is somewhere in the middle, you can't take either too seriously," he said, speaking on the sidelines of the recent India Today Conclave in the Capital. "As a public figure you have to live with it. It is normal to have the darker side attached to your image. Besides, public perception is always varied."
SRK, who was till recently seen sporting the Rasta hairstyle, which he had acquired for his forthcoming film Don 2, has gone back to his original short crop. "It's very difficult to maintain long hair," he said. "The 'Rasta look' idea was developed by my hairstylists Dilshad and Adhuna Akhtar, wife of Farhan Akhtar who is directing Don 2.
In the first half of Don 2, where my character is shown to have spent a long time in jail, I had to sport long hair. I have tried various looks in films such as spikes, the Japanese look and now the Rasta look," he adds. Dismissing the buzz about Shakira making an appearance in the Kolkata Knight Riders music video for the forthcoming season of IPL, he said: "There is hardly any time left for me and Shakira to shoot together. I don't think it is happening."
Regarding his much talkedabout mafia flick Xtreme City, directed by Paul Schrader and co-produced by Martin Scorsese, there has been the buzz that Leonardo De Caprio could be doing a cameo in the film. "We are working on this film. I think the news about such projects become too big instantly. Paul is still conceptualising the film and it is not decided as to what role would be offered to Leonardo and if he chooses to be a part of the film."
Shah Rukh is known as the ultimate romantic icon in Hindi films thanks to blockbusters such asDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam. But in his forthcoming releases, Ra One and Don 2, he has been cast as a superhero and an antihero respectively.
"I hate love stories. I don't think I have ever been a romantic hero in the real sense. The nineties was a period of love stories, but these were not pure love stories. Most of these films were family films with lovable characters. It's not that I am going away from any set image. I have been recently offered a romantic film by Yash Raj," he added.
This takes us to another muchtalked about film - Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel 2 States.
"Vishal and I had a few meetings and he is right now working on the adaptation. We will finalise on how Krish and Ananya, the two lead characters of the story, should look on screen and how my character should be shaped."
So, after Aamir Khan, who at 44 played an engineering student, it is SRK's turn at 46 to play a student. "It's not difficult at all. I was supposed to play one of the students in 3 Idiots. As far as 2 States goes, it's a story of an IIM graduate, so we can have a slightly elderly look," he concluded.

Full Story

I hate love stories, says Shah Rukh Khan

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has collected the maximum number of Best Actor awards for My Name is Khan this year, has no reservations about being given the Golden Kela award for Worst Actor for the same film.



"I think they did not have my address to officially invite me for this award. But, I want to ask these people as to why they are copying the Hollywood concept of giving away the Razzies. Why can't they come up with something original?" SRK quipped.
The actor has a very philosophical take on various awards conferred on him. "There are people who praise you endlessly while there are people who are ready to rob you off those praises.
These people think that may be you were not as fantastic. I feel that the truth is somewhere in the middle, you can't take either too seriously," he said, speaking on the sidelines of the recent India Today Conclave in the Capital. "As a public figure you have to live with it. It is normal to have the darker side attached to your image. Besides, public perception is always varied."
SRK, who was till recently seen sporting the Rasta hairstyle, which he had acquired for his forthcoming film Don 2, has gone back to his original short crop. "It's very difficult to maintain long hair," he said. "The 'Rasta look' idea was developed by my hairstylists Dilshad and Adhuna Akhtar, wife of Farhan Akhtar who is directing Don 2.
In the first half of Don 2, where my character is shown to have spent a long time in jail, I had to sport long hair. I have tried various looks in films such as spikes, the Japanese look and now the Rasta look," he adds. Dismissing the buzz about Shakira making an appearance in the Kolkata Knight Riders music video for the forthcoming season of IPL, he said: "There is hardly any time left for me and Shakira to shoot together. I don't think it is happening."
Regarding his much talkedabout mafia flick Xtreme City, directed by Paul Schrader and co-produced by Martin Scorsese, there has been the buzz that Leonardo De Caprio could be doing a cameo in the film. "We are working on this film. I think the news about such projects become too big instantly. Paul is still conceptualising the film and it is not decided as to what role would be offered to Leonardo and if he chooses to be a part of the film."
Shah Rukh is known as the ultimate romantic icon in Hindi films thanks to blockbusters such asDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam. But in his forthcoming releases, Ra One and Don 2, he has been cast as a superhero and an antihero respectively.
"I hate love stories. I don't think I have ever been a romantic hero in the real sense. The nineties was a period of love stories, but these were not pure love stories. Most of these films were family films with lovable characters. It's not that I am going away from any set image. I have been recently offered a romantic film by Yash Raj," he added.
This takes us to another muchtalked about film - Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel 2 States.
"Vishal and I had a few meetings and he is right now working on the adaptation. We will finalise on how Krish and Ananya, the two lead characters of the story, should look on screen and how my character should be shaped."
So, after Aamir Khan, who at 44 played an engineering student, it is SRK's turn at 46 to play a student. "It's not difficult at all. I was supposed to play one of the students in 3 Idiots. As far as 2 States goes, it's a story of an IIM graduate, so we can have a slightly elderly look," he concluded.

Full Story

Opera Mini 6 and Opera Mobile 11 debut

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


Opera has released new versions of both its mobile browsers, offering improved scrolling, panning, and zooming on each.
On Tuesday, the Norwegian browser maker unveiled Opera Mini 6 and Opera Mobile 11. Both offer "pinch-to-zoom" on all devices that support the interface gesture popularized by the iPhone, and both offer a new "share" button for readily posting links to online services such as Twitter, Facebook, and others.

Both browsers are also "optimized" for use on tablets.
Opera Mini taps into Opera proxy servers that intercept and compress web pages before sending them down to the client. This speeds download times, making the browser suitable for slower web connections and lower amounts of memory. Opera Mobile can make use of the same proxy servers, but it can also access web servers directly, providing unfettered access to the net via the same "Presto" rendering engine used by Opera's desktop browser.
Opera Mini 6 is available for J2ME, Android, BlackBerry, and Symbian/S60 phones. Opera Mobile 11 runs on Android and Symbian, and labs (test) releases are available for MeeGo, Maemo, and Windows 7, Microsoft's desktop OS.

Full Story

Opera Mini 6 and Opera Mobile 11 debut

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


Opera has released new versions of both its mobile browsers, offering improved scrolling, panning, and zooming on each.
On Tuesday, the Norwegian browser maker unveiled Opera Mini 6 and Opera Mobile 11. Both offer "pinch-to-zoom" on all devices that support the interface gesture popularized by the iPhone, and both offer a new "share" button for readily posting links to online services such as Twitter, Facebook, and others.

Both browsers are also "optimized" for use on tablets.
Opera Mini taps into Opera proxy servers that intercept and compress web pages before sending them down to the client. This speeds download times, making the browser suitable for slower web connections and lower amounts of memory. Opera Mobile can make use of the same proxy servers, but it can also access web servers directly, providing unfettered access to the net via the same "Presto" rendering engine used by Opera's desktop browser.
Opera Mini 6 is available for J2ME, Android, BlackBerry, and Symbian/S60 phones. Opera Mobile 11 runs on Android and Symbian, and labs (test) releases are available for MeeGo, Maemo, and Windows 7, Microsoft's desktop OS.

Full Story

Samsung New Thinnest Galaxy Tabs now released 2011

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments

After months of teasers and speculations, Samsung unveiled two new versions of its Galaxy Tab line of tablets at attractive pricings at CTIA. The two versions differ from each other in size one has an 8.9-inch, while the other has a 10.1-inch screen. These have a dramatically different design from what Samsung had shown off at MWC in February this year.


Of these, the 8.9-inch version is what Apple needs to watch out for. The new Galaxy Tab 8.9 outdoes the iPad 2 in almost every aspect. As the name suggests, this tablet has an 8.9-inch screen with a resolution of 1200x800, thus a good upgrade over the first Galaxy Tab with a 7-inch screen. At just 8.6 mm, this is the thinnest tablet in the market today and it weighs just 470 g. Powered by a 1GHz dual core processor, this tablet runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb with Samsung s TouchWiz UX or TouchWiz 4.0 layer. It comes with Flash 10.2 support and comes pre-loaded with Samsung s Readers Hub and Music Hub, allowing users to access millions of books, magazines, songs, etc. Storage capacities available are 16GB and 32GB, but a 64GB may be available in the future. Unlike the mono speaker on the iPad 2, this comes with stereo speakers and features Full HD video playback capability. Video chat option is available, thanks to the 2MP front facing camera and a 5MP rear camera with flash can be used for taking quick snaps on the go or even record 720p HD video. Connectivity is available in the form of 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB 2.0. Samsung has put in a 6800 mAh battery to ensure a 10 hour usage time.

The 10.1-inch version shares the same screen resolution, thus a lower pixel density. It will be just as thin as the 8.9-inch version, but will weigh a bit more at 595 g. Samsung has also included enterprise solutions in these tablets such as Business Objects Explorer, Exchange ActiveSync, SYBASE Afaria, On Device Encryption and CISCO AnyConnect [SSL VPN support].


Everything looks good with the Galaxy Tab 8.9 but if Samsung could reduce the announced price from US$ 469 for 16GB and US$ 569 for 32GB, then it is going to give a really hard time for the iPad 2, which still has the popular App Store to its advantage. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been priced at US$ 499 for 16GB and US$ 599 for 32GB. Samsung had released the Galaxy Tab 7-inch tablet last year at US$ 599, which basically killed off sales. While the Galaxy Tab 8.9 will be available sometime in May this year, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is slated to hit the shelves on June 8.




Full Story

Samsung New Thinnest Galaxy Tabs now released 2011

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments

After months of teasers and speculations, Samsung unveiled two new versions of its Galaxy Tab line of tablets at attractive pricings at CTIA. The two versions differ from each other in size one has an 8.9-inch, while the other has a 10.1-inch screen. These have a dramatically different design from what Samsung had shown off at MWC in February this year.


Of these, the 8.9-inch version is what Apple needs to watch out for. The new Galaxy Tab 8.9 outdoes the iPad 2 in almost every aspect. As the name suggests, this tablet has an 8.9-inch screen with a resolution of 1200x800, thus a good upgrade over the first Galaxy Tab with a 7-inch screen. At just 8.6 mm, this is the thinnest tablet in the market today and it weighs just 470 g. Powered by a 1GHz dual core processor, this tablet runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb with Samsung s TouchWiz UX or TouchWiz 4.0 layer. It comes with Flash 10.2 support and comes pre-loaded with Samsung s Readers Hub and Music Hub, allowing users to access millions of books, magazines, songs, etc. Storage capacities available are 16GB and 32GB, but a 64GB may be available in the future. Unlike the mono speaker on the iPad 2, this comes with stereo speakers and features Full HD video playback capability. Video chat option is available, thanks to the 2MP front facing camera and a 5MP rear camera with flash can be used for taking quick snaps on the go or even record 720p HD video. Connectivity is available in the form of 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB 2.0. Samsung has put in a 6800 mAh battery to ensure a 10 hour usage time.

The 10.1-inch version shares the same screen resolution, thus a lower pixel density. It will be just as thin as the 8.9-inch version, but will weigh a bit more at 595 g. Samsung has also included enterprise solutions in these tablets such as Business Objects Explorer, Exchange ActiveSync, SYBASE Afaria, On Device Encryption and CISCO AnyConnect [SSL VPN support].


Everything looks good with the Galaxy Tab 8.9 but if Samsung could reduce the announced price from US$ 469 for 16GB and US$ 569 for 32GB, then it is going to give a really hard time for the iPad 2, which still has the popular App Store to its advantage. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been priced at US$ 499 for 16GB and US$ 599 for 32GB. Samsung had released the Galaxy Tab 7-inch tablet last year at US$ 599, which basically killed off sales. While the Galaxy Tab 8.9 will be available sometime in May this year, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is slated to hit the shelves on June 8.




Full Story

Sony’s New PlayStation Portable WITH GPS AND WI-FI

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


NGP (“Next Generation Portable”) is Sony’s code name for the successor to the company’s PSP Go portable gaming system.

Besides the larger (5- inch), clearer (OLED) touch screen, NGP will have has a touchpad on both its front and back. Of course there are traditional controls, too, including two analog sticks and shoulder buttons.
NGP will also be your key to Sony’s new LiveArea,: an online world where you can meet other players. Because the NGP has a GPS receiver and can transmit your physical location, you can meet up with other players in your neighborhood, by way of both Wi-Fi and 3G. Other features include two cameras (front and back) and multiple motion sensors.
Software will be sold both as store-friendly DS-like cartridges and as downloads in a new online store being called the PlayStation Suite (PS Suite). You will also be able to download NGP games for your Android-based phones, no Sony hardware required.
The NGP will have stereo speakers, a microphone, built-in GPS, Wi-Fi location service support, 3G wireless and Bluetooth. Sony is vague on details like price, actual name and release date, other than “this fall.”

Full Story

Sony’s New PlayStation Portable WITH GPS AND WI-FI

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


NGP (“Next Generation Portable”) is Sony’s code name for the successor to the company’s PSP Go portable gaming system.

Besides the larger (5- inch), clearer (OLED) touch screen, NGP will have has a touchpad on both its front and back. Of course there are traditional controls, too, including two analog sticks and shoulder buttons.
NGP will also be your key to Sony’s new LiveArea,: an online world where you can meet other players. Because the NGP has a GPS receiver and can transmit your physical location, you can meet up with other players in your neighborhood, by way of both Wi-Fi and 3G. Other features include two cameras (front and back) and multiple motion sensors.
Software will be sold both as store-friendly DS-like cartridges and as downloads in a new online store being called the PlayStation Suite (PS Suite). You will also be able to download NGP games for your Android-based phones, no Sony hardware required.
The NGP will have stereo speakers, a microphone, built-in GPS, Wi-Fi location service support, 3G wireless and Bluetooth. Sony is vague on details like price, actual name and release date, other than “this fall.”

Full Story

SUPER POWER - New 3D Battery May Charge Phones in Seconds

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments

Paul Braun and his group of scientists at the University of Illinois have designed and developed a 3D battery that might make it possible to recharge mobile phones in seconds and a laptop within minutes.


The same nanostructure could also be used to charge defibrillators, required in surgeries, without loss of time between pulses.

Apart from the convenience of quick-charging mobiles, laptops and other consumer electronics, this nanostructure can help manufacture batteries that can store a lot of energy, release it fast and recharge quickly thus, helping innovation in electric vehicles, medical devices, lasers and military applications.

"This system that we have gives you capacitor-like power with battery-like energy," said Braun, professor of materials science and engineering at Illinois.

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) or nickel metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries in use currently suffer from issues like:
1.    Significant performance degradation when they are rapidly charged or discharged.
2.    High volume required to store enough charge for normal usage.

This new nanostructure can solve both these issues resulting in not just a fast charge but batteries that last much longer and take up considerably less space by wrapping a thin film into 3D structure thus, achieving both high active volume (high capacity) and large current

.

Braun's group has demonstrated battery electrodes that can charge or discharge in a few seconds, 10 to 100 times faster than current generation bulk electrodes and yet, can perform normally in existing devices.

Braun is particularly optimistic for the batteries' potential in electric vehicles, which would slash charging time from half a day to a few minutes.

If this technology does turn out to be commercially viable to be adopted for commercial devices, it could usher in a new era of ultra slim devices not just for use by general public but also for equipment used by the military and medical fraternity. 

One possible use that comes to my mind is being able to use advanced equipment in ambulances so that they may be of more use in the field reducing risk of death by a huge margin. 

Full Story

SUPER POWER - New 3D Battery May Charge Phones in Seconds

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments

Paul Braun and his group of scientists at the University of Illinois have designed and developed a 3D battery that might make it possible to recharge mobile phones in seconds and a laptop within minutes.


The same nanostructure could also be used to charge defibrillators, required in surgeries, without loss of time between pulses.

Apart from the convenience of quick-charging mobiles, laptops and other consumer electronics, this nanostructure can help manufacture batteries that can store a lot of energy, release it fast and recharge quickly thus, helping innovation in electric vehicles, medical devices, lasers and military applications.

"This system that we have gives you capacitor-like power with battery-like energy," said Braun, professor of materials science and engineering at Illinois.

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) or nickel metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries in use currently suffer from issues like:
1.    Significant performance degradation when they are rapidly charged or discharged.
2.    High volume required to store enough charge for normal usage.

This new nanostructure can solve both these issues resulting in not just a fast charge but batteries that last much longer and take up considerably less space by wrapping a thin film into 3D structure thus, achieving both high active volume (high capacity) and large current

.

Braun's group has demonstrated battery electrodes that can charge or discharge in a few seconds, 10 to 100 times faster than current generation bulk electrodes and yet, can perform normally in existing devices.

Braun is particularly optimistic for the batteries' potential in electric vehicles, which would slash charging time from half a day to a few minutes.

If this technology does turn out to be commercially viable to be adopted for commercial devices, it could usher in a new era of ultra slim devices not just for use by general public but also for equipment used by the military and medical fraternity. 

One possible use that comes to my mind is being able to use advanced equipment in ambulances so that they may be of more use in the field reducing risk of death by a huge margin. 

Full Story

APPLE Thunderbolt Really a Thunderbolt?

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


A big hat tip to Farhad Manjoo of Slate, who first raised doubts about the value of Thunderbolt in this post. My two cents are below.

But no one’s talking about that, really. What they’re talking about is the new Thunderboltport.
You see, in addition to the usual USB ports you use to connect things to your computer, Apple has a new connection standard, one developed in collaboration with Intel. The idea behind Thunderbolt is that current connection speeds between computers and peripherals are too slow. External hard drives, for example, can hold an obscene amount of data, but are constrained by the comparatively sluggish pipe they rely on to connect to a computer.
Thunderbolt’s going to change all that, Apple and Intel say, and how: The new standard is up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0, which is the most popular connection format.
But we’re dealing in abstractions so far. Let’s see if Apple’s Web site can explain the payoff.
You can connect external devices like RAID arrays and video capture solutions directly to MacBook Pro — and get PCI Express performance. That’s a first for notebooks. Thunderbolt also provides 10 watts of power to peripherals, so you can tackle workstation-class projects on the go. With PCI Express technology, you can use existing USB and FireWire peripherals — even connect to Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks — using simple adapters.

Let me get this straight: RAID arrays, video capture solutions, PCI Express performance, workstation-class projects (on the go, no less), Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks.
I know it’s called MacBook Pro, but, really? Not a lot here sounds like it has any relevance to your average consumer.
That’s not to say Thunderbolt is not without value to some. Hardcore users of laptops and people who work in video (the kind of people the MacBook Pro is designed for) will love what Thunderbolt can do, but what about the rest of us? What’s in it for regular folks?
One practical benefit would be Thunderbolt’s ability to reduce cable clutter. You can daisy chain Thunderbolt devices, so one cord goes to an external drive, then another cable goes from the drive to a display, then another cable can go from a display to a, say, digital audio receiver.
That’s nice. But not entirely groundbreaking. HDMI has already done wonders behind my TV, with its single-cable capabilities for both audio and video. But I will grant you that Thunderbolt adds data to the mix, eliminates the need for hubs and radically improves the transferring capabilities with its fat pipes (10 Gbps, both ways, at the same time).
Still, this is incremental stuff. Intel likes to put Thunderbolt’s advantages in more practical terms, saying that, using Thunderbolt, you could transfer a full-length HD movie from, say, drive to PC in less than 30 seconds.

Impressive, but how often am I doing that? Some have suggested that a future iPhones and iPads could be equipped with Thunderbolt ports, allowing syncs to take only seconds, as opposed to minutes. But really, isn’t syncing itself out of date? With the growth of cloud-based platforms, data should be shared and updated on the fly. And other wireless technologies are also available, from Bluetooth to near-field communication, that will expand devices’ abilities to share data without a physical connection.
If Apple and Intel get their way, much of this doubting won’t much matter: Thunderbolt will become the dominant connection standard, allowing a single cable to do all the heavy lifting between devices. We will have a versatile, robust way to move data around at speeds that will make such transfers almost instantaneous.
Just don’t expect me to get all excited about it.

Full Story

APPLE Thunderbolt Really a Thunderbolt?

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


A big hat tip to Farhad Manjoo of Slate, who first raised doubts about the value of Thunderbolt in this post. My two cents are below.

But no one’s talking about that, really. What they’re talking about is the new Thunderboltport.
You see, in addition to the usual USB ports you use to connect things to your computer, Apple has a new connection standard, one developed in collaboration with Intel. The idea behind Thunderbolt is that current connection speeds between computers and peripherals are too slow. External hard drives, for example, can hold an obscene amount of data, but are constrained by the comparatively sluggish pipe they rely on to connect to a computer.
Thunderbolt’s going to change all that, Apple and Intel say, and how: The new standard is up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0, which is the most popular connection format.
But we’re dealing in abstractions so far. Let’s see if Apple’s Web site can explain the payoff.
You can connect external devices like RAID arrays and video capture solutions directly to MacBook Pro — and get PCI Express performance. That’s a first for notebooks. Thunderbolt also provides 10 watts of power to peripherals, so you can tackle workstation-class projects on the go. With PCI Express technology, you can use existing USB and FireWire peripherals — even connect to Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks — using simple adapters.

Let me get this straight: RAID arrays, video capture solutions, PCI Express performance, workstation-class projects (on the go, no less), Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks.
I know it’s called MacBook Pro, but, really? Not a lot here sounds like it has any relevance to your average consumer.
That’s not to say Thunderbolt is not without value to some. Hardcore users of laptops and people who work in video (the kind of people the MacBook Pro is designed for) will love what Thunderbolt can do, but what about the rest of us? What’s in it for regular folks?
One practical benefit would be Thunderbolt’s ability to reduce cable clutter. You can daisy chain Thunderbolt devices, so one cord goes to an external drive, then another cable goes from the drive to a display, then another cable can go from a display to a, say, digital audio receiver.
That’s nice. But not entirely groundbreaking. HDMI has already done wonders behind my TV, with its single-cable capabilities for both audio and video. But I will grant you that Thunderbolt adds data to the mix, eliminates the need for hubs and radically improves the transferring capabilities with its fat pipes (10 Gbps, both ways, at the same time).
Still, this is incremental stuff. Intel likes to put Thunderbolt’s advantages in more practical terms, saying that, using Thunderbolt, you could transfer a full-length HD movie from, say, drive to PC in less than 30 seconds.

Impressive, but how often am I doing that? Some have suggested that a future iPhones and iPads could be equipped with Thunderbolt ports, allowing syncs to take only seconds, as opposed to minutes. But really, isn’t syncing itself out of date? With the growth of cloud-based platforms, data should be shared and updated on the fly. And other wireless technologies are also available, from Bluetooth to near-field communication, that will expand devices’ abilities to share data without a physical connection.
If Apple and Intel get their way, much of this doubting won’t much matter: Thunderbolt will become the dominant connection standard, allowing a single cable to do all the heavy lifting between devices. We will have a versatile, robust way to move data around at speeds that will make such transfers almost instantaneous.
Just don’t expect me to get all excited about it.

Full Story

Amazon to Open Android App Store as Apple Sues

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


Amazon.com is entering the mobile app business with an Android app store that is scheduled to open Tuesday. The store’s name has already prompted a lawsuit from Apple.
The Amazon Appstore, which will be accessible at Amazon.com/appstore and through a mobile app, will sell applications for Android phones and tablets. It will also encroach on Google’s territory by providing Android users with a new way to buy apps that cuts Google out of the equation.
The store, which Amazon initially announced in January, prompted a trademark infringement suit on Friday from Apple, which claims ownership of the App Store name. “We’ve asked Amazon not to copy the App Store name because it will confuse and mislead customers,” Apple said in a statement late Monday. Amazon said it had a policy of not commenting on litigation.
Because Android is an open platform, unlike Apple’s, other companies can open stores that sell Android apps. But Amazon is perhaps a more formidable competitor than others because people are used to buying things through the site and its mobile apps — and many have stored their credit card numbers on Amazon for years.
Amazon will provide a few things that Google’s Android Market does not, said Aaron Rubenson, category leader for the Appstore at Amazon, by throwing its marketing and e-commerce expertise behind the new service.
“We spent years building shopping features that help customers find the products that are relevant to them from amidst a massive selection,” Mr. Rubenson said, “and we’re excited to apply those capabilities to the apps market.”
For instance, it will use the recommendation algorithm that Amazon uses on its Web site to suggest certain apps, so if someone shops for March Madness gear on Amazon.com, the Appstore would recommend basketball apps. It will also offer a paid app for free every day, beginning with Angry Birds Rio. And users can test apps on the Web site before buying them.
The recommendation engine may be most important. There are so many apps that Apple, Google and others have struggled to suggest the right ones to users. For a long time, Google’s Android Market was quite difficult to search, but Google recently introduced a new and improved Android Market. A Google spokesman declined to comment on Amazon’s Android app store.
For app developers, the biggest difference between Amazon’s app store and others is that Amazon will set the prices the apps will sell for. Developers will suggest a price, but Amazon could sell them for a different price — potentially less than the sale price on the Android Market. Amazon will pay developers the greater of either 70 percent of the sale price, which is the standard revenue-share percentage for app stores, or 20 percent of the price the developer suggests the app sells for.
Unlike Google, Amazon will review apps before they are sold, but will only block them if they don’t work or if they put the customer’s data at risk, Mr. Rubenson said. That is somewhere in between the policies of Apple, which has blocked apps for other reasons, and Google, which doesn’t review them and faced the consequences this month when malware snuck into the Android Market.
As for whether the Kindle, Amazon’s e-reader, could eventually run the Android operating system, Mr. Rubenson said there is “nothing that we’ve announced.” Amazon is, however, considering selling apps for platforms other than Android.

Full Story

Amazon to Open Android App Store as Apple Sues

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


Amazon.com is entering the mobile app business with an Android app store that is scheduled to open Tuesday. The store’s name has already prompted a lawsuit from Apple.
The Amazon Appstore, which will be accessible at Amazon.com/appstore and through a mobile app, will sell applications for Android phones and tablets. It will also encroach on Google’s territory by providing Android users with a new way to buy apps that cuts Google out of the equation.
The store, which Amazon initially announced in January, prompted a trademark infringement suit on Friday from Apple, which claims ownership of the App Store name. “We’ve asked Amazon not to copy the App Store name because it will confuse and mislead customers,” Apple said in a statement late Monday. Amazon said it had a policy of not commenting on litigation.
Because Android is an open platform, unlike Apple’s, other companies can open stores that sell Android apps. But Amazon is perhaps a more formidable competitor than others because people are used to buying things through the site and its mobile apps — and many have stored their credit card numbers on Amazon for years.
Amazon will provide a few things that Google’s Android Market does not, said Aaron Rubenson, category leader for the Appstore at Amazon, by throwing its marketing and e-commerce expertise behind the new service.
“We spent years building shopping features that help customers find the products that are relevant to them from amidst a massive selection,” Mr. Rubenson said, “and we’re excited to apply those capabilities to the apps market.”
For instance, it will use the recommendation algorithm that Amazon uses on its Web site to suggest certain apps, so if someone shops for March Madness gear on Amazon.com, the Appstore would recommend basketball apps. It will also offer a paid app for free every day, beginning with Angry Birds Rio. And users can test apps on the Web site before buying them.
The recommendation engine may be most important. There are so many apps that Apple, Google and others have struggled to suggest the right ones to users. For a long time, Google’s Android Market was quite difficult to search, but Google recently introduced a new and improved Android Market. A Google spokesman declined to comment on Amazon’s Android app store.
For app developers, the biggest difference between Amazon’s app store and others is that Amazon will set the prices the apps will sell for. Developers will suggest a price, but Amazon could sell them for a different price — potentially less than the sale price on the Android Market. Amazon will pay developers the greater of either 70 percent of the sale price, which is the standard revenue-share percentage for app stores, or 20 percent of the price the developer suggests the app sells for.
Unlike Google, Amazon will review apps before they are sold, but will only block them if they don’t work or if they put the customer’s data at risk, Mr. Rubenson said. That is somewhere in between the policies of Apple, which has blocked apps for other reasons, and Google, which doesn’t review them and faced the consequences this month when malware snuck into the Android Market.
As for whether the Kindle, Amazon’s e-reader, could eventually run the Android operating system, Mr. Rubenson said there is “nothing that we’ve announced.” Amazon is, however, considering selling apps for platforms other than Android.

Full Story

Mozilla Releases New Version 4+ ROCKING

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, released the latest version of its free and open source Web browser to the public on Tuesday.
The browser boasts a number of improvements over past iterations, including a new look and feel, and increased privacy and security features. One security upgrade, “Do Not Track,” will allow “users to set a browser preference that will broadcast their desire to opt-out of third party, advertising-based tracking,” Mozilla said.
The new Firefox also promotes interactive capabilities with HTML5, a Web programming language that provides full interaction without the need of external plug-ins like Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight.
Gary Kovacs, chief executive of Mozilla, said in a recent interview that the new capabilities added to the browser will enable developers to build applications using HTML5 that are similar to downloadable applications currently used on a number of mobile devices. These so-called Web Apps include fully interactive graphics and games. Mozilla also set up a Web site,  The Web O’(pen) Wonders, to showcase some advanced examples of the new browser’s rendering engine.
Mr. Kovacs said that the “millions of developers who currently build Web sites” would be given opportunities to showcase rich interactivity with the new browser, and that these features could help add some balance to the current battle between the open Web and downloadable apps that only operate on specific platforms.
Mozilla also began offering a new feature, Mozilla Sync, which allows people with the Microsoft browser to automatically sync their bookmarks, open browser tabs and settings between multiple computers, mobile phones and Android-based tablet computers. The Mozilla Sync feature will not work with Apple’s iOS devices, which include the iPhone and iPad, because the browser is not available on Apple’s mobile platform.
The new browser had been downloaded nearly three million times hours after it was made available online. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 was downloaded2.35 million times within the first 24 hours of its availability last week.

Full Story

Mozilla Releases New Version 4+ ROCKING

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, released the latest version of its free and open source Web browser to the public on Tuesday.
The browser boasts a number of improvements over past iterations, including a new look and feel, and increased privacy and security features. One security upgrade, “Do Not Track,” will allow “users to set a browser preference that will broadcast their desire to opt-out of third party, advertising-based tracking,” Mozilla said.
The new Firefox also promotes interactive capabilities with HTML5, a Web programming language that provides full interaction without the need of external plug-ins like Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight.
Gary Kovacs, chief executive of Mozilla, said in a recent interview that the new capabilities added to the browser will enable developers to build applications using HTML5 that are similar to downloadable applications currently used on a number of mobile devices. These so-called Web Apps include fully interactive graphics and games. Mozilla also set up a Web site,  The Web O’(pen) Wonders, to showcase some advanced examples of the new browser’s rendering engine.
Mr. Kovacs said that the “millions of developers who currently build Web sites” would be given opportunities to showcase rich interactivity with the new browser, and that these features could help add some balance to the current battle between the open Web and downloadable apps that only operate on specific platforms.
Mozilla also began offering a new feature, Mozilla Sync, which allows people with the Microsoft browser to automatically sync their bookmarks, open browser tabs and settings between multiple computers, mobile phones and Android-based tablet computers. The Mozilla Sync feature will not work with Apple’s iOS devices, which include the iPhone and iPad, because the browser is not available on Apple’s mobile platform.
The new browser had been downloaded nearly three million times hours after it was made available online. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 was downloaded2.35 million times within the first 24 hours of its availability last week.

Full Story

BlackBerry to Match Apple on the Price of Its Tablet

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments



OTTAWA — Research In Motion challenged Apple on Tuesday by announcing that its BlackBerry PlayBook would be sold at the same price as the iPad 2.
But the success or failure of the BlackBerry tablet, which will have a base price of $499, is unlikely to be determined in the aisles of Best Buy,Staples, RadioShack or the other retailers that will begin offering it on April 19. Many analysts believe that the PlayBook’s main customer base, like that of the original BlackBerry smartphone, will be corporations and government buying in bulk at a discounted price.
“Maybe ‘PlayBook’ is a misnomer,” said Tony Cripps, an analyst with Ovum, a unit of Datamonitor, who is based in London. “R.I.M. would be crazy not to maximize its advantages in the enterprise market.”
The PlayBook will be the first tablet that is directly price-competitive with Apple’s offering. By comparison, both the Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tab cost more than the iPad 2. Hewlett-Packard, which is also expected to sell its TouchPad tablet to corporations, has not yet announced the price of its device.
While Best Buy began accepting advance orders for the PlayBook on its Web site on Tuesday, the primary buyers of the PlayBook are unlikely to be paying retail. From the first days of the BlackBerry hand-held, R.I.M. carefully cultivated relationships with the information technology departments within corporations and governments. Its products have long included security and control features that are of more interest to people who run computer systems than to the employees using the BlackBerrys.
Jeff Orr, an analyst with ABI Research, said that R.I.M. had been consulting with its large customers about the PlayBook for several months. “They’re playing to a market where they definitely have a closer relationship than Apple,” Mr. Orr said.
That has produced some initial corporate interest. Sun Life Financial, a large insurance and financial services company in Toronto, has agreed to buy about 1,000 PlayBooks and said that it had already developed an application for the devices.
But beyond the identical prices, R.I.M. and Apple have taken several different approaches to their tablets. The PlayBook, for example, has a 7-inch screen compared to the iPad 2’s 9.7-inch display. But unlike the iPad 2, the PlayBook can display Web pages that use Adobe Flash software. and it has a much higher resolution camera for video and still photography.
At first, the PlayBook will be available only in a version that connects to the Internet through Wi-Fi. R.I.M. has said that more advanced, and costly, models for use on wireless carriers’ networks will be available from Sprint this summer. Following Apple’s lead, R.I.M. said that in addition to the base model with 16 gigabytes of memory, the PlayBook will be offered as a 32-gigabyte version for $599 and a 64-gigabyte model for $699.
Despite the embrace of the iPad by consumers, the demand from businesses and governments for tablets remains, at best, unclear. “It’s still very, very early stages,” said Mike Abramsky, an equity analyst with RBC Capital Market, a unit of the Royal Bank of Canada, who said that small businesses currently accounted for most nonpersonal use of tablets.
Still, Mr. Abramsky expects that sales to corporations and governments will account for about 30 to 40 percent of all tablet sales by the end of 2012.
Mr. Abramsky said that many corporations would probably prefer the PlayBook because of their history with the BlackBerry smartphone. But at the same time, he said he also expected that companies would find ways to integrate iPads and tablets based on Google’sAndroid operating system, if for no other reason than to accommodate employees who bring their personal devices to work.


Full Story