Fahad Inc.

Ayna Announced Ayna Mobile Maps

2009-07-01T07:48:00.002+04:00

Ayna Maps has developed several technologies that enable users to locate themselves even if they don’t have a GPS system on their mobile, find any location they need quickly and easily, get directions to their destination and share it with others in addition to many other features...

Ayna Mobile Maps have been actively used by thousands of people in different countries in the Middle East and North African region. So, never get lost again with Ayna maps.

What are Ayna mobile map features?

Easy navigation: Get your driving directions from your start point to your destination point.
My location: Your location shows on the map directly (GPS enabled phones).
Cities: Predefined 26 cities in the Middle East and North Africa for easy access.
Share: Send direction to your friends through SMS.
Favorites: You can save your favorite places.
Search: Search for businesses, hotels, events, pharmacies, malls...
Satellite view.
Bilingual service: All Ayna mobile map information is written in both Arabic and English.
Feedback services: For sending suggestions, positive and negative feedback.

To download Ayna maps for mobile, you should:

Have internet access on your phone.
Point your mobile browser to jawal.ayna.com and click on “Get your Ayna Maps” link.
Download and install the edition relevant to your mobile (keypad or touch screen).
Start exploring Ayna mobile map services.

Amazon Releases Kindle DX with Bigger Screen & Auto-Rotate Mode

2009-05-07T05:48:00.003+04:00

Amazon.com introduced yesterday Amazon Kindle DX, the new purpose-built reading device that offers Kindle’s revolutionary wireless delivery and massive selection of content with a large 9.7-inch electronic paper display, built-in PDF reader, auto-rotate capability, and storage for up to 3,500 books.

Kindle DX’s display has 2.5 times the surface area of Kindle’s 6-inch display. The larger electronic paper display with 16 shades of gray has more area for graphic-rich content such as professional and personal documents, newspapers and magazines, and textbooks. Kindle reads like printed words on paper because the screen works using real ink and doesn’t use a backlight, eliminating the eyestrain and glare associated with other electronic displays.

Kindle DX features a built-in PDF reader using Adobe Reader Mobile technology for reading professional and personal documents. Like other types of documents on Kindle, customers simply email their PDF format documents to their Kindle email address or move them over using a USB connection. With a larger display and built-in PDF reader, Kindle DX customers can read professional and personal documents with more complex layouts without scrolling, panning, or zooming, and without re-flowing, which destroys the original structure of the document. Everything from annual reports with graphs to flight manuals with maps to musical scores can be viewed on a single, crisp screen with Kindle DX.

Kindle DX’s display content auto-rotates so users can read in portrait or landscape mode, or flip the device to read with either hand. Simply turn Kindle DX and immediately see full-width landscape views of maps, graphs, tables, images, and Web pages.

Kindle DX is on sale on Amazon.com for US $489.

Read Also:
Introducing Kindle DX--Amazon's Large Screen Addition to the Kindle Family of Wireless Reading Devices (Amazon.com Press Release)
Kindle DX: Amazon's 9.7" Wireless Reading Device (Amazon.com)

Windows 7 RC Released to Public Today!

2009-05-05T11:31:00.002+04:00

Today Microsoft has reached a significant milestone with the Release Candidate (RC) of the highly anticipated Windows 7 operating system, available starting from today May 5 on the Microsoft Windows 7 site. The RC milestone is a result of feedback from millions of customers and partners around the world. It indicates the operating system is entering the final phases of development and almost ready to be commercially available to public.

With the RC, Microsoft is also providing guidance on the minimum system requirements for Windows 7, showing that Windows 7 will work on a broader array of hardware than any other release of Windows at launch:

1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor.
1 GB of RAM (32-bit)/2 GB of RAM (64-bit) .
16 GB of available disk space (32-bit)/20 GB (64-bit) .
DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model 1.0 or higher driver.

I'm going to download it today and test drive it! I hope it is better than Windows Vista.

Read Also:
Windows 7 Release Candidate Is Available From Microsoft (Microsoft PressPass)

Fujitsu Develops Secure USB Memory Device Featuring Automatic Data-Erase Function

2009-04-22T21:12:00.002+04:00

Fujitsu announced Friday April 17 the development of two new technologies designed to prevent the unwanted disclosure of data from lost USB memory devices and prevent uploads to file-sharing networks: a USB memory device technology that after a fixed period of time automatically erases data stored on the USB memory, and a file redirect technology which ensures that the data from the USB memory device can only be stored on a specified server. This creates a secure environment that protects confidential information and allows USB memory devices to be used as a convenient way to safely carry customer data back to one's own company to manage the data.

The new USB Drive enables data to be carried outside of a company safely and in compliance with the company's security policy. This environment consists of the following two technologies:

Secure USB memory device prototype: The new and unique USB memory device prototype contains a processor and battery. After a fixed period of time, if the USB memory device is plugged into an unauthorized PC, the data can automatically be erased or the USB memory device can be rendered unusable. For example, the USB memory device can be set up with a policy whereby the data will be automatically deleted after 24 hours, or it will be deleted if the USB memory is plugged into an unregistered computer even once. By storing and carrying data on a USB memory device that allows for this type of security setting, in the event that the USB memory device is lost, the data stored on it will be automatically deleted and thus enable strict security.
File redirect technology: Together with the self-erasing USB memory device, installing the file redirect software on a PC can be used to restrict the copying of data from the USB memory device, forcing it to reside only on the USB memory itself and a specific company server. This can also be used to prohibit confidential data from being sent as an e-mail attachment or from being printed. Since confidential data is prohibited from being written to the hard disk drive of the PC, it prevents data from being stored on PCs or USB memories and later transferred to file-sharing networks, whether by accident or intentionally.

KenKen: Puzzle For Elementary Math Students & You

2009-04-14T19:42:00.000+04:00

I love puzzles specially those dealing with numbers. I have tried Sudoku and then Killer Samurai Sudoku. I then tried Kakuro but now I'm fed up with all of them! Just a couple of days ago I discovered this new puzzle that not only deals with numbers similar to Sudoku and Kakuro, but also that involve other math operations (addition, multiplication, subtraction, & division). This new puzzle is KenKen! I also found it to be very useful and entertaining to elementary math students. I introduced it to my son in the 2nd Grade and he absolutly loved it!

KenKen is a puzzle invented in 2004 by the Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto (above picture), an innovator who says he practices "the art of teaching without teaching". He intends the puzzles as an instruction-free method of training the brain.

Like Sudoku, even though difficulty may vary from puzzle to puzzle, the rules for playing KenKen are fairly simple:

For a X by X puzzle, fill in with numbers 1-X.
Do not repeat a number in any row or column.
The numbers in each heavily outlined set of squares, called cages, must combine (in any order) to produce the target number in the top corner of the cage using the mathematical operation indicated.
Cages with just one box should be filled in with the target number in the top corner.
A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not in the same row or column.

Now if you understand the simple rules, try to finish the above puzzle. I just quickly solved 4 squares. Try to find first how I figured out those numbers and then finish the game ;)

Read Also:
KenKen (KenKen.com)
KenKen (Wikipedia)

Pogoplug: Shares Any USB Drive Over The Web

2009-04-11T07:00:00.000+04:00

Now with Pogoplug you can easily access your USB flash drive or USB connected external drive from any PC that is connected to the web. You may also share the contents of your drive with family, friends, or co-workers. The device is a small white brick—little bigger than a regular AC adapter—that can fit just about anywhere.

The setup is so easy and does not involve configuring ports, routers, IP addresses, firewalls, or any other complicated setup. All you have to do is:

Plug your Pogoplug into a wall socket or power strip.
Connect your Pogoplug to your router with the supplied network cable.
Connect any external hard drive or memory stick to the USB port in your Pogoplug.
From your computer, go to my.pogoplug.com and type in your unique Pogoplug registration code
The drive is now online and ready to use.

Pogoplug costs $99 and is available for shipping only to the US and Canada.

Read Also:
Pogoplug review (Engadget)
PogoPlug - Missing Link Between USB Drives & the Web (Everything USB)
Pogoplug Shares Any USB Drive Over the Internet (Lifehacker)

EASEUS: Create and Manage Your Hard Drive Partitions for Free

2009-04-10T06:22:00.001+04:00

EASEUS Partition Master is a comprehensive hard disk partition management software for Windows Server 2000/2003/2008 and Windows 2000/XP/Vista partition to Resize and Move, Copy, Create, Delete and Format, Convert, Explore, Hide and Unhide server and non-server partitions.

EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition is a FREE disk partitioning utility that offers a range of powerful functions such as resizing partitions, copying partitions, creating new partitions, deleting partitions, formatting partitions, converting partitions, exploring partitions, hiding partitions, changing drive letters, setting active partitions, and a handful of other functions.

What's more, the freeware works perfectly with hardware RAID and Windows 2000/XP/Vista (32 bit) Operating Systems. Your data is completely protected during all operations. Why not free download EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition now to enjoy it like the commercial program Partition Magic?

EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition has a user-friendly interface and ONLY supports 32 bit Windows systems.

Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8

2009-03-20T08:30:00.000+04:00

On Wednesday, Microsoft announced the availability of Windows Internet Explorer 8. It can be downloaded in 25 languages at http://www.microsoft.com/ie8 starting yesterday.

“Customers have made clear what they want in a Web browser — safety, speed and greater ease of use,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. “With Internet Explorer 8, we are delivering a browser that gets people to the information they need, fast, and provides protection that no other browser can match.”

Internet Explorer 8 offers the best security protections among leading browsers: a study released today by NSS Labs indicates that Internet Explorer 8 blocks two to four times as many malicious sites as other browsers on the market today.

In addition to offering improved security and privacy protections, Internet Explorer 8 is one of the fastest browsers on the market today, beating other top browsers in page load time on almost 50 percent of the 25 top comScore Inc. Web sites. It also helps people save time while using the Web with easy-to-use new features, including the following:

Accelerators. Accelerators make it faster and easier to perform common tasks online by making Web-based services such as ESPN.com, Live Search and Sina available for use directly from the page people are viewing. Users can simply right-click a word or phrase and instantly map, e-mail, or share it.
Web Slices. Web Slices in Internet Explorer 8 makes favorite information from sites such as Digg, Yahoo! Mail, OneRiot, and eBay instantly available wherever someone goes on the Web.
Visual search suggestions. The Instant Search Box in Internet Explorer 8 enables rich, real-time search from sites such as The New York Times, Amazon.com and Wikipedia, as well as sites from people’s own Favorites and History, complete with visuals and detailed information that saves time.

“We are excited about Internet Explorer 8 for several reasons, including its ability to provide our customers with updates to eBay products using Web Slices so they can keep track of their buying activity while surfing the web,” said Matt Ackley, vice president of Internet Marketing and Advertising at eBay.

Read Also:
Microsoft Announces Availability of Internet Explorer 8 (Microsoft PressPass)

NitroCream: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Machine

2009-03-13T07:34:00.002+04:00

You love ice cream, don't you? Well, you now have the opportunity to have your own ice cream machine that can serve to you your favorite ice cream within seconds with no need for having a freezer or waiting for too long. It was 4 years ago when I first knew that you can actually make ice cream using nitrogen.

NitroCream LLC announced Tuesday they have debuted N2-G4, hand-crafted ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt and sorbet machine. Two options are available - the standard N2-G4 or a fully customized model. Each N2-G4 ("G" stands for "green) is environmentally friendly and produces the finest premium frozen dessert product that is unrivaled by any other in the industry in terms of flavor, texture and density. Different frozen dessert flavor combinations can be made fresh in seconds and the N2-G4 completely eliminates the need for freezers of any kind.

The luxury ice cream machine operates using liquid nitrogen - an abundant, inert, odorless, tasteless and automatically recyclable resource that comprises 78 percent of the atmosphere. Under normal atmospheric pressure, nitrogen can exist as a liquid between the temperatures of 63 K and 77.2 K (-210°C and -195.8°C). Below 63 K, nitrogen freezes and becomes a solid. Above 77.2 K, nitrogen boils and becomes a gas.

The bad news is that the machine is not cheap for everyone to purchase. The standard model N2-G4 prices start at $34,900 and custom models start at $75,000.

Read Also:
NitroCream (Official Site)
NitroCream Gives the Competition the Deep Freeze with New N2-G4 Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Machine - Creating an Entirely New Category of Cool (Press Release)

LaCie Introduces Three “Keys” for Handy Portable Storage

2009-03-11T21:35:00.000+04:00

On Monday, LaCie announced three new ways to carry digital content – LaCie itsaKey, iamaKey and PassKey USB key drives, design by 5.5 Designers. LaCie had released CurrenKey last December also designed by 5.5 Desginers. 5.5 Designers had The inventive, compact key-shaped design conveniently fits in a pocket or on a key ring. The itsaKey and iamaKey store up to 8 gigabytes of flash memory. Alternatively, the PassKey has a built-in microSD card reader, which allows you to use your memory cards as stylish and handy USB keys.

The LaCie Keys are available now, starting at $9.90. LaCie products are available through the LaCie Online Store or LaCie resellers.

Read Also:
LaCie Introduces Three “Keys” for Handy Portable Storage (LaCie Press Release)

Amazon Announced (Kindle 2) Today

2009-02-09T20:37:00.006+04:00

Amazon today introduced Amazon Kindle 2, the new reading device that offers Kindle’s wireless delivery of content in a new slim design with longer battery life, faster page turns, over seven times more storage, sharper images, and a new read-to-me feature.

Kindle 2 is purpose-built for reading with a high-resolution 6-inch electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, which lets users read for hours without the eyestrain caused by reading on a backlit display. More than 230,000 books are now available in the Kindle Store, including 103 of 110 current New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases, which are typically $9.99. Top U.S. and international magazines and newspapers plus more than 1,200 different blogs are also available. Kindle 2 is available for pre-order starting today for $359 at http://amazon.com/kindle2 and will ship February 24.

“Kindle 2 is everything customers tell us they love about the original Kindle, only thinner, faster, crisper, with longer battery life, and capable of holding hundreds more books. If you want, Kindle 2 will even read to you — something new we added that a book could never do,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “While we’re excited about Kindle 2, we know that great hardware is useless without vast selection. That’s why the Kindle Store offers customers over 230,000 books.”

Kindle 2 is 0.36 inch thin (9 mm) and weighing just over 10 ounces (290 gm), so it is pencil thin and lighter than a typical paperback. With 2 GB of memory, Kindle 2 can hold more than 1,500 books, compared with 200 with the original Kindle.

Kindle 2 users can read for four to five days on one charge with wireless on and for over two weeks with wireless turned off. Kindle 2 comes with the New Oxford American Dictionary and its 250,000 word definitions built-in, and with Kindle 2 definitions appear instantly at the bottom of the page.

Kindle 2 offers the experimental read-to-me feature “Text-to-Speech” that converts words on a page to spoken word so customers have the option to read or listen. Customers can switch back and forth between reading and listening, and their spot is automatically saved. Pages turn automatically while the content is being read so customers can listen hands-free. Customers can choose to be read to by male or female voices and can choose the speed to suit their listening preference. Using the read-to-me feature, anything you can read on Kindle, including books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and personal documents, Kindle 2 can read to you.

Read Also:
Introducing Amazon Kindle 2 (Amazon Press Release)

Western Digital Launches First 2TB Hard Drives

2009-01-29T16:40:00.001+04:00

Western Digital announced two days ago the first 2TB hard drive - the world's highest capacity drive and the latest addition to WD's popular, environmentally friendly, cool and quiet, WD Caviar Green hard drive family. This new 3.5-inch platform is based on WD's 500 GB/platter technology (with 400 Gb/in2 areal density) with 32 MB cache.

Formatted capacity - Windows Vista 32-bit, NTFS partition

WD Caviar Green drives are designed for use in USB/FireWire®/eSATA external hard drives, desktop computers, workstations, and desktop RAID environments.

"Saving power without sacrificing storage capacity is what consumers want, and what many businesses are requiring today. With the launch of the new WD Caviar Green 2 TB hard drive, customers receive the additional capacities needed to operate today's highly advanced programs and high-resolution digital files while using less power than typical drives with similar performance and capacities," said Jim Morris, WD senior vice president and general manager of client systems.

The WD Caviar Green 2 TB is available at select resellers and distributors. MSRP for the WD Caviar Green 2 TB hard drives is $299 USD.

Read Also:
WD Launches Industry;s First 2 TB Hard Drives (Western Digital Press Release)
Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green Drive Preview (Hot Hardware)

SanDisk Launches World's First Button Backup USB Flash Drive

2009-01-23T10:00:00.002+04:00

SanDisk introduced earlier this month during CES 2009 the world’s first backup USB flash drive with simple backup software activation at the touch of a button. The SanDisk Ultra Backup USB portable flash drive is the first offering of the company’s new SanDisk Ultra USB product line.

With capacities up to 64GB, the SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive is designed to protect computer users’ photos, music, videos, personal and business documents, and other types of digital files, with the simple touch of a button. No software installation is needed. The drive protects onboard digital content with a dual layer of security, including password-protected access control and ultra-secure AES hardware-based encryption.

The new SanDisk USB flash drives will first become available in April 2009. The SanDisk Ultra Backup drive will be available in capacities of 8GB-64GB with MSRPs ranging between $39.99 and $199.99.

The SanDisk Ultra Backup drive includes a 5-year limited warranty.

Read Also:
SanDisk Launches World's First Button Backup USB Flash Drive (SanDisk Press Room)
SanDisk Ultra Backup USB Flash Drive (SanDisk)

BumpTop: Beta Release Available By Invitation

2008-12-24T21:30:00.000+04:00

I heard about BumpTop for the first time about 2 and a half years ago. I wrote a blog about it when I had watched the demo video. I was really amazed and anxious to try it one day. On the 12th of this month, I have received an invitation from BumpTop to download the beta version of the 3d desktop application!

Right away, I downloaded the software and installed it in my Windows Vista (it works only on Windows XP and Vista). It looked different than the demo I watched 30 months ago, but much better! BumpTop will make your virtual desktop look more like a real desktop with your files and folders scattered around and stacked the way it fits your need and taste.

You have the choice of downloading more BumpTop themes. See some snapshots I took for some of those themes. Sign up for a beta download invitation and you might experience BumpTop soon :)

Read Also:
BumpTop Beta In Action (Lifehacker)

Google Releases Top Searched Terms of 2008 In UAE & 36 Other Countries

2008-12-11T20:00:00.001+04:00

Yesterday, Google announced its annual Zeitgeist, a look at 2008 through the collective eyes of the world on the web. The 2008 Year-End Zeitgeist offers a unique perspective on the year's major events and hottest trends based on global searches, as well as searches conducted in UAE and 35 additional countries.

In the UAE the fastest rising lists of 2008 proved to be quite interesting with the Beijing Olympics, Sheikh Nasser Bin Zayed and the Atlantis Hotel rising to the top ten searches for this year. We also looked at what the top 10 most popular search terms related to the economy and the fastest rising lists of vacations, famous people and restaurants residents of the UAE are searching for.

In addition to telling us what people are curious about in the UAE, Google Zeitgeist tools also offer insight into which topics were of interest across the globe. This year, for the first time since its inception in 2001, we have taken a deep dive into global search information across more than 30 countries and published our findings all in one place: the Google Zeitgeist 2008 website. This year's global fastest rising searches show interest in global events such as the Beijing Olympics and Euro 2008, with a number of American politicians and international social networking sites showing up as well:

Google reveals the internet "Zeitgeist" (German for "the spirit of the times") through an exploration of the millions of search queries we receive every day. In addition to the Year-end Zeitgeist, which highlights the top trends of 2008, we also have several tools that give insight into global, regional, past and present search trends. Google Zeitgeist tools can never be used to identify individual users because we rely on anonymized, aggregated counts of how often certain search queries occur over time. These tools are available year-round for you to play with, explore, and learn from: www.google.com/zeitgeist

Ayna Launches Ayna Events Service

2008-12-11T18:14:00.002+04:00

Ayna Corporation announced today the launch of a beta version of Ayna Events Service. The service is dedicated to covering the latest events and occasions happening in the Middle East & North Africa.

Ayna Events presents clever features where events are listed by date and geo-located on Ayna Maps, displaying detailed information with routine options as well as providing comprehensive search criteria.

The service carries a constantly growing database of Concerts and Shows, Conferences, Educational Activities, Entertainment, Exhibitions, Fairs & Festivals, Premiere/Road Shows/Launchings, Seminars, Sports, Theaters and Plays, and Trade Shows taking place in the Middle East & North African region.

Event Organizers are able to submit their events manually and geo-locate them on Ayna Maps through a user-friendly interface. The service is offered for free and holds different advertising options.

Ayna Events service is presented in Arabic and English and will include additional features in the coming future.

Muxlim Pal: World’s First Virtual World for Muslims

2008-12-11T08:00:00.000+04:00

A trial version of the world's first Muslim-friendly virtual world was launched yesterday, where users can create an online persona, design their own rooms, buy virtual items and interact with others. Called Muxlim Pal and created by the Finnish-based company Muxlim.com, the English-language site caters primarily to Muslims living in western countries who long to reconnect with other Muslims and Muslim culture.

"Muxlim Pal is just another channel for our users to socialize, have fun and express themselves using social media in a safe and friendly atmosphere," Muxlim chairman and CEO Mohamed El-Fatatry.

Mohamed El-Fatatry: Chairmain & CEO of Muxlim.com

"We are not a religious site, we are a site that is focused on the lifestyle ... This is for anyone who is remotely interested in the Muslim culture and the Muslim lifestyle," he said.

On Muxlim Pal, which is free of charge to join, users can shop for clothes for their avatar at the mall, hang out at the beach cafe, pray at the mosque or go to concerts. What makes Muxlim Pal different from other popular websites such as Second Life is that content portraying violence, drugs, sexual references or profanity is not allowed.

The company plans to launch the full version of the virtual world next year after tweaking the trial product with help from users.

Read Also:
Virtual world for Muslims debuts (BBC News)
Finnish Muxlim Launches World’s First Virtual World for Muslims (Startupbin)
First Muslim-friendly virtual world goes online (AFP) (Yahoo! Tech)

Google Friend Connect: Making Sites More Interactive & Social

2008-12-10T08:06:00.007+04:00

A week ago, Google announced the release of the beta version of Google Friend Connect. This is what Mussie Shore, Google Product Manager, had to say about the new released service:

We're pleased to share that Google Friend Connect is now available in beta to any webmaster looking to add a "dash of social" to his or her site. This service lets webmasters add social features to their sites by simply copying and pasting a few snippets of code — no advanced coding or technical background required.

The following YouTube video explains the concept of Google Friend Connect:

The main two types of gadgets you can add to your site/blog are Members Gadgets and Social Gadgets. Members gadget allows visitors to join your site, sign in and out, see other members, and use other social features. You may also use a more minimal, simple sign-in gadget, on multiple pages on your site to ensure that visitors can sign in and out as desired. Once you've installed one of these, visitors can start joining your site.

On the other hand, Social Gadgets include wall gadget and review/rate gadget. Wall gadget allows viewers to post comments, or links to videos on your site. Review/rate gadget allows viewers to rate a page, or a section of a page. Viewers can use this to rate videos, articles, books, photos, songs, or anything else. You can put multiple Review/Rate gadgets on one page, one for each item you want viewers to review.

Google Friend Connect is a service worth implementing in sites and blogs. It's free and will help making your site more interactive and social.

Lacie CurrenKey: USB Flash Drives Look Like Euro Coins

2008-12-05T10:00:00.001+04:00

Lacie announced 5 days ago the first minting of the LaCie CurrenKey USB flash drives. The new flash drives are designed to be carried in pockets or coin purses. They surely look like Euro coins!

The design was created exclusively for LaCie by 5.5 designers. LaCie CurrenKeys open with a simple rotation of the coin’s edge; a design that easily reveals and hides the USB connector with a twist. For added data security, the LaCie CurrenKeys are made with a shock-proof, die-cast metal for resilience and safety.

The LaCie CurrenKeys come with two storage capacities: the silver LaCie CurrenKey can pack up to 8 GB (US $30) while the bronze can handle up to 4 GB (US $20).

Read Also:
LaCie Mints New USB Products with a Priceless Design (LaCie Press Release)

Pioneer Showcases 400GB Blu-ray Disc & Plans For 1TB In 2013

2008-12-04T07:00:00.001+04:00

Pioneer is exhibiting its super multi-layer read-only optical disc which features 16 separate layers on a single side with 25GB storage capacity on each layer for a total capacity of 400GB at the IT Month fair taking place in Taipei.

The technology of the super multi-layer read-only disc is based on Blu-ray Disc (BD) with a breakthrough in material of reflective layers, according to Pioneer High Fidelity Taiwan. The specifications of the pick-up head (PUH) of the disc is the same as those for the PUH of blank BD discs, and therefore the Pioneer discs can be read on BD players, the company said.

According to Pioneer's internal roadmap, its super multi-layer technology development is read-only (ROM) discs in 2008-2010, rewritable discs in 2010-2012 and 1TB (1,000GB) disc in 2013, the company indicated.

Read Also:
Pioneer showcases 16-layer 400GB optical disc (Digitimes)

Lunascape 5 Alpha: High-Speed All-in-One Browser (IE7 + Firefox 3 + Google Chrome)

2008-11-28T22:10:00.000+04:00

Lunascape 5.0 Alpha Genesis provides a shortcut to jumping between Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox, without running any of the actual browsers. In all fairness, the Lunascape browser does not deliver Google Chrome Beta, Internet Explorer 8, or Firefox 3.1, but its does manage to bring to the table the next best thing, all the underlying rendering engines used by Google, Microsoft and Mozilla.

Instead of juggling multiple browsers in order to adapt to interoperability issues or to websites optimized for certain browsers, Lunascape 5.0 Alpha Genesis allows the users to seamlessly switch between the Trident, Gecko and WebKit, rendering engines for navigation tasks.

Furthermore, the Lunascape developers claim that they have beaten Chrome, Firefox 3.0.1, Opera 9.52, and Internet Explorer 7, in terms of JavaScript performance.

The following is a snapshot of the "Select Rendering Engine" panel that appears when you first install the new browser:

Lunascape 5 Alpha is for developers only and it has its problems. On the other hand, it looks very promising and I might personally shift to it when it proves to be more stable and continue to be the fastest web browser in the world.

Read Also:
Have it all: Lunascape, the browser with three engines (CNET)
Download Google Chrome, IE and Firefox Wrapped into One (Softpedia)

Add Your Personal Touch By Choosing Your Gmail Theme

2008-11-21T07:45:00.000+04:00

Two days ago, Google added the "theme" option for Gmail users enabling them to add their personal touch to their Gmail pages. Gmail users can choose their theme from 30 available themes up to this moment. To customize Gmail inbox, go to the Themes tab under Settings. Enjoy!

Read Also:
Spice up your inbox with colors and themes (Gmail Blog)

USB 3.0 Specifications Finally Revealed

2008-11-17T22:00:00.001+04:00

Finally! The specifications of USB 3.0 has been revealed today to public as promised. The specification document consists of 482 pages put together by group of developers from Hewlett-Packard, Intel, NEC, ST-NXP Wireless, Microsoft, and Texas Instruments. The document specifies the super speed of the new USB which can reach up to 5 Gbps.

The document defines the next generation USB industry-standard, USB 3.0. The specification described the protocol definition, types of transactions, bus management, and the programming interface required to design and build systems and peripherals that are compliant with this specification.

USB 3.0's goal remains to enable devices from different vendors to interpolate in an open architecture, while maintaining and leveraging the existing USB infrastructure (device drivers, software interfaces, etc.). The specification is intended as an enhancement to the PC architecture, spanning portable, business desktop, and home environments, as well as simple device-to-device communications. It is intended that the specification allow system OEMs and peripheral developers adequate room for product versatility and market differentiation without the burden of carrying obsolete interfaces or losing compatibility.

Read Also:
USB 3.0 Specification Now Available (USB.org Press Release)

Al Nassma: World's First Camel Milk Chocolate

2008-11-17T18:00:00.000+04:00

On 22 October, Al Nassma announced the release of world's first camel milk chocolate to UAE market. Al Nassma, a Dubai company, has been working for the last two years with a team of international experts to release this unique Arabian product.

“This is a historic moment, we at Al Nassma are very proud to present the world’s first camel milk chocolate, the most sensational and tempting form of camel milk,” said Dr. Ali Ridha, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Nassma Chocolate LLC, who is joined in the board by chocolatiers and camel milk experts.

“Al nassma is a unique product that encapsulates the spirit of Arabia and Dubai. Our product development for this exclusive chocolate has been meticulous and we have chosen only the finest ingredients to make sure we develop a premium product” explains Martin van Almsick, General Manager, Al Nassma.

Al Nassma’s product line consists of 5 different flavored 70gm bars, including Arabia, delicately flavored with local spices; Dates, Macadamia Nut - Orange, 70% Cocoa and Whole Milk. The pralines range is delicately filled with pistachio, nougat and coffee cream. However, the jewel in the crown is the gold wrapped chocolate camel embodying the source of Al nassma, the camel and its milk. The hollow chocolate camels are available in 2 sizes, 130 and 730 gm.

CNN Hologram Interview: Big Setup To Produce "Star Wars" Like Technology

2008-11-14T08:00:00.002+04:00

It was an election night like none other, in every sense of the phrase. In addition to the obvious -- the selection of the nation's first black president -- Tuesday night's coverage on CNN showcased groundbreaking technology.

"I want you to watch what we're about to do," CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer told viewers early in the evening's coverage, "because you've never seen anything like this on television." And he was right. Cue CNN political correspondent Jessica Yellin.

"Hi Wolf!" said Yellin, waving to Blitzer as she stood a few feet in front of him in the network's New York City studios. Or at least, that's the way it appeared at first glance.

In reality, Yellin -- a correspondent who had been covering Sen. Barack Obama's campaign -- was at the now president-elect's mega-rally along the lakefront in Chicago, Illinois, more than 700 miles away from CNN's Election Center in New York.

It looked like a scene straight out of "Star Wars." Here was Yellin, partially translucent with a glowing blue haze around her, appearing to materialize in thin air. She even referenced the classic movie on her own, saying, "It's like I follow in the tradition of Princess Leia. It's something else."

The technology involved placing a subject in the middle of a bright-green circular room inside a large tent at Obama's Grant Park victory celebration. The subject was then filmed with 35 high-definition video cameras, barely larger than average point-and-shoot cameras, which ringed the wall of the circular room. The video cameras were 6 inches apart and at eye level, 220 degrees around the subject.

According to Gizmodo, this is what CNN used to create this visual trick:

On the subject's side:

35 HD cameras pointed at the subject in a ring.
Different cameras shoot at different angles (like the matrix), to transmit the entire body image.
The cameras are hooked up to the cameras in home base in NY, synchronizing the angles so perspective is right.
The system is set up in trailers outside Obama and McCain HQ
Not only is it mechanical tracking via camera communication, there's infrared as well.
Correspondents see a 37-inch plasma where the return feed of the combined images are fed back to them.
Twenty "computers" are crunching this data in order to make it usable.

On the HQ side:

Only used on two out of 40-something total camera feeds that CNN has.
The delay is either minimal, or we've gotten used to satellite delay that we don't even notice now.
An array of computers takes the crunched info feed from the subject's side in order to mesh it with the video from Wolf's side.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the images are actually "projected" onto the floor of the CNN studio so that Wolf can actually talk to the person, you know, in a face to face. So it's not quite Star Wars just yet. Only after computers merge the video feeds together do you get a coherent hologram + person scenario.

Here is the video that talks about the secret of this magic ...

Read Also:
Beam me up, Wolf! CNN debuts election-night 'hologram' (CNN Technology)
How the CNN Holographic Interview System Works (Gizmodo)