Useful News/Reviews/Software

Best and Cheap Web Hosting offer

2006-08-03T00:14:00.000+05:30

This is one of the best and cheap web hosting offers one can get for a dollar a month:

Best and cheap Web Hosting offer

My new Blog

2005-12-17T23:10:00.000+05:30

I have moved my blog to my own domain using Wordpress. You can access it via www.thinkabdul.com

Send your name into space via NASA

2005-12-11T09:41:00.000+05:30

Send your name to the asteroid belt on the Dawn spacecraft. Your name will be recorded onto a microchip that will be placed aboard the spacecraft accompanying it on its mission to the asteroid belt. After entering your name below, you can print a document that verifies your journey aboard the spacecraft. I already did.

Signup here

Search the web with your camera phone

2005-12-10T11:54:00.000+05:30

A company called nThrum has just released beta version of its software. It is a free service that does a Google or Yahoo web search of any text recognized in a picture that you snap with your phone’s camera. This service is still in Beta and is on an invitation basis. Check out the site for details.

Yahoo! acquires del.icio.us

2005-12-10T02:29:00.000+05:30

del.icio.us has just joined the Yahoo! family.

Congrats.

link for del.icio.us/blog

link for Yahoo! search blog

Microsoft to give search engine users money to use MSN Search

2005-12-10T02:24:00.000+05:30

Microsoft will share a part of its advertising revenues from its search engine with users, the Bill Gates said in a panel discussion on an Indian television channel. Bill Gates is on an official visit to India for increasing business . He has said that he will invest 1.7 billion dollars in India over the next couple of years.

More at– link

Smart Google Mail

2005-12-10T02:09:00.000+05:30

Found via Paul Kedrosky's Blog,

Gmail makes it easy for you to keep track of your packages, and map out directions to your destinations; when you open a message that lists an address or package tracking number, Gmail shows you handy links to maps and directions, or your package's delivery status. These links are produced automatically . No humans read the content of the email in order to generate these links and none of them are sponsored by advertisers.

direct link

Windows Live Local+Microsoft Location Finder

2005-12-09T22:21:00.000+05:30

Microsoft has released a Beta version of their Windows Live local (Windows Live Local). Windows Live Local combines mapping and local search and lets you search in your geography.

This combined with Microsoft Location Finder (download here) which is a client-side application that runs in the background on a regular Internet enabled laptop, Tablet or PC .to center and display the person's location on Windows Live Local, enables the user to quickly and easily search in their present location. For example, you have a laptop and you go from Bombay to New Bombay. If you have Location Finder installed, you can go to Windows Local search and just type in your query like bank or ATM and it will search in the New Mumbai locality. Pretty neat but good for United States only, not for countries like India.

Blogging with BlogJet

2005-12-09T10:15:00.000+05:30

I have just installed BlogJet. It's a cool Windows client for blogging directly to my Blogger account via my desktop. So now i don't have to open IE and, log into my account and write html codes. BlogJet not only works with Blogger but also with also with most of the common Blogging sites available on the Internet. The new version also supports a Flickr integration plug-in.

All this and more. Happy Blogging!!

Update: I just realized after trying to post my first post with Blogger that due to the new Auto Spam protection, I cannot post to my Blog directly to Blogger unless I key in the Word Verification. I am now waiting for Google to approve my Blog as a no spammer to turn off the Word Verification.

Update 2: I just got a mail from Blogger Support stating that my blog has been whitelisted and that it will no longer appear as potential spam.

Why Intel Sucks at PC Games?

2005-12-07T23:15:00.000+05:30

In response to this article (Real Gaming Challenge: Intel vs. AMD) on ExtremeTech, a knowledgeable reader decided to dig a little deeper as to why Intel sucks at PC Games.
And being an AMD fan, I thought it necessary to publish this article on my blog.

read more | digg story

Protect yourself from email virus

2005-12-07T06:01:00.000+05:30

This is a short story by Jim Kissel of Open Source Migrations Ltd about a failed email virus attack and how to protect against an email virus generally.
It draws your attention to two major points- security and email.

Some of the things you can do in your existing email client is:

1) Turn off JavaScript in mail messages
2) Block loading of remote images in mail messages
3) Use secure connections (SSL) when retrieving and sending email
4) Set View Message Body as Plain Text

And more in the article.

read more | digg story

Grid comparison of current PDA/smartphone

2005-12-07T01:11:00.000+05:30

This is a comparison of some of the most common Symbian,Palm and Windows Mobile PDAs/Smartphones available in the market.
This is a grid comparison meaning features like calendar, contacts, tasks, emails, connectivity, etc are ranked for each phone against the other.
And then there is the overall winner.

Can you guess which platform is the overall winner?

link

Real world Corporate Interviews

2005-12-06T04:02:00.000+05:30

This is a site for Real job interviews and experiences of people with worldwide corporates. It gives a preview of what kind of interview questions and selection processes a company has.

read more | digg story

There are some interesting questions/comments, so make sure you visit this site atleast one.

Free Programming tutorials

2005-12-06T03:24:00.000+05:30

Programmer Sean Greasely has created cool video tutorials covering C++, Visual Basic, SQL, Direct 3D, HTML, Java and more.
Nice tutorials for beginners

link

Anti-spyware tools reviewed

2005-12-06T02:03:00.000+05:30

ZDNet Australia has published a comprehensive review of 8 antispyware products from Computer Associates, Lavasoft, McAfee, Microsoft, PC Tools, Symantec, Trend Micro and Webroot.

link

And guess who is the winner...

Editor's Choice: Symantec Client Security 3.0

PC Tools Spyware Doctor 3.0 for Home Consumers.

Spyware Doctor is what I use a home and have found it to be almost up to date and reliable.

Maporama- Global Mapping service

2005-12-05T23:15:00.000+05:30

Maporama is a truly global service offering free maps and directions to and within 61 different countries including the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. It can generate routes with intermediate stops, and lets you specify road preferences.
The best part is I can view maps and directions in Indian cities, which to my knowledge, no other sites offer.

link

The site can also be accessed from a PDA using this link http://pda.maporama.com

IP/Subnet Calculator for Series60 device

2005-12-05T12:22:00.000+05:30

Ever wanted to calculate the network address,subnet mask or number of hosts for your MCSE exams on your Series 60 phone?
With Windows Mobile phones you can use vxUtil available at www.cam.com but most people aren't aware of anything for series 60 phones.
So after extensive searching on different forums I came across this app called IPCalc which is not as featuristic as vxUtil but does the job of calculating Network Addresses and number of hosts . A must have tool for any Network Admin owning a Series 60 device.
This software doesn't seem to be hosted on any website. So if you want it send me an email at abdul_aziz_1 (at) msn (dot)com

What's on my Sendo X?

2005-12-05T12:08:00.000+05:30

According to AppMan that I've installed on my computer, I have a total of 32 applications installed on my Sendo X utilizing 11.40 megs of disk space.
Whew, thats quite a bit. I will post the apps that I have installed one by one with a brief description shortly.

MSN Encarta Bot too popular

2005-12-03T21:34:00.000+05:30

I guess the MSN Messenger Encarta is getting too popular. I asked it a question and this is what it answered:

My source for this information is inaccessible at the moment. Please give me a few seconds and try to ask your question again.
Exception details: too many failed requests to "MSNSearch API".

MSN Encarta Instant Answers on MSN Messenger

2005-12-03T04:38:00.000+05:30

Microsoft has released two IM Bots, which offer answers to questions from MSN Encarta encyclopedia and BBC TV listings. Those interested can add encarta@conversagent.com and bbcbackstage@hotmail.com to their contact lists in order to talk to these bots and get some answers.
This is freaking awesome. I already have added the MSN Encarta bot and tried chatting with it.
When I said Where is Mumbai, it opened a side window and pointed me to mumbai on India Map.

Boot computer from a USB drive

2005-12-03T03:44:00.000+05:30

PCStats has got a beginner's guide on how to boot your computer from a USB device. The main criteria though is that your computer's motherboard should allow booting from USB devices.

link

Synchronized Computing for Home Users

2005-12-03T00:51:00.000+05:30

The NYTimes is running an article highlighting several ways consumers can sync and access their data from anywhere. They talk about three programs namely, Foldershare,BeInSync and .Mac

link

Huge list of Freeware

2005-12-02T23:12:00.000+05:30

This site offers daily updates of hundreds of pages which list thousands of freeware alternatives to expensive software for Windows. Every software program listed on this site is cost-free, spyware and malware free.

link

Another Desktop Search application: Blinkx

2005-12-02T01:12:00.000+05:30

I have been using Windows Desktop Search for about 6 months now. Recently I came across this Desktop Search application called Blinkx. It indexes almost all kinds of Outlook and computer files.
But the best part of this application is the Smart Folders concept. Smart Folders are dynamic folders that automatically updates contents of the folder based on type of keywords you have input for the search result.

Features and Download- link

Read a review for Blinkx here

Grand webcast to honour Albert Einstein

2005-12-02T00:50:00.000+05:30

A grand 12-hour live webcast called Beyond Einstein will be broadcast from Imperial College, London.
Alongside E=mc², there will be discussion of gravitational waves, the search for the Higgs Boson and the mysteries that still linger behind Einstein's work.

via BBC

GMail virus scanning coming

2005-12-01T22:06:00.000+05:30

Found this on What's New on Google. GMail is introducing Virus scan for incoming and outgoing emails.

More at GMail help here

Skype Beta with Video Calling

2005-12-01T21:43:00.000+05:30

Skype 2.0 Beta is out now with video calling support.

Download it here

Play WMA files on Symbian phones

2005-12-01T03:48:00.000+05:30

This is a brand new app called WMAPlus! which can play WMA files along with other formats like mp3, ogg, aac, amr and mid. Remember, this application cannot play licensed media yet but something is better than nothing.

Link to download trial.

Digg unavailable

2005-12-01T03:03:00.000+05:30

Wow!! Today I went to Digg.com and saw this:

Site Temporarily Unavailable

Digg is experiencing sudden massive user growth. We're adding servers right this moment to handle the increase of load. Please bear with us and we'll be back online shortly!

Digg is rocking!!

RSS added to Yahoo Mail Beta

2005-11-30T23:43:00.000+05:30

This is cool. Yahoo Mail Beta has integrated RSS feeds below email folders.Besides integrating RSS into Mail, Yahoo launched a beta of Yahoo! Alerts, which notifies users when RSS feeds are updated. Alerts can be sent via SMS, e-mail or Yahoo! Messenger.

To sign up for Yahoo Mail Beta, join the waiting list here

Full Story at Flexbeta link

Update: Some screenshots at Scott Gatz's(Senior Director of Personalization Products at Yahoo!) blog- link

An extensive list of Yahoo Services now !!

2005-11-30T23:15:00.000+05:30

A few days ago, I had posted a link to an extensive list of Google Services. Now its the turn to list a huge list of Yahoo services which again number more than 50.

link

Firefox referrals - now available internationally

2005-11-30T04:55:00.000+05:30

International AdSense publishers can now refer users to Firefox plus Google Toolbar. Cool.

WindowBlinds 5 just released

2005-11-30T01:58:00.000+05:30

As mentioned in my earlier post, WindowBlinds 5 has just been released. This has been one of my favorite programs to change the look and feel of Windows XP for 3 years now.

News link here

Screenshot 1 link
Screenshot 2 link

Sony PSP now supports RSS and WMA music files

2005-11-29T23:11:00.000+05:30

Sony just released a new firmware update v2.6 for the PSP with RSS(!) and Windows Music support.

Why Does Beta Last So Long?

2005-11-29T05:23:00.000+05:30

Found via slashdot.org, Carl Bialik writes "Noting that Google News has been labeled 'beta' for nearly three years, and Microsoft's antispyware program for nearly a year, the Wall Street Journal looks at why 'beta' lasts so long these days. The article mentions the usefulness of getting the masses to test the product, but also notices another possible reason: 'Betas also have become a marketing device in a fiercely competitive industry, allowing software and Internet firms to release new products or services sooner and cultivate early buzz.

Original complete article at WSJ online: link

An interesting excerpt from the article:
Google releases many of its applications to the public with the beta label, and also keeps many of them in beta for a long time. Critics say the format gives Google an excuse to avoid responsibility for any flaws.

And I quite agree with that. GMail which is still in Beta is ridiculously slow. The other day I tried attaching multiple files (small sized) and sending them over but for some reason they would not upload and the progress bar would forever show increasing.

Microsoft Beta Invite ID's

2005-11-29T05:18:00.000+05:30

If you'd like to get a chance to beta test Microsoft's latest products, check this site out. This site is updated everyday with the latest Microsoft beta invite ids which you can enter at beta.microsoft.com and try your luck.
If it hadn't been for this site, I probably wouldn't have been a part of the Office 12 Beta :)

An excellent networking tool

2005-11-29T04:54:00.000+05:30

This is an excellent all-in-one application written in Microsoft Visual Studio.NET by Mohammadi Ahmadi, an engineering student of Industrial Science and Technology in Antwerp, Belgium.
Net Tools 4 contains a whole bunch of network tools (more than 100 in numbers). Here are a few of them:

1) IP Address Scanner
2) IP Calculator
3) IP Converter
4) Port Listener
5) Port Scanner
6) Ping
7) NetStat (2 ways)
8) Trace Route (2 ways)
9) TCP/IP Configuration
10) Online - Offline Checker
11) Resolve Host & IP
12) Time Sync
13) Whois & MX Lookup

And the list goes on................whew.

Giant mosque for 40,000 may be built at London Olympics

2005-11-29T01:54:00.000+05:30

A MASSIVE mosque that will hold 40,000 worshippers is being proposed beside the Olympic complex in London to be opened in time for the 2012 Games. The project’s backers hope the mosque and its surrounding buildings would hold a total of 70,000 people, only 10,000 fewer than the Olympic stadium. This is indeed breathtaking!!

Continues here

Google Sightseeing

2005-11-29T01:30:00.000+05:30

Google Sightseeing is brought to you by Alex, James & Olly who take you to the best tourist spots in the world via satellite images from Google Maps. This site has an amazing collection of Google map. Must check out.

link

New Google competitor

2005-11-28T23:01:00.000+05:30

There is a new search engine called PreviewSeek claiming to the world's most advance search engine. After displaying search results, PreviewSeek allows you to further refine your search based on categories and also allow you to preview each site in a small box without opening the site which is a pretty convinient feature. Can't comment on the quality of search results though since i am still trying their service .

link

Skype for Symbian mobiles

2005-11-28T22:38:00.000+05:30

At the Voice On the Net (VON) conference in Toronto, Skype Technologies co-founder and CEO Niklas Zennstrom reported that a mobile version of Skype will be available this year. Skype plans to release a version for Embedded Linux, Symbian or Windows Mobile devices later this year.
Wow! I am looking forward for this version.

Continues here

The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities

2005-11-28T22:17:00.000+05:30

Tech Support Alert has compiled a list of the 46 best-ever freeware utilities for Windows. The list covers almost any category of software you could imagine: from browsers to e-mail clients, from antivirus and rootkit detectors to anonymous browser tools and firewalls.

link

99 Useful Run Commands for Windows XP

2005-11-25T23:17:00.000+05:30

Fixmypc.com lists 99 useful run commands for Windows XP

link

Update: 30-Nov-2005 Another link for 113 Useful Run Commands

Free File Hosting List

2005-11-25T20:57:00.000+05:30

This is a cool list of free file hosts ideal for storage.

The list is categorized into:

1) File hosting sites and further categorized into storage size provided
2) Image hosting sites

link

Update: Another list of free file hosts- link

Date and Time on Google Maps

2005-11-25T02:25:00.000+05:30

You can click anywhere on the map to find out the local time here

Pretty neat.

The Mother of All CPU Charts 2005/2006

2005-11-25T01:47:00.000+05:30

This is awesome. Tom's Hardward guide has made this entensive chart of over 77 processors from both AMD and Intel from 1994 to 2005. Can't believe how they did this!!

link

WindowBlinds 5 coming on November 29

2005-11-24T22:12:00.000+05:30

WindowBlinds 5, the first major new version of the program since 2003, is coming November 29. It is supposed to look better, perform faster, and use less memory. This new version eliminates any resident programs (previous versions of WindowBlinds relied on a wbload.exe process) saving valuable resources and memory.

screenshot

An overview of mobile device security

2005-11-24T04:57:00.000+05:30

Here is a detailed overview of mobile devices security. It gives a history of mobile device malware (remember Cabir?), vulnerabilities, current day threats, how to protect against mobile viruses, and trends and forecasts

Nice article for mobile devices security

link

Office 12 installed

2005-11-24T03:29:00.000+05:30

I have successfully installed Office 12 and am exploring it now. It looks awesome.

Rapidshare.de Rapidshared??

2005-11-24T02:55:00.000+05:30

RapidShared.ORG is a catalog of materials, hosted on the servers of rapidshare.de, the world leading file hosting service. Aim of this project is to gather links spread all over the net in one single place and to structurize them in a user-friendly way. All links get checked (if valid, for duplicate entries, etc) to make everything even more comfortable!

link

Cool, though the only restriction of Rapidshare being to download one file at a time

A extensive guide to Google Services

2005-11-24T02:12:00.000+05:30

Here's a link to an extensive list of Google services (which are more than 50 in number)

link

Yahoo Search shortcuts

2005-11-24T01:11:00.000+05:30

Here are some nice 30 odd shortcuts for Yahoo Search

link

New Google Service: Click-to-Call

2005-11-24T00:05:00.000+05:30

Click to Call is a free and fast way to speak directly to the advertiser found on a Google search results page – over the phone.

Here's how it works: When you click the phone icon, you can enter your phone number. Once you click 'Connect For Free,' Google calls the number you provided. When you pick up, you hear ringing on the other end as Google connects you to the other party. Then, chat away on our dime.

link

Preview Wikipedia results before search

2005-11-23T05:58:00.000+05:30

Now you can preview WiKipedia search results. As soon as you type a query, the search engine will display results below instataneously. All done using AJAX.

link

Cool indeed :)

Disturbing facts about Google

2005-11-23T05:52:00.000+05:30

Found via rinf.com, some disturbing facts about Google

1. Google's immortal cookie
2. Google records everything they can
3. Google retains all data indefinitely
4. Google won't say why they need this data
5. Google hires spooks
6. Google's toolbar is spyware
7. Google's cache copy is illegal
8. Google is not your friend
9. Google is a privacy time bomb

Semapedia: Physical Wikipedia for Symbian phones

2005-11-23T04:45:00.000+05:30

Project Semapedia hosted on the site semapedia.org is created to connect the virtual and physical world by bringing information from the Internet to the relevant place in physical space.

This article shows how semapedia works. Or you can download the complete guide in PDF format here

Part 1: The preparation
========================

First of all, there is something that exists in the real-world. For this story we take the beautiful Hofburg located in Vienna as an example:

The Hofburg has a great article on Wikipedia located at http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofburg, so what we want to do, is to connect this Wikipedia article with the actual Hofburg so that people who pass by this building can immediately obtain information on it using on of the most amazing and qualitative information-resources.

Using the Semapedia creation form Alexis transformed the URL http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofburg into this neat little Semapedia Tag:

And, after politely asking the people at the Hofburg, attaches this Semapedia Tag live right ONTO the Hofburg, making it kind of 'clickable' for mobile Users if they have installed the Semacode Reader:

Part 2: Retrieving Information
================================

Next up, someone else, a tourist named Michi for example, passes by the Hofburg. He has lost his tourist-guide and information-book on Vienna. Don't worry! He sees the Semapedia Tag and uses his Smartphone, to 'click' the Semapedia Tag to retrieve the URL.

The installed Reader Software will now decode the Semacode Node (the black/white matrix) and produce the URL (in our case http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofburg).
Now Michi can access the URL http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofburg and read about the Hofburg (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofburg) while he is actually standing right-there right-now!

Wow, this is pretty neat :)

Domain Hacks

2005-11-23T01:18:00.000+05:30

According to wikipedia (link), a domain hack is an unconventional domain name that uses parts other than the SLD (second level domain) or third level domain to create the full title of the domain name.

Very famous example del.icio.us/

Here's a cool Domain Hack search utility link

IT workers are "worst dressed" employees

2005-11-22T03:18:00.000+05:30

THE IT industry has the worst dressed workers, according to a leading Aussie fashion guru. More than 150 tech professionals attended a corporate fashion show in Sydney as organisers officially dubbed the industry "the worst dressed" in Australia.

Continues here

A nice Windows Customization guide

2005-11-22T02:38:00.000+05:30

Here's a nice guide by Brad Wardell of Stardock on customizing Windows.

It starts off by describing:

what is skinning?
history of skinning
different softwares for skinning
alternate environments
changing bootscreens
skinning Windows Media player

link

The Great Search engine experiment

2005-11-21T09:25:00.000+05:30

Found via digg.com, this test shows which search engine really offers you the most relevance?
The results till now:

Most Relevant Results For Each Month
Google- 40%
Yahoo -above 25%
MSN- below 25%

Most Relevant Results Over Entire Experiment Period
Google-41%
Yahoo- 33%
MSN- 26%

link

Blogging is Power!

2005-11-20T03:43:00.000+05:30

It is amazing to find out how a big company could be brought down to its knees by a blog. I am talking about the rootkit thing which was resported by Mark Russinovich of Sysinternals on his blog here.
And here is the original revelation of the matter by Mark entitled "Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far"

Age of Empires 3 is so engaging!!

2005-11-20T03:12:00.000+05:30

Aaaah, can't get my hands off Age of Empires 3. This weekend I am so involved in this game that I dont feel like doing anything else in this world.

Access your Symbian device File System from desktop

2005-11-20T02:35:00.000+05:30

One feature missing from Symbian phones and which Windows Mobile based smartphones has had it for quiet sometime now is the ability to browse your smartphones contents from your desktop through the Windows Explorer. But now with PC Mobile Drive this problem has been resolved.
PC Mobile Drive from Nova Epoc Systems is a nice solution to explore data drives (Flash, MMC, ROM) of your smartphone (any Symbian phones wil do except for newest Nokia 6260/6620/6630/7610 phones that don't not support Symbian connectivity any more) directly from the Windows Explorer!

The Old cumbersome way,

The best way,

domains.live.com

2005-11-19T06:26:00.000+05:30

This is cool.

Windows Live Custom Domains is a new service by Microsoft wherein you basically point your MX record to Windows Live and get free Windows Live Mail accounts, messenger accounts, and anything you can use a Passport account for. So now you can use your own domain to enjoy all the Passport services. And all this for FREE.

Here are some of the features:
Create up to 20 e-mail accounts within your domain
Get a 250 MB inbox for each account
Check your e-mail from any Web-enabled PC
Junk e-mail filter protection using Microsoft SmartScreen technology
Virus scanning and cleaning of e-mail
Seamless access with MSN Messenger, MSN Spaces, etc.

Link

Update: This is service is still not displayed on ideas.live.com
Update2: Here is the team that blog's about Windows Live custom domains- link

Personal Weather Stations+Google Map

2005-11-19T05:28:00.000+05:30

Search for your zip code and see personal weather stations temperature/wind direction, dew point/humidity or percipitation readings plotted on a google map.

Personal Weather Stations+Google Map

Meetro- a location based friendship service

2005-11-19T02:16:00.000+05:30

What is Meetro?
Technically speaking, Meetro is radius and proximity based software. Untechnically speaking, it finds like-minded people around you instantly. Wherever you are. So whether you’re in-town or out of town, Meetro gets you on the town with old friends or new acquaintances.

So what's minimeetro?
MiniMeetro is a Meetro faceroll and map for your blog or website, allowing your web visitors to see: - Who is nearby you when you use Meetro - Your Meetro buddy list - Random Meetro users sorted by distance or keyword. Does that sound awesome or what?!

:) Cool

Check out the site at www.meetro.com

No Passports in United Arab Emirates

2005-11-18T23:27:00.000+05:30

I read an article on CNET News.com today regarding the technology being used in the United Arab Emirates to help expedite travel through Dubai.
Instead of standing in long lines waiting to get a passport stamped, e-gate card holders can show up at a terminal, swipe the card, give a fingerprint and head off to baggage claim.

Continues here

Reset your Windows XP admin password

2005-11-18T22:50:00.000+05:30

Here's a cool article I found out by Vic Ferri of TechTrax
link to article)to reset your Windows XP Admin password without the need for any additional software. You just need your original Windows XP bootable CD.

Here are the steps:

1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (it’s assumed here that your XP CD is bootable – as it should be - and that you have your bios set to boot from CD)

2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your cd Typically, it will be “Press any key to boot from cd”

3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.

4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now

5. The Licensing Agreement comes next - Press F8 to accept it.

6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair.

It should read something like “If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it”

Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin the Repair process.

7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.

8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot. (this will happen automatically – you will see a progress bar stating “Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds”

9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of “pressing any key” to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted.

10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.

11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter.

Voila! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.

12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After you’ve made your changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key handy).

13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact.

This is indeed a nice little trick but very dangerous coz now anyone can reset your password without your knowledge.

Frappr: Friend Mapper

2005-11-18T01:11:00.000+05:30

Link

1. What is Frappr?
Frappr is an online tool that lets you map out the zip code where you live, work, vacation, or anything else! You can then share your unique URL with friends and find out where the rest of them live and work in relation to everyone else.

2. What does Frappr stand for?
Frappr = Friend Mapper

Looking forward to see you folks there along with your pics!

Podcasting on your Symbian phone

2005-11-17T23:55:00.000+05:30

I found this guide by Eirik Solheim on How to listen to Podcasts on your Symbian mobile phone. All you need is an MMC card, a Card Reader and Windows Media Player 10.

And another easier way to synchronize Podcasts to your Symbian phone is to use this software MobiEdge

Mobiedge Radio is a podcasting client that runs on an S60 mobile phone. You can use it to download, read, manage your subscribed podcasting feeds on your phone. Because of the large size of audio files,Mobiedge Radio comes with a desktop helper application called "Mobiedge Radio Bridge". You can use Mobiedge Radio Bridge to download huge audio files via your PC Internet connection and convert them into AMR format and then sync them to your phone.

This one again doesnt work on a Sendo X. I had sent an email to their support and they said that their application requires Symbian OS 7 and above. Too bad. But they said it will work except that some features wont be functional. So let me give it a shot and see what happens.

Freeware for Symbian

2005-11-17T23:40:00.000+05:30

Ok, here's a list of freeware software available for Symbian phones:

- S60 Freeware
- SymbianWiki
- SymbianDiaries
- AllAboutSymbian
- 3lib.ukonline.co.uk

Found via Tommi's Blog

Update: 19-11-2005
SymbianOne Freeware directory

Flash Lite built-in on Series 60 devices

2005-11-17T23:36:00.000+05:30

Most S60 3rd Edition devices will include Flash Lite player by default. Also, there will be a browser plugin for these devices, which means that much of the Flash content that today cannot be viewed in the mobile browser can now be displayed too.
The first devices to support this would be Nokia N90 and N70.
Cool na :)

Fast toggle between Silent and General profiles

2005-11-17T23:22:00.000+05:30

Here's a nice tip I learned for Series 60 phones [Version 2 or later only, Sendo X is version 1.2; I can't use it :( ]
Pressing the power key shortly will bring up a list of profiles and then you can choose the required profile. But if you're like me you keeps frequenting between your work, home and religious institution (I go the mosque time and again)just press the #-key for a bit longer time. If you are currently using some other profile than Silent, then the phone will be turned to Silent. And from Silent, this will always take you to General profile.
Nice one, right :)

New SPMark06 for benchmarking mobiles devices

2005-11-17T23:01:00.000+05:30

Futuremark has released a new version of their Java benchmarking tool for Mobile Devices, SPMark06. The benchmarking consist tests of 3D gaming, 2D gaming, video playback, image processing, Java Virtual Machine (JVM) testing, and battery testing. Additionally the benchmark displays detailed system information of the device and its Java implementation. The Basic Edition is available for free, the Advanced Edition is for $3 and and the Professional Edition for a whopping $20,000.

Click here for more information

Nokia to acquire Intellisync

2005-11-17T22:55:00.000+05:30

Nokia will acquire Intellisync, synonymous with “any device, any platform, any mobile application,” for $430 million over a period of 3 months.
The acquisition of Intellisync supports Nokia’s goal to be the leader in enterprise mobility and enhances the ability of its customers to connect devices to data sources, applications and networks.
Read the press release here

Show your support for AMD

2005-11-17T22:33:00.000+05:30

I am a staunch supporter for AMD. I have been using AMD since the Thoroughbred-cored 1700 XP.
On August 23, 2005 AMD challenged Intel to a dual-core duel anytime during 2005-which of course Intel hasnt accepted till now.
Show your support for AMD and sign up for the petition now.
Click here

Office 12 released to Beta Testers

2005-11-17T22:02:00.000+05:30

I am very excited.I got an email yesterday from Microsoft with the subject
"Welcome to the Microsoft Office "12" Technical Beta program"
I am one of the fortunate 10,000 people who recieved an invitation to beta test Office 12, Microsoft next generation Office suite,enough to keep me busy during weekends.
Microsoft vice president Chris Capossela called Office 12 "the most significant release in more than 10 years" that comes only after "many years of research and development."
They have also released a OneNote Mobile Beta for Windows Mobile Smartphones.
Will keep you guys updated.
Office 12 Beta 2 is scheduled for spring 2006.

New Nokia N61

2005-11-17T19:13:00.000+05:30

This new business phone from Nokia has a large 16M colors display running symbian OS 9.1. It has built in support for Microsoft Exchange Activesync and Blackberry Connect. There is also built in support for viewing native Office documents Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel (Microsoft Office 97, 2000, XP and 2003) based on the recent partnership announced between Nokia and QuickOffice (http://quickoffice.com/press/releases/pr_2005.10.10_series60.html).

The phone features WLAN, Bluetooth, Infrared and USB. The best part is unlike Windows Mobile based phones which support only one connection at a time only, this phone can use WLAN, Bluetooth, Infrared and USB all at the same time to sync, access internet, etc which is awesome!! You can choose what type of connection to use for each application. It also features a QWERTY keyboard which is new to Nokia. This phone almost resembles like the Palm Treo 650. And it comes with a 75MB fixed built in memory.

This is a phone with the best of the best features with support for MS Actievsync, Blackberry. And there's no reason why you would want to buy another OS based phone when this one provides all the features.

My first blog

2005-11-17T06:35:00.000+05:30

I have finally decided to blog. I've been in the mobile devices field for about a year now. I own a Sendo X phone. I was eagerly awaiting the Sendo X2 with the 1 MP camera, WMA files support. But unfortunately Sendo had to go into administration. The only feature lacking in Sendo is Symbian OS 7.0 or later. But now I am looking forward to the Nokia N91 series with its support for Wi-FI.
I work as a vendor for Microsoft for Windows Mobile. But I look forward to spend some quality time on my new blog.