Live IT Oct09

feature38 Great Gadgets for Health and Beauty

50 24x7 Shopping!

53 Geek Goes Glam

56 Tech lends Wings to Couture Culture

59 Technology in Communication

73 Entertainment – When You Want It

74 Futuristic Wearable Technology

77 Redefining Kitchen Experience

88 5 Innovations that Changed Our Life

90 Access Total

101 Tech in Vogue for lifestyle buffs

63 Free International Calls from PokeTALK

64 Clerkdogs for Movie Recommendations

65 Net PC from Airtel

66 Touch up your Digital Photos

67 Generate a Virtual Credit Card

68 RBI Norms for Safe Shopping

69 Embellish photos with paint.net

70 Finerday: Where families connect

71 Soundsnap: Explore the sound library

72 Bomomo: Art on Digital Canvas

24Different Sites to Suit DifferentMoods

86Internet @ 40

120

Vol. 2 Issue 13

41Style IT

Ideas for ModernHome Décor

27

Profile

contentsoctober 2009 tech tip

62 My KidZui4: Safe Browsing for Kids

how to106 Watch Multiple Computers through Netflix

108 How to hide or show genius bar in iTunes8

110 Keyboard shortcuts for punctuation marks in Kindle 2

112 Disable the rumble effect on Wii remote

114 Capturing newborns with your lens

spice IT13 Buzz Byte

18 Live IT or Leave IT

22 Chatroom

36 Snapshots

regulars6 Letter from Editor

8 Tech News

12 Did You Know?

17 Letters to the Editor

116 Tech Career

122 Profile - Sreelakshmi Suresh

130 Shopper’s Guide

131 Q&A

132 Glossary

peek & pick124 Magic Keyboard

125 8 GB USB Flash Drive & Personal Safety System for Women

126 Radio Control Helicopter & Car & HP F2235 MFP Printer-Scanner-Copier

127 Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook

128 Logitech 4 Port USB Hub & Mobile Express Card Reader

129 Citizen Body Fat Analyzer

Founder V ishwa Nath (1917-2002)

Editor, Publisher & Printer Paresh Nath

Editorial OfficeE-3, Jhandewalan Estate,Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi-110055Phones: 41398888, 23529557E-mail: [email protected]

Advertisement DepartmentE-3, Jhandewalan Estate,Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi-110055Phones: 41398888, 23529557E-mail: [email protected]

Classifieds DepartmentM-12, Connaught Circus, New Delhi-110001, Phone: 23416313

Regional OfficesAhmedabad: 503, Narayan Chambers,Asharam Road, Ahmedabad - 380009,Phone: 26577845

Bangalore: G3, HVS Court, 21 CunninghamRoad, Bangalore - 560052, Phone: 26577845

Bhopal: 12-B, Maharana Pratap Nagar, Zone No. 1, Bhopal - 462011, Phone: 2573057

Chennai: 14, First Floor, Cison’s Complex, Montieth Road, Chennai - 600008, Phone: 28554448

Jaipur: Geetanjali Tower, Shop No. 114, Opp. Vyas Hospital, Ajmer Road, Jaipur - 302006, Phone: 3296580

Kochi: G7- Pioneer Towers, 1 Marine Drive,Kochi - 682031, Phone: 2371537

Kolkata: Poddar Point, 3rd Floor, 113 ParkStreet, Kolkata - 700016, Phone: 22298981

Lucknow: B-G/3, Sapru Marg, Lucknow - 226001, Phone: 2618856

Mumbai: A 4, Shriram Industrial Estate,Wadala - 400031, Phones: 65766302, 65766303

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Printed and published at Delhi Press SamacharPatra Pte Ltd., A-36, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad andDelhi Press, E-3, Jhandewalan Estate,Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi - 110055.

No part of this publication may be reproduced inany manner without the written permission ofthe publishers.

This copy is sold on the condition thatjurisdiction for disputes from sale, subscriptionand the published matter will be handled atcourts/forums/tribunals at Delhi.

Title Live IT is registered with Government ofIndia as trademark.

2008 © D elhi Press Patra Prakashan Pte Ltd., New Delhi - 110055, India.

15Care IT

80De-print and print

your house

118Star Diary

Dell XPS One129

Letter

From Editor’s DeskIT for a trendy lifestyle

It’s been a year since we started out with our venture of bringing out a magazine that blended ITand living for the modern contemporary woman. In many ways, Live IT was, in fact, anexperiment to bring IT closer to home and to the everyday user – one who was not interested inlearning the engineering behind the technology, but would rather focus on the use of IT in herdaily life.

Whether at school, college, workplace or at home, IT has become an inextricable part of our life.And yet, many of us know so little about it beyond the basic uses.

Over the last year, therefore, in these pages of Live IT, we have tried to bring you closer to fast-evolving technologies and make you more aware of the innumerable nuances of the digitalworld – all of which can help us live a more wholesome life.

From travel to education, gaming to entertainment, nano technology to Web 2.0, ourendeavour has been to demystify the world of IT and present it to you in simple and lucid writing.

And now as we have completed the first year of Live IT, we bring to you a special issuededicated to the underlying philosophy behind the magazine, that of bringing together IT andtrendy living.

In this issue, we explore the various ways in which IT is seamlessly becoming a part of ouremerging fashionable lifestyle. Be it fashion, home décor, tech gadgets, shopping, health ortravel, through a curious mix of overt and covert ways, IT is seeping through all the differentaspects of what constitutes our trendy lifestyle.

This issue talks about the interesting ways that detail how our IT quotient can push up our chicquotient, and what all one should look out for in the coming times from the digital world, whichwould make for our smart living.

Hope you enjoy reading this special issue of Live IT and find some fascinating ideas that providea true blend of IT and lifestyle.

Anant NathManaging Editor

News

News compiled by Priyanka Dey

liveit.in October ‘098

KINGMAX COMES WITH ADIWALI EDITION OF MINIFLASH DRIVEKingmax, a leading global manufacturer and supplier of DRAM and Flash products, has launched the Diwali edition of

Super Stick Mini USB flash drive (4 GB) to celebrate the festival of lights. After the economic slowdown, this surely seems a

nice way to wish consumers a better year. Along with the product, the company is also gifting a Lord Ganesha key chain.

The Super Stick Mini is waterproof and ensures high speed data transfer. To echo the spirit of Diwali further, Kingmax’s

design team has rolled out a colourful firework package and a golden stamp of Lord Ganesha. “Ganesha is the most

auspicious of deities. To ensure smooth passage on the road to accomplishments, his ‘puja’ is a must,” stated Lawrence

Chang, President of Kingmax. “With his blessings, we believe that our aim to become one of the top three brands in India

will become a reality.”

IT’S HOT! IT’S ZUNE 4.0Microsoft is certainly going great guns as it has launched the new Zune 4.0 software with amazing features and a whole lot ofimprovements for Windows 7 based systems. What’s more, it is a must for entertainment lovers as the Zune Marketplace servicecatalog will be available through the browser. Just pay $14.99 (Rs. 720 approx.) and you can access a vast library of six millionsongs for streaming. MS has also added an AppsCatalogue to download apps from the ZuneMarketplace. Users can also stream or downloadaudio as well as video podcasts from Zune.net.

There are more features to gladden your heartincluding the Smart DJ, which automaticallycreates a playlist from the music featured on yoursystem, PC library or even the online ZuneMarketplace. All you need to do is to right-click ona song, artist or album and your Smart DJ Mix willbe right there at your service. Once the Smart DJMix is up, music from your collection, as well asfrom the Zune Marketplace, will be pulled forplaying. If you own a Zune Pass, songs from ZuneMarketplace will appear as Suggested; else theywill be greyed out. You can save the Smart DJ Mixqueue as playlist. The software also offersplayback controls and Quickplay option forinstant access to your favourite music.

liveit.inOctober ‘09 9

MICROSOFT ZUNE HDMicrosoft has been trying for years and it is quite likely that they may taste success by finally beating Apple at its own game

that started with the iPod. Microsoft’s wonderful Zune HD, priced at $219.99 (16 GB) and

$289.99 (32 GB), seems to be giving quite a

tough competition to the iPod touch. The

only disadvantage for the Zune HD is the

robust App Store. Otherwise, it flaunts a

beautiful touchscreen, a brilliant user

interface, HD radio and perhaps the best

browser since Apple’s mobile Safari.

While the Touch is the best PMP

available, the Zune HD comes quite close

and it is strongly recommended for those

who don’t want to use iTunes. The Zune

HD is definitely smaller, lighter and more

chic. Also, at the only capacity where the two

players overlap (32 GB), the Zune HD will

cost you $10 less.

News


FACEBOOK TRIMS FATTY INTERFACEFor those using cell phones or dial-up connections, opening Facebook may not have been a lightning-fast experience. So

Facebook has come up with a limited debut of its ‘Lite’ version that cuts down on the graphical clutter. And for the status

updates, the social networking site is giving a Twitter-esque tagging twist.

Facebook, with more than 250 million members, is currently experimenting with the looks of the slimmed-down version. It

looks a bit heavy though, as it has

added a feature which is popular

with a much-hyped short

messaging service. Experiments

are, thus, on with Facebook Lite,

a leaner-looking interface that has

gone live last month in the USA

and India. The ‘light’ version has

been especially designed for those

parts of the world with slower

Internet speeds. Now this is what

the new-look Facebook aims to

do: Increase the download speed of graphics-laden pages and remove some toolbar areas from the home page, including those

for status updates, links and images. White space will dominate the areas of normal Facebook pages that show links to

applications, videos & photos posted by friends and advertising.

IT ENTICES POLITICIANS TOOSonia Gandhi, chief of India’s ruling Congress Party, recently inaugurated Infosys Global Education Centre-II, the extension ofits world class training facility GEC-I. Sprawled over 337 acres of land,the Mysore campus has the capacity togroom a total of 14,000 ITprofessionals. Considering itsinfrastructure and size of operations,Infosys’ Global Education Centerseems to be the largest corporateeducation centre in the world.

In fact, it is so impressive that Soniaherself has been bowled over. After theinauguration, she remarked in a lightervein that she wished to be with thestudents for a few days. “This visit isgiving me the opportunity to bunk myschool of politics for a few hours. Andafter I have done a tour of this campusand admired its beautiful facilities, thebuildings, the environment, the trees,the flowers, I honestly want to say that Iwish I could bunk a few days and stayon here with you all,” she added.

APPLE’S 1GB IPOD SHUFFLEMAKES A QUIET EXITAmid the hurried announcements of iTunes and iPod last month, Apple quietly retired the 1 GB iPod shuffle. Yeah! It is thesame cool gadget we had with buttons on it. Instead, Apple is focusing on the tiny buttonless model, which is now available inboth 2 GB and 4 GB capacities. The company has also rolled out the third-generation shuffle in all new blue, green and pink,along with the classic black and silver. In addition, Apple is offering a special edition version that is encased in super shinystainless steel. It is available in 4 GB only. Besides the pricing, new colour options and the 2 GB capacity option, the third-generation iPod shuffle remains the same.


CHROME 3 GETS MORE STABLEOn the occasion of Chrome’s first birthday, Google announced to kick off a newer, more stable version of the browser and the

Web. Now that will mean significant speed improvements for the browser as well as some revamping of its

most loved features.“This release comes hot on the

heels of 51 developer, 21 beta and

15 stable updates and 3,505 bugfixes

in the past year,” Google wrote in a

Tuesday blog post.According to Google, the new

release is faster, with a 25 per cent

increase in Javascript performance

over the last stable version. The looks have also been worked

upon like that of the Tab page,

which takes on a sparser look.

Performance of the browser's

Omnibox URL/search field has also

been optimised, helping users

distinguish suggested sites from

search, bookmarks and browser

history. And then there’s the Themes

gallery, which makes the browser even

more customisable. �

Did You Know


Laptop skins are resistant to tears, sunlight and water aschemicals are injected into these skins to tackle radiation,

chemical corrosion and extreme heat and cold.

Out of the 160 billion e-mail messages sent out daily, 97% happen to be spam.

Facebook leads photo uploads by hosting more than 10 billion photographs while Flickr is a distant second

and hosts only 3 billion photographs.

Building with plastic actually saves the environmentbecause it is energy efficient. More than 50 plastic

varieties are used in the construction industry for differentpurposes and nearly 20% of the plastic materials used inEurope are later utilised in building products. Second only totransport, housing sector is one of the biggest energyconsumers. But plastic products help increase energyefficiency as they happen to be really good sealers andinsulators. They also help reduce the harmful CO2emissions to a great extent. So all that isplastic is not bad!

with the press of a button. If this is not enough, hold yourbreath! The building will be 313 metres in height with 68 floors. What’s more, the building will be highly energyefficient as it will be powered by wind and solar energy. Huh!Such a stunning tower should have some great designerbehind it. And that designer is David Fisher.

The Bahrain World Trade Center is considered the largestwind-powered design built into a huge building. It has

three massive wind turbines planted between its two towersthat form the main building. The towers are designed in sucha way that the air around accelerates each of the 80 ftturbines, thus generating enormous power supply.

Earth is surely facing some stiff competitionfrom other planets. Virgin

Group and Google Inc.

A total of 1.4 billion Apple iPhones were sold betweenJune and October, 2007. But there were 2,50,000

missing phones which were not activated to run on AT&T’swireless network. It is believed that owners of these missingphones plan to unlock them so that they can be used on othercellular networks.

Although Google uses around 15 billion kWh ofelectricity every year, it generates a lot of power by

using solar panels for its operations.

Dubai has been creating waves for its architecturalbreakthroughs like the Burj al-Arab (Tower of the

Arabs), which is the world’s tallest hotel. The next in row is the Rotating Tower, a bigger technical and structural wonder.Thanks to some mind-blowing technologies, the floors of thistower will rotate continuously and the view can be changed

are launching Virgle Inc., a jointly ownedand managed project that will work on human

settlement on Mars. Virgle Inc. has a 100-year plan withvarious short-team goals including Virgle pioneerselection (2008-2010), the first journey of man to Mars(2016), development of the first permanent Martianmunicipality, the Virgle City (2050), and finally, thecreation of a self-sustaining Martian civilisation with apopulation of more than one lakh (2108).

Earlier, IMAX Adlabs in Mumbai was considered theworld’s largest screen. Now Prasad IMAX in Hyderabad

has been crowned the single most popular theatre in theworld. It features a 95 ft wide and 75 ft high screen with a12,000 watt sound system and a seating capacity of 635.Prasad IMAX came into the limelight when people crowdedthe theatre to watch Spiderman and the Harry Potter serieson the giant screen.

In 1968, IM David Levy challenged John McCarthy, aresearcher in Artificial Intelligence at Stanford, that the

former could win any computer-versus-human game for thenext 10 years. And guess what? He won the game. Now that’sa cool bet to win. �

did Uknow?

Are you an Internet addict? Do you think that surfing the World WideWeb is the best possible way to dig up the information you need?Well, if you are always glued to your system or checking online stuff onyour smartphone, chances are you are quite conversant with the Net

and its pros & cons. Here are SEVEN brain teasers to test how you work, play andinteract on the Net. Take this quiz and find out yourself.

Buzz Byte

Check out the next page tosee how well you scored!

A. Not really.

B. Yes, but occasionally.

C. Yes, always.

Is Google Maps multilingual?

A. Diamonds and Spades

B. Hearts and Spades

C. Hearts and Clubs

Q

Is most of your time online spent in looking at the latest

electronic products coming out soon?

A. No, I don’t keep track of such things.

B. Yes, occasionally.

C. Always, and I try to research more.

Q

The best way to share digital photos with friends and family is to

A. Print them and maintain an album.

B. Attach them to e-mail and send them to everyone.

C. Upload them to online photo sharing sites and send out the link.

Q

What kind of Web application is Meebo?

A. Online video sharing.

B. Online photo sharing.

C. Online instant messaging.

Q

Do you upgrade your laptop/phone/palm/mp3 player as

soon as newer versions are available?

Q

A. Explore the site in detail.

B. Cancel the page and continue shopping.

C. Tell the administrator to block such sites.

What would you do if you land on a phishing

site while shopping online?

Q

Do you write to companies, suggesting new

features that should be added to their products?

A. Not at all.

B. Sometimes.

C. Always.

Q

Buzz Byte


Between 8-15You are competitive. Internet is a wonderful medium that allows you toexplore so much. With the advancing technologies and lifestyle applications,

you may need to learn more of the tricks and tips. If you are keento learn them, you are sure to find a lot of resources online. Soget to know more through Live IT articles.

Between 0-7

You are a beginner. You have very little experience with the Internet and Web-

enabled services. Maybe you need to brush up on the theory. Learn about the

basics of lifestyle technologies and start enjoying the enormous

opportunities online and offline. Live IT gives a lot of tips and information so

that you may know more about the evolving technologies.

If your score is:

Congratulations!You finished the quiz! Now, calculate your score. A carries 1, B carries 2 and C carries 3 points. Did you check mostly A, B or C?

Between 16-21

Yep, you are a nerd! Enjoy surfing and get the best of it.

Improve your knowledge and skills to harness the

powerful online tools. Log in to read, write, shop or post a

comment. Technology enriches our lives with lot more

fun and magic. Excel!

Buzz Byte

October ‘0914liveit.in

What do you do when you have a health complaint?The most obvious answer would be that you go to adoctor, get tests done, if required, get diagnosedand follow the prescribed treatment. But

technology today – specifically the Internet – is revolutionisingconventional approaches to medicine. One such concept is Health2.0, a system that involves telemedicine, electronic medical reportsand the use of the Internet by patients through such avenues asweblogs, message boards, RSS feeds, wikis, podcasts, etc. Thegeneral idea is to enable patients to have greater insight into, andcontrol over, their medical information.

An example of this increased engagement of a patient inhis/her treatment will be as follows: A patient visits a generalphysician. The doctor may make a diagnosis or send the patientfor some tests. These test results will be transmitted directly tothe patient’s individual electronic medical record, which will beaccessible by him/her. Before a second appointment (in caseswhere one is required), the patient will have time to research(through the Internet) what the test results may mean and what

diagnosis may be likely, as well as an opportunity tocommunicate with and obtain information from other

patients who have had similar results in the past.On the second visit to the doctor, the patient

may be referred to a specialist but beforehe decides whom to consult, he will

have a chance to search for the viewsof other patients regarding the

best specialist to go to.The specialist will diagnose

him/her along with aprognosis and potentialoptions for treatment. Thepatient will now have theopportunity to researchthese treatment options andtake a more proactive rolein coming to a jointdecision with his/herdoctor. He/she can also

choose to submit more dataabout the nature of illness,

such as through a personalisedgenomics service, to identify any

risk factors that might improve orworsen the prognosis. As treatmentcommences, the patient can trackhis/her health outcome through anonline data-sharing patientcommunity to determine whetherthe treatment is having a positiveimpact on them, and can stay up todate on research opportunities andclinical trials for their condition.They will also have the social

support of interacting with other patients diagnosed with thesame condition throughout the world.

When it comes to evaluating the usefulness of this system,it has been estimated that nearly one-third of the 100million Americans who have looked for health informationonline say that they or the people they know have found thesources on the Internet significantly useful, but this studyonly considers the broader use of the Internet for healthmanagement rather than Health 2.0 in particular. Littleempirical evidence exists to understand how much Web 2.0is being used in general.

A study examining physician practice in the USA hassuggested that a segment of 245,000 American doctors are usingWeb 2.0 for their practice, indicating that the use of the systemis beyond the early stages. In fact, as part of the provisions ofPresident Barack Obama’s American Recovery andReinvestment Act, physicians throughout the USA will beeligible for a payment of around $45,000 for increasingadoption of electronic health records by 2014.

Mehak Siddiqui

Care IT


It has been noted that the traditional model of healthcare,where physicians act as gatekeepers to patients’ information,sharing their test results only when and if it was deemednecessary, operates relatively well in situations such as acute care,where information about specific blood results will be of littleuse to a lay person, or in general practice where results weregenerally benign. But, in the case of complex chronic diseases,psychiatric disorders, or diseases of unknown etiology, Health2.0 proves more useful and allows the patient to seek greaterknowledge about his/her condition.

On a Website called PatientsLikeMe, members from acrossthe globe swap stories about their ailments and discuss subjectslike adverse drug interactions, dosing strategies, new drugs andtrials for more than a dozen diseases. A report by the CaliforniaHealth Care Foundation, a think-tank, argues that in dealingwith multiple sclerosis, a neurological disorder for which there isno cure as yet, “the collective wisdom on this Website may rivalthe body of information that any single medical school orpharmaceutical company has assembled in the field.”

However, it is easy to be sceptical about such onlinecommunities. A fatal illness will not be cured, for example, byTwittering about it. And for many people, nothing will replacethe personal relationship between apatient and his doctor. Health 2.0has also been criticised since theuse of Google and other searchengines as diagnostic tools may beeffective only for conditions withunique symptoms and signs thatcan easily be used as search terms.Also, there are concerns over theeffects on patients obtaininginformation online, such as thepossibility of the patient delaying avisit to the doctor thinking that theNet will help him self-diagnose andtreat the condition. There is alsothe question of how much of the user-generated information isfactually accurate? One study has suggested that in certainsupport groups only six per cent of the information is wrong andthat only three per cent people reported that online advice hadcaused serious harm. Nonetheless, there is still a risk ofdangerous misdiagnoses.

There are also issues regarding ownership and privacy ofpeople’s personal information as well as loss of control over it.

But, despite all this, it seems clear that patients are goingonline to get more information on their illness and to see whatother consumers think of new medications and to get emotionalsupport from fellow sufferers.

Even doctors, who may seem to have the most to lose fromsuch patient-centred digital medicine, increasingly support themove online. Many of them are keen users of secure medicalchat rooms. Thomas Lee of Partners Community Healthcarethinks such social networking helps make up for the “water-

cooler chats” of yesteryear that allowed doctors to exchangeknowledge across specialisations.

Neil Seeman, who runs a health-strategy innovation group at theUniversity of Toronto’s Massey College, says that “Health 2.0” isimportant “because it reinvents how we identify opinion leadersand exploit disruptive innovation.” His research has shown that themost active communities on social networks, such as MySpace,concentrate not on celebrity gossip or sport but on chronic illness –especially stigmatised conditions like depression.

In conclusion, the arrival of digital medicine in full force isexpected to serve as a vital tool in tackling the great healthcarechallenges of this century. That is, dealing with the cost of chroniccare for the ageing population of the rich world and helping theweak health systems in poor countries tackle deadly diseases.

Want to try Health 2.0? There are a horde of Health 2.0 Websites available for use butsome of them – the ones related to personal health records andfinancial services for healthcare – are restricted to use within theUS and other countries. However, the following well-knownhealth portals and communities are well worth a visit if youwould like to experience Health 2.0 for yourself.

Health portalswww.lifemojo.com:Helps you achieveyour health and fitness goals, by makingyou eat right, stay fit, track your progressand stay motivated.www.myfamilyhealth.com:

Connect with your relatives to record and track an accurate and up-to-date family health history. Findout which health conditions run inyour family.www.healthcaremagic.com:

Connect with doctors online, join a livechat session with doctors if you have any

health/medical/fitness problem or query.

Healthcare communitieswww.myhealthexperience.com: Network of patientcommunities, offering help and emotional support.www.dailystrength.com: Provides online support groups

for various illnesses.www.psychcentral.com: The oldest and largest mental

health social network. www.inspire.com: Find health-related information and

discussion in 733,263 member posts.

Health advisory serviceswww.healthdialog.comwww.health2.infoRemember, though, that these Websites are in no way an

alternative to consulting a medical professional. �

Patients aregoing online to getmore information on their illness and to see what otherconsumers think ofnew medications.

“

”

Care IT


Letters to the Editor

Inbox

IT magazine for the contemporary woman

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 9 � R S . 5 0

ENTERTAININGGAMINGTECHNOLOGY

ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE

IN GAMES

JAVA-BASED MOBILE GAMES

‘PAN’ IN GAMECONSOLES

MEDICAL SIMULATIONGAMES

THRILL & EXCITEMENT IN ACTION GAMES

ARTIFICIALINTELLIGENCE

IN GAMES

JAVA-BASED MOBILE GAMES

‘PAN’ IN GAMECONSOLES

MEDICAL SIMULATIONGAMES

THRILL & EXCITEMENT IN ACTION GAMES

When I saw yourSeptember 2009 cover,I was sure that the issuewas loaded withgaming technologiesand the articles did notfail to excite. Iexperienced acomplete gamingsession with the storiesalong with theirpictorial presentations.Kudos to Live IT!

Sankar SChennai

I enjoyed this month’s edition on Games.All the articles were really good andhelpful. I would also like to congratulatethe makers of Live IT who hadconceptualised the whole thing. I think thismagazine is spectacular and very helpfulto anyone who is tech-savvy.

VedagiriBangalore

Please mail your comments/opinion to us at [email protected] or write to us at: E-3, Jhandewalan Estate, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi - 110055

I liked the article ‘Artificial Intelligence inGames’ by David Welch very much.Thank you very much for this kind ofinformative article. Keep going...

SushruthiDelhi

Pink or blue, just defrost it – it is what the USB HeatingShoes tell you. Just plug the pair into your PC via the

USB or use a handy set of batteries. They will keep yourfeet as cozy as can be, even in the winter. And yes, you

can be just warm or hotter, as you prefer. It comes in anaffordable range as well. Anyone game?

Getting cold feet? Or worried that your best palor a dear one is suffering from the samesyndrome? Here is a pair of lightweight slippersthat will keep your feet warm. You just need toplug it in to the USB port of your computer andhere is your ready-made hearth. Add them toyour Christmas list! It comes in the right sizes.

Take a break, get a power nap and take your Bugs Bunnywith you in this relaxation capsule. There is room for two;there is air conditioning, an ergonomic mattress andDolby Surround. The bed is just right, whatever be yourheight or body type. The Nap Shell is the result ofextensive research which guarantees a relaxing sleepingposition for both spine and back. Now you know how tospend it when you have the next windfall.

USB Heating Shoes

Nap Shell

USB Monkey Slipper

Get the hottest mouse in town and forget about theblues of a cold room or a tired day. Once you plug it into the USB, the infrared generator inside the mousewill heat it up to the comfortable warmth of 40°-45°C.Once you are warm enough, you can regulate thetemperature and bring it to the required level.

USB Mouse withInfrared Heater

Live IT or Leave IT


Getting lethargic, tired or cold, and need a rub to feel better?There is no need to make an appointment with your masseuse.

Plugged in to your computer’s USB, this hand massager can giveyou immediate relief. Lightweight and compact, it comes with an

on/off button and helps you unwind as never before.

It’s so chilly – you can feel it in your bones –because the mercury has fallen to sub-zerooutside or because your cubicle-mate is a polarbear. Get this mouse pad warmer and chase thewinter blues away. It’s compact, light and USB-powered, and comes in two colours.

This is so cool and a great challenge to gravity! Dreamingwhile you really float in the air and not giving a hoot evenif you weigh a hefty 400 pounds must be a tech wonderto experience. It’s because the bed has enough magnets tohold upto 900 kg in the air. Dubbed as one of the bestinventions of 2006 by ‘Time’, this bed can be usedindoors or outdoors. The hitch? You won’t find it locallyplus you need to shell out at least €1,200,000 even for thebasic model. But what the heck! You are going to own theworld’s “first non-gravity-based object” – a uniquepossession that’s worth the price.

Magnetic Floating Bed

USB Hand Massager

USB Mouse PadWarmer


Plastic, polyester and aluminum – the lightest ofmaterials go into the making of these twilight umbrellas.

There is an automatic open button and the handle hasto be switched on to control the coloured lights. It’s

conveniently sized and requires three AAA batteries.

It’s solid and made from beech wood. It sets you singing theminute you set your eyes on it. And, of course, you use it for a bitof chopping. Wondering what is it? A guitar-shaped choppingboard made from an original Fender Telecaster/Broadcasterguitar head. You don’t even need to put it into the dishwasher;just wipe it clean with some soapy water and it’s done. An idealgift for a man-about-the-kitchen.

Forgot your wallet, your credit card is not working or you just got hit by apick-pocket? Looking for a portable piggy bank for emergency cash?Shhhhhhhhhh! This is your very own running-out-of-money-proof keychain. You can store an emergency fund in the capsule and no one willeven suspect it. And hey, don’t lose your keys!

Broadcaster Chopping Board

Cash Stash Key Chain

Twilight Umbrellas

Live IT or Leave IT


Bored to death because of the same oldshape that flash drives come in? Here issome variety to cheer you up. This handbag-shaped USB Flash drive is made of silica geland barely weighs 15 grams. You just needto plug in and play; it’s compatible to yourregular Windows, Linux, Mac or any othernew-generation operating system.

It’s portable and you can just plug it into the USBport of your system. But don’t ever bring it onboard a flight or you might just be asked to stayback and explain why you have a bomb on you.Shaped like a bomb, this gadget works on aquartet of batteries as well, and doesn’t bombyour ears; it’s just the shape that is unusual.

USB HandbagFlash Drives

Sound Bomb Speaker

Tired of the garlic smell on your fingers? This littlegadget is just what you need, if you are long onpatience and short of knife skills. Just push peeledgarlic, one pod at a time, and hey presto, here iswhat the chef ordered. It’s cute, easy to clean andgets your food prep done without a crib.

Garlic Zoom


chatroom“When surfing, you are led from one page to another through interesting links.

How well do you remember all the links?”

Santosh Kumar Biswal

Amrita LalwaniInformation analystWhile browsing the Internet, Idon’t pay much attention toother links except for the onesI am looking for. In casesomething is striking, I maycheck it out. But most of thetimes, I don’t remember thoselinks later.

Aarti ShahTarot readerIf I am searching throughWebsites and come acrosssomething interesting, Iusually remember the links.For example, if I comeacross tarot or astrology-related links, I will definitelycheck them out. Otherwise,I click on the links that areeye-catching and if thelanding Websites are useful,I remember them.

Once, clicking

on a link led to the

installation of some

unwanted software

in my PC

“ “

Amisha ShahComputer graphicsprofessionalAs most of my work is relatedto computer graphics, I visit alot of related Websites. Andwhile browsing ordownloading data, I do findsome useful links as well.Since I come across too manyWebsites every day, I tend toforget the page links. But if Ireally like the pages and wantto visit them again, I simplybookmark them. That’s easierthan remembering a long list.

Chatroom


Do you use any video editing software to put together your audio & video files? Share yourexperience with us. Send us your entries, with your photograph, to [email protected]

Sujata GarudManagement studentI had some bad experience,thanks to some of thoseinteresting links. At times, whenI am waiting for the next pageto load, I get messages like“You have won” or “You havea good home-based workopportunity.” Initially, when Iwas an amateur Internet user, Ifell for some of these links andeven ended up infecting my PCwith some unknown virus.Now, I just take note of thelinks that are reliable and useful– like banking sites, moviereviews, games, contests etc.

Priya PanwekarMBA studentIf I am browsing the Internetduring my free time, I also clickon other links that I comeacross. But once I had a badexperience. When I clicked alink, it led to the installation ofsome unwanted software in myPC. After that, I have been verycareful. As I surf the Web a lot,I remember the regulars like theshaadi.com ad, monster.comad, MTV Roadies etc. I oftencheck these links as they helpme understand branding whichis a part of my studies.

If I really like the pages

and want to visit them again,

I simply bookmark them“ “


Ansy AustinStudentPeople browse the Netmuch too frequentlyand there is too muchcontent which one canhardly remember. So Ijust read the contentand move on to othersites. I may rememberthe page or bookmark itif I need it for futurereference.

airline or train reservations to hotel bookings, from hiring cabsto finalising sightseeing itineraries. Even if armchair travelling ismore your style, these websites have descriptions and videos tosatisfy your travel cravings without moving a muscle. Besides,you can locate a large number of booking agents and travelcompanies too. Bon voyage!

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/http://www.makemytrip.com/http://www.cleartrip.com/http://www.yatra.com/http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Looking forward toorganising a party?Always envied that friend who is theperfect hostess at perfectly planned and executedparties? Well, the good ol’ Web is here to help. Take your pickfrom any of the several websites that allow you to plan the bestparties ever. From venues to menus and recipes to cateringservices, from setting a table and stocking the bar to rentingcrockery and cutlery and arranging games for all ages – thecomplete whys and wherefores of parties are here to make youthe best host ever!

http://www.mypartyplanner.com/http://www.evite.com/http://www.passion-for-parties.com/index.htmlhttp://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/http://www.allpartyideas.com/

Get fit and healthyDo you have a medical problem and want to know more aboutit? Or have you recently vowed to cut out the fattening friedfood you’ve forever indulged in and want to know how manycalories that goody chocolate cake has? Orwhat the Atkins diet actually is? Maybeyou want to know about aerobics andTai Chi. How about pictorials andvideos of some yoga exercises for thatbackache? Or a comprehensive list ofhome remedies for the common cold?Or some advice on dealing withmorning sickness during pregnancy?

When we define the Internet as a veritable treasuretrove of information, it is a simple statement with aworld of meaning within. The World Wide Webmay be just a network of computers and servers

connected to each other. But today, it caters to the myriad needsof people from all walks of life. Let’s say, websites. Now thereare websites to provide all the information that one can possiblyimagine. In fact, saying that there is a website available to satisfyevery possible human mood is not an exaggeration. More andmore people quite literally live online. Of course, the sheer sizeof the Internet is daunting and using the power of the Web tothe maximum advantage appears difficult, to say the least. Buthelp, as usual, is at hand – because this is where we take youthrough a few websites to satisfy each of your moods. Adisclaimer is in order here. Although the list is as comprehensiveas possible, some websites and moods may have been missed outsimply owing to space constraint.

So, let’s begin a journey through our various moods andwebsites that would suit them … so, what’s your mood today?

Try some of these for a gourmet experienceYou want to rustle up something great tasting for the family?We all love food, don’t we? It is a fact quite easily proved by theplethora of cookery websites present on the Web. Search for aspecific recipe and not only will you get a list of websites givingyou the exact tried and tested versions complete with cookingtimes, calorie counts et al., but you will also see several resultswith videos and the history of the recipe. Also, there are websitesthat give you a list of ingredients and terms used in cooking,along with images, meanings and translations in differentlanguages.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/http://www.top-indian-recipes.com/http://allrecipes.com/Default.aspxhttp://www.recipe4all.com/http://www.epicurious.com/

Travelling to that dreamdestination of yours? Even as the world turns into a global village,travelling, too, is getting easier and comfortable. Several websitestogether allow you to plan your complete travel online – from

Different Sites toSuitDifferent MoodsLook at the right place to match your mood

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Develop your social/professional networkYour daily routine involves going to office, coming back, spending time with family, going to sleep – it goes on the same way, over and over again. But, at the end of it all, you crave to go back to your school or college buddies. There’s absolutely no time to socialise and, ofcourse, your friends are scattered all over the world. Maybe you want to know more people in your professional sphere. Here’s where social networking sites come to your help. Several popular social andprofessional networking sites allow you to connect withpeople across the globe and effectively expand your socialand professional networks.

http://www.orkut.com/http://www.twitter.com/http://www.linkedin.com/http://www.facebook.com/http://www.classmates.com/

Looking for some entertainment?With work happening all the time and family commitmentsdraining your energy, you need to take a break once ina while. So what is it that refreshes you? TheWeb provides an array of options forrelaxation. There are sites for gaming,music, renting movies, e-books –practically anything that you can think ofis all there on the Net.

Get the best of jokes herehttp://www.the-jokes.com/http://www.jokes-best.com/http://www.best-oneliners.com/http://www.jokes.com/http://www.funniestjokes.net/

For bookwormshttp://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Pagehttp://www.bibliomania.com/http://www.bookyards.com/http://www.onlinefreeebooks.net/http://www.freebookspot.in/

Movie buffs can visit thesehttp://www.imdb.com/http://www.bookmyshow.com/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/http://www.famecinemas.com/http://www.pvrcinemas.com/

For the music fanatichttp://www.musicworldindia.com/http://www.in.com/music/http://coolmusiczone.com/http://free.napster.com/http://www.rhapsody.com/home.html

Maybe some basic advice on skin and hair care? All this andmuch more about health and fitness can be found on theInternet. Of course, with medical websites, we need to bereally careful. Never follow the advice blindly and always checkwith your doctor before starting any fitness regime.

Fitness-related websites http://www.fitwise.com/http://www.fitday.com/http://www.sparkpeople.com/http://www.makeoverfitness.com/http://www.fitnessexplosion.com/

Pregnancy and child care related websites

http://www.babycenter.com/http://www.parenthood.com/index.phphttp://www.mypregnancyguide.com/http://www.thebabywebsite.com/http://www.childbirthconnection.org/

Websites for home remedieshttp://www.greathomeremedies.com/http://www.grannymed.com/http://www.home-remedies-guide.com/http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/http://www.best-home-remedies.com/

Websites for the spiritually inclined http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/http://www.bestspirituality.com/http://spirituality.indiatimes.com/http://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/http://www.selfgrowth.com/spirituality.html

Websites for medical termshttp://www.medterms.com/ http://www.medilexicon.com/ http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/http://www.medicinenet.com/http://www.medic8.com/MedicalDictionary.htm

Enhance your skillsSo your formal education is complete and it is time to enhanceyour professional skills. After all, a bit of upgrading is alwaysrequired to stay on track in your career. Maybe your newproject requires you to pick up some new technology. A short-term online course or even a tutorial is just what you need.The Internet provides a vast variety of online courses,tutorials, e-books and newsletters to take your knowledge up acouple of notches.

http://www.homeandlearn.co.uk/http://www.techtutorials.info/http://www.docnmail.com/http://www.openlearningworld.com/http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm


Tying the knot?Marriage is a big stepthat one takes in life and in the Indian context, arrangedmarriages are still the norm. So once you do decide to getmarried, searching for a partner who is perfect for you andacceptable to all in the family can be a daunting task! In the ageof the Internet, the first step is to register on one of the onlinemarriage bureaus, which have thousands of profiles – one ofthose is sure to be the right one! Happy hunting!

http://www.shaadi.com/http://www.jeevansathi.com/http://www.bharatmatrimony.com/http://www.secondshaadi.com/http://www.simplymarry.com/

Looking for a job?So you have finally decided to let go of the low-paying, stressfuljob that you had been holding on for so long. Of course, gettinga new one is not easy but job portals on the Web are very useful.Besides job listings categorised by designation, location, industryand so on, these also offer services like resume preparation,newsletters and job offers via e-mail.

http://www.naukri.com/http://www.monsterindia.com/http://www.timesjobs.com/http://www.naukrihub.com/http://www.bixee.com/

Planning your finances?Money, they say, makes the world goround. But managing money is a big causeof stress for most people. Planning your money,investments, taxes – these are enough to make your head spin.Several websites are very helpful though, with basics about money,finance, investments and taxation; even a novice can easilyunderstand the intricacies of financial planning and investment.

http://www.indiainfoline.com/http://www.tips4me.com/http://www.moneycontrol.com/http://www.investopedia.com/http://finance.indiamart.com/

Get the latest news and viewsOnline news portals provide news that updates faster than youcan say ‘news’. From around the world, news on all topics isavailable 24x7. And that includes videos and images too. Newschannels regularly provide news updates on their websites.Several popular portals are also quick with publishing the newsas it happens.

http://www.ndtv.com/news/index.phphttp://www.cnn.com/http://news.google.com/http://www.reuters.com/http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Entertain and teach your childWebsites for kids are among the most popular ones on the Net.From online activities, games, colouring pages to stories, poems,songs and even help with assignments and projects – the list isalmost endless. From toddlers to teenagers, there is a website foreveryone. Some of the popular ones are:

http://www.boowakwala.com/http://www.cool-kids-craft-ideas.com/http://www.schooltimegames.com/http://www.goodnightstories.com/http://www.paulysplayhouse.com/

On a shoppingspree/looking for storesor services? A yellow pages or classifieds websiteis the answer. These websites usuallyprovide a comprehensive searchfacility by city and area, industry andprice range. Customer ratings and reviewsare also provided. Many of these also link to the stores’ websitesand provide the best deals available. The kind of reach theyhave must be seen to be believed.

http://justdial.com/http://www.yellowpages.co.in/http://www.whereincity.com/http://www.asklaila.com/http://www.mapsofworld.com/

Searching for information? An upcoming project or presentation requires you to look upsome information. Or maybe you are a trivia aficionado.Print encyclopaedias are available online – allowing you tosave time, space and, of course, money. With search options and articles categorised by keywords and alphabet, searching for information which is correct and up-to-date is very easy.

http://www.britannica.com/http://www.encyclopedia.com/http://encarta.msn.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Pagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_PageAs mentioned before, there are

websites to suit nearly every moodand requirement – it is all aquestion of looking at the rightplace. The Internet is a powerfultool. If used correctly, it allowsfor a remarkable enhancementand improvement in the quality oflife and saves time, money andenergy. So what are you waiting for?Go on, use the Net to match your mood,view and need! �

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Ideas for ModernHome Décor Puja Goyal

An Englishman’s home is his castle, a private house isthe emblem of the American dream and homemeans much more than a mere abode in India – it isa part of one’s lifestyle and cultural heritage. As the

market is flooded with latest technologies and high-end gadgets,it is only natural for the upwardly mobile to look for housingoptions where the latest in technology use is, by far, the USP.Whether you are building or buying new-age homes or simplyupgrading the one you live in, integrating tech with home décorwill definitely cost you more than the traditional fitting-furniture-furnishing. But the blueprints of future homes redefineour previous experiences and open up new horizons, neverimagined before.

Thanks to the technological evolution, there has been aholistic change in the construction and the home décor segmentsduring the recent years. Now you can plan a luxury escape to arooftop swimming pool or squash court; install a miniamphitheatre; opt for motion sensor-based lighting; build roomswithout columns & beams and introduce modular fixtures fordesign innovations. Most of your home gadgets can be operatedvia your mobile while audio-visual and biometric systems keep awary watch on your security.

Owning a hi-tech, future-perfect home might have been onyour wish-list for some time. It can be similar to the one ownedby the IBM head of invention Andy Stanford-Clark who hasinstalled hundreds of sensors that inform him when the food isready, a visitor is at the door or a mouse trap is triggered. His

Tudor cottage on the Isle of Wight sends a Tweet or alertmessage if the energy or water usage goes up suddenly –indicating that he may have left a light on or a tap running.

But putting together a smart home also requires smartthinking and the necessary installations and upgradations mustbe done with diligence. Splurging on trendy ideas – just becauseyour friends or neighbours have opted for the same – may notserve your purpose in the long run. Because new trends go outof style quickly and products need frequent upgrades, you haveto learn the difference between what you like and what actuallyworks for you. Start small and cheap; test the gadget’s usabilityand gauge your own requirements. Buying the basic (and,therefore, less expensive) version can be a smart idea, if you donot need all the add-on features right now. Most importantly,these technologies/gadgets should be user-friendly and must fitinto the scheme of the house.

Purchasing new gadgets and technologies for the house shouldbe considered with great sagacity and integrated holistically.This not only enhances your lifestyle, but also brings downunnecessary expenditure. Only integrate ideas and conceptswhich are essential for a good life and meet your goals. Buying acoffeemaker does not make much sense if you are not an avidcoffee drinker. On the other hand, if the concept suits your lifeand style, get it, by all means, and explore its untappedpotentials. It will be most exciting and also give you a rare senseof self-fulfilment. Don’t hesitate to live Hi-Tech. Just tweak thetechnology and make it your own!


Back to the Future was a cult movie series of the 1980s. Themovie exhibited ideas in hi-tech lifestyle and livingwhich were beyond our imagination. The movie wasutterly fascinating which illustrated possibilities of a

flying car, hi-tech security system in houses and televisionscreens which allowed you to interact with individuals from thefuture. Today, this remote possibility is likely to come true and itwon’t be long before we find these facilities in our homes.

Some day, our mirrors could be giving us fashion advice whenwe have to go all dressed up for a party, by scanning ourwardrobes and accessories and creating make-over imagesbefore we get dressed up. We might hold our clothes up to ourbedroom mirror for a computer to scan instead of digging intoour closets. Using radio-frequency identification technology, ourelectronic fashion stylist would then offer suggestions based onwhat's in our closet or pair up and create designs which will beup to the latest fashion tastes.

Jonathan Cluts, director of strategic prototyping at Microsoft,said in an interview, “The technology required to do it is prettymuch available today.” The feature can be seen in action at aMicrosoft concept home in Redmond, Wash, and a variation is ina new prototype home in Disneyland. As time passes, we will seemore innovations and upgradations in technology which will beincluded in our homes, experts say. These upgradations in ourhomes will be dictated by our personal preferences and needs.

The most important factor to initiate technologicaldevelopments in creating a hi-tech home is networking. This willallow all electronic items likecomputers and phones to beconnected, enabling them tocommunicate with each other.Networking will allow people tomanage their technologicalequipment together from one masterunit. All music and movie files couldbe fed onto one media server so theycan be heard or watched in anyconnected room. Networking willallow an individual to control thesecurity, lighting, thermostat andwindows, ovens, kitchen, etc. bytouching a button.

Ten years ago, this was thedomain of the rich. Wired andwireless technologies are nowbeing considered by the averagehome owner, as they becomecheaper. Even then, because theprice of home automation is slowlydeclining, it doesn’t mean people are

Future of Hi-tech Homesimmediately taking to it. For home technologies to becomepopular, consumers will need to see some practicality in theapplications. In other words, consumers probably don't want tosit in front of the computer to turn the lights on. That said,there are opportunities using the same technology to do usefulthings, like saving energy or keeping people healthy for long.

Applications which make senseEnergy Saving Devices: Tech-Savvy devices which allow theuser to adjust heating and cooling settings using a computer or acell phone are already available in the market. Leonardelliexplains, “Homes also can be programmed so that if the securitysystem is disarmed, the system will turn on the lights.” GPS-enabled cell phones may some day signal when we're gettingclose to home, and allow the home owner to signal the networkto adjust heating, turn on lights and unlock a door.

Soon, home energy consumption could be monitored just aswe would in a hybrid car. Companies are already experimentingand working on creating zero-energy homes or, even better,homes that actually make more energy than they consume.

Networking Designs: While saving energy is a priority, inthe near future we will have a large retired population whichwould require technological support. “New technologies willhelp people delay institutionalisation and allow them to liveindependently for a longer time,” said Majd Alwan, directorof the Washington-based Center for Aging ServicesTechnologies (agingtech.org).

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The need for care-giving will rise as the cost of care goes upfor the retired population. Wearable fall-detectors are already onthe market, and researchers are working on floor sensors thatcan tell if a person has fallen. These sensors can distinguishwhen a person, rather than some other object, hits the floor. “Inthe future, motion sensors may look for patterns of normalactivity and report when movement isn't sensed for a certainperiod of time,” Alwan added.

The extras In the kitchen of the future, appliances could end up talking toeach other and prepare meals for the family according toschedules fed into the computer; just like in the movie Edward Scissorhands.

The living room could be decorated and designed with coffeetables having touch screen facility and displaying family photoalbums, and digital photo frames could be hung on walls withsecurity cameras.

Basic hi-tech home décor will become a necessity to home owners who won’t be able to imagine their liveswithout it, as they become more affordable and dependablein the near future.

But even then some basic points would have to be taken intoconsideration as home-owners gear up for hi-tech homes. Hereare the points to ponder.

Smart design. That means a home built with industrialfinish, and includes abundant natural light and air circulation,plus the technological advances which allow tracking electricityand controlling heat and cooling, among other features, effortless.

Efficiency of Materials. The use of renewable andrecycled materials will be prominent and it would include off-siteprefabricated construction, which shortens building time.

Energy efficiency. Use of solar-powered equipment andother items which will help generate energy will beexperimented and innovated with.

Water efficiency. Features will include low-flowshowerheads and dual-flush toilets that vary the amount ofwater used and that rely on collected and reused "grey water"from the sink. This will also allow recycling of water wherehomes will be equipped with facilities which will recycle home-owners waste.

Healthy environment. The use of nontoxic materials willalso be considered.

The main thought behind hi-tech home décor in the nearfuture will be designing big rather than building big. Designs willbe built to minimise space use and will focus on utility for thehome owner while imbibing technological advancements withinthem. This is something home owners can be excited about inthe near future, as dreams of living in a hi-tech home straightfrom the movie Back to the Future comes true.

Convertibles: Fun formsmeet functionality

Convertibles were once considered a favourite of thoseunwilling to spend a fortune on furniture or homedécor. But as human habitats get denser, real estateprices skyrocket and barring a privileged few, none

can actually afford sprawling villas or big town houses fitted withcolossal period pieces. ‘Beautility’ (beauty plus utility) is,therefore, the present-day mantra at modern homes and optingfor convertible furniture is the key to better space utilisation.

As the term suggests, convertibles are unique multifunctionalfurniture pieces whose shapes and size can be changed instantlyfor various uses and efficient space management. It is,undoubtedly, the latest trend in furniture fashion and catchingup fast due to severe space constraints in urban areas. The chicand experimental designs are aesthetically stunning andimpressively practical as the furniture must be suitable formultitasking and must fit even in a pint-sized flat. Most commonexamples of this genre are the expanding tables or the chunkysofa-cum-beds, most popular for their dual use as a couch and abed. Made of minimal and sustainable materials, convertiblestoday are sleek, portable and converts with amazing ease –

thanks to the rapid progress in interior designing and relevanttechnologies. It is amazing how innovative convertibles can nowfit inside a standard luggage box, and can be arranged andrearranged as per requirements and convenience.

Useful but not mundaneGone are the days when box-shaped wooden furniture crowdedour homes and anything on the ornamental side was consideredan extravaganza. As modern urban living is all about beauty andfunctionality, designers have become more innovative andstarted thinking out of the box. Simple, minimal designs andalluring shapes created in a wide array of colours ranging fromvibrant tints to neutral shades and stark white bestow an aura ofdistinction to every piece of furniture that can easily convertfrom one use to another and make better use of the space wehave. Simply put, funky forms meet functionality in theseelegant, well-engineered furniture items that can be easilychanged to fit the size of your work without sacrificing the style.In case you are longing to buy a convertible just now, please holdyour patience. There are more to it than you can ever imagine.


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It’s greenEco-conscious consumers are keen to opt for green designswhere natural colours and plants are integrated into thefurniture piece itself. This adds a twist to the otherwise normaldesigns and leaves your guests amazed and wondering.Designing it ‘green’ does not mean keeping a plant or a rockgarden in a corner or displaying exquisite flowers in a vase.Instead, creepers or such other plants can be grown insidetransparent pieces of furniture which will look just great.Similarly, coffee tables, kitchen furniture, or even washroomappliances can be enmeshed or treated, thus adding greendimensions to your immediate surroundings.

Do you have enough time and patience when it comes tofurniture shopping? If the answer is yes, ask your designer toshape living trees into exquisite furniture pieces like chairs,tables or even mirror frames. If you are one of those who love torelax in the garden – leaning against a tree and quietly reading abook – this grow-it-yourself, natural wood furniture concept

might readily take root in your imagination. Best of all, you canwatch your favourite new seat grow right up from the ground inyour backyard or on the patio/porch.

It’s innovativeRecycling is also in vogue and used items like crushed coke cansor battered cricket/baseball bats are used innovatively to createexotic pieces of furniture that would surely wow your guests. Or ifyou are a gizmo-lover and want to deck up the home with boys’toys, go for bike/car-parts furniture – sink-in seats, stunning coffeetables and much more. For example, get hold of the frontheadlights & grill of a car no longer in use and carefully fix asturdy glass shelf on it. You can now proudly display the signaturepiece (it will feature the manufacturer’s crest in the front) at homeand the off-beat creation will breathe oodles of style. Even a usedmusical instrument can become a solid decoration item.

Designers are now trying to push psychedelic concepts – aperfect combination of innovation and creativity. One can

actually integrate standard or ‘mood lighting’ with the furniturepieces in use – a never-before experience for most of us. Try the‘luminotherapy’ bed or chair that constantly changes colours oryou can just stick to the one of your choice. The unique piececomes with a remote so that you can control the colour andchange the home ambience at the touch of a button.

The furniture item, most commonly used for experimen-tation, is the bed – the snooze island where you can relax, curlup and fall asleep without a care. And the varieties on offer aresimply mind-boggling. From the more conventional foldablebeds to well-hidden, fold-out wall beds and the futuristicfloaters – each concept has evolved from out-of-box thinkingand stands in sharp contrast to your current boxy bedroom.Although hide-a-beds were not immediately popular, cleverdesigning and great space-saving made them quite trendy.Home-owners today also opt for floating beds which are foldedinto ceiling space and rolled down for use. Instead of folding itout from the wall, the bed is pulled down from the ceiling but

still leaves enough room for the objects underneath – a rare featthat most of the convertible couch-beds or similar bed designscannot manage.

It’s hi-techIn case you are looking for a ‘bedroom experience’ with adifference, there are provisions to bring all your favouritegadgets right into the bed with you – thus ensuring effectivespace-saving and amazing multi-functionality. These hi-techbeds are the latest buzz in the market as they integrate high-endtechnologies with comfort and aesthetics. The beds are likesecret rooms that perfectly blend into an interior design schemeand cut out on the gadget space, so that your favourite gizmosdo not crowd your bedroom any more. Be ready to shell outgood money and you can buy a hi-tech bed with built-in readinglights, television (some times with a surround-sound speakersystem to give you that home theatre kind of feeling), computerwith wireless Internet, iPod dock and gaming console. Quite

Theme-based décor, stunning layout, futuristic floors, livingwalls – you name it and the ultra modern homes of thenew millennium have it. Instead of creating blandbuilding blocks, innovations in the digital era has brought

to life many of our childhood fantasies – right from thatawesome ‘Star Trek’ consol (now you can find a similar controlpanel at a wired home) to the sliding wall that reveals amazingtreasure troves (it is easy to get one done to step into anotherpart of your house). Simply put, fantasy meets reality in today’sdesigner homes and the better imagination you have, the funkierit will get. Here are a few out-of-the-box concepts for your out-of-the-world dream home.

Moving floors and wallsIf you have watched Jamiroquai’s ‘Virtual Insanity,’ the specialeffects might have left you quite stunned at times. In this widelypopular music video, the floor appears to move while the rest ofthe room stays still and the interior changes even when theceiling and floor are static. Did you ever wonder how ithappened and fervently wished to own a home straight out thatfantasy world? Well, some home owners have already decided togo jazzy and opted for the designer touch. Exquisite murals andbold colours make the once-drab flooring look like a piece ofart. Best of all, one can also integrate lights, music and otherappliances to make the surface glow in the dark, create greatsound effects and change images. Although it sounds toofuturistic and may cost quite a fortune, connoisseurs of designerhomes are not complaining.

Changing imagesHave you noticed the billboards on city roads, with glitteringand changing images? How would you feel if you can actuallybring the billboards home? Instead of displaying just a fewpaintings or photographs which seem to stay there forever, thelatest trend is to showcase photo frames with changing images.

Who needs a computer when you can load hundreds of pictureson to a photo frame and the images change periodically on theirown? Just insert a compatible memory card in your digital photoframe and you can get started without a hitch. The bigger thememory card, the more number of pictures will be on display.You can also choose the display mode (single photo or slideshow) and bring to life the cherished memories of another day.

Flexi fridgeThe refrigerator is one of the biggest and heaviest appliances athome that stand tall and immobile. But thanks to designinnovations, portable versions are now readily available in themarket. The easy-to-move flexi fridge is an offshoot of thecooling appliances available in coffee shops where shop ownerskeep their wares. Whilea central pillar supportseach level, cold air –generated at the base – iscirculated upwardsthrough permeablestructural layers. Stylishto the core, these new-genre machines weighmuch less than thetraditional big-boxfridges and also offergreat flexibility in termsof storage space. Socollapse or expand themat your will toaccommodate youreveryday requirements.It will also save space forstudio apartmentdwellers.

Deck it up, the sci-fi way


simply, the gadget-loaded bed is virtually an all-in-one, stand-alone room that caters to all your needs.

While a theatre screen can be pulled down for watchingtelevision or movies, an integrated personal computer ensuresthat you can work or surf from the comfort of your bed. Thenthere is the gaming console for the so-called addicts who love toget lost in the virtual world of ‘Xtreme Ntertainment.’ Or youmay simply relax with your favourite book and read yourself tosleep. Reading lights and shades are carefully integrated toprotect your eyes whenever you are awake or asleep. Hi-techbeds are perfect furniture pieces for a cramped urban condo or acompact studio apartment. And these are evolving fast too, ascompanies across the globe are adding up more sophisticated

features like temperature controls and anti-snoring devices.Curious? Impressed? Eager to try out the new-age conver-

tibles? Think out of the box and get going today. Practical,eco-friendly and elegant, they will transform your traditionalhome décor and help create incredible interiors!

Feature


What does it take to turn your home into a safehaven and a personal sanctuary? Check out these‘intelligent’ gadgets which not only take care ofthe security issues at home but also ensure your

personal well-being. Are you ready to go with the global flowand embrace the quirky ideas?

Security cameraThere are many options available in the market if you want toincorporate a good security system and keep your home as safeas possible. In India, the trend was not too popular though, evena few years ago. But with crime rates on the rise across the globe,

security remains the key concern of people – especially whereboth spouses work and stay away from home for a considerableperiod. Families now do all they can to ensure household safetyand next-generation technologies further pave the way to takeadvantage of robust security measures.

Security systems vary in cost but these are no longerexorbitant. Companies today instantly respond to populardemands and often knock down prices to boost sales. Custompackages are also on offer to meet individual requirements. Asnew innovations flood the market, consumers are spoilt forchoice and take their pick from a wide range of securityproducts. There are wireless technologies, televisions monitoring,alarms and quick call-in to the police in case of a break-in – alldedicated to ensure your personal safety and security.

A wireless security camera can scan your home and hearthmeticulously all day and all night. The wireless technologyallows these gadgets to be placed ‘discreetly’ where wiredcameras cannot reach out. Each system has a camera and aDVR inside, and images are recorded on an SD card for easyplayback. Others systems can record videos and transmit itdirectly to your computer. Some of the body-worn applicationshave microphones too, for audio recording.

Packed with features, wireless colour cameras aresophisticated equipment that can be used indoors or outdoorsfor maximum flexibility. These are easy to set up,weatherproof and some of the versions provide night vision.

Living safe – The tech way

Designed by Austrian student Stefan Buchberger, Flatshare isanother terrific idea to keep food fresh and handy the way youwant it. It features interlocking refrigerator sections, scalable upto a full-size fridge and contains four stackable modules on thetop of a base. Customisation is easy as you can choose yourcolours, patterns etc. and also include add-ons like bottleopeners or a whiteboard. The refrigerator can be draggedanywhere and its size can be manipulated according to yourconvenience. The Flatshare fridge was one of the nine finalistsin the Electrolux Design Lab contest.

Collapsible storage spaceModular furniture happened to be the next best idea aftermodular kitchens. Now we can take it one step further and thinkof modular storage space. It is the latest rage among people whosuffer from cramped space and require more storage area innear future. If you have no space for heavy closets, wardrobes orchest of drawers, try the collapsible or knock-down furniturewhich can be designed and redesigned to suit your requirements.Cheap yet robust and elegant, the units of modular furniture areeasy to assemble and disassemble. What’s more, some of thesecan be collapsed and folded away, when not in use.

The ratchet furniture designed by Harry Hasson is the bestexample in this category. The pressure from the ratchet strapswrapped around the units is enough to keep them from falling apart,thus eliminating the need for other permanent fasteners, smallaccessory pieces or complex metal hardware like nails, screws orglue. So get creative and redesign your storage devices the way youwant it to give your dream home a new look and feel. Your familyand friends cannot but appreciate all the efforts you have taken.

What you get is a USB DVR wireless system that has fourcameras. The hardware turns your computer into a globalsurveillance tool, allowing you to see what is going on fromanywhere in the world. This means that you can be holidayingin Spain and monitoring your home in India.

Installing a basic security system is easy and you can try thelatest IP/Network cameras which are sophisticated surveillanceequipment. The hi-tech device uses an IP address to transmitthe video recording through a network using Ethernet/CAT5cable. Just log in using any Internet connection available througha computer or a 3G phone and view or playback the video fromanywhere in the world.

Although baby monitors are routinely used in many homes,some wireless and security cameras can also carry out the sametask. With the right setup, you can even hook up a wirelesscamera to your iPhone to watch your baby sleeping.

Automatic doorThese are electrically automated doors opened and closed bypower, spring or both. Automated doors are activated byvarious mechanisms and you can choose any one of these asper your convenience.

Sensor-automated doors are activated by detecting traffic.Sensors are triggered when there is a change in light or pressureon certain switches that keep the door closed. A pressure sensorworks when it senses the pressure; for example, a floor matreacts to the pressure when someone steps on it. Someautomated doors have an infrared curtain or beam which keepsthe invisible light focused on the sensors. If something orsomeone blocks the beam, the door opens. A remote sensor

(based on infrared or radio waves) can be triggered by a portableremote control and it can be installed inside a vehicle as well.These devices are very popular for car/garage doors. Swipecards, too, are used to open and close automated doors andthese can also turn on and turn off lights. Then there are themotion sensors that use low-power microwave radars and power-assisted doors for the act of pushing or pulling, thus triggeringthe open-and-close cycle.

In addition to activation sensors, automatic doors aregenerally fitted with safety sensors. These are usually aninfrared curtain or beam, but can be a pressure mat fitted onthe swing side of the door. Safety sensors prevent the doorfrom colliding with an object in its path by stopping the dooror slowing its motion.

Hi-tech lightsNight lights: Night lights or power-failure lights are in vogue inEuropean houses because they can be helpful for kids who areafraid of the dark and also provide essential back-up in case ofpower failure. New-generation night lights for parents who likehigh-tech gadgets include:� Automatic night lights that go on at dusk and off at dawn.� Motion-activated night lights, which are especially helpful

when you have to get up and check on the kids in the middleof the night.

� Power-failure night lights, which will only turn on when thepower goes out.

Solar LED lights: Known to be most environment-friendly,these hi-tech power tools featuring light-emitting diodes (LEDs)have become immensely popular. Also, because these are solar,


there is simply nothing to plug in. Just expose the gadgets to thesun as long as possible and the solar energy will be stored in thesolar batteries. Fully charged solar lights can power up lightingfor a maximum of 10 hours. These are increasingly used to lightup the exteriors, especially the big yards or garden space, as agood number of lights are necessary to brighten up these areas.So tap the free & clean energy from the sun to light up yourhome and go green in the process.

Wall sconces: They are coming back in vogue asindividuals want to marry technology with traditional look andfeel. If you are renovating the house, it is the best time to installelectric wall sconces. But sconces can be solar-powered too, ifthey are used for outdoor lighting. Wall sconces are available in awide choice of styles, colours, shapes and designs. There arethree basic points to consider here: lighting type, placement andstyle. The sconce can be a standalone unit used to light up dimlylit areas like hallways. And how you place them can actuallydetermine how well they can light up a room.

For general lighting, sconces should not be placed lower than5.5 ft from the ground. The actual height will depend on theoverall room height and the height of the users, of course. Forhigher ceilings, move the sconces up to get reflection from theceiling, but not so high that the down light is lost. Another positioncan be along the wall where sconces are placed in pairs or more.

Sensor pillowSensor pillows happen to be the ultimate in luxury and utility ina gadget-rich bedroom. They not only provide great comfort,but also act as doctors, play music and help minimise snoring. Asscientists and manufacturers try to incorporate innovativetechnologies and ensure better relaxation for the human body,new gadgets with better offerings come up every day. Pillows tomeasure sleep quality have been manufactured in Japan (Loft)and are quite a rage. They record the depth and quality of yoursleep by measuring the movements of your head. It stands onthe theory that the less you fidget, the better you sleep.

The latest version in this range is i-sleep, a soft and comfortablepillow attached to your laptop. Currently designed by IvonneDippmann, this i-pillow aims to improve the sleep quality of

people glued to their laptops and working long hours. If you areburning the midnight oil for that all-important project but wantto snatch a few minutes of sleep, here is the perfect solution. Justclose your laptop and the pillow on the top of your laptop will befilled with warm air. The iSleep is attached to the laptop’sexhaust vent and the warm air inflates it to provide some nicepadding for your weary head. Not only is the pillow warm, but ithas an integrated speaker that will play music and lull you tosleep. And there is an alarm clock as well, to wake you up whenneeded. This can be an integral part of the iSleep or you mayhave to programme your laptop for the wake-up call. Theproduct will hit the market soon and provide a much-needed restzone for sleep-starved executives, married to their laptops.

Sensor garbage binSensor garbage bins are 100% hands-free, wireless and liddedwaste disposal systems. There is a built-in artificial intelligent(AI) smart chip which knows when you need to open the trashcan, and will do all the openings and closings for you.Invisible infrared technology (harmless, of course) is used tomake these motion sensor trash cans. When anything comeswithin six inches of the infrared sensor placed near the lid,the lid opens up instantly. Dispose of the garbage fast as thelid closes automatically after three seconds. There are twofront buttons to open and close the lid manually and anon/off switch at the back of the trash can. The automatedgarbage bin is a welcome relief as it helps maintain a germ-free, odour-free environment. It is hygienic too, as you neednot touch any part of the trash can. �

Feature

Airport city in West BengalDurgapur, the industrial region of West Bengal, is all

set to get India’s first privately owned airport. Known as theWest Bengal Greenfield Project, it is managed by the BengalAerotropolis Project Ltd. (BAPL). Changi AirportInternational, a partner of BAPL, will take care of overallplanning, construction and training of the airport staff. Theairport will be located at Andal, 190 km from Burdwan district,and it will be India’s first airport city or aerotropolis. Besidesother facilities, the aerotropolis will feature an IT park, anindustrial zone and a well-developed township.

First ever exclusive ship design baseWest Bengal will soon have a unique design centre set

up by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd(GRSE), a PSU under the Defence Ministry. GRSE, along witha private French firm and a domestic IT firm, will give shape toa first-of-its-kind design centre in India that will providedetailed ship-design solutions.

This public-private joint venture will leverage the expertise ofeach partner to ensure the very best in terms of service. Theship designing and engineering services will be handled by thecentre while the French company will contribute its designingexpertise. Hardware, manpower and other solutions will betaken care of by the domestic IT firm.

Puja celebrations go greenBengalis are famous for their pompous celebration of

the Durga Puja festival. But this time, it is also proved that theycare for the environment. In fact, the ‘purohits’ (priests) havestrongly insisted upon eco-friendly measures during thecelebrations and many of the organisers have toed the line.Thanks to their eco-friendly gesture, the focus is now on usingbio-degradable products for decorations and plastic in anyform or shape is given a wide berth. For years, the priests’ bodyhave been pleading not to use plastic as it leads to unbridledpollution and may cause major fire incidents. A ban has beenslapped on the use of candles and wax as well, since thesecontain paraffin – another harmful ingredient. Thanks to theincreasing awareness among the masses, it seems we are set for‘green Pujas’ in the years to come.

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It’s time to look East and rejoice! Now WestBengal is coming up with technology‘firsts’ and ‘Durga Puja’ celebrations areturning ‘green.’ Come with us on a journeyof discovery this festive season…

Viny Velayudhan

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India's first green-lighted factoryWest Bengal’s G.P. Tronics, an industrial unit based in

Salt Lake, has become India's first green-lighted factory. Theentire 5500 sq. ft. factory area is now lit up with LEDs. BinayOpto Electronics, in charge of this unique and landmark project,has turned the factory 100 per cent green-lighted using onlysolar energy with zero carbon emission.

As a matter of fact, the entire lighting system of G.P. Tronicsconsumes only 1200 Watts as compared to the originallyenvisaged 4200 Watts consumed by traditional CFLs. TheBureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) considers a lighting load limitof maximum 11.5 Watts/sq. ft. as energy efficient and the LEDLighting Project has proved its energy efficiency by achieving afabulous 3 Watts/sq. ft.

Monorail project gets German expertiseThe Rs. 1200 crore light monorail project on the

Budge Budge-Taratala stretch in West Bengal has beenbagged by Kolkata firm Andromeda Technologies. And nowthe company will have experienced German partners whowill provide international expertise. German firmsFernmeldewerk Munchen Aubing and Derap AG &Helbling Technik will provide support for the signallingsystem and contribute to the technologies involved.

The project will also introduce LPG-based feeder buses along with the monorail construction. It is a part of the Rs. 6000 crore, first-of-its-kind light rail transitsystem in West Bengal. The company plans to use LPGfor running monorail in the future and the system will bebuilt accordingly. �

India to set up certification facilityIn a bid to counter growing cyber crimes in the

country, the Union Ministry of Communications and IT hasdecided to set up India’s first certification facility for softwaresecurity products. The project will be located in Kolkata, thecapital city of West Bengal. A government testing centre isalready there in the city but this facility will help createsecurity zones for a variety of e-governance applications andhelp enhance cyber safety.

Indian firms developing security products will also benefitfrom this initiative as they need not spend time and money toget their software programmes validated by overseasorganisations. Now their products will be tested andaccredited in India – thus reducing costs and time to market.

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In old days, our ancestorsfeasted on food rich in fatand carbs, and then went outto hunt wild game or work

on the farmland all day long. Anice cycle of calorie-burning, awin-win situation – you have toagree. But it is not possible anymore to retain that strategy.Thanks to our sedentary, time-

strapped lifestyle, it is actuallybecoming tougher to follow a regular

fitness regime. Either you are too tired togo to gym everyday or you hate to gojogging because of crowd and pollution.The only other option left can only beenjoyed by a privileged few. Because itis expensive and time-consuming to

visit a spa or a salon on a regular basis. This isexactly where fitness gadgets come in – keeping you

healthy and beautiful without costing a fortune. Hereis a list of products and reviews that will have you

rushing to work out and thus pamper your body!

Geekygadgets

for health& beautySuneetha B.


Crowning glory and more…Mankind’s crowning beauty is no longer low-maintenance. Witha billion-dollar industry backing it up, every day, hair trendschange and new looks emerge, calling for digital gadgets to meetthe demand.

Chic locksIt’s official. The sleek, straight hair is here to stay and a boon to

those with kinky and unruly hair.The hair straightener or, as it iscommonly called, a flat iron, is

almost a must-have for everywoman’s beauty closet. Go for ionic irons

which also have infra-red technology to seal thehair moisture. The latest entry, Nano Hair

Straightener, helps sterilize the plates and eliminate bacteriafrom appliances to promote a germ-free zone for the health andsafety of stylists and clients. Phillips, Sedu and Solia areexcellent brands, which have variable temperature controls andcome with several years’ guarantee.

Unwanted fuzzyRemoving unwanted hair has now gonetechno. An epilator removes them bygrasping multiple hairs simultaneously andpulling them out. The way the epilators doit is similar to waxing, although unlikewaxing, they do not remove the cells ofthe epidermis. Epilation can be painful attimes as it involves pulling the hair out of its root. Because ofthis, some people prefer to have the area professionally waxedfirst and then use the epilator to remove regrowth. Give theBRUAN silk-epil a go – it is gentle and easy to use with threeheads, two speed settings, ice pack (that you probably won’t everuse) and a smart light to spot every single hair.

A head full of hairFrom unwanted hair to much-wanted hair, laser combspromise tantalising results to millions of people who sufferfrom hair loss. If price is not an issue, check out HairMaxLaserCombs, made in USA. They work on the principle thatliving cells thrive in light and the human hair is no different.The laser comb utilises the scientific principle of light therapyand photo-bio stimulation that progressively improve the

appearance of your hair. Lauded asthe “Inventions of the Year” by the‘Time’ magazine, LaserComb claimsto be the only medical deviceclinically proven to promote hairgrowth. For best results, use theLaserComb three times a week for10-15 minutes. Positive results aresupposed to be noticeable inapproximately 8-16 weeks.

For that radiant look…If the face is the mirror of the soul, most of us are really rotteninside. Or, we have really bad facial skin, thanks to unhealthyeating habits, pollution and UV rays (let’s not forget stress andhereditary factors). Thankfully, there are some sophisticatedgadgets out there that can offer remedy to age-old woes likestubborn blackheads or sagging skin.

Acne cureAcne is a much serious condition that occurs when impuritiesclog the pores too long. ThermaClear is an acne treatmentdevice that applies thermal pulse technology to clear pimplesfast. It is an easy-to-use and FDA-cleared handheld medicaldevice for the treatment of mild-to-moderate inflammatory

acne. The device uses a very short, controlledburst of heat to treat individual acne lesions,neutralising the underlying bacteria that causeacne and zits. The healing thermal energyhelps accelerate acne cure, reducesinflammation and clears pimples faster.ThermaClear is most effective at the earliestsign of a pimple.

Skin elasticityLight therapy is a recenttechnology which is usedto cure blemished skin.LightStim is a patent-pending LEDphoto-rejuvenation lighttherapy device that decreases fine lines and improves skinelasticity. The basic concept is that it provides LED light to theepidermis (the skin layer below the sweat glands) in order tostimulate cell activity, which may promote the production ofcollagen and elastin. LightStim™ is a device that features 72LED lights per unit and delivers certain wavelengths of light tothe skin surface, based on the idea that this will promotehealthier skin.

Wrinkle eraserSo who is the fairest of them all, with no wrinkles at all?Safetox® Beauty is an electronic device that acts on the rootcauses of wrinkles at a muscular level. The skin is merely thesuperficial covering of the real mechanisms that lie furtherdown, in the muscular tissues. Certain muscles close up the faceand cause wrinkles. Safetox Beauty relaxes these muscles,

thereby altering the muscularbalance in favour of the muscles atthe rear of the head which open upthe face and lift the skin. A five-minute session each day for a fewweeks should be enough to restorethe muscular dynamics of ayouthful face.


Ahhhh! The divine pressureHow many of us have sore feet or back ache at the end of theday? Nothing can be better than an old-fashioned rub by yourfavourite masseuse or your significant other, of course. But thereis some stuff that comes mighty close. With the followinggadgets, you can say good bye to pain and welcome bliss.

Foot helpFoot massagers these days offer heated, vibrating, water androlling massages. Some foot massagers focus on your feet alonewhile others do the calves and lower leg muscles as well, givingyou a complete and thorough massage. The whole idea is to takeall the weight off your feet and relax the muscles and bones thatsupport your body all day. The HoMedics FM-CR Foot PleaserFoot Massager ranks as the most popular, with features likecounter-rotational massage heads and soothing infrared heat.The product looks like a 14 inch plastic brick with two redcircles on top. You sit in a chair with your feet on top of themassager and the rotating balls massage as the circles spin.

Face massagersFace massagers offer relaxation, reduce facialcellulite (double chin, any one?) and cleanse the skintoo. The Ultrasonic Face and Body Massager isportable, more effective and affordable – handlingaging skin with the latest ultrasonic technology.Sending cyclic sound waves of 1 MHz/second andemitting frictional heat, the massager penetratesdeep into your skin to smooth out wrinkles anddissolve fat deposits. The ultrasonic heat stimulatesskin tissue, revive cell tissue, excrete skin wastes andfacilitate skin metabolism. It can be applied to most parts of thebody including your face, neck, arms, breasts, belly, waist, hips,buttocks and legs.

Full body massageIf you want to go the whole way, get a massage chair to makeyour whole body relax. A 15-minute session before bed, withkneading, rolling, vibrating and heated tapping, is enough tomake you look forward to a deep sleep. However, massagechairs are not the one-size-fits-all type of gadget. Everyperson is unique with different health concerns. It is,therefore, important to research and find the right chair foryour specific needs. A Shiatsu massage chair is most soughtafter, as it applies acupressure. HoMedics is well known for itsaffordable massage products like massage chairs, back

massagers,handheldmassagers and foot& calf massagers.Elite andPanasonic areother great optionsfor your body.

Workng outCount your feetFor healthy limbs andbody, 10,000 steps a dayis recommended. If thatfigure makes your jawdrop, fear not – thepedometer will help youachieve your goal.Inexpensive and unobtrusive enough to be tucked into yourwallet, this little device will tell you how many steps you take eachday. The best pedometers can calculate and display otherinteresting statistics such as distance, calories burned, speed,elapsed time and steps per minute. They also act like a stopwatchand alarm. Some pedometers have fancy features such as talking,playing music or reading your heart rate. Check out Omron andSportline brands, available online and at leading stores.

Step up a notchIf you do not want to run up and down the communalstaircase, an electronic stepper is the solution. Choose astepper that is affordable, light-weight and compact enough tostore at home or at work. Stamina’s InStride Plus ElectronicMini-Stepper is a good bet. Featuring a battery-operatedmonitor displaying steps-per-minute, total steps, workout timeand calories burned, this portable stepping machine providesa complete cardiovascular workout while also offering elasticbands for toning back, arms, shoulders and torso during aworkout. Madeof steel, theframe carries afive-yearwarrantyagainst defects,with partswarrantedagainst defectsfor 90 days.

Fitness consoleWii Sports brought home snow-bowling and tennis. NowNintendo turns the living room into a fitness centre with WiiFit. Lean to block soccer balls, swivel hips to power hooptwirls or balance to hold the perfect yoga pose. Familymembers get a “core” workout, compare their results andmonitor progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu.Because keeping fit is an ongoing process, Wii Fit also tracksthe activities you do the most and puts them into yourFavourites category. Players can also note down exercisesand activities in which they excel, as well as areas that needto be improve. Wii Fit comes with the Wii Balance Boardand requires a Wii console to play. Wii console is sold separately.�

Feature


Best ofGlamGadgetsstyle it

We live in an age of convergence –convergence of devices and technologies.Technologies that connect our myriad deviceswith each other and to the Internet, and helpreduce costs and power consumption withmore integrated features on smaller chips. Weall love gadgets. Whenever we want to buy agift for our loved ones, a list of latest electronicgadgets usually comes to our mind. It isbecause we believe that these gadgets andtechnologies would surely enhance our lifestyle.

Don’t you agree that electronics play asignificant role in changing the way we live?Gadgets and gizmos are ever evolving at arapid pace and innovations today arechurning out newer models and versions thattotally change our lifestyle. Advances intechnology have already changed the waywe communicate, think and see the world as aglobal village. Cool devices are literallyflooding the markets faster than we can keepup. Even during a short trip, we carry an iPod formusic, a Blackberry or a smart phone for talkingand e-mailing, a laptop for work, adigicam/camcorder for an exclusive shoot andportable gaming/multimedia gadgets for funand excitement on the go.

Live IT presents here cool technoindispensables – a range of gadgets that arealready wedded to fashion and showcase thepowerful fusion of style and technology. Take alook at what some giants have to offer and youare sure to be floored by the chic and dazzleof their products.


Nokia 5800XpressMusicTake home this music andentertainment devicecomplemented by a touchinterface. The phone featuresa ‘Media Bar’, a handy drop-down menu that providesdirect access to music,entertainment, the Web andonline sharing. Besides, youget all the music essentials,including a graphic equalizer,8 GB memory, built-in surroundsound and a 3.5 mm jack.

Style IT

Bluetooth Stereo &Hands-freeThis is a completely wirelessBluetooth-enabled, hands-freeheadphone. Take calls and alsolisten to music in just one go. Itcan be easily connected to anyBluetooth-enabled deviceincluding mobile phone, PC,MP3 player, and many more.Combines great look with realllycool sound quality.

Sony DCR-DVD 710 EHandycamGet a powerful zoom lens and anextraordinary surround soundrecording with DCR-DVD 710E. This one’s something really special!

Style IT

Airport ExpressA simplified and

compact device, whichallows up to ten network

users and includes a newfeature called AirTunes.

With the blazing 802.11n,the affordable AirPort

Express is powerful enoughto run a home Wi-Fi

network. It is compatiblewith both Mac and PC. Its

small design and lightweight makes it extremely

portable and stylish.

VAIO-P (PocketStyle PC)Surf the web or playsongs quickly in ‘instantmode’, video chat andblog on the go. Onceyou are done, just shut itoff and keep it in yourback pocket. As theysay, it’s truly a smallwonder.

Style IT

S3-MP3 PlayerCarry music, videos, text,

and games in thisportable MP3 player from

Samsung. This is simplystylish and comes withamazing features like

three screen savers, fiveflashy colours, and five in-built games that will keep

you engaged always.

Optical MouseSSD-OM-320 This is a three-button opticalmouse with transparent bodyand retractable cable, 800dpi , best suited for laptops.What’s more, it sports a stylishUSB as well. It requires nocleaning or a mouse padand its magic roller button letsyou assign various features likeeasy jump, auto planning andzoom in & out functions.

Style IT

ScarletEnjoy beautiful picture quality andunparalled sound with the sedatingnew Scarlet – one of the thinnest LCDTVs in the world. It is an appeal toviewers who want a TV that isattractive to look at as well as towatch. Available in four different sizes,Scarlet includes intelligent sensortechnology which detects thesurrounding light level and providesjust the perfect picture.

Worldwide recession might have hit swankyshopping malls across the globe. But shopaholicsare still on a buying spree, although on a differentplatform, and online shopping sites are making

fast bucks as never before. According to a MasterCardWorldwide survey, shoppers shopped more frequently throughonline portals in the last quarter of 2008 than in 2007. And theaverage frequency of online purchases in India increased to 2.9per cent in Q4, as against 2.6 per cent in 2007.

Shopping online offers several pluses like variety, convenience,speed and, best of all, the advantage of price comparison. Just afew clicks of your mouse and the shopping cart are loaded withyour choice products, all set for the final way out – the paymentprocess. In a few days, the goods are delivered at your doorstep(you can track their movement throughout) and the shipping costs

are minimal, too. Simply put, Internet shopping is easy and fun,especially if you want to break free from the traditional shoppingdone at brick-and-mortar stores. So let us take a close look at e-shopping advantages before you embark on festival shopping. � It’s convenient: The very idea grabs your attention and

gets you going! When you shop online, you can avoidchaotic traffic and long queues at the supermarket countersor shopping malls – thus saving on time and travellingexpenses. Online shops are particularly a boon for those notresiding in the metros as people from tier II cities, smalltowns or rural areas seldom have access to vast varieties ofproducts. E-shopping is also time-saving because you don’thave to roam from shop to shop till you find your choiceproduct. Shopping at your convenience and from the safety& comfort of your home exactly fit the bill if you are hard-pressed for time and want to avoid the bustling crowd.

Dorai Thodla, CTO at iMorph Inc., says, “Some timesit is easier to shop on the Internet. Here, you caneasily search for a wide selection of merchandisesuch as books and music. Real shops, on the otherhand, tend to be a bit disorganised. If you knowwhat you want and can wait for a couple of days,e-shopping always beats real shopping. But forcertain items, like clothes, e-shopping is obviouslynot that great.”

ProductWiki, Kaboodle, MyItThings, Zebo or Iliketotallyloveit.These dynamic sites not only highlight the latest and the mostpopular products but also feature tips, reviews, polls, ratings,purchase displays and product discussions with other socialshoppers. In short, it is a virtual world where you can hang outwith friends in real time, hunt for best deals, interact with othershoppers and catch up on the latest gossip. � Money-saver: Shopping online is also about saving money in

this period of economic slowdown. As everything else takes abackseat to price, retailers now come up with steep discounts,special promotional offers and free gifts – those which aregenerally not available in regular shops. Joby John, a busyprofessional who often shops online, says, “I shop onlinebecause it offers the best deals. Instead of going to a shop and

� 24x7 facility: The changing lifestyle and immense workpressure often leave us little time for family and friends. E-shopping is open 24x7 which means you are not time-boundto carry out this chore. Shop at your leisure and free up qualitytime – so that you can spend time with your family, visitpeople, pursue a hobby or simply relax after a hard day’s work.

� One-stop shopping: Several e-commerce sites offermultiple products such as clothes, jewellery, accessories,gadgets, home appliances books, CD’s and much more.Then there are the virtual malls (some even boast 3D effects)where you can buy what you want, choose from multiplebrands, compare the pricing and read reviews to ensure bestvalue for money.

For those looking for more resources or a shopping 2.0experience, there are the social shopping Websites like

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24x7 ShoppAdvantages of e-shopping in a nutshell

buying it from there, you get to compare with multiple storesand get the best offer instantly. My sister and I must have spentmore than $7000 till now through the American online stores.”

Be alert, shop safeOnline shopping is the ‘in’ thing to do and most of us are oncloud nine when we manage to find the perfect item at theperfect price from the comfort of our living rooms. However,there are quite a few fellow-shoppers who have overlooked thepitfalls and fallen prey to unscrupulous practices.Safety is of key importance when you shoponline. If you are not careful, you may losemoney, get a wrong product (or a product ofinferior quality) and, in extreme cases, may falla victim of identity theft. If your debit

card/credit card data or anyother personal information fallinto the wrong hands, it may take along time to recover from thefinancial/legal mess.

Anuradha, a regular e-shopper visiting bothIndian and foreign sites, prefer the latter as they have betterpolicies and readily admit their mistakes, in case of a mix-up. Thosesites are also willing to offer discounts or compensate the customer inone way or the other, in case there is a genuine mistake on their part.


ing!Resmi Jaimon

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“I have made my purchases from quite a few “secure shoppingsites” in India and ended up losing my money,” she complainsbitterly. “Most of the times, we don’t get the product we haveordered. And when asked to clarify, the person at the other endsays that it is out of stock and an alternative has been sent.Another time, I was trying to send a birthday gift to a friend anda day after the scheduled delivery, I found out that the order hadnot been confirmed. When questioned, the e-shop team saidthat the gift had not been delivered but they would send it thenext day. What’s the point in sending a gift two days after the D-day?” she asks.

Although e-shopping glitches exist and may affect Netshoppers, a simple checklist containing a few safety rules canactually shield you against any online fraud. So here are 15 ‘dosand don’ts’ before you start online shopping.� Secure your PC with a firewall, anti-virus protection

and spam protection. Make sure that these are on and up to date.

� Choose your shopping site wisely and look for trust markssuch as VeriSign or Secured Seal. Colour-coded addressbars are a part of the EV SSL certificates,which ensure site authenticity.

� Beware if you are asked too manyquestions. You only need to give yourname, shipping address, billing address,credit card type, credit card number, PIN, CVVnumber and expiration date. Do not provide anyinformation about your PAN card, bank accountnumbers, driving license numbers or your mother’smaiden name.

� Shop only from known and reputable vendors.Check the seller’s rating, if possible, as well ascustomer’s feedback (many of the sites carry this information).

� Be extra careful when you buy expensive items suchas high-end gadgets, jewellery, designer brands etc.

� Read the terms & conditions, privacy policy,warranties, return policy and other related informationbefore you start shopping. If you don’t feel comfortable,opt for another site.

� Read carefully the shipping methods, rates, carrier details,tracking procedure and insurance policy. Also try to find outwhether goods are sent from outside the country as this willincur custom duty and may result into delayed delivery.

� Choose a secure method of payment. Opt for COD (cashon delivery) if possible.

� Type the URL of the payment service manually in theaddress bar.

� The shopping site should use secure technology. When youenter crucial information (credit card details or otherpersonal information), make sure that the Web address ofthe page begins with https and not http.

� Check for the locked padlock icon in the browser window frame.

� Try to maintain a separate credit card for online shopping.� Do not respond to any e-mail message asking you to confirm

account details, personal information etc. It can be a ployfor identity theft.

� Keep separate passwords for logging on to yourInternet/network, shopping, banking etc. Never share passwords with anyone and change them at regular intervals.

� Last but not the least, trust your gut feeling. If somethingsomewhere seems wrong, try and check with your family,friends and colleagues who may help you out.

Now enjoy your online shopping (with caution)! �

USB Jewel introduces its new line of flash drive necklaces andkey chains. Making it possible to be both tech-savvy and fashion-conscious, these USB drives feature built-in storage with a stylish,unassuming package.

Available online at www.usbjewel.com, the USB jewellery can bepurchased in a variety of models. The most popular shells includethe locket-inspired Wood Heart Pendant ($65.00), the ultra sleekAbalone Rectangular Pendant ($59.99) and the sophisticated,diamond-shaped Crackled Shell Key Chain ($59.99).

USB Jewel is a division of Everon Time Company which featuresthese functional yet fashionable pendant necklaces and key chains.

Products are available online at www.usbjewel.com or can beordered at [email protected].

Geek Goes GlamGiselle JhunjhnuwalaLead Designer, USB Jewel

“T here is a fickle, teasing Goddess – fantastic in hertastes, playful in adornment, who at every seasonseems to flee, return and rise again. Proteus was herfather, her name is Fashion.”

Since fashion mantra is bound to change every season as thefamous Voltaire quotation so rightly indicates, fashionistas acrossthe globe passionately hunt for all that is new and trendy. Thedictates of the vibrant fashion market are much too demandingthan meet the eye. And even star designers spend sleepless nights tocome up with new creations that will wow all.

India’s burgeoning fashion industry is already creating wavesin the international market while top designers like Ritu Kumar,Rina Dhaka, Rohit Bal, Manish Arora, and Ritu Beri are ingreat demand all over the world. Most importantly, our textilevarieties, ethnic styling, exotic patterns, vibrant dyes and age-oldcraft & cultural heritage play a key role inmaking India a fashion powerhouse. Butlike any other field, haute couture has gonehi-tech and the latest fusion of informationtechnology (IT) and fashion gets you betterresults at the click of a mouse.

Fashion designers today make optimumuse of IT in various aspects of garmentand apparel designing. Thanks to latesttechnologies and software programmes,they can visualise designs and surface treatments; choose cutsand patterns; select colours and fabrics; and quickly come upwith a virtual edition of the final output.

Then, there are other areas of the fashion industry, like e-sourcing,mass customisation and e-retailing, which require a robust IT

backbone. Almost all IT CAD/CAM companies offer Web-basedproduct data management (PDM) systems for efficient productmanagement and effective B2B communication. Online retail hasflourished too, as cutting-edge software like E3 actually provides avirtual try-on to enhance the shopping experience. The outfit inquestion can be viewed from different angles to judge the look,colour combination and the fit before it is purchased. Hairstyles, haircolours and skin tones of the model can be adjusted as well, to givethe customer a fair idea about the overall impact. Many suchinnovations are coming up every day but simply put, IT has made

firm inroads into this highly creative profession and designers aregetting tech-savvy to ensure better output and greater efficiency.

A bouquet of creative toolsDesigning is the backbone of the fashion industry – a crucial taskthat entails visualising the outfit in totality. There is the proverbialCAD (Computer Aided Designing), of course, the perfect tool forcapturing ideas and quickly turning them into precise, finisheddesigns. With CAD in action, professionals can easily create 3D

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Tech lends wings to

couture cultureRanjana Pandiar

Designers aregetting tech-savvyto ensure betteroutput and greaterefficiency

“ “

samples and forget aboutpreparing sheets and sheets of drafts tillthe final design is approved. The softwaremaintains the geometric relationship amongdesign elements so that one can modify a designwithout redrawing it and also test the suitability of variousfabrics on a specific design.

CAD includes a bunch of applications that cater to everyaspect of designing, fabric simulation, catalogue creation andmerchandising. It also empowers a designer to sell his/her ideasto clients through sophisticated mapping and drawing functions,photo libraries, quick cataloguing and presentation software. Itsunique ‘show and sell’ programme enables professionals toshowcase their designs worldwide and reach out to interestedbuyers. With multimedia fashion shows, video collections andvirtual catwalks crowding the Internet almost every day, such atool certainly ensures great marketing opportunities as designerscan feature their products with style and élan.

Besides CAD, there are other interesting and popular softwareapplications used for fashion designing. For example, there is EGVision which is both quick and inexpensive. It is a desktop scannerthat helps import motifs and ideas straight from the desktop whileVision Design is expressly created for textile and surface designing.

Here we will list a few more for the enthusiastic and the initiated. � CorelDraw 13 X3, Photoshop CS 2 and CS 3, Illustrator 9.0

and Indesign are there in the market but onlyIndesign is widely used nowadays.

� For pattern designing and textiles selection, Tuka-Tech is commonly used.� Lactra and Gerber Garment Technology (GGT) are

used for pattern and layout making. The tool helpsin custom-made fabric cutting and designingaccording to pre-fed data. However, Delhi-baseddesigner Neeta Bhargava feels that Lactra andGGT are more useful for those into massproduction and export business.� The Animator PRO can be effectively used

to create product slideshows. It is an excellentdrawing programme for creating and editing

image type graphics. The colour palette inAnimator also offers a wide range.

� C-Design Fashion® can be used to creategarments and accessories quickly by adding

colour, fabric, print and special effects.Developed by a Paris-based firm, the one-stop

software package also helps with sizespecification, measurement, labelling andsewing commands. Built on CorelDraw,C-Design is available in multiplelanguages including English, French andSpanish. It supports bitmaps and vectorgraphic formats, and offers a database

of more than 18,000 existinggarments, shapes and

detailing.


� E-cataloguing is used to create online catalogues containingvast libraries of colours, fabrics and styles – mixed andmatched to feature all possible combinations.

� UK-based design and development company Cre8tiv hascome up with a free software development kit (SDK) fortheir interactive, Web-based 3Di software. As 3Di canmanipulate the original digital image by addingimages/textures, it is often used to view different fabrics,patterns or colours which are not part of the original image.

Tech props up mass customisationIn today’s ready-to-wear fashion market, mass customisation is aboon to those seeking a competitive edge. It is a totally new businessparadigm that uses information technology to produce customisedgoods at minimal cost. The concept is all the more appealing in thefashion industry since only a privileged few can afford to go forhigh-end designer brands. With mass customisation emerging as anestablished business practice, people can still opt for ‘exclusive’

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outfits and accessories without paying an astronomical sum.In this new business model, manufacturers link the individual

customer with the production line and employ an extensive rangeof IT tools to produce ‘bespoke’ suits. With the help of computer-controlled manufacturing, companies can easily change the size,design, colour and fabric of any ‘standard’ outfit as per theconsumer’s choice and requirements. The best thing about the IT-powered production system is that you can be based anywhereacross the globe and still get the same kind of personal attentionfrom your ‘virtual’ designer that you used to get from your tailor.

If we consider the entire process from pre-production through tocutting, the ‘made-to-measure’ stage most certainly demands high-end technologies for the success of the concept. Non-contact,three-dimensional body scanners such as Cyberware or Hammatin,Wicks and Wilson or Telmath are used to measure customers andthe body measurements are recorded in seconds. The software thenconverts the data into readable format and transmits the same tothe factory. Markers can be produced automatically on thesemeasurements and the fabric is cut, using a single ply cutter.

Once the measurement is taken, the computer can choose thedesign and the style from the menu. Here the customer gets an optionto change the fabric and colour as per his/her choice. Themanufacturer then checks the fabric availability (online or offline) andthe status is instantly conveyed to the customer. In case the material isnot available, the customer can choose another alternative.

Fabric cutting can also be automated, carried out by acomputer-controlled machine. For instance, the Macpi Groupcompany, Ima, has created a quick-change cradle feed system forcloth roll management and coupled it to a computer-controlledstatic spreading machine, which is integrated on to a conveyorisedtable that feeds any automatic single ply cutter. However,information control lies at the core of this system as it is required tointerface with Mainframe, CAD, cloth ware and other subsystems.The Mainframe receives work orders, CAD does prior checking ofmarker availability and relative length, cloth ware is for fabricavailability and roll selection. The data are then fed and co-ordinated together to make it a well-integrated production process.

Since computer-controlled designing and cutting have beenintroduced in the fashion world, digital fabric printing is toutedto be the most revolutionary technology of the day. In thismethod, no screens, plates or films are used. Instead, designs aredirectly printed on to the cloth by inkjet or other printer byusing the digital method. This system of fabric printing was firstused in 1995 by Stork Textiles Printing Group of Holland. Thenew technology has gained in popularity as it is more flexible,cheaper and faster than the traditional printing methods. Themethod is simple, though. Any design, photograph or picturecan be scanned into a computer and the colour, design, etc. canbe changed, if required, before printing it on the desired fabric.

IT enhances fashion … or does it?Judging by the current trends, it seems that we will soon require achain of application stores brimming with cutting-edge tools at parwith the global studios. Also, young Indian designers are getting an

opportunity to work with popular international brands – anadvantage that gives them enough exposure. So how do ourdesigners react to the hi-tech environment that may soondominate our couture culture?

“Indian designers are slowly moving towards the hi-techculture but we still have to go a long way,” says Neeta Bhargava,a Delhi-based professional. “We only have five or six fashionweeks a year. So there’s not much scope to think of innovations.”

According to Bhargava, the designer fraternity getstremendous support from the government in countries likeJapan, England and France. “The Indian government has nowcome forward to support the fashion industry in every respectbut designers are still waiting for their big lot. However, ourbrands can easily compete with the international counterparts.”

Neeta Malhotra, a professor at NIFD, feels that Indianprofessionals catering to the domestic market rely less ontechnology as on-the-spot design changes have to be madesometimes. “High-end technology are more suited for exportorders as these are sold in bulk, are standardised and require littlealteration,” she says.

Designer Payal Jain seconds Malhotra. “Although we use techtools for some of our work, we prefer to do the sketching anddesigning manually. Switching from hand sketching to CAD isdefinitely a big leap for the entire fashion industry. But the newsoftware programmes are expensive and not all of us can use them.”

Designer Kavita Bhartia sounds a bit sceptical, though. “Weare certainly using applications like Photoshop, CorelDraw andIllustrator for the designing part and Flash for the finalpresentation. But when it comes to dyeing or embroidery, it mustbe handmade. That is why Indian products are so valued hereand abroad. Plus, there is a catch when it comes to using hi-techtools. Most of the advanced software used by internationalfashion fraternity are yet to reach India.”

Leading designer Ritu Kumar is, however, happy with thegrowth of the Indian fashion industry. “Bridging the gapbetween Europe and India would take some time since ourindustry is quite young. But India is catching up well in everyrespect and it will only get better,” she concludes. �

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T echnology is the practical application of scientificadvancement in an effort to 'improve' our lives. We usetechnology all the time and don't even realise it. Whenyou turn a tap and get running water, you are using

technology. When your alarm wakes you up, you are usingtechnology. And when you cannot fall asleep and pop a pill, youare using technology. In fact, every time you simply turn on thelight, you are using technology.

But here we are talking about all technologies together. Itwould take a few books and thousands of trees to get somethinglike that printed. This is about technology as we see it around usand how it affects our daily life. There are cell phones,televisions and interactive booths – high-end technologyapplications that attempt to simplify our life.

To digress a little, I remember when George H.W. Bush wentto a grocery store and was wonderstruck at the technology beingused while checking out his purchases. The news media laughed,

evening television news anchors giggled nervously and he wasthe butt end of many a late-night comedian's jokes. What noone seemed to realise was that he was right (and I am noapologist for the former President of the USA, even less so forhis Vice-President, Dan Quayle).

Just the act of swiping a bar code using lasers (two volumes onOptics, one volume on Mechanics), translating the bar code intonumbers (IC chip at the check-out counter doing real-timetranslation of the bar code into binary transistors – one volume),integrated circuitry and chip making (a few bookshelves),transmitting the bar code to a central system (data transmissionTCP/IP – two books), electricity (one volume), having the priceof the item retrieved from the system (databases – two volumes)and sending it back to the scanning device to be displayed on thescreen (LED or LCD technology – a few volumes) – we havealready filled quite a few shelves with just the science of how thisworks. The technology part is not even scratched.

Technology inCommunicationThe newest ways of communication to stay in touch

Sai Narasimhan

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Let’s take PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). This was a terminvented by John Sculley in the 1980s (Yeah, I know. But it’sbeen a long time for most of today's readers). He was then theCEO of Apple, having ousted Steve Jobs and taken over hispost. He believed that he had found the next idea that wouldlight a fire under Apple's stock – and the invention was calledthe Newton. These days, no one even remembers it. But thatNewton was the genesis of today's iPhone and BlackBerry.

The Newton PDA was revolutionary for its time. You may alsosay that it was ahead of its time in many ways. The key thingsthat a PDA was supposed to do were to a) store (and retrieve)information for a person about other people; b) storeinformation about places; c) provide a calendar that could beused to associate people and/or places with times; d) providesmall utilities like a calculator, scratch pad, drawing utilities andsync itself up with a desktop computer. The Newton PDA didthis admirably – but the cost was battery life and the weight. Itwas simply too much, too soon.

It was followed by the Palm Pilot, the Sharp Zaurus andnumerous other variants. All of them provided the user withsimilar applications and touted various incremental changes intechnology – sharper screens, better resolution, better contrast,better battery life, more memory and better applications.

But these changes did little to redeem the geeky image of aPDA. The variants of the PDA were in two broad categories.You had the touchscreen interface of the Palm Pilot andWindows CE based PDA (Sony's Clie is a great example of sucha device). The other was one with a keyboard attached – andhere is where the BlackBerry shines.

But the category killer came in the form of a mind-blowingpiece of innovation from Apple – the iPod. The iPod has cometo epitomise everything – from the touch and feel (smooth andcold all over) to headphone colour and the interface. It startedoff as a music device and it still serves as the workhorse that hasmoved us away from the Sony Walkman to the next mobileentertainment device.

The iPod has become the electronic item that can also make afashion statement. Although launched nearly eight years ago, itstill looks cool. How many accessories can say that even sixmonths post-launch?

The iPod has a few things going for it. It has the charisma ofbeing an Apple product. It has the simplicity that makeseveryone feel like a genius. And it has looks to die for. The nextbest example is a bunch of also-rans including Microsoft's Zuneand the Sansa. The clunkiness of the competition makes theiPod look like pure perfection.

The iPod has evolved into a sub-industry of its own and hasspawned a mini-ecosystem around itself (the New York Timescategorised it that way). As of 2006, for every $3 spent on aniPod, $1 was being spent on an accessory. Whether it is theiDock or additional mini speakers for the iPod, the industryaround it proves the market dominance of the product. Eventhe Sony Walkman, the next comparable product, didn't havesuch a fan following. The ultimate statement came in the form

of luxury car manufacturers offering iDocks as optionsavailable in their cars.

So is it all accolades all the way? Not really. The iPod ties youdown in more ways that most fans would like to admit. Theprime example is the way you are 'forced' to use iTunes to doanything meaningful with your music collection. Don't get mewrong – iTunes is a great application. But to be tied down to itreally irritates me. It may be good enough for the end-user. Butthe DRM (Digital Rights Management) that is implicitly addedto your collection is unsettling. I prefer to have no one pokingtheir noses on my PC. And, God forbid that you have an OSother than Windows or the Mac's! You have no help! You cannotpurchase anything from the iTunes store. And your iTunescollection cannot be synced with a Linux PC. This is sad.

Okay, now let us move on to the iPhone – the NEXT bigthing from Apple. The iPhone in its latest avatar – the iPhone3GS – is set to blow your socks off. What? You don't thinkthere is any difference compared to the older iPhone 3G? Well,how about the added memory? 32 GB is plenty and enough tokeep you going for some time. The performance is noticeablyfaster compared to the older model. Consequently, the gamingexperience is peppy. Simple things like map redrawingproceeds at a much faster pace, making the browsingexperience more realistic.

The higher pixelled camera also makes the pictures better(three megapixels). As always, the iPhone's photo editing makesit such a pleasure to use that you hardly realise you are usingsome software – it just seems too natural! And yes – you can nowshoot videos (VGA – 640x480) with your iPhone and also editthe videos right on the iPhone itself. But beware of making theedits! It is a one-way street, with no 'undo' and no way to save acopy of the original. There are applications galore and thisarticle would replicate a book if you see a list of them here alongwith their features.

The iPhone is the logical extension of the iPod. This is trueeven though the iTouch has been touted by Apple as theextension of the iPod! From a practical point of view, theiTouch is similar to the iPod in that its primary purpose is to letyou listen to music. But once you see that the OS is the same asthat of the iPhone and so is the look and feel, and theapplications carry over, it becomes obvious that the iTouch isonly a crippled iPhone.

With the iPhone, the user continues to make a fashionstatement. Once again, the touch is smooth. The interface is sointuitive that anyone can pick one up and begin to use it rightaway. When you see where Steve Jobs is coming from, theMacintosh, the NeXT computer and the iPod, it becomesobvious that usability is the primary and most critical elementin the design of any new Apple product. It will probablyremain the same in the not-too-distant future as well, when thenext widget comes from Apple – whether it is a book reader ora net book or a tablet or even the next 'newspaper' using e-paper – it will be the most usable kind of technical gadget thatyou can ever imagine.


The iPhone 3GS comes with many applications. Theseinclude the ever-popular e-mail, browser to surf the Net fromwherever you are and a map application that pinpoints yourlocation. An intriguing application is the ability to use anothercomputer to locate your iPhone. And it can even beep to letyou know where it is (as long as it has sufficient batterypower). It also has over 50,000 applications available forpurchase from the Apple iPhone store. And then there arenon-approved applications available. Caution: These mayinvalidate any warranty that the iPhone comes with. So bevery careful before loading non-Apple-approved applicationson your precious iPhone.

Much like the iPod, it has also spawned a mini-industryaround itself that is almost self-sustaining, as long as Appledoesn't change the design too much. This synergy between thethird-party providers will last only as long as Apple keeps themin the loop for any changes that are forthcoming. But Apple isknown to play its cards close to its chest. Hence, many of theaccessories usable with one version of the iPhone may not beusable with the next one. Also, sometimes Apple mayincorporate a new feature that renders the accessory obsolete.But those are the realities of life. Personally, I like to live with thenative applications and not hack any of my machines. But if youlook at my basement, it is quite another story – with PCs lyingaround with no boxes (easy access to the innards) and old PDAs,etc. I do build my own PCs. So let me rephrase that. I only get

into hacking my 'widgets' if I am comfortable enough with themand the warranty can be covered by me.

The Nokia N97 was talked of as the closest thing that canchallenge the status of the iPhone as a ‘must-have’ device. Thereis one great feature that has me rooting for it. This is thedisappearing keyboard. And I am talking about a full Qwertykeyboard – like the BlackBerry or the Palm Pre. The keyboardslides out and the screen is tilted just right to help you tap out e-mail and messages while the screen does not reflect the ambientlight – a nice feature. Then there is the WiFi and BlueToothstandard plus 32 GB memory (expandable by 16 GB).

The N97 boasts that its built-in GPS will ensure that the user'scurrent location can be shared via social networks like Twitter,Facebook and MySpace. You have heard about them, haven'tyou? You can also use Nokia's Ovi service to stream music, videoetc. to your device. Don't like the headphones with wires? Noproblem. Use a Bluetooth-enabled stereo headset and enjoy thefreedom! Add to this the multitasking offered by the Symbianoperating system, a feature that is sorely lacking on the iPhone,and you are almost carrying a laptop in your pocket. Not tomention that it costs as much as a laptop too!

The camera is five megapixel – sufficiently high in resolutionto use all the onboard memory as well as the expansion! And forthose craving names, the optics is by Carl Zeiss.

You also have the N97 mini, the latest entrant from Nokia, setto be released by the end of 2009, which is a tad smaller in alldimensions, has ‘only’ 8 GB memory and still gives you most ofthe features that the regular one carries.

So which one should you choose? For me, the iPhone winshands down. It has all the features I would ever dream ofwanting in a PDA, the applications that keep on growing (MITmedia labs has just released an application

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/090209-iphone-app-tracks-swine-flu.html?source=NWWNLE_nlt_daily_am_2009-09-03 that can show you where the latest outbreaks of H1N1and any other more 'popular' diseases are breaking out).

And when Apple leads, can MS be far behind? Sony EricssonXperia X1 was released late last year and X2 will be out soon.Last year, the X1 did everything that iPhone 3GS is doing thisyear. But it loses out on the oomph and the Brand Apple factor.

Note: I still do not own an iPod. I am not an Apple fan andbelieve in keeping my desktop and accessories as free of DRMas possible. But the iPod phenomenon is something that has mefascinated. So many otherwise rational people are simplyhooked on to the Apple bandwagon. There must be somethingto it. Maybe I should buy an iPhone3Gs. Or will it be the N97?Well. Let's see who gives me the best breaks. �

material that they need to help with schoolwork, by themselves. This browser is also capable of tracking the Internet usage of

the children and sending a weekly report to their parents onwhat their kids looked for online. If anything, this kind ofprocedure eliminates the need of parents to constantly breatheover their kids’ shoulder when they are online. The product canbe downloaded for free by pointing your browser tohttp://www.kidzui.com/download/windows. If you are usingFirefox browser then you can download from this link:

http://www.kidzui.com/download/firefox. Once thisbrowser is safely installed inyour computer, your child willhave a safe, easy andentertaining access to theworld of Internet.

The company behindKidZui is relatively young.KidZui came into being in2006 when Vidar Vignissonwas trying to figure out a safeand easy way for his ownchildren to use the Internet. Hedecided to come up with aproduct himself and teamedup with Cliff Boro andThomas Broadhead. The betatesting for the product with kidsbegan in 2006 itself. Finally, itwas released to public in 2008.Since then, there have beenmany reviews from parents andkids alike in favour of theKidZui browser. �

MyKidZui4F or those who have a young kid growing up in their

family, the KidZui browser must come as a dreamcome true. This browser, designed specifically with kidsin mind, uses a ‘Zooming User Interface’ paradigm to

make browsing easier. Search results appear as scaled downimages of websites, videos, and pictures that children click on tozoom in and see content. It is also possible for children to browseby category without typing search terms. But the best thingabout the KidZui browser is that it does not allow open access tothe big bad world of Internet.

That should come as a relief to many parents whose primaryconcern revolve around their child being exposed to adultmaterial readily available on the web. The KidZui browserworks by maintaining a database of URLs that have beenapproved by teachers and parents. As of now, this browser isgeared to provide access to over 2 million child-friendly games,websites, pictures, and YouTube videos that have been reviewedby parents. That is enough material to turn your computer intoa veritable playground for your kid. Kids can make searches for


Tech Tips by Anoop Verma

For those who just can’t do without their share of talking on the phone, a free calling facilityto any part of the world must seem like a nirvana of some kind. Too bad, such facility isstill far from becoming a reality. But PokeTALK, with its absurdly low rates, does comevery close to being almost free. To indulge in PokeTALK, you have to begin by opening

an account at www.poketalk.com. By the way, this website offers the facility of calling over 70 per cent of the world for free. But the problem is that India does not figure in the list;we belong to the other 30 per cent who have to pay a small amount of fee.

To make a call using PokeTALK, you have to enter your number and the number youwant to call, and then wait for few moments for the website to connect you. But beforethat, you have to sign up. The process is simple. All you need to do is to enter your e-mail, your full name and from a drop-down list, you have to select the name of yournation; another drop-down list lets you enter your time zone. You also have to enter youroccupation, date of birth and other minor details. After that, you can click on the signup button to be awarded a lifetime license to talk for free or at very low prices.

As of now, calls originating from 15 countries in North America and WesternEurope and going to a list of another 55 countries are free. India is not there in

Make Free International Callswith PokeTALKConnect to any part of the world with ease!

the list, so the desi users have no other option but to take recourse to thePokeTALK Pro version. When you click on the PokeTALK Pro button,you are immediately transferred to a page that has a rate calculator. Let’ssay, you want to make a call from India to the UK. The rate calculatoranswers within moments that you have got to pay $0.0402 per minute formaking this type of call.

Similarly, you can find out the rates for making calls to the USA, to Sweden or anyother country. The rates are not very high, but as the payment has to be made indollars, you will have to pay by your international credit card and that will entail somekind of currency conversion charges. So you might end up paying more than the ratethat PokeTALK is advertising. Despite these small glitches, this is a really interestingwebsite and one can only hope that sooner or later, India will start featuring in the listof countries that can make and receive free PokeTALK calls. �


Without any exaggeration it can be said that moviebuffs can’t do without Clerkdogs.This is a website that dishes out to its usersrecommendations from actual video store clerks.

Now you must have guessed how the name Clerkdogs comesinto being. Well, the thing is that a video store clerk does havethe ability to make good recommendations as he/she is moreexposed to the world of newly released and old movies. By using

this system, there is very little chance of your ending up with anincorrect movie recommendation.

In order to start using Clerkdogs, the first thing you need to do ispoint your browser at http://www.clerkdogs.com. Here you canopen your account for free and then you can be on your way to getintroduced with movies of your choice. In the centre of the screenthere is a box that says ‘Get Recommendations’. Fill the name ofyour favourite movie and click on the button that says, ‘Match’. A list

of matching movieswill appear at thebottom of thescreen; pick up theone that you like.

For example,when I entered thename of the movie‘Desperado’ in thebox and tried tomatch it, I gotmovies like ‘Hangem’ High,’ ‘KillBill,’ ‘No Countryfor Old Men,’‘Once Upon aTime in Mexico’and a few others inthe result. That ispretty close, closerthan what youwould get if yourequested anyacquaintance tocome up withrecommendations.This website alsogives you info onthe movies of your choice. Youcan check out their IMBDcredentials and the DVD price on Amazon.�

Use Clerkdogs to get personal movie recommendationsGet info on the movies of your choice

Tech Tip


How about a PC that costs just Rs. 7999! You can havesuch a PC installed at home by making one phone callto Airtel. So why does this Net PC cost so less? Thetruth is that this is not a full-fledged PC, simply because

it does not have a CPU. No CPU, no CD drive, no Hard Drive.But who needs such paraphernalia when it is possible for you totake care of all your computing needs in the ‘cloud’. The Net PCis based on a plug-and-play technology and is powered by NivioCompanion, which enables it to get connected to a backendLinux-run server for storage and applications. There is also auser-friendly OS with Windows-based online desktop. Softwareupgrades are not required, since the globally distributedNivioGrid provides the computing power.

The hardware in an Airtel Net PC consists of an LCDmonitor, a keyboard, a mouse and a modem by which the systemcan be connected to the Internet. Once the power is switched on,the system boots instantly, as a CPU with a plethora of softwaredoesn’t plague it. But there is one small drawback – the computercan’t be used unless you are connected to the Internet. Also, youcan’t use it for downloading software or playing graphic-rich

video games. But on the positive side, a Net PC consumes only 5-10 watts of energy. Currently, Airtel is providing 10 GB of spaceat its central server where users can store documents, photos andpresentations. You can put all worries regarding data loss to rest,since all the data are 100% guaranteed by Airtel and has a backup in NivioGrid in real time.

You can sign up for the Net PC under three different schemes.There is the Home Pack, under which you pay Rs. 699 permonth and have an Airtel broadband connection at 256 Kbpsspeed with 3 GB data transfer plus an online desktop servicewith 10 GB storage and MS Office standard. But if you opt forthe Profession Pack, which comes at Rs. 899 per month, you canavail of MS Office standard with Admin rights. Those who go infor the Business Pack, at Rs. 1199 per month, will have onlineaccess to MS Office Premium with Admin rights. So the onlydifference between the three packs being offered lies in the typeof Microsoft Office that you get access to.

The Net PC comes equipped with few extra USB ports thatcan be used to connect the system to a printer or to downloadfiles to a flash drive or a portable HardDrive. �

Net PC from

AirtelA user-friendly OS toconnect to the Net


How about touching up those digital photos a bit? And how? Enter MakeUpPilot from the ensemble of Two Pilots. It isbasically an image editing software, which can be used to touch up your photos. So, you can happily bid adieu to the smalldefects on your cherished pictures.

Sounds good? Here’s more. MakeUpPilot can be used as an image correction tool to get rid of minor skin blemishes and otherdefects from digital photographs. The programme is extremely simple to use, mostly due to the fact that it lacks any options orconfigurations – just point the cursor at the blemishes and click to remove them, one by one. There are options that enable you totouch up skin imperfection, whiten teeth, apply make-up and rouge and also enhance or change eye colour. What’s more, you caneven try your hand at image resising, cropping and brightness/contrast adjustments.

You ‘play’ with a palette of tools to get the desired result, anything from a light smoothing out to complete coverage. Even‘applying’ makeup is a breeze. And, whenever you have the slightest difficulty, demonstration examples are there to walk youthrough. If you need to, nothing is easier than returning to a previous stage and redoing your corrections; you can even revise yourcorrections in a small part of the picture only using your ‘undo brush.’

The programme works on Windows 98/ME/2000/XP platforms and it can be installed as standalone and a plug-in as well.MakeUpPilot costs $29.95 for a single-user license. But there’s a trial version too, which you can always use before you shell out themoney for the real stuff. More information about MakeUpPilot can be obtained from http://www.colorpilot.com.

So, don’t be too upset next time your skin doesn’t look perfect on a photo. If you have the MakeUpPilot programme, you can besure your pictures will eventually look better. �

Software for doing makeupdirectly on your photosEnhance your pictures at the click of a mouse

Input by Priyanka Dey


offering Visa cards in virtual format, but Master and Amex virtualcards are also in the pipeline. Another private sector credit cardissuer, HDFC bank, is also offering virtual cards. The HDFCvirtual card is called NetSafe. It enables you to generate a uniquevirtual card number by using your physical Visa or MasterCarddebit or credit card. Unlike the ICICI bank virtual card, theNetSafe cards from HDFC are temporary.

This means that for each new transaction that you wish to makeonline, you have to generate a new virtual card. For example, if youwish to make a purchase of Rs. 2000, you will have to log in to theHDFC bank website and generate a virtual card of Rs. 2000 only.And if you fail to use your newly generated NetSafe card for somereason, the card will fade away automatically in 24 hours and themoney will return to your primary credit card. On a single day, youcan generate up to five NetSafe cards at HDFC bank website. Andthe best part? These cards are free of cost. �

I f you are really paranoid about your credit card details gettingstolen while you are indulging in online shopping, you candecide to opt for a virtual credit card with flexi-limit.Currently, ICICI Bank, India’s biggest issuer of credit cards, is

offering a virtual credit card to its customers. If you have a physicalcredit card from ICICI Bank, you are already eligible for a virtualone. The main advantage of this kind of virtual credit card is thatit allows you to do online shopping without having to divulge thedetails of your original credit card, whose credit limit must bemuch higher.

Let’s say, you wish to make an online purchase of around Rs. 4000. You can set the limit of your virtual credit card for Rs. 5000 only and do your shopping. Even if your credit carddetails get stolen, which is extremely unlikely unless you have beenvery careless, you will lose a very small amount of money ascompared to what you will lose if your primary card details getcompromised. You don’t have to fill up a new form, or callcustomer care in order to get hold of a new virtual credit card. Allyou need is to log in to your credit card account. Here you will finda link that says, “Click here to apply for Virtual Credit Card.”

On clicking this link, you will be taken to a page that has anonline application form. Out here, you have to enter your existingcredit card number, your e-mail ID, your mobile number and,finally, your Internet banking transaction password. Click Submit.Your online card will get generated within two working days and itwill exist only in the cyberspace. You will have its number, its CVVnumber and its expiry date. You can then log in to your ICICIbank account to set the credit limit of this new credit cardaccording to your need.

The credit limit, as set by you, will be restored during everybilling cycle irrespective of the payment made, subject to theoverall limit on your primary card. As of now, ICICI bank is only

Generate aVirtual Credit CardFix your credit limit for every purchase

fraud protection policies that acredit card usually has.

While placing your order, you should not divulge moreinformation than is absolutely necessary. Visit only reputed sites that are being run by authenticcompanies which enjoy impeccable reputation. You

should check online ratings and reviews from other customersand take red flags seriously.

Never select the ‘remember my password’ option andavoid saving your password on your PC; it is the first

thing a hacker will target. Malware can be used to search yourPC for stored passwords. Avoid using the same password onmultiple sites or writing it down on a post-it note or scrap ofpaper that can be easily intercepted. Finally, change all yourpasswords every two to three months.

Clean your computer of all kind of spyware andmalware that you might have accumulated during the

course of browsing. Do not open e-mail attachments or download links unlessyou are absolutely sure about the sender’s credentials. Never pay bills, bank, shop or conduct financial transactionson a public or shared computer or over a public wireless

network. If you do log on to public computers, look for computerson networks that require a password, which increases security.

Review your credit card and bank account details everymonth. If you notice any discrepancy, inform the

customer care immediately. �

If you prefer to shop online, you have a reason to cheer. RBIhas now come up with a new set of guidelines that have madeonline shopping with your credit or debit card much saferthan it ever was. Now users have to input some additional

information that is not mentioned on their credit card to havetheir transactions cleared. The additional information could bein the form of a password, your home address, or a PAM(Personal Assurance Message). With such a foolproof system inplace, it is definitely time for you to start splurging online. Here are some tips that will make your online shoppingexperience really safe and fruitful:

Make sure that the browser you are using is the latestversion. If you are using Firefox, you have to update it to

the latest version. In case of Internet Explorer, it is the IE8 thathappens to be the latest version.

The address of the website where you intend to do yourshopping should begin with an ‘https’. There is an extra

‘s’ out here that indicates that there is an encrypted connectionbetween your browser and the website. If the website’s URLdoes not have an “https”, you should not enter your credit carddetails in it.

You should also look out for the ‘padlock sign’ in the statusbar. The ‘padlock sign’ indicates that the site is secure. Preferably you should do your shopping with a creditcard. Because a debit card does not have the kind of

RBI Norms forSafe Shopping

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Security tips for online shopping


each pixel is allowed to have. Inverting colours can lead to veryinteresting results. But the greatest fun is to use the ‘Artistic’options where you can change your photo to look like an inkdrawing, a pencil drawing or an oil pastel. You can rotate andresize your images. The entire interface is embellished withclear, well-sized buttons that provide access to a wide range ofoptions without looking cluttered or messy.

But the best thing about paint.net is the open sourcecommunity that supports it. They are really passionate aboutdeveloping new add-ons and improvements. One thing is forsure – Paint.net is far more advanced than Microsoft Paint,which most of us have been using till now. It is definitely amust have for anyone who needs to improve the quality of his images. �

Embellish your digital photos with

Are you still wondering how to embellish your digitalphotographs with some kind of special effects? It is timeyou made a voyage of discovery at paint.net. This 1.3MB feature-rich image editing software doesn’t cost a

single rupee and it can be downloaded from http://www.paint.net. If you are conversant with Photoshop, you can start using thesoftware directly. But if that is not the case, then you may have tospend a few hours going through the detailed help document thatcomes with the software. In any case, the interface is extremelyintuitive and it is easy for anyone to master.

All the basic things that most amateur photographers need tocorrect in their photos can be done very easily by using thissoftware. For instance, Red-Eye removal is a breeze. You canadjust the depth of every shade; you can also modify the colourrange of an image.The brightness andcontrast can betampered with. Thehue and saturationcan be modified. Thesoftware has anefficient cloning toolwith which you canremove slightimperfections in anyphoto. Then thereare the wonderfulcolour editing toolsthat are easy to useand are completelygeared to improve the visual quality ofany picture.

You can turn yourpicture into a black &white image at theclick of a mouse. Youcan give it a sepiarendering or you canposterise it bydecreasing thenumber of colours


the senior citizens in any family. In order toregister for the service, you just need to fill insome basic details, which include your firstname, your last name, the name of yourcountry, your birthday and your e-mail ID.You also have to create a user ID of yourchoice and a password. Once the registration

process is complete, you can start inviting other members of yourfamily. There is no limit to the number of persons you can invite.

Once the family is united on the Finerday interface, the website’ssystems can be used to send e-mail, text messages or even to makea video call to anyone. If anything, the system is replete withoptions that make it quite convenient for people to keep in touchwith each other. Now it is time to pop up the important question –who are the founders of this innovative service? Two people, LillaHarris, a qualified nurse, and Howard Bashford, an executive witha technology company, are the main force behind Finerday.

Both of them say that while starting Finerday, they have beenmotivated by the desire to make a difference in the lives of numerousolder people. So, if you want to make a real difference to the life ofyour grandpa and grandma, who might not be that Internet savvy,you can take a leaf out of the ideas promoted by these twoentrepreneurs. Just introduce them to the online world of Finerdayand make it a step easier for them to be in touch with you. �

finerdayS

ocial networking is clearly the big thing on the Internetthese days. Entities like MySpace and Facebook havealready made a huge mark on the networking scene andthey boast of millions of users from all over the world. So,

where was the need for another networking site? But the truth isthat Finerday is a networking site with a difference. Rather thantargeting at individuals, something what Facebook and MySpaceare doing, Finerday targets families.

You can check out this networking site by pointing yourbrowser at www.finerday.com. This service was launched on 4th

July 2008 and it already has a substantial number of membersto its credit. The purported aim of Finerday is to link all of yourfamily, whatever be their age. The interface of the website isneatly designed, with several enlarged icons to help less frequentusers of keyboards and mouse keep up with their morecomputer-savvy younger family members.

Basically, this is something that can prove more beneficial to

A social utility for your entire family


to the search bar that is placed at the top of the website’shomepage and choose between MP3, WAV or AIF. To listen toa sound before downloading it, just click on the orange/greyplayer on the left. The good thing is that merely listening to thesounds is not going to affect your download counter.

And if you want to go in for a Soundsnap Pro membership,you can use your credit card or PayPal account for the signupprocess. The price for the membership usually starts fromaround $29 per month. However, after getting the sound fromSoundsnap, you are not allowed to copy them on a CD andresell them. That would constitute a gross violation of the termsof the contract. So, now you have learned about a good way ofspicing up your videos, games, applications or just making thesystem alerts a little more hilarious by downloading sound effectsfrom this fabulous website.

By the way, this website also offers an incredible way ofmaking some extra money on the side. If you own some sounds,you can try to upload them to this website and every time yoursounds get downloaded by other users, Soundsnap is going topay you a commission. But Soundsnap is only interested in thebest sounds, music loops and sound art out there, and so thescreening process is quite tough. You should not try to uploadsounds that are not recorded with pro equipment and that arenot mastered or edited properly, because this website believes intaking only the best. �

YouTube videos are clearly in vogue; everyone who iswell versed with doing things the digital way is outthere creating them. But one problem oftenencountered is the lack of right kind of sound effects.

Let’s say, you are creating a video on ghosts and you need reallyeerie kind of sounds to run in the background. One way out isthat you and your friends can caterwaul and scream, but thatmight not lend a realistic touch to it, something that will impressthe global audience. Enter SoundSnap – a repository of soundeffects from all over the world.

This community-driven online sound library boasts of morethan 100,000 high quality sound effects and music loops fromHollywood sound designers and cutting-edge music producers.Alas, the website is not totally free. What should warm thecockles of your heart is the fact that you are allowed todownload five free sounds every month, but thereafter you haveto pay by signing up for the Soundsnap Pro membership. Thesounds that are available on the website are royalty free, whichmeans that you can use them in commercial or non-commercialapplications without any problem.

In order to download the sounds, you have to be a registereduser. The signup is free. All you need to create an account iscome up with a suitable user name and password. Once this isdone, you can be on your way to download the five free soundsthat you are entitled to. In order to search for sounds, you can go

SoundsnapAn online sound library


So you think that modern art with its vast array offlamboyant lines and shapes is incomprehensible?You will be bound to change your opinion if youcan churn out your own modern art. The good

thing about the digital age is that you don’t need paint,brush or canvas in order to churn out modern art. All youneed is a PC connected to the Internet. Point your browserto http://bomomo.com and you will find yourself looking at astarkly bare screen, which looks suspiciously like an artist’sempty canvas.

In the middle of this empty digital canvas, there are fewround circles floating. At the bottom of it, there are 20buttons. Each one of these buttons is geared to inspire the

floating circles into conjuring a different kind of design. Pressany button and then place your cursor on the area of the screenwhere the floating circles are located. Press the shift key and startmoving the cursor in the manner of creating a design. Thecircles will start moving on the screen and in their wake, theywill leave delightful designs.

The designs that pop up on the screen first look exceedinglyintriguing but with some practice, you may even be able to make

sense out of it. Few artists around the world are usingBomomo to come up with designs for modernisticwallpapers, wrapping papers and many other objects. So, ifyou are planning to change the wallpaper in your house,

then you can turn to Bomomo for inspiration. Good luck! �

Bom moBring out your imagination on the digital canvas


Feature


We often don’t have ‘time’ even for the simplepleasures in life. With so much happening to keepus occupied, there’s hardly any space left forleisure. From taking the children to the school,

preparing drafts for the office presentation noon to makingarrangements for your parents’ wedding anniversarycelebrations – we have to do it all. We live and work in a fast-paced world carrying the new age mantra up our sleeves where‘time is money and money is time’.

Talking about leisure and the simple joys of life, as much as wewould love to deny it, most of us dig our television sets in ourleisure time. Call it the idiot box or the information source for theknowledge hungry, watching television is still regarded as one ofthe favourite past times for many. Whether it’s watching thatromantic comedy on a lazy Sunday afternoon or screaming withjoy at India winning that crucial cricket match, television iscertainly an integral part of our lives! But, as they say, everythinghas a catch to it and television viewing is no exception.

For a long time now, women are known to spend more timeglued to the idiot box and are more likely to fight over theremote control with their significant others. So much so thatwomen at times get into short-term depression if any of theirsaas-bhau episode is missed out. As most houses have ‘one

television in the living room’ kind of a system, there are oftenbrawls and tensions among the family members as to who gets tocontrol the television.

Many of us have also been stuck in situations where you canonly view the last few minutes of your favourite soap opera,considering the erratic schedules in which most of us function.This hoopla definitely raises a cause for concern and given achance, we will do anything for our right on the television.

Fortunately, in this digital era, science and technology play adecisive role in solving most of our woes. One such provision inthe market is the DTH industry that has made quite an impacton television viewing.

It is not just the homemaker who has reason to rejoice but alsothe working woman. With Tata Sky, there is a discernible shift inIndian television viewing. Quips Tara Sehgal, 27, ClientServicing with an advertising agency, “I generally come homevery late and end up missing most of my favourite shows. WithTata Sky+ installed, I can now record my favourite soaps andmovie flicks. No matter how late I come back, I know I cancatch up on my favourite shows and unwind myself completely. Ican watch it all at my own time and convenience. It’s a greatstress buster for me.”

One more on the list is Namrata Sharma who works for anFMCG company. “My husband and I both are workingprofessionals who come home late. As a result, we end upmissing out on most of our shows. Not just that, there aretimes when we have third world wars on who will takecharge of the remote. But from the time we have startedusing the Tata Sky+, things have definitely taken a positiveturn. Now there are no meaningless fights between me andmy hubby as the innovative product helps me record myshows while I am still away at work. This way, I can watchmy favourite shows at my leisure.

With all this transition, one can only claim without any doubtthat television viewing in India has recorded a sea change. WithDirect-to-Home services like Tata Sky+, entertainment is round-the-clock, at your service. So get ready to experience the worldof entertainment like never before. �

Entertainment – When you want it Priyanka Dey

Ihave long been fascinated at the rate atwhich computer chips, memory, storage andall things electronic have been shrinking.Moore's law, as it is popularly known, says

that computing power roughly doubles every 24months or so for a given physical size. GordonMoore, founder of Intel, had made thatprediction in the 1965 issue of ‘ElectronicsMagazine,’ a British industry rag. Thisprediction has lived on and is expected tocontinue for the next couple of years.

‘Whatever does that mumbo-jumbo mean?’ I can hear some grumbling in the background.Let me try to explain with a few examples.

As common people, we have seen the adventof the PDA as a brick, then shimmying down insize to something that can sit in a shirt pocketwhile increasing its functionality.

We have seen luggable computers withmonitors that were a mere 4 inchesdiagonally, and processors so large that theyweighed a neat 20 kg. And now we havenetbooks that have more computing powerthan most early computers – put together. Idon’t even want to mention earlier computersthat occupied entire floors. I should know. Ihave worked with mainframes that had lesscomputing power than today’s wrist watchand were used to process inventory, payrolland other such documents.

Then we saw the compaction of the spooltapes, to LP records, to audio cassettes, to CDsto DVDs and then to MP4 players. Never mindthe loss in fidelity – people seem to likeportability more than anything else. I will try todwell on this particular trend in a future column.

Televisions haveincreased in resolution,moved from analogueto digital andincreased in size aswell. They have alsobecome WiFi aware,providing us with avariety of input andturning us into addicts.Moreover, we have moved from broadcast channels, to cablechannels, to a veritable infinitude of channels beamed to usdirectly from space. And, finally, we are able to record televisionprogrammes and view them at our convenience. We can nowpause ‘live’ TV, rewind it, watch multiple channels on a singlescreen at one time, remotely set up devices to record liveprogrammes and then view them from either home or from anentirely different location.

Telephones have moved from land lines (which took decadesto get installed) to brick-sized cellular phones to pocket-sized cellphones that can be bought and activated within minutes.Streaming video onto cell phones appears to be the present andthe future – nearly guaranteeing more accidents while peoplewatch and drive.

We are communicating in unprecedented ways. It is the norm,these days, to communicate what is going on from moment to

Feature


FuturisticWearableTechnology

Computing

power roughly

doubles every

24 months or so

for a given

physical size

“

“

Sai Narasimhan

moment. Twitter is the name of this game, publishing cell phonetext messages (SMS) the Web and allowing people to follow yourthoughts. It is certainly tantalising and simply whets our appetitefor excitement.

From a medical perspective, it has been long known thathaving a pacemaker is good for the wearer’s weak heart – itensures that any arrhythmia is quickly diagnosed and theheart is shocked back into a healthy rhythm. It is taken somuch for granted that we recently saw a Vice-President inthe USA with a pacemaker in his body that governed for alleight years!

And this is the next frontier of computing. Wearablecomputers. What do we mean by that? How about seeing theiPod Nano? That is a wearable MP3 player. You can seepeople wearing it while working out, going to work or evenwhile relaxing.

Researchers at the boundaries of technology tell us of thepossibilities – and many of the technologies look like sheermagic. We will go through some of the revolutions that arehappening as this article is being written. Be aware though, thatmany of these changes are fleeting and may die an ignominiousdeath, while others live on in modified form, never to berecognised as a standalone achievement.

The iPod and iPhone have spun off innumerable accessoriesthat can fall into this category. But the best example is thecollaboration between Nike and Apple that allows thespecialised Nike shoes to ‘talk’ to the iPod, based on the workoutbeing done. This has been around since 2006. The basic idea isto put something inside one of the shoes and a receiver on youriPod Nano. Every second of your workout is sent to the Nanoand you can see details of your workout on your Nano screen.You can have playlists and also have a ‘Power Song’ that kicks inwhen you need the ‘kick’ to push you. Although this is a fun wayof doing things, it is not particularly different from the sensorsyou strap onto your chest while your ‘smart’ wrist watch keepstrack of your health and workout. But it is definitely more fun… and more profitable for the companies concerned.

But the real frontiers of wearable computing lie in the future.The bare beginning has been revealed – by Levis. Theyproduced the RedWire™ DLX Jeans that have been availablefor the past couple of years. There is an iPod docking cradlebuilt into the jeans. Special joystick remote control is availablein the pocket that can be used to control the iPod. And theheadphone unit is retractable – tangle free! Is this all we can do?Is this what wearable technology is all about?

Not really. Take a look at http://www.scottevest.com/index.shtml. They have a whole range of clothing that helpscreate a PAN – a Personal Area Network – which can be used tohelp personal devices talk to each other. Thus, you can connectyour PDA to your phone or your MP3 player and haveheadphones wired to just one place and be able to use it withany device. The wiring is discreetly built into the clothing. Youcan also connect your digital camera, portable keyboard – onlyyour imagination is the limit. And they work with today's

technology. Do the devices speak TCP/IP? Hmmm. That hasnot been solved yet!

We also have something called Vital Jacket® (and yes, that istrademarked). This is something that you wear next to your skinand it monitors your vital signs. What signs you ask? Your heartrate, for one. The jacket can transmit the data and store it on adata card in your pocket or even send it to other devices – let’ssay, your iPhone. Hospitals and doctors can be clamouring forthis device, making patients wear them so that they can see thepattern of heart beats and the ranges. It can also warn if therate goes below or above the thresholds.

From a simple fashion statement point of view, the idealtechnology will be one that blends directly into one’sclothing. And that is certainly something that is beingworked on. Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic have startedthinking about electronic textiles. They call these, naturally,e-textiles. That is until Apple produces a line, and then it willbe called iTextiles (you heard it here first). These e-textileswill provide a more fashionable way to do things that VitalJackets do. However, these are extensible because the wiringhas already been incorporated into the fabric. All that isneeded are the sensors. Need to do more? Add moreprocessors and sensors. It is as if you are wearing a computerthat can be upgraded as needed.


Feature


Head-mounted displays are eye-opening – or should I sayhead opening? And I am not talking about the stuff that gamersgo ga-ga over. Although you could say that it had its origins

there. The concept is as follows: projecting maps in front of youso that you are ‘immersed’ into the environment beingprojected. When you start interacting with it, you are, effectively,on a Star Trek holodeck! Such experiences can be deliveredtoday. With such displays, where pictures are projected in frontof you (virtually), you can have a ‘mashup’ of the real worldwith data which have been gathered by (say) intelligence andknown data of friendly forces to see. Streets will suddenly havenames on them. This is where such technologies will be first putto use. But soon after, we can imagine the same technologybeing used in cars to project directions in front of you – theheads-up display mode – so that you know where to go withoutever having to let your eyes stray from the road ahead.

I am sure you must have at least heard of the ‘sixth sense’demonstration at this year’s TED conference. If not, that is onepresentation that is a must-see. Here is the link www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html. If it doesn’t blow yourmind, I am sure you already have a workable sixth sense.

To those who haven’t seen the demo, allow me to plug away.The wearer has a camera on his tie, a small projector and asmall cell phone (probably an iPhone). At this time the weareralso has to wear different coloured stickers on the finger-tips sothat the computer can recognise those.

When the wearer is in front of a product (for example, tissuepaper box), the camera scans the bar code, goes online using thecell phone’s Web connection, gets the best prices and lets youknow what will be a good price. This information is projected onany surface in front of the wearer. Voila! The same thing is donewith a book. It can also bring up reviews, ratings and a host ofadditional information that you might be looking for.

Again, when the wearer meets someone, the camera uses itsface recognition software to identify the person and projects theinformation. Suddenly you have someone whispering who theperson is in front of you! For the absent-minded lot, this will bea gift from heaven.

And what if you wanted to ‘touch’ something that wasprojected in front of you? Simple! Use your fingers – and thetouch is conveyed to the software. Want to know the time?Simply draw a circle on the wrist and you see an image of aclock with the current time.

As you may imagine, the possibilities are endless. And the costof all this magic? Pranav Mistry revealed that this is doabletoday and all the pieces cost about $350. How about that for atechnology that is alive, here and now?

Let us look at the way things have progressed. We used toneed keyboards to control computers. These soon gave way tomouse. Close on its heels followed the touch pad, the touchscreen, voice commands and now, gestures in mid air. But theserequire muscles to move them! With some enhancements, eyegestures can be used to control computers.

But the next frontier is direct brain manipulation ofcomputers. Well, so far this has been impeded by therequirement that electrodes be placed on the skull. This requiresshaving the head – at least in parts. You can use a gel to directlyconnect the head, without requiring shaving – but try telling thatto the hairstyle crazy youth of today! A company called Emotivclaims that its headset can detect the brain waves of smiles,

winks and other expressions. These can help gamers’ avatarsinteract perfectly with their counterparts in their games.

There has also been the case of a researcher ‘tweeting’ histhoughts using, well, just his thoughts. You can read further athttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/04/21/researcher-updates-his-twitter-feed-using-only-brainwaves/

On the whole, we are living in exciting times, wheretechnology is changing quicker than people can keep up with.Live it up and enjoy it. Because a lot of it may be extinct beforeyour children grow up. I wonder how we will be able to keep thisknowledge for posterity? Maybe that is fodder for anothercolumn. Until next time, this is Sai! �

Pranav Mistry

Chandana Banerjee

What’s Cooking –Redefining the KitchenExperience

For ages, the kitchen has been the very heart of one’shome; but nowadays you can easily say that it is the jewelin the crown. A new-age kitchen with modular fittings,hi-tech gadgets, chic cookware and beautiful tableware is

the pride of the owner and a work of art.“I have a modular kitchen with all the high-end gadgets and

cookware to make the process of cooking more enjoyable and,

of course, quick,” quips Meera Arvind, a busy interior designerand a gadget gal, who loves to rustle up healthy meals for herfamily. She spent a fortune getting a high-end modular kitchenand all the accessories and kitchen appliances that money couldbuy. Meera is not the only one who believes in redefining thekitchen experience; a lot of men and women are busting up bigbucks to keep their kitchen up-to-date on the technology front.

Cookware: Gone are the days when women toiled for longhours, cooking every meal from scratch in black-bottomed woks.The ancient brass, copper and aluminium pots and pans havebeen stowed away and in their place, titanium pots, non-stickpans and stainless steel tableware gleam from the kitchen shelves.

There are plenty of good companies that manufacture anarray of non-stick cookware. From big woks for cooking a feastto small pans for rustling up an omelette, cook-and-serve pots toslotted spoons and spatulas – the non-stick range has a lot tooffer if you are cooking at home. The best part about non-stickcookware is that you can cook with minimum oil and do nothave to worry about scraping the food off the base while you arepreparing a dish. Give your cookware a little TLC and you canhappily use it for quite some time.

Apart from the Teflon-coated version, there’s the titaniumrange with glittering accolades to its credit. “It is tougher, rust-proof, and does not form toxic salts by reacting with food,” saysKaveri Mahajan, a homemaker, who swears by her titanium cook-and-serve utensils. Titanium cookware has a plethora of otheradvantages – it is strong yet lightweight; it is healthy and safe sinceit is non-porous; it has non-stick properties; and, you need lesswater to cook your food as the vegetables will cook in their ownjuices. Your food will taste more delicious, and the utensils will bemore durable. Titanium cookware is available in a large variety.From sauté pans to grill pans, stockpots to saucepans, skillet pansto frying pans, there is a whole range of cookware to choose from.

There are also other enamel-coated cook-and-serve dishes, Pyrexbaking bowls and an assortment of microwave-proof cookware thatcan make cooking fast, fun and aesthetically appealing.

Kitchen appliances: Once you’ve got your cookware inplace, it’s time to take a look at all those amazing kitchengadgets and home appliances that can turn that chorecalled cooking into a fun activity. “I can’t function in

the kitchen without my food processor, microwave and thermopot,” gushes Maya Nair, an HR Executive, who likes to cook forher family, but on budget time. Quick, simple-to-use andreliable, these appliances are the best kitchen mates that acooking enthusiast can ask for.

You don’t have to depend on your domestic help to turn up ontime to help you chop the vegetables or grind the spices. Just turnon your food processor and get together all the raw materials youneed for your meal. With the microwave in your kitchen, youdon’t have to spend hours near to the stove – heating or cookinga meal. Just pop a dish into the microwave, press the right buttonsand dig into the meal within a few minutes. You can even makeoptimum use of other features and cook an entire meal fromscratch in a microwave. And, of course, the next time you wantto eat homemade cookies, cakes, buns or biscuits, use theconvection mode to make some in your own kitchen.

There are other kitchen appliances that you can drool over. Thecooking range with gas and electric options is ideal for the prolificcook. You can cook, grill or bake with one of these high-techappliances. Some of the other appliances that are popular withhigh-tech home cooks are blenders, warming drawers, sophisticated

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indicator on the surface to let you know when the pan is hotenough for browning or searing. Then there’s Cybernox fromSitram, a line of skillets with an interior cooking surface made ofunique stainless steel that makes it stick-resistant.

Still not satiated? Then try the digital kitchen scale, driplessbasting brush, Chop Wizard, Rotato Express and the range ofslow cookers to turn into a kitchen magician. Scour the websitesof gadget manufacturers in India and abroad, and you’ll find anentire treasure trove of hi-tech kitchen trinkets that canabsolutely change your cooking and kitchen experience. Thegadgets are up there, available at a mouse click! Log on to theInternet and just find what you want and fancy.

Tableware: Speaking about an enhanced kitchen experience,how about adding tableware to the list? Research &development, improved technology and great design bring usthe kind of tableware that we would love to flaunt. The Artd’Inox range of stainless steel tableware can surely add chutzpahto a hi-tech dining experience. Sleek, and with a subtle, silverysheen, and clear designs, the tableware just makes everythinglook so modern and new age.

Modular and luxury kitchens: While we’re on the topic ofenhanced kitchen experience, we can’t help but mention thefabulous modular as well as the high-end luxury kitchens that woopeople with excellent space management and style quotient. In amodular kitchen, the modules are put together as per the spaceavailable and your requirements. So even if you have a matchboxof a kitchen at home, you can cook, clean, manage and maintaineverything easily and efficiently. It looks good and the heart ofyour home is actually a masterpiece that you can flaunt.

And if you have the moolah, you just might like to go in for aluxury kitchen. “I have a Veneta Cucine luxury kitchen and eventhough I spend minimum time there, I just wanted somethingsleek and state-of-the-art,” says Kavita Krishnan, a successfulbusinesswoman. For Romilla M., a luxury kitchen is a way tomake her favourite space look savvy, chic and beautiful. “I love tocook and as I’m a cooking teacher and writer, this is somethingthat makes me happy – personally and professionally.”

A great kitchen studded with hi-tech gadgets, kitchenappliances and cookware can change the way you feel aboutcooking, and even the way you eat. Here’s to the new-agekitchen experience! �

cook tops, speed cooking ovens and chimneys and venting systems.Instant cookers, mixer and grinders, as well as thermo pots (to heatwater for soups, hot beverages and cooking needs), are some of thekey appliances that find a place in modern kitchens. And, of course,how can we ever forget the refrigerator? It doesn’t cook for us butthen, it is just as important. With improved technology, food (raw orcooked) remains fresh for a longer time. We don’t have to worryabout defrosting it every now and then, or about food odours andmould-covered foods. The new age refrigerator is built for themodern woman (and man). You can store food for a week or moreand even cook for the week ahead. Store it in neat containers tosave time. Well, that was about cooking and storing. What aboutwashing up? In this age, you don’t really have to hire the truantneighbourhood ‘bai’ to cook and even clean. Stack up those dirtydishes into a dish washer and see them coming out squeaky clean.Cooking and cleaning have never been so easy! Even for those whoare total amateurs in the field, household chores can be a breezewith all the appliances available.

“I’ve seen my mother toiling in the kitchen and spending hoursto prepare a single meal. That had put me off cooking for a while.But with all these appliances and gadgets, I can cook in a jiffy andnow quite enjoy the experience,” pipes in Nandini Kumar, whospends less than an hour in the kitchen and manages to juggle herfreelance writing career with the kitchen chores.

For every type of kitchen appliance, there is a whole range ofoptions regarding style, facilities and energy usage. Once youknow what you want to buy and which company you want to goto, you can look at the options and zero down on one that suitsyour kitchen, requirements and budget.

Gadgets: We can’t do without kitchen gadgets, can we? Withtoday’s advanced technology, a plethora of kitchen gadgets arebeing introduced into the market. There are tonnes of darlings todie for. But some of the kitchen gadgets that are all-timefavourites with cooking aficionados include the garlic pressmachine that can help you peel, crush and slice without yourhands getting messy and smelly; food thermometers that cancheck if a dish needs more cooking, if the food has gone bad or ifthe dish is ready to be served; and finally, there is the Mandoline,which can cut and slice vegetables for you. Alligator choppers,knife sharpeners, slotted spoons and salad spinners are some ofthe other gadgets that win hands down. Ah! And how can weforget the cool new kitchen-safe digital recipe reader? Thisgadget is for the amateur cook or for anyone who likes to try outnew recipes. The SmartShopper will take down your grocerynotes as you dictate; the TMIO Intelligent Oven can becontrolled via cell phone or Internet when you’re not around; theNutritional Scale can track the nutritional value of your food,from calories and sugar level to protein and carbohydrates. And ifthat’s not enough, the Electrolux Inspiro is an intelligent oven

that will calculate the amount of heat you need to cook andprevent your food from getting singed.

The Thermospot non-stick cookware is anotherinteresting piece of kitchen ‘gadget’ that has a visual heat


The car flew through the cloud-laden sky. ManjulaSharma, perched on the front seat, was returning homeafter picking up her four-year-old girl, Sita, from herschool. An LCD screen fixed to the dashboard was

showing a new Disney movie that had been just released. Thecar was fully automatic, as all flying cars in the year AD 2050were, and Manjula was free to watch the movie with herdaughter. Sita laughed incessantly at the antics of the cartooncharacters on the screen. Her mother laughed with her.

They were still in air when the movie got over. It wasraining outside.

“It has been raining since we took off from the ground,”mused Manjula.

“Mom, can we open the car’s window. I want to feel the rain.”“You know the rules. The windows can’t be opened during

the period that the car is in air. This is in interest of safety ofthe passengers, replied Manjula sternly.”

“Alright,” sighed Sita. Alongside their car, there were manyother cars of all shapes and sizes that were flying. Soon theyreached a large roundabout that was stationary in the air andon top of it a police control tower for flying vehicles wasbuilt. Robotic cops could be seen standing around theroundabout; it was their job to ensure a smooth flow oftraffic through the air. Just because the cars had taken to theair, it didn’t mean that they could fly erratically. They wereexpected to fly within the stipulated speed limit, and maintaina strict lane discipline.

After navigating the roundabout, the car carrying Manjulaand Sita took the lane that led to the locality where they lived.

“Yes it is. The coordinates of this place exactly match thecoordinates of your house,” said the metallic feminine voiceemanating from a speaker installed in the car’s control panel. “Ihave brought you to the right place.”

“But this is not our home,” cried Sita. Manjula, however, was confused. Every other thing on the street

looked familiar. The only thing that had changed was her house.But she had left her house only four hours ago. How could theychange an entire house in just four hours? Who could have done it?

“Mom, look,” Sita, who had followed her mother out of thecar, said excitedly pointing in one direction. “Bunty and Monicaare skating on the sidewalk.”

“We are going to be home in a couple of minutes,” Manjula said. “Cool!” ejaculated Sita. “I plan to get wet in the rain once we

are out of the car.”The car had now started descending and slowly it came to a

halt in the designated landing area in front of a colorful housethat seemed to be a new construction. A look of completesurprise dawned on Manjula’s face. She checked the guidancesystem on the flying car. Everything seemed to be workingproperly. But this was not her house. Even four-year-old Sitacould notice that. “This isn’t our house,” she said sharply.

“I think our car has made a mistake in bringing us to a wronghouse,” said Manjula. She pressed her finger on the LCD screen,which was touch-sensitive, and picked up the option of “VoiceCommunication.” Now she could verbally communicate with hercar. “speed champ, where have you brought us? This is not ourhome,” she said. speed champ was nickname that she had givento her car.

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De-print and print

“First, they de-printed the old house and then printed a newhouse in its place,” Bunty added.

“And may I ask who were they?” Manjula snapped. “I have no idea,” said Monica. “But my mom would know.

Should I call her?”But Manjula would not wait. With hurried steps she started

marching towards the entrance of the new house. On the doorthere lay a large bouquet of flowers to which a gaily printednote was attached. Hurriedly Manjula opened the note. It said,“Congratulations for your new home. For Hi-Tech Builders ithas been a great pleasure to de-print your old house and print anew version in its place. We hope that you and your family will

The hammering, sawing, drilling and bricklaying that onceupon a time had been entailed in the process of building ahouse, had in the year 2050 been replaced by giant room sizedprinters that used rapid prototyping techniques to print walls,complete with brick, plaster, windows, insulation and conduitsfor wires and pipes. The technique was used to make the wallsstronger and functional. It also vastly speeded up the process ofconstruction. These days it was quite normal for state-of-the-artprinters to create a new two- or three-storey house with manyrooms within a couple of hours. In cases where an old househad to be pulled down and a new one built in its place, the de-printers entered the scene first.

Manjula looked at the two kids of her neighbours, but she wastoo shocked to say anything. Sita could easily read the tension inher mother’s mind. “Should I ask them where our house hasgone?” she said. Monica nodded quietly.

But Bunty and Monica had already started skating towardsthem. “Your new house looks cool,” announced Bunty, when hewas close enough.

“Yes,” repeated Monika enthusiastically.Hearing the words of praise for the new house from her

friends, Sita was suddenly enthused. “Mom, I think this newhouse looks good,” she said taking her mother’s hand. “Let’s goand check how it looks from the inside.”

But Manjula had other things in her mind. “Did any one ofyou see who built this house in place of our old house?”

“Of course, we did,” said Monica eagerly. “They bought anumber of house printing machines and made a new housefor you.”

feel much comfortable in the new house that we have created foryou.” The note had been signed by an executive from Hi-TechBuilders, named Ruby Bhatia.

“This is ridiculous,” Manjula murmured by herself. “They haveno right to de-print my old house and create a new one in its placewithout my permission.” She pushed at the door, which openeddirectly to reveal a starkly bare hall. Now Manjula could sense herworse fears coming true. While de-printing, the employees of Hi-Tech Builders had de-printed everything that was inside herold house. All her furniture, curtains, cutlery, the artefacts that shehad collected during her various tours, her collection of books,everything that they had in their house was now gone. It wasalmost as if they had de-printed her entire past life.

Tears welled up in her eyes. But Sita had not noticed the griefthat her mother was reeling under. She ran inside the housefollowed by her two friends, Bunty and Monica. “This is ournew house,” she announced proudly.

Anoop Verma


your house

These de-printers worked by breaking the house into smallnano-particles that would be sucked inside their storagechamber by means of sophisticated vacuum pumps. Four or fivede-printers could clear a three-storey house in less than 30minutes without causing even a speck of the debris to fall in thesurrounding area. Once the area was cleared of the old house,few printers would move in and they operated by squeezing outdrops of moist toothpaste-like building material in a mannersimilar to that of a large ink-jet printer. The toothpaste-likematerial would be designed to harden within moments in the airand turn into strong walls, floor and roof of a house wherepeople could live safely and securely. This system had becomevery popular, because it was much cheaper, it saved time, and ithad very little environmental impact.

After her first peek inside the starkly empty indoors of thehouse, Manjula stepped out into the small garden. She couldhear the sound of the three kids cheering as they scampered

about the large hall. It was not as if the house was poorlyconstructed; the exterior design was good and the interiors, too,seemed to be tastefully done. The floor was made out of whitemarble, the walls had pleasant wallpaper on them, and the roofhad a bewitching chandelier dropping from it. But in order tobuild this new fashionable house, they had obliterated everythingthat was stored in her old house. Who gave them the right todestroy every bit of clothing that her family possessed? Herdaughter’s toys were gone. Her husband’s collection of oldstamps, his books, everything that he had kept in this house wasgone. Everything de-printed!

Now she needed to inform her husband about what hadhappened. She quickly pulled out her mobile phone from herpocket and dialed her husband’s number. He picked up instantly.“Hey, are you back? Have you picked up Sita?” Aditya checkedwith his wife.

“Yeah, I came back a few minutes ago. Listen, I wanted to tellyou something important.”

“Is something wrong?”“It is. Our house is gone.”“What do you mean by our house

is gone?”“When I left about four hours

ago, to do some shopping and pickup Sita from her school, our oldhouse was still standing there. Butwhen I returned, I found a new,much bigger house, standing in itsplace. It seems a crew from Hi-TechBuilders was here; they de-printedour old house and printed a newone in its place.”

“But how is that possible,” Adityasounded absolutely shocked. “Whatabout the things that we had insideour house? I hope they had thesense to remove our things.”

“Everything has been de-printed,” Manjula replied tersely.

“And where is Sita?”“She is playing inside the house

with her friends. She is too young tounderstand the terrible wrong thathas been done to us.”

“Ok, I will be there in a fewminutes. We have to get to thebottom of this. Whoever has de-printed our old house, is going topay a heavy price. I will see to it.”With these words, Adityadisconnected the line. Manjulacould not bring herself to evenenter the house; she simply didnot empathize with this new

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building. Her eyes regarded it furiously and blamed it forstanding in the place where her own house stood until a fewhours ago.

Sita emerged from the house. “Mom, where are my toys?”she asked. “All the rooms are empty. I can’t find any of them.”

Manjula knew her daughter would be heart-broken if she toldher that all her toys and clothes had been de-printed. “Don’t worry,honey,” she said consolingly, “we will buy new toys for you.”

“But I want to play with my teddy bear,” Sita almost cried.Just then, a flying car arrived out of nowhere and circled

briefly at the top of the house before settling down in the lawnnext to Manjula’s flying car. “Papa is back; now we can goshopping for toys,” said Sita and she rushed towards the car.The car’s door opened, and Aditya Sharma stepped out. Heglared at the new house that had been created by de-printing hisold house, and hissed, “This is unbelievable. They don’t have theright to do this without our permission. In any case, who is goingto pay for this new house that they have printed?”

Meanwhile, Sita had wrapped herself to her dad’s legs andwas clamouring for new toys to be bought. Manjula huriedlywalked up to her husband. “I was shocked too when I saw thisnew house,” she said out of frustration. “There is no way we aregoing to pay for this.”

“Have they really de-printed everything that was inside ourold house?” asked Aditya.

“Everything! They have left nothing at all.”“Even my toys are gone,” Sita injected with anticipation.

“Can we buy some new toys now?”“Not now,” said Aditya looking down at his daughter, “your

mother and I have an important business to attend to. Whydon’t you play with your friends for a while?”

“Listen to your dad, Sita. Go and play with Monica andBunty,” Manjula added. This time Sita got the message; inany case, playing with her friends in a starkly empty housewas an enticing prospect – one that she would not want tomiss. She ran off to join Bunty and Monica who were waitingfor her in the verandah and together they disappeared insidethe house.

“I think we should consult a lawyer,” said Aditya. “A police report will also have to be filed,” said Manjula. “I will sue them. I will drive them into bankruptcy.”“Even the new food printer that we had purchased has been

de-printed,” Manjula announced angrily. “How are we going to manage without it?” Aditya snapped.

A food printer was a device that could print all kinds of cookedor uncooked food. It could be used to print ripe bananas,apples, mangoes, salad of any kind, leafy vegetables, etc. Itcould also be used to print cooked dishes based on many kindsof recipes. A food printer worked in a same way that a houseprinter did, in the sense that it used rapid prototypingtechniques to create different kinds of food. The food printerthat Manjula and Aditya used to have in their old home wascapable of creating 50,000 kinds of dishes. It could also create1000 types of fruits and vegetables.

In the year 2050, a food printer had become a necessity formost households. No one ever cooked their food these days, andeating fruits and vegetables that were grown naturally on treesand plants was completely out of fashion. People preferred thefood printer to take care of all their dietary needs. Food fromsuch gizmos was completely free of germs; it was alsoincorporated with all kinds of proteins, vitamins and usefuldrugs that were necessary to keep a human being healthy – allthis retaining the perfect taste. But the best thing about this typeof food was that it was absurdly easy to create.

The latest model of food printer, the type that Aditya andManjula used to have in their old house, could print any fruit injust 7 seconds. It could print a loaf of bread in 5 seconds. Thecreation of a pot full of vegetables took mere 9 seconds. Movingbeyond the normal food items, the food printer could also beused to print chocolates, cold drinks, and ice creams.

Meanwhile, Manjula had told Aditya about the note thatshe had found attached to the welcoming bouquet, which thestaff from Hi-Tech Builders had left for them outside thedoor of the new house. They decided to call Hi-TechBuilders and tell them about the terrible mistake that theyhad made by de-printing their old house with all their thingsinside it. Aditya dialed the number from his mobile. From theother end of the airwave there came a well-modulated femalevoice, “Welcome to Hi-Tech Builders. For English press one,Hindi ke liya do dabaiyen.”

The phone had its speaker on, so Manjula could also listen tothe response from the other side. As Aditya preferred to speak inEnglish, he pressed one. Promptly the modulated female voicesaid, “If you’re an existing Hi-Tech Builders customer, pressone. If you want to have a new house printed, press two; if youwant to de-print an old house, press three; to go back to theprevious menu, press four.”

“We are going to waste too much time stuck on their menusystem,” Manjula murmured with anger.

“I think we will have to press one,” said Aditya.“Why?” Manjula asked.“They have already created a new house for us, so even if

we don’t want it to be so, we are their existing customers,”Aditya pressed one. Once again they were directed back tothe menu system.

“For any construction-related fault in your house, press one; ifyou want to de-print your house and create a new house, presstwo; if you want to have renovations printed to your house, pressthree. For any complaints and suggestions, press four.”

Hissing with frustration at the long wait, Aditya pressed four. “Please hold the line while we transfer your call to our

customer service representative.” “At last, we can talk to a human being,” sighed Aditya. “I

would really like to give this person a piece of my mind.”“Don’t be too sure about a human being picking up the

phone,” rejoined Manjula. “It is more likely that the receptiondesk at Hi-Tech Builders will be manned by a cyborg or even ahundred per cent robot.”


And she was right. It was indeed acyborg who picked up the phone. Tobe more precise, it was femalecyborg. “Good afternoon, thank youfor calling Hi-Tech Builders,” camea female voice from other end of theline. “My name is Richa, I am a50% robot and 50% human, andthat makes me a cyborg. How can Ibe of help to you?”

By now Aditya’s mind was in thegrip of immense frustration; he wascertainly not in mood for practicingverbal niceties with this cyborgreceptionist. Without anypreliminaries, he shouted, “You de-printed my house without mypermission. You destroyedeverything that was stored in myhouse. I am going to sue you. Whereis the owner of Hi-Tech builders?Connect me to him, I wish to talk tohim directly.”

“Please calm down sir. I am hereto help you. Please tell me what theproblem is.”

“You already heard what I said. I,my wife and our four-year-olddaughter were out of the housewhen your men arrived with theirmachines. They de-printed our oldhouse with everything inside it andprinted a new house in its place. You had no right to tear our oldhouse apart. We never gave you the permission to print a newhouse for us. Now you have to compensate us for the financialloss and the mental trauma that we have suffered because ofyou,” Aditya reeled off with anger.

“Please hold on sir while I check your details.”“You better get back to me, because I am not going to hold

on forever.”“I will be back quickly sir, please hold on,” said the cyborg

receptionist in an even tone. In less than two minutes, the cyborg receptionist was back. “It

seems that there has been a computer error on our end, becauseof which a wrong house got de-printed and a new one printed inits place,” she said sheepishly. “Our crew was supposed to de-print and print a house at some other plot, but due to computererror they landed up at your house. We really apologize for theinconvenience that has been caused to you.”

That is all Aditya needed to hear for flaring up with anger. “Iam surprised to hear that a computer error can cause your crewto come and de-print an entire house with which so many of ourmemories were associated. People who are managing yourorganization should be arrested and send to jail.”

“Sir, I have just been authorized by the company managementto tell you that as your old house has been de-printed by mistake,you can keep the new house that has been printed for free. Thisshould really be a great news for you, as you can now start livingin a much bigger and modern house without having to pay asingle penny for it.”

“Who the hell wants to live in a bigger and more modernhouse!” now it was Manjula who snarled into the phone. “Wewant our old house back. We had so many personal things in it.Everything inside our old house has been de-printed. How canyou take this so casually? Because of your mistake we have losteverything that we owned.”

Before the cyborg receptionist could say anything further,Aditya disconnected the phone. “There is no point in wastingtime talking to her. We have to file a lawsuit against them tomake them pay for their mistake.”

Sita and the two neighbourhood kids were playing contentedlyinside the house. The empty hall was proving to be a goodplayground for them. Aditya and Manjula left the kids to theirgames and rushed to the lawn where their cars were parked.

Physical courts had ceased to exist in the year 2050. Thesystem of getting justice had gone completely online. There

Fiction


were digital courts that existed solely in the cyberspace.These courts were manned by digital judges who had all thenitty-gritties of the law coded into their systems. There weredigital lawyers to debate all angles of any issue or crime, andhelp the digital judges arrive at the right decision. Nano-cops,who worked at molecular level and were capable ofconducting forensic examination at the speed light, wereusually relied upon to collect the evidence. If there were anytestimonies from human beings or cyborgs who might havebeen witness to any crime, these got recorded online througha system of video conferencing.

This system of online digital courts proved to be quiteefficient, and in most cases a judgement got delivered in amatter of hours. But a secure video conferencing system was amust for accessing the digital courts. Manjula and Aditya didpossess a state-of-the-art video conferencing system, but that hadgot de-printed with their old house. So now they were forced touse one that was installed in Manjula’s car. They quickly got inthe car and switched on the video conferencing system; throughit, they got connected to the digital court that handled disputesand crimes in their area. A digital attorney got hired at the clickof a button and soon they were recording their grievance to himby speaking into the microphone. It took them about an hour orso to get their complaint fully registered and a moment latertheir attorney, working at the speed of light, placed their casebefore a digital judge.

An online summons was sent to the Hi-Tech Builders andin a matter of moments their attorney appeared before thedigital court and confessed that the company did not have amandate from the owners to de-print their house and print anew one at its place. It was a computer error that was to beblamed for what had happened. The attorney hired byManjula and Aditya demanded a large financialcompensation from Hi-Tech Builders for the mistake thatthey had made. He talked passionately about the emotionaltrauma that his clients had suffered.

After hearing the arguments of both the digital attorneys,the digital judge was ready to deliver his judgement. Hedeclared that since the Hi-Tech builders carried out the de-printing and printing work at the house without a legallybinding authorization from the owners, they had clearlymade a mistake. So they would not be paid for the new housethat they had printed. And they would also pay Manjula andAditya a sum of one million dollars to compensate for theloss of their personal things. But he refused to send any ofthe Hi-Tech Builders executives to jail, as there was noevidence that they had worked with any criminal intention.What happened was the result of a rather unfortunatecomputer error. The judge advised Hi-Tech Builders toimprove the efficiency of their computer systems so that suchmistakes could be avoided in future.

Within few minutes of the judgment being delivered, a sumof one million dollars got deposited in the joint account thatManjula and Aditya were operating. What they really wanted

was to have their old house, with all their things back, butthat was simply not possible and so they had to contendthemselves with the million dollars and the new house thatthey had got. The truth was that even in year 2050, a milliondollars was a lot of money and they would face no financialissues in getting their brand new house equipped witheverything that they and their daughter might need to feelcomfortable and happy. They were already engaged inplacing orders for many brand new things.

They ordered a food printer, which was much larger andadvanced than their old food printer. It was capable of printing10,000 types of natural fruits and vegetables and more than onemillion kinds of dishes. They ordered a furniture printer tocreate different types of furniture that they needed in theirhouse. They also ordered an appliance printer to print out themyriad appliances like refrigerator, microwave, TV, computers,video games, air conditioning systems and much else that theyneeded. A Utensil Printer was ordered to create the pots, pans,plates, glasses, forks, knives, spoons that the family needed fortheir day-to-day use. A latest wardrobe printer, which wasupdated with latest fashion trends for men, women and children,was ordered to print out clothes that the family would wear atdifferent times of the day.

In less than an hour the different printers that had beenordered arrived loaded on different flying vehicles. Thefurniture printer and the appliance printer were really largeand so they arrived on a flying vehicle that was as large as atruck. The other printers were of manageable size, meant tobe installed inside the house, so they arrived on smallervehicles. An army of robots arrived with each printer to installit inside the house or to operate it to create new things. Therobots that had arrived with the furniture printer and theappliance printer got busy churning out goods according tothe specifications given by Manjula and Aditya. The separatepieces of a stylish sofa-set that was covered with blue velvettook about 2 minutes to print. A large bed took 3 minutes toprint. A four-door refrigerator could be printed in 2 minutesand 30 seconds. A microwave in just 30 seconds. Chandelierstook 50 seconds.

As these items came out of the printers, the army of robotscarried them inside the house and installed them in placesindicated by Manjula and Aditya. Sita started clamoring for hertoys, so her parents decided to order a small toy printer for herthat she could keep in her room and use to create toys of herchoice. This printer too arrived shortly to Sita’s immensedelight. By the time the sun started settling in the horizonindicating that the day was over, the new house was fullyfurnished with everything that the this family of three could everneed. There was now no trace of tension and frustration on thefaces of Manjula and Aditya, as had been the case earlier in theday, now they were enjoying themselves in their new home. Sitawas feeling happy too and for a good reason - now she had anew toy printer for herself that she could use to print all the toysthat she could ever think of. �


Internet @ Fascinating past, amazing future

Imagine life without the Internet. It may well be an isolated existence without the instantconnectivity that keeps you linked to the rest of the world. Considering the role(s) Internetplays to make life simpler, easier and a little more than comfortable, it will be a tad difficultto think of living without it. From bill payment to banking and shopping, and from datahunting and e-communication to virtual officing and online dating, there’s no area of ourlife that remains untouched by the Internet. In brief, just like the Industrial Revolution 200years ago, the Digital Revolution called the Internet and its all-embracing reach-out havechanged our life beyond recognition.

More than a billion users worldwide are connectedtoday – but just 40 years ago, global networkconnections were simply non-existent. Efforts wereon to create an open network for exchanging

information. The US government was all too enthusiastic aboutthe potential outcome and Leonard Kleinrock, along with hiscolleagues, was asked to develop the Advanced Research ProjectsAgency Network (Arpanet), an experimental military network.

On September 2, 1969, two computers at the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles, exchanged data in the first test ofArpanet. But real success was met with on October 29 whenKleinrock managed to send a message from UCLA to thesecond node at Stanford Research Institute Menlo Park,California. It was an extremely brief communication, though, asKleinrock tried to type ‘logon’ and the network crashed after thefirst two letters were written. But it “was the first breath of lifethe Internet ever took,” according to Kleinroc.

Global flourishIn 1970, the Arpanet expanded further and got the East Coastnode at Bolt, Beranek and Newman in Cambridge. However,only universities with connections to the US Department ofDefense had access to it. As the cutting-edge advantages ofcomputer networking became apparent, other universities begandeveloping their own networks. The exclusive US phenomenonultimately took the shape of an international network in July1973, when the University College London (UCL) and Norway’sNational Defence Research Establishment joined via dedicatedphone lines, running at a mighty 9.6 kilobits per second.

The transatlantic link happened as a result of discussions betweenLarry Roberts, the driving force behind the Arpanet, and Britishscientist Donald Davies. The latter had already done pioneering

research on packet switching – the network communication methodof transferring data by splitting it up into small chunks. As the USAhad no packet switching network working at that time, Arpa agreedto provide the basic Arpanet hardware and fund a transatlantic linkto Norway if the UK could pay for a line. On their part, althoughthe British research funding council refused to fund the project andthe Department of Trade and Industry demanded businessinvolvement, UCL computer scientist Peter Kirstein decided to goahead and the link went live, via Norway, in July 1973.

So far, the history of the Internet remains an unbelievablefeat of physics and industry that has been holding true for thelast 40 years. In 1971, Ray Tomlinson, an engineer with BBNTechnologies, sent the first network e-mail, choosing the @ symbol to separate the user’s name from the host computer.But why so? “Mostly because it seemed like a neat idea,” helater commented.

But with the computer networking evolving on a global scale,more innovations were required to draw up even the basicspecifications to swap data across different types of networks. Soin 1973-74, Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf at Arpanet came upwith the Transmission Control Protocol and the InternetProtocol (TCPIP) that would allow seamless integration ofmultiple networks, thus creating a true Internet. After years ofintense testing and some tough competition from rival networklanguages, the concept has split into the TCP/IP that powers theNet to this day. In 1983, another important feature, namely, thedomain name system, was also proposed. Creation of suffixessuch as .com, .gov and .edu came a year later.

Internet comes live, first worm crawlsThe online experience became more intriguing whenCompuServe and The Source offered Internet services for the

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Sanghamitra Mandal

first time in 1979. Users paid an initial fee and then hourlycharges to browse through news and data. CB Simulator, thefirst online chat, was introduced a year later – bringing about anever-before digital revolution and bridging all physical divides.

As the advantages of networking became clear, the demandfor a truly global network, instant connectivity and free access to

information became a reality that sounded too good to be true.Consequently, the pioneering Arpanet slowly gave way tobroader and more efficient networks like CSNET and NSFNET.Regional networks like MIDnet, SURAnet and NYSERnetfollowed soon. By the end of 1988, NFSnet had gone global andworked across major countries like Canada, Denmark, France,Ireland, Norway and Sweden.

The year 1988 also witnessed the earliest form of cyber threatwhen Robert T. Morris, a graduate student at Cornell,unleashed the first widely known computer ‘worm’ or virus thatcrippled thousands of computers. According to Morris, it was abenign experiment gone awry but prosecutors claimed it to havecaused massive financial losses due to lost productivity. Morriswas sentenced to three years’ probation, community service anda fine of $10,000 plus legal costs.

On the wings of the World Wide WebAlthough used interchangeably, the Internet and the WWW areactually not synonymous. The term was coined by Sir TimBerners-Lee, a British scientist, who had devised the application asa way to organise, address and link information on the Internet.

In August 1991, Berners-Lee developed a system wherehypertext was gelled with the Internet. The documents wereformatted in a markup language called HTML (HyperTextMarkup Language) that supported links to other documents, aswell as graphics, audio and video files. This meant surfers couldjump from one document to another simply by clicking on thehot spots. Not all Internet servers are part of the World WideWeb, though. Several applications called web browsers make iteasy to access the World Wide Web – two of the most popularbeing the Netscape Navigator and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

In spite of its mass appeal, W3 had quite a few competitors asmany other technologies did a similar job. In fact, many people

accessed documents using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) andopted for the Usenet as a means to express themselves. One suchpopular technology was known as gopher, which was alsoreleased in 1991. The initial few years recorded a significanthigh in gopher traffic. But things changed dramatically whenMarc Andreessen and his colleagues at University of Illinoiscreated Mosaic in 1993 – the first web browser to combine textand graphics on a single page. The user-friendly interfacecertainly made the W3 more acceptable to the world.

Now ... Web 3.0 and beyond?The Web has undergone sea change but what does the futurehold? According to technology expert and entrepreneur NovaSpivack, the development of the Web moves in 10-year cycles.Experts in the field now talk about a semantic Web, quitedifferent from the earlier versions. Although it is difficult todefine Web 1.0, most users feel that the earliest version happensto be a huge data bank containing information about almosteverything under the sun. However, the websites falling underthis category were static and non-interactive, which led to themuch-needed upgrade – popularly known as Web 2.0.

Simply put, the Web is now a platform used to design richuser experience. But keeping in mind the average visitor, theinterface is kept very simple and the services offered areuncomplicated and well streamlined. The most important aspectis, of course, Web democratisation – so that people can shareinformation and contribute as well. Wikis and blogging are greatexamples in this respect while smart tools like tagging and searchengines are used to harness, classify and find collectiveintelligence in a hassle-free manner.

So when it comes to Web 3.0, people may actually wonderwhat additional benefits are there in store? According to Netluminaries, Web 3.0 is a concept that focuses on an intelligentaggregation of data, completely customised for yourrequirements. With Web 3.0 at your fingertips, you need notspend so much time querying the search engines or manuallyintegrate data from a huge pile of documents. The third-generation intelligent Web will do that for you.

But how will Web 3.0 do this? One way is to turn the Webinto one huge database, make content accessible by non-browserapplications and leverage the best of artificial intelligencetechnologies, the Semantic Web or the Geospatial Web.

There are further talks of a Web 4.0 era, which will be a three-dimensional environment to which users will remain connected24x7 via multiple applications (not just your notebook or cell,they sound so dated). As of now, it is too early to say whether allthese future versions of the Web will take place or not. At presentthey may sound like weird sci-fi. But, according to Tim O’Reilly,founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, the Internet and the Webhappen to be the “most profound change since the advent ofliteracy. And it’s bigger than the industrial revolution. We are onthe front of a new renaissance.” And in such a case, netizensacross the globe will surely have amazing innovations coming uptheir way. Internet is just the beginning of the journey. �

4


If you have ever flown on Emirates, you would know that thecompany is a class apart when it comes to offering a great travelexperience. But apart from being a fantastic air carrier, it is also

known for some brilliant advertising campaigns. The firm’s mostcatchy commercial says: When was the last time you did somethingfor the first time? The message is simple, effective and thought-provoking. So when I ponder over the Internet spin-offs that havechanged our life, I cannot help remembering that tagline.

I still remember the day when the first television came home.It was a momentous incident. Soon after, our lives startedrevolving around the television. Then again, consider theexcitement that the first telephone evoked. The very ringing ofthe phone sent our pulse racing to such an extent that it did notmatter who was at the other end.

Today, amazing innovations are churned out almost every dayand the technology frontier is being constantly pushed as zealousentrepreneurs at the coalface wait for the next big thing. So it isnow really difficult to come up with a laundry list of five thingswhich have changed the way we work, socialise and live. But Iwill try, nevertheless, and here we go.

5 innovations thatchanged our life

Preeth

Connectivity – unlimitedIt is an age and time when insignificance is the newsignificance. So letting the world know what you have forbreakfast is as important as proclaiming your political leaning.Welcome to the world of social networking. And, well, if yourlife is a reality show, it is because you want it to be.

The genesis of the social networking phenomenon datesback to the mid-1990s. The idea was simple enough –bringing like-minded people on to a common platform. Butthe foresight and novelty of the concept notwithstanding,early ventures like Sixdegrees.com failed miserably. It was notuntil 2002 when bootstrapping on the increasing number ofInternet users, sites like Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, Taggedand Twitter became an integral part of our daily life. Today, ifyou don’t scrap a friend in some obscure land, check yourneighbours’ photo albums or play a round of Farmville beforehitting the sack, the day is very much incomplete.

Internet on the goImagine the twist in Daniel Defoe’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’ if the herowere marooned on the island with a mobile phone. Crusoe couldhave used GPRS on his handset to figure out his co-ordinates andmade a call to someone on the mainland about his whereabouts. Asteamer would find him a day later, waving his white shirt and thecredits would roll as he made his way back to civilisation. Onething is for sure, we would never have had an interesting piece ofliterature if Crusoe had a cell phone.

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When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in1876, communication was made possible. The invention ofradio by Nikolai Tesla (and presented later by Marconi in1894) set the foundation for wireless technology. It was only amatter of time before these two technologies would convergeto present a path-breaking offering. It did and the mobilephone was born.

However, your smart phone now does much more than justmaking calls. Technical wonders like the iPhone 3GS is a GSMcell phone that is also an iPod, a video camera and a mobileInternet device with e-mail and GPS maps. It is a veritablepocket computer as you can surf the Internet from practicallyanywhere and also share the 3G connection on your iPhone withyour Mac notebook or PC laptop. But, most importantly, therapidly developing wireless technology has helped create a newInternet communication infrastructure minus the ‘hassles’ ofowning a regular computer. In brief, your cell phone has actuallybecome a world-leading personal Internet device (PID) –opening up new horizons for futuristic innovations.

Search and thou shalt findIf you were to teach someone a language, you would start withthe alphabets. In a similar vein, if you were to introducesomeone to the Internet, you would probably start with Google.It is the Holy Grail of information search and one which wecannot do without at work or at home.

An Internet search market share of nearly 80%, an officialEnglish language word status in 2006 – all these soundimpressive enough. Yet, it was nothing more than a researchproject of two Stanford blokes, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.With a PageRank algorithm that the two developed, thephilosophy behind the concept was fairly simple. NicknamedBackrub and written in Java and Python, the project developed aranking scheme for all web pages. The higher the page rank, themore sought after the information – the creators believed. Andout of that belief, came Google in 1998. History is testimonythat it has changed their lives. And ours, too. Other searchengines and search directories are up there on the Internet. Buteven brands like Yahoo! and Bing appear pale before Google’sawesome success.

For your ears only!Whether you are in a tube in Central London or taking theoffice shuttle somewhere in Bangalore, there is one thing thatyou probably have not noticed; or may have noticed but havenot spare it a thought. Just look around and you will realisethat most of the people have their earphones on and arelistening intently to personalised music. The truth is – the eraof digitised music is here to stay. The advent of MPEG-1Audio Layer 3 technology (popularly known as MP3technology) makes it possible to store 1000 or more songs onyour chic and sleek cell phone. The idea developed by a teamof engineers at Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG)makes use of the fact that certain sound parts are beyond the

auditory resolution ability of human beings. So they simplydropped these data points and still achieved a faithfulreproduction of the original sound. And lo and behold, musicis now compressed.

So, you must have realised how it has changed the way you live.That is precisely why digitised music has made it to our list.

Checked your mail today?E-mails are the last, but perhaps the most important, techinnovation that has changed the way we communicate in thisdigital era. Let us do a small thought experiment to prove thepoint. How many of you have felt the compulsive need to checkyour mail while on a vacation? If you are mumbling a ‘yes’, well,we are afraid, you are probably a ‘tech’ addict. But then again, ifit is any solace, most of us are.

E-mail, as we popularly call it, dates back to the Apranet days.In fact, an e-mail message sent in the early 1970s pretty muchlooked like the ones we send today. While the Arpanet used theFile Transfer Protocol (FTP) to accomplish mail transfer, todaythe same is achieved by a much more robust Simple MailTransfer Protocol (SMTP).

While the benefits of electronic mail are beyond debate, manyhave questioned the information overload paradigm. The sheervolume and usefulness of mail that we receive today is, at times,questionable; so much so that a ‘New York Times’ blog postcited e-mail as the bane of an individual’s professional life andwent on to call it a ‘$650 billion drag on the economy.’ But baneor boon, e-mail has certainly changed the way we communicateand, hence, rightfully makes its way to this list.

EpilogueThink of the last time you attended a meeting of the philatelyclub; think of the day when you went to office leaving yourmobile phone back at home; think of the last time you wantedinformation and headed to the nearest public library; think ofthe last time you travelled with only a book for company and notmusic; think of the last time when you waited for the postman.

If the answer is a faded memory, just blame it on new-age technology. �


Access TotalAccounts tocontrol thecash box

With Access Total, it is possible to create adatabase in an easy manner so that one hascomplete control over his/her accounts. In thismanner, companies or businesses can have an

estimate of how much to invest or can make a detailedassessment of their expenses.

A rigid control over expenditure gives businesses theopportunity to become more competitive in the market.

While starting the account, it is important that the database hasa starting balance or an existing balance in the account before thecurrent day begins. At the end of the day, one has to enter thevalue of incoming and outgoing figures for the calculation of thefinal balance to be done automatically by the programme.

In order to prevent intruders from accessing this document,the software allows you to save it with a password. To password

protect your account document, go to the Tools menu, selectSecurity and define password for the database. In the securitytab, the user can also choose to opt between user’s account orgroup and cryptographer.

The calculations effected in the consultation are not storedin the base table.

To control accounts in any field, Access uses a formulawhich uses updated values. The formulas used to create anautomatic function are similar to those used in MicrosoftExcel. However, if VBA is used as the functionconstructor, they may be a little different. It is possible tocreate boxes of errors or a function that does not allowdatabase continuity, if the inserted value is not formattedcorrectly. Personalised calculations allow accounts toacquire all the figures involved, dates and texts, taking asbase one or more fields.

1 - Open the software. In case it is the first time you are usingit, click on the option Create a new file. A window willappear similar to the image above, in which you will select theoption Blank Access database.

2 - Following this, a window called New Database File willappear which will give you the option to save the data. Insert aname for the file (in this case Control of accounts) and clickon Create.

Control entry and exitof products


5 - Save the table by clicking on the X symbol to the rightof the screen (option that is also used to close) or selectFile menu, Save. Now choose a name for the file andclick on OK.

6 - Double-click on the file created that should be listed in theTables field. The table with fields that you have created will beopened. Enter the day, opening balance, receipts and outgoings.Save it and close the file.

3 - In the Database box, choose the object Tables. Thenext step will be to select the option Create table in thestructure mode.

4 - Write the name of the field in the first column. In thesecond, select the type of data and, in the third, write thefunction of field so that data are not lost when entered.

7 - Go to the initial database screen, click on the Worksheet.The next step is to click on the option Create datasheetusing the assistant.

8 - In the window Assistant of simple data, selectavailable fields and move them to Selected Fields, withthe help of the arrow. Click on Continue.


9 - In this window, you can opt to have entries with detailsor summary. Select the option Detail so that each field ofthe register is shown. Click on Continue.

10 - Name your entry and make sure that the optionOpen the entry to view information is selected. Nowclick on Finish.

11 - Double-click on the entry file that has been created.Maximise it for better visualisation.

12 - Select the button with the icon pencil and setsquarenamed View and click on the Structure Mode option.

13 - In the field on the expenditure side, write theformula: Final Balance: [Starting Balance] +[Receipts] - [Expenditure] and select the checkbox(square located in the line View). Save it and close the file.

14 - It is now time to create the formula. For this, selectthe object formula and click on Create formula usingthe assistant.


Access Total

15 - In the Tables/Entries option, select the createdentry that has the formula of Final Balance.

16 - Insert new fields available in the square for Selectedfields. Click on the Continue button.

17 - In this new window, it is possible to select the type oflayout that you prefer. For this type of database, it isrecommended that you choose the tab Column and clickon Continue.

18 - Now, you will have the option to choose the style that youprefer: there are 10 alternative styles for the databasebackground. Choose one and click on Continue.

19 - Name the formula and verify if the option Openthe formula to view or to insert information isselected. Click on Finish.

20 - Double-click on the formula created and verify thatthe formula is functioning. Create a formula for eachmonth to have total control over your accounts.


CreatinglabelsAccess allows the use of databases forcreating customised labels

Need to send e-mail messages to all your clients but notsure how to create labels? Access, just like Word, allowsyou to create them with ease, using the wizard thathelps both in level creation and formatting.

Gone are the days when you had to write out clients’addresses, one by one, or type them out on an old typewriter.now you can create a species of special report, in the form ofa label, used for identifying envelopes, product packages, etc.

On creating labels from a table or a query, one caneasily obtain a series of labels, each with a part or all the

fields of a record (for example, the main data of eachbusiness client).

To create labels, read the next few pages and follow thestep-by-step guide. Remember that in this tutorial, we havetaken into consideration that you do not possess a databasewith all your client information. Nevertheless, it is possible touse a database with your client data. To do this, just start thetutorial from Step 6.

We also assume that you have the basic ability and minimumknowledge of Microsoft Word in order to edit the labels.

Other ways of creatinglabels in Access

1 - On opening the programme, clickon the option Create Table byinserting specifications.

2 - Now just insert the data directlyinto the table.

3 - You can also use the optionCreate Table in Design view.

4 - Choose the best way to insert thedata and continue this step-by-steptutorial.


Access Total

1st Step Open the programme, accessing the Start menu, Programs,Microsoft Access. In the window that appears, select theoption Blank Access Database and click OK.

2nd StepNow you must attribute a name to the file and then clickCreate. In our example, we shall use the name ‘Label.’

3rd StepNow the database which will contain the information forlabel creation will be created. In the screen that appears, clickthe option Create Table by using wizard.

4th StepIn Business, select the option Clients. In the table opposite,select the options: Name of contact, Billing Address andPostcode (Zip) and click Finish.

5th StepNow you must fill in the table with client data. Rememberthat it is possible to use a previously created table containingclient information.

6th StepOnce the table has been filled with client data, close it. In thewindow that appears, click the option Reports and then clickthe button New. Select Label wizard.

Creating Labels


7th StepIndicate the table or query from which the labels must becreated. Here, choose the table Clients. In the screen that popsup, choose the type of labels. Click Next.

8th StepIn this next stage, you will be able to choose the labelconfigurations such as the font to be used. Click Next. In the nextwindow, you can indicate the fields to be included in the label.

9th StepTo insert text in the labels, just type it and then use the arrowto indicate the field. In the following screen, choose the orderof data classification which will comprise the label.

10th StepTo finalise the use of label creation wizard, name the report andclick Finish. You can print them by clicking the button Print, oreven edit them, should you not be happy with the result.

11th StepTo edit the labels, click the button Office Link, located in the toolbar.Your labels are ready. You can print them by clicking the buttonPrint, or even edit them, should you not be happy with the result.

12th StepNote that the client data are all on one line. Organiseindividual clients so that they appear one after another. Onfinishing the formatting, click on Print and save the document.


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If you are born in India and hail from atraditional family, you must have seen yourmom, grand moms and aunts workingtheir heart out at home and much too

overburdened with domestic drudgery.Those gruelling hours spent on cooking,

washing, scrubbing and dusting leftthem literally exhausted with no time tofocus on their life or career.

Times have changed since then andso has our socio-economic structure.As women enter the professional world

in droves and prove that they are ascompetent, creative and

productive as men, a newwork-life balance becomesabsolutely essential. But inspite of numerousachievements in myriadfields, they still spenddouble the time onhousehold chores thantheir male partners do.The fair sex has learntto work smart though,and invents many away to convert those‘gruelling’ household

hours intoblissful moments.

Householdchores madeeasy …Women today no longerbelieve in waging the battleagainst domestic odds.Thanks to a wide range ofkitchen and homeappliances from globalbrands like Phillips, LG,Samsung, Videocon and

Tech in vogue for

lifestyle buffsPartha Mukherjee

Feature


many more, domestic duties consume less time now and one canactually opt for some effective multitasking. Think about fittingup a workstation next to the kitchen space and preparing thatall-important presentation while the mutton is in the microwave.Or you can simply relax and listen to your favourite music whilethe laundry is being taken care of (by your fully automatedwashing machine).

Kitchen gadgets today are quick, energy-saving and easy touse – designed and developed to give you maximum satisfaction.Combination steam ovens, integrated microwaves, ceramic andinduction hobs, deep fryers and griddles, refrigerators andfreezers, hot & cold drinks processors, built-in laundryequipment and labour-saving dishwashers are often found in themodern kitchens nowadays. So let us have a look at thesefantastic items that will help you out at home.

‘Wow’ beauty gizmos Now that she has managed her home and family quiteefficiently, the woman steps into the new world – the cauldron of

competition – to prove her worth. But once there, she realisesthe need for self-grooming – to make her presence felt. She musthave a glowing appearance; her pearly smile should exudeconfidence and her silky tresses should be as shining and smoothas Rapunzel’s. Woman today needs the physique of a warrior, asmany a battle awaits her in the professional field, and she mustshed that roundness to gain the agility of a tigress. Yet, herwarm nature and graceful behaviour should please all. If youfind that a tall order, help is at hand. There is a plethora ofbeauty gizmos which will add that ‘extra’ shine to your life. Allyou need to do is to get into the right frame of mind and pick upthe right gadget that meets your requirements.

Her skin shouldshine ...A face can launch a thousandships and a little care goes along way to keep you lookingforever young. If you are toobusy to maintain an elaboratebeauty regime, it is time toopt for Baby Quasar, a small-sized gadget that rejuvenatesthe skin without any hassle. Baby Quasar was originallyintroduced to overcome such skin problems as acne and aging. Itis the first light-therapy device, designed to provide flawlessbeauty to home-based users. Recommended by renowneddermatologists, Baby Quasar uses four wavelengths of naturallight to treat aging, acne, skin shrink and enlarged pores. Use it and feel the difference it makes in terms of glowing,healthy skin.Pic and information courtesy: www.BabyQuasar.co.uk

Her limbs should glow …Ice, ice, baby: The Philips Ice Epilator makes painfulplucking outdated.

All women love to show off satin-smooth skin but you need not paythe price in pain. Forget theoutdated shaving or waxing (ouch!),thanks to the ultra fast, clean andperfect epilation availablenowadays. But if you think that it isa modern-day beauty treatment,here is a piece of news for you. Didyou know that tweezers and razorswere unearthed from ancient gravesand Queen Cleopatra bared it all ina book she wrote on the best-keptbeauty secrets of the era? Thelegendary queen of Egypt bathed in milk and honey to keep herskin glowing. Ancient Egyptians also used fresh incenses andperfumes as cure for body odour which was a sign of impurity.Pic and information courtesy: philster.com

Feature


RefrigeratorImagine a fridge, a freezer and everything elsein between.

Washer & dryerSilvercare technology can keep yourlaundry clean and germ free.

Cooking rangeComplete your kitchen with a

range that delivers three-fantrue convection cooking,

SteamQuick™ technology forspeedy cleaning, 5.9 cubic feet

of space and even a warmerdrawer to keep food at just the

right temperature.

MicrowaveOver-the-range microwaves make food

preparation quick and easy.

DishwasherDo your dishes in peace and quiet withour advanced insulation system.Information courtesy: http:/www.samsung.com

She has to shed the fat …It is not the glamour alone that matters in real life. Women mustrediscover their core strength – health, fitness and focus. It doesnot call for a regular visit to gym, spa or health salon. Regularworkout at home for just a few minutes should do wonders.Tone-at-home fitness equipment can power women throughdifferent exercises and cater to their specific needs. Any salonquality home exercise system can help you with the right kind ofworkout according to your weight – thus strengthening yourmuscles and enhancing your flexibility & endurance.Information courtesy: http://www.toningathome.com/toneAtHome.asp

Her crowning glory should be shiningGone are those days when women spent leisurely afternoonssitting in the sun and drying their luxuriant locks. But if you arebored with your old-fashioned hairdryer, here is somethingsizzling to hot things up. Nodaya, a Japanese company, has comeup with a gun-shaped hairdryer, so different from others. All youhave to do is to put the gun to your head (Hubbies! Don’t panic!)and pull the trigger mildly. Lo and behold! A stream of balmyair will caress your curly tresses. And soon, you (or yourhairstyle) will be the talk of the town.Information courtesy: http://rosedesrochers.todays-woman.net/2007/12/11/gun-hairdryer-bizarre-gadgets-for-women/

If the ‘gun’ taints the image of your otherwise affable dressingtable, there are the mild-mannered hair dryers within your reach(nor would your husband shriek at their sight). The modeldisplayed below is sure to work wonders on your frizzy andtangled mane. Phillips India is ready with their vast range ofdryers to take care of your hairdo.Information courtesy: http://www.bechna.com

Her smile should ooze confidence with grace ...New model sonic toothbrush with integrated UV toothbrushsanitiser, three brushing modes and auto timer. Speciallydesigned for people with sensitive teeth and gums, it ensuresmaximum cleaning and massages the gums to stimulate them.

Enjoy music while you brush your teeth!This is the only toothbrush that plays tunes in your mouth. Thenew ‘Tooth Tunes’ brush from Hasbro is designed to entice oral-hygiene-shy kiddies (and grown-ups too) to brush their ivorieswith some music bribery.

Lifestyle gizmosThe Times They Are a-Changin… And there is more tolife now besides sound health or stunning looks. Today’swomen are on par with their male counterparts and theirrequirements for high-end gadgets and innovativetechnologies are just as crucial. To empower the fair sex withproper accoutrement, renowned companies have come upwith a large bouquet of brand new lifestyle gizmos which aresimply breath-taking. Hit hard by the tech fever, women now

swoon over fancy thingamajigs and stylish accessories. So ifyou are a female between eight and 80, keen to build a ‘hautecouture’ gadget wardrobe, just keep on reading! And here is asmall piece of advice for men. If you really want to win herheart, buy her the most exquisite gizmo this festive seasoninstead of some expensive piece of jewellery. Geek is now cooland she will surely appreciate it.

Time to own a digital clutchLaptops are a great invention – to be carried and used almostanywhere, be it a small café, a speeding car or even on board anaircraft. But limited by routine shapes and monochrome casing,they often lack that charming personal touch that most womenlove to flaunt. In tune with the trendy women on the go, marketleaders have come up with new look digital clutches that aresleek, colourful and virtually weightless. Laptops for women fusehigh fashion, small form factor and innovative functions –transforming the personal computer from a necessity to asophisticated lifestyle product. What’s more, these are easy tocarry and mostly fit inside a handbag-sized case.

X2 StyleBook and Tulip E-Go happen to be the best laptopmodels for women in terms of style, beauty and technology.Another great choice is the Sony Vaio VGN-T350. This littlebeauty is slim, chic and as light as can be (only 3.1 pounds) – sothat one can carry it simply anywhere.

Colourful and stunning, women’s laptops come withmagnificent, matching bags and fabulous accessories. Here are aselected few which are bound to wow every woman, thanks totheir glam looks, futuristic functions and feathery weight.Information courtesy: http://laptopadvisor.blogspot.com/2007/12/laptops-for-women.html

Intel and HP have presented seven unique laptop modelsspecifically designed for women. While developing thesenotebooks, designers were hell-bent on finding an answer to themillion-dollar question: What’s the perfect laptop for the fairsex? And judging by the market response, they seemed to havehit the right direction!

HP PerfumeHP Perfume is an ode toa woman’s love for finefragrances. The laptopfeatures a built-inreservoir filled withconcentrates of basicfragrances. Users candownload a fragrancefrom the Web and the laptop generates the smell in thefraction of a second.

HP FitnessAs the name suggests, the multifunctional HP Fitness has beendesigned for the health-conscious and the fitness freak women ofthe digital era. Enclosed in a hard casing, it features a scale at


the back. The gadget can weigh the user and analyse the data tomake a nutrition schedule and choose on a diet.

HP ChameleonIt’s an amazing model that can change its colour to match the hueof the user’s dress. Two built-in cameras scan the colour of theuser’s clothes and the laptop colour automatically changes to flauntthe same tint. To live up to its name, the gadget is scaled like thechameleon’s skin. The surface feels like velveteen – soft and plushto the touch. Before coming up with this lifestyle gadget, thedesigners of HP Chameleon had actually interacted and workedwith women – common users whose unique creativity and greatsense of humour went a long way to make this a fabulous product.

Try out trendy watchesWith fashion getting so glitzy, simple timepieces have given wayto personal style statements. Current trends indicate a perfectcombo of innovation, beauty and functionality – so that there isa wrist watch out there for every personality, mood or occasion.A stylish bracelet watch strikes the right balance betweeneveryday utility wear and exquisite evening showpiece. Fitted ina matching bracelet instead of sporting the traditional leather ormetal strap, theseattractive watchesare an ideal choicefor the fashion-conscious lady.

Get, set and gowith theseravishing braceletwatches (there arebejewelled onesand designerbrands as well, which none can resist). Modern-day womencan no longer afford to sit idle or while away the time. So onecan easily tune in to these luxurious time trackers and nevergo off-target again. Also, what’s more precious than spendingsome quality time with the special people in your life? Thenew line of lifestyle watches will gently guide you towards aheady work-life concoction so that you can make the most oftoday and live your dreams.

It’s talk time, baby!Motorola H500 Bluetooth headset in pinkTo complement the Motorola SLVR L7 Pink Phone in colourand functionality, the company has designed the H500 PinkBluetooth Headset. When paired with a Bluetooth-enabledmobile like the Motorola SLVR, the Motorola H500 Pink helpsensure hassle-proof, hands-free communication.

Weighing less than 17 grams, the H500 Pink Bluetooth Headsetis one of the lightest in the industry. It features up to eight hoursof talk time or 200 hours of standby time, allowing users toconnect even when they are 30 ft away from their mobiles.

Motorola Red SLVR cell phone for womenThe slender, lightweight SLVR set in trendy ‘loud’ colours is theprefect pick for the woman sporting a distinct fashion statement.The Motorola Red SLVR cell phone for women is designed toenhance entertainment and make the most of cutting-edgecustomisation options.

Motorola Red SLVR offers iTunes functionality – the abilityto carry up to seven hours of music or 100 songs. Like itspredecessor, the SLVR Black, the Red SLVR is less than half-an-inch thick and weighs only 3.5 ounces.

Siemens CL75 for womenThe Siemens CL75 is one of the few cell phones that combineelegance and technology. One version of the Siemens clamshellmobile sports a colourful floral motif on the case. On the inside, alarge color display doubles as a pocket mirror (makeup not included).

The camera connectionWeighing in at 90 grams, this chic Siemens phone comes with abuilt-in digital camera for clicking snaps or video recording. Themobile camera has been a great hit among women but there isreason enough.

According to M:Metrics, 25 per cent women own cameraphones in the USA as compared to 21 per cent men. And 60 percent women use their camera feature occasionally or frequentlywhile only 40 per cent men use it that often.

Nokia fashion collections: ‘Distinctly bold’The Distinctly Bold Collection features a set of high-fashionNokia cell phones for women. The ensemble includes fourcurrently available handsets – Nokia 7610, Nokia 7280, Nokia7270 and Nokia 6170, all with cameras, stylish straps andcarrying pouches.

The L’Amour collectionIt is another unique bouquet of fashion phones for women –from the House of Nokia. The collection features Nokia 7370and Nokia 7380 cell phones, plus three new fashion phones.

Samsung SGH-E530 for womenPerhaps the most feature-rich cellphone for women, Samsung’sSGH-E530 combines image, styleand functionality in a fashionablehandset which is launched in theMiddle East.

The E530 is a digital-zoomcamera phone in a sleek clamshellbody loaded with some of the latestfeatures – MP3 player, MPEG4video recorder, multimediamessaging, 64 polyphonic ring tonesand Bluetooth. �

Feature


Netflix is the ‘real’thing for movie buffs.Those who use it willswear by the

quickness and quality ofentertainment it offers. But forthose who have just heard ofNetflix and want to know more,here is more to chew. Netflix isone of the world’s largest onlinemovie rental services thatsatiates the entertainment thirstof more than 10 millionmembers. According to Netflix, it “ships an average of2.2 million DVDs to theirmembers” across the USA.Netflix was first established in1997 and since then, thecollection has gone up to100,000 titles. The companyhas about 100 shipping pointsin the country and severalmembers receive their videoswithin one business day.

The ‘Watch Now’ featureMembers can just point and clickto add TV episodes and moviesto their list. They can also getDVDs by mail or avail the WatchNow option to enjoy TVepisodes and movies on their PCor Mac. Movies can be streamedinstantly from Netflix to yourtelevision through a Netflixready device.

To avail the ‘Watch Now’ orWatch Instantly feature, youneed to be a member of Netflix.Subscribers can use this featureto stream proprietary Microsoft

Watch Multiple Computers

How To


VC-1 videos. There are more than 12,000 titles availablethrough this service.

System requirements: To watch movies instantlyon your PC or Mac, your computer must haveWindows XP or Mac OS X as well as an activebroadband connection.

How to enable ‘Watch Now’ on more than threecomputers: You can take a backup of your NetflixWatch Now key and enable Watch Now features on morethan three computers. However, remember that you willnot be able to use all three computers at once, but any oneof the three. We will give you a step-by-step guide of howto do so in Vista and XP’s Internet Explorer.

There are a few things that you need to knowbefore we get on with the process. The Watch Nowstreaming service uses a code that gets assigned to thefirst three computers in which you install the WatchNow plugin. But if you install and use this feature ona fourth computer, you will, in most probability, getan error saying that you must call the customerservice to get a new key.

Let us explain how you can export the Netflix registrykey and then import it into your registry on more thanfour computers after installing the Watch Now viewer.

Install the Netflix Watch Now plugin in a computer.Gotto the Start Menu > Run (alternatively hold WIN+R).

After that type in regedit. Then browse to this location: HKEY_CURRENT_

USER\Software\Netflix\Movie Viewer\On the right-hand side, you can see the Key, ID. This is

the code used by Netflix to identify that you are watchinga movie on the first of the three computers’ where youhave installed the Watch Now viewer.

Then click on the Moview Viewer folder and go toFile > Export. You can now export the entry to a fileand then save it. This will be the backup of your NetflixWatch Now code.Tip: Remember that the code is specific to your OS. If

your code is from an XP machine, it will not work on acomputer with Vista and vice-versa. �

through Netflix

Chandana Banerjee


How to HIDE or SHOW

GENIUS BAR in iTunes8

How To


Chandana Banerjee

W ho doesn’t love listening to music?Let’s face it; music is the essence oflife. There are soft numbers we like toplay at work; jazz or rock when we

want to let our hair down and enjoy; instrumental fora candle light dinner or meditation; and peppynumbers for partying. Some of us play music while onthe go, or when exercising, working, studying andpartying. For such music aficionados, iTunes will bemanna from heaven!

What’s iTunes, for heaven’s sake?For those who are still not familiar with iTunes, here’sinformation to dig. This is a free application fromApple for PC and MAC users, for playing digitalmusic and video. It syncs content to your iPod, iPhoneand Apple TV. So, in a nutshell, you can turn toiTunes for all your entertainment needs, at any timeand from anywhere.

With iTunes, you don’t have to rifle through the pilesof CDs or surf channels as you get your entire videoand music collection at the click of a button. You canspend the rest of your time playing, browsing andorganising songs from your MAC or PC. Find out whatyou can do with iTunes:� You can browse through your library by rating, year,

episode, album or artist. Save on precious hours bysearching quickly through your collection.

� Turn your favourite CD collection into digital musicand import them to iTunes. You can then organiseyour collection with custom playlists.

� Shuffle songs from other computers on your networkor play videos using onscreen controls.

� Sync videos, music, contacts and calendars on youriPhone or iPod. And guess what? Wireless syncingto Apple TV puts music and video from youriTunes library on the big screen. So with iTunes,you’ve got all the entertainment you want, right atyour fingertips.

Genius PlaylistsAs if this isn’t enough, the ‘Genius’ feature lets you createthat perfect playlist. Just select a song and click theGenius button. iTunes will generate a playlist from yourlibrary that goes great with the song. Choose the numberof songs you want on this playlist, and voila! You havethe results.

Genius SidebariTunes8 has something called a ‘genius sidebar’ thatwill show you the music in the iTunes store – thesongs will be similar to the tunes or songs you haveselected. You may want to hide or show the bar. Insuch a case, don’t fret the small stuff because it justrequires a small step and half a second to do so. Hereis how it works.

How to hide/show the genius bar in iTunes8There’s a button with an arrow icon on the right-handside of the bar. Just press the icon to contract or expandthe genius sidebar.

Now, that looks simple, doesn’t it? �


This is for all you voracious readers, who like to cartaround a stack of books, wherever you go. You have tohave a towering pile of novels on your bedside table,half-a-dozen more books and periodicals in the

bathroom, a few crammed inside your leather tote and a fewlatest titles in your drawer at your workstation. You just have topick up the latest titles from the corner bookshop, and for you,an ideal weekend is one where you get to spend endless hours

Keyboard shortcutsfor punctuation marks

in Kindle 2

How To

Chandana Banerjee

browsing in your favourite bookstore. Books mean the world toyou, and you love to read in every spare moment that you have.Amazon.com’s Kindle 2 is just for such readers, who need tohave books every moment that they breathe.

What is Kindle 2? It is a software and hardware platform developed by Amazon,Kindle 2 can be used to read e-books and other digital media.It’s absolutely portable at 8” x 5.3” x 0.36” and weighs just 10.2ounces. You don’t need a computer to use this, and can storeabout 2GB of content. Once charged, you can read for almostfour days with the wireless on. And sans the wireless? Read onfor two weeks.

Another striking feature about Kindle 2 is that it is lighterthan a paperback, and as slim as a magazine. You can carry itaround wherever you go and read your books on the move.Ah! You don’t have to worry about eye strain or anything thatyou associate with reading e-books on the computer. Kindle 2has been designed with long-form reading in mind. The page-

turning buttons are on both sides, letting you to read and turnpages comfortably with one hand from any position. Also,these buttons flex inward to prevent any accidental page turnsthat can happen while picking up or handling Kindle. It alsohas a new easy-to-use 5-way controller, enabling precise on-screen navigation for selecting text to highlight or looking up words.

And now we come to the meaty part – the part about thebooks that you can carry around with you in this 10.2 ounce‘book holder.’ Well, just carry along your entire collection oreven your library if you desire. You can not only cart aroundmore than 1,500 books, but can also download more anytime. Acopy of every book you have bought from the Kindle Store hasan online backup at Amazon.com - just in case you ever need todownload it again. You can wirelessly re-download books forfree any time.

Another feature that makes Kindle 2 so popular with avidreaders is the paper-like quality of the screen. The 6” screen iscrisp black and white, and looks as well as reads like printedpaper. You don’t have worry about backlight or glare, and canread just as naturally as you do when you pick up hard copies ofbooks. The images are sharper, with 16 shades of gray. You caneven read your books in the sun, without worrying about glareor other readability issues.

With just a push of a button you can adjust the font size, andif you wish, you can use the new text-to-speech feature to letKindle read books, blogs, magazines and newspapers for you.And when you use the QWERTY keyboard, you can addannotations to the text (‘write in the margins’ sort of thing). The5-way controller lets you highlight and clip passages andbookmark pages for future use. The built-in dictionary, wirelessaccess to Wikipedia, and search features, make reading throughKindle an overall enriching experience.

How to use symbol shortcuts for punctuationmarks in Kindle 2: Well, if you wish to jot down your notes, you can use the SYMbutton to insert punctuation marks and special symbols. Butthis can make for slow typing when you are using normalpunctuation. So if you are looking for a quicker way to typeout the common punctuation marks like question marks,double quotes, colons, apostrophes, and commas, use simplekeyboard shortcuts. Here are keyboard shortcuts for thefollowing punctuation marks:

� ? (question mark): ALT+6

� , (comma): ALT+7

� : (colon): ALT+8

� ” (double quotes): ALT+9

� ‘ (apostrophe): ALT+0

Armed with these tips, you can jot down your notes in a jiffyand get back to your reading quickly. �


How to disablethe Rumble Effect

on Wii Remote

Gone are the days when children would skip out to playhide-and-seek and hopscotch. Today, they prefer toget hold of their gaming consoles and playtechnologically designed games to their hearts’

content. But why kids, even grown-ups like us enjoy Wii gamesmore than a game of lawn tennis or croquet. It is because we don’tneed to step out of the house or drive to the club for our gamingexperience. Just a gaming console and a stack of interesting games

is all that is required to spend a whole weekend glued to one’s seat.Wii has revolutionised the gaming experience, and most game

buffs will ask you to try it yourself to understand the magic of it all.And these games are not just for children or moody teenagers;these can be relished by the whole family – from busy moms anddads to feisty grandmas. All you need is a Wii Remote andNunchuk (which are quite simple to use) to enjoy this social gamingexperience with your friends and loved ones.

How To


Chandana Banerjee

However, some users may find this rumble effect distracting andmay want to disable the function, which will require thefollowing few steps:

� When you are on the Wii Menu screen, click on the Homebutton on the Wii Remote.

� When the Home Menu appears, move your cursor to thebottom of the screen and then choose the Wii RemoteSettings.

� Go to rumble and select the ‘off ’ button.

� Move your cursor to the bottom of the screen and chooseClose Wii Remote Settings.

� Now click on the Wii Menu button in the centre of thescreen.

You will be asked if you want to return to the Wii Menu.Click Yes.

This will turn off the rumble effect and you can continue toplay your games without getting distracted. �

Once you get a hang of it, you can choose from an array ofgames that Wii offers. The choices range from Nintendo franchiseslike Mario, Zelda and Metroid, to the all-new classics like WiiSports and Wii Play. You can also create your own Mii character tostar in Wii games. You can play games with your friends onlineover Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or use the Internet Channel tosurf the Net from your couch. If you wish, you can also downloadclassic Nintendo games through the Wii Shop Channel.

Now we come to the Wii Remote, nicknamed ‘Wiimote’. Thisremote is the main controller for Nintendo’s Wii console. TheWii Remote is so popular with users because of its motionsensing capability – you can manipulate items on the screen orinteract via gesture recognition and pointing through the use ofaccelerometer and optical sensor technology. The Nunchuk,which is an attachment bundled with the Wii console, alsocomplements the Wii Remote by making functions similar tothose in gamepad controllers, accessible to users.

How to disable the rumble effect on Wii Remote?When using the Wii Remote to play games, it allows you to feelrumbles or vibrations on certain titles. This adds a sense ofrealism to the game and enhances the game playing experience.

Capturingnewborns with yourlensZahid H. Javali

A few easy steps can go a long way …Many of us might not have too many pictures of our just-born days. But today technologyallows you to record every physical move of the baby not only on your digital camera but alsoon your camera phone. But whether you have a digicam or a camera phone, there are ways tocapture the age of innocence for posterity. Since newborns do not move much in their first fewmonths, here are three great tips that should get you going. Best of luck!

Turn them into modelsIf truth be told, newborns can’t even move to save their lives. So how can they model? Well, thebeauty is in their daily regimen. Remember, they sleep most of the time. So you need to do mostof the posing for them. And how? Simple. It all depends on where you place the sleeping baby.It can be a basket, a giant cushioned hat or anything else you fancy. The pose does make adifference if you want an exclusive snapshot.

Have patienceThis works best if time is not an issue and if the parents do not mind the brandishing camera.Newborns tend to have their own timetables and needs. So when the shoot gets interruptedbecause the baby’s diaper needs to be changed or it needs to be fed, you can continue to shoot ifthe parents have no objections. Wrap the mom and the baby with a soft blanket and prop themup with a pillow. Now you can snap a few pictures of the mother and the baby peeping out ofthe blanket. However, if the parents and the baby need their time, it’s best to refrain fromshooting rather than compel them to have their private lives documented.

Be creativeBaby shops are filled with stuff that you can use as great props for yourphotography – from those fancy-looking danglers on trolleys to divert thebaby’s attention, to fancy clothes, caps, wigs, sunglasses and even bedsheetsand shawls. Also, find fun props that you can use to hide diapers. Try andget disposable changing pads ready for the newborn in case certain fluidscome out while props are being changed.

Plan aheadSometimes, it’s best to plan ahead. This can be done by meeting the parentsfirst and understanding the baby’s eating, sleeping and maybe crying andlaughing habits. Once you have a fair idea of what to expect, you can planyour shoot accordingly. It’s important to have the mother around during allyour shoots, since the baby needs to be taken care of and there should bea familiar face around to whom it can relate. �

Imagine a day without your laptop. Think of a day when theWorld Wide Web stops working. How about sending your bossthose vital files via post, which might take a week’s time? What ifthere is nothing called cellular connectivity? If you call this

nightmarish gibberish, let me tell you my friend that such was ourworld only a few decades back. Technology has become such anindispensable part of modern existence that it might seem quitehard to believe that we could ever manage a fair living without it.Whether machine has made man mechanical or whether it is manwho has succeeded in making machine humane is a rathercontentious issue, but be it sending an important document acrossborders within a few seconds or a refreshing chitchat over the cellphone at the end of a day’s work; a life away from technologyseems as bizarre as living in a cave for today’s folks.

The change has been ratherdrastic in India. The last twodecades witnessed a radical make-over of the entire scenario. Thenineties ushered in computers. By1995 BSNL brought in Internet tothe country. Typewriters and faxmachines were now obsolete. Fastcommunication was a prerequisitefor the global village to run smooth.Kentucky and Calcutta were justminutes away. With informationsfrom around the globe now beingreadily accessible life would never bethe same again. The easy goingIndians took to a jet set lifestyle andwhat was a country known for itsblasé and blissful nonchalancebecame a smart IT hub withprofessionals on their toes only overa few years’ time. Technologybrought along with it job prospectsin a rich galore. While some foundboth lucre and joy in further technical advancement, others werehappy applying technology to their own work field.

The tech boom created work opportunities primarily in threeforms: While some work towards further technical development,some others found their jobs in the maintenance of the systems, andlast but not the least is the huge pool of professionals applyingtechnology to their specific fields of work. The need for a steadytechnological improvement made a vast array of jobs available beforethe skilled techies, who with their knack for innovation and brains forscientific precision could come up with ideas for furtherimprovisations in using technology. The technical requirements acrossdifferent disciplines had to be looked after and thus came in the needfor software developers who would take care to prepare softwaresuited for professionals from different arenas of work. Nasscom orNational Association of Software and Service companies reports thatit was by the fiscal year of 2004-05 that the indigenous IT industrycrossed the benchmark of employing one million software experts,

the cumulative annual growth rate in the number of professionalsjoining the field being 23.6%. With employers like Wipro and Infosyson the list, the figures are sure to go higher up.

The nitty-gritties of the highly complicated systems are oftenbefuddling enough for their users. Their proper maintenancenecessitates specialized attention and hence a group of hardwarespecialists and mechanics came into being. The 2008 Nasscomreports suggest an immediate requirement of more than four lakhprofessionals to join this field. As V. Rishi Kumar, CEO andManaging director, Aptech Limited suggested in one of hisinterviews that the country’s hardware industry has the potentialsto reach a whooping $62 million mark by the next year. That thisgrowing industry needs human resource is perhaps needless to say.

The extensive use of technology has also made fields like BPO,networking and animations alsofeasible. Geographical realitieshave been severely challenged.Working for an organisation withits headquarters at New York Citywhile staying in Bangalore is notfar-fetched to believe anymore,courtesy, outsourcing. PrinceMonteiro, a 21-year-old commercegraduate from Kolkata is presentlyone amongst the BPO workforcefrom the country. Prince points outwhile it could have been difficultfor a man to earn well only with agraduate degree a few years back,outsourcing has made it possiblefor him to take home an impressivesalary at the end of the month.

A consistent growth of theIndian IT industry is now a matterof getting the right people to jointhe workforce; the more thenumber of specially qualified

experts stepping into the arena, the higher the prospects of theindustry to reach further expansion. Proper training to groom theupcoming joiners of the field is a pressing need of the time. Whilemany complain that IT education in India is yet to come out of itsinfancy, initiatives have been taken by both the public and theprivate sector in the recent past to compensate for the lack. TheDepartment of Youth Affairs, Government of India has come upwith various plans to extend computer education amongst theyouth across different social strata. Private institutes like Aptech,NIIT, Arena and various others also introduced various courses tosuit different requirements and budgets. These courses are tailor-made to meet the demands of the students who wish to specializein a specific area.

With companies such as IBM, Tata Consultancy Services orTCS, Cognizant and Polaris, the IT industry of India carries thepotential of creating ample recruitment opportunities forthousands in a year. The BPOs and the KPOs received a blow as

Priyanka Mukherjee

Tech to the

T e


Tech Career

the worldwide recession struck but with time the industry has comein terms with the initial shocks. Moreover, as this technology findsapplication across a varied range of fields, no jolt can be hardenough to shake its base. The most sought-after techies in India atthis moment are the software analysts, domain specialists,information security experts, integration specialists, databaseadministrators, network specialists and communication engineers,software programmers, designing and architecture experts, anddata warehousing and semi-conductor design specialists. Some ofthe areas where manpower is rather scanty are e-supply chainmanagement or eSCM, data warehousing, bioinformatics, e-pharma and nanotechnology. These are highly specialized areasand are ready to offer jobs to people with the required expertise.Most of the new entrants to these sectors are strained throughcampus selection and then further tutored to suit the specificrequirements. While those who wish to join a specialized arenamust be accordingly qualified with either a MCA or an M.Techdegree, there are others who, geared with their basic technicalknow-how, can get an edge over their peers be it whichever field.

Be it the entertainment industry or media or even health care forthat matter, IT has become a crucial requisite to almost all thearenas of work. While the use of software in making animationsand creating special effects for movies is almost known to all,information technology has also found use in the music industry,where jobs such as sound mixing and recording are now done withmuch élan and the processes have become both time saving andcost effective. Knowledge of software such as Adobe Flash,Anim8or or Reallusion can make a great animator out of a personwith the heart of an artist and the brains of a techy. Those whoremember Harry Porter flying on his broomstick or Spidermanswinging from one skyscraper to another in a jiffy with utterbewilderment must also be aware of software such as Impactplus5and Wondertouch that were used to create the effects. For those ofyou who are still looking for answers how that scene in ‘Matrix,’where Keanu Reeves is shown rotating in the air, was madepossible, here is the trick: It was with the use of some morphingsoftware that the slow motion effect was created as these softwareenable the directors to keep the speed of an action under theircontrol. The sequence was shot with multiple cameras against agreen-screen background. It was only later that the computer-generated background was superimposed. A 3D computer modelof the scene was specially prepared for the purpose. If computershave found use in creating visuals so have they in creating audiotracks. Software like MixPad Audio Mixer allow the present breedof music professionals to create remixes, which are extensivelypopular. Names to reckon with in the Indian music industry suchas A.R. Rahman and Kavita Krishnamurthy highly favour toolssuch as Logic Pro9 and Logic Pro8 for creating power-packedtunes. Professionals with the necessary knowledge of thesetechnical tools and a musical acumen are bound to make it big inthe present entertainment scenario.

Technical knowledge has also become a ‘must have’ for thoseaspiring to join media. Designing the newspaper with the newsstories properly arranged would earlier take up hours, but now the

technically-equipped sub-editors can do it quite easily with the useof page layout software. Almost all leading dailies run a Webversion and demand for newsmen with an edge over technology,especially with the use of Internet. Quick communication madepossible via e-mails has made it convenient for freelancers to workfor publications from abroad. Subhajoy Roy, a Kolkata-basedfreelancer, tells us, “I’ve been contributing for news magazinesfrom around the globe for the past two years. With the Internet atyour service, this is as easy as writing for a local daily. My editorsare just clicks away from me.” With growing numbers of Internetsurfers in the country, working for the different news portals on theWeb is also a career option for many.

Information technology has found specialized application in thefield of health care as well. Knowledge Process Outsourcing hasmade it feasible for many Indian medicos to work for overseasorganisations and, thereby, earn a few extra bucks while stayingwithin the country. Use of computers in the advancement ofhealth care has been effectual in cutting down the costsremarkably; errors in treatment have been reduced, leading toqualitative improvement and has also made it accessible to a widermass. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, a USbased organization has been in the forefront in taking initiatives inthis regard. Automated hospital information systems often help inproviding better services to the patients. CAS or ComputerAssisted Surgery is often the way out in case of patients withmultiple complications. Here, 3D animation has found use increating a virtual image of the patient, which is then subjected todetailed analysis to reach a conclusive diagnosis of the problems,which need immediate medical attention. The eighties saw the useof ‘Telemanipulators’ in neurosurgery and ever since then variousCAS systems have been developed. The first surgical robot namedAesop received the required approvals in 1993. APACHE or AcutePhysiology and Chronic Health Evaluation has made a properassessment of the Intensive Care Units of a health centre doable.These highly complex technical equipment require skilled handlingand, hence, job opportunities have opened for those withknowledge in both anatomy and technology.

Fields as rigid as the education industry have also experiencedthe advent of technology. PowerPoint presentations often makelessons taught at schools and colleges more interesting and thus thebleak days of blackboards and chalks have been bade a happyadieu. Online tutorials and e-books have made education availableto a larger section of the society. The Uganda Connectivity Projectinitiated by Daniel and Lisa Stern is one such program, whichintends to extend primary education via the Internet to thechildren in Uganda, where schools are scanty and often tooexpensive. The educationists at home can also take up suchprojects to encourage an interest in learning. While such venturesshall prove to be beneficial for those who shall get to learn, teacherswith knowledge of the Internet can hope to earn well also.

With more and more takers of the Internet in a fast growingnation like ours, technology is sure to spread more. The rightattitude towards work and expertise in the use of tech tools relevantto one’s field of work is surely the key to a prosperous future ahead. �


Are you a tech junkie or a novice?Neither. I have a balanced approach. While I appreciate andunderstand tech, I am not addicted to it.

Is technology a man’s thing?Technology is definitely unisex. With the economy getting aboost once again, women are now open to experimenting withhi-tech gadgets. Moreover, technology is topical and directlyrelated to one’s personal choice.

What’s the most expensive tech toy that you havepurchased till date?It is the Osim Uspace with seven in-built massage routines forthe body and heated seats with sensors that automatically detectthe acupressure points of the body. It’s an imported system andan industry friend gave it to me to celebrate the success of‘Perfect Bride’, a reality show on ‘Star Plus’ (she currently judgesthe show). It has been gifted to me so that I can unwind at homeafter my hectic day trips to Karjat where the shooting takesplace. It is easier this way instead of paying a visit to the beautyspa. The whole thing costs around Rs. 4 lakh.

The cute Bollywood actress who first came to notice in ‘Ishq Vishq’ and later tasted big commercial suc-cess with ‘Vivah’, requested an e-mail interview on her love for tech rather than chatting with ‘Live IT’ onthe phone. And she started her mail with the following message: Technicism will ultimately allow humanityto control the entirety of existence using technology. Some day, human beings will be able to master allproblems and may even control the future with the help of technology. In many societies, technology hashelped develop today’s global economy and has allowed the rise of a leisure class.” And now, we cometo our Q&A session that reveals her love for tech, along with a balanced approach.

Phones and computers crash often. How would youdeal with a catastrophe like data loss?I generally keep a backup on pen drives and DVD’s. So acatastrophe like that wouldn’t mean much. Moreover, amaintenance executive comes regularly to keep them shipshape.

Which sites do you frequently visit on the World Wide Web?I and my sister Preeta research a lot on Google during our sparetime. Otherwise, there are Style Kandy, Rediff, e-Bay, MSN,Yahoo and FTV for my daily updates.

Your take on Facebook and the social networkingphenomena – is it a boon or a bane?Well, I must admit that I have joined Facebook and Twitter quiterecently so that my friends and fans can keep track of my day-to-day activities instead of getting it all wrong from source-generatedstories. I think such social networking sites are a fantastic way ofkeeping in touch with folks around the globe in real time. Theyhave great privacy features, too, and you can block users who seemto be fraudulent. Also, fans can connect with their favourite starsvia the blogs. It’s basically an electronic version of fan mail.

How has technology helped you in your professional work?My BlackBerry keeps me connected 24x7 with my businessmanager, publicist, media and other industry friends. I distinctlyremember the time when I had no Internet connection for almosta week. Luckily, I had the smartphone with me and managed tocontact my costume designer for a special appearance in a filmsequence. Else, I would have lost that work. �

Amrita RaoStar Diary

Truth matters, but the best way to get at truth is to allow anopen contest of ideas. That’s why we need freedom of speech.And that’s precisely how Ajay Sharma has managed his salesteams over the years. “I believe in freestyle execution and

don’t force my sales team to do something if they are happy doingsomething else if the deliveries are in place.” says the 51-year-old.

Today, Sharma has crossed many sales channels and onlyemerged stronger every time. As the country head of HTC Indiathat manufactures and markets its own brand of PDAs,smartphones and touchscreen devices, he has, indeed, come a longway. From pump sets to fuel injection equipment, pistons and rings,electric fans, mixer grinders, electric irons, detergent powders,shaving creams and leather products – Sharma can sell just aboutanything with his kind of selling expertise. However, corporatehonchos are often pushed to a corner where they are left with onlytwo options: hit back or let the pressure go. “I just lie down andclose my eyes,” he says with great candour. “It doesn’t matter if theTV is at full volume. I am able to separate myself and take it toanother level of consciousness.”

What’s the mark of a good salesman? A person who can sellumbrellas to Eskimos? With Sharma, it goes beyond that. Armedwith an MBA with specialisation in marketing, Sharma joined theShriram Group as a trainee sales officer in 1980. His job was to sellUsha pump sets in Rajasthan.

“It was straining, both physically and mentally,” he recalls. “Rightfrom lead generation and tracking potential customer to fileprocessing, meeting the banker, getting the files approved, getting thediesel engine ready and closing the deal – it was a long and tediousprocess. There was no ready-made customer hawking. You had tofind your customer every day, which meant travelling to remote areasand meeting people in their farms.”

After various stints in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Sharmawas absorbed by General Sales (Usha Intercontinental) as seniorexport manager. Says he: “From domestic, I had moved to exportswhere my job was to execute orders for detergent powders, shavingcreams, dyes and dye intermediates. My responsibilities includedhandling order executions, price negotiations, ensuring qualitystandards and timely product delivery.”

That’s when the USSR broke up and the CIS came into existence.The political upheaval also changed the business focus of thecompany where Sharma worked. “We ventured out to generalcurrency markets. I was assigned to find new markets for dyes anddye-intermediates (required for making dyes) used in the textile,leather and paper industries.” In his new avatar, Sharma had

developed new markets in Turkey, Spain, Poland and Greece within aspan of four years. The next engagement was also one of his longest– from 1994 to 2003. And he had worked for the leather exportdivision – procuring and exporting garments, bags and accessories.

Just when the telecom industry was booming in India, Sharma’scompany decided to launch its own brand of mobile phones. So,as the senior general manager of Usha Lexus Electronics, heentered a completely new domain for three years. In the middleof 2006, Sharma decided to move to a new company – DopodInternational Corp. – a brand selling high-end PDAs andsmartphones. But in May, 2007, the company was acquired byTaiwan’s High Tech Computer Corp. Since then, Sharma hasbeen a part of HTC. His job involves setting up India operationsincluding sales team hiring, service operations implementation,distribution and other related functions.

Today, he has more than 29 years of experience in sales andmarketing. His valuable exposure at home and abroad has helpedhim evolve as a great visionary and motivator. At least that is what hiscolleagues at HTC think. “People value innovation, so our business isall about innovation,” he says, sitting at his wood-and-glass-panelledDelhi office that overlooks one of the five star hotels in Saket – TheSheraton. On Sharma’s work desk lie his three-year-old Toshibalaptop and magazines on the mobile phone industry while hisdrawers are filled with key samples of HTC devices. On the whiteboard, there are action items to be done in the next couple of days.

However, work at HTC is more than just a 9–5 routine forSharma. It’s about building relationships and retaining those. Thereason HTC is able to offer more and more innovative offerings tocustomers is due to its co-partners. “We value partners – distributors,mobile operators, software vendors … the list is pretty extensive,”says Sharma. “We tend to carry our relationship one step ahead. Wekeep our customers and partners with us as much as possible.” True,indeed. Since its inception, HTC Taiwan has led the smartphonemarket through partnerships with Microsoft, Intel, TexasInstruments, Qualcomm, Orange, 02, T-Mobile, Vodafone,Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, NTT DoCoMo, Palm and HP.

The company has a rich heritage of device ‘firsts’. Theydeveloped the first colour palm-size PC way back in 1999 and the

Servicewith a touchHTC India chief Ajay Sharma opens up toZAHID H. JAVALI on PDAs and smartphonesgeared at making life more comfortable.


first Microsoft Pocket PC a year later. These are followed by the firstMicrosoft Wireless Pocket PC (2002), Microsoft-poweredSmartphone (2002), Microsoft Smart Music Phone (2004), Microsoft3G Phone (2005), Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Platform Phone(2005), Microsoft Tri-band UMTS 3G Device (2006), MicrosoftWindows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone (2006) and Windows Mobile 6Smartphone (2007). Not to mention, the first intuitive touchscreen toallow fingertip navigation in June 2007 and the first mobile to run onthe Android platform in September 2008. “We try to take the lead ineverything,” says Sharma. “Unless you try to be the first and take thelead in offering the newest and the best, you would never get noticed.That is the key differentiator for HTC and that is why it is doing sowell in India.”

The innovation and the ‘be there first’ strategy seem to haveworked like a charm. HTC is one of the fastest growing companiesin the mobile sector and is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.‘Business Week’ ranked HTC as the second best-performingtechnology company in Asia in 2007. The year 2008 had been alandmark year for HTC – it registered a growth of over 300 per centon a year-on-year basis and managed to carve a niche in thesmartphone segment by garnering 20 per cent market share in thecategory of devices above the Rs. 10,000 price point.

“It was largely due to the path-breaking changes and value addsthat we have been introducing since HTC’s inception. India is a veryadvanced country; Indians are totally aware of what’s happening inthe world, especially the young customers. Normally, companiestreat India as a second-rung market, but wetreat it as a first-rung market and the result isthere for you to see.”

So what’s so path-breaking about HTC?“Everything. HTC has always been atrendsetter,” affirms Sharma. “We are10,000-strong and one-fourth of the staff isengaged in research and development. Ourpeople are learning about what people onthe other side want. Our R&D team translates that into deviceswhich are user-friendly and interesting.”

Agreed. Sample the HTC Touch Diamond 2. You will find thate-mail messages and sms-es from one person will be in one place,like a threaded conversation. So how does this help a go-gettingCEO of a multinational? He only has to ask the person on thesmartphone to hang on, press the e-mail icon on the phone’skeypad, access all his e-mail and give him an answer right away.The feedback time has reduced compared to those days when hehad to disconnect the phone, search his inbox for the specific mail,read it and then call back.

With so much available right now, what’s going to be the futurelike? “Once the 3G technology sweeps India in a big way, it willmake your life even simpler,” says Sharma. “For example, if youturn the phone upside down, the phone will stop ringing. It will belittle things like these that will make the consumer experience moresimple, easy, interesting and enjoyable at the same time.”

Do great cooks memorise countless recipes? No. They have agrasp of basic ingredients and the ratios of ingredients that makegreat food. A similar principle works with Sharma. He owes muchof this acumen, thanks to his early days at Usha. “The company is

tremendous when it comes to developing your overall personality,”he says. “I always believe if your foundation is strong, you can run100 metres and still not burn out. You need not always be a sprinterbecause they don’t have a long life.”

What makes him tick is his never-say-die enthusiasm. “It’s allabout the excitement you bring to your work. I am still thinking thatI am in my learning phase,” he admits. “When you look at acustomer, you should be able to understand what he wants; youshould come down to his level. Their requirements are many andthey look at things from different perspectives. But you should beable to equate with them.

“A customer’s position and expectations are different from yours.But he should be able to see you as a real person who understandshis needs. You should not be a mere company representative whenyou meet your client. The underlying idea should be that you knowwhat your customer wants and you are able to support him.”

Managing a sales team is much more difficult but experience hastaught Sharma to deal with it. “I lead by example,” he says.“Human beings are different; so each should be approached in adifferent manner. Their market analysis may be right but theirexperience is limited. Here is where I use my expertise to challengethat situation and look beyond. I take a long-term view of thingswhereas the youngsters go for a more tactical approach. This clearlydifferentiates me from them.”

So what has experience taught him? “Learn the art of saying‘no’,” he begins. “A good salesman should be honest with himself

and to the customer because you can’t take ashort-term strategy and tell untruths,especially when companies today areholding on to their customers. Secondly, youneed to be optimistic. You will have goodand bad times. In the end, what counts ishow you steel your nerve. You need to betrue to yourself. If you tried your best, thatshould be consolation enough. Third, hold

on to your customer and your sales team. When it gets difficult, leadfrom the front. If pressures are too high and you feel your teamcannot do it, take it upon yourself. Otherwise, the team will break.”

His way of de-stressing is simple – spending time with wife & kidsand reading fictions & management books. “I read books like ‘Menof Steel’ to try and see what has been the differentiator for othersand how they achieved so much success so quickly,” says Sharma.He vacations also, twice a year. And his favourite haunts are the hillsof North India and the East countries like Malaysia, Thailand,Singapore and Taiwan. But while at home, he is much too happywatching Discovery, Animal Planet and slapstick TV programmes.

That’s not all. “I play some funny board games with kids includingsnakes & ladders and ludo. I just go back to the basics and it helps,”says Sharma. “I run through old pictures of mine. It de-stresses me alot. I also call up old friends to check what they are up to. It gives youa good feeling. You start feeling younger after that phone call.”

So what tops his phone wish list? “I wish I could control my homewith the help of my cell phone. Or access my CCTV camera via cellto find out if the door lock is in place.”

Who knows, HTC might achieve this feat soon. After all, HTC isa master of tech innovations. And Sharma is its India captain. �


Unless you try to bethe first and take the leadin offering the newest andthe best, you would neverget noticed

“”

Dozens of accredits at a very young age can sound likea distant dream for a young child but SreelakshmiSuresh has proved that through hard work, one canachieve success early. At the tender age of eight, she

held record for being the youngest Web designer in the world.

Now, the eleven-year-old Aquarian is eagerly persuing herpassion for designing websites like a true professional.

Sreelakshmi’s stint with the computer started when she wasjust two or three year old. Her father would let her sit on hislap and work on Microsoft Paint. To start with Suresh,

The YoungWeb DesignerResmi Jaimon

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Sreelakshmi’s father taught her to draw circles, rectanglesand fill colour in objects. Next, she learnt to draw ‘Smilies.’Her English alphabet learning started later as she typed‘ABCD’ in Microsoft Word. “I continued to practice on thecomputer at fixed schedules and there was no break in-between,” says Sreelakshmi.

Today, many kids browse the Net and are familiar with theWorld Wide Web. However, passion for creating websites comesfrom within, in addition to motivation and support from family.Sreelakshmi was in the third standard when her fatherintroduced her to a website designed by Ajay Puri. He wantedSreelakshmi to create something similar all by herself. So hebegan to give her lessons on the basics of web designing, first inMicrosoft Word and later in FrontPage.

“My father encouraged me to design a website for myschool. Initially, I lacked the courage and confidence so Iasked him to take the permission of the headmistress. Thevery next morning she asked me to for the details of theproject,” reminisces Sreelakshmi. Convinced with the littlegirl’s capabilities, the headmistress and Sr. Justina preparedthe content for the website and handed it to Sreelakshmi. “Itook six months to complete the work. Once I was done, Iwas asked to do it again before a panel of experts appointedby the school authorities. Upon their report, the schooldecided to launch the website. Myparents, teachers as well as myfriends motivated me enough tocomplete the project succesfully,”says Sreelakshmi. The website wasformally launched on January 15,2007. She describes the day as “theproudest day” of her life.

In the last one-and-a-half years, shehas designed ten websites and is currently working on three.However, Sreelakshmi’s prime focus remains her studies.Which is perhaps why she is not taking extra effort to markether services.

Latest projects Sreelakashmi recently launched her projectwww.stateofkerala.in. The website gives importantinformation about the state of Kerala. There is a “WorldMalayali Directory” where Keralites can add their name anddetails free of cost. For content, she depends on periodicalsand other websites. Prominent figures like Kiran Ravindran(film director) and Srinath Girish are some of her esteemedcontributors. Famous cartoonist, Sadanandan (of ‘Balarama’and ‘Manorama’ fame) has agreed to do ‘cartoon of theweek’ strip.

She is also working on her next venture –www.tinylogo.com – is a logo-based search engine where allcompanies or firms are permitted to upload their logo with aprofile page. The website provides searching for brandsaccording to category. “It is an experiment but I am

optimistic about its success. Many companies have alreadyadded their logos to the website,” adds Sreelakshmi.Tinylogo.com runs in partnership with Sainul Abideen’sCybrosys Techno Solutions, a company known worldwide forhis rainbow technology in digital data storage.

RecognitionThe youngest ever member of the Association of AmericanWebmasters, Sreelakshmi has over 26 national andinternational honours to her credit, including theprestigious Global Internet Directories Gold Award andGolden Web Award. Ask her how recognition has made adifference and she is quick to say, “Recognition has mademe conscious about the quality of my work. Today I knowseveral Web experts and they keep sending tips onmaintaining the quality in my work. They made me realisethat my sites may look good and work fine, but there aremany technical errors. I hope to do away with all defectsone by one,” says Sreelakshmi.

Studies, work and leisure At an age when students complain of lack of time to study, playor even for extra-curricular activities, how does Sreelakshmimanage? “I am very particular (may be due to the strict

instruction from my father) that Icomplete all my school work beforestarting with designing work. Once Ifinish my homework, I spend time doingother things comfortably. Usually I spentaround two hours a day for work, but onholidays I get more time to work on mywebsites.” Sreelakshmi is the only child ofSuresh Menon, an advocate by profession,

and Viju Suresh, a mathematics teacher in a local governmentschool. Sreelakshmi is passionate about travelling but withSuresh’s rigorous schedule, her holidays have usually beenrestricted to two- to three-days’ break.

Like other girls of her age, she digs on cartoons and lovesto play with her friends. Growing up, she hopes to become asoftware engineer. She is also studying animation and hopesto create her personalized animated character some day. Oneof her poem, “Rain,” was published in the school magazine.She is currently attempting her hand at glass painting too.

Challenges Sounds easy though but it isn’t easy for her to make differencebetween the real and fake mails, related to enquiries about webdesigning charges. “I am too young to differentiate betweenwhat is real and what is fake. Sometimes, I do lose out on seriousenquiries,” she says candidly. Another problem she faces is inpreparation of content and she depends on her clients toprovide content for the site.

Overcoming the odds, the young Sreelakshmi sails on with herweb design projects and is enjoting every bit of her journey. �

Recognitionhas made me conscious about thequality of my work

“”


Product Reviews: Anoop Verma

Magic KeyboardWant to carry your favourite keyboard wherever you go? Youcan do that with a little bit of magic. That’s the MagicKeyboard. It is foldable, washable, cleanable and dust-resistant.So, the next time you depart on a vacation or on an office tour,don’t forget to take your folding keyboard along. Working on itfeels much better than tapping on those clunky laptop keys.

Available at: www.indiaplaza.in Price: Rs. 875

Peek & Pick


Amkette Robusto 8 GBUSB Flash Drive

Personal SafetySystem for WomenIn this big bad world, where purse-snatchers are lurking atevery corner, safety of one’s belongings is always a keyissue. Your attention wavers for a moment and a hoodlumgets a chance to run away with your purse. Such ascenario is too common everywhere. But there is one niftyway to protect your belongings. It comes in the form of a‘Personal Safety System’ that can be worn around yourneck for easy access when you are shopping, jogging ortravelling all alone. In a theft attempt, the activated alarm

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If you like to tug lots of files aroundwhenever you are on the go, it would beperhaps a good idea to go in forAmkette Robusto 8 GB USB FlashDrive. Its driverless design providesmaximum convenience and enjoymentin mobile data exchange. The device iscompatible with XP, Vista and the soon-to-be-launched Windows 7.

Available at:http://www.homeshop18.comPrice: Rs. 1099

Radio ControlHelicopter & Car

For families who have young kids growing up,toys like the radio-controlled helicopter andcar can be good entertainment option. Theinfrared-controlled helicopter is embellishedwith a unique rotor-blade mechanism thatprovides strong and steady lifting power forflying. Its sophisticated design on ruddermechanism enables it to hover steadily in theair. The remote control car is naturally thedream of every young child.

Available at: http://shopping.expressindia.com Price: Rs. 1099

If you are looking for a cheap and feature-rich printer, then here is a host of incredibleoptions from HP. There is HP F2235 MFPInkjet Printer, for instance, that is capable oftaking care of all your printing, scanningand copying needs. The input tray can takeup to 100 sheets, up to 10 envelopes and theoutput tray stores up to 50 sheets. Theprinting speed ranges from 14 PPM forblack and white prints, and for colourprinting, it is around 10 PPM. When itcomes to scanning and copying, this gizmoproves to be just as versatile.

Available at: http://ebay.in Price: Rs. 3899

HP F2235 MFP InkjetPrinter-Scanner-Copier

Peek & Pick


The truth is that these days everyone is addicted to theInternet. We need to keep connected anytime, everywhere

and that is precisely the reason behind the risingpopularity of netbooks. The new Inspiron Mini 10Netbook from the ensemble of Dell has just abouteverything that you may want from your mobile

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powered by Intel Atom Z530 (1.60GHz), has a RAM of 1GB and a hard disk of 160 GB.

Available at: www.futurebazaar.comPrice: Rs. 22,500

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook


Everyday we meet a number ofpeople. With some we exchangebusiness cards and over a period oftime, we manage to gather a plethoraof cards. Now, keeping them alltogether is the first concern. Enter theMobile Express Card Reader. Thisdevice is uniquely capable of takingdown all the data from any businesscard and storing it for your furtherreference. So, there’s absolutely noneed to gather cards; you can now letyour reader do the job for you.

Available at: www.futurebazaar.comPrice: Rs. 179

Mobile Express Card Reader

Logitech 4 Port USB HubThese days, the USB port has transmogrified into a panacea for every type ofconnection that a notebook or PC may require. Most of the gizmos and accessoriescan be connected to your system by using the USB port. And, if there aren’t enoughof those ports in your PC, you can face some amount of inconvenience. This is whereLogitech 4 Port USB Hub comes into action. With this gizmo, you can subdivide asingle USB port in your PC into four different hubs; each one of which is capable ofdelivering reliable, high-speed connectivity.


Peek & Pick


Dell XPS OneIf you are of the opinion that too many devices arecluttering your home, bring in a change by going infor an all-in-one workhorse like the Dell XPS One.Powered by lightening fast Intel® CoreTM i7processors, the XPS One can serve the purpose of aPC, a HDTV and a DVD player. Watching movies orplaying high-definition video games on thiscomputer’s 20 inch and 24 inch HD screens can bean experience by itself. Now, here is a good way to usethe same station to work to the limit and to getentertained as well.

Available at: www.dell.co.in Price: Rs. 71,900

If you happen to be a health-conscious individual, youneed to keep a tab on the fat your body has accumulated.The Body Fat Analyzer from the ensemble of Citizen isan excellent option for this. It allows you to easilymeasure your body fat percentage without undergoingany costly test. All you need to do is to input the settings,keep your hands on the machine and press the measurebutton. Up to 15 people can be registered on eachmachine.


Citizen Body Fat Analyzer


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USB Monkey SlipperBuy online: http://www.gadget4all.com/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00564Price: USD 25.00

USB Handbag Flash DrivesBuy online: http://usb.brando.com/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00675%253Cbr%2520/%2520targetPrice: USD 36.00

Cash Stash KeychainBuy online:http://www.firebox.com/product/2393/Cash-Stash-Keychain?aff=512&awc=550_1248108836_a2b29a79df22f7ad0bc01c88a16c63b1Price: £4.99

Ice OrbBuy online: http://www.amazon.com/Fusionbrands-Silicone-Vertical-Cube-Tray/dp/B001DI3C5SPrice: USD 15.95

Garlic ZoomBuy online: http://www.amazon.com/Chefn-GZM-CDU12-Garlic-Zoom/dp/B000ZM7CV8Price: USD 9.95

Broadcaster Chopping BoardBuy online:http://www.firebox.com/product/2459/The-Broadcaster?itc=181&src_t= nwt&src_id=262Price: £29.99

Twilight UmbrellasBuy online:http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/228101629/Twilight_Umbrellas_GF_TWU_001_.htmlPrice: USD 31 to 43

Sound Bomb SpeakerBuy online: http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20090829/sound-bomb-speaker/Price: £24.95

Style IT(pages 41-49)Nokia 5800 XpressMusicBuy online: http://www.nokia.co.in/find-a-store/retail-store-locatorPrice: Rs. 21,839.00

Philips Bluetooth Stereo & Hands-freeBuy: Philips Electronics India LtdDLF Cyber City, DLF Phase 3, GurgaonPrice: Euros 83.60

Sony DCR – DVD 710E HandycamBuy online: http://www.sony.co.inPrice: Rs. 14,750.00

Scarlet 47” LH70Buy online: http://www.in.lge.com/dios/form.html Price: 47” Rs. 99,990.00; 42” Rs. 79,990.00; 32” Rs. 49,990.00

Sony Viao Pocket Style PCBuy online: http://www.sony.co.inPrice: Rs. 64,990.00

Samsung S3 MP3 PlayerBuy online: http://www.samsung.com/in/Price: Rs. 6400.00

Optical Mouse SSD OM 320Buy: Shree Sagarmatha Distributors Pvt Ltd202, Mansarovar Building, 90, Nehru PlaceNew Delhi 110 019Price: Rs. 249.00

Airport ExpressBuy online: http://www.apple.comPrice: USD 99.00

(Note: Prices may vary or discounts may beavailable on some products.) �

Live IT provides you the following shopping guide which shouldhelp to get you started on a fabulous online shopping spree. Callit an easy finder or a quick search, the list compiles all the gadgetsand gizmos featured in this issue with appropriate links of thebest possible places for you to shop wisely and browse coolly!

Shopper’s Guide


If you have any queries, write to us at:[email protected] mail your queries to Live IT, E-3, Jhandewala Estate, New Delhi - 110055

product key with the tool available at this link:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328874.The last option is to format your PC. You canconsult your computer dealer if your PC isstill under warranty.

Q. I have downloaded someYouTube videos but when I try toplay them, they don’t work. Whatshould I do?Most of the YouTube videos that aredownloaded are in FLV format. So you canonly play these videos using an FLV player.VLC, GOM or Moyea are some of the mediaplayers that let you play all kinds of videos.Klite Codec Pack is also a good package toinstall and play flv, as well as other videotypes. Otherwise you need to convert theminto .avi or .mpg to play those on your mediaplayer. Some Websites or Firefox plug-ins letyou to download the converted videos directlybut they are very heavy files and take a lot oftime to download.

Q. When I try to login to aWebsite, I get the followingerror message: Login failed:Could not connect to server.How can I connect?Try logging in again after some time and see ifyou can connect. In case you cannot, try outthe following:

Check your Internet connection and findout if it is working or not. If you have recently installed an anti-virusprogramme or a firewall, it might beblocking the access. Change the settings ofyour security software if access to theWebsite is blocked.If P2P software is open, it can also createsudden disconnections.If you are connected through a proxy serverwhich only allows HTTP data, it can be theroot cause. In such a case, you need toconfigure the proxy server. If you areunable to make changes, contact your ISPfor help. �

Q. How to get rid of temporaryInternet files?Every browser that stores temporary Internetfiles or cache has options to delete the same.

For Internet Explorer 7.0, go to Tools>Internet Options>General>Browsing History>Settings. Here you can modify the temp filesettings. In order to delete temp files, just click‘delete’ under the ‘browsing history’ tab.

For Firefox, go to Tools>Options>Privacy>Private Data>Settings. Again, here you canmodify the settings as per your needs. Click‘clear now’ under the ‘private data tab’ todelete temp files.

Q. Are deleted files erasedcompletely?Any data in the recycle bin can be restored.Any data that you delete even from the recyclebin can be traced easily with the rightsoftware. The data that get deleted remainhidden in the hard drive in such a way thatthe PC cannot search for it. Basically, thecomputer loses the file hierarchy to find such afile in the system. But in order to erase datacompletely without leaving a trace, it has to beoverwritten. The computer eventuallyoverwrites these files completely when it failsto find the hierarchy for a long time and spaceis needed to write new data. File-erasingsoftware applications are also available thatoverwrite the deleted data.

Q. I am getting this errormessage every time I start myWindows XP: You may be victimof software counterfeiting. Mytask manager is disabled as well.I have administrator rights butthe system still asks for theadministrator when I pressAlt+Ctrl+Del. What should I do?This may be happening because you areusing an illegal copy of the software or youmay not have activated the software. On itmight have been caused by a virus orspyware. You can run a full system scan or ananti-spyware scan. Also, run the Windowsgenuine copy validation tool (available at:http://www.microsoft.com/ genuine/) tocheck your Windows authenticity. If thevalidation fails, you may have to purchase alegal copy of the Windows XP. If you havethe Windows serial key, you can change the

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Q & A

Raster GraphicAll digital images made

up of pixels are raster images.And most of the pictures on your

computer screen are rastergraphics. More number of pixels will

ensure better image quality. Butlarger images definitely consumemore disk space. The image getsdistorted when it is scaled to abigger size and to avoid such

situations, vector graphicsare used.

Blended ThreatIt is a huge attack causedby a combination of Trojanhorses, viruses, worms andmalicious codes that can

severely damage acomputer.

API (ApplicationProgram Interface)

Refers to a set of commands,protocols and functions used

by programmers to buildsoftware for specific operating

systems. The end user is alsobenefited as programmes

using the same API willhave a similar user

interface.

Glossary

GeekspeakTHE

FoiPShort for Faxover InternetProtocol. You

can transmit faxmessages over a

VoIP line with thistechnology.

Open SourceRefers to software tools

that allow the end user tomodify them as per their

requirements. Many of theseapplications come for free. Also,

higher versions or patches areusually created by end users who

work on open sourceapplications and upgrade

the same for betterefficiency.

BandwidthThe amount of data

that can be sent througha network or modem

connection. The bigger thebandwidth is, the greater theamount of data will be that

can be transferred withina stipulated time.

Blu-RaySimilar to a CD or

DVD, these are discs usedto record or playback highdefinition (HD) video and a

huge chunk of data. A singleblu-ray disc can store 25GB of

data while a dual-layeredblu-ray disc can store a

whopping 50 GB.

Web HostingIt is a service that provides

server space and Web servicesto people or companies who

wish to lease Web presencewithout maintaining their own

servers. Internet ServiceProviders (ISPs) usually provide

Web hosting services.

CaptchaShort for ‘Completely

Automated Public TuringTest to Tell Computers and

Humans Apart.’ It is aprogramme used to verifywhether a computer or a

human is entering the data inorder to avoid automated

programmes that fillonline forms.

OpenMedia

Any audio, video or textcontent that can be

shared on the Internetcomes under open media.The software applications

are usually distributedunder GPL or Creative

Commons licenses

Trojan HorseThese are virusesposing as utility

applications. But wheninstalled or run on acomputer, the TrojanHorse can definitely

damage yoursystem.

AuthenticityDescribes authentic

certifications or insocial media, real

people showingonline presence via

blogs or socialnetworking

profiles.

Laptop SkinStickers used to

customise your laptopbody. The adhesive layer

ensures that the laptop skinstays fastened onto the laptop

cover. Usually, a goodadhesive layer will allow for

easy and clean removalof the skin from the

surface.

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