Study shows Microsoft's Internet Explorer to have highest security among browsers

What the latest research study has to revealed about the browsers? Now, the frank clear result from a research says it is MSIE 8 which is the most secure browser currently available.

 

The study conducted by US based security research company NSS Labs included testing for Google's Chrome, Firefox 3, the beta of Opera 10, Safari 4, and Internet Explorer 8.

 

Microsoft have been keen to stress the security features that its latest browser possesses, and this new report reveals that the software excels in blocking various phishing and malware attacks.

 

NSS Labs' study detailed that "Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 were the most consistent in the high level of protection they offered", with Apple's Safari 4 performing the poorest in every test.

 

Interestingly Microsoft funded the entire report, casting doubt over the findings' legitimacy. NSS Labs did respond on the topic of sponsorship, stating that in order to carry out projects such as these, monetary support was required, and that they "invited Google, Mozilla, Apple and Opera to participate" but none of which responded.

 

And even if Internet Explorer is as safe as this report suggests, it still has some way to come before it's as fast as it's rivals.

Opera Mobile coming to Android too

The reach of the Opera desktop browser pales in comparison to Internet Explorer and Firefox; since the release of the Google Chrome browser, it has in fact fallen behind even more, and now lies 5th after IE, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. 

 

 

When it comes to Opera on the mobile though, it enjoys the majority market share, with no near competitor. For the Java Mobile segment, the only option one usually has is the phone's native browser, or Opera Mini. Opera Mobile, Mini's more powerful counterpart has been available for Windows Mobile and Symbian, and now reportedly we will see it for Android too.

 

 

Opera Mini and Opera Mobile are both Mobile browsers developed for Mobiles by Opera. Opera Mini offers a smaller feature set, and is a Java ME application designed for some of the low power phones, it can run on any Java-capable phone with a simple GPRS connection. 

 

 

Since Opera Mini is a Java application and the Android platform is primarily programmed in Java, Opera Mini had been ported to Android simply by coupling it with MicroEmulator, a library which allows running of Java ME on in a Java SE environment, and by replacing standard Java graphics to Android graphics API.

 

 

Opera's turbo servers also ensure that you get the best browsing experience despite the low speed connections prevalent on phones. For people with 2G connections it is the only that that makes Mobile surfing even bearable.

Nokia N97 Mini is real, launch date, specs and price leaked

 

 

First of all, the N97 Mini is expected to be launched at the Nokia World 09 expo in Stuttgart on September 2-3. The gadget is also expected to retail at about 100 euros less than the N97, bringing its price tag to about 450 euros (Rs 31,ooo approximately).

 

The site, which is basing its report on a writer at Mobile-review.com, has also found out the reason behind the name: "Rumor has it that another major handset vendor was prepping the launch of a smaller version of its flagship phone with the 'Mini' suffix attached to it. So Nokia's marketing team decided on a spoiler and leaked their own version of Mini name first. Oh, the games those handset marketers play to go one up over the other."

 

The N97 Mini is also expected to cut down on the built-in memory, slashing its count to 8GB – half that of the N97. The screen, too, will be diminished to 2.9 inches, although the ability to display 16 million colours at 640x360 pixel resolution remains intact.

 

The slide-up form factor and the Qwerty keypad will remain, although the navigation pad of the N97 will be done away with in the Mini.

 

Ah, September cannot come around quickly enough…

 

Source: Unwired View

Blackberry Curve 8520 launched in India by RIM and Airtel

Airtel and RIM today launched the BlackBerry Curve 8520, a new addition to the BlackBerry Curve series of smartphones.

According to a press release, the BlackBerry Curve 8520 introduces a touch-sensitive track-pad, which makes navigation easy. It is also the first BlackBerry smartphone to feature dedicated media keys, which are integrated along the top of the handset. In addition along with mobile solutions for email, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking and a full-QWERTY keyboard, the BlackBerry Curve 8520 comes with multimedia features, applications to help users stay organized and productive, full HTML browsing and Wi-Fi support.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone from Airtel measures 109 mm x 60 mm x 13.90 mm (L x W x D) and weighs 106 grams (including battery). Airtel customers can sms 'BB' to 543210 to register to purchase the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and to get more information about the plans offered with the smartphone.

The Blackberry Curve 8520 will be available across the country from August 7th and will be priced at Rs. 15,990.

Windows 7 available to Business Users this September 7

Yet another good news about Win7. Microsoft has recently revealed that business customers can start ordering Windows 7 beginning September 7, slightly ahead of the general release of the OS on October 22.

Microsoft and its partners will take orders for Windows 7 from volume-licensing customers on that date, Microsoft Senior Vice President of Windows Bill Veghte revealed in a keynote Monday at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans.

Microsoft also will offer a limited-time discount on the software to volume-licensing customers in the range of 15 percent to 35 percent, depending on the size of the order, he said.

Windows 7 was one of several products highlighted at Microsoft's annual partner meeting. In his keynote, Veghte stressed for partners the opportunity to provide services based on the OS, which will be available worldwide to both businesses and consumers on October 22, and will be released to manufacturing later this month.

Citing numbers from various research firms, including IDC, Veghte said that there are expected to be 77 million Windows 7 shipments by the end of 2010, and 59 percent of enterprises are expected to use Windows 7 in three years.

Microsoft will not be able to provide services and support for all of these customers, which is where partners come in. "We do not have the services capability to support that," he said.

However, another research firm believes that Windows 7 adoption may not be as widespread as some analysts and Microsoft think, despite the fact that many businesses skipped over Windows Vista and are still using the nearly eight-year-old OS, Windows XP.

A new survey conducted by ScriptLogic, the results of which were revealed Monday, found that nearly 60 percent of businesses don't currently plan to adopt Windows 7. The results were based on feedback from 1,000 IT administrators. ScriptLogic provides network administration software for Windows-based networks.

This article is adapted from PCWorld.in.

Google Lists HP, Acer Among Chrome OS Partners

Google is already working with several companies to develop devices around the new Chrome OS, including Hewlett-Packard and Acer, the company said in a blog post late Wednesday.

The list displays a vast regional spread among PC vendors, from the world's largest PC maker, HP, to China's biggest, Lenovo, and two of Taiwan's top vendors, Acer and Asustek Computer. Noticeably absent was Dell.

Google also listed three mobile phone chip developers in the posting, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments and Freescale Semiconductor. The world's biggest chip maker, Intel, was not on the list.

"The Google Chrome OS team is currently working with a number of technology companies to design and build devices that deliver an extraordinary end user experience," the Google posting says.

HP could not immediately be reached for comment.

The new Chrome OS will compete against Microsoft Windows in netbooks, laptop computers and desktops. Google is developing the Linux-based operating system for heavy Internet users, and it will begin appearing in netbooks in the second half of 2010, the company has said.

Nokia N97 mobile phone review

As we take our first look at the Nokia N97 it certainly comes off as an impressive device. Despite being only the second device by Nokia to sport a touch-screen and the first ever in its N-Series it is no less of a finished product. Like all phones of the N Series it is a class above the other Nokia phones, with a 3.5-inch screen, a 5MP camera, and a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard. Apart from the keyboard, the number of physical buttons are minimal, at just three. 

The first thing that strikes you after you start up the device is a new widget-oriented home screen, where you can  add / remove widgets to personalize the display. The widgets appear as six horizontal bars, of which the first is fixed as a time, date and profile display, and the other five can be moved around. With preloaded widgets for News, email, weather, Facebook, and so on it is easy to get relevant content at a glance.

The touch screen isn't all. The phone also comes with an inbuilt GPS, and a magnetic compass for a wonderful navigation experience along with Nokia Maps, which comes preloaded with data on Indian Cities. Also included is a proximity sensor which turns off the touch screen when you are making a call, and an accelerometer for auto-rotation of the screen. Storage comes in the form of 32GB memory which can be expanded by up to 16GB, yes, that's 48GB on a mobile! Enough for the phone to run out of digits to show how many pictures can be taken. WiFi support enables a faster internet experience and lower costs when at home. A TV-Out feature is also present, but even with a device which costs as much as this one, a TV-Out cable hasn't been provided.

While the phone doesn't support  multi-touch, the touch features themselves are utilized quite well, and with a handy QWERTY keyboard around, available for use along with the touch screen, you wont miss much.

For a widget-centric design though, having just five predefined bars for widgets is a limitation. With Android's rather more powerful support for widgets, Nokia will need to do better in this department. The interface does have a few glitches, such as new menus items sometimes popping up out of place. These all are more of software issues, which we can expect Nokia to hopefully fix with firmware updates, which with their Firmware Over the Air feature, should be a trivial task.

The Nokia N97 doesn't take much getting used to, and most people will be able to immediately start working (or playing) with it, and even with the default suite of applications available in it you will be able to get enough done. As we get more familiar with the Nokia N97 we will take a deeper look at some it its key features and functionality.

This article is adapted from Thinkdigit.com

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This site presents a thorough comparision between Nokia N97 and iPhone 3G. Have a look.

Nokia N97 vs. iPhone 3g Head To Head! How Do They Match Up?

Intel Switches to Core i3 and Core i5 Chips

Intel's strategy to rename its chips and platforms has seen some opposition from chip enthusiasts, who say the new naming conventions are even more confusing.

The chip company this week announced it was making changes to the naming convention of Core processors, switching the derivatives attached to it. Tags like Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad will be replaced by names like Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7, depending on the type of PC and configuration.

Chips for entry-level desktops and laptops will carry the Core i3 brand, while chips for mid-level and high-end PCs will have Core i5 and Core i7 tags respectively. The Core i7 tag is already being used on Intel's Nehalem-based chips that go in high-end desktop PCs.

Intel said it will continue to use its Atom brand for low-power processors used in netbooks and smartphones. The company will also retain the Celeron and Pentium entry-level chips for mainstream laptops and desktops. The company said it would phase out usage of the popular Centrino brand to describe mobile laptop platforms by early next year.

"For PC purchasing, think in terms of good-better-best with Celeron being good, Pentium better, and the Intel Core family representing the best we have to offer," wrote Bill Calder, an Intel spokesman, in a blog entry. The change will make it easier for customers to differentiate and recognize brands in the future.

"The fact of the matter is, we have a complex structure with too many platform brands, product names, and product brands, and we've made things confusing for consumers and IT buyers in the process," Calder wrote.

But the glut of name changes has confused some users even more, who complained of the new names being incomplete. The changes would not fully reflect how the Core chip would perform, some people wrote in response to the blog entry.

"Too confusing. Make the names longer and more telling," wrote someone identified as Jonah, in a comment on the blog. Dismissing the new naming conventions as meaningless, multiple posters asked Intel to either retain the old names or change chip names to reflect the number of cores, clock speed and cache.

Calling the name changes "nonsense", another poster, John, wrote: "I buy a Core 2 Duo, I'm getting a 2 core processor made out of Core 2. Usually the clock speed is advertised as well. I buy a Core i5 who knows what the hell I'm getting except maybe Intel marketing."

In all the opposition, Intel found support from a few posters who said that the name changes could make it easier to distinguish chips.

"I can see how replacing the confusing mess of 'Core 2 Duo T6400' with 'Core i7' could make things easier for the typical consumer when browsing the laptops at Best Buy," wrote a poster, Colin.

Test adapted from pcworld.in

Genuine Validation for Windows Vista- is copy of your Windows legal?

Genuine Validation is required for Windows Vista

A properly licensed copy of Windows Vista that has passed Microsoft Genuine validation is required to enable certain product features and to obtain non-security updates and product support from Microsoft.

More about Genuine Microsoft Software can be found on Windows Genuine Advantage FAQs page.

French Hacker Cracks Into Twitter

Twitter should harden its security. This is the advice of IT security and control firm Sophos after a French hacker claimed he broke into Twitter's internal administration system, enabling him to access the accounts of millions of Twitter users - including Barack Obama, Britney Spears, Ashton Kutcher and Lily Allen.

The hacker - known as 'Hacker Croll' - claimed that he was able to access Twitter's internal administration system after stealing a password from a staffer at the micro-blogging website. It is alleged that by resetting the employee's Yahoo password after guessing his 'secret question', Hacker Croll found the information about the staffer's Twitter login credentials.

Claims appear to be confirmed by screenshot images uploaded to a French blog, which give a glimpse into the micro-blogging site's admin panel revealing that the likes of Kutcher and Allen have blocked other Twitter users, such as celebrity gossipmonger Perez Hilton, from contacting them. Amongst the private information accessible was the email addresses of compromised accounts, mobile phone numbers (if one was associated with the account), and the list of accounts blocked by the affected user.

Sophos advises that Twitter's internal security could be improved if staff were forced to log in using authentication tokens that provide a randomly generated key upon login, meaning that even if a staffer's username and password is compromised hackers would not be able to gain access. News article taken from PCWorld.in

Time for Windows 7, Developers geeting Windows 7 RC next week (May ‘09)

Some Microsoft developers will be able to download a near-final version of the company's Windows 7 operating system, probably first week of May 09. 

Starting on April 30, MSDN and TechNet subscribers will be able to download the Windows 7 Release Candidate, Microsoft said in a blog post. Release candidates are typically feature-complete and stable, and suggest that the final version of a product will be available very soon.

The company recently posted information accidentally on its Partner Program Web site saying that the Release Candidate was already available to developers and would be released to the general public on May 5. That page was quickly pulled because the software was not yet ready. 

In its blog post Friday, Microsoft has now confirmed that the general public will be able to download the release candidate on May 5. 

Analysts have been predicting lately that the final release of Windows 7 will appear sooner than expected. Officially, Microsoft says that it is on track to deliver Windows 7 three years after the release of Vista, which was in January 2007. But some analysts now say it could be available in September or October this year.

HP Still Getting Heat on Nvidia Chips

Months after the issue first surfaced in the US, HP laptop owners continue to complain about defective Nvidia graphics cards that could cause laptops to fail.

Some customers say that they have been treated unfairly by HP, in part because their laptops are not included on a list of affected machines that was issued last July by HP, so they are ineligible for a free repair or an extended warranty.

One laptop model with overheating problems is the Pavilion dv9500 line, with screens going blank or overheating, leading to system failure, customers wrote on one HP board. The laptop model isn't on HP's list of affected laptops, and in some cases HP is asking users to pay for repairs.

HP isn't moving quickly to add new laptops to the list of affected PCs, customers wrote. Users are asking HP to examine and update the list of laptops affected by the issue. Laptop failure may also result from components unrelated to the issue with graphics cards, but a trend among posted complaints points to laptops with Nvidia parts, said Matthew Hilsenrad, an HP laptop owner.

"I hadn't seen any post of ATI chips going bad, only Nvidia chips going bad," Hilsenrad said. "A whole lot of people [on the boards] who bought the laptop around the same time seem to have the same problem."

Hilsenrad owns a Pavilion dv9500 model with a Nvidia GeForce 8600 series graphics card, which he bought in September 2007. Many laptops not included in the list - including the HP Pavilion dv9500 and dv9600 series - bought in 2007 are now experiencing similar problems, Hilsenrad said.

He was asked to pay around $400 to replace a motherboard when overheating rendered his laptop screen dysfunctional. He called HP to request a fix, but the PC didn't fall under the extended warranty that HP issued for affected laptops.

After haggling with an HP case manager, he got the laptop repaired for around $215. However, the case manager said the affected laptop list could be updated to include the model he owned, in which case he would be refunded the amount.

Another poster, Salman Fateh, reported system failure and a blank screen on an HP Pavilion dv9500 with a Nvidia 8600 series graphic chip, which was purchased in October 2007.

"HP will not honour the extended warranty for this model. HP should honor customers and replace all laptops with defective Nvidia GPUs," Fateh wrote in a separate HP forum.

Customers echoed Fateh's opinion, saying that unless HP addresses the issue quickly, their laptops would become paperweights.

"HP needs to add the rest of these bad GPU units on the list, get them all repaired," wrote a poster with the screen name Sarah Locker on HP's board. "I don't want to blame HP for Nvidia's manufacturing fault, but it appears now that HP is the one that is dragging their feet."

HP didn't immediately comment on this story. Officials from Nvidia were not available to comment either.

Nvidia last July said that some of its graphics chips were overheating due to packaging material and the thermal design of some laptops. HP subsequently issued an advisory warning of possible laptop failure and a list of models affected by the Nvidia parts.

HP also issued a BIOS patch to keep system fans running longer to prevent overheating, and offered to repair laptops depending on certain symptoms. The affected laptops included some HP Pavilion dv2000, dv6000, dv9000 models and Compaq Presario V3000 and V6000 series laptops. HP also offered a 24-month warranty extension to affected customers in North America.

Other PC vendors, including Dell and Apple, had to address issues related to faulty Nvidia graphics cards. Like HP, Dell issued a software patch to control heating problems, but it attracted a fierce response from unhappy users, who accused Dell of shying away from addressing a larger problem of bad hardware. Apple offered a free repair of laptops with faulty Nvidia graphics cards.

Tech news from pcworld.in

Kaspersky Lab announces anti-virus for Windows 7

Kaspersky Lab, makers from Kaspersky Antivirus (KAV) has announced the Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Windows 7 beta users and plans to extend the compatibility with full release of Windows 7.

Kaspersky Lab’s suite of security offerings will be available to Windows 7 users immediately following the launch of the new operating system. According to the lab more than 300,000 people over two and a half months have installed the version of KAV for Windows 7. They have extended thanks to collaboration with Microsoft for receiving an exceptional amount of valuable feedback from beta testers that will enable them to ensure that their products are fully compatible with Windows 7 upon final release.

More news related to Kaspersky Antivirus and Windows 7 from previous posts on this geeklog.

New Bluetooth 3.0 devices to hit market later this year ‘09

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has recently announced the new Bluetooth 3.0 standard to boost wireless data transfer between devices to 24Mbps from the recent data transfer rate of just 3Mbps for Bluetooth 2.1 standards. In fact, the Bluetooth 3.0 specification is an update from the Bluetooth 2.1 protocol, which was adopted by the group in 2007.

A standards group has approved specifications for a new Bluetooth standard that speeds up wireless data transfers between devices like smart phones and laptops. Bluetooth is commonly used to pair mobile phones with wireless headsets for hands-free talking. It is also used to connect a mobile phone to a laptop to synchronize data or transfer multimedia files without using wires. Over 2 billion devices have shipped with Bluetooth built in, according to Bluetooth SIG report.

The adoption of the standard, and devices based on the Bluetooth 3.0 specification could ship later this year ‘09 or by early next year ‘10 near the holiday season. However, post specification adoption might delay the products on the market. The faster data transfers could lead to its adoption in a number consumer electronics devices beyond just mobile phones.

The Bluetooth SIG has expected Bluetooth 3.0 to make its way into PCs, mobile phones, camcorders, cameras, TVs, digital presenters - devices that consumers use to transfer large data files like those of video, photographs and even entire music libraries.

The standard enables faster data transfers while using less power, giving consumers improved responsiveness and better battery life in mobile devices. It also stabilizes connections between devices, ironing out kinks from earlier standards when connections broke after a device like a cell phone was placed in the pocket. The Bluetooth 3.0 radio is based on Wi-Fi standards, which enables better data throughput while delivers power-saving benefits for mobile devices. It uses short bursts of Wi-Fi to send data, after which the radio is shut off until it is needed again.

More about Bluetooth from the Geeklog.

DSLR Battle Heats Up: Nikon Launches New D5000

Nikon Europe announced the introduction of its latest DSLR, the D5000. The D5000 has inherited the D90’s groundbreaking HD movie capability, Nikon’s proprietary D-Movie function (the D90 was the first DSLR to sport video recording). The 12.3MP sensor has sensitivity between ISO 200 and 3200 (can be extended to ISO 100 and ISO 6400 equivalent). The feature being touted is the 2.7-inch vari-angle LCD that allows you to take pictures easily from any angle. When combined with live-view (the ability to see the frame on the LCD screen) it 1gives a high degree of flexibility in composing shots with off-beat perspectives and macros.

The display can be closed to protect the monitor or place it in the standard position for regular shooting using the viewfinder. You can even reverse the monitor for effortless, perfectly-framed self-portraits. A 4 fps continuous shooting mode makes it a fast camera and it can shoot 67 JPEGs or 11 RAW files continuously.

Nikon has retained the 720p movie mode from the D70 but the rival’s 500D goes all out with full HD 1080p video recording. When taking still shots, the camera offers four types of contrast AF (wide area, normal area, face detection and new subject tracking) to make capture as easy as possible. In subject tracking AF mode, the camera will even restart tracking the subject once it leaves the frame and then returns, so your target will always be in focus.

With a total of 19 scene modes, the 5000D is more newbie friendly. To quote the press release, ‘simply turn the dial to ‘scene’, choose the appropriate scene mode setting and the camera will do the rest for you. The camera will even display a sample scene to make the scene selection easier for you’. Sensor cleaning is implemented with airflow control system (Canon uses vibration to get rid of dust on the sensor).

The press release did not specify the list price, but websites reported a price tag of $849 (approx. Rs. 42,450) for the D5000 with the 18-55mm VR kit lens. The Canon 500D has a list price of $899 along with the 18-55mm IS kit lens.

By PC World Team at pcworld.in

Yahoo, Google Set Up Web Sites For Election in India

Google and Yahoo have launched special sites dedicated to coverage of the General elections starting April 16 in a bid to build their brands among Internet users in the country.
The interest of the companies signals the growing importance of the role of the Internet in Indian elections. A number of Indian political parties are using Web sites, e-mail and videos on YouTube to reach voters.

Google, for example, estimates that 25 million of India's 45 million Internet users are of voting age and are actively looking online for information on the elections and other issues.
The Internet has emerged as an important medium for people to interact and debate with other voters, political parties and candidates, said Gopal Krishna, Yahoo's vice president for emerging markets and acting country head for Yahoo India, on Tuesday.

An estimated 100 million new, young voters will be qualified to participate in this election, and many of them are likely to be Internet users, Krishna added.
Last week, Yahoo set up a micro-site, Election '09 (http://in.elections.yahoo.com/), which offers election news coverage, schedules, online polls and discussion forums.

A tool on the site, called "Your Manifesto," also allows users to select issues of importance that let politicians know what interests them. "This feature will be of tremendous value for political parties, because it provides an insight into what is going on in the voters' minds," Krishna said.

Google launched on Monday an online elections center (www.google.co.in/loksabha2009) in both English and Hindi. The company has partnered with a large media company, Hindustan Times Media, to offer a co-branded site.
Find full text at http://pcworld.in/india/news/5996544/Internet/Yahoo,_Google_Set_Up_Web_Sites_For_Election_in_India

Update your geek knowledge, Video Editing terminology

This post contains terminologies and their definitions related to Video Editing in a Computer. For details, you are suggested to google them. The definitions are adapted from Nero 9. If you are looking for Disc Burning terminology, visit this post.

AVCHD
The Advanced Video High Definition is a new file format for HD captures on DVD, memory
card or hard drive. Especially new camera modules use high-resolution formats that capture
AVCHD in various variants (e.g. 1920x1080i or 1080p). The video material is compressed
with the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec. Audio is saved in AC3 (Adaptive Transform Coder 3)
format or for the standard NTSC and PAL formats in Linear PCM format.

Bit rate
Bit rate refers to the amount of data (binary digits) that is transmitted within a time unit (generally
1 second), i.e. in bits/s. The higher the bit rate, the better the image quality.

Blu-ray
Blu-ray technology refers to burning on special data carriers. In comparison to DVD's, which
use a red laser in order to read and write data, Blu-ray discs are written with a blue laser.
The shorter wavelength (405 nm) of this blue laser makes it possible to position the laser
with greater accuracy. Data can be written in a more compact manner and takes up less
space on the disc. A Blu-ray disc can store up to 25 GB on a single layer disc and up to 50
GB on a dual layer disc.

Book Type
The book type defines the specification (e.g. DVD-, DVD+, DVD-ROM) of a DVD. In order to
ensure correct playback, the DVD specifications are defined in books so that all media can
be read correctly. The specifications are defined in the so-called Rainbow Books, which are
distinguished by means of their color (e.g. Yellow Book).

Capturing
The capturing depicts the transmission of, e.g. audio or video data in their original quality on
the computer. Here the data can then be further edited.

Digital TV Card
With a digital TV card, digitally transmitted content can be received. Digital TV signals are
compared to analog signals by their higher quality,

Disc format
Disc format defines the the format in which the data is organized on a disc. For example, the
disc format DVD-VR is only supported by and can only be used with DVD-RW and DVDRAM
discs. For example, Video CD (VCD), Super Video CD (SVCD), miniDVD and (if supGlossary
ported) HD-BURN can be burned to CD-R and CD-RW disc formats. The technical options
available, such as subtitle or multiple sound tracks, are a factor of the disc format.

Disc type
Disc type refers to different optical storage media with different specifications. The best
known are CD's and DVD's that can be written to once or multiple times, and which are manufactured
with different storage capacities.

Dual
The Dolby Digital compression procedure is a multi-channel sound system that is used on
DVDs, in cinemas.and on TV. It supports bit rates of 32 kbits/s to 448 kbits/s and permits a
high grade sound reproduction over up to 6 channels.

Dual tuner card
If you wish to simultaneously see a TV channel and wish to capture another one, then a second
tuner must be integrated in the TV card.

DVD+VR
The DVD+Video format recording (video mode) is a particular variant of the DVD-Video offering
three possibilities missing on DVD-Video: 1) On-the-fly capture of videos on the disc in
real time is possible. 2)The data on the disc can later be edited and altered. 3) More video
titles can be added if space is still available on the disc. This means that a DVD+VR is similar
to a video cassette, but of a far superior quality. Once the disc has been finalized, the
DVD+VFR format is essentially compatible with DVD-Video and can be played in most DVD
players. The storage capacity doubles for burning to a DVD+R DL disc as does the space for
the DVD+VR.

DVD-VFR
The DVD-Video format recording (video mode) is a particular variant of the DVD-Video offering
three possibilities missing on DVD-Video: 1) On-the-fly capture of videos on the disc in
real time is possible. 2) the data on the disc can subsequently be edited and changed. 3)
More video titles can be added if space is still available on the disc. This means that a DVDVFR
(video mode) is similar to a video cassette, but of a far superior quality. DVD-VFR (video
mode) allows you to create menus like DVD-Video, although without chapter menus and
playlists. A DVD-VFR is compatible with DVD-Video as far as possible after finalizing the
disc and can be played back on most DVD players.

DVD-Video
The DVD-Video disc format uses the MPEG-2 video codec for compressing video files onto
a DVD. This compression allows a 4.38 GB DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW to hold up to 135 minutes
of video with significantly higher quality than that achieved with a VHS video or with a video
CD. The disc can be played on most DVD players, which means, for example, that you can
store home videos with very high quality. Computer DVD drives with appropriate software
can also play DVD-Video. A DVD-DL disc (DL = double layer) doubles the storage capacity
of a disc and, as a result, the space for a DVD-Video.

DVD-VR
The DVD video recording is a particular variant of the format of the DVD-Video, which offers
three possibilities that are missing on the DVD-Video: 1) the direct capturing of videos on the
disc is possible in real-time. 2) The data on the disc can subsequently be edited and changed.
3) If there is place still available on the disc, then further video titles can be added. This
means that a DVD-VR is similar to a video cassette, but of a far superior quality. The DVDVR
is specifically designed for capturing directly to disc. A graphics menu is not supported,
but playlists are created instead. Furthermore, the sound track cannot be changed, i.e. it is
not possible to edit or add to the existing track. DVD-VR is not compatible with DVD-Video
and can only be played on special DVD players.

FireWire
FireWire is an interface for the transfer of data at high speed; it was developed for hardware
such as camcorders or hard drives. The serial high-speed bus allows for transfers of 100 to
400 Mbit/s in the so-called IEEE 1394a or FireWire 400 standard and up to 3.20 Mbit/s in the
so-called IEEE 1394b or FireWire 800 standard.

Frame Rate
The frame rate denotes the number of pictures, which are shown per second. The unit is fps
(frames per second). The higher the relationship the more fluid the movements become.

Hybrid tuner card
A hybrid tuner card provides the possibility of receiving TV signals digital terrestrially as well
as analog via cable.

LPCM
The Linear Pulse Code Modulation permits the loss-free capture of digitally coded analog
signals. This technology makes possible the saving of up to 8 channels in different sampling
rates and sampling depths on a single DVD.

MPEG-1
The Moving Picture Experts Group defined this industry standard for video and audio codecs.
MPEG-1 is part of the MPEG compression family and has the highest compression rate.
MPEG-1 is the format for video CDs.

MPEG-2
The Moving Picture Experts Group defined this industry standard for video and audio codecs.
There is little difference between MPEG-1 and MPEG-2: MPEG-2 is a broadcast standard
and better for televisions that are interlaced. MPEG-2 is used as a video format for
DVDs.

MPEG-4
The Moving Picture Experts Group defined this industry standard for video and audio codecs.
MPEG-4 is the latest MPEG standard for video and audio. MPEG-4 combines several
functions from MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and other standards. Nero Digital™ Video and Nero Digital
™ Audio are based on this standard.

Nero Digital
Various MPEG-4 video and audio codecs are collated in Nero Digital and are fully compatible
with the standard MPEG-4. Nero AG is continuing to develop these. In this way a substantially
higher quality of the multi-media data is achieved. Further, additional features such
as subtitles have been implemented.

NTSC
The national television system Committee Standard is a standard for video and TV in the
USA and Japan. NTSC has more individual frames (29.97 frames per second) than PAL, but
has fewer horizontal lines (525 lines).

PAL
The Phase Alternation Line procedure is the TV standard applicable for Europe. PAL possesses
625 lines per screen and the film transmission speed is 25 pictures per second. These
are transmitted in the so-called line-jump procedure where a picture with all the odd lines
and then a picture with all the even lines are created. This corresponds to a half-picture frequency
of 50 Hz.

SmartEncoding
SmartEncoding checks whether your contents are compatible with the respective formats or
are coded into the respective format. This saves time so that coding of the formats can be
dispensed with. The file is not converted only "packed differently". Thus, the contents maintain
their original quality.

Super resolution
The interpolation with super resolution algorithms permits an increase of resolution in picture
and video material. Thus, for instance, old DVDs can be converted to HD material. The increase
in resolution is the result, among others of information on previous and following pictures.

TWAIN
TWAIN is a standard for the exchange of data between a picture input device such as a
scanner and a software for purposes of further editing.

VBR
Material encoded with a variable bit rate (variable data rate) generally provides a better quality
in contrast to normal saving of audio or video files with a fixed bit rate (CBR, Constant Bit
Rate). With a variable data rate individual time sections can be coded with differently customized
data rates. Movement area scenes in videos are stored with a higher data rate than
stationary pictures. Strongly moving scenes thus require more storage space that can be saved
with less mobile scenes.

VCD
The Video Compact Disc saves movies and audio/video data in MPEG-1 format. In doing so,
the video quality from a VCD is similar to a VHS video. VCDs can store up to 74 minutes of
video material including stereo sound on a 650 MB disc. Most optical PC drives and DVD
players can play VCDs.

WMV
The Windows Media Video format is a video codec from Microsoft. The coding is comparable
with the MPG-4 format. The copy DRM (Digital Rights Management) protection is also supported
by the WMV format.

If you are looking for Disc Burning terminology, visit this post.

Windows XP Support Ends Today

Microsoft will drop Windows XP out of mainstream support today, with the ageing OS moving into extended support as previously announced.

Microsoft's mainstream support, which is usually offered for only five years, actually ran for seven-and-a-half years because of Windows Vista's long delay. Two years ago, Microsoft also extended mainstream support for XP Home and XP Media Center until 2009, and the deadline for the follow-up phase, dubbed 'extended support', until 2014, to match the dates that had been set earlier for the business-grade XP Professional.

According to Microsoft, the transition from mainstream to extended support for Windows XP means that it will only provide paid support - on a per-incident basis, or through its various pre-paid support programmes - and will only offer non-security hotfixes for a fee, and then only to customers who have purchased the Extended Hotfix Support plan.

Microsoft will continue to generate free security updates for Windows XP, and release them via Windows Update, until April 8, 2014.

Windows XP's shift into the first phase of support retirement comes at a time when the operating system remains extraordinarily popular, especially among business users. According to a recent survey by Dimensional Research, 97 percent of the more than 1,100 IT professionals surveyed said that their companies and organisations are still running XP.

The move out of mainstream and into extended support also comes just days after a leaked Microsoft memorandum spelled out a relaxation of the rules for computer makers that want to continue selling new PCs with the aged OS.

OEMs will be allowed to advertise new systems as XP PCs, something that hasn't been allowed since June 2008, and can 'downgrade' a licence for Windows 7 - the operating system that hasn't yet been released - to XP for at least six months after the former's launch.

A Microsoft spokeswoman said that support for XP on a new machine is provided by the computer maker, not Microsoft. "Customers who purchased Windows XP pre-installed on their machines will receive support from their Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) per the OEM support policy at time of purchase," she said.

Google Improves Gmail on G1 and iPhone

Google has announced it has improved access to its Gmail webmail service from mobile phones running its Android operating system and Apple's iPhone.

Key to the updated Gmail, accessible through the browsers on iPhones and the Android G1 phone, are changes that let people use the service even while their mobile connections are flaky or unavailable, Joanne McKinley, a Google mobile engineer said in a blog. Users will be able to open recently read messages and compose new mails even when out of range of wireless service.

"All this is achieved with aggressive caching and by leveraging new browser technologies, like HTML5 and Gears. The full impact of this new architecture isn't visible yet, but it will enable us to significantly improve performance and quickly roll out new features in the near future," she said.

Such developments could make browser-based mobile applications more common, a trend that could help solve the fragmentation issues that are slowing down application development in the mobile environment.

According to Christy Wyatt, vice president of software platforms and ecosystems for Motorola, the web "could be a universal access platform" for mobile applications. Wyatt said developers currently need to rebuild their applications to work on the various platforms if they want a wide potential audience. The web could serve as an open development platform for applications accessible from any web-enabled phone so that developers don't have to rewrite their apps.

While there are shortcomings to building web-based applications for mobile phones - namely that mobile networks aren't always reliable and developers can't leverage all mobile phone capabilities in apps - the executives said those are not insurmountable problems.

Adobe's runtime environment provides offline capabilities so even when applications are web-based they can run offline, said Danny Winokur, senior director at Adobe.

Eventually, essentially any application that now requires software on the device will be able to be run from the web, said Sumit Agarwal, head of mobile product management for Google.

"What apps can you say can't use the browser? Before, you didn't have access to location [from the browser], now you do," he said. "Maybe soon we'll have access to the camera and the speaker. It's not clear to me what aspect of the device you won't have access to in the browser."

Winokur agreed. While there currently may be performance issues, extension capabilities within runtime environments let developers plumb many of the capabilities of the device up to the runtime layer, he said.

The Gmail update should also make the application work faster when users do things like open a message, navigate and search, McKinley said. It also includes a couple of other changes such as a 'floaty bar' that stays on the screen as users scroll through messages and that contains options to archive and delete messages.

Apple to Increase iPhone Storage, Says Report

Apple has ordered large amounts of Flash memory to be used in a new iPhone expected in June, according to reports. What makes this report interesting is that Apple is allegedly ordering twice as much Flash as it did last year, according to reports from DigiTimes. A large request for Flash from Apple backs the rumor of a larger capacity iPhone model, slated for early this summer.

The DigiTimes report continues claiming Apple ordered 100 million 1GB NAND Flash chips, mainly from Samsung Electronics. Apple could recombine these chips in the manufacturing process, creating 16GB and 32GB (Gigabyte) storing capabilities for new iPhone models. One hundred million 8Gb chips would be enough for 12.5 million 8GB iPhones or around 3 million 32GB devices.

Speculation around Apple's massive Flash memory order could mean that the long-rumored 32GB iPhone might be on its way and possibly a larger capacity 64GB iPod Touch. In the case of the iPod Touch, 64GB could mean a much higher price, somewhere around $500. A 32GB iPhone is feasible, especially as video-recording capabilities are expected in the new model (requiring more storage).

However, Apple uses this kind of NAND Flash chips in other of its products as well, like the iPod nano and Shuffle, so at the moment it is not very clear how the Cupertino company will use the 100 million chips. As previously reported, the new iPhone model is expected to feature a better camera (with video recording) and higher storage capacities, besides the 3.0 software improvements announced last month.