Sony Launches Walkman MP3 Players

Sony has launched two new entry-level walkman MP3 players: the slim, video-playing E Series models and the ultra-compact B Series models.

The E Series models are slim at just 9.3mm thick. The E Series sports a two-inch LCD for viewing video files, photos and album art. The Sony E Series Walkman will be available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities, and black or red shells.

Sony E Series Walkman

The E Series models feature FM radio tuners, and Sony claims that each full charge of the battery should allow you to listen to music for around 30 hours, or watch video for around six hours.

Sony B Series Walkman

The new Sony B Series Walkman will be available in 2GB or 4GB capacities. It will be launched in pink, orange, red or black variations and offers, according to Sony, approximately 18 hours of music play back per battery charge.

Jon Barrow, Which? MP3 player expert, said: 'With both the Sony B Series and, slightly more advanced, E Series, Sony has launched two new, and very basic, models into an already crowded market.

Source: which.co.uk

Microsoft Windows vista help

Since Microsoft had launched its series of Windows Operating Systems for PC’s in line, it had also released various Windows Updates for all the operating systems along with Microsoft help.

Microsoft had launched latest bug fixes through windows updates and latest add no’s for Windows Operating Systems like the Windows installer and internet explorer. The purpose of fixes in Windows Updates was also used to provide end user a better security and enhance the performance of the operating system. Microsoft help feature was available in all the

Microsoft operating systems and also on Microsoft website as online Microsoft help.
Launch of the Windows service pack was also a very good initiative towards building a stable operating system and midterm developmental changes were brought in the Windows operating system. Since Windows vista help provided the user to learn how Windows Updates are being installed. Online Microsoft help was also introduced for installation of Windows Updates and troubleshooting pertaining to windows updates.

There are various security updates released as soon as the security threats are being heard from windows operating system users. These security updates are known as Tuesday patches and are released on second Tuesday of each month. Apart from releasing the security updates to prevent users from the vulnerabilities of the Virus, Trojans and other malicious items Microsoft also releases various security patches as and when needed. Also online Microsoft help is being provided to the users at this time of distress. Online Windows help and online Microsoft help is kept in general very easy for the users to eradicate the malicious programs or the software’s.

Apart from the Windows security updates and Windows service pack there are various updates released for the various Microsoft applications like Microsoft office, Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express etc. Microsoft help is available on the user PC to access help related to updates for these applications and online Microsoft help is also available so that the user can be up to date with these security updates from anywhere while being on internet. These updates are integrated in the automatic updates of the Windows operating systems. In order to know more about automatic updates either refers to Microsoft help feature in operating system or online Microsoft help.

After the evolution of Windows Updates, Microsoft has launched various versions of Windows Updates. It started with version 3 i.e: v3 in 1998 for windows 98 and then it came in line with the Windows Operating Systems being either released or enhanced. Followed by v4, v5 and v6. Version 6 was very important as it provided integration for Windows Genuine Advantage which would analyse the Windows Operating System and check the authenticity of the operating system and if it was not genuine then would not provide any future assistance with Windows Updates.

In the Windows Control panel user would always find the option of Windows Updates and set it to automatic thus enhancing the capability of the operating system to perform better and secure the Windows operating system from vulnerabilities.

Source: http://www.articledepot.co.uk/article-304154.htm

Microchip launches new range of 8-bit PIC MCUs

Bangalore: Microchip, a provider of micro controller and analog semiconductors, has unveiled a new range of 8-bit PIC micro controllers (MCUs) featuring nanoWatt XLP technology, which can enable low sleep currents.

The PIC18F13K22, PIC18LF13K22, PIC18F14K22 and PIC18LF14K22 (PIC18F1XK22) MCUs are available in 20-pin packages and provide 1.8 to 5.5V operation, with up to 16 Kbytes Flash program memory. The devices feature a peripheral set that includes computer support for mTouch capacitive touch sensing, and are well suited for a variety of general-purpose applications. "With their small size and comprehensive feature set, the PIC18F1XK22 devices enable designers to create smaller, lower-power and higher-performing designs, at lower costs," said Steve Drehobl, Vice President of Microchip's Security, Microcontroller and Technology Development Division.

The nanoWatt XLP technology allows the PIC18LF1XK22 MCUs to operate longer using less power, or with fewer battery changes, by enabling sleep current of 34 nA, typical at 1.8V; Timer1 oscillator currents of 800 nA, typical at 1.8v, 32 kHz; and Watchdog Timer currents of 300 nA, typical at 1.8V.

The PIC18F1XK22 MCUs are appropriate for a wide variety of general-purpose applications. Examples include those in the appliances (blenders, refrigerators, dishwashers); consumer electronics (athletic attire, cell phones, phone chargers, electric shavers) and industrial (digital water heaters, security systems).

Transcend Unveils Thermal Sensor Equipped DDR3 Memory Modules

Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend®), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today released a new line of server-grade DDR3 ECC DIMM and Registered DIMM premium memory modules equipped with thermal sensors. This advanced innovation in thermal monitoring technology can greatly enhance memory reliability, efficiency, and overall system stability, making these new modules perfect for use in dedicated servers as well as workstations.

For high-end systems that constantly process huge amounts of data under non-stop operating conditions, CPU speed regulation and various other techniques to prevent overheating have become increasingly important in hardware design. In order to provide increased performance, Transcend now offers server-grade DDR3 modules that come equipped with an advanced thermal sensor. This allows motherboard chipsets to monitor the exact temperature of each memory module and adjust the memory load accordingly, ensuring the best possible system performance while at the same time protecting the DRAM modules from potentially catastrophic failure and compromised system stability.

Transcend's thermal sensor equipped DDR3 memory modules include ECC DIMMs and Registered DIMM s in both 1333MHz and 1066MHz versions, all of which comply with JEDEC (the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) standards. In addition, these modules are built to exacting specifications with the highest quality DRAM chips and components available. Each Transcend memory module undergoes rigorous testing to ensure the best performance possible, and comes with a lifetime warranty and the comprehensive support of Transcend's renowned global service network. Recognized worldwide for reliable quality, outstanding performance, excellent compatibility and stable operation, Transcend memory modules are the preferred choice of performance-conscious system builders and IT professionals.


Source:- http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=19275

Mac HFS+ read-write support for Windows

Storage utility software vendor Paragon Software Group on Tuesday said it had tweaked its Universal File System Driver technology to support Mac volumes on Windows systems. The driver is in beta release.

The company said its Paragon HFS for Windows beta driver will support read-write functions for Mac OS X volumes; it will not support older Mac Classic volumes. In addition, there is no limits to maximum file/partition sizes (other than the usual Mac and Windows limits).

It is well known that Windows cannot read from and write to HFS+ partitions. This limits the ability to exchange or share files between Windows and Mac OS X file systems? Occasionally, users will rely on the services of FAT partitions which can be read and written to by both Windows and Mac OS X.

FAT partitions have disadvantages and limitations as well (i.e. you can not store/create files greater than 4GB in size). Moreover, what if your data is already stored on Mac-formatted partitions but you don’t have time or tools to migrate to Windows-formatted partition (NTFS) to preserve the integrity of the data?

Paragon HFS for Windows is designed to provide full (read and write) access to HFS+ partitions. It can be installed on all versions of Windows, and eliminates the need to use complex processes on different platforms, thus reducing your incurred costs.

Source:- http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=4229

Windows 7 gets virtual 'XP Mode'

Microsoft says beta of backward-compatibility add-on available 'soon'

Windows 7: Full coverage

Computerworld - Microsoft Corp. will unveil an add-on to Windows 7 that lets users run applications designed for Windows XP in a virtual machine, the company confirmed Friday -- the first time Microsoft has relied on virtualization to provide backward compatibility.

Dubbed "Windows XP Mode," the add-on creates an XP virtual environment running under Virtual PC, Microsoft's client virtualization technology within Windows 7, said Scott Woodgate, the director of Windows enterprise and virtualization strategy.
In a post to a company blog, Woodgate said the add-on is part of the pitch to convince businesses to migrate to Windows 7. "All you need to do is to install suitable applications directly in Windows XP Mode," said Woodgate. "The applications will be published to the Windows 7 desktop, and then you can run them directly from Windows 7."

Details of Windows XP Mode (XPM) were first reported Friday afternoon by Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, two prominent bloggers who are also collaborating on a book, Windows 7 Secrets, due out this fall.

According to Rivera's "Within Windows" blog -- Thurrott published a nearly identical writeup on his "SuperSite for Windows" -- Windows XP Mode will be offered as a free download only to users running Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise, the three top-priced editions of the new operating system.

Windows 7 Enterprise is available only to companies with volume licensing agreements.
Windows XP Mode (XPM) requires processor-based virtualization support and is based on the next-generation Microsoft Virtual PC 7 technology, said Rivera, who also disclosed that Microsoft will include a fully licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) with the add-on. That, in effect, gives Windows 7 users a way to run older applications without having to pay for another operating system license.
Rivera also touted, as had Woodgate, the ability to run Windows XP applications directly from the Windows 7 desktop without having to first open a separate virtual machine window.

"XPM does not require you to run the virtual environment as a separate Windows desktop," Rivera said. "Instead, as you install applications inside the virtual XP environment, they are published to the host (Windows 7) OS as well. That way, users can run Windows XP-based applications, like IE6, alongside Windows 7 applications under a single desktop."

Both Rivera and Thurrott trumpeted XPM as a "huge convenience" for Microsoft's corporate customers, and they predicted that Microsoft will be able to discard older code and technologies from future versions of Windows and instead rely on virtualization to provide backward compatibility.
Thurrott has published a series of screenshots that show XPM's installation and a Windows XP application running within Windows 7.

Although Rivera and Thurrott said that Microsoft would offer XPM when it ships Windows 7, Woodgate promised that a beta of the new add-on would be released "soon" for Windows 7, presumably on or near the launch of Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC).
Also on Friday, Microsoft announced it would post Windows 7 Release Candidate for public download on May 5 and make the preview available to MSDN and TechNet subscribers this Thursday, April 30.

Source;- http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9132119/Windows_7_gets_virtual_XP_mode_

Internet Explorer has a few Disadvantages.

Everyone knows about Internet Explorer and many people know how to use it. However many people like it, they don’t know about what its disadvantages are. This article will try to explain some of these “non-detectable” disadvantages.

1. Speed. Internet Explorer is very slow against its rival, Firefox. Firefox is about two times faster than Internet Explorer. This includes going from web page to web page, starting up the web browser, and downloading files from the web to your computer or laptop. Speed is very important if you like being able to do many things in a short period of time. This could be checking the weather report before traveling. Whatever it is speed is a key factor.

2. Search Bar. Internet Explorer uses Live Search as its search bar that loads up in the top right hand corner. This is run by Microsoft. Many people use Live Search as their default search engine, but more people use Google. If your like me, you don’t use that search engine because you don’t even know its there or because you would rather just go to Google to do all of your searching. If however you use that search engine a lot and would like to change it, click on the arrow facing down. Then click “Find more providers”. After that choose the web search engine you want to search with by click which one you want. Lastly click add provider. It will add it and to use it click the arrow again and select the one you chose.

3. Tabs. If you didn’t already notice, in Internet Explorer the tabs are already out. This takes up a little bit of the screen view and you can do as much with them. When I say this, I mean that there are not as many features. If you right click on an Internet Explorer tab you only get these options: close, close other tabs, refresh, refresh all, new tab. You may think that this is a lot but if you use Firefox for instance you get these: new tab, reload tab, reload all tabs, close other tabs, bookmark this tab, bookmark all tabs, undo close tab, and close tab.

I hope by reading this that you take away something from it. Although you probably didn’t know about these things, I wanted to be able to give you an insight on what they are. I also hope that you will recognize these and make the switch to another web browser. Thanks for reading!

Source:- http://webupon.com/browsers/disadvantages-of-internet-explorer/