With mobility and fancy motor cars becoming more accessible to India’s burgeoning middle class, it was only a matter of time before the much-hyped GPS device would follow suit. With the introduction of the 6110 Navigator, Nokia brings this technology a little closer home.
The look and the layout
The 6110’s elegant black and silver body, packs a handful of features in addition to its GPS built-in receiver. It has a 2.2 inch TFT screen which delivers crisp and sharp images but is prone to smudges and fingerprints. Weighing in at 125g, its smaller dimensions give it an edge over the Nokia N-series otherwise known for their bulky size. Its slider form factor has all the shortcuts and call management keys on the front while the alphanumeric keys are concealed below and are accessible when the phone is slid open. The GPS shortcut posed a little problem as we ended up launching it accidentally several times when we opened the slider.
The built-in GPS receiver is loaded with Nokia Maps application covering 8 Indian cities. More will be added later on. The GPS itself offers turn-by-turn voice assisted navigation to a location using the shortest way, the quickest way or by foot. The Search feature finds the location after you type one or two parts of the address.
The 6110 uses the latest Symbian S60 version for its OS. It packed many programs like GPS data, Quick Office, a PDF reader along with regular Nokia programs.
A 2MP camera with one LED flash but no auto focus is present at the back and the front has VGA camera for video calling. Its music player supports MP3, WMA and AAC while Real player takes care of videos. For connectivity, the phone supports EDGE, 3G and HSDPA; but no Wi-fi. Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 handle file transfers. Nokia bundled a 512MB microSD card with a mobile holder to use in a car and a car charger.
Test drive
Call handling is smooth and reception is clear but callers at the other end had a hard time hearing us at times. Typing messages was comfortable and control pads responsive. We loved the onboard loudspeaker which pumped out unbelievable volume levels. This enhances the voice guided navigation while driving in a noisy environment. Using its onboard GPS was fun. Navigating the route to our office in Bangalore using its shortest route feature was error free.
It took 40 seconds to 4 minutes to get the destination depending on the GPS signal strength, and track our position accurately. The Search Nearby function is useful to locate restaurants, petrol bunks, ATMs etc. The only problem is the 2.2 inch screen which is not big enough to provide clear contents when the phone is more than 2 feet away.
The 64MB RAM enabled smooth multitasking. The 2MP camera performed well in daylight but low light shooting created a lot of noise despite the LED flash. Transferring files to and from the PC via the USB cable was faster than other Nokia devices we have tested so far. Browsing web pages on its built-in browser was also smooth on EDGE connection.
Verdict
The Nokia 6110 as a GPS device performed admirably and for its price you get a decent phone plus a guide to make sure you don’t get lost. Currently, no phone offers a fully functional GPS receiver at this price.
Tuesday
THE NOKIA 6110 NAVIGATOR
Saturday
Sehwag's fastest triple-ton decimates SAfrica
Virender Sehwag smashed the fastest recorded triple century in history as India gave South Africa a dose of their own medicine in the first cricket Test here on Friday.
Sehwag hit 309 not out off 292 balls as the hosts made light of South Africa's daunting first innings 540 to pile up 468-1 by stumps on the third day at the Chidambaram stadium.
When he reached 300 off 278 deliveries, Sehwag surpassed the previous fastest recorded triple ton from 362 balls by Australian Matthew Hayden against Zimbabwe in Perth in 2003-2004.
Only 19 of the 22 triple centuries in Test history have the number of balls faced recorded against them. Those that miss out are Garfield Sobers's 365 not out, Wally Hammond's unbeaten 336 and Hanif Mohammad's 337.
Sehwag hit 42 boundaries and five sixes in the second triple century of his career, having made 309 against Pakistan in Multan in 2004. No other Indian has achieved the feat even once.
The 29-year-old Delhi opener joins Australian legend Don Bradman and West Indian Brian Lara as the only batsmen to have crossed the 300-run mark twice in their Test careers.
Sehwag, who has four 200-plus scores in his 14 Test centuries, is well-placed to go after the retired Lara's record individual score of 400 not out when he resumes on Saturday.
With just 11 wickets having fallen in three days on a barren pitch that is proving to be a bowlers' nightmare, a draw would appear the most likely result in the first match of the three-Test series.
But South Africa will still need to battle the Indian spinners on the wearing turf in their second innings if India, who trail by just 72 runs, manage to gain a useful lead.
Sehwag put on 213 for the first wicket with Wasim Jaffer (73) and 255 for the unbroken second with Rahul Dravid, whose returned unbeaten on 65.
Dravid, who took his career tally to 9,985 runs by stumps, needs only 15 more to become the sixth batsman in history to complete 10,000 Test runs.
Sehwag's double ton off 194 balls was the third fastest in Test history after New Zealander Nathan Astle's 153-ball effort against England at Christchurch in 2001 and Sehwag's own 182-ball innings against Pakistan in Lahore in 2006.
The 55-Test veteran was at his best in the afternoon session when he scored 108 of India's 133 runs after lunch as the South African bowling wilted under the assault in oppressively hot and humid weather.
It was Sehwag's second successive three-figure knock following a match-saving 151 in his last innings against Australia at Adelaide in January.
There was no assistance for the South African bowlers on the slow wicket which allowed the batsmen to play their strokes without fear.
Sehwag moved to 99 with a lofted on-drive off Jacques Kallis and reached his hundred with another skier over the bowler's head in the same over.
He also reached his double century in style, pulling Makhaya Ntini over the square-leg fence for six to move to 199 before taking three runs to long-on off the next delivery.
He hit two other sixes off the hapless Ntini, an audacious slash over third man on Thursday evening and a drive over the covers soon after he had passed his double century.
He crossed his triple century in style and scored 319 runs, the highest b any indian test cricketer.... this shows his guts and destiny.... he is surely a cricket legend in the making!!!!!1111
MY STORY FOR OUR CAPTAIN VIJAYKANTH!!!!!!!!!!
Here is my story for Vijaykant's (Local Famous Tamil Hero) next movie it’s named as “captain ulagam”!!! .
Vijaykant is a sceintist in NASA....... (Yes folks ..........u read that’s right. NASA...the American space lab-
very big set designed for this by thottta darani……..!!!!!!!!)
When our hero was busy launching a satellite to Pluto, his wife simran is about to deliver a baby
and she wanted to meet him. But the launch process badly needs a person like our hero, and there is no other option.
Senior Scientist Radha asks him to stay back till it gets launched. Our well committed hero successfully launches the satellite,
and comes back home in a horse (don’t ask wer are all the planes gone...), but his wife is dead.
Mean time, other scientists in NASA claim that they wer responsible for the launch and they didn’t recognize Vijaykanth.
He resigns from there and comes back to India with his family leading a peaceful life.... days go by till......
One day, the scientists, to their surprise found that SUN is reaching EARTH slowly and after sometime it may BURN the earth to
ashes... All the scientists are worried how to save the EARTH... Then they realize that only "THE HERO" (Vijaykanth) can do it...
They visit India, telling him the facts, and Vijaykant joins back there to complete the mission of saving the EARTH...
After a very big research, Vijaykant is inventing an instrument. The instrument will deflect the SUN from its path to EARTH...
All the scientists are very happy and appreciating vijaykanth's invention. So finally Vijaykant is all set to go into the SPACE
and save the earth.
He and one other person (Chandra sekhar, who is a prisoner in Vellore, has been chosen by our hero because none other in US army
can do that job) are traveling in a spacecraft towards the SUN.
They moved out of earth and in space & Vijaykant is coming out of the spacecraft and standing on the Wings of the spacecraft.
He is taking out the instrument and showing it to the SUN.....oh!!!!!!!! The instrument is not working... The terrorists
deactivated it!!!(Ha ha ha .....U got to be kiddin me)
Climax - With the SUN floats towards the EARTH, VIJAYKANTH puts one leg on earth, turns back,
kicks off the SUN with ultimate force... and jumps back to the spacecraft....
now the SUN is deflecting away from its path to EARTH!!!!!!!!!!! EARTH SAVED...
He shows Indian flag in his hand and the spacecraft moves back to earth!
In the midst of this stor line… we have two duets and three fights and also two or three sentimental scenes…
how is my story for vijaykant…. Leave ur comments in the chatbox….
Wednesday
Raghuvaran is now not with us..........
It is a great loss for Tamil cinema (indeed for South Indian cinema) to lose Raghuvaran suddenly like this. This versatile, understated, elegant actor had been struggling with a few health issues, but nobody thought (or knew) how serious it was. The legend is now not with us.
He was born on December 11, 1948. He debuted in the award winning film, Ezhavathu Manithan (1982), which dealt with the disillusionment of an engineering student with the corrupt working practices of industries. He began as a character actor, then played a hero in a few films, went on to be typecast for a very long time as a smooth villain, and then, more recently, as a character actor playing a brother, an uncle, a senior official, a father and a fellow colleague.
He was outstanding as the sleek politician villain in Shankar’s Mudhalvan. Memorable, as Ajith’s supportive elder brother in Mugavari, as the ultimate villain antony in Baatsha, as Srikanth’s strict father in Roja Kootam, Vijay’s jolly father in Love Today, as Maddy’s cool brother in law in Run, Tabu’s brilliant boss in Kandukondain, Kandukondain, the husband with a secret in Anjali, Vijay’s caring neighbour in Thirumalai, an unconventional teacher in Sivappathigaram, an uncorrupt, ethical civil servant in Marudhamalai, the kind doctor who saves Rajini’s life in Sivaji, the Boss, the not so impressive villain in Bheema and a psychiatrist in Silla Nerangalil - which would become his last released film.
Fans of the actor – and there are many across the world – will never forget what a cool actor he was. He brought depth, intensity, elegance, understatement and style to Tamil acting. It is unthinkable not to see him grace the screen again. He will be terribly missed.
I seriously mourn for him. His loss has produced a huge gap in tamil cinema which is very tough to fill in.
Monday
HEY... I VE BOUGHT A NEW BIKE!!!!!!!!
I have got a new bike and now I am a proud owner of the all new xcd 125 es… which has all premium features of its big brother pulsar including digital speedometer console and led tail lamp with folding number plate and maximum speeds up to 140 km. The ultimate thing about the bike is its looks which are very trendy and stylish for its class.
When people ask why I got a bike... I am not able to answer… because I have nothing to do with a bike except to go to my friends’ homes and roam here and there. My family gains nothing by getting a bike for me but... I bought it for only one reason and that is GETH…
Coming back to the bike, the bike has cool looks as I already mentioned and it looks big. The wise clutch-gear box assembly allows us to drive in minimum speed even in top gears and then regain the speed which is most suited in our traffic conditions. The bike has another so called premium feature – the folding number plate(but I don’t find any usage of that during riding the bike) … the number plate in the front folds automatically when there is a hump in the vehicle or when we face a speed breaker, so that the headlight doom does not get affected.
Regarding the driving experience, the vehicle is absolutely great and its worth the money paid. The ride has been perfectly smooth and the pick up was absolutely mind blowing. The pick up is as huge as a pulsar or apache. Also the bike has flexible indicators, another new feature. The indicators are absolutely flexible in any direction and hence the probability of breaking up while collision becomes less.
Now me being an owner of a bike, I am very happy these days enjoying the ride in my bike but only god knows how I am going to clear my subjects in the university exams coming round the corner. Let’s hope for the best :)
Friday
INTERNALS- A NIGHTMARE
Internals are the marks awarded by our lecturers to us according to our behavior in the class and our marks in the cycle tests. Nowadays internal marks are the only things that concern me the most. Now in my department they have laid a rule that the mark should be awarded as an average of 3 cycle tests which will be conducted during the span of the semester. The internals constitute 20% of the marks and highly affect the marks as well as percentage. Only in engineering colleges, the internal marks are taken in account.
In the arts and science colleges the marks are not based on internals and the students must clear the paper by getting 50 marks out of 100. The method should be implemented in Anna univ colleges also. Although the teachers may cry that the eradication of internals can be risky and the students may not respect them… the truth is students do not care of respecting the teachers and lecturers even if the internal marking system is there and the students who want to score marks would automatically read for it.Also the student’s performance in the class and cycle tests cannot be assumed as a criterion in their end result.
The lecturers use the internal mostly to black mail the students and to bring them to their way. Also many colleges are using this type very comfortably awarding students a minimum of 17 or 18 in internals so that they me easily get good marks even if they just pass the externals. Unfortunately though, my college is not like the kind of one of those mentioned above. In my college, they are calculating with utmost perfection, the marks obtained in the tests and then they take the average of it which only leads us to some 4 or 5 marks out of 20.
Though there are students who score even 15 or 16 in this format thru writing the cycle tests very well… those students doesn’t need internals at all to get a pass mark. The total system is an old piece of crap formed by somebody who was out of his mind when he framed the rule of internals.
I hope, at least, for the students coming in the future, the internal marking system is scraped and the marks should be given only based on their external score.
Tuesday
THE ALL NEW LG VIEWTY REVIEW!!!!
After launching a series of fashionable and feature-packed phones, LG’s latest offering is the KU990 Viewty. The touchscreen device has a power-packed camera and the strong feature set means that is not just another LG phone that will go unnoticed like the ill-fated Prada.
Features & Design
When it comes to looks, the Viewty is a show-stopper. The beautiful, black body has a 5 MP camera and on its front there is a 3-inch touchscreen that vibrates on touch and a VGA camera for video calling positioned just above it. The lack of a clutter of buttons enhances the minimalist, sleek design. The sides have a metallic coating which offsets the black body perfectly. The buttons for the camera, key lock or image stabilizer activation and a hardware switch to toggle between different camera modes. The back of the phone carries only the camera lens and the black battery cover. Sadly, there is no lens cover making the camera prone to dust. There is a hard wheel which doubles up as camera zoom or volume controls depending on the mode the phone is in. Its proprietary port is shared by a data cable, a charger and a headset. We wished there was a miniUSB port though. It has internal memory of 100MB and supports a microSD card, but the slot is inconveniently located under the battery.
The Viewty’s menu has fairly large icons which makes carrying out different functions comfortable. Bundled apps include Google and YouTube applications. The full-fledged browser let us view full-sized web pages and zoom into particular regions. There is also a Muvee editor and Picture editor. E-mail support includes IMAP4 and POP3 and attachment can go up to 400KB. On connectivity side, EDGE, 3G and HSDPA are supported. It’s disappointing to see no Wi-Fi present here though.
Performance
Expectations were high when we received the Viewty. A slight delay while navigating menus was noticed but the overall experience was satisfying. Visibility under the sunlight was not that great, but manageable if you shadowed the screen with your body or stood in the shade. Call management was easy and reception was clear and the other party did not have any problem hearing us. The loudspeaker could have been louder.
Messaging on the virtual Qwerty keypad was easier than any other text input methods on offer. Each letter was magnified the moment when used, and the vibrating feedback made things smoother. The handwriting recognition was not as good as the one on Windows based devices.
The 5MP camera with its Xenon flash lit up objects 4 to 5 feet away when shooting indoors and colors were reproduced well but with noticeable noise. The Nokia N95 produced better results on indoor shoots. Even under good lighting, the images were grainy and there was loss of detail. The macro shooting capability is commendable and close-ups were well-focused. The video capturing capability is noteworthy; it can capture in 640x480 pixels at 30 fps and 320x240 at 120 fps. The former looks good on a PC and can be posted on YouTube via the YouTube application. When fast moving objects are captured at 120 fps and the video is played back on a PC, it let us see what we missed out with our naked eye. This is truly unique and one useful feature. The Divx playback and audio playback are satisfactory for an imaging phone. But Divx’s latest version failed to play and we’d like to see Xvid support.
Verdict
The LG Viewty has raised the bar with its well designed, non-fussy touchscreen interface. Now if only it was cheaper. If you want a cheaper 5MP camera phone, the Sony Ericsson K850 is a good choice but it lacks the touchscreen interface.
Friday
KUSELAN IS ON >>>>>>>
Superstar Rajinikanth revealed that he dons a very important role in 'Kuselan'. However, he said that, as per the story, “Pasupathy’s role is 50%, Vadivelu gets 25% and 25% for me”. He added that the movie revolves around his character.
He spoke on the occasion of the pooja of ‘Kuselan’ held today morning in AVM studios. “The character Ashok Raj will be a turning point in my career”, the Superstar told the press persons gathered in a large number. He said in a lighter vein that Meena, who first acted as a child in his film and as a pair later, dons the role of a mother in this film. He quickly added with laugh that, “Not as a mother to me. She acts as a mother of two children”.
He also informed that the emotional climax would be on par with 'Chandramukhi'. He expressed his confidence that the movie would come out very well.
Director P. Vasu said that the movie is Rajini’s movie and that no one needs to have any doubt about it. His character has been shaped to fulfill the expectations of his fans, he added.
It is learnt that Rajini has two fights and two duets in the film.
Hundreds of press persons including cameramen and videographers gathered in the spot. Two TV channels telecasted the event live.
10,000 B.C REVIEW
Directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich, who's previously given us Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow, 10,000 B.C. offers audiences the prospect of epic action on a canvas as broad as human history; what it delivers is another matter entirely. In an age where computer-generated effects make spectacle possible, and audiences reward blood-and-thunder films like Gladiator and 300 at the box office, greenlighting 10,000 B.C. must have seemed logical. I can imagine someone pitching the film, to paraphrase Team America: World Police, by saying "It's like 300 .... plus 9,700!"
But as Emmerich's films have always demonstrated, suggesting that spectacle can make up for weak storytelling is like suggesting that having a great haircut can make up for being born without a skeleton. And, so it is in 10,000 B.C., where a variety of off-the-rack plot points and generic heroic journeys are decorated with computer-generated baubles like wooly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers and massed mobs, shiny hollow Christmas ornaments hung on a bare, ruined tree. Emmerich co-wrote 10,000 B.C. with Harald Klosser and put an army of technicians to work on the movie, but the end result simply feels like threads and themes and moments borrowed from other films.
10,000 B.C. begins in the snowy, mountainous homelands of a tribe of hunter-gatherers who survive by hunting the wooly mammoths who range through their valley every year. The tribe's shaman, Old Mother (Mona Hammond), has a prophecy foretelling the end of the tribe in the near future, but also sees that the lover of the blue-eyed girl Evolet will save them. Watching from afar is D'Leh, whose father is leaving his son to go beyond the mountains to look for a future home for the tribe. In time, Evolet (Camilla Belle) and D'Leh (Steven Strait) grow up, and D'Leh takes part in the annual mammoth hunt; he seizes glory and claims Evolet as his own, but that night the "Four-Legged Demons" -- horseback-riding slavers from afar -- ravage the village, killing and capturing many ... including Evolet. This aggression, for D'Leh, will not stand, so he and great hunter Tic'tic (Cliff Curtis) go in pursuit, across the mountains, to the lands from which none have ever returned.
And there's nothing wrong with this plot, certainly; D'Leh gets to travel the world and work out his daddy issues while meeting new people and following after his love, while the bad guys get to snap and curse at their captured slaves while whipping them from dangerous locale to exotic environment before pressing them into labor at "The Mountains of the Gods." But 10,000 B.C. never generates the energy or excitement that would elevate it to the level of epic action, or gives in to the silly shamelessness that would mark it a guilty pleasure.
Emmerich has suggested that Jean-Jacques Annaud's Quest for Fire was a major influence on his film. When you remember how Annaud's film invented a language for its characters, that comparison goes out the window as soon as D'Leh and Evolet speak their halting lines in semi-accented English. 10,000 B.C. is actually a lot closer to Clan of the Cave Bear, another film that depicts ancient people whose political philosophies, romantic ideas and dental hygiene are all so modern as to be suspect. Say what you will about Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (and I can say plenty), it at least picked one civilization and historical era and stuck with it; 10,000 B.C. skips from place to place, era to era, like a child idly flipping through the pages of a coffee table book on ancient civilizations before making up a rambling story.
And no, we don't go to a movie like 10,000 B.C. for anthropological and historical accuracy; we go for the fun stuff: the action, the effects, the fights, the juice. The problem is that 10,000 B.C. doesn't have much fun stuff, either. The film's sole nod to mysticism comes with Old Mother, who spends much of the film back home in mammoth valley channeling the experiences of her far-flung fellow tribe members; this mostly consists of her sitting fireside making the same wide-eyed facial expression Richard Pryor used when pretending to be scared of everything. The action sequences are few and far between. The bad guys are also shamefully generic; Ben Badra's character is simply credited as "Warlord," while Marco Khan's henchman, one eye clouded by past battle, is credited as "One-Eye." (For my part, in the absence of the film providing me with actual names to call them, I simply mentally referred to them as, respectively, "Growly McGee" and "Dead-Eye Jones.") Emmerich and Klosser seem to have forgotten one of the simplest lessons of Screenwriting 101: Writing better bad guys -- people who want things, who may be conflicted, who have pasts and tics and personalities -- doesn't make your hero less interesting in comparison; it makes him (or her) more interesting in comparison.
And D'Leh needed something to make him more interesting; Strait has great abs and hair, but he's not given much more to do besides stride towards the camera in slow-mo and look determinedly hunky. Oh, and invent celestial navigation. Bell -- a talented presence in The Ballad of Jack and Rose -- is reduced to looking out longingly from under her dreadlocks. 10,000 B.C. is plainly trying to borrow from other films -- the muscular liberalism of Gladiator, the mythic majesty of the Lord of the Rings films, the vulgar vitality of 300, the chase structure of Apocalypto, the Hollywood history of Clan of the Cave Bear and Quest for Fire and even the anachronistic action of One Million Years B.C., where Raquel Welch faced stop-motion dinosaurs. 10,000 B.C. is too sprawling and super-sized to reach us as drama, though, and too thin and threadbare to excite us as entertainment; it's huge but hollow, small but slender, and wholly forgettable.
F1 COMES TO INDIA
The 2008 F1 season is almost upon us with the first race – the Australian GP at Albert Park – just a week away. While this season will see the debut of the Vijay Mallya owned Force
Even though race organizers, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), have yet to finalize the location of the circuit there is still time for them to pull it all together. It will take 16 months to complete the circuit.
However, it should be a challenge to finish the circuit within that span with lot of hurdles o go across. The cost of construction for the circuit is estimated at about $160 million. The circuit for Chinese GP in Shangai, another of the new races added to the F1 calendar was built at a reported cost of $450 million.
With only 24 months left before the red lights go off on the 2010 season, the IOA has to ensure the circuit is built on time. They must have to remember it serves multiple purposes within the sport as well as general economy.
Before Barichello had taken the chequered flag at the inaugural Chinese GP, up to 10,000 new jobs were created in the region and several F1 merchandise stores had opened up.
The 2007 Bahrain GP raised revenues in excess of over $500 million. The figure comprises many different streams of revenue including accommodation and subsistence, travel, retail outlets and entertainment – all of which went a long way to establish the race as the biggest single source of entertainment and income for the travel and tourist source for the kingdom.
An F1 circuit can also be a boon for local drivers who otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to drive at an F1 circuit.
Thursday
HOW TO BUY A CELL FONE???
Are you looking for a phone that takes quality pictures? How about an easy way to send messages or e-mail? Do you need speedy access to the Web? Are you looking for a handset that can double as an MP3 player? While some models aim to be all things to all people, choosing a phone that meets your needs requires some legwork. Your choice of phone almost always depends on your choice of telecom provider. There are two different technologies that are used—GSM and CDMA.
You will first need to figure out which service provider offers the best coverage and the most appropriate service plans in your area. Then, you can select a handset. Unlike many other countries, your phone should work with any service provider —as long as you have the right SIM (subscriber identity module) card installed. You will have to make the choice between two technologies, CDMA and GSM, before buying a phone. While Tata Indicom and Reliance Infocom offer CDMA services across the nation, there are many different GSM service providers —depending on the region. However, the choice of brands and models in CDMA phones is much lesser than GSM phones, and so are the features. Also, CDMA phones can only be bought from the service provider-- unlike GSM phones.
If you are looking for a feature rich phone then you may want to look at only at GSM, but if you are looking at budget phone then you could get a better deal from a CDMA service provider. And in many cases the CDMA tarrif packages are cheaper, especially if you make a lot of long distance calls.
Band support: The more radio bands a phone supports, the more frequencies it can handle. Quad-band phones, as their name suggests, operate across four frequency bands. Theoretically, they provide better coverage than triple-, dual-, or singleband phones. These so-called world phones are compatible with four GSM frequencies— 850 MHz (prevalent in the United States), 900 MHz (prevalent in Europe), 1800 MHz (prevalent in Asia), and 1900 MHz (also available in the U.S.). As a result, they function around the globe. But, dual band phones are the most common.
Design: You can choose between flip-open, clamshell style phones and, non-flip, candybar- style phones. Flip phones can be more difficult to use with one hand because the cover may be heavier than the base, and a few low-end models lack a separate caller ID screen on the cover.
Fortunately, many new phones sport dual screens—a small, external LCD on the cover plus an internal display. If you buy a non-flip phone, make sure it has a keypad lock that prevents inadvertent dialing—a helpful feature when you put the phone in a pocket or bag. Whether you get a clamshell or candybar-style phone, check its ergonomics. Is it comfortable against your ear, and can you hear callers without constant adjustment? Can you use the phone with one hand? How about hands-free use: Can you comfortably hold the phone to your ear by scrunching your neck and shoulder? Also, look for placement of the headset jack; a jack located on top of the phone is often more convenient than one located on the side.
Size and weight: Part of what makes a phone easy to use is its portability. A typical non-flip phone weighs about 115g and is about the size of a big candy bar. Anything above that is considered large. An exception is a PDA phone, which more closely resembles a PDA on steroids than a cell phone.
Battery life: Most new phones allow at least three hours of talk time and two to six days on standby. Some phones can last up to 14 days on standby. Keep in mind that usage affects battery life, so does the signal strength of your cellular service. A phone that constantly searches for signals will run itself down quickly. Depending on the phone, recharging the battery should take about an hour or longer. When you buy a phone, consider optional accessories such as a higher capacity battery and a portable charging adapter for use in a car.
Screen: If you intend to send and receive text messages, surf the Web, or use the phone’s organizer, make sure the screen is up to snuff. Six lines of text are sufficient for most folks; anything less will make your eyes—and your thumb— sore from scrolling. Some handsets let you adjust the font size to fit more text on the screen, but the more digits you pack in, the tinier they get. Consider a PDA phone if you plan to go online or send lots of messages; many models come with a large LCD. The LCD’s contrast and backlight strengths are also important and phones often exhibit marked differences in viewing quality. If your phone allows you to adjust such settings, you can make text and graphics easily viewable— even in bright places. These days most phones offer color screens, which are easy on the eyes.
Keypad: If you can’t figure out how to use certain functions on a phone within a few minutes (with or without consulting the manual), try another. The keypad layout and menu system should be intuitive. The buttons should be responsive and easy to press. Check out the navigation buttons on the keypad. A joystick-style knob on some phones can make navigating menus quick. Most handsets come with up/down and left/right arrow keys. Buttons that protrude slightly are much easier to use than flat or recessed keys. Many PDA phones and a few cell phones come with a small QWERTY keyboard. The tiny keys may not suit everyone, but for those who need them, they’re easier to use than a software- based keyboard on a touch-sensitive screen.
Voice communications and organizer: Mobile phones bombard you with call-management features—voice-activated calling, voice recording, phone books, call histories, speed dialing, and so on. Enabling some of the features (such as caller ID, call waiting, and three-way calling) depends on your service plan. Most phones also provide security features that can restrict incoming and outgoing calls, lock the keypad, and protect or mass-delete phone book entries. Some handsets also provide a speakerphone. If you want to talk on the phone hands-free (a must if you use the phone while driving), look for a model that comes with a headset or an earphone. If you don’t want to mess with cords, consider a phone that supports Bluetooth; it allows you to pair it with a wireless Bluetooth headset.
Wireless data: Nearly all new cell phones are capable of doing tasks such as sending and receiving e-mail, downloading custom ring tones and simple games, or connecting to the Internet (usually through a mini browser that’s designed to work best with text-only versions of popular sites like Google, and Yahoo). Such features, however, are heavily dependent on your provider. Note that you may only be able to send text messages or pictures to others who use the same network.
E-mail and instant messaging have changed the way many people use their phones. If your job requires you to be constantly connected, a PDA phone with a full keyboard and e-mail and IM software is must. Going online while you’re waiting for the elevator is a cool idea, but most phones connect at slow speeds: only up to 115 kbps on a GPRS network and up to 384 kbps on EDGE; 3G networks, such as EvDO, will provide faster connections at up to 2 Mbps.
Most of today’s cell phones let you surf the Web--though in many cases access is rudimentary at best, and the data transfer speeds make dial-up seem fast. With camera phones now more common than noncamera models, you’d think manufacturers would stick better cameras in their handsets. Alas, poor picture quality plagues many phones—but the situation is improving. The popularity of iPods has helped trigger a flood of music phones, and nearly all the models can play music. But a few of them are better equipped to do so than the others.
Whether you want a phone to let you stay connected to e-mail and the Web, snap impromptu photos, or enjoy a little music on the go, options abound. Armed with a solid idea about what you want your phone to do well, you’re more likely to end up with a model that makes you happy. Your perfect phone is out there—you make the call. Here are the recommendations for cell phones that fit the needs of most users.
Get at least 3 to4 hours of talk time: Make sure one battery charge on your phone covers at least that.
Pick up a headset or earphone: Inexpensive hands-free ear-bud headsets let you safely converse while driving, working, or just walking. Some phones even allow you to set voice commands to dial frequently called numbers, so you rarely need to touch the keys.
Check the service: Unfortunately, though the penetration rate of mobile phones in India is very high, the quality of service is really not consistent. You may want to check the service in your area before you choose a service provider.
Storage: Most phones have enough storage capacity for apps and data, and some even have expandable memory.
Wednesday
OZ MEDIA RAISES A TOAST TO INDIAN GLORY!!!!
Australian media again highlighted off spinner Harbhajan Singh as India claimed epoch-making tri-series victory at Brisbane and described the young side's feat as having "the last laugh after a bitter summer of explosive tensions".
Harbhajan, who had hit headlines throughout the long tour for being at the centre of off-field controversies, proved to be the nemesis of Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds, claiming him in both the tri-series finals while also cheaply removing another detractor Matthew Hayden at Sydney.
“As cricket became a contact sport, Australia were pitchforked out of the finals in straight sets by an Indian side which had the last laugh after a bitter summer of explosive tensions," said leading newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported the home side's plight under the title 'Australia sunk in straight sets' after Ricky Ponting's men lost to India by nine runs and 2-0 in the best-of-three finals.
"Instead of a fitting one-day farewell for retiring wicketkeeper (Adam) Gilchrist, it was controversial spinner Harbhajan Singh who laughed last and loudest, lapping up the triumph on the Gabba boundary in front of ecstatic expat fans," the paper said.
The headline of the main article in another national daily The Australian aptly summed up the tour as it said - 'A summer of spite ends in Indian glory'.
"A fresh, young India beat Australia by nine runs in last night's ultimately gripping second final at Brisbane's Gabba to wrap up the competition after winning by six wickets in Sydney on Sunday," the Australian wrote.
"India's wild celebrations matched those of Australia after winning a dramatic second Test in Sydney and India after their historic third Test victory in Perth," it said.
Herald Sun narrated similar sentiments after the Indian triumph, saying 'Rough night as Indians reign'.
"Andrew Symonds shoulder-charged a streaker but it was his nemesis Harbhajan Singh and his Indian teammates who landed the knockout blow as Australia crashed out in straight sets in the tri-series finals at the Gabba last night," it said.
'Courier Mail' analysed the defeat in which it concluded that "the gap between Australia and the rest has closed to the point where the national selectors must be getting sweaty palms."
"The Indian team which trumped Australia last night contains just one player, Sachin Tendulkar over 30. Australia, by contrast, had just three players James Hopes, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson under 30.
"Earlier this week, India stormed to victory in the under-19 World Cup. They are a nation on the rise. Australia are not tumbling into any sort of abyss but they are in slight decline.
"Given the quality of their retiring stars, it simply had to happen even given the continued excellence of Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke and the emergence of late-blooming James Hopes."
Monday
HOW TO FORWARD A PORT FOR TORRENTZ.....
Having trouble with your BSNL Dataone Broadband and torrents? Hope this complete tutorial would solve all your troubles and push your torrent download to maximum limit. 
The reason for slow download is that your port forwarding is not properly configured. As a result your IP is not visible to outside peers. To verify this start downloading a torrent with very good seeds & peers. Now go to peers of torrent and see under “Initiation”. If you have both ‘Local’ & ‘Remote’, then don’t bother this tutorial anymore. Else if you are getting only ‘Local’, continue reading. I am using Bit comet here coz its fast and doesn’t use much of CPU. You could also use other torrent software like Azureus, Utorrent etc. You will have similar options under their settings.
Step 1: Know your IP
===============
1. Even though your IP address is dynamic, the ADSL router would always assign an IP address to your computer. Most probably it would be 192.168.1.2.
2. Go to Start>Run>cmd or in
3. Type ‘ipconfig’ and press enter
4. Note the IP address of your computer, here for me it 192.168.1.2
Step 2: Configure the torrent
====================
1. First we need to decide how much to upload. For a 2mbps connection, I keep upload rate as 20KBps. If you are using lower connection like Airtel or Tata Indicomm of 128kbps, keep upload as 8KBps and for 256, 14-16KBps would do. Keep the download rate ‘No Limit/ 0′. Do this under Options>Preferences>Connection
2. At the same place, set your port number to somewhere between 40000 and 65000.
3. Next go to Options>Preferences>Advanced>Connection and uncheck “Enable UPnP port mapping”
Part 3: Port forward the Router/ADSL Modem
=========================================
1. First you need to access the settings or router. For this, open any browser like Internet Explorer/Fire fox and navigate to ‘http://192.168.1.1′. The most common username and password is ‘admin’ & ‘admin’. I have a new UT300R2U modem with new software. So I will give the detail tutorial for that here.
If you have a different router or different software for UT300R2U, find your router here http://portforward.com/routers.htm and follow the guide. You can also find the default password of your router there.
2. Navigate to ‘Advanced Setup>NAT>DMZ Host’ in the sidebar. DMZ host refers to Demilitarized Zone.
3. Enter your IP Address that you found in Step 1 there and click Save/Apply. In my case its 192.168.1.2. You don’t require a reboot here.
4. Now restart your torrent software and then check whether ‘Remote’ appears under initialization, it should!!! Enjoy!!!
Thursday
FANTASTIC FOUR ROCKZ SSN !!??!!!
FANTASTIC FOUR is a very famous name and even two films were aken based on that name…but the title Fantastic Four has been given to four of our friends by our class mates (that’s what we say to everyone!!!)… and we are more powerful than the comic characters. The title has evolved has a bonding line for us but from what we see… lot of ppl in my class are getting irritated with our evolution as the fantastic four… the f4 (fantastic four) team has lots of conditions and rules. Every member of the fantastic four must abide by the rules so that we rule the college!!!
We have a supporting consultant too. His name is nambi and he serves as an executive guest member of the f4 gang. By the way, our team members are, me sudhir, pranesh, panneer and rabee. All of us don’t like putting mokkai in the first place. But, our class ppl were enjoying putting mokkai and were absolutely irritating to us and hence we found a way to pay back and that is f4!!!! By the way mokkai means uttering useless comments and dialogues thinking that are great jokes. Coming back to the topic, I mentioned of some rules in the beginning. They are
- All of the members including nambi must understand the pride of the gang and must always boast of the gang wherever possible.
- None of the members should respect anyone excluding the f4 gang…!!!
- No one in our gang should praise others. They should always humiliate others as far as they can…!!!
- All of the members should spend no money from their pockets and as far as possible they must thrive on others for any spending…!!!
- Members must lie to everyone as much as possible to escape from any problem they face.
- Members should not complete any record, manual, observation or any other assignments in time and as far as possible they must try not to submit them…
- Members must not put kadalai (flirting) to any of the girl in the college.
- Members must not attend the classes and they must bunk at least two hours a day or more.
These rules are perfectly followed nowadays and hence lead our name spread in the whole of our coll within weeks of our evolution. We would surely follow the rules for the rest of our college lives and build a long lasting impression (bad impression) on everybody’s mind.
I would love to write more of our gang but I can’t write many things due to time constraint. But I am sure I will post the entire set of rules and the ways how we became famous in our college soon after our committee meeting J
Monday
HEY.. I AM A CIRCUIT BREAKER !!!???!!
For the last one week, my work pressure was very hectic. I was not able to post anything in that span. But if I think now, there was nothing to post that got my interest last week, the last thing that got me interested was ipl bid and that too it am not supporting for that auction, the problem with my life now is that no interesting things happened in my life for the last week.
Anyway there is INSTINCTS 08 coming in our college next week. Instincts is an inter college cultural event which is held annually in our college. The event is surely big and great and it is amazing to see the good show laid down by our seniors within weeks of preparations. Although I always see a college cultural as a place to see lots of girls from various colleges, I like participating in events, but am not sure about winning some prize. I don’t think I can qualify even in 1st round in any of the domains like techie or song or gaming or dance or informals. The important aspect though is participation and I ve taken a oath to participate in all technical symposiums as well as cultural events from next month so as to improve my level.
I ve not been for lots of cultural events or symposiums but I did participate in one event in svce… the circuit breaker event… to the surprise of my friends and in fact to me , I got selected in the first round and went on to qualify for finals. I seriously doubt that they chose us only due to our college name so that they can announce it in the Dias. When we entered the final stage, they gave us a circuit with lots of components like capacitor, resistor, etc. I will not even solve or connect a very simple circuit in my lab and my friends were in the same level. The circuit was no where near our knowledge and hence we tried our luck replacing some components and putting them here and there. As usual, we lost. But the amazing and some what absurd thing is what the organizers said that the competition was very tough and all of us were really closer.
Although we didn’t win the competition, we got a merit that we even cherish now, that we are the circuit breaker finalists… we always boast of our talents in our class but we won’t tell the name of college or the total no of participants.
Returning to the topic of cultural, I believe at least the traffic this year would be good. Last year, the traffic was worst. (Traffic means girls and good traffic means beautiful girls).
Anyway, visit my college's official cultural page if u like to participate.
http://instincts08.com/home.html
Wednesday
WHERE IS IPL LEADING THE GENTLEMAN'S GAME??
The attractive package tempts the player to even reitre from their international carrer and play for a month or so planning for their life. This league thus brings money in front of patriotism. Although there are lots of games with this type of clubs and money involved, this is new to cricket, the game in which playing for the nation is the ultimate goal. Although the IPL has elevated the game to a higher level and has opened a whirlwind of opportunities, the auctioning process is not understandable.There are lots of questions raising…
How can some corporate decide a market rate for a player??
On what basis is Manoj Tiwary is paid higher than ponting??
On what basis is Ishant sharma better than Mcgrath and Brett Lee??
Although there can be some reasons that Australians are not avialble for this year and there should be face value for endorsements, the same players have been paid higher than their Indian counterparts. Ishant sharma is paid Rs.3.8 crores and Anil Kumble is paid Rs.2 crores. Although there can be an argument that t20 is the game for young people and gen next… why are the senior players auctioned then??
I’m an Indian and am a die hard follower of the game but I can’t accept the impartiality meted out for the seniors. Even v.v.s laxman is paid lesser than Robin Uthappa who has been misfiring in the last couple of games. This league has been formed only due to our victory in the t20 world cup. Although there would be surely a very large fan following in the case of IPL, the vibrations are far deeper. If Manoj Tiwary is paid higher than many other greats, then what kind of respect can we expect from him for the senior players and how would he respect his state team which gave him this position but paid only in thousands??
Though the cricketers have higher pay packages that they can’t even dream, there is a potential risk involving in the IPL and that is the risk of destroying the International cricket. My view is that the IPL is a good breakthrough in the world of cricket but the auctioning process is not correct and the pay packages based on market is also not correct.
What will the franchisee who bought Ishant for almost 4 crores do if he misfires in a couple of games?? One must think of the pressure involved in this case. There are lots of glammer and glitterati in the beginning now but only time can decide of the fate of the league and the international cricket.
Tuesday
MODI- THE MAN WHO SHOULD LEAD INDIA
Today, India is ruled by a bunch of people, in fact virtually by a woman and physically by a man who is capable of giving a good rule but is not let to do so by his coalition parties.
The elections for the centre is fast approaching and when I thought of the leaders who are capable of taking India to higher standards, I can conclude only with one name and he is Narendra Modi.
The days are gone when people voted by seeing the personality and promises. They are aware now that they would vote for candidates who governs well and does something for the people through their posts. This is the thought I got when I saw Gujarat election results. There was a leader who did everything good to the people in his last regime, surprisingly without even one corruption charge and in other side there is a party which is starving by coalition parties. The whole Indian media was against him portraying him as a Hindu extremist and as the cause for Gujarat riots. There was everyone working against him, the opposition party deceiving the voters that he is an extremist, medias supporting their view, even his own party cadres who were jealous of his popularity propagated against him with only one supreme objective… to beat him. But they didn’t succeed. It is the god things the man did. He improved the economic condition of the people of Gujarat, brought youngsters to the party, he cleared the corruption which had breached the government departments and led a hassle free government with stubborn decisions keeping people but not money in his mind. That is modi, and that gave him victory in gujrat, but he had already won the heart of people of Gujarat.
Moditva is nothing but following a single charismatic leader full of energy and good intentions which would make our country a superpower. He should be bjp’s prime ministerial candidate. He had already influenced many like me. When we analyze the track record of his rule, its amazing. The growth rate is high. The literacy rate has increased multifold. Murders and bombings were no where found. It’s an ideal rule which is now needed for India.
People say he is a Hindu extremist and he only helps Hindus, but it’s not the truth. It’s just a mirage projected by the media. He has improved the economic conditions of the minorities by a great percent and the life of many Muslims and Christians have flourished under his regime.
I personally write this and it’s my view that he would be perfect for him leading a versatile country like ours and I personally feel he should be the next PM.
Monday
THE MIGHTY NOKIA N95 8GB REVIEW
Saturday
AND NOW.. IS IT SRK VS RAJNI???
BHEEMA REVIEW
INTRO:
The film Bheema is directed by lingusamy,who has already given blockbusters like run,sandakozhi,etc. This film involves a hugh cast of vikram,prakashraj,trisha,raguvaran
and many more.the film also involves top notch technicians and music score by harris jeyaraj which made huge hype among the fans. The songs and stills of the film further
made the temperatures rise and there was huge expectation from the fans.The film which was two years in the making promised lots to offer with vikram having a great make-
over for this film.The film was entitled to release last year itself..but it has released now after lots of economic problems.But the expectations for the film didnt sink.
PLOT:
the film has a very simple and straight forward plot.. vikram who lives in a small town is inspired by the works of prakashraj in tat town who acts as a good dada and beats
everyone who cause problem to the people. Vikram chooses the same way which ultimately leads him to prakashraj after a couple of years. Now prakashraj is a big gangster in
chennai and he joins hands with vikram to improve his territory. The other gang in chennai headed by Periyavar Raguvarn and his sons try to kill prakashraj. The love for
trisha comes in between. Then enters commisoner who plans to kill all the gangsters by encounter. The proceedings form the rest of story.
The film basically does not work out due to its scenes ,lots of which is already seen in many movies.There is no comedy except a scene where vikram explains about a flower.
The film which was touted to be one of the stylish film of the decade failed to do so because of its late release. Afer sivaji and billa which took our tamil film standards
to tat of hollywood, the film didnt woo the audience by its style. The block before the climax,where vikram kills all ok chinna's(prakashraj) enemies is very tiresome and boring.
The characterisation of trisha is absurd. There is virtually no reason for the love tat develops between her and vikram. Where in chennai are goondas and gangsters roaming with
pistols and kiling everyone they wish??
Although the film has negatives,there are some occasions which make you go into the story. The block before the interval and the fight scenes are well crafted. Trisha has done
her job and prakashraj has done honest to his character. Special credit goes to vikram though who built his muscles and looks and he does his job perfectly.The namecause of the
film is known only after more than half of the film is over and it is surprising. The picturisation of the songs looks good and the music which is already a chartbuster helps
the film very much.
The climax is over and done in few seconds putting shock all over the viewers and fans. Although it gives a logical end, the surprise factor in the climax can work against
the film if it is no handled properly. But in this case, the director has crafted the climax well but it brings viewers a grum sensation tat everyone around them are dying.
MY TAKE:
the film has lot of good things but the old dated scenes and the shocking climax with its late release worked against the film. though, the film is worth seeing in the theatre
once with family, it is not convincing for people like me who watched it in theatre first day itself with lots of expectations.Overall, if u dont expect anything and then watch
the movie it wil be satisfying. If u go in with expectations then its not.
