Editorial

Robots-Much Misunderstood
tasks with unerring accuracy, be it
calculations or record keeping. The
success of the computer industry was
predicated on taking care of simple
tasks before entrusting and
developing machines to handle things
more complex, such as cleaning dishes
and washing clothes!
Technologies required to develop
truly consumer friendly robots already
exist. We have made progress in the
motion sensors, voice recognition, and
processing power of robots in the past
several years. We have also seen
significant progress on the AI
(artificial intelligence) front. Carnegie
Mellon and other universities have
been able to develop this technology to
Maulik Jasubhai Publisher such levels that a robot is able to drive
a car at speeds of up to 20mph.
Then the obvious question is: So
why have we not seen an explosion of

W
HAT IS THE first image that the consumer robotics industry?
comes to your mind when The future of consumer robotics
you hear the term ‘robot’? depends on—knowing what the
Most likely it will be R2D2 or C-3PO or customers want and what they are
even Hal (from 2001: A Space Odyssey). If willing to pay for it. This is easier said
indeed 'robot' conjures up any of these than done. An industry driven by the
images, then this term is actually nerds and people who love robotics for
jeopardising the future of robotics by its own sake may not help consumers
a decade or more. The complexities meet their needs. Today, robotics is
that are implicit in these images are so more like a solution in search of a
high that no company in the world can problem. Too many robotics
make it a reality today. businesses are built as if they were
The answer lies in simplifying the part of a university programme where
entire field of robotics. We need a new every graduate student wants to add
frame of reference for what our that one last feature to the product,
expectations from a robot are. In the just because he or she can. Sounds
industrial setup, we have made familiar to the Silicon Valley of three
significant progress through decades ago?
simplification—we have robots that Let us start simple… Define the
can weld and those that can lift heavy need. That may be the first step for the
“We need a new machinery. Then there are those that
can test products for defects again and
consumer robotics industry.

frame of reference again and again… taking away the rote

mechanical and menial jobs from us
for what our humans, dramatically increasing
efficiencies and removing the element
expectations from of human error.
Similarly, early computers started
robots are” with the ability to perform simple
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6 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Enter Digital Passion

25 Movie Madness
Movies today use technology more than
ever—think breathtaking special effects
and digitised post-production techniques.
But what about when it comes to depicting
16
With a digital technology and how it is used?
camcoder, a
smartphone
and a penchant
for gadget
shopping,
Pooja Bedi is
our celeb geek
this month 32 I, Robot - Your Friend
Will robots become commonplace in our
16 lives in the years to come? How different
You’ll soon be would our world be with robots co-existing
able to buy
MP3s on
with us? Re-visit the sci-fi books—take a peek
Amazon into the future

24 42 GRR-aphics Cards
A quick guide Which one will fit your budget? Which one
to Podcasting
in our W5H
will make your processor look like a wimp?
section Which is a true-blue beefcake? All this in the
graphics card shootout

Contents Magazine
Digital Tools 110 New & Notable
Take a look at all the new and notable stuff
64 An Online Cache Of LNG this month, and also get a sneak peek at
From journalism to a one-stop shop for all things LNG, Windows Vista, Microsoft’s latest offering
we see how Kamlesh Trivedi jumpstarted himself onto
the Internet with www.LNGworldwide.com

74 Megapixel Mania 116 How OLED Works

A spread of 40 digital cameras reviewed and rated A visual walkthrough that tells you how the
just to help you make the right pick. A comprehen- latest display technology functions, here’s a
sive test, covering three categories—Entry-level, Mid- crash course on the working of OLED
range and High-end cameras

8
DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005
 Digital Business

119 Playing Mailman

How effective are the paid-for mailboxes provided by
e-mail service providers? Is having a personalised e-mail
ID really Smart Business?

122 Smart Access

The days of an attendance muster in an office are
long gone, but swipe cards and punch cards are on
their way out too. Offices are going smart with
Access Control

124 Is Paperless The Way To Be?

Does a paperless office increase productivity? Are the
security concerns of a paperless office for real? We
conduct an interesting debate on the need to go
completely digital at your workplace

September 2005
Digital Leisure Escape
125 Ergonomics At Work 142
Jon Von
Get the right keyboard for your computer Neumann is the
and save yourself from injuries due to father of the
constant typing. It’s all about ergonomics stored-program
concept

130 Let’s Play, Gentlemen

Cricket games are always hot in India. We
take a critical look at Brian Lara International
Cricket 2005
143
132 Tech Shopping Can you imagine
getting mugged
With the festive season fast approaching, Digit online? It hap-
takes you on the essential electronic goods pened last
shopping tour month in Japan

Three Incredibly Useful Sites ..........18 Tips & Tricks ....................................94 Bluff Your Way Through ................144
REGULARS

The Digital World ............................18 Q&A................................................102 Digit Diary ....................................144

Beat That ........................................20 Agent001........................................107 Blogwatch ......................................145
Gender Benders ..............................22 Mediawise/Adwise ........................140 Digit Forum ....................................158
Buzzword Of The Month ..................22 Tech Quiz ......................................146 Inbox ..............................................158

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 9

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n Visual Web Developer 2005 Express n Internet Explorer 7.0 beta n EasyOffice with PDF Filter 9.0 VIDEOS
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n Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.6 n Final Fantasy VII:
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n Cycas version 3.20 SYSTEM
n Griffith version 0.3 n ZoneAlarm Antivirus 6.0.631.003
n Opera version 8.02 n AutoPatcher XP July 2005
n SWF Widgets version 1.5 n Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4)
n Wine version 20050725 n SiS SiS650/SiS740 Family
n Xpdf version 3.00pl3 Chipset Graphics Driver
(Windows 2000/XP) 2.22
GAMES n Acronis Migrate Easy 7.0
n War World: Tactical Combat n JiWire SpotLock 1.6.91 WHITEPAPERS
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n MindSoft Utilities XP 8.2 Access Points
n Automize 6.21 n Bluetooth Networking—Taking
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n Worms 4: Mayhem n Successfully Managing Geographically
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Note: If you do not want to boot from the DVD, remove it from the drive at startup
10 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005
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 Contents Interactive

CD
DIGITAL PASSION DIGITAL TOOLS DIGITAL BUSINESS DIGITAL LEISURE

Mozilla Firefox 1.0.6

Mozilla Firefox is a fast,
full-featured Web
browser that makes
browsing more efficient
than ever before

MSN Messenger 7.0

This is the latest version of
MyDbConverter 3.0 the ever-popular MSN
A very powerful tool to convert your Messenger. Check out its
MS Access databases to MySQL or new features
MySQL to MS Access, which features
an easy-to-use Wizard-style interface Spybot - Search & Xingtone Ringtone Maker
Destroy 1.4 Make your own true-tone ringtones from
ToWeb 1.01 Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect your favourite audio files and send them
and remove a multitude of adware files to your phone wirelessly without cables
and modules from your computer. or Bluetooth

OmniFleet Shop 8.1

OmniFleet Shop is an easy-to-use Wedding Crashers Trailer
maintenance management Watch the trailer for the latest comedy
MULTIMEDIA application for in-house staring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson
n Visual Communicator 1.60.1297 repair shops. Track
n Meedio Express 1.36.1 information for Mario Forever 2.16
n Video Edit Magic 4.09 equipment, employees, This Super Mario 3 clone from Poland
n RealPlayer 10 vendors, repairs, fuel, features a mustachioed plumber on a
ToWeb is designed for persons and n Slideshow Pro 9.6.6 parts inventory, and PM quest to save his true love
organisations without any Web n DSH Jukebox 9.0
designing skills wishing to quickly n Ultra Video Splitter 3.3.4 RelayFax Server 6.5.1
create a blog or Web site n Alcohol 120% 1.9.5.3105 RelayFax is an e-mail-to-fax and fax-to-
e-mail fax server. RelayFax Pro
AVIRA for Unix Server INTERNET automates the process of sending,
AVIRA for Unix Server is a n Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition 1.06 receiving, and managing your network
versatile AntiVirus n Multi-Browser XP 10.1.2 fax traffic
solution designed to n PhaseOut 5.4.3
ensure flawless n Web Monitor 2.11
protection against n Gogo Explorer 2.0.3.634
viruses and unwanted n ICQ 5.04
programs in any-size n RoboForm 6.3.98
corporate networks n 1-Click Answers ICC Cricket
1.0.6.171 PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS Captain 2005
DEVELOPER TOOLS n Google Toolbar 3.0.124.6 n Art-Copy Business Edition 7.5.4 Exciting cricket action
n VLViewPort 1.0 n MSN Search Toolbar with Windows n DataTrakScheduler 1.0 comes to your desktop
n VLPropertyList 1.2 Desktop Search 2.02 n RelayFax Server 6.5.1
n Doodle 2.1 n Fax4Outlook 2.50.0005 n OmniFleet Shop 8.1 100 WALLPAPERS
n PDF2Htm 1.0 n Wallpapers based on aircraft,
ESSENTIALS n Kernel Word - Repair nature, animals and celebs
n Avast Home Edition 4.6 Corrupted Word
n Spybot - Search & n Documents 4.02
Destroy 1.4 n Ocean Mail Server 1.07
n WinZip 9.0 SR-1 n Outlook Helper 1.1
n DivX Play Bundle with n Yeah Write 1.7
n Visual Web Developer 2005 Express DivX Player 6.0 n Jetsoft P2S Converter 1.07
Edition Beta 2 n WinRAR 3.42
n Gecko.NET GIS Control and Library 1.0 n SpywareBlaster 3.4
ProxyGen 1.1 n IrfanView 3.97
n HTML To PHP Converter 4.2.1.9 n ZoneAlarm 6.0.631.003
n VLFullScreen 1.0 n Mozilla Firefox 1.0.6
n MyDbConverter 3.0 n MSN Messenger 7.0 MOBILE APPS
n ToWeb 1.01 n Norton AntiVirus Definitions n Xingtone Ringtone Maker 4.1.76 SIMS 2 VIDEO REVIEW
n Power Website Builder 1.5 Update 5/8/2005 n Smart VAS J2ME Client 1.0.5 Street Challenge is an authentic, free,
n Kerio Personal Firewall 4.0 n World History Trivia 1.5 online multiplayer drag racing simulator
n MSI Nvidia-based Graphics Drivers n Commander Mobile Anti-Virus 3.0
(Windows 2000/XP) 31.0 n BeetzStream SmartRss for Windows
n Opera for Windows (Non-Java) 8.02 n SmartPhone 2.0
n Maxinote 1.10
SYSTEM n Webcam SMS 4.0.1
LINUX n iMesh 5.2
n Console Tools 0.2.3 n BitComet 0.57
n Comanche 3.0 Beta 4 n FoldMonkey 1.34
n Xmahjongg 3.6.1 n Nucleus Kernel Undelete 4.02
n Snes9express 1.26-2 n PDF Compress 1.0
n XFree86 Base 3.3.6 glibc n AllKeys 1.032
n Folder Lock 5.2.4
n Keynesis Lockngo Professional 3.1
n JiWire SpotLock 1.6.91

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subject. If the subject is not mentioned, your mail might not reach the right person. DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 11
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 Online Digit Patrons
By Demand It really does
September 2005

You get to choose what goes in Digit pay to be loyal!

Interactive. This month, you chose: Find out more
F.E.A.R. Game Demo on www.
Google Earth thinkdigit.com

Digit Reader Poll Last Month’s Question:

Which section of Digit is your favourite?
This Month’s Question
Enter/Escape 4%
How much will you spend on

infographic Vijay Padaya

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12
 Xbox Pricing Announced Pre-Paid Phone Tabs
Microsoft will be selling the Xbox 360 at $299 (Rs 13,000). The Malaysian government will stop the anonymous use of
A more expensive version costing $399 (Rs 17,400) will mobiles—people using prepaid services will have to register their
include a 20 GB hard drive, wireless controller, headset details with phone companies. The decision follows worries
and remote control. Microsoft is aiming to get the console about the use of unregistered phones by members of violent
onto shelves in time for Christmas this year. militant groups, either to communicate or to trigger explosions.

Enter
FOES IN WAITING
Pooja Bedi
Actress and model

P ooja Bedi is India’s original

glam girl and is today a
Hackers And Virus Writers
name that commands respect in
the glam industry. As a model,
actress, TV host, author, candid
Eye Vista
columnist and a doting mom,

A
Bedi is a trendsetter. Here’s her lthough there’s
take on technology. still more than a
year before
What does technology Microsoft’s new Vista
mean to you? OS hits the shelves,
Technology helps me work is on in full swing
enhance my life in to bring it down! Virus
more ways than you writers are already
can imagine. It’s a working on ways of
necessity when it hacking Vista.
comes to work, An Austrian
entertainment, recreation programmer has
and even on the household front. published examples of
malicious code that
How do you use technology in exploits loopholes in
your day-to-day life? technology which could
I am very computer-savvy. At be part of Vista. The
home, I make extensive use of viruses affect
the Internet. I love music and I Microsoft’s command
burn and compile my own music shell technology,
collection. I like the facility of which is expected to
online photo albums as well— replace the current
and I even take prints as and command prompt.
when needed! Security company
F-Secure described the
What gadgets do you own? malicious code as proof- Illustrations Harsho Mohan Chattoraj

I have a smartphone on which I of-concept viruses to

can record one hour of video. highlight potential has to wonder whether peripherals, sporting goods,
My mobile helps me remain vulnerabilities in Vista. things would be any electronics, shoes and what
accessible at all times—I realise Security experts had, in different with Vista if MS not! But online retail major
its importance even more when 2004, sounded warning bells cannot plug information Amazon.com is preparing to
I am overseas. I also use a about a possible attack on holes within its offer a digital-music service.
digital camcorder. I love the command shell. But organisation to start with. According to The Wall Street
shopping for gadgets. Microsoft has announced For a sneak peek at Vista, turn to Journal executives, the
that the new technology will ‘New and Notable’ in this issue online retailer recently held
Has technology influenced not ship with the final talks with record-label
your career? version of Vista. THEY’VE JOINED THE executives. The licensing
Technology has increased my Windows runs on BANDWAGON options discussed included
almost 90 per cent of PCs song-by-song downloads and
productivity manifold. For
instance, when I’m researching worldwide. In view of this,
the security risks that an
Download a monthly subscription
service similar to the iTunes
a topic or person for my TV
show, I get lots of data online. I exploit might pose are
heightened.
MP3s @ music download packages.
The paper also reported
consider Google a good friend!
Essentially, technology is a According to Microsoft,
security would not be an
Amazon.com that Amazon has discussed
tapping MusicNet, a New
requisite and I advocate using it
to the fullest to make life easier add-on but an integral part York distributor of digital
and more exciting. of the operating system.
As it stands, though, one T hey already sell books,
clothes, computers and
music, to support the
service. The online retailer

16 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Security Watch
indicated it is interested in companies are working on
Adobe Buffer Overflow launching a digital-music just that so you don’t have RSS-
service by the end of 2005. to deal with those dreary Enabled
The Problem The company had earlier QWERTY keys any more. Browsers
On August 16, Adobe reported a posted a job listing on its iKeyInfinity, a Moscow- What better
vulnerability in Reader and Web site for a content based company, is expected than getting
Acrobat. The vulnerability is acquisition manager for to launch its new multi- news and updates straight
caused due to a ‘boundary into your browser? All
“our forthcoming Digital language design for the major browsers, such as
error’ in the core application Music Service.” This Windows and Macintosh Firefox, Opera and IE7 Beta
plug-in, and can be exploited to employee “would seek and platforms early next year. 1, today integrate multiple
cause a buffer overflow when a license digital-music Connected via a USB 2.0 RSS feed readers.
specially-crafted file is opened. content worldwide, cable, each key has a 17 x 17
A boundary error happens including content from pixel LCD to show the
due to an invalid value entered major recording labels and character according to the RSS Aggregators
into an application. For independent recording language used in the Why
example, if there are too many labels and artists.” operating system. waste
characters in a text entry, a hard disk
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos When the language space on
boundary error occurs. had stated he wanted to changes, the image on each an RSS Aggregator when
increase the digital content key changes accordingly. you can get the same feeds
The Damages offerings on the site. The company says the in your browser? In
If the vulnerability were Explaining that the move image could be any addition, RSS Agregators
successfully exploited, the are cluttered and are not
would bring in larger alphabetic letter, easy to use.
application could crash, with an volumes of traffic to the mathematic symbol,
increased risk of arbitrary code site, Bezos said that punctuation or musical
execution by the hacker. streaming content and notation—or any graphic independent, and will use
video downloads were also symbol or glyph. organic light-emitting diode
Precautions being looked into as future In addition to English, (OLED) technology to give it
Since the vulnerability is rated as options. the keyboard can switch a soft glow. The software
“highly critical”, you’ll need to With this move, Amazon over to Cyrillic, Ancient development kit will be
update your Adobe software. would join an already Greek, Georgian or Arabic, made available as an open-
For Reader versions 7.0- crowded but continuously just by changing the source code package.
7.0.2, use the automatic update growing segment of online language configuration on
facility. The 7.0.3 update files can music retailers, led by Apple the computer. STAMP HERE!
also be manually installed from Computer, Napster and Designers at Art Lebedev
www.adobe.com/support/
downloads. This is the page for
RealNetworks. Studio have come up with a
keyboard called the
A New ‘Fing-
all the updates mentioned below.
For Reader versions prior to
CHAMELEON KEYBOARDS Optimus. The group hopes
to have the final product
erprinting’
7.0, Adobe strongly recommends
upgrading to Reader 7.0.3.
Keyboards ready by next year. Similar
to the iKeyInfinity device,
Technique
For Acrobat versions 7.0-
7.0.2, use the automatic update
To Change Optimus can handle non-
facility. The update files can
also be manually installed from
Characters
English characters as well
as special symbols, HTML
codes and the like. Two
A low-cost laser scanning
system could help in the
fight against document and
the site.
For Acrobat versions 6.0-
For You versions on the Web site
show keyboards specially
ID fraud, according to its
developers at Imperial
6.0.3, use the automatic update designed for someone using College in London.
facility, or install the update
from the site. And for Acrobat
versions 5.0-5.0.5, download and
I s your 104-key keyboard
boring you to death? How
about a set of new
Adobe Photoshop and
another for someone who
might be playing Quake.
The Laser Surface
Authentication (LSA) system
scans tiny surface variations
install the 5.0.10 update from programmable keyboards? A Designers said the of paper, plastic, metal and
the download site. couple of Russian keyboard will be OS- ceramics to detect the

One Silly Question “How long would you like to live if you were a Cyborg?”

“As long as po ithin

and I would ssible, as I am a doctor pes are t life w
and ho “A hundred years wo d swee ing”
Bhavik Shah
like to help ot
hers” “I don’t really know. Maybe not ll my dreams uld be t a sho
r t a n
everyth
a enough” “I wan can achieve ai
, Gujarat
very long” “Until
!” I mb
fulfilled
i
Daver,
Mumba
Ninad Kotkar, Mu
mbai which hit e, M u
Ketaki Likhite, Goa
Roshni ka Lik
Priyan

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 17

 Pulse
The Digital World A Round-up Of Technology News From Across The Globe
UNITED STATES FINLAND
It has recently been reported that high-tech Digital signatures via SIM cards and
companies are going overseas to find talent mobile phones have taken off in CHINA
not being produced in the US. More than Finland. The Finnish Population
South Korea's Samsung has
half of the computer scientists in the US are Register Centre now offers its citizens
announced it plans to make China its
foreign-born. From Google's Sergey Brin the option of conducting official
second R&D base and its global R&D
(Russia) to Yahoo's Jerry Yang (Taiwan), business over the Internet. This allows
centre. At a conference on R&D
immigrants are rising to the top of US- the citizen to use a mobile telephone
strategy in China, which ended August
based high-tech industries. when secure identification is required
16, Lee Yoon-woo, vice chairman of
for online services or requests.
Samsung Electronics, said China was
of strategic importance.

UAE MALAYSIA
On August 8, Samsung announced plans to kick The number of broadband users is
off the Olympics of the cyber-gaming community, growing by 30,000 new users per
the ‘World Cyber Games 2005’, in the UAE. The month. At that rate, it is expected
first cyber-gaming championship, too, took place that Malaysia will have 700,000
in the UAE. This year again, Samsung will host the broadband users by the middle of
UAE round in alliance with its local partner 2006. Malaysia's population is about
eCompany’s online gaming service engine 24 million.
www.mplayer-arabia.com.

AUSTRALIA
Australia said on August 17 it was
developing battlefield robots capable of
military operations that could free soldiers
from some dangerous tasks. The new
systems will be intelligent and largely
autonomous.

material’s ‘fingerprint’. system, such as a paper

The system then records surface. The scanner records Three Incredibly Useful Sites
the naturally-occurring the way the laser light is
pattern of imperfections. reflected off the surface of Info, scams, and news insights
These are impossible to the paper or plastic.
replicate as they are very The speckles, as with www.infoplease.com infoplease
minute in nature. human fingerprints, are Here’s “all the knowlede you need”, as
This technology could be almost unique. The the homepage says. You need to take a
used on materials such as researchers working on the look at this site to believe the sheer
passports, ID cards, credit system said it could help to amount and range of information
cards, CDs and DVDs, clamp down on fraud, drug available. Quizzes, polls, crosswords,
banknotes, and packaging. counterfeiting, terrorism culture, almanacs, atlases, history, an
The scientists involved and identity theft. encyclopaedia, a dictionary, a
in the project said this thesaurus...
system offers a much EVEN CHEAPER CELL
simpler, largely foolproof, PHONES?
and inbuilt—thus cheaper— www.scambusters.org
way to authenticate and
track sensitive documents
New Platform ScamBusters.org
“ScamBusters Helps You Protect

than current methods such

as holographs.
To Lower Yourself From Clever Scams—Online
and Offline," and there are a variety of

The ‘fingerprints’ of the

materials are made up of
Handset resources and links on this page to that
end. Even if you don't think you are or

variations of ridges and

grooves, which characterise
Costs will be a victim of fraud, the site is fun
to navigate—it has links such as ‘Urban
Legends’, ‘Scam Check’, ‘Viruses’,
materials. These ‘Credit Card Fraud’, and so on.
imperfections are of the
order of a few hundred
nanometers.
I nfineon Technologies has
announced sample
availability of its first
www.storydata.com STORYDATA.COM
The homepage says the site helps you
Scientists at Imperial reference design for ultra- get “more insight out of the stories that
College and Durham low-cost handsets. Using affect our world.” When we last
University used an optical their new ULC reference checked, featured stories included
phenomenon known as platform based on a single- ‘fiscal implications of ageing,’ ‘patterns
‘laser speckle’ to detect the chip GSM solution, costs for of global terrorism,’ ‘the costs of a
variations in surfaces. Laser GSM handsets with SMS bioterrorist attack,’ and many more.
speckle occurs when a functionality could be The stories here seem genuinely
focused beam of laser light reduced by nearly half in insightful, and all the sources of
scatters over a random the near future. information seem authentic.

18 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Pulse

Digit Caption
“Not quite computer
heaven...”
Last Month’s Winner!
Ratan Sharma ,
17, Mansarovar,
Meerut 205 006
“Aage baitha driver, phir bhi
passenger dhoondhe driver(s)”

E-mail your caption with the

subject “Beat That”, and your
postal address, to
[email protected]
and win Solaris 7
Administrator
Certification
nier,
with something fun by Bill Calkins
for a photo. Come up nth.
Every month, Digit
will carry a caption Entries accepted by the 15th of this mo Published by Techmedia,
e!
Photograph Jiten Gandhi m at their own gam
and beat the Digit tea New Delhi

Present costs for with the GSM900/1800 and estimated standby time of contest is “Imagine a world
handsets include all GSM850/1900 standards. It more than ten days and a where technology enables
electronic components, the includes a single-chip GSM talk time of four hours is us to live healthier lives.”
printed circuit board, radio/baseband, other RF what the company is India has emerged as the
connectors, casing with components, power supply, projecting, once the world’s IT nation with
keypad and display, all memory, operating system, platform comes into use. diverse technology talent,
software components, hardware drivers, GSM making it an ideal
rechargeable batteries, protocol stack and a IMAGINE IN INDIA destination for a global
charger, packaging and reference MMI (Man showcase of innovative
documentation.
Infineon’s platform
Machine Interface) for
simple and intuitive use of
MS Brings solutions.
This announcement
provides all the electronic
hardware and software
SMS and telephone
functionalities. Volume
Global was made at the Imagine
Cup 2005 world finals,
components needed in dual-
band handsets complying
production is expected to
start in the first quarter of
Contest To which recently concluded
in Japan. Over 16,000
2006, which means that
ultra-low-cost
India students from 92 countries
participated in the contest
handsets could this year. Nearly 6,000 of
be in the shops
a few months
later.
M icrosoft has
announced that India
will be the venue for
these participants were
students from India,
making it the country with
Power Imagine Cup 2006, an the second-highest entries
consumption has annual worldwide contest worldwide.
also been held by Microsoft to help The contest includes
optimised so students across the world nine ‘open’ categories such
that cheap showcase their software as Software Design,
rechargeable development skills. Technology Business Plan
batteries such as The contest aims at and Rendering, and three
nickel metal empowering students to special categories created
hydride (NiMH) apply their creativity, only for school students.
AAA micro-cells knowledge and technical The theme for Imagine
can be used to abilities towards making Cup 2005 was “Breaking
power the the world not only a more down Boundaries”, and
phone. With connected place but also students were encouraged
standard a better place through to conceptualise
rechargeable technology. technology solutions to
mobile phone In keeping with this, help address emerging
batteries, an the theme for next year’s social issues.

20 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Pulse
also taps independent viable commercial
Vikram Rajagopal vs Jisha Punyani publishers and the Web, alternative to renting or
GENDER helping users find such buying DVDs. The service,
Googlewhacking things as music videos, called BoxOffice365.com,
reviews and photographs allows customers to
of artists. download videos of
Yahoo! and rivals such as VHS quality.
Google and Blinkx have As of now, only a few
already launched video live comedy and music
BENDERS search services as the video services are available,
Internet’s role in but the British Internet
entertainment grows, and Broadcasting Company
ad revenues pour in. (BiBC), the entity behind the
The company has service, promises a
5 links integrated Yahoo! Audio significant content
Search with its video search catalogue will be uploaded
Googlewhacking was the last thing Vikram had expected. service, and has invited by the end of September.
Pensively, he chose his first search phrase—‘icosahedron
history’ (of course, he had the dictionary to help him). That people to submit videos and
got him 25,900 links. The other terms he used were ‘raitt music through Media
factfile’, ‘nanovalent’ and ‘hexanumeric’. His performance Really Simple
improved with each attempt, and his last attempt of Syndication, so it
‘hexanumeric’ gave him a commendable five links. Keep
trying, Vikram, and you’ll get there! can be found by
the new audio
search engine. It
also integrated
tools from its
comparison
shopping search
engine, which
helps users find
CD prices and
make purchases
1 link
from a variety of
retailers.
On hearing about the task, Jisha seemed clueless at first. After
understanding the concept of Googlewhacking, she seemed In doing this,
reluctant to start. Four attempts were given to the duo and Yahoo! has forayed
their task was to return only one search result. Jisha tried into all forms of
combinations such as ‘aberdeen angus’, ‘jujube’, ‘mutex Internet search and
vlogging’, and ‘mutex hydration’. She got a high number of
links every time—8,52,000 hits for ‘Aberdeen Angus’! Her final cataloguing—the fastest
attempt comprised the words ‘mutex vlogging’, and Google growing source of income Some of the content,
displayed just one link. Good going, Jisha! for most online companies. such as The Sex Pistols’ TV
debut of Anarchy in the UK
YAHOO! IS AUDIBLE music downloads, YES, DOWNLOAD IT! will be made available for
interviews, Podcasts and purchase for the first time.
Now Find other Web audio content.
Although Yahoo! Audio
Britons Take The firm has signed
publishing agreements
That Podcast Search, at http://audio.
search.yahoo.com, is still in
Initiative In with a number of
publishers including V2,
On Yahoo! testing, it gives users access
to more than 50 million
Legal Movie ITN and Laughing Stock.
However, only one film
audio files as the Web site Downloads studio—Universal—has so

W eb media giant Yahoo!

has launched a free
increases the amount of
media content it offers.
far signed an agreement.
BiBC’s founder Paul Hague
Web audio search service
that helps users find, hear
and buy everything from
Apart from the well-
known record labels and
music artists, the service
A UK firm has started a
video download service
in the hope of creating a
admitted Hollywood has
been reticent about
offering legal downloads

Googlewhacking
N o, Googlewhacking is not beating the hell out of
someone who says Google has the most number of
indexed pages! It is the art and science of searching
The term is a brainchild of Gary Stock—he was so
obsessed with finding such results that he created this
game with rules called Googlewhacking.
with two dictionary-recognised words such that the Stock lays out the rules for keeping score: one
query yields just one result. For example, point for a pure Googlewhack, meaning a single
“orchestrator bamboozling”, “metronome dewpoint”, result for your query; one point if you learn
and so on. So it’s a bit like hitting a bulls-eye with something; and a bonus point if you “laugh even
Google search. more” at the results.

22 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Pulse
of films, even though irises and voice patterns. Apple Computer, and a
content is wrapped in Banks, supermarkets and Harvard professor. Baa!
copy- protection even some airports have
technology to prevent begun to rely on such CORPORATE PODCASTS?
unauthorised sharing. systems, but a security
Downloads are available
on a ‘pay-as-you-go’ basis
analyst who goes by the
name Zamboni challenged
Big Blue To
Podcasting
with prices of between £1.50
(Rs 118) for a music video,
hackers to bypass biometrics
by attacking their backend
Podcast
What is podcasting? and £6.99 (Rs 550) and systems networks.
Podcasting is a way of
delivering audio over the
Internet. It’s something like
upwards for a full DVD.
That’s more expensive than
renting a DVD, but the BiBC
Also on hand at the
conference was Robert
Morris, former chief scientist
I BM is all set to embrace
Podcasting, the digital
audio craze that allows
Internet radio, with the hopes the convenience of for the National Security consumers to take audio
difference being that you can not having to go to a shop Agency, to lecture on the programming off the
subscribe to a podcast, have it will appeal to potential vulnerabilities of banking Web and listen to it on
downloaded, and listen to it at
customers. ATMs, which he predicted portable music players. The
any time you wish.
By the looks of it, would become the next “pot
Where can I listen to a BoxOffice365. com wants to of gold” for hackers.
podcast? do for video downloads
Although the word what iTunes did for legal
‘podcasting’ is derived from music downloads. It’s one of
‘iPod’ and ‘broadcasting’, you a small group of companies
don’t need an iPod to listen to
a podcast. All you need is the trying to change the way
requisite software, and you people enjoy films and
can listen to a podcast on any video downloads.
computer that has the
software. SHOWTIME!
Why is podcasting an
interesting development? Hackers
Podcasting is sort of like
Internet radio with the added Demonstrate
benefit that you can listen to
the show any time you want.
It allows individuals to
Their Skills
distribute shows over the
Internet. While it’s not
In Vegas
possible for any individual to
walk into a radio station and
demand a certain broadcast,
any individual with the right E ven the ATM machines
were suspect at this
year’s Defcon conference,
equipment can do a podcast.
where hackers played
How does podcasting work? intrusion games at the
You can subscribe to a bleeding edge of computer
podcast using a software
called a podcatcher. The
security. With some of the
system uses the format called world’s best digital break-in
RSS 2.0 (or RDF XML) with artists pecking away at their company
enclosures (the podcast is the laptops, sending e-mails or Hackers and the plans to introduce a
enclosed data). This is answering cell phones could computer security experts series of occasional
somewhat similar to the RSS also be risky. who make a living on Podcasts on its investor
feeds on the Internet many of Defcon is a no-man’s tripping up systems say relations site as part of
us subscribe to. land where customary security would be better if a broader effort to
When did podcasting first adversaries—Government people were less lazy. To communicate directly
become popular? Security and technology make their point, they to its investors and the
It’s possible that the first use experts—spar with digital pilfered Internet passwords wider public about
of the term ‘podcasting’ was mavericks. The result is from convention attendees. hot topics.
in an article by Ben sharing ideas about making Anyone naive enough to The Podcasts would be
Hammersley in The Guardian the Internet a safer place. In access the Internet through insights on emerging issues.
on February 12, 2004. By reality, however, it’s just the hotel’s unsecured The company has
October 2004, detailed how-
hackers flexing their wits wireless system could see emphasised that the
to-podcast articles had begun
to appear online. and muscles. their name and part of their Podcasts would not be IBM
This year’s hot topics passwords scrolling across commercials. The company
Who can podcast? included a demonstration of a huge public screen. It also sees these Podcasts
Anyone! With the right just how easy it may be to was dubbed the ‘The Wall replacing the traditional
software and minimal attack supposedly foolproof of Sheep’. whitepapers.
hardware requirements, that biometric safeguards, which Amongst the exposed
is. Just Google “How do I
create a podcast” and find the determine a person’s sheep were an engineer Compiled by Aditya Kuber,
answers! identity by scanning such from Cisco Systems, Mithun Kidambi, Ram Mohan Rao
things as thumbprints, multiple employees from and Renuka Rane

24 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l Lead Feature

Digital

32 I,Friend
Robot-Your
36 The Race For
Speed 42 GRR-aphics
Cards
Passion
Fuelling the pursuit of technology knowledge

Lead Feature

MOVIE
Even multi-million dollar movies
make silly mistakes when depicting
technology. Here are a few...

MADNESS Robert Sovereign-Smith

T
hose of us who watched War Of The Worlds
were captivated by its special effects.
Almost everyone muttered some sort of
expletive at the end, angered by the quick and
hurried ending. “Bacteria killed them all” was a
wholly unexpected finale—perhaps one of the
most anti-climactic endings of all time—except
for the few who had read the book first!
Movies have this magical power over
people. Music is what perhaps comes closest
in this regard, but even the power of music
pales in comparison to the emotions that
Imaging Vikram Kathare

movies are able to elicit from even the most

stoic. Women and macho-men alike cried like
babies when they saw that little red cape
covering one of the corpses in Schindler’s List;
we all laughed whole-heartedly at Jim Carrey’s
antics in Liar, Liar, and every Indian learnt
more about the Mahatma by watching Gandhi
than we ever did in school!
 India has the most Goof-ups
prolific movie industry in A whole range of Web sites have
the world, with more sprung up over the last few
movies being made here per years that talk about flaws in
year than in Hollywood! movies. Even The Internet
Only here can a simple family movie such as Movie Database (IMDb.com) has a whole section
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge run in packed dedicated to movie goof-ups. The most popular
cinemas for years at a stretch, primarily goof-up is one done by poor editing and script-
because it was a movie every Indian could ing. These goofs, also called continuity goofs,
relate to. Of course we also have the epic happen when a particular scene is shot again
Sholay—a film that’s even popular among and again-things around a set are bound to
those who snub Bollywood productions. change. Like when shooting a scene, if there’s a
However, since reams have been written coffee cup on the table, after the twelfth take,
in praise of the all-time greats of the big the coffee cup may have been moved, or even
screen, we’ll stop here. Here, we applaud taken out of the shot. When editing, this may
the tremendous effort and love that movie be overlooked, but of course, audience mem-
makers knead into their creations, but also bers will notice it, and a few days later, you have
highlight the technological changes that a dozen new posts in IMDb’s ‘goof’ section.
have occurred over the years—which not Another, more serious, type of goof-up is the
every movie maker has been able to meet. type where you can see people or equipment used
in the production of a movie. The simplest exam-
ple is the boom microphone peeping in from the
top of a shot, or a not-so-well-concealed person trig-
gering smoke, or some other background effect.
However, without a doubt, the most serious
flaws in movies are caused by bad research of a
topic. Considering that trillions of dollars are
spent on making movies every year, most of it
on special effects and actor’s fees, it’s not too
big an ask to expect directors and script writ-
ers to do their homework. Perhaps you could
even go as far as to say, “If I can spot bad
research in your multi-million dollar block-
buster, then, well, you suck!”
As Digit readers, it’s especially bad when you
‘Angela’ uses QuickTime player on her laptop... see mistakes relating to technology in block-
buster movies. In fact, the idea for this story
came about when a few of us watched the movie
Evolved Audiences Constantine. Here’s what happens:
Though there’s no lack of creativity in
movies, as is apparent from their contin- Constantine
ued success in the entertainment indus- Angela is mourning her sister’s death, and is
try, there is a need for realism. When we watching the security camera video of her sis-
say ‘realism’, we do not imply that every ter jumping off the top of the building. All
movie needs to be made like a reality well and good so far. Then we start to see the
show; we mean that movies should not errors creep in. First of all, security cameras do
depend on the audience’s ignorance of a not follow subjects around like a diligent cam-
subject to make sense. era-man. Secondly, since when do security
People have changed, and the inclusion videos have close-ups? There’s a shot of
of Internet access in our everyday lives Angela’s sister whispering the name
means that we’re free to learn about any Constantine, and of course we get to see it per-
subject we desire. There was a time when fectly—those security cameras must be top-of-
one could safely make a space movie with the-line Hollywood movie cameras!
unrealistic physics and technology, and no
one would notice. The people who would
know right from wrong were a minority,
and in all probability, locked in a super-
secret basement somewhere in Area 51,
doing top-secret research. Today, anyone
with the desire to learn can log on to
www.nasa.gov and read up on absolutely
anything to do with space exploration.
This easy access to information has
transformed today’s movie audience into
experts in their own rights. Unfortu-
nately, some elements of movies, or for
that matter, some movies in their
entirety, require audiences that do not
think for themselves. ...unfortunately, she doesn’t know her buttons!
 However, this is not what anything in her life?
made those of us watching the She never went to
movie burst into peals of laugh- college? Had pictures
ter. No, it took a special goof to taken for the annual
do that! Angela is watching the yearbook? What about
security camera footage on her laptop. She’s college friends? Don’t banks expect you
using Apple’s QuickTime Media Player, the ‘Q’ to sign cheques?
icon is clearly visible, and when she notices her The Net expected us to believe in a paper-
sister say something, she rewinds the clip. less world, yet even today, the world isn’t
However, unlike any of us normal, everyday tech- that way. Still, it was a good movie that
nology users, she doesn’t use the progress bar; made us all a little scared of the Internet
instead, she presses the ‘Previous track’ button. even in 1995.
There is a ‘Rewind’ button, but she clicks on
the ‘Previous’ button. As any of us who have The Core
used a software media player will tell you, this In The Core, which was recently doing the
button will take you back to the beginning of a rounds on a popular movie channel,
clip, or even to a previous clip, but in this case, there’s a character called Rat who is sup-
Angela magically rewinds the clip to exactly the posed to be the world’s best hacker. This
right spot—talk about divine intervention! character is skinny, sickly-looking and
OK, so some of you may argue that such a
mistake isn’t even noticeable and that we’re nit-
picking. True, perhaps most people will not even
notice this error, and it is sort of minor, especially
in a movie that deals with a much more serious
subject—judgement day, evil, and God versus the
devil! So what about movies that cover computers
as a subject, and are targeted at us geeks?

The Net
Constantine merely started us off on this goof-
hunt. The very next movie we decided to watch
was The Net, starring Sandra Bullock. In no time
flat, we were again rolling on the floor laugh-
ing. Sure, the movie is really old; sure, technol-
ogy was just entering our lives back then, but Apparently, viruses can infect your monitor as well!
the movie is about technology being evil and
how our identities can be stolen using the Net! the stereotypical nerd. However, the task
This movie was a cult movie for us geeks, assigned to him is a little far-fetched:
and was what sparked the interest in computers hack the Internet!
for quite a few of us. So imagine when we see He is given the job of hacking the
the IP 23.75.345.200 being used in the movie! As entire Internet, and prevent news of the
most of us know, IP addresses are 8-bit numbers, mission to the centre of the earth from
and thus can only have values between zero and leaking. Sure, hackers have much power
255. The fact that the IP contains 345 means in the world of the Internet, but
that someone didn’t do their research properly. preventing the flow of information?
Other stupid technology mistakes in The Net Ridiculous at best!
include viruses that blur your screen, obviously He also hacks into any and everything
attacking your graphics card drivers and giving in under two minutes flat!
them the ability to display cool-looking distor- However, computer technology had a
tions on the display. Yes, we are being sarcastic! very small role in this movie—most of it
Overall, the way computer technology was was dominated by unbelievable physics.
depicted in The Net was unbelievable. Sure, the For example, there is talk about the
idea was that someone’s electronic identity frequency of sound waves changing when
can be erased, but come on! Did she never sign passing through different mediums. Any
physics student should be able to tell you
that this is impossible—the amplitude and
velocity can change, not the frequency.
Then there’s Unobtanium! It’s a magi-
cal metal that gets stronger with
increased temperatures and pressures.
Perhaps they should have called the metal
“Unbelievable-anium”…
Overall, this movie was really bad for
any science student to watch, not just
computer geeks!

Hackers
Here’s a movie that should send all Digit
Ficticious IPs were never ‘that’ unbelievable readers into fits of laughter!
Digital Passion l Lead Feature

Bollywood

T hus far, Bollywood has been known more for

the antics of characters portrayed by actors
such as Mithun Chakraborty and Rajnikant!
We’re used to seeing people leap up to the
fourth floor of a building—backwards! People
think nothing of a hero who can split a bullet on
a blade and kill two baddies with one shot! It’s
cinema, it’s supposed to be unbelievable!
However, more people are attempting to
make serious, well-researched movies. Although
we applaud their effort, we should also point out Above: These keys produce sounds; but what you
flaws in their research. Bollywood’s version of a don’t see is the piano. Now why didn’t they use that?
mish-mash of Hollywood’s Close Encounters of a Below: The monitor used on the ‘old’ PC looks more
Third Kind, and ET: The Extraterrestrial, called like a oscilloscope than a monitor
Koi… Mil Gaya, stars Hrithik Roshan as a
mentally challenged man. His father, a scientist
devoted to finding extraterrestrial life-forms,
invented various techniques of contacting alien
life forms. One works! It’s a computer that
transmits sound to outer space—the sounds are
very similar to what you’ll hear when you watch
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, except that
they’re the holy word ‘Om’ in different notes!
What’s hilarious is the ‘computer’ that
Hrithik’s father uses: it looks like an old and make the computer a little more believable!
oscilloscope was picked out from hospital trash Another recent Bollywood movie is 16
and a small TV fitted into it. Then, someone December—it’s about secret agents and spies
used some Windows Media Player visualisations for the Indian government looking to track
to try and make it look like the ‘computer’ was down terrorists. Keeping with the tradition of
actually transmitting and receiving sound! portraying hackers as young geniuses, this
Though the computer only plays a small movie has a hacker who looks no older than 10.
part in the story, it would have been nice for He’s a Mac user as well!
someone to actually dig up an old 486 and try There’s a scene in the movie where he’s

The year 1995 did not belong to Sandra However, this is where technology takes a
Bullock in The Net, not as far as we are backseat and Hollywood effects kick in.
concerned. Angelina Jolie, in Hackers, took Throughout the movie, you see unbelievable
the baker home with her! displays on computer screens, a lot of useless
The plot is about hackers in 1995 jargon such as RISC, PCI-BUS, and so on being
who stumble upon a huge plot to swin- thrown at you out of context, but by far, the
dle money from a corporation, and juiciest of all blunders is when Acid Burn (Jolie)
somewhere along the line, the plot shows off her new laptop, which is a Mac, to Ice
involves the American Secret Service. Cool, and boasts of it having a P6 chip! Were the
Billions of dollars at stake? Nope, not writers of this movie soothsayers? Apple just
quite; all this racket is created over the recently announced its plans to use Intel’s chips
attempted theft of a mere 25 million for the first time!
dollars. If anything, here’s one aspect of As for the rest of the movie, we’ll let the
the movie that goes against Hollywood screenshots do the talking!
norms of exaggeration!
Coming back to goofs and unbelievable Independence Day
technology… we’re not quite sure where to Yes, there was computer technology used in
begin with this one! the plot of Independence Day; though most of
The plot involves a hacker called ‘Ice us were busy oohing and aahing at the
Cool’ who creates a virus in 1988 at the effects, some computer nerds were asking,
tender age of 11, a virus that crashes “So how exactly does Jeff Goldblum interface
1,507 computers - surely a huge deal in with Alien technology?”
1988! It’s 1995 now, and he’s finally It takes the best hackers and virus writers
allowed to touch computers again - and on the planet a good deal of time to come up
of course, his first act in the movie is to with a virus for, say, Windows XP. In order to
hack a television station. Here he meets find a flaw in an operating system, you need to
(in the virtual world) another hacker be an expert in that system! And that’s for just
called ‘Acid Burn’, who finding a flaw - writing a virus
promptly manages to that’s undetectable and
terminate his connec- exploits that flaw is another
tion… so far so good. ballgame altogether!
 Digital Passion l Lead Feature

So basically the movie expects you to

believe that one of the Ambanis has Rs 70
crore in his personal savings account, which
is accessible via the Internet, and is protected
with only the password ‘gudiya’. Yawn!
So we sat through the rest of this movie,
looking for more mistakes. We got tired of
counting. Someone tell Bollywood makers
that we still do not have 3D-holographic
displays! And even if there are any, no 10-
Above: Wow! The Ambanis really use stupid passwords year-old would be allowed to touch them!
for their Net Banking accounts At the end, there’s a scene where the
Below: An 11 year old disarms a nuclear bomb with 1 same child prodigy is copy-pasting wave
second to spare! graphs so he can match the villain’s voice and
disable the nuclear bomb that’s about to
blow Delhi to smithereens. The computer
screen clearly shows a mouse action of
dragging and dropping, yet all this kid is
doing is rattling away at his keyboard. The
funniest part is when he finally gets the
specific word phrase he is looking for he does
nothing, until our hero Milind Soman
helpfully reminds him to press [Enter]!
If Hollywood has a long way to go before
logged on to a bank’s Web site, and is looking for making truly immersive movies, let’s not
the password to one of the Ambanis’ accounts. His even imagine how much help Bollywood is
‘program’ is a little genie that appears on the Web going to need. With all the computer whizzes
page and scrapes off data from the site while we have walking about our streets, it’s
looking for a password. In the end, the password he shameful to see directors not consulting with
finds is ‘gudiya’. If Milind Soman hadn’t stopped them to understand the limits to which they
him, he would have stolen crores from the can stretch our imaginations—at least in
Ambanis, using the username ‘Ambani and the terms of technology. The least they could do
password ‘gudiya’. is pick up a copy of Digit every now and then!

that movie makers are putting in to

improve the believability of their sto-
ries. As technology invades more and
more people’s lives, perhaps soon we’ll
see movies that don’t divert our minds
from plots by making silly mistakes.
After all, in all the movies mentioned
here (with the exception of Hackers and
The Net, perhaps) technology was just a
prop, but ended up taking centre stage
because of glaring errors.
It’s time that the Holly- and Bollywoods
of the world start accepting that we, their
audience, are not stupid any more, and
How Jeff Goldblum manages to interface with an alien will not just sit down and believe or accept
system and create a virus to crash it is beyond us anything they throw at us.
Some people might argue that movies
Jeff Goldblum’s character manages to do are meant to be journeys of fantasy, and
this in a matter of hours! need not conform to real-world bound-
Let’s not even begin to talk about an alien aries. However, to be truly immersive,
race that traverses the universe to go to war movies need to be based firmly on reality.
with us, runs everything on computers, and This is the reason why horror movies may
does not believe in anti-virus software to not scare us, but walking down a dark,
protect against viruses created by those much desolate street in the middle of the night
lower down in the technology chain! makes us edgy!
We’d love to hear your take on this
We’re Not Stupid subject, and also hear about more tech-
There are perhaps thousands nology goofs you might
of movies out there that have have seen! Write in to us.
loads of technology goof-ups,
but it’s good to see the effort [email protected]

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT

Digital Passion l Tomorrow

I, Robot—
Your Friend Robots are still considered largely outlandish, but advancements over the
years may soon change that... and with it, probably the way we live

Aditya Kuber Yoshihiro Kuroki, Tatsuzo Ishida, Sony Corp’s ace

robotics engineer suggested the creation of a new

E
ver since science fiction took over the minds species of humanoid entertainment bots along
of inventors and the world at large, we have the lines of C-3PO, the golden chatterbox in Star
been yearning to create that perfect robot Wars. Creating robotic workers for factories is one
who would be our best friend, maid, pet, driver, thing, but the technical challenge of creating
vacuum cleaner… a veritable all-in-one that something like a humanoid is tremendous.
would rid us of having to do our daily And what about the potential hazards that
chores, and not ask for leave either! such a creature could pose? Until these creatures
How close are we to this becom- are smart enough to ‘understand’ what it’s like
ing a reality? Going by recent inven- to walk, they could just trip over and fall, injur-
tions and developments, not too ing someone in their path and bring lawsuits
far… robots are already begin- against Sony in their wake!
ning to walk, talk and yes, in Sony, though, decided to go in for the idea
some cases, even think anyway. Thus was born the SDR or Sony Dream
like people. Robot. At a time when the world was gaping over
Back in 1996, Aibo, Sony’s cute robotic puppy, Ishida and
along with partner Kuroki were displaying half-a-dozen prototype
humanoids at Yokohama at Robodex, an expo for
personal robots.

Illustration Pradeep Ingale

 Digital Passion l Tomorrow
identify, touch, see and imbue motor skills
similar to humans is a task that is comparable
only to the creation of a whole new world.
But why are emotions for a robot so impor-
tant? Simply because for robots to be meaningful
companions, they must be ‘socially savvy’. At the
MIT’s Media Labs, work is being done on ‘Kismet’
(see box below), who is learning to recognise
human emotions—and also has a face to express
its own moods.
The image of a genie that has long been
imbibed into the human psyche makes us want
something—or someone—who can do more than
us in terms of memory and mental and physical
skills. Is a robot companion the answer?
The industrial world wants robots for work in
hazardous surroundings; the military, to fight
on the battlefield. But one place most humans
would want them is in their homes. Why? For
doing mundane, daily tasks like cleaning the
house, washing clothes and cleaning the dishes.
Driving you to work and shopping for groceries
would figure next on the list, and an added
Honda’s Asimo can also be your tour guide bonus would be if they could tutor the kids after
school. That’s the ideal home AIO (all-in-one).
That was 2001. Since then, there hasn’t been That’s your genie right there, but given the
much progress—and developers in labs around state of AI and the current expertise in this
the world are still struggling to build bots that field, getting your dream bot home may take
are spitting images of humans in movement some time. As of right now, they are prone to
and possibly behaviour. But when will they be mistakes and a lot of them. But wouldn’t that
ready? Will we, in our lifetime, ever be able to make them that much more human? Yes, but
summon someone like Rosie—the robot maid that’s not what we’re looking for, is it?
from The Jetsons? None of today’s robots can do any of the
Rough estimates based on developments household chores we would want them to. They
indicate that 2010 could well be the year when
robots walk the street. Considering that’s just Growing Up Botty
five years away, it does seem rather impossible.
They were also saying back in the ‘60s that
everyone would fly by 2000 and that cars would
be obsolete!
M IT Labs had two humanoid robots to its credit. Unfortunately, both have
retired and are now part of the MIT’s Museum. During their 10-year lifecycle,
these robots successfully mimicked emotions, and showed that it was possible to
But what is it that we are looking to create really ‘grow up a bot’.
here? Is a lump of wires and metal that vaguely
resembles the human form the final objective? Kismet
Not quite. Researchers around the world have Kismet was an expressive robot that could communicate
since long achieved the human form—bipedal with humans socially. It was capable of showing emotions
(two-footed) movement included—and work is such as sadness, happiness, excitement, and so on. A lot of
now focused more on making these bots behave computers worked together so Kismet could function
more like humans and understand what we are socially at the level of a young person!
saying. Artificial Intelligence (or in fact, the Kismet really could understand the human it was interacting with, and it
lack of it) has been the stumbling block. processed the inputs it received (visual and auditory) from the human and
adjusted its behaviour accordingly. It was designed such that it could learn the
Coming Of Age way an infant learns, and to this end, it needed a caretaker!
There are several things that differentiate The caretaker had to provide a proper ‘learning environment’ for Kismet, and
humans from relatively simple creatures such as also understand how Kismet was ‘feeling’ at any given moment, so as to behave
lizards, cockroaches and so on. Consider our accordingly with the bot. Just like a child: if it was under-stimulated, Kismet acted
sense of sight and our emotions. bored—and was difficult to interact with. If over-stimulated, it showed fear, and if
Cockroach-like robots are relatively easy to the excess stimulation continued, it shut itself down at some point.
build. But it’s a tremendous challenge to create
a bot that even vaguely resembles a human in Cog
the departments that matter. For instance, how Cog was an experiment in robotic cognition. The goal of
do we imbue a robot with the emotion of fear? the Cog project was to get it to the ‘IQ’ of a three-year-
And how do we enable it to distinguish between old. This humanoid torso had been learning to interact
a living and a non-living thing—something even with its surroundings—including people—since its
a child can do when it is a year old? inception in 1993. Cog’s intelligence levels progressed to
Humans have normally overcome most of the crawling-infant stage. Its ‘eyes’—cameras, of
the challenges they have faced—and success- course—tracked people moving, and it could establish
fully built skyscrapers and supercomputers, eye contact with people. This may not seem like much, but consider the fact that
and have even put men on the moon. But most general robots can’t distinguish a person from an object such as a wall.
getting a robot to smell something, feel and

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 33

 Digital Passion l Tomorrow
can’t even pick up a broom! But the next gener- hospital food trays and carrying documents
ation that is being created—in the shapes of Evolutionary from one office to another.
animals—could well be more capable. There is a robotics aims to The Japan Robot Association (JRA) had esti-
good chance that an Aibo could be sitting at raise a machine mated that by 2002, nearly 11,000 service robots
your door, at guard in the night after a hard like a child— would have been deployed, 65 per cent of them
day’s work inside the house. letting it learn in hospitals and nursing homes. JRA projected
that by 2005, healthcare robots would be a $250
Great Expectations from its own million market, which would then hit $1 billion
As humans, we always have great expectations experiences and by 2010—approaching 10 per cent of the total
from our friends, families and ourselves. But will sensory market that year. As for personal bots, a panel of
our robot friend understand it? To be honest, it’s impressions, industry and academic experts predicted they
best if they didn’t. So long as they just did what rather than will be as common as PCs and cell phones within
is asked of them, we’ll be happy! 10 to 15 years. You could finally draw a bath
And no, this is not fantasy. Already, some feeding it canned that’s exactly 29.4o C every day!
toy-like robots are reminding the elderly to take software written
medicine and keep appointments. And future by humans Growing Up A Bot
plans call for bundling more advanced mecha- Aibo, Asimo, Robosapien and any of the other
nisms into roving maids and butlers. similar bots have one thing missing when
Ah… a butler that will be at hand for your compared to Rosie. They do not have a character
whims and fancies. While most inventors main- of their own.
tain that robots are ‘almost intelligent’, the Bots like Aibo can learn tricks and respond
question is, will there be a time when they to voice commands, and are touted to be the
could be more intelligent than us? And this next big thing, but what good are a few tricks
question wakes the doomsday soothsayers from when you want the whole circus?
their slumber. But they can rest easy for a while While researchers everywhere are fasci-
as inventors and creators of the modern day nated by the potential of home robots and
maids and butlers are still worrying about cyber-companions, there are labs that are
issues like movement and response times. counting on biological approaches to help
Hollywood has already done its bit to scare us produce mechanical beings—known as evolu-
out of our wits by depicting robots as evil beings tionary robotics.
whose only purpose of existence is to take over The basic idea of evolutionary robotics is to
the earth. One question: why? What on earth be able to raise a machine like a child, letting it
might push them to take over? Is it the fact that learn from its own experiences and sensory
they no longer want to be ruled and want to be impressions, rather than feeding it canned soft-
masters of their own destiny? But that would ware written by humans. Leading places for
mean they are able to think and understand such research include the University of Sussex
emotions and have aspirations. Unfortunately, in Britain, Switzerland’s University of
that’s happening only in Hollywood. Lausanne, and the MIT and Michigan State
University in the US.
When Can You Buy One? MIT’s Cog and Kismet are probably the most
Your dreams of having a butler and/or a maid famous of the self-educated bots. But no matter
scooting around the house may not be fulfilled how personable the Cog may seem, a robot
this decade, but some of the early developed with human-level intelligence still remains a
bots are functioning as guards, delivering faraway dream.

The Evolution Chart

R esearchers in corporate and academic labs are racing to

develop working models that, within a few years, may become
our cohabitants and co-workers. The leaders include companies
Aibo (Sony Electronics): Aibo is controlled by
its Mind 2 Software located on a removable
Memory Stick. This Memory Stick dictates
such as Matsushita Electric Industrial, NEC, Sony and Omron and Aibo’s behaviour. This is even possible using a
are literally investing millions in the development of personal PC or a mobile device.
robots. Here are some bots that have so far seen light of they day: In daily life, Aibo can communicate with
and entertain its owner. As time passes, Aibo
Asimo (Honda Motors): One of the first ‘robo also starts to identify its owner’s voice and
sapiens’ to be developed was Honda’s Asimo, a face and it can even recharge itself!
1.2-metre-tall android that resembled a child
astronaut. It could stride like a human, climb Roomba (iRobot): Developed by
stairs, and negotiate corners. It could even iRobot, Roomba is an intelligent robotic
turn the lights on and off, and to show off, it vacuum cleaner. All Roomba ‘Robotic
could walk a figure eight! Floorvacs’ feature iRobot’s AWARE
Asimo, however, was blind, deaf and dumb Robotic Intelligence System, which uses
—to be able to perform its antics, it had to be lots of sensors to monitor Roomba’s
remotely controlled. It may seem that a environment, and adjusts the bot’s
remote-controlled robot is no big deal, but like behaviour up to 67 times per second,
we’ve mentioned, the very fact that it could ensuring that Roomba cleans effectively, intelligently and safely.
stride and climb stairs is a massive feat of Roomba is also the first cleaning robot to have hit the market
engineering and computer science. commercially, and has already tasted success.

34 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l Tomorrow
For true versatility, robots need to be mobile.
Robot companions must be able walk on two
legs. And this is still an engineering challenge.
Bipedal movement is essentially a continuous,
controlled fall that’s avoided only by precisely
timing each step.
Humans do it without thinking, so it seems
simple. But the fact is, it takes a fabulous amount
of computational horsepower just to prevent a
two-footed, walking bot from falling. Early
mobile robots had to drag a cable connecting
them to a fairly big computer—which meant
limited mobility.
A lot of the focus in robotics now is on creat-
ing bots that walk like humans without help.
And a lot of this behaviour—including walking—
is learned by the robot, instead of being hard-
coded. It may seem that hardcoding the behav-
iour is simpler, but it’s not: it’s easier to program
robots so they learn by themselves.
According to some sources, computing
power increases a thousandfold every 15 years. If
this is the case and if the trend continues it’s
only a matter of time before even little metal
pets like the Aibo become intelligent. Still,
many experts believe truly smart robots are
inevitable, given the ever-growing power of
computer chips. One hopes so.

Household Help
Despite all the advances and inventions in robot-
ics, one unanimous feeling is that the future of
robots is at home. That is, home robots; your maid
or butler. These creatures would be expected to
wake you up and have your morning cuppa ready,
draw your bath, iron your clothes, make your
breakfast, clean the house, probably read you your
newspaper, make your lunch… the list continues.
But our existing technology may prove
restrictive, and while work continues in this
field, there is a certain amount of scepticism that
has to be countered before intelligent robots can
really become a part of mainstream life.
There are, for example, reasons to believe
that research in the US is not as extensive as in
Japan thanks to Hollywood’s depiction of robots
as evil beings. In Japan, though, robots have been
widely shown as helpers and may hence just be
accepted more easily. But what about the rest of
the world? Being fed off Hollywood may even
mar the widespread use of robots elsewhere.
Some interesting research from the creators
of the Roomba has shown that more than
anything else, people want to know if the robot
can ‘clean their floors’. The second most wanted
feature humans want in a robot is the ability to
wash clothes. Roomba seems to have fulfilled
the first desire. Time to wait and watch how
long before the next is fulfilled.

Can I Afford One?

US, Europe and Japan notwithstanding, can the
rest of the world afford a robot even if they became
reality? Developers and manufacturers predict that
the prices of these household helpers may not
exceed those of a high-end laptop. Say around
$1,000 (Rs 45,000). In which case, your dream bot
may just be reality. Start saving!
[email protected]

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 35

 Digital Passion l In Sight

Imaging Akhilesh Prasad

The RACE
For Speed For years, Intel and AMD upped speeds the gigahertz way. They’re now
pushing dual-core processors. We look at the why and the what of dual-core
So, how does one make a faster processor? The
Ram Mohan Rao first and most obvious answer is to make changes
in the design of the processor such that it is intrin-

T
he only constant is change. In the computer sically faster. To illustrate, pipeline implementa-
world, the only constant is increase in tions (see box Instructions And Pipelines) have a huge
speeds—read gigahertz. Ever since the public impact on processor performance—and break-
got sold on the idea of faster processors, Intel and throughs that improve processor design come
AMD and the smaller processor manufacturers about once in a while. But some fundamental
have been making their millions off just one barriers are being reached, and the need is for a
idea—that people want faster computers. Of quick-fix solution to the ‘gigahertz problem’:
course, many things go into the making of a faster faster processors, right now!
computer, but a faster processor is perhaps most The second thing one could do is increase
important. So how do AMD and Intel make proces- clock speeds. But that’s another fundamental
sors faster? barrier that’s being reached: the rate at which
In what follows, we dwell on the why and chips have been shrinking, manufacturers can’t
what else and what if of dual-core processors seem to achieve higher clock speeds without over-
more than on the processors themselves. This is heating the chip. Mandatory water cooling? That’s
because the actual concept is straightforward a possibility… But even then, the heat we’re talk-
enough—it’s the peripheral issues that are ing about is due to the power that’s supplied to
more pressing. the chip, and it takes a lot of power to get a

36 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l In Sight
processor working at high clock speeds. Now, a
processor with a lot of electricity all around the Processor Caches
die is prone to electrical noise. This electrical
noise causes interference between the ‘wires’, or
pathways, on the processor. There could then be
some electrical radiation between adjacent path-
P rocessor cache memory is expensive, very fast memory—much more
expensive than, say, DDR-RAM. It is located on the same die as the
processor. The processor cache is used by the processor to reduce the
ways, which could, in turn, corrupt data. average time that it takes to access memory.
Another solution lies in keeping the proces- To understand how cache memory works, think about two
sor busy for more of the time. This is achieved instructions—“add A and B to make C” and “add D to C”. Now, after the
via HyperThreading, for example (see box processor has added A and B to make C, C is stored in main memory (the
HyperThreading). RAM) as a value. But it’s also stored in the cache. This is because it’s very
One more possible solution is increasing the likely that there will be some instructions in the near future that will need
L1 and L2 caches (See box Processor Caches for more). C. Sure enough, our next instruction goes “Add D to C”, and the processor,
This is a definite possibility, and is being done— when it looks for the value of C, looks in the cache first. In our example, it
but cache memory is expensive, and increases the will definitely find it in the cache, because just the previous instruction
total cost of the chip. Both Intel and AMD have mentioned C. So overall, the CPU has to ‘go’ to main memory less often,
been increasing the size of the L2 caches. Intel has with the help of caches. (Remember that main memory is much slower to
even added an L3 cache to the ‘Extreme’ Pentium respond than cache memory. Since the cache needs to be fast, it has to be
versions—this was previously unheard of in a desk- placed physically very close to the processor.)
top processor. Now where ‘L1’ and ‘L2’ come in is when you consider the fact that L1
However, it must be borne in mind that cache—the memory that is physically closest to the processor, after the
increasing the cache is a diminishing-returns situ- actual CPU registers—is prohibitively expensive. Processors therefore can
ation: beyond a certain point, increasing the only afford a small L1 cache. If the cache size is to be increased, one needs
cache just doesn’t help. to resort to a slower, larger L2 cache, which is further away from the
As for increasing transistor count, processors processor. This is the multi-level cache concept.
are already cramped. While it may be possible to The L1 cache, typically 8 to 64 KB in size, is where the processor looks
cram more in the future, it doesn’t seem feasible first. If the item is not found, the processor looks in the larger (typically
right now. 256 KB to 2 MB), slower L2 cache, and so on, all the way to main memory.
The most elegant solution comes about when
you think of the way computers are used these
days: one person running several applications at processors—the cores are on the same die, and
the same time. A quick-fix solution would seem to internally share the L1 and L2 caches (See box
be, why not delegate two processors for the same Processor Caches). The two cores also have separate
jobs? In other words, if there are four tasks being pipelines (See box Instructions And Pipelines), so data
performed, how about two processors for the job— gets processed that much faster. (A die is an inte-
each of them doing two tasks, both working at grated circuit chip as diced or cut from a finished
the same time? wafer; a wafer itself is a thin slice of semi-conduct-
In principle, that’s what dual-core processors ing material, such as a silicon crystal, upon which
are about: they’re essentially two processor cores the microcircuits are constructed.)
on one die. They’re not two physically separate The two cores share some hardware, such as
the memory controller and the bus, whereas a
dual-processor system has completely separate
Intel’s Dual-Core Approach resources—such as the caches—for each processor.
Remember that in general, a dual-core proces-
sor won’t be as fast as a dual-processor configura-
Execution Execution tion. There could be exceptions to this, depending
Core Core on the software that runs on these newer
systems—so we’ll have to wait and watch to see if
dual-core beats dual-processor.
So then, why two cores on one die, when you
2MB 2MB could have a dual-processor rig? The answer is
L2 Cache L2 Cache cost. A dual-core processor works out cheaper in
terms of production cost than two processors
taken together. This is not to mention that the
motherboards required for a dual-processor
Bus Interface Bus Interface configuration are more expensive too, because of
the extra circuitry, and for other reasons as well.
Think now about how two cores would help:
the simplest scenario is when your computer is
doing two entirely different things. One could be
the encoding of a video file, and the other could
be the manipulation of an image in Photoshop.
MCH FSB These two tasks could, in principle, be handled by
the two cores independently. There’s another
scenario here: the second processor will be able to
The Intel approach to dual-core seems more like a quick-fix solution than something keep the system running smoothly if the first core
built from the ground up. The two cores have their own L2 caches and bus interfaces, is being put to 100 per cent use. Think about how
but the communication between the cores happens via the Northbridge and FSB out- your system slows down when you’re encoding a
side the chip. The ‘MCH’ here is the Memory Controller Hub. video file… with the help of the second processor

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 37

 Digital Passion l In Sight
core, you wouldn’t even notice that there’s some
encoding going on in the background! AMD’s Dual-Core Approach
The Software Aspect
There’s a difference between multi-tasking CPU 0 CPU 1
faster, and a single program running faster. You
could expect a performance boost if, like we said,
you’re running two very different programs. But
the story is different if you’re running just one L2 Cache L2 Cache
program. In this case, you may not even notice (for CPU 0) (for CPU 1)
the difference between a regular processor and a
dual-core.
So overall, what kind of an improvement can System Request Interface
you expect with dual-core? The operating system
and the software have to be aware that there are
two cores out there doing the work, and make the
threads accordingly. Remember that the two cores Crossbar Switch
make sense only if there are entirely different
threads to exploit—so the separate threads have
to be created somehow. And it is one of the jobs of
the OS and the software to do this. On top of that,
they obviously cannot do it with 100 per cent effi- Memory Controller HyperTransport Technology
ciency (or segregation).
So can current OSes and software do this?
Unfortunately, not all. Some OSes, such as
Windows XP Home, simply cannot acknowledge
that there are two processor cores. And most
games and applications aren’t written with this in
mind. (Adobe Photoshop, amongst other Because AMD added a Northbridge-like provision to the Athlon64 die to support the
programs, happens to be, so if you use it exten- memory controller and the HyperTransport link, the two cores can communicate
sively, go right out and buy a dual-core!) with each other within the processor itself. The ‘crossbar switch’ handles requests to
Meta Group vice president Steve Kleynhans the memory controller and the HyperTransport link to the rest of the system.
says, “It's a lot more complex to write software
that's multithreaded. It's also harder to check for so many, why are the chipmakers pushing for
errors. We could find ourselves with buggier soft- their release right now, in their desktop avatars?
ware. Certainly software vendors have known this The answer probably lies in competition—and
and been working on multithreaded applications early adopters of the technology apart, neither
for some time, but it is more complex.” AMD nor Intel can afford to lag behind too much,
That makes it sound like a pretty dismal situ- lest its marketshare be gone by the time it gets in!
ation. But keep in mind two things—first, that as
dual-core becomes mainstream, operating AMD’s And Intel’s Approaches
systems and software will definitely evolve AMD’s and Intel’s approaches to dual-core is
towards being multithreaded, complex though it very different. In AMD dual-core processors, the
may be. The market will demand it. And secondly, two cores communicate via a Northbridge-like
as we mentioned before, even if your applications provision (see box The Northbridge) within the
aren’t currently aware of two processors, and if chip itself. AMD had to add this provision to the
one app maxes out one core, the other core will Athlon 64 die so as to support the onboard
prevent your system from lagging. memory controller and HyperTransport link
But then again, another question raises its (see box HyperTransport), and this now comes in
head. If dual-processor-aware applications aren’t handy—a second core can easily be accommo-

Instructions And Pipelines

A computer instruction is not as simple as “add A and B”.

There’s more to it than that. For example, if you’re talking
about A and B, the instruction needs to be read first; then, the
each of the units mentioned above can do different things in
different instructions.
To illustrate, suppose “add A and B” is followed by “add C
data needs to be brought from wherever it is—either from the and D”. What happens? First, the “add A and B” instruction is
CPU registers, the CPU cache, or from main memory. After fetched by the instruction fetcher. Then, while the appropriate
that, the addition operation must be done, and the result unit is figuring out where A and B are, the “add C and D”
placed somewhere so it can be accessed. instruction is fetched by the instruction fetcher. After that,
There are independent units in the processor that do each while A and B are being added by the adding unit, the
of these things. For example, one unit fetches the instruction; ‘location figuring’ unit is figuring where C and D are.
another checks where in the system the values are (assuming The basic idea of pipelining is as simple as that—each unit
it’s an ‘add’ operation we’re talking about); another brings the of the CPU is always doing something, instead of each
values in; another does the actual calculation; and finally, one instruction finishing before the next one is brought in.
unit places the result in a suitable location. Modern advances in computer architecture consist largely
What happens in pipelining is that sequential instructions in figuring out how to make the pipeline architecture on the
are carried out simultaneously, based on the principle that chip work better.

38 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l In Sight
dated, with all inter-core communication hap-
pening within the chip. How Pipelining Works
By contrast, in Intel dual-core processors, the
communication has to happen via the front-side Clock cycle
bus and the Northbridge on the motherboard,
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
meaning external access.
So are AMD’s dual-core chips “better and
faster” than the Intel one? It seems so. To quote
Inst 1
News.com, “Both Anandtech and Tom’s Hard- L1 D1 E1 E2 E3 E4 WR
ware—two hardware benchmarking sites—have
published reports stating that, in their own Inst 2 L1 D1 E1 E2 E3 E4 WR
tests, the dual-core Athlon 64 X2 chips gener-
ally edge out the Intel Pentium D and the dual- Inst 3 L1 D1 E1 E2 E3 E4 WR
core Pentium 4 Extreme Edition, although the
results vary by the tests. Anandtech found that
the fastest dual-core Athlon, the 4800+, and Inst 4 L1 D1 E1 E2 E3 E4 WR
often other dual-core Athlons, typically outper-
formed the Intel chips on tests for single appli- Inst 5 L1 D1 E1 E2 E3 E4 WR
cations, such as running Adobe Photoshop
or DivX.”
This is not surprising, since it seems that
Intel’s Pentium D, a dual-core processor, is just Pipelining is one of the fundamental techniques to speed up processors. The orange
like two identical P4 Prescott processor dies blocks above are instructions, broken into their component parts. ‘L1’ stands for
tacked together. ‘Load’; ‘D1’ stands for ‘Decipher’; ‘E’ stands for ‘Execute’. So here, in clock cycle 1, the
processor loads instruction 1. In cycle 2, the first instruction is being deciphered,
Heat while at the same time, the second instruction is being loaded. Clock cycle 3 sees
Heat is the enemy of processors, to the extent instruction 1 being executed, instruction 2 being deciphered, and so on. In dual-core
that one of the reasons clock speeds can’t just be processors, each core has its own pipeline.
bumped up is heat! How much heat do dual-core
processors produce? Fortunately, not too much. duce more heat than AMDs—but even this is not
AMD says their dual-cores will produce about the alarmingly high.
same amount of heat as their single-cores. Intel’s We’ve all heard about heating issues with
dual-core processors, like the Pentium D, pro- processors, and now, when there are two cores on
a single die, shouldn’t there be double the
The Northbridge amount of heat?
There are a couple of reasons that this is not

T he Northbridge is one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a

motherboard, the other being the Southbridge. Sometimes-but not
too often-the two have been combined on to one die, when design
the case, apart from the obvious fact that not
both cores will be maxed out at the same time.
Firstly, clock speeds: dual-core processors are,
complexity and fabrication processes permitted it. But in general, core in general, clocked somewhat slower than their
logic chipsets are divided into these two main parts. The Northbridge single-core brethren. And secondly, dual-core
typically handles communications between the CPU, RAM, AGP port or processors are being manufactured using the
PCI Express, and the Southbridge. Some Northbridges also have 90 nm fabrication process, just like the latest
integrated video controllers. single-cores. The “90 nm” refers to the smallest
In our context, the point is that AMD’s dual-cores have a Northbridge- ‘feature’ size on the die, usually the gate width
like provision within the chip itself, so there’s no need to go to the of the transistors. A smaller fabrication size
motherboard for inter-processor communication. leads to less power dissipation, and therefore
less heat.

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 39

 Digital Passion l In Sight HyperTransport
The Motherboard Issue AMD could
The first run of the dual-core Athlon 64 X2 chips
are compatible with any Socket 939/940 mother-
board. All that’s required is a BIOS update! But
already be
ahead in the
H yperTransport is a high-speed technology
for data transfer within the integrated
circuits in computers and other devices. The
in the case of Intel, you need a new pair of sup- race when it technology allows data throughput in excess of
porting chipsets—the Intel 945P and 955X— comes to 12.8 gigabytes per second. HyperTransport was
meaning you’ll have to buy a new motherboard developed by AMD in co-operation with several
if you want an Intel dual-core. This really makes
dual-core other companies, and is a trademark of the
it seem like AMD is already ahead in the race HyperTransport Consortium.
when it comes to dual-core.

Licensing issues it will consider a dual-core processor a single

With the advent of dual-core, licensing issues processor, and will charge per processor, not
have cropped up. If a software is licensed for one per core.
‘computer’, but it’s assumed that the computer Oracle, on the other hand, considers a dual-
has only one processor, what happens when the core server a two-processor server when charg-
computer happens to have more than one ing for its server software. Similarly, IBM
processor? Does a dual-core processor count as considers two cores as two processors for soft-
two processors or one? ware licensing purposes. But other software sell-
How multi-core chips will affect licensing ers are taking the opposite stance: Sun not only
is unclear, but industry analysts say a simple, prefers the socket definition for a processor, it
uniform system is unlikely anytime soon. AMD argues for a radical pricing structure change.
recently released recommendations for how When selling its server and desktop software, it
software companies should charge: it said charges a fixed annual fee based on the
companies should count processors based on customer’s total number of employees.
the number of physical sockets used. This Kuldip Hillyer, a manager in the strategic
would mean a dual-core chip would count as a marketing group at BEA, gives a compelling
single processor. Microsoft, too, has said that argument: “Dual-core does not equal two CPUs
in terms of performance. Hardware vendors
HyperThreading don’t charge you double; they charge a 30 to 40
per cent premium.”

T o understand HyperThreading (HT), one needs to first understand what

threads are. Threads are something that programs create. Think about
threads not as programs, but as independent execution lines. An example is
Dwight Davis, vice president and Practice
Director at Summit Strategies, sums it up: “Some
licensing models are showing signs of strain,
seen in browser software: the graphics, text, sound, all seem to load none more than the per-CPU model common to
independently-that’s because each of these elements is a thread, which are databases and application servers. The static per-
interpreted by the browser as such. CPU model seems destined for extinction.”
Intel’s HT technology basically fools the OS into thinking that there are
two processors. If there had been two processors, it would have been Here To Stay
possible to hand one thread to one processor and the other thread to the Call it a game. Or a race. The chipmakers simply
other one; with HT, that’s what it seems like to the OS. had to get faster CPUs out there, and dual-core
This ideally doubles the activity in the chip, and speeds it up. One seems the best approach—regardless of how
example of how this speedup takes place is that with two threads being much software support currently exists.
handed to the processor, there are fewer cache misses—a cache miss, as the However, regardless of whether the soft-
term suggests, occurs when the processor requests something that isn’t there ware supports it, the fact is that more and
in the cache. more applications are being run these days at
Intel has estimated that a single instruction thread uses only about 35 the same time. We routinely run anti-virus soft-
per cent of a processor’s available resources. ware, firewalls, CD-burning, Web browsing,
If there had been ideal division of labour between the two threads, they and much more, all at the same time. If the OS
could have done something totally different—for example, one thread could can properly schedule these software to run on
operate on fetching data from the hard disk, and the other could do integer two cores, you will see the difference. In addi-
arithmetic. Of course, that’s the ideal scenario, and the reality is that HT can tion, software will evolve, and individual pieces
increase the performance of some applications by “up to” 30 per cent, of software will soon become amenable to
according to Intel. being run on two cores.
The Pentium Extreme Edition 840 is a dual-core processor that supports Whatever the case may be, you’re going
HyperThreading within each core—so this means it appears as four logical to get a dual-core processor soon. They will be
processors to the OS! mainstream by 2006—there’s no escaping that!
[email protected]

40 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l Test Centre

GRR-aphics Cards To keep you updated on what’s

happening in the video card
market in India, here’s Digit’s
biggest-ever graphics card test

42 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 Imaging Pratip Ingale

 Digital Passion l Test Centre
able on all the cards here—except for the Giga-
Bhaskar Banik and Jayesh Limeye PCI-Express cards byte GeForce 6200.
are much faster All the nVidia-based cards supported DirectX
than their AGP

I
n January 2005, we touched upon and 9.0c, which essentially means Shader Model 3.0,
compared AGP cards. Our prediction that cousins, and once whereas the ATi-based cards supported DirectX
PCIe video cards would take some time to you start playing 9.0b, which means Shader Model 2.0. The core of
pick up in the market has been correct to an the nVidia cards is clocked at 350 MHz, whereas
extent. However, the lower end of the spectrum
games on them, that of the PowerColor X300 is clocked at 400
has not conformed to this, and it’s certain that it shows MHz—while the other ATi-based cards had a
the popularity of low-end PCIe cards is on the stock core speed of 325 MHz. The 256 MB nVidia
rise—while the mid-range and high-end cards had memories running at effective speeds
segments have yet to make its mark. of 700 MHz, while all the ATi based cards had
In this comparison, we opted for the same their memories clocked at 400 MHz.
method of categorising our cards—in three The GeForce 6200TC has all the features of
segments; low-end, mid-range and high-end, like the high-end cards from nVidia. So why are these
we did last time. Most of the cards we received cards in this category? It is crippled by only four
this time are also available in the AGP flavour pipelines and a single texture mapped unit per
except for the nVidia 5XXX series and the ATi pipeline. Also, the core and memory clock speeds
9XXX series. are much lower than the GT cards in the mid-
Do refer to the AGP comparison in our Janu- range and the high-end. This, in addition to the
ary issue. This will help you gain an overall shared memory, causes them to yield much
perspective into the performance difference lower performance than the mid-range and high-
between the two platforms. end cards. This is also applicable to the cards
We tested 32 cards this time in sum across all based on the ATi chips.
categories with a modified test process (See box
How we tested). The test process was modified Performance
keeping in mind the powerful GPUs that are As expected, the top performer in this category
available on current video cards. We got to lay was the PowerColor X300 256 MB card, with its
our hands on some of the best cards available in comparatively higher clock speeds and a wider,
the market—and some not-so-available ones— 128-bit memory interface.
including the GeForce 7800GTX and the 6800 At 1024 x 768 in Doom 3, this card posted a
Ultra Dual GPU. score of 22.20 fps, followed closely by the Gain-
ward GeForce 6200TC 256 MB 20.30. In Half-Life 2
LOW-END CARDS at 1024 x 768, it logged 65.07, while the Gain-
Would you have imagined six months ago that ward scored 48.13 fps. The same was the case
PCI-Express products would be available for the with FarCry—the PowerColor churned out 72.19
low-end market so soon? PCI-Express has pene- fps, while the Gainward followed with 58.80.
trated the budget segment big-time. This could In 3DMark 03 at default settings, this card
partly be credited to the plummeting prices of scored 3098, which is the highest in this cate-
PCI-Express motherboards which, as you’re gory, followed by the Gainward at 2659.
probably aware, we reviewed last month.
The eight PCI-Express low-end graphics cards Conclusion
we received were from Gainward, Gigabyte, Remember that this category, which we have
MaxForce, MSI, PowerColor and XFX. Even the called ‘low-end’, is nothing but the budget cate-
big players, thus, have a presence in this gory, and pricing a card too high in this catego-
segment. The cards in this segment were obvi- ry is alienating the card from the consumers in
ously based on the lower-performing GPUs—the this segment. The fight would have been
nVidia GeForce 6200TC and the ATi X300. between the MSI GeForce 6200 256 MB and the
Gainward GeForce 6200 256 MB. But the MSI
Features was priced way too high at Rs 6,300, where-
Both the nVidia and ATi GPUs in this segment as the Gainward was priced at Rs 3,950 - and
featured new memory management tech- thus, won the Digit Best Buy Gold because of
niques. While nVidia featured TurboCache, its best price-to-performance ratio.
ATi featured HyperMemory. (More on these
Photograph Sandeep Patil Imaging Sivalal S

technologies later). The Gainward, PowerColor

and XFX GeForce 6200TC supported 256 MB, 5
200
while the rest supported 128 MB of memory. MBER
TE
Of these, only the PowerColor X300 256 MB SEP
card sported a 128-bit memory interface,
while the rest had either a 64- or a 32-bit mem-
ory interface. We therefore expected the
PowerColor X300 to be the top performing
card in this category.
Most of the cards came bundled with a S-
Video cable—except the MSI GeForce 6200TC 128
MB, which came only with a driver CD. Some
cards came bundled with a DVI to VGA adapter.
Dual-monitor, which was a feature found only Gainward GeForce 6200
on high-end cards just a few years ago, was avail- 256 MB

DIGIT AUGUST 2005 43

 Digital Tools l Test Centre
rained games in the MSI box—we counted 14 CDs,
SEP including game and software application CDs.
TEM As usual, Gigabyte, too, provided an excellent
BE
R2 game and software bundle with their cards.
00
5 The rest of the cards were modestly pack-
aged. However, the performance of the cards was
what we were waiting for, and that’s what we
talk about next.
Almost all the cards we tested in this cate-
gory were based on either the 6600 or 6600GT
chips from nVidia, or the X600 or 600XT chips
from ATi. Before we move on to performance,
let’s look at some differences in the cores of
PowerColor X300 these two chips. This will let us better analyse
128 MB the performance difference that will be appar-
ent when you check the scores.
Whatever it won in terms of pure performance The 6600GT core has been built from the
and features, the PowerColor X300 256 MB card ground up for the PCIe bus and runs at a core
lost when considering its price of Rs 5,950. It clock speed of 500 MHz, which is actually faster
still managed to scrape in as our Silver winner. than a 7800GTX. It also features eight pixel
pipelines, which puts it in the same class as the
MID-RANGE CARDS Radeon 9700.
The mid-range cards always hold the interest of
those who want the best, but can’t afford it. Such
users usually settle for the next-best. We got
plenty of cards to play with this time—ten cards
from nVidia and three from ATi. We could not
include one card from Asus, the 6600GT, since it
suffered from display corruption. We also had
two new entrants in this category, namely BIG
and Sapphire, who sent us nVidia and ATi
cards respectively.

Features
Most cards in this category were bundled with
the regular assortment of cables and games, but
some brands stood out. Sapphire, for instance, Gigabyte GeForce 6600
TurboForce Edition 256MB
bundled a VIVO cable with their card, while it

How We Tested

T he low-end segment of our tests comprised eight cards based on

the nVidia GeForce 6200TC and the ATi X300 chips. The mid-
range segment comprised thirteen cards based on the nVidia
1024 x 768 at default settings, and the score was noted. During the
tests, anti-aliasing (AA) and anisotropic filtering (AF) was turned off.
Mid-range and high-end card tests: For the mid-range and high-
GeForce 6600 series and the ATi X600 and X700 series chips, while end cards, we used the above-mentioned games as well as Halo and
nine cards based on the nVidia 6800 series and the 7800 GTX and Futuremark’s 3DMark 05. All the gaming tests were performed at
ATi X8xx series chips were included in the high-end segment. We 1024 x 768 with AA and AF turned off, and the scores were noted.
also tested the MSI NX6800GT SLI and the ASUS Dual GPU GeForce Doom 3 was tested at 1,024 x 768 at high quality and 4x AA settings.
6800 Ultra cards separately. It was also tested at 1,280 x 1,024 and 1,600 x 1,200 at high quality
We had two different test beds, one for the low-end and other settings with AA turned off. Half-Life 2, FarCry and Halo were tested
for the mid-range and high-end cards. The test bed for the low end at high quality settings at 1,024 x 768, 1,280 x 1,024 and 1,600 x
comprised of a 939-pin AMD Athlon64 3800+ on an ECS RS480-M 1,200 at high settings, and at low-quality settings at 1,024 x 768.
motherboard with 512 MB of 400 MHz DDR Corsair TwinX RAM 3DMark 03 and 3DMark 05 were run at default settings at 1,024
modules and a 120 GB Seagate SATA hard drive. x 768 and the scores were noted. In all the cases, AA and AF were
The other test bed comprised an AMD Athlon64 FX-53 on an turned off. The MSI NX6800GT SLI and the Asus Dual GeForce 6800
nForce4 SLI edition-based motherboard with high performance and Ultra GPU cards were tested the same way.
low latency 1 GB of 400 MHz DDR Corsair XMS TwinX RAM modules,
and a 250 GB Maxtor SATA hard drive. The test beds above were How We Awarded
chosen after careful consideration to eliminate any CPU and For the low-end products, price was given a considerably higher
memory bottlenecks in the respective categories. All the tests were weightage than the other categories. The price weightage was
performed at 32-bit colour depth. reduced for mid-range and high-end cards in favour of weightage
Low-end card tests: The testing process for the different for performance and features.
categories was also different. In the low-end segment, we benched The performance weightage for the high-end cards was the
Doom 3, Half-Life 2 and FarCry at lower resolutions of 640 x 480, highest. The scores were calculated on the basis of features,
800 x 600 and 1,024 x 768, and the frames per second were logged. performance and price.
Doom 3 tested the OpenGL graphics subsystem, while Half-Life 2 The card with the highest score was awarded the Digit Best Buy
and FarCry tested the Direct3D subsystem. Futuremark’s popular Gold award and the first runner-up was awarded the Digit Best Buy
synthetic benchmark, 3DMark 03, was also run at 800 x 600 and Silver award.

44 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l Test Centre

SEPTEMBER 2005 SEPTEMBER 2005

Scoreboard Low-end PCI Express Graphics Cards
BRAND Gainward Gigabyte Gigabyte MaxForce MaxForce MSI PowerColor XFX
Model GeForce 6200 GeForce 6200 X300 SE GeForce 6200 X300 SE GeForce 6200 X300 GeForce 6200
256 MB 128 MB 128 MB 128 MB 128 MB 128 MB 256 MB 256 MB
Chipset NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce ATi X300 SE GeForce 6200TC ATi X300 SE NVIDIA GeForce ATi X300 NVIDIA GeForce
6200TC 6200TC 6200TC 6200TC
Features 28.70 20.65 21.35 25.55 21.35 21.35 25.90 27.30
Dual Monitor Support 4 6 4 4 4 4 4 4
Software Bundle DVI-to-VGA DVI-to-VGA S-Video-to- DVI-to-VGA S-Video-to- Driver CD DVI-to-VGA S-Video Cable,
adapter, S-Video adapter, Composite adapter, S-Video Composite adapter, S-Video Driver CD
cable, Driver CD Driver CD adapter, Driver CD cable, Driver CD adapter, Driver CD cable, Driver CD
Specifications
Memory (MB) 256 128 128 128 128 128 256 256
Manufacturing (nm) 110 110 110 110 110 110 110 110
Core Clock Speed (MHz) 350 350 325 350 325 350 400 350
Effective Speed (MHz) 550 700 400 700 400 400 400 400
Memory Bus Width (bits) 64 32 64 32 64 64 128 64
Max Resolution 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536
Compatibility (DX/OpenGL) DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0c/
OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0
Pixel Pipelines 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Pixel Shader/Vertex Shader 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0 2.0/2.0 3.0/3.0 2.0/2.0 3.0/3.0 2.0/2.0 3.0/3.0
Performance 31.98 25.96 28.10 25.56 26.96 30.59 38.25 27.45
3D - OpenGL
Doom 3
Normal (640x480x32) (fps) 41.30 32.00 32.70 32.10 31.10 40.10 48.40 33.40
High (800x600x32) (fps) 29.90 22.30 22.10 22.20 21.20 28.80 32.10 24.00
Max (1024x768x32) (fps) 20.30 15.40 15.00 14.80 14.40 19.70 22.20 16.20
3D - Direct3D
Half-Life 2
Normal (640x480x32) (fps) 85.49 77.15 93.89 76.43 91.44 85.30 105.25 82.61
High (800x600x32) (fps) 68.56 60.48 72.25 60.20 71.22 37.93 91.71 63.81
Max (1024x768x32) (fps) 48.13 42.14 48.19 41.65 47.44 47.22 65.07 43.93
FarCry
Normal (640x480x32) (fps) 96.85 92.91 104.89 90.76 103.45 96.01 113.66 93.53
High (800x600x32) (fps) 83.34 69.93 77.88 68.35 75.78 84.92 106.03 72.10
Max (1024x768x32) (fps) 58.80 47.47 49.42 46.53 47.72 57.99 72.19 49.50
3DMark 03 score
Low End (800x600x32) 3602 2721 1988 2679 2711 3595 4211 2968
High End (1024x768x32) (fps) 2659 1997 2851 1963 1890 2641 3098 2166
Price Index 14.63 16.51 16.51 17.00 14.82 9.17 9.71 16.51
Price (Rs) 3950 3500 3500 3400 3900 6300 5950 3500
Overall Score (Out of 100) 75.31 63.12 65.96 68.11 63.13 61.12 73.86 71.26

On the other hand, the X600 runs a clear 100 1024 x 768, a regular non-GT 6600 is more than
MHz less, and has four pixel pipelines less. The enough. In most cases, you can turn on a little
X700 is more in the class of the 6600 GT, but its of the eye-candy in games, but not all of it.
performance is much lower, as you will see in The only ATi card we can recommend here is
the performance analysis. the X700. The other cards were barely able
to provide playable frame rates—even at
Performance 1024 x 768.
The 6600 series dominated here. In most game
5
tests, the ATi cards couldn’t match the nVidias. 200
BER
None of the ATis posted scores that could TEM
match up to the 6600 cards. At higher resolu- SEP
tions, the 6600 non-GT cards and the ATi cards
could only manage a maximum of 40 fps. The
GTs comfortably cruised above 50 fps in most
DirectX games. This translates into a good
gameplay experience.
Users who purchase a mid-range video card
look for value of money as well as a good, if not
excellent, gaming experience. This is what we
based our tests on.
The price these cards retail at is generally in
the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000. For a user who XFX GeForce 6600GT
wants decent gameplay at resolutions of up to 256 MB

46 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l Test Centre

In sum, the XFX GeForce 6600GT 256 MB wins

SEPT the Digit Best Buy Gold award in the mid-range
EMB PCI-e card category, while the XFX GeForce
ER 2
005 6600GT 128 MB wins the Digit Best Buy Silver
award.

HIGH-END CARDS
This is where we talk about the cream of the
crop! Low-end cards are accessible to anyone, and
anyone willing to spend a little extra can get
mid-range cards. However, this is the section
where we talk about the Porsches and the
XFX GeForce 6600GT Maybachs of the desktop graphics world.
128 MB
Features
The culprit in the case of the ATi cards is the Features-wise, all these cards give you every-
crippled clock speed and pixel pipelines. thing, including games, VIVO connectors and all
Another factor is the older architecture that the the other stuff you could possibly expect. The
ATi cards are based on, as compared to the 6XXX VIVO connectors are especially mentionable,
series from nVidia, which has been developed since you can directly provide component output
from the ground up. The architectural enhance- to your HDTV from the card. Imagine playing
ments do play a major role in the scores that the Doom 3 on your HDTV!
6600 cards posted. PowerColor and Asus were the two manu-
The 6600GT definitely costs more, but you facturers that provided HDTV VIVO connectors.
can be sure of the performance of the card, Games were aplenty, and MSI actually provided
which is much better in terms of frame rates and five games with the RX800. It’s a pity the card
the eye candy possible in games—even at high couldn’t make it to the comparison. On the
resolutions. In fact, it sometimes beat the plain other hand, XFX with their eye-catching X-
vanilla X800 in the game tests. shaped box provided the regular wires and
There is a continuous stream of new games cables—there was no HDTV connector. In terms
released each year, and with each game the of games, they bundled the full version of
hardware ante is upped, at least in the video FarCry (DVD) with their high-end cards, which is
card department. Any investment on a 6600GT sure to attract users.
is money well spent—it will definitely stand you
in good stead for at least the next two years. Performance
We received 10 cards in this category, discount-
Conclusion ing the Asus 6800 Ultra Dual GPU monster and
The XFX GeForce 6600GT duo was the king the SLI-setup. Of these, we could only review
here. No other card could come close to the nine, since the MSI RX800 provided a corrupted
scores posted by these two, in any game, be it display, and we could do nothing about it. The
OpenGL- or DirectX-based. They even topped remaining nine are the best to date, anywhere,
the 3DMark scores. The surprising thing was worldwide. These included top-of-the-line offer-
that the XFX GeForce 6600GT 128 MB card ings from ATi and nVidia.
posted scores identical to its 256 MB counter- While nVidia has come out with two revi-
part in all the games! It seems none of the sions of the graphics cards in their arsenal, ATi
games or benchmarks could utilise the extra has stayed put with their X800 series. Sadly
128 MB available on the XFX GeForce 6600GT enough, the current nVidia cards make the X800
256 MB card. look and feel aged.
All the cards except the Gigabyte had active
cooling circuits. Gigabyte chose to walk a differ-
nVidia TurboCache And ATi HyperMemory ent path and provided a passive pipe cooling

T he nVidia GeForce 6200TC and the ATi X300 chips in the low-end segment
featured new memory management techniques. While nVidia featured
TurboCache, ATi featured HyperMemory. The bottomline is that both these
implementations are in many respects similar to each other. In both the cases, the
graphics card has dedicated memory onboard, but in addition to that, it can access
a limited amount of system memory. This is something like AGP on a PCI-Express
bus, because AGP cards can access system memory in a similar way, and this was
known as AGP texturing. Using this method, the requirement of the amount of
onboard memory is greatly reduced, and this contributes to reduction of price.
The concept is somewhat similar to motherboards with onboard graphics, but
the difference is that with graphics cards, there is at least some amount of
dedicated memory, whereas in the on-board graphics of motherboards, there is
usually none. The advantage of TurboCache and HyperMemory is that they bring
most of the features of high-end cards within the reach of the general populace. This
technology provides the highest graphics performance-to-price ratio.
PowerColor X850 XT Platinum Edition 256MB

48 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l Test Centre

MSI NX6800GT SLI

W hen you buy a high-end 3D graphics card, you want the card
to play the latest games for the next few years. Alas, newer
technologies develop, and in just about a couple of years, your 3D
software. Two DVI to VGA adapters, power and S-Video cables
were also provided.
It was mounted on an nForce4 SLI motherboard with an AMD
graphics card buckles under the pressure of the ever- Athlon64 FX-53 and 1 GB of Corsair XMS DDR RAM in dual-
increasing polygons that are demanded by newer channel configuration. The benchmark results did not surprise us
games, and you feel your card, which was high- at all—they were what we expected from an SLI
end just a couple of years ago, is no longer a setup. The pair delivered fluid frames in all the
worthy gaming card. benchmarks even at the highest possible
nVidia has looked at the past and has resolution. At 1,600 x 1,200 in Doom 3,
reintroduced a scalable solution for this Half-Life 2 and FarCry, the frames per
problem, known as SLI—Scalable Link second logged were 128.6, 85.14 and
Interface—which was the brainchild of 122.10 respectively. Even with all
3DFX in the late 1990s. In an SLI setup, the eye-candy cranked up, the SLI
two graphics cards are mounted on an SLI- setup’s hunger for polygons was not
ready motherboard and connected to each satisfied, and it continued to deliver top-
other by a bridge. This enables them to work in notch frame rates.
tandem and deliver up to twice the performance of a In 3DMark 03 and 3DMark 05, the cards posted
single card. The bandwidth between the cards and the astounding scores of 19,282 and 9,045 respectively.
CPU still remains the same as that of a single card, The MSI NX6800GT SLI is priced at Rs 61,000, which is
because each card is limited to work at x8 speed instead of much higher than the GeForce 7800 GTX’s price of Rs 35,000. The
the x16 speed of a single card. MSI NX6800GT SLI beats the GeForce 6800 GTX in the 3DMark
The MSI NX6800GT SLI is a pair of GeForce 6800GT 256 MB benchmarks, but lags in the gaming benchmarks. If you are a
cards which can be connected in SLI configuration. These cards hardcore gamer, and demand the highest gaming performance,
came in a nice carry case with some bundled games and OEM SLI is the way to go.

system on their ATi X800 card. The cooling was, The next-best card was the 6800 Ultra,
however, not very efficient, and the heat-sink which stood up to its reputation of a pixel
temperature soared when while testing it. cruncher. The ATi cards put up a brave front,
The XFX Geforce 7800GTX was a pleasure to especially the PowerColor X850XT PE, which
test. Talk about adrenaline rushes... this one will was able to take on the XFX and MSI 6800GTs.
get yours into overdrive! It scored a massive All the other cards ended up like extras pn
16,649 points in 3DMark 2003 and 7,942 points in the set, never making their presence felt. The
3DMark 2005, second only to the SLI and Dual XFX GeForce 7800GTX was the show-stealer.
GPU monsters. At 2,048 x 1,536 in Half-Life 2, we
could barely manage to read the text on the Conclusion
monitor, but this card effortlessly shoved a score Given the excellent performance of the XFX
of 86 frames per second at our incredulous faces. 7800GTX, we expected it to be expensive. However,
The processing power of the GPU is the what the price will put a smile on your face: it retails for
needs to be given the credit here. In the 7800GTX just Rs 35,000. The XFX Geforce 7800GTX wins the
core—the G70—the number of transistors on the Digit Best Buy Gold crown in our graphics card
die has gone through the roof. The performance comparison in the high-end category.
boost here is due to the effective implementa- The XFX GeForce 6800GT is the runner-up. It
tion of the G70 architecture and the DDR3 provides blazing fast frame rates which,
video RAM. although not comparable to the
Although it lost out in the 3DMark tests, 7800, are fast enough to let you play
the 7800GTX beat the pants off the compe- any game on it. At Rs 23,000, this card
tition in the game tests. Just take a look at takes the Digit Best Buy Silver crown
the scores table—the rest of the cards for the high-end graphics card
didn’t stand a chance! SEP category. SEPT
TEMB EMB
ER ER 2
200 005
5

XFX GeForce 6800GT

256 MB

XFX GeForce 7800 GTX

256 MB

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 49

 Digital Passion l Test Centre

Scoreboard Mid Range PCI Express Graphics Cards

BRAND ASUS BIG BIG Gainward Gigabyte Gigabyte MSI
Model Extreme N6600 GeForce 6600 GeForce Ultra/1780 PCX GeForce 6600 X600 XT NX6600
TOP 6600GT Golden Sample TurboForce
Edition
Chipset NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce ATi X600 XT NVIDIA GeForce
6600 6600 6600GT 6600 6600 6600
Features 27.40 28.80 26.80 28.40 28.40 23.80 27.40
Accessories/cables DVI to VGA DVI to VGA DVI to VGA DVI to VGA DVI to VGA ViVo cable S-Video to compos-
adapter, S-Video adapter, S-Video adapter, S-Video adapter, ViVo adapter, S-Video ite cable, S-Video to
cable to composite to composite cable cable multi composite
cable, Composite cable, Composite cable
extension cable, extension cable,
S-video to multi S-video to multi
composite cable composite cable

Software Bundle Game CDs, OEM Driver CD Driver CD OEM software, OEM software, Game CDs, Driver Game CDs, OEM
softeware bundle, Driver CD Driver CD CD software, MSI
ASUS utilities and Utilities and Driver
driver CD CDs

Specifications
Onboard Memory (MB) 128 256 128 256 256 128 128
Manufacturing Process (nm) 110 110 110 110 110 110 110
Core Clock Speed (MHz) 300 300 500 300 300 400 300
Memory Speed (MHz) 550 DDR 550 DDR 1000 GDDR3 550 DDR 550 DDR 700 GDDR1 550 DDR
Memory Bus Width (bits) 128 128 128 128 128 128 128
Max Resolution 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536
Compatibility (DX/OpenGL) DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0c/
OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0
P.S./V.S. Version 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0 2.0/2.0 3.0/3.0
Pixel Pipelines 8 8 8 8 8 4 8
Performance 27.10 23.52 31.73 21.97 25.47 14.38 21.05
3D - OpenGL
Doom 3
Normal (1024x768x32) (fps) 74.50 74.90 84.10 59.60 68.60 42.00 59.50
High (1024x768x32) (fps) 69.20 74.60 84.10 59.60 69.70 41.90 60.30
High (1280x1024) (fps) 57.50 51.10 66.60 44.90 51.80 26.90 44.80
Max (1600x1200x32) (fps) 44.70 36.80 53.50 34.00 39.80 16.10 33.90
3D - Direct3D
Half-Life 2
Normal (1024x768x32) (fps) 104.71 91.81 113.96 85.82 102.31 69.43 85.63
High (1024x768x32) (fps) 65.53 62.32 74.80 58.12 69.34 44.12 51.61
High (1280x1024) (fps) 44.02 39.91 52.60 38.59 47.22 25.63 34.72
Max (1600x1200x32) (fps) 32.13 31.70 39.01 31.13 38.18 17.73 26.15
Far Cry
Normal (1024x768x32) (fps) 192.84 185.11 196.15 160.23 155.79 135.88 159.28
High (1024x768x32) (fps) 75.47 59.79 88.71 54.97 59.59 30.67 55.65
High (1280x1024) (fps) 52.96 39.39 63.33 38.32 41.45 20.36 38.21
Max (1600x1200x32) (fps) 31.19 28.52 35.74 28.35 30.82 12.89 24.06
Halo
Normal (1024x768x32) (fps) 70.96 57.01 85.05 55.09 76.60 34.57 55.13
High (1024x768x32) (fps) 65.78 50.84 81.10 49.37 60.24 31.12 49.47
High (1280x1024) (fps) 45.95 34.37 57.39 33.96 41.56 22.71 34.15
Max (1600x1200x32) (fps) 33.91 24.92 42.83 24.89 28.67 14.58 24.13
3DMark 03 Scores (Default) 6662 5266 7768 5132 5627 3438 5115
3DMark 05 Scores (Default) 2129 2087 2455 2079 2406 1367 1654
Price Index 4.29 10.79 6.82 12.75 6.32 7.02 7.43
Price (Rs) 14700 5850 9250 4950 9990 8990 8500
Overall Score (Out of 100) 58.79 63.11 65.35 63.12 60.19 45.20 55.87

50 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l Test Centre

SEPTEMBER 2005 SEPTEMBER 2005

High-End PCI Express Graphics Cards
MSI MSI Sapphire XFX XFX XFX ASUS ASUS Gigabyte
NX6600GT RX600 X700 GeForce 6600 GeForce 6600GT GeForce X800 XL X800 XT X800
6600GT

NVIDIA GeForce ATi X600 XT ATi X700 NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce ATi X800 XL ATi X800 XT ATi X800
6600GT 6600 6600GT 6600GT
29.80 22.60 22.60 25.20 25.20 27.20 29.80 31.60 26.60
DVI to VGA DVI to VGA ViVo cable, S- 2 DVI to VGA 2 DVI to VGA 2 DVI to VGA 2 DVI to VGA 2 DVI to VGA DVI to VGA
adapter, S-Video adapter, Power Video to com- adapter, S- adapters, S-Video adapters, S- adapters, ViVo adapters, S- adapter, S-Video
to composite cable posite cable Video to com- to composite Video to com- cable, S-Video to Video to com- to multi compos-
cable, S-Video to posite cable cable posite cable composite cable, posite cable, ite cable
multi composite HDTV ViVo cable Power cable,
cable WebCam

Game CDs, OEM Game CDs, Driver Game CDs, Game CD, Game CDs, Driver Game CDs, Game CDs, Driver Game CDs, OEM Game CDs, Driver
software, MSI CD Driver CD Driver CD CD Driver CD CD software, ASUS CD
Utilities and Utilities and
Driver CDs Driver CDs

128 128 128 128 128 256 256 256 256

110 110 110 110 110 110 110 130 110
500 400 400 300 500 500 400 500 400
1000 GDDR3 700 GDDR1 700 GDDR1 550 DDR 1000 GDDR3 1000 GDDR3 1000 GDDR3 1000 GDDR3 700 DDR
128 128 128 128 128 128 256 256 256
2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536
DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0b/OpenGL
OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 2.0
3.0/3.0 2.0/2.0 2.0/2.0 2.0/2.0 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0 2.0/2.0 2.0/2.0 2.0/2.0
8 4 8 8 8 8 16 16 12
30.46 14.02 20.99 21.13 37.83 37.73 26.61 31.00 22.81

83.60 41.30 63.70 59.70 121.20 120.80 107.90 120.60 86.90

82.60 41.30 63.40 60.50 121.00 120.20 107.50 120.60 86.70
65.80 26.80 41.90 44.90 88.80 88.70 76.10 93.00 60.10
52.00 14.90 29.50 34.10 64.60 64.30 54.50 67.10 43.30

112.98 67.38 88.04 86.59 119.78 118.51 125.95 123.89 116.74

73.32 42.71 53.91 52.42 88.96 89.89 91.25 91.51 82.16
50.60 25.47 31.35 34.55 67.97 68.49 71.92 80.38 58.65
31.98 17.63 22.86 25.71 54.45 55.28 58.93 69.63 47.98

195.02 131.46 140.30 159.64 197.57 196.85 207.18 208.00 207.29

85.68 30.46 49.48 55.90 106.39 106.69 103.65 135.67 87.47
61.41 20.14 32.68 38.25 71.26 72.00 67.93 91.65 60.13
34.85 12.80 21.76 24.15 52.32 52.20 49.37 65.98 44.26

81.18 34.13 75.62 55.25 86.07 96.51 98.94 128.50 96.93

73.31 30.22 57.65 49.56 86.22 79.39 96.30 113.82 76.69
52.61 20.16 39.44 34.09 59.23 55.84 66.64 81.19 53.57
39.74 14.33 26.49 24.90 43.18 39.17 48.40 54.06 37.22
7570 3351 4570 5131 8498 8520 8764 10389 7599
2397 1362 1591 1650 3611 3751 4309 5529 3859
5.59 8.77 6.31 9.02 5.26 4.21 4.51 3.34 8.50
11300 7200 10000 7000 12000 15000 30160 40700 15990
65.85 45.38 49.91 55.34 68.29 69.14 60.92 65.93 57.91

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 51

 Digital Passion l Test Centre

SEPTEMBER 2005 SEPTEMBER 2005

Scoreboard - High-End PCI Express Graphics Cards Extreme Cards
BRAND MSI PowerColor PowerColor XFX XFX XFX ASUS MSI
Model NX6800GT X800 XL X850 XT GeForce GeForce 6800 GeForce 7800 Dual VGA NX6800GT SLI
Platinum 6800GT Ultra GTX
Edition
Chipset NVIDIA GeForce ATi X800 XL ATi X850 XT NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce
6800GT Platinum Edition 6800GT 6800 Ultra 7800 GTX 6800 Ultra 6800GT
Features 29.80 29.00 29.80 30.80 31.80 30.80 29.00 32.80
Accessories/cables DVI to VGA S-Video to HDTV 2 DVI to VGA 2 DVI to VGA 2 DVI to VGA, 2 DVI to VGA 2 DVI to VGA DVI to VGA
adapter, S-Video cable, S-Video to adapters, S- adapters, S- S-Video to adapters, S- adapters, S- adapter, S-
extension cable, composite cable, Video to HDTV Video cable, composite Video cable, Video cable, 2 Video exten-
Power cable S-Video to multi cable, S-Video to Power cable cable, Power Power cable Power cables sion cable,
composite cable, composite cable, cable Power cable
Power cable S-Video to multi
composite cable,
Power cable
Software Bundle Game CDs, OEM Game CDs, Game CDs, Game CDs, Game CDs, Game CDs, Driver CD Game CDs,
software, MSI Driver CD Driver CD Driver CDs Driver CD Driver CDs OEM software,
Utilities and MSI Utilities
Driver CDs and Driver CDs

Specifications
Onboard Memory (MB) 256 256 256 256 512 256 512 512
Manufacturing Process (nm) 130 110 110 130 130 110 130 130
Core Clock Speed (MHz) 350 400 520 350 400 450 400 350
Memory Speed (MHz) 1000 GDDR3 1000 GDDR3 1080 GDDR3 1000 GDDR3 1100 GDDR3 1250 GDDR3 1100 GDDR3 1000 GDDR3
Memory bus width (bits) 256 256 256 256 256 256 256 256
Max Resolution 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536 2048x1536
Compatibility (DX/OpenGL) DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0b/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/ DX 9.0c/
OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0 OpenGL 2.0
P.S./V.S. Version 3.0/3.0 2.0/2.0 2.0/2.0 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0 3.0/3.0
Pixel Pipelines 16 16 16 16 16 24 16 16
Performance 31.95 28.35 33.21 32.96 34.91 40.18 39.65 40.49
3D - OpenGL
Doom 3
Normal (1024x768x32) (fps) 136.80 110.30 124.50 136.80 140.60 142.80 137.50 138.50
High (1024x768x32) (fps) 136.00 110.50 123.90 136.20 141.00 143.00 137.20 139.10
High (1280x1024) (fps) 114.60 78.70 98.00 114.50 127.40 141.70 132.70 136.40
Max (1600x1200x32) (fps) 91.40 56.10 73.90 91.70 106.30 132.10 122.90 128.60
3D - Direct3D
Half-Life 2
Normal (1024x768x32) (fps) 117.76 126.29 128.84 117.30 90.60 122.69 115.67 115.76
High (1024x768x32) (fps) 89.86 93.62 95.53 90.33 89.92 93.44 87.64 86.72
High (1280x1024) (fps) 84.37 77.16 85.53 84.36 88.29 94.15 86.67 87.13
Max (1600x1200x32) (fps) 73.12 64.06 74.96 73.36 81.69 91.48 84.83 85.14
Far Cry
Normal (1024x768x32) (fps) 196.12 206.93 206.40 197.32 159.96 196.95 189.78 190.65
High (1024x768x32) (fps) 142.23 123.15 144.93 143.68 149.02 148.88 143.60 143.83
High (1280x1024) (fps) 103.35 80.45 101.21 105.77 123.16 144.57 138.03 139.92
Max (1600x1200x32) (fps) 79.01 57.59 73.11 79.04 94.07 124.46 117.60 122.10
Halo
Normal (1024x768x32) (fps) 117.55 129.54 150.97 135.27 149.69 139.62 159.05 160.36
High (1024x768x32) (fps) 83.00 95.55 120.48 111.73 112.12 139.62 116.26 124.21
High (1280x1024) (fps) 70.58 66.20 88.07 81.02 88.14 125.77 115.73 119.11
Max (1600x1200x32) (fps) 60.71 45.90 65.14 60.16 67.87 60.16 97.76 100.44
3DMark 03 Scores (Default) 11524 9468 11267 11524 13143 16649 18547 19282
3DMark 05 Scores (Default) 4911 4810 5985 4923 5774 7942 8745 9045
Price Index 4.46 7.17 4.86 5.91 2.42 3.88 2.25 2.23
Price (Rs) 30500 18950 27950 23000 56200 35000 60320 61000
Overall Score (Out of 100) 66.21 64.52 67.87 69.67 69.12 74.87 70.90 75.52

52 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Contact Sheet Graphic Cards
Brand Company Telephone E-mail Web site
ASUS ASUSTeK Computer Inc. 022-56490048 [email protected] in.asus.com
BIG Big Byte Corporation 022-23894800 [email protected] www.big-tek.com
Gainward Mediatech India 022-26361111 [email protected] www.gainward.de
Gigabyte Gigabyte Technology (India) Ltd. 91-22-26526696 [email protected] www.gigabyte.in
MaxForce Maxtone Electronics 022-23016468 [email protected] www.maxtone.com
MSI Micro-Star International 011-51758808 [email protected] www.msi-india.com
Sapphire ATi Technologies 022-252470085 [email protected] www.sapphiretech.com
PowerColor Mediatech India 022-26361111 [email protected] www.powercolor.com
XFX Rashi Peripherals 022-28221013 [email protected] www.xfxforce.com

Asus Dual VGA/Dual GPU 6800 Ultra 512MB

S LI improves and scales gaming performance. But what if this could be achieved
using a single card? What if two GPUs are snug-fit onto a single card?
Remember the Obsidian X-24 in the 3DFX days, which had implemented SLI on
a single board with two Voodoo II chips on-board? The Asus Dual VGA 512 MB card
does just that. It is, in fact, a chip-level SLI implementation—two GeForce 6800
Ultra chips on a single card, eliminating the need to plug in two cards into two
different slots.
You will still need an SLI-capable
motherboard to use this card. On a non-SLI
motherboard, it will run as a single GeForce
6800 Ultra card.
Each of the GPUs gets only half the total
bandwidth and memory of the board, so the
256-bit, 512 MB memory runs as 128-bit 256
MB memory dedicated to two individual
GPUs—and hence is not as fast as a 256-bit,
512 MB memory should be. Hence
theoretically, in high-bandwidth situations
such as 16x AA and 16x AF, the GPUs should
become severely memory bandwidth limited.
We tried to test if this was true. At 1,600 x 1,200 in Doom 3, Half-Life 2 and
FarCry, the frames per second were 122.9, 84.3 and 117.6 respectively. The 3DMark
03 and 3DMark 05 scores were 18547 and 8745 respectively. This card thus
performs better than the GeForce 7800 GTX and a bit poorer than the GeForce
6800GT SLI solution in the 3DMark benchmarks, while in the gaming benchmarks
it comes third, behind the GeForce 7800 GTX and the GeForce 6800GT SLI— even
though this card has two GeForce 6800 Ultra chips onboard.
In a situation involving two GeForce 6800 Ultra cards in SLI configuration, this
dual-GPU card will fade into obscurity. Considering the price of Rs 60,320, this card
at this moment is not worth considering even if you happen to be the most
hardcore of gamers.

Summing It All Up
The XFX video cards dominated the graphics cards comparison. We remem-
ber the time last year when XFX made its entry in our comparisons. It was
the underdog, and though it showed promise, could not make it to the big
league. This time round it took over the show and won four coveted awards,
which serve as a benchmark for you, our readers.
None amongst the opposition could stand up to the gauntlet thrown
by XFX. Solid build quality and extremely competitive prices made the
cards sure-fire winners, and so, this year concludes with XFX and nVidia
on top. ATi has a lot of catching up to do, and if the rumour mills are to
be believed, the R600 core is what we will be watching out for.
The next time round when we test graphics cards, we will surely be
seeing more of nVidia's SLI solutions, as prices are sure to plummet. ATi is
also set to bring out its own implementation of multiple-graphics-cards-
in-a-system solutions, known as Crossfire, which is touted to be even more
flexible than nVidia's SLI: here, you will not be required to have two ATi
cards of the exact same model, but you will be able to get away even if the
two are of the same series.
Until then, drive rashly, and go on a killing spree (disclaimer: we're
talking about computer games!!).
[email protected]
[email protected]

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 53

 Digital Passion | Geek Dreams

Watch the telly like

never before…
with LG’s new Wi-Fi
F ed up of watching TV in your living room?
Hate the messy cable wires when you move
the telly in your bedroom? Well, bid your
This unit will then transmit all video feed to
the screen using Wi-Fi up to an enormous 115
feet—you can freely move the screen within
enabled LCD TV miseries goodbye with the new LG 15LW1R, a that area. Unless you live in a place that’s miles
15-inch LCD TV enabled with Wi-Fi. away from civilisation, you can watch the TV in
It’s screen is pretty light at just four kg any location of your house! Now that’s what we
and measures a mere 45 x 30 x 5.6 cm. It call portable home entertainment!
supports S Video, Composite Video and has a
16 millisecond response time—fairly fast for a
TV. LG has lent it a really large 160-degree
viewing angle. It also has in-built speakers
which seem to be a bit low on power at three
watts each, but then you can always use a
pair of headphones and enjoy the audio!
All you need to do is connect every single
video input (from the cable wire to your DVD
set) to the base unit of the LCD TV, and set the
base unit in any place that catches your fancy.

LG 15LW1R

Imaging Sivalal S

54 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Passion l 30 Days Without...
Digital Passion l 30 days with...

My Cell Phone
Deepak Dhingra

I n today’s age of alw

So I decided to expe
with cellular disconn
ays-on connectivity
, the
riment and see what cell phone has become as ubiquitous
life would be like wi as the desktop comp
ect. I couldn’t SMS thout my trusted ma uter in an office.
or play a game anyw te. Here I’m sharing
ay, so… my 30-day tryst
Day 1: Bound by ha
bit
About to leave for work off to his girlfriend. An
, I automatically reach d it’s oh so difficult to
phone lying on the tab ed for my cell digicam now! go get my
le along with the car
though, I realised this keys. Just then,
was the day I was to sta
to live without it. rt learning Day 20: Where’s my
swiss army knife?
With all my numbers
Day 2: Aah! Peace! just a keystroke away
phone, I’ve suddenly rea on my cell
No telemarketers urgin lised it’s rather difficult
g me to avail of fabulo phone number now. Ha to find a
personal loans or credit us offers on ve to rely on the good
cards I didn’t need. No diary—I hope I’ve writt old pocket
to disturb me as I’m wr one calling en it where it is suppose
iting this! Even my wi did I classify that by fir d to be. Now
me now when I’m on fe can’t call st name or last name?
my way back from wo Come to think of it, the
you know! Freedom! I rk. It feels good, re was very little my cel
could get used to this! couldn’t do—from rem l phone
embering phone numb
me about birthdays an ers, reminding
Day 5: Missing it alr d tasks that needed to
eady even entertaining me be done, and
Almost a week has pa with games and music
ssed, and I’m still getti bored. The GPRS I acces when I was
having to carry around ng used to not sed at least gave me reg
my phone wherever I updates. Am I missing ular news
and light as it may be go, compact out on life here?
. To think I even used
me to the bathroom so to carry it with Da
as not to miss any im y 25: Stuck in a jam
I’m actually wondering portant calls— Stu
how on earth I’m getti ck in traffic and it’s ge
not having it! ng used to tting really late. No wa
get a message home an y to
d spare them the anxie
they would be worried ty… I’m sure
Day 10: To buy or no by now. Wonder if I ca
t to buy cell from the dude in n borrow a
It’s Saturday and I’m the next car and call home
in the local market. Fo ...
I can’t remember wheth r the life of me, Da
er it was cabbage or ca y 30 : Back to civilisation
was supposed to get. No uliflower I Well, it’s been an intere
public phone nearby to sting month. It’s abou
missus, so I buy both call up the restored my cell phone t time I
just to be safe. privileges. I know it ca
troublesome at times, n be a little
Day 12: SMS Woes but the upside of carry
exceeds the downside. ing it along far
Running late for office It’s rea lly
again... I hate Monday something to be
feature in the mobile s! The alarm able to reach your lov
was really useful. Calle ed
inform him I’d be late, d up the boss to on
and realised that an SM es wherever you (or
have been a lot more con S would they) may be. The first
venient. Ah, my cell ph
one… thing I do when I reach
Day 15: MMS—a bane office is message my wi
for celebs, a boon fo fe
of us r the rest about my eventless dr
It’s a colleague’s birthd ive
ay at work, and it’s tim to work. Did I hear a
cake. How I wish I ha e to cut the sigh
d my phone camera to of relief?
being smothered with capture his face
cake! Could have MM deepak_dhingra@thinkd
Sed it straight igit.com

Photograph Sandeep Patil Imaging Sivalal S, Akhilesh Prasad

56 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 THIS MONTH’S CHALLENGE

Many of us have multiple Share Outlook

versions of Windows
running on the same
machine. Can you share
Express across
all your Outlook Express
data across these
different Windows
multiple versions
versions?
Write in with the subject
‘Take a crack’, and your
of Windows in a
postal address, to
[email protected]
with your solution
multi-boot system
LAST MONTH’S CHALLENGE Make The Safe Mode Boot Option Appear Every Time Windows Starts Up
To make the safe mode boot Safeboot” /fastdetect
option appear every time /safemode:minimal /sos

Win!
Windows starts up, use the /bootlog /noguiboot
following steps. 7. The other Safe Mode
1. In Windows XP, right-click options are as follows:
the ‘My Computer’ icon. Safe mode with
Select ‘Properties’, and then networking switch:
select the ‘Advanced’ tab. /safemode:network /sos
2. Under ‘Startup and /bootlog /noguiboot
Safe mode with the
command prompt switch:
/safemode:minimal
(alternateshell)/sos /bootlog
/noguiboot
Take a Crack Enable VGA mode switch:
and Win /basevideo
Enterprise Application Startup and Recovery Options Debugging mode switch:
Architecture /debug
By Joseph Moniz Here, we have used only
Published by Shroff Pulishers & multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0) the first mode—safe mode. A
Distributors Pvt. Ltd. partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Wind combination of switches may
ows XP Professional” be used if required.
/fastdetect 8. Save and close the file.
LAST MONTH’S WINNER multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0) 9. Click OK twice to exit
Samit Attawar partition(3)\WINDOWS=”Wind
Flat No. 9, Varundev, Select the Advanced tab in System ows XP Professional
Nr. Standard Chartered Bank,
Properties Safeboot” /fastdetect
Opp. Benneton Showroom,
Main Avenue, Linking Road,
You can modify the entry
Santacruz (W), Recovery’, click ‘Settings’. in the second line by adding
Mumbai 400054 3. In the ‘System Startup’ “Safeboot” after “Windows XP
section, click ‘Edit’. The Professional” to distinguish
Rules and Regulations ‘boot.ini’ file will open in between the two OSes.
Readers are requested to send Notepad. 6. In the second entry, after
in their answers by the 15th of “/fastdetect”, add the
the month of publication.
4. Save the file as
‘boot_ini.bak’ as a backup following line: The boot menu shows the ‘Safe Mode’
option in case something /safemode:minimal /sos boot option
Employees of Jasubhai
Digital Media and their relatives goes wrong. /bootlog /noguiboot
are not permitted to participate 5. Now in the boot.ini file, The [operating systems] System Properties.
in this contest. under [operating systems], section of ‘boot.ini’ file 10. Restart the computer and
locate the operating system should now look like the select “Windows XP
Readers are encouraged to following.
send their replies by e-mail. entry that you want to boot Professional Safeboot”
Jasubhai Digital Media will not into safe mode, for [operating systems] to boot into safe mode. (If
entertain any unsolicited example, the second entry multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0) something went wrong—like
communication. as below: partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Win if you see an error message—
[boot loader] dows XP Professional” replace ‘boot.ini’ with the
Jasubhai Digital Media is /fastdetect
not responsible for any damage timeout=30 ‘boot_ini.bak’ file.)
to your system that may be default=multi(0)disk(0) multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)
caused while you are trying to rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS partition(3)\WINDOWS=”Win
This solution will also be put up on
solve the problem. [operating systems] dows XP Professional www.thinkdigit.com

58 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Jumpstart

Digital

64 An Online
Cache Of LNG 72 Communicate
Better 74 Digital
Tested
Cameras
Tools
Technology For Personal And SoHo Productivity

Enhance

Microsoft To The Rescue

using our computers, irrespective of the flavour
A better of Bhaskar Banik of Windows used. Microsoft.com is the mainstay
understanding for all your support related queries that you have

N
inety per cent of computer users world- about your Operating System, (even the now
Microsoft.com wide start with Microsoft Windows archaic Windows 98).
can give you the installed on their computers. Most users The Web site looks a tad cluttered, but don’t
today are actively involved with Microsoft prod- feel intimidated, all you need is a little patience.
edge you need ucts—using, developing or testing them. Look for a heading called “Solution Centers” and
to get ahead Though Microsoft’s software products are click on it. Here you will find ‘Solution Centers’
at work… easily the most popular, most users also face for all Microsoft products, including Windows
issues with them on a regular basis. There are Media Player and the Xbox.
system crashes, application issues and of course Let’s consider a situation where you get an
bugs during coding. However, what most users are “Illegal Operation” error in Windows 98. To find
not aware of is the dedicated group of Microsoft a solution for this, you can either
Web sites that provide support for all its products. use Google, or you can visit
Most users are also not aware that Microsoft the Microsoft Web site
is generous enough to offer resources to the and paste these two
public in general, irrespective of whether your keywords in the box
software is pirated or not. They provide immense called Search KB
Imaging Akhilesh Prasad

resources that can get you out of the stickiest of (Knowledge Base).
situations. This article will walk you through the
Microsoft.com, and tell you about its support
Web sites for both users and developers alike.

Microsoft Support
Most of us have seen the “Blue Screen of Death”
at least once during the time that we have been

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 59

 Digital Tools l Enhance

Use the Microsoft Support site to find solutions The Microsoft Knowledge Base has documented solutions for your use

Remember, whenever you get an error it is or to learn more about it. This Web page layout
important to find the keywords present in that is the general pattern for most Solution Centers.
error. For instance, a “Fatal Exception Error” has If you use Microsoft’s products, you should
the keywords “Fatal” and “Error” and using them visit the Microsoft Support Web site regularly
to search the Knowledge Base will provide you with for information and solutions to problems. Solu-
more valid and suitable results. Once you press tion Centers are vast resources that will help
[Enter] after typing in the keywords, you will find you utilise Microsoft’s software to its full poten-
that you are presented with a long list of results. tial, and only when you know your way around
Though you need to sift through the results, a software like a professional, will you truly
the solutions are most often bang on target. ‘enhance’ your ability.
We just used Windows 98 as an example, but
you can search for solutions for everything that
includes Microsoft Operating Systems, Office
Products and Development tools.

Everything you needed to know about Microsoft Internet Explorer 6

Search through the Knowledge Base for relevant results Microsoft Windows
To date, Microsoft Windows remains the
Let’s take a look at some of the other Solu- Operating System of choice for the masses.
tion Centers. A large number of Netizens seem to Though most of us know our way around
have trouble with Internet Explorer 6 the, let’s Windows, first time PC users are still over-
check out Microsoft’s IE6 Solution Center. whelmed when trying to use the software.
Right on the first page, you will notice that However, ‘Help’ is just a button click away—
everything is arranged under separate headings. “Press [F1] and all your questions will be
There are ‘How-To’ articles, downloads and answered”, seems to be the Microsoft way.
updates for Internet Explorer, and of course, Every level of users, from the beginners to
troubleshooting instructions. In the left hand the advanced will see various expensive books
pane, you will notice that there are different that are targeted at enhancing your Microsoft
topics that are related to using Internet Explorer, Windows skill-set, but none of them can top the
while the right-hand pane contains information exhilaration and sense of achievement of self-
about other Microsoft related products and sites. learning. Just visit http://www.microsoft.com/
In short, this page is your one-stop resource windows and choose the version of Windows
shop to nurse your ailing IE back to good health, that you want to know more about. The most

60 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Enhance
popular Operating System in use today is Windows XP, and if
you want to know more about it visit http://www.microsoft.
com/learning/centers/windowsxp.asp
Once the Web page loads, you will be surprised by the
amount of information that you have access to. You have free
access to the latest expert information in the Windows XP
Expert Zone, plus technical information using the Windows
XP Technical Resources. If you want more information regard-
ing training, or want to hone your career prospects using
Microsoft products as your weapon of choice, look at the
Microsoft Exam Guides. This will let you know what exams you
need to take for a particular career choice.

Some cool tutorials on Microsoft Windows XP

Informative FAQ’s are also available for beginners and

professionals alike to help you get a good perspective of what
you need to do to get ahead in the rat race.
In the Windows XP Expert Zone, you can get information,
insight and advice regarding everything about Windows. Top
Windows specialists get together on the forums to talk about
issues that users have with it. No, it will not bore you to death,
provided you have a genuine desire to know Windows inside out.

Microsoft Office
The Microsoft (MS) Office Suite is the most used world-wide,
with Word, Excel and PowerPoint being the most used Office
applications. Though we have provided you with an entire
Fast Track book on the subject, free with the July 2005 issue of
Digit, you will find even more information at http://office.
microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx—the beauty of using the

The Microsoft Windows XP Expert Zone

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 61

 Digital Tools l Enhance
Web as a tool for providing knowledge A section called Work Essentials deals with
resources, is that there are no limitations. making MS Office work for professionals the
At the site mentioned above, you will get access way they want it. There are other sections specif-
to tons of information that will keep you engaged ically dedicated to provide information to varied
for hours, and help you understand how to get groups of professionals, from elementary school
more out of your Microsoft Office applications. teachers to real estate agents and travel and
There is a lot that you can do on this Web tourism professionals. There is information for
site: for instance, you can use the “Demos” everyone, and all you need to do is assimilate it
feature of the Web site to learn Office skills in a all to become an MS Office whiz.
jiffy. There are so many downloads for your Another very useful section is the Office
Office suite, such as Clip Arts (our favourite), Assistance section. This section deals with the
media, templates and more. In fact, there’s so utility part of Office, such as tips and tricks and
guides that will help you work better with MS
Office without any headaches. There is some-
thing for everyone in this section. For instance,
you can get the low-down on how to use water-
marks, or add music to your presentations, and
even stuff like creating flowcharts in Power-
Point. If there’s something you want to know
about Office, you will find it here!
Another interesting section is the “Office
Marketplace” where software from third-party
software developers are showcased. These soft-
ware cater to the wider range of needs by adding

The Microsoft Office home page

much available that you’re likely to run out of

hard disk space if you try to download them all!
You can also suggest new Office online
content by sending feedback to the brains at
Microsoft, asking them to create more exciting
content for you. Another popular resource here
are the freely available update packages for all
versions of MS Office. If you are using an older
version of MS Office, you can also choose to
download a trial version of the latest release and
check out the new features. Tips for using Microsoft Office better

Lesser-known Sites

Weprominent
have mentioned some of the most
Microsoft Web sites in the
MSDN Lab
(http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/)
Microsoft Beta Testing
(https://beta.microsoft.com/)
article, but there are a few more portals To put it in a nutshell, here’s what the Most people do not know about this
that might interest you as well. Web site has to say about itself: “The Web site. It is meant for users
MSDN Lab is a highly experimental place that are interested in beta-testing
Microsoft TechNet where we can try something new, test out Microsoft products. The site is a secure
(http://technet.microsoft.com/) beta applications, and most importantly, site (https), and you will need to
This site deals with core Microsoft gather feedback from the developer register with Microsoft to access it.
technologies, including product security, community on potential new additions to Whether your registration is accepted,
and posts security bulletins at regular MSDN Online. Features which succeed will however, is solely at the discretion of
intervals. This is the place where updates hopefully migrate over to the ‘regular’ Microsoft.
and patches (or information about them) MSDN site. Less successful features will
for Windows make their first appearance. be retired or revised.”

Microsoft TechNet MSDN Labs Microsoft Beta Website

62 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Enhance
features or tools not already included in the MS
Office suite. These are generally available as
shareware or freeware downloads.

Microsoft Downloads
Whether you want to update or patch your
Microsoft operating system and office suite, or
if you are a developer looking to get some
Microsoft tools, you will find them all at
Microsoft’s dedicated Downloads site.
Everything made by Microsoft, from DirectX to
Windows Media Player is available for down-
load at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/
The Microsoft Download Center

value to the products that you are already using

for development. As an MSDN member, you are
also privy to previews, betas and first-looks at the
latest versions of software.
MSDN now ships on DVDs, and contains
content that is exclusive to it’s members. Though
the MSDN Web site is exhaustive, there is a lot of
useful information available only on the DVD.

Help for Microsoft Office users

MSDN: A programmer’s heaven

In no way do we imply that the Web site

Get some cool third-party tools for Microsoft Office contains less critical information. For instance,
if you are new to programming, you can head to
You can choose from various categories the “Library” section to find content that will
including games, Office and home applications, help you get started with programming, using
updates, drivers, and so on. We searched for, and illustrated examples.
found, downloads for the latest version of You can visit the “Developer Community”
DirectX, SQL Server 2005 books, the Service Packs to get more information from other develop-
for Windows 2000, and much more. ers working with the same tools as you. You can
So far we have only looked at user resources, also watch Web casts and check for jobs at
but there are also Microsoft resources for Microsoft in the “Training, Career and Events”
coders. Programmers that use Microsoft’s section. In addition to all of this, there is a
Development Tools can also benefit from Download section that offers developer tools
Microsoft’s online resources. and resources such as code samples, SDK down-
loads and tools that integrate into other
Microsoft Developer Network Microsoft products.
The Microsoft Development Network (MSDN) is a There is a special section dedicated to MSDN
programmers Mecca, and every coder needs to subscribers where they can download the latest
pay http://msdn.microsoft.com a visit if he or tools that are not available publicly—for instance,
she plans on a career as one. the Windows Vista (formerly Longhorn) Beta 1 is
This site is not for the average user, and, only available as a download to MSDN
perhaps, should contain a sign that says, “Warn- subscribers. Developers and programmers should
ing: geeky language ahead”. The page layout is head off there and get a copy right now!
cluttered, as usual, as programmers have no time Whether you are a first time PC user or a
or need for beautiful and well designed Web pages. seasoned programmer, there is a Microsoft Web
For the uninitiated, MSDN is the developer site that can help you do more with your PC. If
network that programmers that use Microsoft any of the sites mentioned in this article have
Development tools refer to for their program- helped you in any way, do write in and share
ming needs. MSDN is available as a subscription, your experience with us.
wherein you get exclusive information that adds [email protected]

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 63

 Digital Tools l Jumpstart

An Online Cache Of LNG

A journalist took up the task of writing on all things LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). He now has
a commercially successful Web site and global clientele to his credit

There are relatively few people mid-1995, he started covering the

Preethi Chamikutty out there qualified and passionate energy sector.
enough to make informed judg- “I realised that this sector had
epleting natural ments about what’s going on. tremendous potential. Baroda
D resources have made
imperative the need for
Kamlesh Trivedi is one of them.
Trivedi, basically a business
houses the main office of the
Gujarat State Electricity Board,
conservation. An equally press- reporter, decided that since he had and polymer production capacity
ing need is that of finding new the knowledge and the insights, he in and around Baroda is very high.
sources of energy. With coal, could actually make a living off These factors increased my inter-
petrol, diesel, LNG and other what he knew. Thus began est in the subject,” recalls Trivedi.
fuels becoming dearer every day, LNGWorldwide.com, floated in His involvement with LNG
every nation is striving to find an April 2004. It is one of the few dedi- deepened when he joined Gulf
oil well of its own. cated Web sites on LNG. News as an energy correspondent
These topics—petro-products, in early 2003. This gave him the
LNG, and so on—are, therefore, The Beginnings chance to be in the midst of the
hot. A look at a Web site called Trivedi has been a business action. He travelled extensively in
LNGjournal.com reveals that reporter for more than 13 years Oman, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar and
there is also politics involved; now. A graduate of St. Xavier’s other Middle-Eastern countries.
there are debates; there are inter- college (Ahmedabad), he
national agreements. There is a completed his masters in Econom-
need amongst professionals in ics from M S University of Baroda.
the field to gather the latest Trivedi’s first stint was with The
news and views, to gain insights Financial Express, where he
into what is going on in the dealt with corporate news
world as regards LNG, alternative and finance. After moving
energy sources, and so on. to The Economic Times in
Illustration Akhilesh Prasad

64 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Jumpstart
The contacts he established here com’s clients comprise five shortage of reliable information
and the knowledge he gained laid Indian public sector units deal- on the topic. With LNGWorld-
the foundation for the setting up ing mostly in oil and energy, and wide.com, we hope to bridge this
of LNGWorldwide.com. one American client. Talks are in gap.” Trivedi also plans to start a
Trivedi reflects, “I am passion- progress with two Indian private portal that deals with natural
ate about the subject. Moreover, sector firms. The Nuclear Ther- gas in depth, not just LNG.
LNG holds a lot of promise for the mal Power Corporation (NTPC) “Currently, I am the only one
future as well.” and Petronet LNG Ltd are part of who writes the content. I need to
LNGWorldwide.com’s clientele. build a team to help me in this
LNGWorldwide.com I am An official from NTPC says, endeavour. The problem is, there
LNGWorldwide.com is a dedicated passionate “LNGWorldwide.com provides us are few people well versed with
portal for the global LNG industry. about the with exhaustive information the subject and who can also
Apart from Trivedi, there are two subject. about recent developments in the write about it.”
professionals from the Middle East Moreover, LNG LNG space. The newsletter gives Trivedi also hopes to tie up
who have contributed substan- holds a lot of detailed data on each country. with international news agencies
tially towards the site. The site promise for After receiving information from to help provide LNGWorldwide.
offers weekly news round-ups, the future them for a few months, we com with first-hand and privi-
trade summaries, interviews with Kamlesh Trivedi decided to subscribe. leged information. Collaborating
industry leaders, and information LNGWorldwide.com “Our fuel management group with banks and financial institu-
on LNG producers, LNG consumers, makes the most use of the data we tions to bring in funds is also on
LNG marketers and other associ- get from this Web site. It gives us the cards. So is getting investors
ated industries. There are also a fair idea of the development for the site to help him better
comprehensive analytical reports opportunities in local and inter- serve his clientele.
as well as summarised compila- national markets and the feasi- Like we said earlier, Kamlesh
tions on LNG. bility of business expansion.” Trivedi has capitalised on his
This information is privi- knowledge by taking it to the Web.
leged, and is therefore available What’s In Store This goes to show that the Web is
only to subscribers, who pay an The worldwide natural gas not just a place to showcase one’s
annual subscription fee of $1,000 market is growing fast. Trivedi talent—it’s also a place where if
(Rs 43,500). Subscribers receive a says, “The worldwide market for you’ve got something that’s in
monthly newsletter. natural gas is expected to demand, you can make a viable
“I started LNGWorldwide.com increase by 200 per cent by the business out of it.
once I had some time when I was year 2010. There is a serious [email protected]
in between jobs. But now it is
something I love to do. It’s an
avenue for me to do what I want,
in the way I want, sans restric-
tions,” says Trivedi.

Growing Clientele
The four major oil companies in
the world are Shell, ChevronTex-
aco, ExxonMobil and Total. These
companies generally tie up with
other companies at the local level
in various countries.
Instances of such tie-ups
include Shell Hajira, Persian
LNG, and so on. Such are the
companies likely to be interested
in the information available at
Trivedi’s site.
Currently, LNGWorldwide.

LNGWorldwide.com is one of a very few Web sites on LNG

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 65

 Digital Tools l Net Gain

Gamespot.com
Hit CTRL+D if you are a hardcore gamer—your search for the definitive gaming site may have
just ended

But there’s a lot more to

Preethi Chamikutty Gamespot.com than news, cheat
codes and games. It also keeps up

N
ews, reviews, mods, links and with the latest developments and
yes, games. Gamespot.com reviews of the Xbox, PS2, Nintendo
offers this as the bare mini- DS and even PSP games.
mum and any gaming aficionado can The site is replete with tips on
find his daily ‘fix’ of gaming dope what works best with each console.
right here. You could browse this site The tips have been effectively high-
for hours and still come back the next lighted, and are easy to understand.
day and discover something new. Among the other popular attrac-
tions is a feature called ‘Button Mash-
Controls ing’, where a general user is pitted
True to the gamer’s choice, this site is Wanna know how a game plays on a console? against the Gamespot.com team in a
heavily infuenced with the colour game of the user’s choice. Another
‘black’, and is peppered with bright feature, ‘On The Spot’ offers videos,
coloured fonts for a truly psychedelic interviews and general discussions
appearance. Other Web sites on about games.
gaming such as Gamespy.com or An interesting aspect is the ‘Beta
IGN.com come nowhere close to Test Center’—it offers readers an
Gamespot.com’s look-and-feel. opportunity to report bugs and
Despite this, the site remains playability issues when a game is still
clutter-free, thereby making surfing a under production.
breeze. The navigation menu on the The site also has an active forum
left is extremely easy to access and that provides users with various
offers links such as ‘Join options to personalise their presence
Gamespot.com’, ‘Find Games’, on the forum. It helps them create
‘Gamespot Features’, ‘Game Hubs’ their profiles; they can have their
and more. own blog in the ‘Journal’, keep a tab
Compete with the Gamespot.com team here on the games they have looked up in
Play! the past, form groups of their own
Gamespot.com is a good source for news and even Industry news. and generally, chill out!
gamers to find information on new Compared to the other gaming The site is also your shopping
games and even see previews of sites such as 3DGamers.com, window for games. Finally, it’s all as
upcoming games. Archives offer a Gamespot.com’s coverage of news simple as this: find, read, understand
detailed look at older games—some wins hands down. Score One! and if you like, you buy! They have it
date back to a year. Games are What’s a game site without cheat all figured out!
broadly categorised under ‘Action’, codes? Nothing. Thankfully,
‘Adventure’, ‘Simulation’ and so on. Gamespot.com claims to offer up to Mods And Expansion
Daily fodder for the site (read 141,713 cheat codes to various Packs!
news) borders on ‘Breaking News’ in games—both, old and new. We If there’s one thing users at
most cases; otherwise, it’s the usual believe them (who’s counting them Gamespot.com must see, it would
‘top stories’. Gamespot.com is fairly all?). And yes, the usual downloads, undoubtedly be Gamespotting.
comprehensive in its coverage and forums and updates are also scat- Trainspotting, you say? No…
offers updates on PC news, Console tered across the site. Gamespotting. It’s a blog maintained
by the site’s editors
and lends insights
that are otherwise
‘edited’ in a review
or a news item.
Now that makes
one wonder why not
put that up in the
review itself?
Anyway. Well, game-
head, what are you
waiting for? You
know the URL…
preethi_chamikutty@
The all encompassing home page of Gamespot.com Watch live videos of games ‘On The Spot’ thinkdigit.com

68 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Cameras
Facing trouble with your digicam? Whether it’s making the digicam work in sync with the PC
or fungus on the lens, read on for help
for the camera. If you don’t have them Images Are Blurred
Ram Mohan Rao on your computer, you can probably Problem: Images can turn out blurred
download them off the manufacturer’s for a variety of reasons. These include
Your Digital Camera Does Not Web site. inaccurate focus, camera shake, or a
Get Detected dirty lens.
Problem: Sometimes, in Windows XP or Finally, try this: if the camera can
other operating systems, your digital record images to a removable memory Solution:
camera does not get detected as a card, use a memory card reader to Inaccurate focus: This may happen if
device attached to the computer. transfer the files to the computer. If you you don’t hold the shutter release
can’t transfer the images from a button halfway down until the picture is
Solution: Here’s a brief list of what you memory card, the memory card may be taken. Or, you may be focusing and then
can do to troubleshoot this situation. the cause of the problem. If you can changing your distance from the subject
transfer the images from a memory without refocusing. Change these habits.
Under Windows XP, a digicam should card, it may be the camera that is Use the ‘Focus Lock’ feature if your
get detected quite easily, but with older at fault. camera has it, and then ensure that your
OSes, you should connect the device and distance from the subject
install the drivers and software exactly does not change from the
in the order specified in the manual. time you lock focus until you
Uninstall the software and drivers and take the image.
try doing it again, paying attention to If you’re using an auto-
the order of events. focus system, you may have
trouble focusing when there
Make sure your OS supports the is not much colour difference
devices—some devices are incompatible between the foreground and
with certain OSes. For example, the background; in front of or
JDC15 digicam does not work with behind bars, such as a cage
Windows 95 or 2000. or railing; on shiny and
opaque surfaces; and on
First switch on the camera before subjects photographed
plugging it into the USB port on the PC. through glass.
Failing that, Windows may be unable to
properly recognise the device or drivers. Camera shake: Shaky
If the camera is not turned on before hands are bad news when
plugging it in, the camera might be you’re using a digital camera.
detected as an Unknown Device. Practise holding the camera
steady in a relaxed but
Turn the camera off and then controlled posture, and press
on again. the shutter release with
steady, gentle pressure.
Try setting the camera to ‘image Your elbows must be held
viewing mode’. firmly against your body, to
ensure that the hand holding
Check the USB cable connection. the camera is steady. However,
a posture that is too rigid may
Check that the USB port is working also cause your body and the
fine. Attach something else to the port, camera to shake.
such as a mouse or a scanner. For exposures slower than
1/30th of a second, use a
Connect the camera to a different tripod, or set the camera on a
computer and check. The correct way to hold a camera: arms tucked in, with one sturdy surface. In addition,
hand supporting the camera while you click with the other use a cable release or remote
Reinstall the WIA or TWAIN drivers control to avoid shaking the

70 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 70

 Tech Nightmare

the problem. Send the your camera uses these). Alkaline AA

camera to cells last much less than rechargeable
the manufacturer or a NiMH cells or disposable lithium cells. If
repair shop for a you find a specialty store which gives
professional cleaning. you cells of different mAh ratings, look
for higher mAh ratings. As an indicator,
You Deleted Your 1850 mAh is good. Look for 1850 mAh
Photos By Mistake! or higher.
Problem: This is self- However, if your camera works on a
explanatory—you pressed Li-ion cell and was installed with a
the ‘delete’ button on your rechargeable one when you bought it,
digicam by mistake, and and it’s still giving short battery life
now all your photos seem even on a full charge, there’s something
to have disappeared. wrong with either the cell or the camera.
Take them back to the store.
Shaky hands here. Can you even make out the street lights? Solution: You may indeed
be able to recover your There Are Dark Specks On Your
photos. It’s not 100 per Photos
cent guaranteed, but it Problem: You might notice that after you
could be that the photos changed your SLR’s lens, your photos have
just aren’t getting brownish or blackish specks on them. This
detected, and are still could happen if dust settled on the sensor
there on the memory card. when you changed the lens.
You can try and use
various software to Solution: As always, there are two
recover the pictures. But solutions: give the camera for
remember not to format professional cleaning, or clean the
the card or take any more sensor yourself. Of course, you need to
pictures before you remember that if you’re cleaning it
recover the images you yourself, you’ve got to be very, very
seem to have lost. careful. This is because sensors are
Software to recover covered by protective glass—and if you
images from a memory end up scratching the glass, your
card include the warranty will not help.
Shaky hands can give a poor motion-like effect to your pics following: You can try and use cleaners made
specifically for cleaning sensors.
camera during exposure. Zero Assumption Digital Image Companies such as Photographic
Recovery 1.2 Solutions make them. Also, Kodak sells a
A dirty lens: Blow and brush off the MediaRecover 3.0 sensor-cleaning kit while providing
debris with an air brush. Then clean the MediaSaver 3.0.7.1 detailed instructions on how to clean
lens using a photographic microfibre Digital Photo Recovery 2.0.3 Kodak sensors.
cloth or a photo cleaning solution and If you’ve decided to clean the sensor
photo lens wipes. Your Batteries Don’t Last yourself, get the camera into sensor-
Long Enough cleaning mode so the sensor is exposed.
Lens Fungus Problem: Of course, battery life varies You’ll need to check your manual for
Problem: If you live in a humid region— depending on the make and model of how to do this with your model. Remove
which is the case in most of India, your camera, but you know you have a the lens. Use a bulb blower to blow dust
especially in the rainy season—moisture problem when even brand-new batteries off the sensor—and while you’re doing
trapped inside the camera provides a afford just a few shots. this, make sure you hold the camera
good environment for fungus to grow, such that the dust falls away and doesn’t
causing cloudiness and vein-like Solution: Use the correct AA cells (if settle back on the sensor.
patterns to form in the lens. Carefully swab the surface of
the sensor’s protective glass.
Solution: Don’t leave your camera in a Once you’re done, click
camera bag when you’re not out a picture of a white wall,
shooting. Store it in a cool, dry place. for example. If you haven’t done
Keep your camera and lens in an airtight the cleaning perfectly, some
container with some bags of silica gel- dark specks will still show up.
these will absorb moisture. Make sure to VisibleDust
change the bags regularly. (www.visibledust.com) has
If you go out shooting in the cold, products to help you safely clean
wrap your camera in a plastic bag before your digicam’s sensor. L. L. Rue
bringing it into a warm room to prevent (www.rue.com/cleaning.html)
moisture from accumulating inside has cleaning aids for all kinds of
the camera. photographic equipment,
If fungus has already formed, and they also feature a large
you’ll have to get your lens cleaned. MediaRecover has an easy interface that helps you bulb blower. Check it out!
Leaving your lens in the sun won’t solve recover lost pictures from your memory card [email protected]

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 71

 Digital Tools l Smart SoHo

COMMUNICATE
BETTER A PC can do so much more for your office than just run accounting software—
Imaging Pradip Ingale

combined with an MFD, it can take care of all your communication requirements!

Convergence, also, has play- The PC is powerful, and

Robert Sovereign-Smith ed a role in reducing the combined with a worthy tool such
number of peripherals you had as a basic MFD, can do a lot more
he PC has come a long to connect just to accomplish than we allow it to. Most of us
T way over the past decade
or so. What started out
simple tasks such as printing or
scanning documents. Enter the
never use our PCs to their full
potential. For example, we still
as a glorified calculating Multi-Functional Device—earlier have fax machines in our offices,
machine and word processor the jack of all trades, and now which print a lot of junk faxes on
has now taken over our lives. master of all too! expensive fax paper. Why?
And in no place is this more
evident than at work. A lot of Communication Fax
SoHo setups will not be able to Whether it is businesses Though there may be hundreds
function if you take away the exchanging e-mails across the of similar or even better software
computers. So many business world, or the person sitting next available today, WinFax was once
opportunities have sprung up to you at work sending you a the most popular fax software. In
just because of the PC! joke about the boss in the form the time of modems, not too
But we know all this... of an IM message, it’s all long ago, WinFax saved us many
What we don’t realise is that communication. a pretty penny on fax paper and
some uses of the PC have been The largest library in the even fax machines!
forgotten. Modems, for instance, universe, the Internet, is based Modems were then a must,
are no longer used by most busi- on communication; the lowest and 56.6k voice, data and fax
nesses in cities, thanks to common denominator of tech- modems were the in thing. Since
increasing broadband penetra- nology, e-mail, is also based on you needed a phone line and
tion—indeed, Internet connec- communication. modem to connect to the Inter-
tions are mainly LAN-based now. Again, we know this... net anyway, spending a little

72 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Smart SoHo
Voice Communication
Most modems available for the
past five years have been voice,
data and fax capable. If you use a
headphone and microphone
combination headset, your
modem can eliminate the need
for phone extensions altogether.
Though it sounds easier to
just give everyone a phone, you
will have to spend money on
buying an EPABX that has voice-
mail and other advanced
features built-in. Majority of the
MightyFax, available at www.rkssoftware.com, is a simple people would rather invest in, or
and easy-to-use fax software alternative have already bought, a very basic
EPABX system that only allows
extra and buying WinFax, and you to transfer calls. WinFax Pro is a Symantec product, and
getting fax ‘send’ and ‘receive’ Using your PC, you can set up was once the most popular Fax
capability as well, just seemed a call centre-style phone and software for Voice/Fax/Data modems
logical. In fact, since it was made voicemail system—and that too
by Symantec, the makers of for free! And of course, all this works out
Norton Antivirus, it gained the There are plenty of fax and a lot cheaper than buying an
trust of many people in India! voice-mail or answering mach- advanced EPABX that costs over a
The beautiful part was that ine software available for free for lakh (and is not as customisable).
you could preview faxes on your Windows. The advantage of soft- Sure, there are some draw-
computer screen and choose ware-based answering machines backs, such as having to keep the
which ones to print and which to is that each person can specify system on in order to use the
delete. Zero paper wastage, and individual actions for incoming phone extension, but most of us
no important documents being calls. Some software also allow have our computers booted up as
printed on that horrid fax paper. you to ignore calls from specific long as we’re in office anyway!
There are probably many numbers, and are even Some may even prefer to put
of you who have cursed the customisable to the extent of existing modems to use in
fax paper’s short lifespan— having different voice-mail conjunction with the standard
pull out a file of faxes after about announcements for different phone to get the best of both
six months, and all you see is groups of numbers. worlds—when you receive a call,
blank paper! WinFax let you use So, say you’ve stored phone use the phone; when you’re
your little inkjet printer to book entries in the software, and away, the computer answers the
print faxes for storage—this was have a caller ID. It may sound call using voice-mail!
probably its biggest selling point stupid to use the standard “Leave
back then. your name and number” message Other Communication
Today, however, we have fax- for recognised users. Instead, you Your PC is already equipped to use
enabled MFDs. These MFDs print can use a different message—such other forms of communication,
faxes on normal paper, and are as “Hi, I’m busy right now, but I such as e-mail and video confer-
even capable of storing up to a have your number and will call encing. Services such as Skype
couple of hundred faxes when you back ASAP!” (www.skype.com) and efax
paper runs out. In addition, some The options are numerous, (www.efax.com) have made it easy
MFDs allow you to fax a docu- and the beauty of the system is to make long-distance phone calls
ment right from within the docu- its customisability on a per-user and faxes respectively, for cheap,
ment’s software itself, so even basis. So each user can record his using the Internet.
the prints of faxes to be sent are or her voice-mail message and If your business needs you to
not needed—this means more have individual-specific rules. frequently make calls or send
paper saving! faxes abroad, you should seriously
Those SoHo offices that do consider using these services. Even
not want to buy an MFD, but still individuals can save a lot using
want a fax alternative and the such services.
savings it brings, can opt for soft- For SoHo businesses, costs are
ware such as WinFax. always important, and each
However, even though it does penny saved is a penny earned.
the job perfectly, keep in mind Yet you have to keep up the
that the last release of WinFax impression of being a profes-
was in 2001, so you might want sional company, no matter how
to try other products as well. small your business is.
If you run Windows XP, you We hope some of the hints
can use its inbuilt fax capabil- provided here can help you do just
ity—all you need is a modem and Software such as CallCenter (www.v3fax.com) allow you to that, and we look forward to hear-
a printer. You can download a add voice-mail and an answering machine to your basic ing about your personal experi-
detailed ‘how to’ at phone setup, so you never miss another call again, and also ences. Write in and let us know!
http://snipurl.com/61p4. have customised voice-mail messages for each employee [email protected]

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 73

 Digital Tools l Tips &
To enter safe mode, go to
Firefox Start > Run, and type in the
following: “C:\Program
Speed Up Firefox’s Initial Files\MozillaFirefox\firefox
Load Time .exe” -safe-mode
On Windows XP, Firefox Of course, if Firefox is
could be slow to load installed in a different
initially. You might be able to folder, enter the path to that
speed this up a bit by using folder instead.
XP’s inbuilt prefetcher.
Simply right-click the How To Not Save Form
shortcut icon you use to start Information
Firefox. Add the text As you browse, Firefox
“/Prefetch:1” to the end of the keeps a history of what
line in the ‘target’ field. you enter in fields such as
Then, the whole line should search forms. If you don’t
look something like this: want it to do this, go to Tools
“C:\Program Files\Mozilla > Options, and click the
Firefox\firefox.exe” /Prefetch:1 SECRETS THAT KEEP YOU AHEAD IN THE RACE
‘Privacy’ icon on the left. Go to
‘Saved Form Information’ and
The Config File deselect the box that says
You can change many GENERAL TIPS 30 MINUTES EXPERT ‘Save information I enter in
more things about Firefox 94 Creating An Animated GIF Screen 96 Web page forms and the
Firefox than what is provided Opera 95 Saver For Your Cell Phone Search bar’.
in Tools > Options. Simply Eudora 97 Building A Web Page Using 98
type in “about:config” in the Thunderbird 101 NoteTab Pro Smart Keywords
address bar, and a whole Smart Keywords are an
bunch of configuration easy way to search Web
settings appear. Right-clicking from other applications. For most recent window’, and ‘the sites right from the location
on a value’s name will allow example, say you’re browsing most recent tab/window’. bar. Say you visit IMDb (The
you to modify the value by a page using Firefox, and you Internet Movie Database)
pressing ‘Modify’ and switch to your mail program. Opening Firefox In often to look up things. You
entering the new value. There’s a new mail with a link Safe Mode go to imdb.com and click in
Some entries in the to a page your friend told you If something goes the search box and enter
configuration file are to check out. When you click wrong with a new whatever you’re searching for,
intuitive; some are not. it, it will open in either a new extension or theme you and click ‘Search’. There’s
Just look at the entire set window, a new tab or the installed, you can start a simpler way to do this
and you’ll be able to decide most recent tab or window. To Firefox in Safe Mode. In Safe in Firefox.
for yourself what you feel like choose between these three, Mode, Firefox does not load With an IMDB Smart
changing. For example, scroll go to Tools > Options > any extensions, and comes Keyword, you can type “imdb
down to “browser.download. Advanced > Tabbed up with the default theme. Star Wars” into Firefox’s
manager.closeWhenDone”, Browsing. Under ‘Open links This way you can uninstall Location bar and hit [Enter],
and it’ll be pretty obvious to from other applications in:’, the offending extension or and be taken right to
you what that setting does. choose between ‘a new theme and get things back the result.
Similarly, “browser.formfill. window’, ‘a new tab in the to normal. Go to whatever site you
enable” is another setting want to add a Smart Keyword
whose purpose you can guess. for, then go to the search box.
Right-click in the search box
Tune Up Firefox and click ‘Add a Keyword for
Go to http://www. this Search...’ The ‘Add
totalidea.com/ Bookmark’ dialog will appear.
freestuff4.htm to download Give the bookmark a name,
FireTune, a free tune-up and e.g. ‘IMDB Search’, and create
tweaking utility for Firefox. a keyword, e.g. ‘imdb’. File
From the page: “According to the bookmark wherever you
your computer’s speed and want. Click ‘OK’.
Internet connection speed, Now, enter “imdb Star
FireTune will optimise several Wars” into the location bar
internal settings of Firefox for and press [Enter] and see
better performance. FireTune what happens!
does not modify the Firefox You can repeat these steps
executable... Everything can for any searches you use—
be undone easily provided Amazon, your corporate
you saved your original phonebook, an online
profile configuration file.” thesaurus—any site at all!

Control Where Links Open Add New Engines

You can control where Up in the top right
new links are opened corner of Firefox, there’s

94 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Tips & Tricks
a handy search box that puts referencing, the page rank Opera select ‘Properties’. After the
search engines at your feature, and more. The text already there, which
fingertips. When you toolbar even integrates with Scripting Errors simply tells the computer
download Firefox, some Blogger, and offers some basic If you get errors on Web where Opera can be found,
searches such as Google, translation features. pages, or it they’re just add your pages, thus:
Yahoo!, and eBay are included, Get it at http://toolbar. displayed in a weird way, it “http://www.thinkdigit.com”
and you can easily add more. google.com/firefox/. could be a scripting error. “http://www.thinkdigit.com/
There are hundreds of search Installation is simple, Opera uses Netscape features forum” “www.cnn.com”
engines available. Some of the and it works like any other by default; it doesn’t run “www.opera.com”—making
most popular are A9, Firefox extension. JScript but JavaScript instead. sure to leave a space between
AltaVista, AskJeeves, You can force Opera to each page address, and
IMDb, Merriam-Webster, Live Bookmarks behave like Internet Explorer making sure each page is
and Wikipedia. Live Bookmarks in while viewing Web sites. Press enclosed by double quotes,
To add a search engine, Firefox let you view RSS [F12] to get the Quick not single quotes.
click on the current icon in news and blog headlines in Preferences pop-up and select
the box, then click ‘Add the bookmarks toolbar or ‘Identify as Internet Explorer’. Clear The Cache With
Engines...’. You’ll be taken to bookmarks menu. With one A Single Click
Mozilla’s page for available glance, you can quickly see The Autofill feature To insert an item in the
engine plug-ins. Simply follow the latest headlines from Opera allows you to fill right-click menu to
the directions on the page, your favourite sites. You can up standard information delete the contents of the
and your engine will get go directly to the articles that such as your name, address, cache, find and open the
added instantly for you to use. interest you, which saves phone number, e-mail address, ‘menu.ini’ file and search for
you time.
Add Google Desktop A site is enabled for Live
Search To The Engine Box Bookmarks when you see an
Go to www.amwmedia. orange RSS icon on the
com/?nId=17. If you use bottom-right corner of the
Google Desktop Search (GDS), browser. Clicking on the icon
you’ll want the plug-in and selecting an RSS feed will
available here. It allows you to bring up the ‘Add Bookmark’
add GDS as one of the search dialog. Select ‘OK’ and you
engines. Additionally, this will see Live Bookmarks with
little plug-in will help you get the rest of your bookmarks.
around the current 10 results You may find it especially
per page that GDS imposes. convenient to save Live
Simply follow the directions Bookmarks in your
on the page to install GDS Bookmarks Toolbar folder.
into the search box.
Add Live Bookmarks
Remove Engines From The Manually
Engine Box Some sites don’t tell
Go to “C:\Program Firefox that they
Files\Mozilla support Live Bookmarks, even
Firefox\searchplugins” (or though they actually do. If
wherever Firefox is installed). you know the URL of a site’s
Each engine you have installed RSS feed (the URL will end
has two files—a .src file and with .rdf or .xml), you can
either a .png or a .gif file. All manually create a Live
you have to do is delete the Bookmark for the site. Go to etc. without having to type the following lines in the
two files for the engine you the Bookmarks menu and these in every time. Open [Browser File Menu] section:
wish to remove—for example, select ‘Manage Bookmarks’. Tools > Preferences, click on Submenu, 162000, Quick
google.src and google.gif. Under the ‘File’ Menu, select the ‘Wand’ tab, and fill out all Preferences Menu = Show
Close and restart Firefox for ‘New Livemark’. Create a the details. To enter the popup menu, “Quick
the change to take effect. name for the Livemark and information into a text box on Preferences Menu”
add the URL. New articles a Web page, right-click the Item, 50394 = Show
The Google Toolbar For from that site will appear as text box, go to ‘Insert preferences, -1
Firefox Live Bookmarks in Firefox. Personal’, and choose the text Here, add the line:
Google recently released you want to input. Item, 54493 = Delete
their Google Toolbar for A Firefox Tab-Switching private data
Firefox, and if you’re a fan of Shortcut Always Start Browsing Save and close the
Google and use its services for Did you know there’s a With The Same Set menu.ini file.
almost everything, you may keyboard shortcut to Of Pages
want to install it. Not only switch between tabs in Firefox? If you always start Enable Scrollbar Colours
does the toolbar allow you to Simply type in [Ctrl] + [#], browsing with the same To enable colours in the
search through Google’s where [#] is the tab number (so two or three pages, there is a scrollbars, add the
various search engines, it also it’s 1 for the first tab, 2 for the way of always opening Opera following lines to opera6.ini
comes with auto-fill second, and so on). This only so that those pages open in your profile folder:
functions, Froogle searches, works with up to nine tabs, automatically. Right-click the [User Prefs]
dictionary and stock but that’s probably enough. Opera desktop shortcut and Enable Scrollbar Colors=1

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 95

 Digital Tools l Tips & Tricks

Creating An Animated GIF Screen Saver

For Your Cell Phone
With the increased usage of feature-rich cell phones, customisation has become
top priority. Here’s how you can distinguish your cell phone from all others
Doing this is pretty easy with
Varun Dubey IrfanView—simply open the Batch
Conversion window as explained

W ith cell phones getting smarter,

it has never been easier to
customise them to match your
before, and select all the cropped
images for resizing.
Check ‘Use advanced options’, and
persona or mood. And the wallpaper under ‘Set advanced options’, check
and screensaver you use—whether on a the box called ‘RESIZE’. Select ‘Set
PC or a cell phone—are a statement both sides to’, and set the sizes to
about yourself. Here’s a little whatever your screen resolution is—in
workshop that tells you how to Batch convert images to save time our case, 128 x 128 pixels.
customise your cell phone’s Click ‘Preserve aspect ratio’, and
screensaver or wallpaper. have a square screen with a resolution check ‘Use Resample function’ if you
of 128 x 128, and that’s what we’ll be are particular about image quality.
What you need assuming here. Click OK. We can now proceed with
You need a phone with a colour Open your converted images one creating the AGIF.
screen, and it should allow you to set a by one in IrfanView. Left-click each
GIF file as a wallpaper or screensaver. picture, holding and dragging the Creating The Animation
You can find out about this from the cursor to create a box. If you hover at Open Microsoft GIF Animator
manual. You also need a software with the edges, you’ll get the option of and click ‘Open’. Navigate to
basic photo editing capabilities, for resizing it. The objective is to get a your images folder, and add one of
example IrfanView, which is what we square cut-out from the image. Most them. Once you’ve added the first one,
are using here. You can download it cameras do not take square photos, so simply keep clicking ‘Add’ until you’ve
from www.irfanview.com. you’ll have to do this yourself. Take as added them all.
The other software you’ll need is big a cut-out as you’d like, as long as
one that can string individual GIFs it’s square. The Effects And Settings
together to create the animation. For Once you’re satisfied with the You can give individual time
this, we will be using a freeware called results, go to Edit > Crop Selection, intervals to the images by
Windows GIF Animator, which can be and your image will get cropped to the selecting the image and clicking the
downloaded from www.idp.net/ desired size. Do this with all the image tab on the right. If you want to
freesoft/gif_anim.asp images and save them as GIFs. apply the same effects to all images,
If all your images are centred on click the button on top, so you can
Assimilating The Images the same point, and you want to edit the properties just once with
Take a stack of pictures you’d create an animation, you can use them getting applied to your
like to include in the IrfanView to batch-crop all the animation throughout.
animated GIF (henceforth AGIF) file. images. Go to File > Batch Under the ‘Animations’ tab, you
Since most digital cameras take Conversion/ Rename… and there, can also set the number of times you
pictures in the JPEG format, you’ll check ‘Use advanced options’. Then want the animation to loop.
need to convert them to GIF. press ‘Set advanced options’. In the Once you’re satisfied, save the file.
‘Set for all images’ dialog that comes Upload it to your phone using
Converting The Images up, under ‘CROP’, you can specify Bluetooth, infrared or a data cable) and
Open IrfanView and go to File what you want to do. set it as your wallpaper or screensaver.
> Batch Conversion. Here, in Of course, if you do not have a Show it off to all your friends!
the conversion window, navigate to square screen at all, you’ll need to [email protected]
the folder where your images are, and modify the selection area accordingly.
select the ones you’d like to use. Make
sure that at the bottom of the dialog,
‘Batch Conversion’ has been selected
as the job description.
Set an output directory, and set Resizing The
the output format to GIF. Now just Images
click ‘Start’. Once you have
all the images
Cropping The Images cropped to the
You’ll now need to resize the desired
images to fit your phone’s dimensions,
screen. Find out the screen size from you need to
the manufacturer’s Web site or from Select only what you want scale them to fit
the manual. But anyway, most phones using the Crop option the phone. Use the same settings for all images

96 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Tips & Tricks
Bring Up The Main Menu they may take some time Open a blank page: hold
By Pressing A Key getting used to, but will right button, move the Bet You Didn’t Know
To have the main menu greatly enhance your mouse down
(File, Edit, View, and so browsing experience once
Some Shortcuts
If you copy a Web address to
on) accessible through a you’re used to them. Dragging And Dropping
the clipboard, just press
single key rather than at the Here’s a sampler of what Dragging a link to the
[Ctrl] + [D], with the Opera
top of the browser: in you can do with the mouse bookmarks panel or a
window in focus, to go to
opera6.ini, under User Prefs, in Opera. toolbar saves it as a
the address.
type in: bookmark.
You can press [Ctrl] +
Show Menu = 0 To go to the previous page: Dragging a bookmark to
[Tab] to cycle through your
Then edit input.ini: hold right button and click the workspace or Web page
open pages (tabs).
[Application] left button OR area opens the bookmark.
Close the active tab by
F10 = Show popup menu, Hold right button and move Tabs can be rearranged
pressing [Ctrl] + [W].
“Browser Menu Bar” the mouse left by dragging them on the
Press [Shift] while clicking
This will bring up the menu To go to the next page: page bar.
to open a link or bookmark
with [F10]. hold left button and click Notes can be dragged
in a new page.
right button OR into e-mail messages for
If you press [Ctrl] +
Make A URL Accessible Hold right button and move automatic pasting.
[Shift] and click a link it will
With Two Clicks the mouse right Drag a download link to
open in a background tab.
Say you want to add an Fast forward (Go to the end the transfers panel to start
item to the right-click of the list of pages visited): downloading.
menu that will open Hold right button, move the Switch to next page on
www.thinkdigit.com/forum. mouse right then up OR Keyboard Shortcuts page bar: [1] OR [Ctrl] + [F6]
In menu.ini, under Hold right button and [Shift], Copy selected text to Switch to previous page on
[document popup menu], move the mouse right the ‘Notes’ panel: page bar: [2] OR [Ctrl] + [Shift]
type in: Rewind (Go back to the [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [C] + [F6]
Go to page, first page visited): Hold right Copy text in clipboard to Activate panels for
“http://www.thinkdigit.com button, move the mouse left the ‘Notes’ panel: keyboard navigation: [F7]
/forum” then down OR [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [V] Open the ‘Search’ panel:
Hold right button and [Shift], Save page address as new [Ctrl] + [1]
Easy Page Navigation move the mouse left bookmark: [Ctrl] + [T] Open ‘Bookmarks’ panel:
In the toolbar.ini file, Go to home page: double- Save as new bookmark in [Ctrl] + [2]
add the following lines click in an empty page active bookmark folder: Open ‘Mail’ panel:
to the [Document Toolbar] Reload page: hold right [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [T] [Ctrl] + [3]
section: button, move the mouse up Reload page: Open ‘Contacts’ panel:
Button2, “Top”=Go to start, , then down [Ctrl] + [R] OR [F5] [Ctrl] + [4]
, , “View to”” Stop loading: hold right Reload selected frame: [Alt] Open ‘Chat’ panel:
Button3, “End”=”Go to end, , button and move mouse up + [F5] OR [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [R] [Ctrl] + [5]
, , “View from”” Restore or maximise page: Reload all open pages: Open ‘Notes’ panel:
This will give you an easy hold right button, move the [Ctrl] + [F5] OR [Ctrl] + [6]
way to scroll to the bottom mouse up then right [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [R] Open ‘Transfers’ panel:
or top of a page. Minimise page: hold right Go to next page in history: [Ctrl] + [7]
button, move the mouse [X] OR [Ctrl] + [Right Arrow] Open ‘History’ panel:
Load Multiple URLs From down then left OR [Alt] + [Right Arrow] [Ctrl] + [8]
A Text File Close page: hold right Go to previous page in Open ‘Links’ panel:
If you right-click on the button, move the mouse history: [Z] OR [Backspace] [Ctrl] + [9]
Opera icon and go to down then right OR Hold OR [Ctrl] + [Left Arrow] OR Open ‘Windows’ panel:
Properties, the ‘Target’ line right button, move the [Alt] + [Left Arrow] [Ctrl] + [0]
reads something like mouse right-left-right Rewind (Go to the first Close Opera: [Ctrl] + [Q]
“C:\Program Files\Opera8\ Open link in a new page: page visited): [Shift] + [Z] Hide Opera: [Ctrl] + [H]
opera.exe”. move mouse pointer to link Fast Forward (Go to the
You need to change this by and hold right button, then end of the history list): Eudora
adding whatever URLs you move down [Space] OR [Shift] + [X] OR
want to open, so that it reads Open link in a new page in [Shift] + [Backspace] Access Your Gmail In
something like the background: move mouse Load and display all Eudora
“C:\Program Files\ pointer to link and hold images: [I] You may want to access
Opera7.20.3nnn\opera.exe” right button, move down Toggle loading of images: your Gmail mails in
http://www.opera.com then up [Shift] + [I] Eudora, or send mails
http://www.google.com Zoom in and out: hold Full Screen: [F11] through your Gmail account
If you save this line as a [Ctrl], roll mouse wheel up Close active application from Eudora. To do this,
batch file (opera.bat), you’ve or down window: [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [W] you’ll first need to enable
set up a shortcut to the Restore default zoom: hold OR [Alt] + [F4] POP access in Gmail. Here’s
desktop that just needs to be [Ctrl], click mouse wheel Close all open pages: how: first, choose ‘Settings’
double-clicked. Move back and forth in [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [W] from the top Gmail
page history: hold [Shift], roll Close all open pages except navigation bar. Select the
Mouse Gestures mouse wheel up or down the active one: ‘Forwarding and POP’ tab.
Because of the sheer Cycle through open pages: [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Alt] + [W] Make sure that either
number of mouse hold right button, roll mouse Undo closing of page: ‘Enable POP for all mail’ or
gestures available in Opera, wheel up or down [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Z] ‘Enable POP only for mail

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 97

 Digital Tools l Tips & Tricks

Building A Web Page Using NoteTab Pro

Learn about one of the easiest ways to build Web sites—both, for beginners
and experts alike...
the left, or from one of the tabs at it will conform to the formatting
Varun Dubey the bottom. The options and done in the previous windows.
commands in the left pane will There is even a spell-checker

I f you are trying to learn HTML, or

are new to building Web pages, we
have just the thing for you! In fact,
change accordingly.
To start creating a Web page, click
on ‘New Web Page’ on the left, and
coupled with a dictionary to ensure
you don’t have any misspelled words
going out to the world!
even if you find HTML easy enough to
do it in your sleep, you should still go Other Options
through this workshop—the software If all you want is a basic Web
we’re talking about here will let you page, you are all set, since
update your pages so quickly that your page is already set up. You can
you’ll need to work while you’re view it in a browser by pressing [F8].
awake as well! You may, however, want to include
The options this software offers tables, image place holders, anchors,
are so many, a full book could be etc. For all these, you simply need to
dedicated to it. Here, we’ll walk you click on the left pane, and a wizard
through some of the features and will open. This will guide you
leave you to explore and play with the through the process as before.
software yourself. The wizards are pretty exhaustive,
and very rarely will you require any
What you need further tweaking.
The software you need is called
NoteTab Pro. It can be downloaded CSS
from www.notetab.com. You can try As your skills develop, you’ll
it free for 30 days, after which it costs realise it is downright silly to
$19.95 (Rs 870). Set the text and link properties using give every image or text line
this window individual formatting, especially if
Easy Interface most of them have to be similarly
Once you start the software, you’ll be presented with a template
you will be presented with an wizard that will let you select the
interface that looks like a cross basic properties of the page—such as
between Microsoft Word, Opera and the title, description, keywords, etc.
Explorer. You have formatting buttons Once you’re done with that, you will
on the top, the various options (such be presented with another window
as HTML, CSS etc.) at the bottom, and that will allow you to set things such
what’s more, you can open multiple as the background colour, text colour,
files in different tabs just like link colours and more. You can even
Firefox—the best of all worlds! include a background image.

Creating Content
On closing the window, you
return to the code screen Create your style sheet using the wizards in
where a part of the code is the left pane
highlighted as “Type Content Here”.
In that area, you can put whatever formatted. The rescuer here would be
you want to appear on the page, and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
These are basically sheets that
have ‘classes’, where each class
represents a specific kind of
formatting—for example, font type,
font size, font colour, link colour,
etc.—and all you need to do is
include the style sheet referrer in the
HTML page and use the classes before
NoteTab’s Default Screen text. This, you will realise, will cut
down your page size by at least half
Writing The Code if not more!
To create HTML, select ‘HTML’ You can have two kinds of style
from the drop-down menu on Type the page content in the highlighted area sheets—embedded and external.

98 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Tips & Tricks

The external style sheet is the confirmatory email they send even specify what the browser
something you will create as a you. In its free avatar, Geocities does should display when it does not
separate file and then link it to your not support FTP. support frames.
Web page. An embedded style sheet When we clicked on ‘Upload’, we
is, as the name goes, embedded in were presented with a wizard as Creating Forms
the Web page, and this software will before, but at the bottom where we If you would like to get
let you create one with a wizard as were supposed to enter the files to feedback or conduct a survey,
usual. It’s highly effective and be uploaded, we just got a blank text the best solution is to use a form.
accurate; however, you do need to box expecting us to type in each file This software excels in this
have some degree of coding name! This is a serious shortcoming regard, and the drop down menus
knowledge for this. in an otherwise brilliant piece take away the need for coding
Simply click on the CSS tab at the of software. knowledge—just pick and choose
bottom, and then on the left pane, Apart from the glitch in the whatever is required.
click on ‘New Webpage’, and then on FTP aspect, this software will let You can configure the Input type,
‘Embedded Style’. you do almost all kinds of HTML the default text in the box as well as
If you already have a page open, coding including CSS, and is an the name of the box (very important
simply click on CSS, and then on extremely powerful tool even if in form submission)
‘Embedded style’ to add it to your you swear by Dreamweaver. It will also let you change the
page. To add various properties, NoteTab Pro is lightning fast, and input type from a box to a radio
simply click on them on the left produces excellent results with just button, or even a check box! All with
and then follow the wizard yet a few clicks. a couple of clicks,
again—and you’ll be done in no If you want to learn while you
time flat. make Web pages, this is the software
that will let you do it!
Uploading Your Web pages Of course, there are tons of other
Once you’re finished with features—find them for yourselves
the various settings, text right away!
and the style sheet
implementations, it’s time to Adding Images
upload your page for the world to Adding images takes a single
see it. NoteTab Pro will let you click, which gets you to the
upload the file from within the now familiar options menu where
program. You simply need to you can specify the alignment,
configure the FTP settings. borders, spacing as well as an
Click the ‘FTP’ tab at the bottom, alternate text.
and then on ‘Server Setup’.
Again, you will be presented Frames
with a window asking you for the Although we do not
various settings for your server. recommend the use of
Enter these settings and you’re on frames in your Web site, due to
your way to uploading your Web compatibility issues across Embedding images into a web page was never
pages—but this is where we hit upon browsers. However, if you choose to so easy
a snag in the software. use frames, this software will help
Note that you’re provided with you tremendously. You can create
the server settings when you sign up frames at the click of a button, and HTML Cleanup
for Web space, or if you are hosting the options available are amazing. What’s more, if you mess
it on a free server such as Geocities, You can create an iFrame (a frame up with the code, the
the settings would probably be in containing dynamic content) or software can fix it automatically.
There is a single click option called
“Clean Up HTML” which cleans up
any un-ended or orphan, and
empty or redundant tags, which
ensures better compatibility
across browsers.
Apart from the glitch in the
FTP aspect, this software will
let you do almost all kinds of
HTML coding including CSS,
and is an extremely powerful
tool even if you swear by
Dreamweaver. NoteTab Pro is
lightning fast, and produces
excellent results with just a few
clicks. If you want to learn while
you make Web pages, this is the
You upload using the inbuilt FTP program, software that will let you do it!
you need to enter the file names manually Create Frames using NoteTab Pro [email protected]

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 99

 Digital Tools l Tips & Tricks
that arrives from now on’ is ‘POP’ is selected under to your animated gif}” />, needs. To customise the
checked. (Choose ‘Enable POP ‘Configuration:’. Make sure where you want to place the message labels in Eudora,
for all mail’ if you want to ‘Required, Alternate Port’ is image. (Make sure “{path to select Tools > Options... from
download mail previously the ‘Secure Sockets when your animated gif}” points the menu. Go to the ‘Labels’
received at your Gmail Receiving’ choice. Click OK. to the animated gif and category. Type in the desired
account, or select ‘Enable follows this format: name of the label in the
POP only for mail that Add An Animation To “file:///C:/Documents and entry field. Then click on the
arrives from now on’.) Select Your Signature Settings/...”. coloured box to open a
the action you want applied To add an animation to Save the text file. Try colour selection dialog
to mail after you have your signature, you the new signature. Don’t where you can assign any
downloaded it to your e-mail first need to know how to be alarmed if the animation colour to your label.
client under ‘When messages create a new signature in disappears shortly after
are accessed with POP’. Eudora. Here’s how: select showing up in the signature. Empty Trash Upon Exit
Finally, click ‘Save Changes’. Tools > Signatures from the It will display for To have Eudora empty
Now that you’re done Eudora menu. Right-click the recipient. the trash when you exit
with the Gmail settings, it’s anywhere inside the the application, go to Tools >
time to configure Eudora to signature window. Select Do Complex Searches Options, then to the
send and receive mail ‘New...’ from the context Eudora provides a ‘Miscellaneous’ category.
through Gmail. Select Tools menu. Enter the name of the whole lot of search Make sure ‘Empty Trash
> Personalities from the new signature. Click ‘OK’. criteria for mail. If you when exiting’ is checked,
menu in Eudora. Right-click Type in your signature text, explore the first drop-down and click ‘OK’. Keep in mind
in the ‘personalities’ window and select File > Save. menu in the ‘Find Messages’ that all messages in the
and select ‘New...’ from the Now, to animate your dialog, you will see criteria trash will be deleted and
context menu. Choose ‘Skip signature, you’ll need to use from ‘Age’ to ‘Priority’ and purged—and therefore,
directly to advanced account an animated GIF. First, create from ‘Attachment Name’ to permanently lost—whenever
‘Personality’. For more you exit Eudora!
complex searches, you can
try and combine two or Identify Your
more criteria by clicking on Eudora Folder
the ‘More’ button, and You probably will need
selecting either ‘Match All’ to know, at some point
or ‘Match Any’. or other, where Eudora
Using this, you can stores your mails. Here’s how
construct searches to find the folder: on
combining up to five criteria. Windows 2000 and XP, go to
Start > Run. Type in
Clear The Ads Cache “%appdata%\Qualcomm\Eu
Sometimes, Eudora for dora” (without the quotes).
Windows in sponsored Hit [Enter] and you’ll be
mode may complain that it taken to your Eudora folder.
isn’t getting ads. To correct If that doesn’t work,
this, you can try clearing search for ‘eudora.ini’ on
Eudora’s ad cache. your computer. If you get
Eudora keeps the ads in a only one result, the folder
directory called ‘Ads’ in the containing ‘eudora.ini’ is
‘Eudora’ folder. First, close your Eudora folder. If there
Eudora. Then go to your are multiple folders
‘Eudora’ folder. Open the containing ‘eudora.ini’,
‘EudPriv’ folder there, and you’ll have to open them all
then the ‘Ads’ folder. Delete to identify ‘your’ Eudora
all files in the ‘Ads’ folder. folder. Look for .mbx files
Finally, restart Eudora— and .fol folders that match
setup’, then click ‘Finish’. a new signature. Type your the problem should your setup of mailboxes
Type in “Gmail” under signature text. Make sure you have vanished. in Eudora.
‘Personality Name:’. Type use some HTML formatting
your name under ‘Real in it somewhere so Eudora Customise Eudora Insert Recipients Quickly
Name:’. Type your Gmail adds the necessary HTML Message Labels If you have added the
address under ‘E-mail code. It’s enough to boldface Eudora has a great people (or lists) you
Address:’. Type your full a few characters. (You can feature called Message send e-mails to most often to
Gmail address again under remove the formatting later.) Labels that lets you quickly the Recipient List in Eudora,
‘User Name:’. Type Hit [Ctrl] + [S]. Find and open assign a colour and a label to you can use one of the fastest
“smtp.gmail.com” under your Eudora folder in messages. By default, these ways to address a message.
‘SMTP Server:’. Make sure Windows Explorer. Go to the labels are called ‘Label 1’ Using the mouse, you can
‘Required, Alternate Port’ is Sigs directory. Double-click through to ‘Label 7’. add recipients to mails,
selected under ‘Secure the (signature_name).txt file, You’ll probably associate forwards and replies easily
Sockets when Sending’. where ‘signature_name’ is more with something like and quickly from the Eudora
Go to the Incoming Mail whatever name you gave “to do” than with “Label 1”, Recipient List. To insert
tab. Type “pop.gmail.com” your signature. Edit the file and you can change the recipients quickly and
under ‘Server:’. Make sure to include <img src=”{path Eudora labels to suit your comfortably using the mouse

100 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Tips & Tricks
in Eudora, start with a new Cryptography is the Create A Filter From An Name, Description and
message, forward, or reply. solution, and ensures that Existing Message Nickname. Start adding
Click in the To:, Cc: or Bcc: only the intended Filters that move all mail addresses by typing them in
field to put the cursor in it. recipient can decipher your from a certain sender to the list one at a time. Close the
Click with the right mouse message. Thunderbird comes a special folder are extremely dialog and click OK.
button. Select Insert with great inbuilt support useful—to have the really
Recipient > [recipient] for S/MIME. But OpenPGP important and the not-so- Export Contacts From
from the context menu is the rivalling standard, important e-mails sorted out The Thunderbird
that comes up. and you can add support for right away and automatically— Address Book
it easily. and in Thunderbird, they are Thunderbird makes it
Make A Filter From There’s something called extremely easy to create, too. easy to export your
A Message Enigmail out there, which To create a filter from an address book to a format that
Filters that works with Mozilla existing message, open the most, if not all, other e-mail
automatically sort Thunderbird, Netscape and message either in the preview programs can understand. To
incoming mail are very Mozilla, and supports both pane or in its own window. export contacts from the
useful, and they’re best set PGP and GnuPG as its Click on the sender’s name or Thunderbird Address Book,
up from existing messages in encryption backend— e-mail address. (In either case select Window > Address
Eudora. To create an Book. Highlight the desired
incoming mail filter from an address book in the Address
existing message in Eudora, Books list. (If you are not sure
first highlight the message which to select, choose
in the mailbox. Select Personal Address Book.)
Special > Make Filter from Select Tools > Export... from
the menu. Enter details as the menu. Make sure
you see fit. You can filter on ‘Comma Separated (*.csv)’ is
the sender (it’s best to look set under ‘Format:’. Choose a
for the e-mail address only), location and filename, and
any recipient or (part of) click ‘Save’.
the subject.
By default, Eudora Train The Spam Filter
suggests you create a new Thunderbird, as well as
mailbox named after the Netscape and Mozilla,
sender that the filter will have great spam filters. The
move all mail to in the Bayesian spam filter in
future, but you can also Thunderbird identifies spam
have it transfer messages to by calculating for each
any existing mailbox (to incoming message how
select it, click the ‘In’ likely it is junk. These
button), or delete them calculations are based on
automatically. Finally, click how you have classified
‘Create Filter’. previous messages.
This means Thunderbird
Thunderbird can make a very good guess
on what your spam and your
Adding A Background providing comfortable the thing to click is the good mail looks like. It also
Image message security. Enigmail is highlighted text following means that you have to train
A white background all easy to use, and works ‘From:’.) Select ‘Create Filter the spam filter a bit so it can
the time for your e- transparently and with per- from Message...’ from the get an idea what you
mails may become boring. To account settings. It doesn’t menu. Select your desired perceive to be spam.
add a background image to a interfere with, but action under ‘Perform this To train the spam filter
message in Thunderbird, complements Mozilla’s action:’. Click OK. in Thunderbird, open a
first create a new message. S/MIME support. As an alternative to using message you want to classify
Select Options > Format > The latest version is the sender’s context menu, as junk and click the ‘Junk’
Auto-Detect from the 0.92.0, which works with you can select Message > toolbar button. Alternatively,
message’s menu. Click in the Thunderbird 1.0.x. Visit Create Filter from Message... click in the ‘Junk Status’
message body. Select Format http://enigmail.mozdev.org/d in the Thunderbird menu. column in the message list.
> Page Colors and ownload.html to download Either action will toggle the
Background... from the and install it. Create A Mailing List junk status of the message.
menu. Click ‘Choose File...’ Using Cc: or Bcc: is You can use it to mark junk
under ‘Background Image:’. Compose Mail From The usually OK, but using a not yet recognized by
Select the desired file and Address Book mailing list is easier and more Thunderbird, but you can
click Open. Click OK. To compose a message elegant. Thunderbird includes (and should!) also use it to
from the Address Book support for simple mailing reclassify mail that has been
Add OpenPGP in Thunderbird, select lists. To set up a mailing list in wrongly labelled spam.
E-mail Security Window > Address Book Thunderbird, select Window > Once you find the spam
Plaintext e-mails are from the menu. Highlight Address Book. Click on ‘New filter classifies mail
like postcards. the entry you want to List’. Specify which address satisfactorily, you can have it
Everybody can read what compose a message to, and book the list should be added move spam to a special
you send and receive. simply press [Ctrl] + [M]. to. Give the mailing list a folder automatically.

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 101

 The problem arises when I start playing games
like Call of Duty or Prince of Persia—Warrior Within.
It runs fine initially, but after playing for 10 to 15
minutes, the PC hangs and restarts.
I have checked the CPU and motherboard
temperatures—they were stable at 48 and 46
degrees Celsius respectively. All overclocking
options are disabled and there is no overclocking. Is
there a problem with my power supply? I’d asked my
vendor for a genuine 400 W power supply. He
recommended the Tricom 450 W, and I purchased it.
Devadatta, Bhubaneswar
Your Questions, Our Answers
Install DirectX 9.0c on your PC. Install the
latest versions of nForce4 chipset, nVidia
Too Much RAM? graphics and AC’97 audio drivers for your moth-
I have a P IV computer that I bought in 2002. My erboard. Install the latest hotfixes for Windows
problem is that all of a sudden, my PC displays XP SP2. If the problem persists, your RAM is the
a blue screen and it restarts by itself. I don’t know probable cause. This is more likely if there is a
what to do. Recently, I installed a 128 SDRAM module slight mismatch in the RAM modules in the dual-
on top of the existing 128 MB SDRAM module. Is the channel configuration.
problem due to the RAM? To figure out if this is the case, remove one of
Tenzin Sherab, Manali the RAM modules and try playing the game to
see if it works. If it doesn’t crash, the problem is
There is a good chance that the new RAM with the mismatched memory modules. If the
module you installed is faulty, or incompat- problem persists, there could be some heating
ible with the motherboard or the older RAM issues with your processor. You can’t always
module, or both. You’ll need to get the new RAM depend on the motherboard’s temperature
module replaced. Take your old RAM sensor to report the correct temperature at
module to the vendor from whom you all times.
bought it and ask him to replace the new
RAM with one similar to the old RAM.
More For Less?
Using my Windows 2000 bootable CD, I
I Can Watch But Can’t Catch! can install Windows 2000 Professional,
I have an Intel Celeron 1.2 GHz, 256 MB Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000
RAM, a 60 GB hard drive and a Frontech Advanced Server. When I checked the size of
TV-Tuner card. The TV playback of the card is the disk by right-clicking the CD drive icon, it
smooth enough. But while recording, many was around 450 MB. But when I tried to copy
frames are lost in the DVD quality. As a it to my hard disk, it took around 1.5 GB.
result, the quality of recording is poor. How I’ve also come across some 770 MB VCDs,
can I ensure best quality? although the normal disk capacity is 700 MB.
Mahesh Bandekar, via e-mail How we can one write more data on a CD than
its pre-defined capacity?
The system configuration you Prasad V Nair, Trivandrum
mention is more than enough to view TV
using a TV-Tuner card. But it is not enough to Some data CDs are created in such a way
record live TV in DVD quality. You can record in that although the total size of the data on
MPEG-1 file format (VCD quality) without drop- each may far exceed the normal capacity of a CD
ping a frame, but if you try to record a MPEG-2 (which is 700 MB, and may sometimes even cross
file format (DVD quality), you will drop a lot of 1 GB), the CD properties still show the CD’s size
frames and the resulting captured file will be of to be well within the limits.
bad quality. This is achieved by a special method of CD
If you wish to record in MPEG-2 format, you image creation wherein identical files appearing
should consider upgrading your hardware to at multiple times in the CD compilation are stored
least a 2 GHz processor from Intel or a 2000+ as a single file with different entries in the file
processor from AMD. To capture in MPEG-2 with allocation table of the CD. This way, multiple
really good quality, you will require a TV-Tuner identical files that are seen to occupy multiple
card with hardware MPEG capture capability, times the size of the file actually occupy only the
such as the ones from Hauppauge. space of a single file. There are various tools
available to create such images, including
UltraISO at www.ezbsystems.com/ultraiso.
Power Trouble?
My PC’s configuration is as follows: an AMD
Athlon 64 3000+, an Asus K8N4E Deluxe
A Useful Dump
nForce 4 chipset-based motherboard, XFX GeForce When memory dumping happens, ‘.dmp’ files
PCX 5300 PCIx16, a Tricom 450 watt, iBox i612 are created. Can you tell me how to open
Standard ATX, a Seagate 80 GB 7200 rpm SATA hard these files to know the reason of the dump?
drive and Windows XP Professional SP2. Adesh Kumar, via e-mail

102 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Memory dump file creation is a very useful this problem. I’ve tried to restore the system to an
diagnostic tool in Windows systems based earlier date, but the problem persists. What is
on NT. A memory dump is an output file gener- the solution?
ated by the OS during a crash, and is useful in Prof Sanjay S Patil, Ratnagiri
determining the cause of the crash. It is saved as
a file with the .dmp extension in the ‘System32’ You need to reinstall Windows Media
directory inside the ‘Windows’ directory. Player. Go to Control Panel > Folder
To set up this option, open ‘System’ in Options > View and set it to ‘Show hidden
‘Control Panel’, navigate to the ‘Advanced’ tab, files and folders’. Uncheck ‘Hide protected
and click ‘Settings’ under ‘Startup and Recovery’. operating system files [recommended]’ and
The dump file can be analysed using a tool ‘Hide extensions for known file types’. Now,
from Microsoft known as dumpchk.exe. You can open the Windows Explorer and go to the
download it from http://snipurl.com/gzel. ‘C:\Windows\Inf’ folder, find the file
Different versions of the tool are available for ‘wmp.inf’, right-click it and choose ‘Install’.
different versions of Windows. Detailed informa- You will need to either insert your
tion about using dumpchk.exe can be found at Windows XP CD or know where the i386
http://snipurl.com/gzf8. folder is located on your hard drive. You may
also need to know where the
‘ServicePackFiles’ folder is (it’s usually under
BIOS Upgrade Needed the Windows directory) if you’ve installed a
I have an Intel P III 450 MHz (Katmai) service pack. If your Windows directory is
processor, Intel (i440BX/ZX-SMC60X rev. C1, ‘C:\Windows’, then the service pack files are
Intel 82371 (PIIX4) rev. C1) Chipset, Inno3D in ‘C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles’.
GeForce4 MX 64 MB, 128 MB of RAM, a
DVD/CD-RW, Windows 98 SE, and a 20 GB
hard disk. I have the following questions:
Icons For CDs
1. Can I use a P III 1 GHz Processor with this How do I assign an icon to the CD-R/RW
chipset? Is there some other fast processor while writing it, so that when I put it into
that I can use with this chipset? the drive the icon appears at the place of the
2. How can I upgrade my BIOS? I have the CD drive in ‘My Computer’?
Award 4.51 P-03/01/99 BIOS. I am unable to Ajay Bhushan, via e-mail
install Windows XP. Is this a BIOS problem?
Does this BIOS support only Windows 95/98? The icon displayed in ‘My Computer’
3. While burning CDs, disk finalisation fails, when some CDs are inserted into the
and the disk becomes unusable. Why is it so? CD drive is due to the Autorun feature of
I can play games like Call of Duty, NFS Hot the CD. The root of an Autorun CD
Pursuit 2 and GTA Vice-City on my PC, and contains a file ‘autorun.inf’, which is an
they run very well. instruction file associated with the func-
Zaif Khan, Delhi tion. This file has a syntax, and a simple
autorun.inf file looks like
Unfortunately, you will not be able to use a [autorun]
1 GHz P III on your board—the board simply open=autorun.exe
does not support that processor. You can upgrade icon=autorun.ico
your BIOS by downloading the latest BIOS and Here, ‘autorun.exe’ is the executable file
BIOS flashing utility from your motherboard that is launched when the CD is inserted, and
manufacturer’s Web site. ‘autorun.ico’ is the icon file that gives the CD its
The Award 4.51 BIOS has certain limitations. icon. Sometimes, an executable file or a DLL that
When a hard drive larger than 33.8 GB is might contain an icon is also used instead of an
attached, the system hangs during Power-On Self icon file. You may also try a freeware Autorun
Test. But you should be able to install Windows file editor such as the one from
XP even with this BIOS. http://autorun.moonvalley.com if you want to
CD burning can fail during finalisation for a play around with Autorun files.
variety of reasons—due to faulty media or a
faulty writer. Try using different media. Use a
cleaning CD to clean the lens of your CD-Writer—
I Lost My Password!
dust may have accumulated over it. Try burning I use MS Office 2000 on my computer. I
at lower speeds. created an MS Word file and saved it with
password protection. I’ve forgotten the password.
How can I open the file?
Missing Music Vikram Dan, Barmer, Rajasthan
My system configuration is a P IV, an Intel 845
motherboard, and 256 MB of DDR RAM running To recover the password of an MS Word file,
Windows XP. Whenever I try to open Windows Media download software such as the Word
Player, I get the following error: Password Recovery from Interlore
“winplayer.exe - ENTRY POINT NOT FOUND (http://snipurl.com/gzf0) or the Passware Word
The procedure entry point ASFSend Time To Time Key (http://snipurl.com/gzey).
could not be located in the dynamic link library A fast processor enables quick recovery of
WMASF.DLL” the password. Short passwords are easy to
It’s only recently that I’ve started experiencing recover, but longer passwords may take days

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 103

 Overclock your graphics card
If you’re giving up on your graphics card, you might as well try and overclock it!
right click on the desktop. Choose Prop-
Varun Dubey The Control Panel erties > Settings > Advanced, and then
We won’t be messing around click the tab that has your graphics

S
o you got yourself a spanking new with the card from within this card’s name.
graphics card and were excited software, but will do it from within the A menu opens up on the left with a
about playing the latest games at nVidia drivers, as they give us certain multitude of options and settings.
the highest resolutions—only to find it options that the software doesn’t— Click on the option marked ‘Clock Fre-
faltered while running a low-end con- namely, the automatic overclocker! Note quency Settings’. On the right, select
figuration of Doom 3? If that made you that you can use nVHardPage to over- the radio button labelled ‘Manual Over-
give up on your card, you might as well clock your card if you want to, but we clocking’. Selecting it will present you
risk overclocking it to see if you can get don’t recommend that you do. nVHard- with a disclaimer. Read it and hit the ‘I
that last bit of speed out of it. Page gives you too much leeway—you accept’ button. You will be presented
could easily damage your card by mov- with two sliders, one for ‘Core Clock Fre-
What You Need ing the slider too far to the right! Why quency’ and the other for ‘Memory
In this workshop, we tell you how to go we used nVHardPage at all is because Clock Frequency’.
about overclocking your nVidia card running it makes the overclocking
using a simple utility called nVHard- options in the nVidia drivers available. Over-
Page and enabling some hidden menus Now, to un-hide the frequency con- clock-
in the default driver’s menu for the troller slider for the driver interface, ing
card. You can download nVHardPage click on the nVidia icon at the top and The Card
from www.guru3d.com/nvhardpage/ then click on the control panel set- You could, of
course, go
Running The Software ahead and over-
The software does not require clock the card
any installation. Simply navi- by simply slid-
gate to the folder where you unzipped ing the slider as
the files, and find a file called ‘nVHard- far to the right
PageSE’. Running the file will present as you think is Set the core and memory
you with a tweaking menu. safe, but if you clock frequencies here
The default screen shows the system take the slider
configuration including those of the too far to the right, you could render
graphics card, the CPU and the OS. your card forever useless.
There is an easy way to test the
The Software Interface Enable various settings using the control panel potential limit of your card. In the drop-
At the top, you’ll notice icons down menu saying ‘2D Performance’,
for nVidia (card), DirectX and tings. Here you’ll find a list of options select ‘3D’. A button labelled ‘Detect
OpenGL, and an icon comprising two that signify the settings you can tweak optimal Frequencies’ gets enabled.
speedometers, which stands for the from within the nVidia driver interface. Clicking it will instruct the drivers to
inbuilt overclocking utility. This utili- The unchecked boxes signify the hidden take all system parameters into consid-
ty has two sliders, which reflect the tweaks. Now here, tick the ‘Enable Cool- eration and give you the optimum fre-
core clock speeds of the card and the bits’ box. This will ensure that you get a quencies for both the GPU core and the
accompanying video RAM speeds. speed slider when you open the display memory frequency.
They need to be adjusted together— properties next time. There is, however, no guarantee that
your card should not run faster than There are loads of other options the card will run all games at these set-
the video RAM. Of course, both these here, such as AGP settings, which lets tings. Once the card gives you these set-
speeds have thresholds you need to you choose the AGP acceleration, and a tings, you should test the system
adhere to. troubleshooting page—along with a stability by running different games.
page for configuring Direct 3D render- If all goes well, try increasing the fre-
ing, where you choose how many quency a little, and test again. Continue
frames the card renders in advance. This this process until you get the maximum
can be tricky, because if you play a FPS value at which your system stays stable.
you never know what kind of frames are This is the optimum overclocked speed
required next—so if you render them in of your card, and this can be above or
advance, it could prove to be a bottle- below the auto-detected settings.
neck. If you have an ATi card, you can
download some utilities from
The Overclocking Menu www.voodoofiles.com/9742
Now since we’ve enabled the These software work similar to the
overclocking feature in the driv- one we’ve talked about, and you should-
Move the slider to get optimum performance ers, let’s try and overclock the card! n’t have too much trouble overclocking
out of the card To go to the nVidia settings page, your ATi card.

104 DIGIT AUGUST 2005

 Too Hot To Handle! proper contact thereby hindering maximum heat dissipa-
I have a Pentium IV with Intel 865GBF motherboard, 1 GB tion. Moreover, you need to check if your cabinet is properly
RAM, an ATi Radeon 256 MB graphics card running Windows ventilated as an improperly ventilated cabinet can also
XP with SP2. I have a peculiar problem with contribute to overheating.
processor overheating. I experienced this first In order to remedy the prob-
when playing SimCity 4. Within five lem, check whether the CPU
minutes of launching the game, I got a fan is rotating and not being
tion warning message about overheating of blocked. It is advisable to
Quefsthe
o nth the heat processor. But as soon as I quit remove the heat sink fan unit
Mo SimCity 4, the system normalised. and the processor, clean it, apply
Is it a problem with my processor? a fresh, thin and uniform coat of
Other than this, my computer doesn’t heat sink compound on the
overheat even if it runs for a full day. On the boot surfaces of the processor and the
before the OS selection, I am getting a particular heat sink that come in contact with
message saying processor in dual channel mode, each other and then re-assemble
and so on, and press F4 to resume. This thing them. This should eliminate the
popped up recently. What could the problem be? cause of the overheating.
Mika, Via e-mail Based on the information
which you have provided, we
Even if your PC is switched on the whole think the message that is
day, and if it’s not under stress, the displayed during system boot is
processor will not overheat. But when you play 3-D games “Memory in Dual Channel Mode” and
that stress the processor, it tends to heat up. Intel Prescott not “Processor in Dual Channel Mode”. However, this is a
processors are known to heat up and your processor seems normal occurence for 865 chipset-based motherboards with
to be one of those. Rest assured, this is normal. two memory modules. The ‘Press F4 to resume’ must refer to
The reason for overheating could be due to the CPU fan the temperature shutdown of the motherboard and not due
not working properly or the CPU and heat sink not making to the dual channel memory setting.

to recover even with a fast processor. The Windows. Now when you uninstalled C,
software uses the brute-force technique the changes to config.sys have not been
of password breaking, and how fast it undone, and since those commands are
can find the password is dependent on no longer valid, you get the error.
the number-crunching capability of In order to correct this problem,
the processor. open config.sys in a text editor such as
Notepad. The config.sys file might be
hidden and read-only, and you might
Now You C! have to reset its attributes. To do this, go
My PC runs two OSes, Windows 98 on the to the Windows command prompt and
C drive and Windows XP on the D drive. A type in the following commands:
few days ago, I installed the Windows version CD\
of the C language. Recently, I uninstalled it ATTRIB -S -H -R CONFIG.SYS
and started getting an error message at You’ll now be able to edit config.sys.
bootup in the Windows 98 OS: Go to line number 2, and type in ‘REM’
“There is an error in your CONFIG.SYS file on and a space at the start of the line.
Line 2 Similarly, go to line number 8, type
The following file is missing or ‘REM’ and a space at the start. After adding
corrupted:D:\C700\BIN\SMARTDRV.EXE ‘REM’, save the file and restart your computer.
There is an error in your CONFIG.SYS file on Line 8 Everything should work fine now. ‘REM’ is
Incorrect DOS version short for ‘Remark Comments’, and stops lines
The following file is missing or from getting executed. Similarly, to un-
corrupted:COMMAND.COM comment any line, just delete the word ‘REM’
C:\>D:\C700\BIN\SMARTDRV.EXE from the start of the line.
Bad command or file name Get Help Now!
C:\>PATH= D:\C700\BIN;D:\WINDOWS\System32;
D:\WINDOWS; D:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem E-mail us your computing Registry Backup In Win98
problems along with your
C:\>SET LIB= D:\C700\LIB;D:\C700\MFC\LIB contact details and
I have a Pentium III 500 MHz processor, an Intel
C:\>SET INCLUDE= D:\C700\INCLUDE; complete system BX motherboard, 128 MB of RAM and a 20 GB
D:\C700\MFC\INCLUDE configuration to hard disk. I have Windows 98 installed. How do I
C:\>SET HELPFILES= D:\C700\HELP\*.HLP [email protected] , back up my registry?
C:\>SET INIT= D:\C700\INIT” and we will answer them Rajesh Bhatt, Mumbai
Why is this happening? here! Since we get more
Ravi Ranjan, via e-mail mails per day than we There is a utility in Windows 98 to check,
can handle, it may take backup and restore the registry, known as
The problem with your system is that one some time for your SCANREGW. Go to Start > Run. Enter “SCAN-
query to be answered.
of the startup files for Windows 98, Rest assured, we are
REGW” and hit [Enter]. You’ll be asked if you
config.sys, contains invalid commands that listening! want to back up the registry. Click ‘Yes’, and your
were added to it when you installed C for registry will be backed up.

106 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l Agent 001
Agent 001

It’s A PC… It’s A TV

Once you add a TV-Tuner card to the computer, you could turn it into a TV or a PC at the
touch of a button

R
ecently, after a three-year stay in the US, my If you would like external solutions from these brands are
best friend Samir returned to India. We priced between Rs 1.2 K and Rs 1.5 K and offer
soon caught up at our usual hangout and to capture live TV maximum bang for your buck. Unfortunately,
after the initial niceties, the topic immediately shows, you would they lack the quality finish associated with
turned to our common passion—technology! be better off with good products.
A techie and an avid gamer, Samir has an 02 an internal To hunt for better options, I decided to
XDA IIs, a Rio Karma MP3 player and the TV-Tuner card make the journey to the Holy Grail—
slimmest digital camera I have ever seen—the Lamington Road (LR). Unfortunately, the July
Sony DSC T7! Over the course of our conversa- 26 rains that inundated the whole of Mumbai
tion, he amazed me with stories of the US includ- did not spare LR either. Nonetheless, business
ing his experiences with LAN gaming and the was as usual. My decision to make the journey
like. Well, what do you expect when two techies here was vindicated at the first stop itself
get together? where I was presented with a range of options
Now that he was back, things weren’t exactly to choose from. The prices started at Rs 1.2 K
to his liking. I suggested he rent some DVDs or and went up to Rs 6 K.
watch TV to pass the time but this just opened up Entry-level internal TV-tuner cards with
a can of worms! Samir’s home (like most Indian basic ‘capturing’ capabilities from Frontech,
homes) had fallen prey to the saas-bahu sagas and Intex, Mercury, X-Teq started at Rs 1.2 K. If you
the poor guy had no say in the matter. are on a hunt for the cheapest solution and
Time for Agent 001 to swing into action! can compromise on the capturing front, don’t
Having dealt with this problem myself, I knew look any further.
the anatomy of the problem and the solution Pinnacle, Compro, AverMedia and Pixelview
too! A TV-Tuner card is the best device to counter are the middle range options and offer internal
this problem and have your way! Accordingly, I TV-Tuner cards between Rs 2.2 K and Rs 3.5 K.
suggested this to him and before I know it, I was Within this category, AverMedia and Pixelview
in the thick of things and found myself searching are slightly cheaper options with respectable
for an ideal TV-Tuner device for his computer. picture quality. Both, Pinnacle and Compro,
My first stop was at a decent enough shop in have Gold or Pro versions of their cards and
Vashi Plaza (Navi Mumbai). On inquiring about a offer extra features including FM Tuner, Stereo
TV-Tuner card, I was asked for sound and more. These versions, though, would
two options—external and set you back by around Rs 3.5 K.
internal. What’s the differ- Although you can also use these TV
ence? In an internal card, one tuner cards for capturing content, you
needs to install it in the CPU need to remember that these cards
and then load the drivers—it’s a don’t have the required decoding
lot of work! hardware and hence, good quality
With an external one, all one capture is not possible.
has to do is hook it up to a stan- Cards such as Hauppauge have
dard monitor and you’re done. an onboard hardware MPEG-2
Also, in an external box, decoder that makes good capturing
since you are not required to possible. Despite my best efforts, I
switch ‘On’ the PC, it saves a couldn’t locate a dealer for these
lot of power, which is not an cards. Time to phone relatives
option with the ‘internal’ TV abroad! Compro also has another
tuner card. But what about solution wherein the tuner is inte-
capturing Live TV pro- grated with the Graphics card.
grammes to view them later? Cost: a good Rs 6 K.
If you are interested in Finally, for Samir, I bought
capturing live shows, Pinnacle’s PCTV that cost Rs 2,350—
you would be better off an ideal option for viewing and cap-
with an internal TV-Tuner turing content provided you have a
card, I was told. There are good computer.
some external boxes that hook up to
your PC via the USB port, but then the connec-
tion becomes the bottleneck. It’s advisable to go
for an internal card if capturing is your game. Want more of Agent 001? Turn over to read his
As for brands, the only two options I was answers to your buying questions
presented with were Frontech and Intex. The
Illustration Pradip Ingale
DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 107
 Digital Tools l Agent 001 Ask Agent 001
suggest me a good cabinet in the Rs 3-4 K range,
Looking For A Notebook ideally from Antec?
I am interested in buying a notebook computer. Creative’s Zen Abhishek Dwivedi
Which one do you think is better? Acer Aspire is a good MP3
5000 with AMD Athlon Turion 64-bit processor or player, which For motherboards based on nVidia
Acer Travelmate 4151LCi with a Centrino processor? nForce4 chipsets, I would suggest you to
Would there be any backward integration problems fits the bill as go for the MSI K8N Neo4. It has all the features
with the 64-bit processor? it allows voice you have asked for and hopefully, should fit in
Dr Vasant Patel recording your budget too. As far as the cabinet is
although via an concerned, I don’t think you will get an Antec
As far as AMD Turion is concerned, we optional remote cabinet for Rs 3-4 K with the power supply.
haven’t tested a solution based on this I would suggest you buy a Mercury cabinet
new platform and I will reserve my comments with good ventilation and then add an Antec
on the performance of the new chip from AMD. power supply to it. A standard mercury cabi-
However, from what I have heard about it, it is net should set you back by Rs 500-700 and the
good. I don’t think there will be any backward Smart Power 350W PS from Antec will cost you
compatibility issues either. around Rs 3.6 K.
The Acer Travelmate 4151LCi is based on a
tried-and-tested Centrino platform and I don’t
see any problems if you would like to purchase it. MFD Matters
However, you should consider laptops from other I am planning to buy a multifunctional device
brands such as HP-Compaq, Dell and Lenovo for my small office with a budget of around
(IBM) as well. Rs 7K. Please suggest one that is capable of photo
quality printing, has standalone copy function and
preferably runs on low ink.
Music On The Move Ajil Mathews
I am interested in buying a HDD MP3 player. I
have around 20+ GB of classic rock and would From our experience, we can say that
like to carry it around and also be able to play it on Epson MFDs are good at extending the
my car tape deck. One more feature I am looking for life of the ink cartridge, but don’t give you exem-
is the ability to record lectures on the fly. Ease-of-use plary printing quality. Lexmark has some great
and battery life are important to me. I have narrowed looking devices, give good print quality but are
down my choices to the iRiver and Creative because ink guzzlers. HP offers the best all-round
I am not so sure about the Apple iPod. performance, though, with good prints and
Dr A K George acceptable ink drain.
Nevertheless, among all these, Canon is the
Among the various HDD MP3 players, best when it comes to print quality, speed and
iPod from Apple is considered to be the cartridge life. Before you buy an MFD, look for
best. It looks great, is extremely simple to use the brand with easy availability of ink cartridges
and offers superb battery life. However, it does and a proper service network.
not offer any additional features such as FM
reception or voice recording.
Creative’s Zen is another good MP3 player, 3G Or Not To 3G?
which, according to me, fits the bill as it also I need to buy a mobile phone but I am confused
allows voice recording although via an between the Nokia 6630 and 6681. Both phones
optional remote. are just awesome and offer almost the same feature
As far as the iRiver is concerned, they have set; only difference being the 6681 one doesn’t
recently launched their outlets in India and support 3G. Should I go for 3G phone? In India, as far
might not have a national presence as of now. as I know, there are hardly any companies offering
Due to this, their service network also might not true 3G capabilities and it will take a long time for 3G
be up to scratch. to be fully functional. I am not planning on changing
As for your buying decision, I suggest you go the phone frequently.
for the Creative Zen. However, if you are ready to
sacrifice the voice recording feature, nothing Ashish Anand
beats the iPod. For playing MP3s in your car, a
converter is also available with most shops sell- As far as 3G is concerned, I think we are
ing car stereos. For Creative, contact your local unanimous about it: it’s a long way
dealer. Apple India can reached at 080-25550575. Ask Away before Indian cell companies offer something
Want a tech product, but that is ‘more go than show’. Therefore, invest-
don’t know how to go ing in a cell phone supporting 3G might not be
Motherboard Musings about buying it? E-mail the smartest thing to do.
I am planning to buy a computer with AMD 64 [email protected] But, since you have mentioned that you
3200+, 1 GB RAM, 6600GT nVidia graphics with your complete won’t be changing the phone frequently, I
card, but I am unable to decide on a motherboard. contact details and get suggest you buy the 6630 with 3G support,
What I would like, though, should have a PCI-e your queries answered. which might come handy whenever cell
slot for the graphics card. Moreover, it should Please mention your PC’s companies in India offer 3G. Also, the price
detailed configuration
support 939-pin AMD processors and preferably, be to ensure consideration
difference between the two models is not much
based around the nVidia chipset. I have allocated for this section and having that extra headroom might be a
approximately Rs 8 K for the board. Also, could you boon in disguise in the long run.

108 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Samsung Note PC Q30 Logitech Mobile Freedom Headset
S amsung’s Q30 is a sleek form factor notebook that
weighs just 1.1 kg. This Centrino notebook has an The Incredible Bulk
Intel Pentium M-A 1200 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM
and a 40 GB hard drive. It bundles an external T his Mobile Freedom Headset from Logitech is
compliant with Bluetooth v1.2. The
headset works with compatible
FireWire DVD-RAM ReWriter.
The 12.1-inch wide colour TFT screen mobile phones and PCs.
supports 1280 x 768 pixels resolution. Weighing less than 30
The connectivity options are Wi-Fi gm, the headset is bulky.
802.11 B/G, 10/100 Mbps LAN as well as It has a range of 10
a 56 Kbps modem. It also features a meters and is powered
card reader and has 2 USB 2.0 ports by a 140mAH
and a FireWire port. rechargeable Lithium-
It was below average in the ion battery.
Business WinStone 2004, scoring The controls on the headset
just 14.3. The battery lasted for a include a ‘call answer button and a
good 3 hours and 57 minutes. volume up/down button. The call answer button works as the
It comes with Windows XP Professional power-up key as well and enables pairing up with other devices.
and recovery CDs. The price of Rs 1,40,000 is too high. The rotating over-ear clip is not very comfortable to wear.
Call clarity is exceptional, with a decent range.
Company Samsung India Electronics India Ltd.
Company Logitech Electronic India Pvt Ltd
Price Rs 1,39,990
Price Rs 3,995
Phone : 011-51511234
Phone 022-26571160
E-mail [email protected]
E-mail [email protected]
Web site www.samsungindia.com
Web site : www.logitech.com
Rating
1 2 3 4 5 Rating
1 2 3 4 5

Bose TriPort Music System

Head For The Phones know existed. The music is perfectly balanced

T he Bose Triport Music System con-

sists of a CD/MP3 disc player and a
Triport headphone. The player looks
with no extra stress on the instruments than
on the vocals—everything is crystal-clear.
Nonetheless, there are some down-
like any other Discman, but appear- sides: in some songs, we noticed
ances can be deceptive! that the treble went intermit-
Since it plays MP3 discs, a folder browser tently high. This can be attrib-
button lets you browse through folders. Another button is uted to the quality of the
‘Browse’ that lets you check the other tracks on the disc Audio CD, too, but the sound
while you are listening to one. jarrs at high treble and volume
The volume controls are placed on the top . Other but- settings. Another factor is that
tons include the regular Play/Pause, Previous and Forward each note is faithfully repro-
and Stop buttons. A unique MyMix button lets you create duced, so for people who listen to low bit rate MP3 files,
custom playlists from any MP3 disc that you are currently they will notice a flanging effect that is not apparent on
listening to, but once you switch off the player, the list low-end stereo systems or headphones.
is lost. So, is this combination the best that we have seen? In
The headphone weighs only 5 ounces and looks flimsy, a manner of speaking, it is. It is the headphone more
but it is just the lull before the storm. Once you wrap it than the player that steals the show. However, there are
around your ears, you will be surprised by the amount of much cheaper brands available today which do the job
reduction in the ambient noise. Remember, these are just as well.
not noise-canceling headphones, but they perform a near- The Anti-Skip function is one of the best we have seen.
similar job. Nevertheless, the real pleasure starts when Finally, everything boils down to one all-pervading truth:
you hit play! The headphone can be summed up in one this is a Bose. So, if you like to flaunt it, you have to get it!
word—fantastic!
Some of the artists whose music we played on it were Company Bose Corporation India Ltd.
Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Madonna, Pearl Jam, Metallica, Price Rs.11,900
Alannah Myles, Chicane, Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Lata Phone 1600112673
Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi, Beethoven, Claude E-mail [email protected]
Debussy… not necessarily in that order. Everything sounded Web site www.boseindia.com/
amazing! You could hear notes that you previously did not Rating
1 2 3 4 5

110 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l New and Notable
Dell Latitude D410
Creative Zen Portable Media Player
For Professional Laps
T he Zen Portable Media Player from Creative is one of
the early devices running on Microsoft’s Portable Media
Center software. Straight out of the box, the player is
simply stunning, albeit a bit bulky, with a shiny black
T he Latitude D410 measures 1.25 x 11.0 x 9.4 inches and
weighs just over 1.7 kg.
Powered by an Intel Pentium M Processor 760 (2.00GHz,
coating and a nice big 3.8-inch LCD screen. It fits into your 2MB L2 Cache) installed on an Intel 915GM chipset, the
hand and lets you play music, movies and photographs notebook offers the latest mobile offerings from Intel—
with ease. including PCI-Express, DDR2 support and 533 MHz FSB.
In terms of the The 12.1-inch screen supports
specs, it is powered 1024 x 768 resolution.
by an Intel Scale Other specs include 512 MB system
400MHz processor, memory, 40 GB 5400 RPM hard drive,
64 MB RAM and a 20 and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator
GB hard disk drive. 900. Connectivity options include
The Zen’s interface Intel Pro 2200 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 56K
is extremely modem and Gigabit LAN. Available
responsive. And all ports include Docking
this despite the glitzy connector, 3 USB, VGA,
fade-in and smooth headphone/speaker out,
sliding effects within infrared port, RJ-11, and RJ-
the Windows OS. 45. A PC card slot is provided, though
The controls are fairly simple and gameboy-ish. FireWire and media card reader are not available.
Despite all these amazing features, the player does not Because of its reinforced magnesium alloy frame, the
identify as a removable drive, and drivers are needed to D410 is extremely sturdy, and comes with Dell’s StrikeZone
transfer music. It works on Windows Media Digital Rights shock absorber system to protect the hard drive.
Management 10, which prevents a movie file from loading Both touchpad and pointing stick options are present.
into the player if not authorised by a Web server, which it The notebook logged a whopping 23.9 in the Business
connects to every time you sync it. Winstone Test and 3413 in PCMark04, making it one of the
It plays only the WMV format, but does it well. If you best performing notebooks we have ever tested. The included
have movies in other formats, WMP10 will first convert six-cell battery lasted a decent 2 hrs 39 minutes.
them and then upload them—a colossal waste of your time. The D410 bundles an external combo-drive, Windows XP
The device plays music (MP3 and WMV formats), displays Professional with SP2, a nine-cell extended battery, leather
photographs and plays videos with élan. The interface is carry bag and a 3-year on-site warranty.
slick and extremely easy to navigate and makes scrolling Overall, the Latitude D410 will not disappoint frequent
through huge lists easy. If you can live with a slightly bulky travellers who want great performance.
(but well built) device, we would absolutely recommend
this device. Company Dell Computer India
Company Creative Technology Ltd. Price Rs 94,757
Price Rs 28,299 Phone 080-25357309
Phone 0 - 9820357718 E-mail [email protected]
Web site www.creative.com Web site : www.dell.com/ap
Rating Rating
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

iRiver N10 256MB MP3 player

Anti-piracy MP3 Player computer. According to iRiver, it is

T he iRiver N10 is a sleek MP3 player with a memory

capacity of 256 MB. It comes with a standard USB cable
and earphones. The style is abstract and will appeal to
a step to prevent illegal transfer
of music from one system
to another.
people who want to flaunt their MP3 players. The sound recording
The display is OLED which is very functional and quality is good and
actually helps in conserving battery life. The iRiver N10 can recorded files are in
play Windows Media Audio and MP3 files. .REC format, which
Coming to performance, the player has very good sound can be converted to
quality. Its software lets you tweak just about anything you MP3 using the iRiver
want, however, the controls are rather cumbersome to use. Music Manager software.
You can use the preset equalisers for listening to music or The player is feature-
customise them as you wish. packed and boasts good
Battery life is pretty good; with the player running non- performance but the price of Rs 8,499
stop for approximately 10.5 hours. is a big letdown.
The player is plug-and-play and is recognised as a USB
device when connected to a computer. You will, however, Company Salora International Ltd
need to install the proprietary iRiver software before using Price Rs 8,499
the player. Using this bundled software, you can also store Phone 011-51614322
data in the player. Web site : www.iriverindia.com
Another feature (or mis-feature) is that once you copy a Rating
song on to the player, you cannot copy it back to the 1 2 3 4 5

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 111

 Digital Tools l New and Notable
Archos AV 400
Video On The Go to continue from where you left off in a movie or song.
It comes bundled with Virtual dub and a front-end
T his 20GB device is only slightly bigger than your regular
iPod but does much more! For starters, it plays video
(MPEG-4 and AVI in DivX format), audio (MP3, WAV, WMA)
proprietary software, which ensures that all encoding
settings are just right for the movie to play. In our tests
and JPEG and BMP images. though, even unoptimised movies played without framing.
To be fair, the 3.5-inch screen is not spectacularly big like The included headphones are strictly decent.
its sibling, the Archos AV700’s, but the Archos also bundles a hub which allows you to record
clarity is excellent. and playback movies or images to a
It has a four-way navigation key and TV. The recording is limited to just
a centre-click button. A sixth button is 2 GB per file. It can also be used as
used for going back in the menu a Dictaphone.
structure. Unlike iPods, where you need You can rename files and
iTunes, the AV400 is recognised as a create/delete folders and playlists
removable drive in Windows XP and directly from within the player. The
you can copy files using Windows battery life is just about adequate for
Explorer. When you unplug it, a scan is 3 hours of video and 11 hours
automatically performed and each file for music.
is classified under Artist, Genre, The product is amazing but we
Album, Title and so on. Updating 1 GB would’ve liked a bigger hard disk for
of new music took less than 3 seconds. We were floored! more movie storage.
The interface is brilliant, fast and vivid. The player has an Available from The Gadget Boy (Inorbit Mall, Malad, Mumbai
inbuilt CF reader and an additional 4-in-1 adapter can be Price Rs 29,999
bought to let you insert any kind of memory card directly Phone 022-56880270 Web site www.archos.com
into the device. It has a book-marking feature—click ‘Resume’ Rating
1 2 3 4 5

O2 XDA IIi Jabra BT 800

XDA Again J abra has finally made its way to Indian shores. The
BT800 Bluetooth headset, Jabra’s flagship model, is
T he XDA IIi boasts significant enhancements over the older XDA II.
Featuring the same design, the XDA IIi is a PDA phone with
Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Pocket PC Phone Edition.
packed with impressive features.
The BT800 looks chunky, but at 22 gms, is quite
light. The skinny ear loop does a good job of holding
Its enhancements include added Wi-Fi (802.11b) support, a faster the BT800 comfortably in place.
processor (Intel PXA 272 running at 520 MHz as compared to the 400 It has an integrated, one-line, backlit LCD display
MHz CPU in the XDA II), double the ROM at 128MB, and a 1.3 that lets you see the caller ID. This feature
megapixel camera. Other specifications of the XDA IIi include tri- comes handy since you can identify the
band GPRS, a 3.5-inch 240 x 320 touchscreen supporting 65K colours, caller without pulling the phone out of
128 MB SDRAM, SDIO slot, Infrared and Bluetooth v1.2. your pocket or bag. When we tested
Pre-installed applications include Pocket Excel, Word, Internet the headset with a Motorola A780,
Explorer, MSN Messenger, Windows Media Player 10, Java MIDlet we were able to see the caller’s
Manager (J2ME), Photo Contacts, PowerPoint and PDF viewer, and number, but not the name from the
much more... The device connects to a PC using the bundled USB phonebook. Test the device with
cable and Microsoft ActiveSync 3.8 included on the CD. your phone to make sure
The 520 MHz CPU is zippy and handles most all advanced features
applications, multimedia and games with ease, even work before buying it.
while multitasking. Phone clarity on the XDA Jabra provided a
IIi is excellent, and the 1.3-megapixel camera power adapter and a
produces decent results—provided lighting USB connector to charge
conditions are good. the BT800. It supports voice
To sum up, the XDA IIi is a worthy buy for dialling from the cell phone address book, has five
corporate users who want to stay connected on polyphonic ring tones and even a mild vibrate mode.
the move. However, others can opt for an entry- During testing, the BT800 performed well; the
level notebook at a similar price! onboard DSP was able to cut through most of the
Company Creative E-Biz.com background noise.
Price Rs 45,888 Sensibly priced at Rs 6,500, this product should
Phone 022-5631 4845 be on your buying list.
E-mail [email protected]
Company Faxtel Systems (India)
Web site www.seeo2.com
Price Rs 6,500
Rating Phone 022-6113055/6115524
1 2 3 4 5
E-mail [email protected]
Looking for more information on any of the products featured here? Web site www.jabra.com
Rating
Please write to [email protected]. The Digit Test Centre will be delighted
to respond to your queries. 1 2 3 4 5
1 Poor: Has serious drawbacks and needs improvement before it can be used for its target application. 2 Mediocre: Does not live up to expectations, needs improvement
in many areas. 3 Average: Reasonably competent, but nothing spectacular about the product. 4 Good: A good buy, better than most products in its category.
5 Excellent: A brilliant combination of price, performance and features—far beyond expectations.

112 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT

 Digital Tools l New and Notable

W
e recently got our Beta 1 release of Windows Vista.
Pleased as punch, we promptly proceeded to check
out what lay inside the DVD. Yes, the new version
of Windows ships only on DVD!

Installing It
The installation doesn’t go the usual interrogatory way: it’s
simple and asks only for the product key, install type,
computer’s name and the partition you want to install it
on. Here, you can create/modify/delete partitions if you
want. The installation screens are extremely user-friendly.

System Requirements
Microsoft had warned us that system requirements were
pretty heavy. Apparently, Vista requires a minimum of 512
MB of RAM. Also, if you want all the slick graphics, you need
a dedicated graphics card with DirectX9 support. If you don’t
have one, your Vista desktop won’t look as cool as it can.
Live icons in Windows Vista
The Desktop
The first thing that strikes you about the desktop is its
amazing look and feel. Those who’ve used a Mac would
readily say there’s now more of the Mac in Windows.
Straight up, it doesn’t seem anything revolutionary—
most of the icons are from XP, but they’re high-res.
There’s a small button on the bottom right—the
Windows Indexing Service, finally getting the front seat.
MS has integrated MSN Search into the OS.

GDI vs DirectX
GDI (Graphics Device Interface) is the standard that
Windows uses for creating graphical objects and putting
them on displays and printers. Now, the reason why it’s
DirectX that is used for high-end gaming is because it lets
programmers use a lot more of the features that the hard-
ware supports. If you have a DirectX9-compliant card, Vista
will use the DirectX API as far as possible, rather than the
Virtual Folders in Windows Vista
GDI API. It’ll look pretty much like XP if you don’t.

Using Vista Internet Explorer 7

The way the startup menu works has IE7 installs by default. It’s got tabbed browsing (finally!), an
changed. Firstly, there’s a small search RSS reader and the ‘Shrink to Fit’ printing feature.
box in case you have too many pro-
grams and don’t want to scroll. It finds Live Icons
as you type. When you click the ‘All If you have an Images folder, the folder will show
Programs’ option, there’s no new pane up with images lined up like pages. The same
that slides out; instead, the pane on applies for documents, music and video folders.
the left switches to the entire listof pro-
grams, and clicking on a folder opens Security
it up à la Explorer. A recent outcry about the first virus for Vista that exploited a
Other changes include the lack of security hole in the command shell (MSH, probably for
the ‘My’ prefix for any of the links—so Microsoft Shell) bundled with it has been largely unthreat-
Vista’s Start Menu ‘My Computer’ is now just ‘Computer’, ening, as Vista Beta 1 does not ship with it—nor is there any
and so on. Also, the Log Off and confirmation that the final release will have it.
Shutdown buttons have been improved.
Here are some more features: Finally…
At this juncture, Vista looks cool, more like a Mac, but only
Virtual Folders more user-friendly! There are still some hiccups to
Virtual folders are basically specially-formatted XML files that smoothen out, and compared to Windows XP, the changes
act as regular folders. These folders contain search results. You visible are more in the GUI than anywhere else. We suggest
can create virtual folders of your own searches. That is, if you you wait and watch this space for the next update.
have properly tagged music, video, documents, etc.—in other
words, if the folders you’re searching in contain the necessary Bhaskar Banik ([email protected])
metadata—you can save the search as a virtual folder. Varun Dubey ([email protected])

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 113

 Digital Tools l A-List
Motherboards Graphics cards (High End) Cell Phones Linux
Mercury PI915GVM XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Sony-Ericsson K700i Xandros Desktop OS 3
Supports PCIE, DDR/DDR II 256 MB Extensive feature set; Simple to use
RAM, 6-channel audio Extreme performance, great includes camera, MP3, FM Paid
Only 2 PCI slots. No SATA. price, exotic features radio, etc., fast processor Contact G.T. Enterprise
None None Phone 080-2669 5890/91/92/
Contact Kobian ECS India Pvt ltd 93/94
Phone 022-23020767 / 774 Contact Rashi Peripherals
Phone 022-28221013 Contact Sony Ericsson E-mail [email protected]
E-mail [email protected] Phone 0124-2560808
Price Rs 4,850 E-mail navinderc@
rptechindia.com E-mail dhiraj.soni@
Price Rs 35,000 sonyericsson.com
Price Rs 10,500

Internal TV Tuner Cards

Compro VideoMate PVR/FM
Exceptionally clear TV
reception quality, low price,
MSI RS480M2-IL FM radio, good PVR
+ PCIE based, 6 channel software
audio, supports 4 GB RAM, None
socket 939, Firewire port
No Gigabit Contact Mediatech India SuSe 9.3 Linux Professional
Phone 022-26361111 Up-to-date software bundling
Contact Tirupati Enterprises Portable Hard Drives E-mail None
Phone 033-22251192 WD-Media Centre 250GB [email protected]
E-mail [email protected] Very low cost per MB, Price Rs 1,850 Contact G.T. Enterprise
Price Rs 5,200 memory card reader slots Phone 080-2669 5890/91/
None 92/93/94
E-mail [email protected]
Contact Western Digital
Phone 022-25851085
E-mail [email protected]
Price Rs 13,999

The best products tested so far in different

The A-List hardware and software categories

Graphics Cards (Low End) PDA Phones CRT Monitors (17-inch) LCD Monitors (15-inch)
Gainward GeForce 6200 256 O2 XDA II Mini Acer AC715 Acer AL1512
MB Small, thin and pocketable High resolution of 1600 x Very competitively priced,
Good performance, Shader One-handed operation not 1200 @ 75 Hz, good repro- good contrast ratio
Model 3.0 support, good possible duction of finer details No vertical swivel
value for money None Contact Acer India Pvt. Ltd
Contact Creative e-biz
None Phone 022-23828100 Phone 080- 5219520-23
Contact Acer India Pvt.Ltd.
Contact Mediatech India E-mail [email protected] Phone 080-5219520 E-mail [email protected]
Phone 022-26361111 Price Rs 32,000 E-mail [email protected] Price Rs Rs 9,500
E-mail [email protected] Price Rs 6,995
Price Rs 3,950 Projectors LCD Monitors (17-inch)
Acer PD11 CRT Monitors (19-inch) Acer AL714sm
Graphics Cards (Mid Range) High 1600-lumen brightness Samsung SyncMaster 997DF Light, good greyscale
XFX GeForce 6600GT 256 MB support, large 330-inch Good colour reproduction, reproduction
Great performance, diagonal image size capabil- compact None
good features ity, Picture-in-Picture mode None Contact Acer India Pvt Ltd
High price None Contact Samsung Electronics Phone : 080-5219520 / 23
India E-mail [email protected]
Contact Rashi Peripherals Contact Acer India Pvt Ltd Phone 011-51511234 Price Rs 14,999
Phone 022-28221013 Phone 080-25219520 E-mail marketing@
E-mail navinderc@ E-mail [email protected] samsungindia.com
rptechindia.com Price Rs 62,999 Price Rs 13,999
Price Rs 15,000

114 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Tools l A-List
Digital cameras (Entry level) Home Inkjet Printers Colour Laser Printer Office Inkjet MFDs
Canon PowerShot A400 Pixma iP1000 Epson AcuLaser C1100 Lexmark X7170
Class leading performance and Economical; decent photo Duplex printing, network Full featured MFD, fast
decent feature set printing. ready, excellent performance printing and copying speeds.
A bit expensive in its class No output tray; no PictBridge High Cost per page decent quality photo prints
Contact Macro Foto No memory card reader; B&W
Contact Canon India Ltd Contact Epson India Ltd LCD screen
Phone 022-22618639
Phone 0124-5160000 Phone 080-3051 5000
email [email protected]
E-mail www.canon.co.in E-mail [email protected] Contact Lexmark India Ltd
Price Rs.8,995
Price Rs 3,195 Price Rs 36,500 Phone 022-26057755
Website www.lexmark.com
Price Rs 14,999
Digital cameras (Mid Range)
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W5
Reproduces some great photo-
graphs, good features to close
the list
Relatively expensive in its class
Contact Sony India Pvt. Ltd.
Phone 011-55006600
E-mail [email protected]
Price Rs.18,990
Office/ Photo Inkjet Mono Laser MFDs
Canon MF 3110 5.1 Speakers
Printers Artis X10 Mini
Canon Pixma iP 3000 High speed, low price
No fax Compact, sturdy, clear
Fast, excellent photo and
sound
text printing Contact Canon India Ltd. Slightly weak bass
No LCD Phone 0124-5160000
Web site www.canon.co.in Contact Kunhar
Contact Canon India Ltd. Peripherals Pvt Ltd
Phone 0124-5160000 Price Rs 19,995
Phone 022-56345758
Web site www.canon.co.in E-mail [email protected]
Price Rs 7,495 Price Rs 13,500

Digital cameras (Mid Mono Laser Printers Brother MFC-8440 MSI MegaBook M510C
Range) Canon LBP 2900 Good print and scan Terrific performance, typical
HP PhotoSmart 945 Great Performance, price quality, Sheetfed & CIS feature set, high screen
8X optical zoom, big lens Lacks Duplex printing and scanner resolution
results in some great photo- network capabilities. Low scan speed Average wireless LAN
graphs Contact Brother International. performance
Contact Canon India Ltd.
Not quite pocketable Phone 0124-5160000 Phone 022-25797470 Contact Maxtone Electronics
Contact J.J Mehta and sons Web site www.canon.co.in Web site www.brother.co.in Phone 022-23011434
Phone 022-24326865 Price Rs 9,995 Price Rs 35,000 E-mail [email protected]
E-mail [email protected] Price Rs 68,000
Price Rs Rs.16,500
Fujitsu S2020
Digital cameras (High Hot-swappable combo drive,
End) good graphics performance
Sony CyberShot DSC-P200 Average screen readability in
Compact, 7 Mega Pixel sunlight
performance oriented camera Contact Fujisan Technologies Pvt Ltd
None Phone 022-56368718
E-mail gathani.paresh@
Contact Sony India Pvt. Ltd fujisan.co.in
Phone : 011-55006600 Price Rs 78,000
E-mail [email protected] Photo Inkjet MFDs
Brother HL 6050D HP PSC 2608
Price Rs.20,990 Excellent performance, Inexpensive, excellent and
duplex printing,economical fast text and photo printing
printing None
Not Network Ready
Contact Hewlett Packard
Contact Brother International. India Ltd
Phone 022-25797470 Phone 0124-2566111
Web site www.brother.co.in Website www.hp.com
Price Rs 35,100 Price Rs 14,999

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 115

 A Typical Light Emitting Types of OLED
Diode (LED) Cathode
Plates

Emitted Light Anode

Plates

Semi-
conductor
Diode
Pa
ssi
ve
Ma
tri
xO
LED
Organic Layers

Anode

Cathode

Creation of Light in OLED

1. Applied Voltage makes the current

flow from the cathode towards the
anode thorugh organic layers. This
leads to removal of electrons from
conductive layer and introduces
Construction of an OLED electrons in the emissive layer.
Cathode Plates

Cathode
Plates
Conductive Emissive Anode
layer layer

Emissive
Layer

Conductive Electron
Layer
2
Anode Plates

3 2. Removal of electrons from the

conductive layer creates
positively charged atoms called
Holes which need one electron to
form a stable atom.

3. The electrons from the emissive layer

jumps to combine with the holes and
Light Photon
in due process releases energy in the
form of a light photon.
 Digital Tools l Visual Explanation

How OLED Works Organic

Emitted
Light
Layers
Organic TFT Matrix
Layers

Cathode
Cathode

Anode
Emitted
Light Tra
nsp
Organic are
Layers nt Anode
Act OL
ive ED Transparent
Substrate
Ma
tri
x
Emitted Light
Top
Em Cathode
itt
ing
OL
ED Anode

Kodak LS 633—the first camera

to use OLED Screen

Applications of OLED Samsung’s 21” screen

based on OLED. Expect
more such screens in the
near future
Imaging Akhilesh Prasad

Small OLED screens made

its way on the Samsung
E700 cell phone
SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 117
 Digital Business l Smart Business

Digital

122 Smart Access Control 124 IsWayPaperless

To Be?
The
Business
How Technology Can Help Your Organisation

smart Business

Playing Mailman The Dilemma

Most businesses Robert Sovereign-Smith Unfortunately, many smaller companies are still
relying on their VSNL/BSNL, Rediffmail and
today rely ith the increase in Internet penetration GMail accounts to communicate with clients
heavily on
e-mail—reason
W in India, more and more businesses are
using e-mail to communicate with their
and colleagues. Some firms have their own
domains, and have even set up Web sites, but are
customers, and even their own employees and still using popular free e-mail services to conduct
enough for branch offices. their business.
e-mail Whether it’s complaints, feedback, placing Today, when prices for all things online have
orders with distributors, or even communicating fallen drastically, there’s no excuse for not having
correspondence amongst employees, e-mail has become the de a “[email protected]” e-mail id.
to be handled facto form of communication today. Honestly, we For instance, doesn’t it look very unprofes-
exclusively by don’t even think much about it anymore—unless sional when you visit a Web site, check out the
you are the systems administrator, or the one products on offer, decide you like them, and
professionals paying the bills! then have to write to some free
e-mail address in order to get
more information?

Imaging Vikram Kathare, Pradip Ingale

 Digital Business l Smart Business Comparison Chart
It would be like logging on to Service Name Rediff Business Indiatimes Meramail Godaddy.com
www.thinkdigit.com or reading a few articles E-mail Business E-mail Premium Plan
in Digit, and then having to write to digit- Number of E-mail IDs 5 6 100
[email protected] or to thinkdig- Space 1 GB 1200 MB Email/1GB 2 GB
[email protected] to send in your Briefcase
feedback or contact our staff! POP3 Yes Yes Yes
OK! Agreed, it’s ridiculous for free e-mail Web mail Yes Yes Yes
addresses to appear in a business environment, Domain Registered in Registered to Domain charges
especially to customers. So what can you do your name Indiatimes Rs 400 Extra
about it? You have two options available: set up Terms & Conditions http://hosting.rediff.com/ http://meramail.indiatimes http://www.godaddy
an e-mail server at your office, or get your- URL hosting/scripts/terms.phtml .com/meramail/help/ .com/gdshop/
[email protected] hosting from one of MeraMailTerms.jsp agreements.asp?
the many online options. Price per year Rs 1,695 Rs 1,499 Rs 1,320 + 400
50 or more IDs Rs 10,200 for 49 IDs Rs 10,299 for 50 IDs Rs 1,320 for 100
E-mail Servers
Though this seems like a logical step to take, it Essentially, if you free. Moreover, you will always run the risk of
is something that requires manpower and infection by spam and e-mail worms.
investment. It’s not really advisable to set up an are buying a new Of course, your business also needs to have
e-mail server on a regular machine for small domain, all you a fat always-on broadband pipe with minimal
companies, especially if e-mail is critical to the need to do is buy downtimes. For instance, if your e-mail server
functioning of the company. hosting and the goes offline for a few days due to problems
Also, this solution requires dedicated man- business e-mail with your ISPs, all your mails will begin to
power that checks and maintains the e-mail bounce back to their senders—something you
server on a regular basis. Since most stable and is provided at no definitely want to avoid when it comes to busi-
free e-mail solutions are open source and built extra cost ness e-mails!
for Linux, you will need to find staff that is well While setting up an e-mail server may be a
versed with Linux. good option for businesses with over 300
However, the salaries you will have to shell employees, it’s generally considered too much
out for one or two such people will easily cross trouble and a significant amount of expendi-
Rs 1 lakh per annum. Smaller firms might not ture for smaller companies.
be able to afford this. Here at Digit, we run our own e-mail server,
Now comes the hardware part: a typical primarily because our e-mail traffic is meas-
server, is at worst, a dedicated desktop running ured in terms of gigabytes per day for over 500
Linux and a mail server such as Qmail, along e-mail users, and also because we don’t have
with anti-virus software. trouble finding qualified personnel. However,
Though there are plenty of Windows-based smaller companies might not be able to meet
mail servers, hardly any of the good ones are this kind of expenditure.

Home AD

120 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Business l Smart Business
Hosted E-mail If you opt for
This option is much better for the majority of GoDaddy’s services,
smaller companies, as the hardware and soft- remember that with the
ware are all taken care of by the hosting Premium e-mail option
provider. A company knows exactly how much there is no domain
it has to pay every month or every year when name included, so that
opting for this solution. The security is also will be an additional
taken care of by the hosting provider, as are all cost.
the licensing issues for software. The ideal solution
Setting up e-mail access for employees is seems to be to buy the
then only a matter of configuring Outlook for domain name from
POP3 access and creating user accounts via the GoDaddy.com, and then
hosting provider’s Web interface. Here again, buy the Web site
you can choose from a range of options. hosting as well. When
For instance, you can either choose to go you buy even the most
with an Indian e-mail hosting provider or opt basic Web site hosting
for a cheaper US one. There is also a lot of legal package from
jargon to sift through when you make your deci- Godaddy.com ($3.95 a
sion, and you should always remember to read month or about Rs
the fine print in the terms and conditions. 2,000 a year), you are
Depending on the size of your business, and given 100 e-mail IDs
GoDaddy’s e-mail solutions are much cheaper for those
the number of employees, you can make the with more than 50 employees with 500 MB space
right choice for your e-mail solution. Now, let’s absolutely free.
look at providing a solution for companies that Essentially, if you
have between 25 and 100 employees. are buying a new domain, all you need to do is
buy hosting and the business e-mail is pro-
Services vided at no extra cost. The only difference is
Mention the term ‘business e-mail solution’ and the smaller mailbox size of 5 MB per user! You
everyone thinks of Rediff’s and Indiatimes’ busi- still get all the features of the premium plans
ness e-mail models. Undoubtedly, these are very as well, such as spam filters, virus checks,
popular, but not necessarily the best solutions POP3 access and even Web mail…
for companies with more than 25 employees.
Let’s find out why… In Summation
Both Rediff and Indiatimes offer very sim- As you have now seen in this article, getting per-
ilar services, as you will see in the Comparison sonalised e-mail addresses can hardly be con-
Chart. Unfortunately, what they offer is just sidered expensive anymore; and it doesn’t
plain e-mail addresses—no hosting, no domain, require a Linux guru to set up. The Web inter-
and in fact, sometimes even the domain is not face means that anybody with just basic
registered in your name, though you pay for it. Internet experience can start setting up e-mail
We compared them to GoDaddy.com’s most accounts for your employees.
basic offering to see whether it made any sense The fact that the solutions mentioned here
to opt for these popular e-mail hosts. As you can cost next to nothing should make you consider
see, if your company has no more than five opting for an outsourced e-mail solution for
employees, GoDaddy works out to be a little more your business. Remember, you can’t make any
expensive. On the other hand, when you consider more excuses now; it’s time to do away with
buying even a minimum of 50 e-mail addresses, that amateurish appearance by giving your busi-
the Indian solutions lose out completely. ness the professional look it deserves!
[email protected]

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 121

 Trend

W
e never sidestep security—smart cards are
used across our seven locations in India.
Travel being frequent, it’s mandatory for
employees to carry individual smart cards. Entry
into the main office is enabled through smart
cards. Our server facility is secured through a two-
step access mechanism—using smart cards and
biometric fingerprinting for enhanced security.
Only select personnel have secure access to the
server facility. To log in, employees swipe the smart
card and press their thumbs on the biometric
fingerprint reader. Having a LAN interface, the
smart card and biometric fingerprint devices can
Satish Mohan be networked without a computer.
Head—Engineering, Apart from employee identification, log in and
Red Hat India log out data, ‘timestamps’ are recorded in a
centralised Human Resource Information System
that captures online, real time data generated
nationwide, which can be accessed by the HR
department from anywhere. Since they are long
lasting and virtually maintenance free, smart
cards are indeed a smart choice.

Smart Access
Smart cards are being increasingly implemented in the workplace to record employee
attendance, track their intra-office movement and maintain security. Is this just about
security or is there more to it?

A
t present, the deployment of access
cards—proximity or smart—is limited.
However, we are in the process of
installing the access control system across
the company. Since we are a television
channel (CNBC-TV18) and a production
house, we have a fair amount of expensive
equipment and gadgetry that needs to be
kept away from unauthorised individuals.
Another problem is that certain areas in
the office that are not in use through the day
end up becoming meeting points, specifically
server rooms and editing bays. Access control
systems and smart cards will enable us to
Piyush Gupta track the movement of employees in our
GM Operations, restricted areas.
Television Eighteen Installing a smart access system with
restricted entry levels would prevent this
occurence. If need be, the concerned
departments could also get a report of an
individual’s movement in office premises.
This would obviously increase productivity.
As far as TV18 is concerned, rights to access
Imaging Vikram Khatare

different areas are decided by the

Administration department, while the
implementation is done by the Systems and
IT department.

122 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Z
icom provides various corporations with security solutions.
With regard to access control systems, the most common ones
in use are proximity and smart cards. A great deal of
information regarding the bearer can be carried on a smart card.
They can also be programmed and customised depending on the
client’s need.
We have set up and are maintaining the entire access and smart
system at iFlex. Here, apart from the usual attendance records, the
card also carries canteen credits of an employee. This allows an
employee to simply hold his card against a reader and the requisite
amount is deducted. The card, of course, is topped up with the
employee’s canteen allowance at the beginning of every month.
The normal employee attendance and access permissions are also
programmed into the card’s chip and because of the centralised
Dipayan Kar nature of administration, records of an employee are constantly
Manager—Sales, updated in real time.
Zicom Security Services

Control
T
he Grand Hyatt has been using smart cards since March 2004.
Although our staff doesn’t use these cards for their daily access and
attendance, we use them in guest rooms and residences.
The card is used as a room key that allows touchless opening of the
door. By using this technology, hotel management can trace up to 150
opening and closing actions of a particular door. Due to the details
entered of the opening and closing action, valuable statistical data can
be gained. Lock installation schedules can be created and administrated
flexibly with very little effort. The connection to other data pools via
suitable interfaces enables a more cost-effective total management of the
hotel due to faster sharing of information between departments.
The system also provides for a very high level of security. Also, every
key is easy to replace and we can disable a lost key easily. This is the
latest in room security and service and is in use at all the top hotels
G Gopinath worldwide. Entire system is monitored by the Security department and
Director of Rooms, administered by Front Office department.
Grand Hyatt (Mumbai)

A
ny security or access system set up for an organisation like ours
needs to perform multiple functions. We have a number of critical
locations on our premises. Each has various levels of restrictions.
It is therefore imperative for us to have these restrictions embedded into
the system.
All the staff members at StanChart carry an Access Control card. This
takes care of the daily attendance muster and also generates reports on
areas visited by an individual. The card readers situated at various critical
and strategic locations in our office are connected to a central server
where these reports can be generated.
These reports come in handy when it comes to ensuring that we have
a secure set-up, which is a must for a bank, and also with respect to
complying with the various Audits we conduct.

Captain Sailesh
Head Security Systems,
Standard Chartered As told to Mithun Kidambi
([email protected])

SEPTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 123

 Digital Leisure l Touched by Tech

Digital

130 Let’s Play,

Gentlemen 143AnGenius
All-Round
160 Time
Over
To Roll
Leisure
Technology Beyond Work

Touched By Tech

Ergonomics At Work
Improve your typing safety and performance—use ergonomically designed keyboards and mice

productivity, reduce operator boards aim to get the hands and

Renuka Rane fatigue, and improve the work wrists in the right position.
environment. Keyboard makers have devel-

H
ave you ever used a gently oped a variety of alternative,
sloped keyboard that gives Edging Towards ergonomic keyboard designs to
you better comfort while Ergonomics improve work performance for
typing? Ever noticed how the Ergonomics is becoming increas- users, protect them against Repet-
ergonomic design lets you ingly important in the design itive Stress Injury (RSI) and
place your hands, wrists and fore- and use of computer peripherals. thereby bring down professional
arms in a natural position for Most conventional keyboards hazards to a minimum.
greater comfort? cause painful and even perma- Moninder Jain, country
Ergonomics entails matching nent injuries to the spine, fin- manager, Logitech India, says,
the design of physical devices to gers, neck and wrist joints. “Comfort is usually a personal
the needs and characteristics of ‘Overuse’ injuries and cervical
the human body. The term is spondilitis are some of the per-
derived from the Greek words sistent hazards associated with
‘ergon’, meaning work, and poor computer ergonomics.
‘nomoi’, meaning natural laws— Hence, most ergonomic key-
in other words, the study of
any man-machine interface,
whether physiological or
psychological. Keyboards and
mice that take ergonomics
into consideration are
designed to be as comfortable
as possible. They increase

Illustration Akhilesh Prasad

 Digital Leisure l Touched By Tech
factor. However, there are specific in the QWERTY format. The treatment to heal a painful wrist
design traits that can determine Dvorak layout is an alternative to consition. Makarani feels that
how comfortable a keyboard is.” the familiar QWERTY. But despite had he used an ergonomic
Jain adds, “Research indicates the advantages of the Dvorak keyboard and mouse at the
that the keyboard height and layout, QWERTY has remained outset, the problem would not
slope can increase wrist exten- the de facto standard. have been so severe.
sion, thus increasing the risk of “I don’t routinely recommend Makarani, has now switched
hand, forearm and upper extrem- Dvorak to RSI patients, but encour- to the Microsoft Natural Keyboard
ity discomfort. As a result, you age them to try out various modi- Elite series, and vouches for the
might want to consider a thin and fications to see what works for Any design comfort they offer over conven-
flat keyboard design.” them. At the very least, when they which tional keyboards.
“The Logitech Cordless Desk- first make the switch, the unfa- promotes Neeru Pahwa has been in the
top LX and MX family of miliar layout slows them down, a neutral IT industry for the past seven
keyboards, for example, are all and assists the healing process in position of years. An engineer with an MNC,
22.3 mm in height. They also injured arms and wrists,” says Dr the wrist is she is on leave to recuperate from
feature ‘zero degree tilt’, which Deepak Sharan, a Bangalore-based helpful” RSI. Pahwa says, “A year ago, I
means the primary rows of keys orthopaedic surgeon, who also Dr Deepak developed a painful sensation in
are all at the same height. Also, provides consultancy in Ergonom- Sharan my wrists. At first, most doctors
keyboards that offer navigation ics/RSI (and offers rehabilitation) Orthopaedic could not correctly diagnose the
controls complementary to those to top IT companies in India. consultant reason for the injury. It was very
on the mouse also have Dr Sharan feels, “In general, frustrating. In a few months, the
ergonomic benefits,” says Jain. any design that promotes a pain extended to my shoulders
Indeed, in most ergonomic neutral posture of the wrist is and neck. And now, it has
keyboards, the key mechanisms helpful. However, like every other affected and worsened the nerves
have become flatter and lighter, ergonomic tool, different people as well.”
and require less force. An ideal respond differently to the same At present, Pahwa is under-
ergonomic design should elimi- product, and it’s impossible to going daily treatment for her
nate the inadequacies of the make generalised recommenda- ailment. She strongly feels that
keyboard and mouse. It should tions for everybody.” increased awareness about
be flexible to meet unique user ergonomic devices coupled with
needs, in regard to dimensions Preventing Injuries information on correct posture
and otherwise, of all users. The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome will spare others from facing a
Ergonomic input devices let (CTS) and RSI are caused by a similar predicament.
you adjust your position more continuous stressful motion of Preliminary findings from
easily and stay further back the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoul- Dr Sharan’s four-year study on RSI
from the screen, aiding flexibil- ders, back, and neck. Soreness, have revealed the following predis-
ity and easing stress on the eyes, numbness, a tingling feeling and posing ergonomic factors respon-
back and shoulders. wrist pain are other symptoms. sible for computer-related injuries
“Over 75 per cent of IT profes- (percentage-wise):
Basic Inadequacies sionals in India report Lack of appropriate breaks (86),
Have you noticed that the rows of musculoskeletal improper monitor height (60),
alphanumeric keys on the key- symptoms of mouse being too high (54), resting
board don’t line up in columns? varying sever- the arm or wrist on a hard surface
This arrangement was first intro- ity at work,” while typing (42), keyboard being
duced in the mechanical type- says Dr Sharan. too high (40), and bizarre leg posi-
writer to prevent the levers from Srikant Makarani, tioning (25).
colliding. Obviously, this design underwent myotherapy
serves no function on an elec- Safety And Health
tronic keyboard. Dr Sharan feels that ergonomics
There is no particular justifi- The Logitech V500 Cordless primarily play a preventive role—
cation for the layout of the keys Mouse has an expandable chassis an important role, but one that
cannot compensate for ineffi-
cient management or ineffective
Tips For A Balanced Computing Posture practical training.
He says, “While inadequacies
Balance your head above your torso: Don’t bend your wrists up or out in the ergonomic design of key-
don’t roll your shoulders or neck forward Don’t rest your elbows or wrists on board and mice do not seem to
Place your monitor at a comfortable anything while typing - no armrests or be major factors causing RSI, we
reading distance, just below eye level, wrist rests. do encourage our patients to try
tilted up a little, and free from glare The feet should be placed firmly on the out the various input devices
Place your keyboard and mouse on a floor. Otherwise, use a footrest available and see which one
tray so you don’t need to reach up The back should be supported against works for them.”
to them the chair’s backrest He goes on to add, “One fun-
Keep your keyboard lowered and angled Take a micro break: five seconds every damental problem with the
slightly away (negative pitch) five to seven minutes design of alternative keyboards
Keep your elbows close by your side: Take a macro break: two minutes every and mice is that it initially feels
don’t reach out. The elbow should be at 30 to 40 minutes good because the stress shifts to
an angle of 100 to 110 degrees Courtesy: Dr Deepak Sharan parts that aren’t injured yet.
However, it does not address

126 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digital Leisure l Touched by Tech
some of the root causes of RSI: merely pressing a single button,
repetition and static positions.” you can start many of your
favourite media applications,
Take Your Pick navigate videos and comfort-
Alternative keyboards promote ably adjust settings.
neutral wrist postures. They use In India, Microsoft (www.
different designs to change the microsoft.com) has introduced
user’s posture. By and large, special curved and split
designs try to tackle the issue of keyboards in the Natural
wrist extension. The Dvorak layout is an ergonomic alternative to QWERTY Keyboard Elite series. The
For instance, fixed split key- keyboard is split into two, as a
boards try to straighten the wrist In some designs, keyboards are result, only minimal movement
by increasing the distance completely split (www.kinesis. is needed to hit each key—and
between the right and left sides of com). Vertically split keyboards the hands move very little.
the keyboard so that each half is require the user to type with the Ergonomic keyboards offer
aligned with the forearm. hands facing each other (www. health benefits, as we’ve
A complementary ergonom- safetype.com). The Orbitouch mentioned earlier. Still, the ubiq-
ic mouse allows you to work keyboard (www.keybowl.com) lets uitious conventional keyboard
comfortably for hours by keep- users rest their hands on two has the largest number of takers
ing the hand in a neutral posi- domed surfaces and then move because of its low cost.
tion. For instance, in the these surfaces to generate charac- Nevertheless, this equation
Logitech V500 Cordless ters. Hunt-and-peck typists may will change as businesses find
Notebook Mouse, the patented need time to get accustomed to that ergonomically-designed
expandable chassis articulates using such keyboards; touch input devices increase productiv-
seven degrees to fit the hand typists are easily able to adjust. ity and offer less risk of injury.
while in use. Such devices could certainly
Then there are multi-touch Increase In Productivity become the norm one day.
fixed-angle split keyboards with a Many designs result in demon- If you spend a lot of time at
touch sensitive surface, wherein strable productivity improve- your computer, a keyboard featur-
with a few finger gestures you can ments, with users improving ing cordless technology, a
issue multiple commands. Multi- their overall work speed. comfortable design and conven-
touch software can track and For instance, some key- ient controls, along with a
interpret the motion of several boards have one-touch buttons complementary mouse may be
hands—and their corresponding that take you directly to the worth the extra expense.
fingers—at a time. most used programmes. By [email protected]

128 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 TechCritique Let’s Play, Gentlemen
Not exactly the real thing, but Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 is by far
the best of the lot available

“W
hat is life but a game of cricket,” asks
the opening screen of Brian Lara
International Cricket (BLIC) 2005. You
may agree with that, but unfortunately, this game
is no substitute for the real thing.
To be fair to the Codemasters, the creators of
this game, no cricket game has been able to
emulate the true feeling of playing cricket, but BLIC
2005 comes the closest so far. The graphics are
great, as is the gameplay, but the player details and
commentary leave a lot to be desired.

Match Time
Before you can actually start playing a match, you
have options to choose from… lots of options.
Choose between a Challenge Match (England v That’s the start of your challenge...
Australia, 1887), World Series (multi team ODI
Series), World Tour (Test and ODI series) and World
Cup. We decided to pit India against Australia in a
four-match Test series and six-match ODI series.
Games Incidentally, six is the maximum number of ODIs
you can choose in this mode.
That done, another options box popped up
asking about the level of matches. Your choices are
‘Village’, ‘County’ or ‘Test’, with ‘Village’ being the
easiest and ‘Test’ the toughest. In this box itself, you
can also define the conditions for the match (Good,
Warm, Humid, Cloudy), pitch (Hard, Damp, Dry,
Crumbling) and the condition and make of the ball
(Kookaburra, Dukes and Club).
The next choice lets you pick your playing 11. All
Test-playing nations are included in the game, and
there are 16 players in each squad. The names of the Field settings can be altered, but you cannot move one
players have been garbled—perhaps due to licensing fielder from a preset. You need to set the whole field
issues. So Glenn McGrath is G MacGirth, Shane
Warne is S Worde and so on! You can, of course, edit All along, the commentators (David Gower and
these names to put in the actual ones, but it’s a Ian Botham were voices we recognised) are
cumbersome task. Finally, it was time to play. apprising you of the conditions and how “they are
happy to be in the commentary box”.
Gameplay
The match starts off with the toss, and an uniden- The Match
tified match referee accompanies the two captains J Guisseppe (Jason Gillespie) was the first to mark
to the pitch. Ricky Ponting called wrong, much to his run-up. Among all the players, his was the face
his chagrin, and India chose to bat. that had the maximum resemblance to a real play-
er. As he runs up to bowl, we are scurrying to find
the controls. By default, [W], [S], [A] and [D] are the
controls during the game, and are also used to
manoeuvre back and forth between screens when
setting up the game.
There are three vertical bars on the bottom left
that tell us about the bowler’s confidence level,
the batsman’s confidence level and the timing
of a shot.
Confidence levels for bowlers and batsmen
change throughout the over, depending on how
many dot balls are bowled, or how many times the
bowler beats the batsman. Similarly, for the
batsman, they rise with every run scored or every
No, that’s not Lord’s. That’s the Motera at Ahmedabad boundary hit. Normally, as one rises, the other falls.
Gillespie lets the first one rip outside the off

130 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 List Courtesy Crossword Mumbai
Match settings can be adjusted in Catch the throwing meter in the 1. GTA Vice-City
Rs 1,299
relative detail middle for a flat and fast throw E-xpress Interactive Software Pvt Ltd
2. GTA San Andreas
Rs 2,999
E-xpress Interactive Software Pvt Ltd
3. EA Sports Cricket 2005
Rs 999
Gayatri Impex
4. Brian Lara Int’l Cricket 2005
Rs 1,299
Origin Marketing Pvt Ltd
5. Counter Strike Condition Zero
Rs 699
Scorecards are good and detailed— You can create custom teams of your Universal Music India Pvt Ltd
batting, bowling and summary choice and play against friends

in the replay using Hawk Eye. The

same technology is also used to
show a bowler’s performance
after every over. This is indeed
realistic. Replays are also shown
after every boundary, using about
five different camera angles.

Characterisation

TechCritique
Bowlers are the most animated of
the characters on the field, and
Like your shot? Take another look. At Create a new player and decide what also indulge in the occasional
least five angles are available he’s going to be good at banter or sledging. Batting skills
deteriorate as you go down the
stump and Sehwag connects pushing it through the order, and the tailenders are prone to the odd
covers for one, getting India off the mark. swipe across the line leaving them vulnerable to
The ball is picked up in the deep and fired in the swinging ball.
straight to the ’keeper right over the stumps. To
throw, there is a meter that has to be met right in Create A Player
the centre for a flat, fast and accurate one. By BLIC 2005 also lets you create a custom player that
default, if you don’t interfere, the throw will be a you can add to any team. The player can be
looping albeit accurate one. customised to be a batsman, bowler or all-rounder,
We realised that judging a run takes some time and his skills with the bat can also be customised.
since the default (and only) angle of viewing the You can then give him a face, choose his kit (good
match is not the usual 45-degree angle that shows choice here) and define if he is stronger on the off
you the field at large. Rather, the cameras are at a or the on side.
30-degree angle, from where you can only see the
umpire and ’keeper. And Sehwag ran three batsmen Conclusion
out. Oh well! Considering there are only two real options
On the whole, batting is not tough, and once available for the cricket fanatic—EA Sports’ Cricket
you get used to reading the three different meters, 2005 and this—we would recommend you choose
you can easily judge what to do. Another little BLIC 2005 for the graphics and smoother gameplay.
marker in the middle of the pitch shows where the While most other features would match, this game
ball is going to pitch and the general direction it is a tad better than the competition. None of them,
will move in. There are times, though, when this however, are up to scratch, and we hope they get
can totally bamboozle you. It can show ‘good a lot better.
length’ and suddenly be a half tracker. Watch out! [email protected]

Look And Feel Brian Lara International Cricket 2005

The graphics look good, and the interface is rather Publisher Codemasters Price Rs 1,299 Web site www.codemasters.com
well done. But although details on the ground are Minimum requirements Windows 98SE/ME/XP/2000, DirectX 9.0c, Games
Pentium III or Athlon at 1GHz, 256 MB RAM, Supported Graphics card,
good, stadium layouts are not very realistic. An DirectX 9 Compatible Sound Card, 8x CD-R Drive, 4.4 GB HDD Space
appeal for an LBW that is turned down is explained Distributor Origin Marketing Pvt Ltd

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 131

 Digital Leisure l Tech Shopping Digital Cameras

CASIO EXILIM Z750 best shot scene modes. All you need to do is set it and

T he Casio Exilim Z750 may not be the ‘newest’ sensation

around, but it is a sensation nonetheless. A couple of
years ago, Casio launched the Exilim
shoot. But wait—there’s more.
In-camera special effects allow you have some fun and
not capture just photos. Speaking of not capturing just
range, touted as the slimmest and photos, did we mention that you can also shoot MPEG-4
most compact camera available. Even movies at up to 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per
today, that billing stays. These second? No? Well, it can! Just so you know,
stunning works of art are now adding this is DVD-quality video.
to their capabilities and the Z750 has Ergonomically as well, the camera is
a whopping 7.2-megapixel CCD. Makes well-designed and features an EX
you wonder how they manage to keep button to allow quick access to shooting
the camera so slim… controls. Once in the controls, you can
What will further make you also make the most of the post-shot
wonder how is when you find out white balance and exposure
that the camera also has 3x optical adjustments to make sure your photos
zoom, a 2.5-inch TFT screen and an are looking their best.
optical viewfinder. The Exilim Z750 is in competition with
You’ll now need to really stretch your cameras such as Canon’s SD500 and Sony’s
imagination to figure out how a very slim battery in a Rs DSC-P200 in one of the most fiercely
19,
very slim camera can capture 325 images per charge. Well, 00
0
competitive segments of the market and
it does. So there… you don’t really have to worry about how offers by far the largest feature set in its class.
long the battery will last and whether this is just a good- Priced at approximately Rs 19,000, this is one
looking camera. camera that offers great value for money and is perhaps
Further proof that this beauty does indeed have brains the most stunning gift you could give anyone. Do you
is the fact that there are 30 preset know our address?

Tech Shopping
NIKON COOLPIX 5900 SONY DCR HC 90E
T he megapixel count of digital cameras is ever on the
increase and today, a 4-megapixel camera is perhaps more
the norm than an exception. Digicam prices have fallen beyond
I f you’re looking for
more than stills and
are interested in
imagination, and a 4- or 5-mp camera is within reach for most. venturing into the
One such camera that fits the bill for most casual users is moving-image arena,
the Nikon Coolpix 5900. A 5.1-megapixel camera, the 5900 has here’s one product you
3x optical zoom, 13.5 MB of internal memory—and the Nikon should consider: the
tag! What’s better, all this is available for just Rs 14,000! Sony DCR HC 90E.
Could you ask for more? Even if you did, there is! With 10x optical and
The Coolpix 5900 combines state-of-the-art technology, 120x digital zoom, this
great image quality and speed with an all-metal design, and camera is farsighted!
Rs
is an eye-catcher. At the back of the camera is a big two-inch Armed with a Carl Zeiss Vario- 51,
50
LCD screen, the biggest yet in the Sonnar T* lens, the clarity when you 0
Coolpix line-up, and the capture the 530 lines of horizontal resolution is
new Face-priority AF simply stunning. The optics on this little baby are a treat
feature. and perhaps the best available.
Also inbuilt is the Features-wise, too, the camera packs a punch. It has a
D-Lighting feature that 2.7-inch wide touch panel swivel screen that rotates up to
can be selected in 270 degrees to provide multiple viewing angles. The truly
Playback mode— ‘steady shot picture stabilisation system’ stabilises
automatically without compromising on picture quality.
compensating for One great thing about this camera is the Analogue to
insufficient flash or Digital converter that lets you connect any analogue
excessive backlighting. It video source to digital using the provided inputs. But this
ensures balanced is not just a camcorder—you can also shoot stills at a
Rs 1 exposure throughout the resolution of 2016 x 1512 (about 3 megapixels).
4,0 frame.
00 Another thoughtful addition that would be of great
The Coolpix 5900 help to non-tech savvy users is the ‘Easy Handycam’
can also shoot VGA movies with sound at a button. With a press of this button, most advanced
rate of 30 fps. Available across the country, the product features of the camera are ‘locked out’, leaving
retails at approximately Rs 14,000 and is great as a gift—for operational only the buttons essential for recording.
yourself or for your near and dear ones. Priced at about Rs 51,500, this is one great deal.

132 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

Games Digital Leisure l Tech Shopping

BATTLEFIELD 2 EA SPORTS CRICKET 2005

Y et another war game, you’d grumble, but
hold on to your horses for a bit! Battlefield
is truly a game that’s in a class of its own.
T his is India, so whatever we do
will be influenced by the local
flavours. “If it’s sport, it has to be
This, of course, does not mean that its cricket” sounds like a cliché, but
predecessor was a shoddy offering. that’s the truth. So if any games
In Battlefield 2, players pick a side. It could producer is looking for a bestseller in
be one of three military superpowers: the India, they have to come out with a
United States, China, or the newly formed cricket game.
Middle East Coalition. Of course, if you’re EA has been doing that over the
fighting for a superpower, you have the years with their Cricket series and
latest modern weaponry. That means you even though it has been way below
can control over 30 different types of par as far as serious gamers were
vehicles in combat and, here’s the best part: concerned, they managed to reach
the bestseller charts.
This time round, though, EA has
decided to give a fair deal to the
Indian gaming community. So the
latest cricket offering has a TV-style
presentation including a full action
replay mode, a third umpire,
animated ducks, TV-style overlays,
and a field position editor, among
other things. In addition to the
international teams and bonus
squads, you can also compete in the domestic seasons in Rs
999
England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Of course, you have a large number of stadiums, pitch types and
playing conditions to choose from. What is really new is the gameplay
with completely reworked graphics. Though the gameplay is realistic, the
character modelling leaves a lot to be desired.
And yeah, mastering the game is as difficult as the real thing. So you
can check out this Rs 999 offering from EA while we work on our timing!

GTA SAN ANDREAS - VICE CITY

No, we are not trying to be naughty by recommending this game. Don’t
use the Hot Coffee mod and the game still rocks!
The latest offering from Rockstar carries on the GTA tradition of
climbing up the gangland hierarchy. You start off as a small-time guy who
has to work his way up the, ahem, gang he’s part of. Hot Coffee lets you
R
s1
you can engage over 64 players in ,29 work your way up a lot of other areas! But let’s not go that way, shall we?
major battles. All of this over the 9 So what’s the story this time round? You play Carl Johnson, a small-
Internet. Is that one major war in time crook who has his mother murdered and is framed for another
cyberspace, or what? murder by a group of corrupt cops. So you have to be on the run and
A very interesting feature of the game come up fast to save your skin as well your broken-up family.
is the persistent character growth The gameplay and action are a treat to watch; the violence and sound
possibility. This allows a player to literally effects are very realistic. Though the game has come under severe
rise through the ranks and eventually criticism from a lot of authorities in the US and a number of big stores
attain the rank of General. Talk about fair have yanked it off the shelf, we can still buy a legit version in India.
and equitable promotion and Available for Rs 2,999, this is the game for you if violence and
acknowledgment for your achievements. experimenting with the underworld is your cup of tea!
Guess real life could draw inspiration from
the gaming world.
Battlefield 2 has a new game engine as well
Rs
as an new, improved physics system that 2,9
99
makes all the graphics seem realistic. Not
that you’d care about a new or old engine as
long as the game looks and plays good. The
game also brings about a lot of realism,
detailed environment and realistic maps. The
situations faced by a soldier in a battlefield
are also reproduced very well.
We could just keep on and on about the
game, but it’s for you to play and experience.
Do we recommend a buy? By Jove, we do—and
at Rs 1,299, it’s quite a bargain.

133
 Digital Leisure l Tech Shopping Home Theatres
PHILIPS HTS3000
T his is a model for the masses. A 5.1 home theatre system, this one
sure packs a mean punch. At 94W RMS, it is not an earth-shaker,
but is enough for a small living room. The system looks nice and has
an external amplifier with a 5.1 Audio output, PC/VCD/CD input and
5.1 inputs.
Bundled is a remote control that handles individual speaker controls.
However, the feature that will attract shoppers is the ability to handle
almost any disk format, including SACDs and DivX CDs or DVDs in
addition to playing regular DVDs, VCDs and MP3 disks.
This product is priced at a sweet Rs 9, 990, which is enough to tempt
any shopper to get one. Compared to other brands in the same price Rs
category, this system takes the cake, considering the features and 9,9
90
performance. If you’re on a limited budget and looking for a reputable
system, your search ends right here!

SAMSUNG HT-P50
F or a user with a budget of around Rs 35,000, we recom-
mend the Samsung HT-P50 home theatre system. This
system has all the frills that you can think of and also
includes a USB port for connecting any USB devices and play-
ing content directly from the system. It also features an FM
tuner for when you just want to listen to radio. The media this
system can play includes DVD Video, DVD Audio, DVD-R (W),
CD-R (W), JPEG, MP3, WMA and DivX disks.
The form factor is extremely classy, with four satellite
speakers and one central speaker and subwoofer. The USB port
lets you connect your portable MP3 player and use it as a part
of your home theatre system. You can now listen to your MP3s
in 5.1 surround!
Inputs include auxiliary, an optical digital input
and the USB port. Outputs include a SCART socket
and composite video output, making it ready for
HDTV as well as regular TVs.
The system has ample power and peaks at 1000 W
RMS, enough for you to make yourself heard across
your building!
At a price of Rs 34,400 the Samsung HT-P50 does
not pinch your pocket too much, and does provide
you with a fashionable home theatre and powerful
Rs features to boot.
3 4,4
00

SONY DAV-LF1
L et’s get one thing out of the way first: this is a high-end system and
costs Rs 99,990. Still interested? Read on…
The highlight of this system is that it is wireless. Yes,
now no more wires to disrupt your interiors—well, almost.
The DAV-LF1 still needs a power cord from one of the rear
speakers and another main cord connecting it to the other.
The other speakers require wires as usual. Just place them
where you want, configure the system, and start watching
movies and listening to music.
The system is powered modestly enough at 600 W RMS.
However, it is the drop-dead gorgeous looks of this system
that will attract you more than anything else.
There are four ultra-thin column speakers with one
centre satellite speaker. You also have two wireless satellite
speakers that can be hung on the wall right beside the
centre channel. The subwoofer build quality is solid and is
sure to shock and awe your neighbours at peak volume.
This may be a pricey system, but hey, if you want to
complement your plasma or projection TV, you just can’t go
Rs
wrong with this baby! 99,
99
0

134 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

Laptops Digital Leisure l Tech Shopping
DELL XPS GEN 2 It’s not all looks, though. Ergonomics, too, is spot on;
the keyboard is sufficiently large, with a good amount of
T he XPS Gen 2 from Dell is an exquisite gaming machine
loaded to the gills with features that stand to redefine
gaming on a mobile platform. Based on Intel’s Centrino
real estate on which to rest your palms.
The XPS Gen 2, being a desktop replacement, does not
fall short in offering the numerous
platform, it incorporates the latest avatar of this mobile ports or connectors that a desktop PC
platform, known as Sonoma. offers. In all, there are six USB ports, a
Armed with a top-of-the-line FireWire port, DVI and VGA connectors
Pentium M 2.13 GHz processor with a for connecting an external display, and
533 MHz front side bus and 2 MB of an S-Video connector for hooking it to
cache memory, it has enough juice to a TV. For online gaming, the XPS
rock your games. 512 megs of DDR 2 comes with an Ethernet port and
memory comes as standard which can be offers wireless connectivity via the
further upgraded to 2 GB for blistering- inbuilt Wi-Fi 802.11b/g adapter. Two
fast game loading speeds. To make unique features are the Secure Digital
gaming characters come alive, the Gen 2 card reader and a PCIe card slot.
incorporates nVidia’s best-in-class GeForce If you’re an avid gamer
Go 6800 Ultra PCI-Express graphics core. looking for a portable gaming
All the action can be viewed on the solution, this is a godsend.
crystal clear 17-inch display that Dell is But if you want to lay
renowned for. Encased in silver-and-grey your hands on this baby,
plastic, this second-generation XPS laptop has you’d better start bugging
much better visual appeal. To liven up the your cousin in the US, as Dell is not
gaming experience, Dell has introduced colourful offering this in India yet.
lights on the top lid, air vents and speaker vents. Priced just short of Rs 1.5 lakh, the XPS
You can assign up to sixteen different colours to Rs
1,5 Gen 2 is the ultimate gaming laptop available.
0,
00
these lights! 0

ACER FERRARI 4000 LENOVO THINKPAD T42

A cer’s penchant for speed materialised in the form of
their alliance with Scuderia Ferrari as an official partner
for laptops. To commemorate this alliance, Acer introduced
T he ThinkPad T42, a worthy successor to the almost-
famous T41 notebook, is the latest in the thin-and-light
series from Lenovo. The ThinkPad laptops have always been
a series of special-edition Ferrari laptops starting with the appreciated by professionals for their rock-solid reliability
Ferrari 3000 series introduced last year. The Ferrari 4000 is coupled with good performance, and the T42 doesn’t
the latest in this series, sporting a unique blend of cutting- disappoint on either count.
edge technology and exotic materials. Beating at the heart of the T42 is Intel’s Centrino
The 4000 sports a matte-black carbon fibre case with the technology, delivering
prominent prancing horse logo shouting for immediate exceptional performance without
attention. The deep scarlet sides of the laptop make the compromising on battery life. The
Ferrari connection come through clearly. Despite being T42, like all other ThinkPads, has
made of lightweight material, the Ferrari 4000 tips the scales the same understated design, with
at 3 kg, which by today’s standards, is a tad too much on the most surfaces finished in black.
shoulders (or the lap). Build quality is top-notch,
Acer doles out 1 GB of DDR 333 MHz memory to make and it oozes from every nook
most of your applications zoom by. The 15.4-inch, crisp and corner of the laptop. The
display is powered by ATi’s Mobility Radeon X700 graphics metal hinges that clamp the top
core. To cut down on the thickness, the Ferrari 4000 is lid are tough nuts to crack and
provided with a slot loading, multi-format, double-layer will take the worst fall without
DVD burner. a scratch.
While all common ports such as USB, FireWire, S-Video, When it comes to the
VGA and DVI are available, Acer has configuration, the T42 isn’t
also included a multiple card spectacular, but has enough
reader capable of reading compact horsepower to get most of your
Rs
flash (CF), Secure Digital (SD), work done. It comes with a Pentium M processor 1,0
0,0
Memory Stick (MS) and xD cards. running at 1.7 GHz, 512 MB of DDR RAM, a 40 GB 00
Wireless connectivity comes in hard drive and a combo drive. The upgrades, though
the form of a Bluetooth and a available, are unreasonably expensive.
Wi-Fi 802.11g adapter, whereas The T42 makes do with just two USB ports, a gigabit
Ethernet and modem Ethernet slot, a modem, two PCMCIA slots, a parallel port, a
connectors are provided for serial port and a VGA port for connecting an external
wired communication. monitor. Frills such as FireWire or Card readers don’t make
Priced at it to this laptop.
around Rs 1 The Lenovo T42 comes preloaded with Windows XP
lakh, this is Professional and also boasts of out-of-the-box support for
the gadget to Linux distributions such as RedHat and Suse.
have if Priced at around Rs 1 lakh, the T42 is our choice for the
you’re a best executive-class laptop one can buy off-the-shelf.
speed freak.
Rs SEOTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 135
1,0
0,0
00
 Digital Leisure l Tech Shopping MP3 Players

IPOD MINI IRIVER H 10

T alk of MP3 players or portable music players and the first

image that springs up is the plain white face of the iPod. The
impact of the Pod has been so great that it has become
T hey call it the soul machine, one look at the
Ferrari red and metallic colour combination
and you know why. The minimalist navigation
synonymous with portable music players. What was it that made design and the colour TFT LCD screen gets any
it a cultural phenomenon, a must-have accessory? gadget lover hooked. A visual treat, you say, plug
We think in those ear phones and this gadget sings as well.
the intuitive With a 5GB solid state storage capacity and with
user interface features such as FM recording, voice recording,
and a radical photo and text viewing and multiple language
yet minimalist support the H10 is a serious contender for the top
design might spot in its category. The player has the basic
have helped. equalizer modes and 30 preset ones as well but
The fact that it what is sorely missed was a line in plug, which
is a hard disk- comes only with a cradle. The H10 series however
based player does not offer support to all the different file
means it can types, only the basic MPEG and WMA for audio
store many and JPEG for image. At Rs 16,000 this is priced at
more files than a premium when compared to the competitors
conventional but for a sub 100gm, pocket sized 5 GB mp3
portable player we think it just about makes the cut.
Rs
players. Add to
this the image Apple had built up over 12,
00
the years of being a niche über-cool 0
brand, and you have a winner. Apple also came
up with an online music download service, iTunes.
At 99 cents or around Rs 42 per download, this was a definite steal.
Pity iTunes isn’t accessible from India yet.
Available in different capacities, the Pod that has caught our
fancy was the iPod Mini. With a 4 GB (or 6 GB) storage capacity,
the Mini can hold between 2,000 and 3,000 songs of MP3 quality.
The metallic-coloured bodies also add to charm of this baby,
which is slightly larger than a credit card.
With street prices starting at Rs 12,000 for the 4 GB variant,
this nifty little gizmo is well within the reach of
any average buyer. Of course, those with deeper pockets can Rs
16,
always go in for the 20 GB iPod or the U2 special-edition ones. 00
0

CREATIVE ZEN MICRO & ZEN NEEON

C reative’s MuVo2 never quite took the MP3

player market by storm. Many said it was the
clunky design that did the MuVo in. Not to be
upstaged, Creative has hit back with their
international bestsellers—the Zen Micro and the
Zen Neeon.
With refreshingly new designs coupled
with a 5 GB hard disk, these players are
out to deliver a one-two knockout punch. The
best thing about the players is that
you don’t have to convert or reconvert
your music files into any proprietary format—
something both Sony and Apple players
demand.
Rs The Neeon’s 5 GB capacity means that you
15,
00 can store a large chunk of your music
0
collection on the player; of course, you can
also store other data files and use the player as
a portable drive. The interchangeable covers and
the changing neon backlight add a large dose of pizzaz to the gizmo. So go ahead and co-ordinate your MP3 player with
your wardrobe... and feel free to get right back at us if this showstopper doesn’t catch everyone’s attention!
At a starting price of Rs 15,000, the Zen Neeon is directly aimed at the would-be iPod Mini customer. For an MP3
player that sounds great and makes you look cool, it isn’t too expensive.

136 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

PDAs Digital Leisure l Tech Shopping

HP IPAQ HW6515 MOBILE MESSENGER Camera inbuilt so you can capture stills and
videos—and share them instantly via MMS or e-

F or those who gallivant around the globe, the

new iPAQ hw6515 Mobile Messenger is the
perfect companion. One of the latest PDA phones
mail.
Running Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003
Second Edition, the hw6515 is powered by an
launched by HP, the hw6515 Mobile Messenger is Intel PXA270 Processor running at 312 MHz
true to its name and keeps you connected no complemented by 64 MB of ROM and 64 MB of
matter where you are. SDRAM. The 240 x 240 transflective touch
Featuring a quad-band GSM phone screen can display 64K colours.
(850/900/1800/1900 MHz), the device also supports Connectivity options include Bluetooth v1.2,
GPRS/EDGE technologies, which provide high-speed Infrared and USB using the bundled cradle. The
connectivity on the go. 1200 mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery is user-
Boasting of an internal GPS receiver, the iPAQ replaceable.
hw6515—coupled with GPS software and digital city HP has also bundled exclusive applications
maps—is capable of pinpointing your exact location like iPAQ Wireless, GSM/GPRS Settings Manager,
and provides you with turn-by-turn driving instructions. Rs HP Profiles, MMS Composer, Bluetooth Manager,
The integrated QWERTY keyboard allows you to easily 29, iPAQ File Store, iPAQ Backup, Pocket Panel Lite,
99
0
compose e-mail, notes, text, and instant messages. The and HP Image Zone for Pocket PC.
inclusion of two memory slots—one SDIO and one mini-SD— The package includes a removable flip cover
allows expansion of memory as well as installation of for the screen, as well as a belt clip so you can carry it
expansion cards such Wi-Fi, barcode scanners and more. around wherever you go. Priced at Rs 29,990 excluding taxes,
What’s more, you also get a 1.3-megapixel HP Photosmart this is one workhorse you should seriously consider.

PALM LIFEDRIVE MOBILE MANAGER PALM ZIRE 31

I f you need an integrated camera or a cell phone, look elsewhere.

But if you’re looking for a device that can manage your chaotic life
schedule, the aptly named LifeDrive Mobile Manager is for you.
I f you’re a first time
user or if a basic
PDA is what you are
The device runs on Palm OS 5.4 (Garnet) and is powered by a looking for, the Palm
416 MHz Intel XScale Processor complemented by 64 MB of onboard Zire 31 is made for
RAM, and offers a whopping 4 GB of storage space. It looks sleek you. This affordable
with a brushed, muted aluminium finish, a big screen (a 320 x 480 PDA runs Palm OS
TFT touchscreen) and four dedicated buttons for music, photos, home 5.2.8, and is
(main menu) and the file browser, along with four-way navigation powered by a
and a centre-click button. relatively modest
The 65K colour screen is gorgeous. 200 MHz Intel ARM-
Multimedia entertainment is provided based processor. Rs
by the mobile version of iTunes. Other Inbuilt memory is only 16 MB, but 9,9
99
pre-installed goodies include the Blazer that should be enough for you to store
4.1 Web Browser and the Versa Mail 3.1 years of appointments and thousands of
e-mail client. Apart from these, the contacts—with room to add software. The S-
software disk provided has some more DIO slot lets you add more memory, too.
cool stuff such as Adobe Reader for Screen resolution is 160 x 160, supporting
Palm OS and Real Rhapsody 3.0, thousands of colours.
amongst others. ‘Documents to Go’ The design is compact and fairly attractive.
allows you to work with MS Word There are two hardware buttons that launch
and Excel files. calendar and contacts. You can also reassign
You can connect the LifeDrive to your these buttons to applications of your choice. A
phone via Bluetooth and send and five-way navigation key is also provided.
receive SMSes and make calls. In terms of Graffiti 2 lets you input text in natural
connectivity, the LifeDrive has it all: handwriting, either in the Graffiti area
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0—but no beneath the screen or anywhere else on the
infrared. But will you miss it? Rs
screen. You can even use the Zire 31 as an MP3
Synchronisation with a PC requires the bundled 26, player, though you would need to invest in an
500
application, but you can use it simply as a removable SD or MMC card for this.
mass storage drive by clicking a single button labelled ‘Drive Bundled software includes standard PIM
Mode’ on the touchscreen. You can then simply copy and paste files applications such as Contacts, Calendar, World
onto the drive. All files—music, movies, and what have you—that are Clock, Memos, Tasks, Calculator, Expense, and
added get updated automatically into the media library, and there is Note pad. Additional software included
no stifling requirement of using a proprietary software to transfer features RealOne Mobile Player, palmOne
media files. Photos, Audible, Handmark Splash Money and
A PDA phone or a camera this device is not, but what it is is a Mobile DB, powerOne Calculator, Palm Reader,
brilliant organiser and portable entertainment centre that will AddIt, and Solitaire.
organise your life. And it does that job quite beautifully. At just Rs 9,999, the Zire 31 is surely the
At Rs 26,500, it’s not that expensive either. Buy a cheaper cell, and most affordable and easiest way to enter into
use this, what? the world of mobile computing.

SEOTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 137

 Digital Leisure l Tech Shopping Mobile Phones

SONY ERICSSON K750I SAMSUNG SGH-D500

T his is the latest flagship model of Sony Ericsson’s extensive mobile

line-up in India. A one-line description would probably go: a tri-band
GSM phone with a 2-megapixel camera, FM radio tuner and an MP3
M easuring just 93.5 x 45.7 x 23.6 mm and
tipping the scales at just 99 gm, the D500
is the latest head-turner from Samsung. A tri-
player, with a Memory Stick Duo (MSD) card slot. band GPRS mobile phone, the D500 boasts of
The K750i is stylish, but not overly so, making it a good phone for features like a slide-out keypad, MP3 playback,
professionals. The buttons have decent tactile feedback, external speakers and a 1.3-megapixel camera
but the five-way joystick is too sensitive and results with flash.
in navigation errors—until you get used to it! Encased in a beautiful glossy
The camera is perhaps its best feature, and is black casing, the device sports a
accompanied by a pretty decent flash. There are 176 x 220 LCD that can display
various digital camera options such as 4X zoom, 262,144 colours. Apart from the
Macro mode, night mode, a cool Panorama mode for screen, the front facia includes
shooting wide scenes, and even a Burst mode for a four-way navigation key with
capturing four shots in quick succession. In movie a centre button, two soft keys,
mode, you are offered the option of either shooting a send and hang-up key, and a
for MMS or high-quality video. Overall, the camera cancel button. The left side of
is excellent. the phone has a conjoined
Special controls include a media button on the volume control key and an IR
left, which launches either FM or your media port, while the right side has
player. On the right are volume controls a dedicated camera key and a
that double up as zoom controls port to connect the external
when in camera mode and as the speaker. The bottom of the
shutter button for the camera. Above phone slides out to reveal the
the joystick is an application button backlit 12-key numeric pad
Rs that gives you quick access to various and the camera at the rear.
19, functions. In our case, this button let us end hung Connectivity options
99
5 games. include Bluetooth, USB and
The speaker could have been louder, and can hardly be SyncML apart from infra-
heard on our noisy crowded streets. You cannot listen to FM red. Other features include video Rs 2
1,39
without plugging in the bundled handsfree, and you cannot set the and voice recording, 64 polyphonic 9
phone to ring both via the external speaker as well as in the handsfree ring tones, SMS, EMS, MMS, e-mail, and
earphones—only when set to silent mode does it ring in the ear! Java 2.0.
Connectivity is achieved via Bluetooth, GPRS, infra-red, and the Standard applications such as World Time,
bundled USB cable. Overall, the phone is great to use, has tons of multiple alarms, Calculator, Converter, Timer,
functions, a great camera and excellent battery life of about three days Stopwatch and Organiser (with monthly,
normal usage. At Rs 19,995, the price may be a little steep, but the weekly and daily views) are also available.
camera makes it worth it. Three Java games—Forgotten Warrior, Freekick
and Arch Angel are pre-loaded. Memory capacity
NOKIA 6255 (CDMA) is 96 MB, shared dynamically between
applications. However, there is no provision for

T he Nokia 6255 is perhaps one of the best CDMA

mobiles available in India. For Rs 14,995, it
seems packed to the brim with features as well as
memory expansion.
The 1.3-megapixel camera can capture stills
at a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024, and
two screens—an external mini screen and the has three different quality settings. The
internal main screen—which are standard in flip shooting mode can be set to single, multi,
phones today. mosaic or night. The ISO setting can be kept at
The 6255 comes with an integrated VGA camera Auto, or set to speeds of 100, 200 or 400.
with flash, capable of capturing still images as well The flash can be switched off or set to
as video. It also features 5X digital zoom and a Auto, Permanently On, or Shoot-Only modes.
night mode, as well as a self-timer. The phone is Video can be captured in 3gp format at a
Java capable—great for all the gamers! maximum of 176 x 144 pixels, again with three
The main screen is 128 x 160 pixels with 65K quality options.
colours. The external mini screen supports 4K In terms of usability, the phone provides a
colours. The keys include a five-way joystick and a standard icon-based menu, accessible using
user-configurable soft-key plus standard keypad. the soft-key and the navigation button.
In terms of entertainment, apart from Java The size of the keys is a bit of an issue, and
Rs
games, there’s the inbuilt FM radio tuner and music 14 you’ll have to use the tips of your thumbs to
,99
player which supports MP3 and AAC files. 5 operate the device. The slider can be operated
Connectivity options include Bluetooth, infra-red, and a easily using one hand. The 262K colour screen
high speed CDMA wireless data IxRTT connection. There’s the is vibrant. MP3 playback is quite decent using
WAP 2.0 browser, and the Nokia PC Suite is bundled. The Li-ion battery the inbuilt speaker, and is even better with the
offers between 100 to 176 hours of external speaker module. Battery life is average
standby time. at best, with the internal battery lasting
Overall, this phone isn’t half bad for its price, and considering that between two and three days.
Indian CDMA consumers have long been demanding a larger variety to On the whole, the phone is great for users
chose from, this is one model that takes a step in the right direction. who want a sleek model. Price? Just Rs 21,399!

138 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

Watches Digital Leisure l Tech Shopping

TISSOT T-TOUCH OMEGA SPEEDMASTER X-33

MEN’S PILOT WATCH
W hat do you want in a watch? A
timer, stopwatch, accurate time,
and an alarm, right? How about A Quartz watch with broad arrow hands,
tachymeter bezel, sapphire crystal glass and
maybe a compass, a thermometer 3ATM water resistance, the Omega X-33 is
and an altimeter? No, we haven’t something to die (or kill) for!
lost our head—such a product does This watch looks as good as a watch possibly
exist. can. The Omega Speedmaster X-33 simply leaves
What’s better is that it’s a you awestruck from the moment you lay your
touchscreen wristwatch and not eyes on it.
some bulky device you would have It is equipped with a battery that will last 24
to lug around in a bag. months on the average with the alarm and light
Also, the fact that it’s good- in use. If some of the functions are not used
looking and has the Tissot label often, battery life extends to almost 36
makes it even more desirable, don’t months. That gives you six months to
you think? The Tissot T-Touch, a first-of- get to the moon at closest passage, a
its-kind wristwatch to include all these year on the Martian surface, and
features in a brilliantly-finished chrome- six months to return!
metal casing is something you simply Incidentally, that’s what the
must have on your wishlist. Rs watch has been designed to
In all, there are eight functions on the watch 28, endure. What’s earth?
00
0
including the Altimeter (in feet and metres), The X-33 is equipped
Chronograph (split and add time), Compass, Alarm, with a digital readout in
Thermometer (in °C and °F), Barometer as well as Date and the centre that displays
Time (with a choice of 12H and 24H). time, alarm status,
Operated by gently tapping on the each of the crystals Mission elapsed time,
underneath the watch face, you can activate any of the seven mission elapsed alarm,
functions. This simple feature allows quick access to the Digital Universal Time
features, unlike in many other watches where you need to (DigiUT), its alarm, and
scroll through to access the functions. yes, countdown and
Although the touch-sensitive display is the T-Touch’s main chronograph.
feature, other features are just as impressive. Of course, most of The dial is covered with a
these features are useless for the average day in the office. But scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
if you are an active person with an interest in hiking, climbing, and is encased in a solid

Rs
1
or swimming, you’ll find these functions very handy. titanium case and bracelet. You

,3
0,
At approximately Rs 28,000, the T-Touch is not too expensive want the price? It’s about

00
0
for a watch with so many functions. Hey, you wouldn’t be Rs 1,30,000. What did you expect? It’s
buying it to wear it to the movies anyway, would you? supposed to last a trip to the moon!

CASIO PRG 80 1V

A nother watch for the outdoor person, the Casio PRG 80 1V, too, packs in
some super features. Scoring over the competition, this watch has a solar
power cell in addition to a normal cell.
One of the main problems in using a watch is trying to view it in the dark. If
you thought Indiglo was the pinnacle of watch lighting, wait till you see this.
The PRG 80 incorporates an Auto EL backlight that automatically deactivates
when the surrounding light is sufficient, and activates it under dim light or
dark conditions. No more fumbling for the light button in the dark—on your
wrist, anyway!
Other features include an inbuilt compass, altimeter, barometer, and
thermometer in addition to the usual world time, stopwatch and timer. Before
you start wondering, yes, there is an alarm. Actually, there are five!
Of the special features, the compass uses an inbuilt direction sensor to detect
the magnetic north, while a pressure sensor detects changes in air pressure and
converts the result into an altitude of up to 10,000 metres. The Height Gain
function sums all the metres you may have climbed, and you can see the total ascent
at a glance.
Inbuilt pressure and temperature sensors measure the barometric pressure and the
temperature respectively, giving you all the necessary readouts at the push of a button.
There are other, basic functions, such as world time, which displays the current time
in major cities and specific areas around the world.
The five daily alarms remind you about recurring events with an acoustic signal at the
time you set. You can also activate the hourly time signal that indicates each full hour. The Rs 15,0
00
damages? About Rs 15,000. Not a bad deal at all!

SEOTEMBER 2005 DIGIT 139

 MediaWise
The Guardian, August 11, 2005 NY Times, August 16, 2005

When Laptops Are A Pain From Blog To Stage, A Pundit

In The Neck Examines The Power
JACK SCHOFIELD WRITES about the horrors of an Of Politics
increasingly wirefree world. What? Yes, the notebook
computer has its negatives thanks to the ergonomic LEE PAPA, A blogger, shows his face in “The Rude Pundit in
disaster that it is or so Schofield and Jeremy Clarkson seem the Year of Living Rudely,” a one-man show at the New York
to agree... International Fringe Festival

Jeremy Clarkson and I seem to have something in common: we’ve Who knew that the Internet would turn out to be a new frontier
both been laid low partly by our laptops. Physically, if not for theater; a stage that lets us choose our exits and entrances
financially, he’s much worse off than me. According to his column while playing any part we please? Everyone with a blog is a solo
in The Sunday Times, he’s visiting an osteopath for a slipped disc, performer. And all theatrical forms are blogworthy, from
whereas I’m just having physiotherapy for a cricked neck. But in a diarylike realism to explosive satire.
world where Wi-Fi and notebook computers are replacing wired Political theater thrives on the Web. No censorship, no
desktops, this is very likely to become an increasingly common compromise. Mainstream news media writers and cartoonists
problem for computer users over the next few years. get to shake off time and tone constraints. New talent shows
Clarkson got the same instructions as me: sit up straight. up regularly.
When computing, you should The Rude Pundit roared into the blog arena two years ago,
try to keep your ears, shoulders and his audience keeps growing. His ferocious column (subtitled
and hips in line, with the top of “Proudly Lowering the Level of Political Discourse”) hurls
your computer screen just analysis and abuse at the war in Iraq, religious fundamentalism,
below the height of your eyes. America’s immigration policies, Congressional scandals and press
“Fine, but I use a laptop timidity (rudepundit.blogspot.com).
and if I get the screen high The author’s identity is unknown to most readers. Last week,
enough, I can’t see any of the though, he unmasked himself in a one-man show, “The Rude
keys,” wrote Clarkson on the Pundit in the Year of Living Rudely,” part of the New York
subject. International Fringe Festival. “He” is Lee Papa, a tall, stocky
As a touch-typist, I don’t young man in his 30’s
need to see the keys, but any with long hippie-
laptop with a fixed keyboard makes it impossible to get both the esque blond hair,
screen and keyboard in an ergonomic position at the same time. who is a writer,
To do that, you need to plug in either a separate monitor or professor and
keyboard. sometime actor.
My problem arose partly because of the perfectly natural Mr. Papa was
tendency to use the fastest machines around, and both my seated in a chair with
newest computers - an IBM ThinkPad X31 and an Apple iBook - his back to us when
were notebooks. Both have Wi-Fi, too, and if you work at home, the stage lights came
you get extra points for staying-home time. up. (“Us” being the
As a result, I’ve spent too much of the past 18 months 40 or so people who
slumped over a notebook rather than sitting upright at a desktop. lounged on couches
This helped accustom my upper spine to being in a bad position. and secondhand chairs at Dixon Place, the hip performance
Then I woke up one morning with a cricked neck, and the pain space on the Bowery that looks like a vintage living room.)
didn’t go away in a couple of hours, it got worse. And worse. Naked, pink-flesh figures were propped up on the wall
Soon, the only way I could raise my right arm was using my left. behind him. They wore the masks of the famous: Ronald Reagan;
As someone who has read more than one book on computer President Bush and the first lady, Laura Bush; Vice President
ergonomics, I was surprised to find my physiotherapist so hostile Dick Cheney; the presidential adviser Karl Rove; and the
to notebook PCs. With the keyboard at the correct height, I felt conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.
my typing position was comfortable, and my posture was not Some had penises, some didn’t. You could hear people asking
particularly different from the one used when reading books. whose was bigger. Why did Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Rove have
However, keen readers can change their posture at frequent breasts instead? And what about Ms. Coulter? Like the versatile
intervals, holding the book in a different position. That’s much Greek prophet Tiresias, she had been granted breasts and a
harder to do with a notebook computer, and I haven’t been doing penis, but she bested him, she had both at once.
it. Nor have I been taking 10-minute breaks every hour, which is Mr. Papa is a tornado of a writer. So it was refreshing when
something that I tell everyone else to do. he began the show with memories of his adolescence. We’re all
Notebook computer ergonomics are dreadful, and the built-in under some kind of blight as adolescents. His blight was Ronald
keyboards have become far worse as notebooks have become Reagan, the man who “hounded my life for eight years.” In the
thinner. Few, if any, now offer keys with decent amount of travel. Rude Pundit’s world, Mr. Reagan was the cruel patriarch who set
There are solutions. For example, if using a notebook for any the world on its downward spiral of greed and aggression.
length of time, buy a “notebook riser” or ergonomic stand to lift What followed was a set of free-form riffs, separated by
the screen, or a docking station, and plug in a separate keyboard blackouts. If you have qualms, prepare to feel them now. I felt
and mouse. Wireless versions are a good idea. As I can testify, the fine most of the time, and so it seemed did the rest of the
alternatives can be extremely painful. audience. ... (more)

To read the complete column, go to: http://snipurl.com/mediawise1 For complete column, go to http://snipurl.com/mediawise2

140 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 AdWise
CNet.com, August 9, 2005

The iPod’s Achilles’ Heel

DAVID CARNOY, EXECUTIVE Editor, CNet Reviews has a few
gripes with the (gulp!) Apple iPod. Yes, he managed to find
some and now he puts them in black-and-white

Before all the diehard Apple and iPod fans get out their
flamethrowers and torch the hell out of me, let me start by saying:
I’m with you, the iPod rules, it’s great, I own one, I bought one for
my wife, and I plan to name my next baby Apple--and not just
because Gwyneth Paltrow did. OK, so I’m lying about the baby part,
but the rest is true. I like the thing--a lot. But at the same time, it’s
not totally for me.
First off, I’m pretty lazy when it comes to organizing my music.
Or, more accurately, I just
don’t have the time to deal
with it. Sadly, I recently
resorted to having someone
else rip the remaining half
of my CD collection--about
200 discs--for me. I used a
new service called Awaken,
which sent me a
preaddressed FedEx box. I
dumped the discs into the Lost?
supplied cake boxes and a The age old way of taking directions on a piece of paper has
few days later got back been enhanced by technology. That’s the point this ad
three DVDs filled with my MP3-ified tunes and all of my CDs neatly makes and it does well. The reference to directions on a
organized in a giant binder. Awaken, like several other companies paper in the background with the same directions on the
that provide this type of service, charges around $1 per disc for its new Garmin device in the foreground connect instantly.
deluxe package, which gives you those little extras such as the CD
carrying case.
If you have a substantial CD collection, you’ll easily end up
paying as much for ripping as for the iPod itself. But if you’re
strapped for time, it’s money well spent. But the fact that such
services even exist exposes a dirty truth about Apple’s little white
music player: a lot of iPod owners fail to use their players to their
fullest potential. You know the whole line about how we only use a
fraction of our brain’s power--the same goes for the iPod. I don’t
have any hard numbers, but I would bet, judging from the informal
polling of friends and coworkers, that only about a quarter (or
fewer) of iPod users are really getting the most out of their iPods. I
meet plenty of people who have 20GB models and only have a
couple of gigabytes worth of tunes on them. Their iTunes databases
are a mess, they don’t make use of playlists, they couldn’t care less
about podcasts and audiobooks, and they end up listening to the
same songs over and over. These are the same people who tend to
ask me, “How do I get my friend’s collection off his computer onto
my iPod?”
The long and short of it is that the iPod is a great device, but it’s
wasted on a lot of people. As easy as it is to use, it’s not for
everybody--particularly not for lazy or ultrabusy music lovers who
can’t afford to impulsively download new albums from the iTunes
Music Store at $10 a pop. (An unnamed CNET vice president reports
that he’s particularly susceptible to this phenomenon--especially
after a few glasses of wine--and that iTunes hangovers are nasty,
even for VPs).
Ironically, the biggest chink in the iPod’s seemingly
impenetrable armor is users’ failure to take full advantage of it.
And that’s exactly why I’d venture to say that ultimately the way for
any manufacturer to truly challenge Apple will require both an
Tech For Babies
elegant hardware solution as well as a revolutionary, new music-
Neonatal monitors that are created around a premature
delivery system. ... (more)
baby’s first few days is what this ad is for. Add to it the
tagline “sense and simplicity” and we have a winner. Tech
For the complete column go to: http://snipurl.com/mediawise3 at its best.

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 141

 Stampede For Used Laptops Gadget Can ‘Cure’ Cellulite
Nearly 5,500 people had gathered to buy 1,000 used A gadget that removes cellulite has been a success in the US.
laptops for $50 (Rs 2,200) in Richmond, Virginia in the US The gadget works by using infra-red light to break up the fat
on August 16. When the shop opened, a stampede ensued— that causes the cellulite. The Syneron Vela-Smooth then gives a
someone tried to drive a car through the crowd, and an deep massage, followed by a suction action. The treatment
elderly man was thrown to the pavement. costs £80 (Rs 6,300) per session.

First
Escape
WE ARE NOT AMUSED

Google’s Chief Gets Googled

Nokia CDMA 2112

T
o use a stock phrase, Google’s director of public
it’s a delicious irony.
Google’s chief
executive Eric E Schmidt is
relations, called CNET
editors to complain, said
Jai Singh, the editor-in-
A h! Those
ubiquitous
devices that all of
miffed at the fact that chief of CNETNews.com. us draw out of our
Illustration: Harsho Mohan Chattoraj

CNETNews.com published “They were unhappy pockets like

personal details about him— about the fact that we gunslingers and
details that became available used Schmidt’s private shoot off calls and
through a Google search. information in our story,” messages to
In the first week of Singh said. anywhere in the world… but
August, Google told He added, “Our view is wait! It’s not always that
CNETNews.com, a what we published was all simple—especially if you’re
technology news Web site, public information, and using the Reliance IndiaMobile
that they would not answer we actually used their service in India.
any questions from CNET’s own product to find it.” We took a look at a Nokia
reporters until July 2006. Singh also said Mr Krane (yes, the same reliable, easy-
This move came after CNET called back to say that to-use Nokia) model—the 2112
published an article in July Google would not speak to CDMA—available from Reliance,
that discussed how Google from the search engine. any reporter from CNET and tried to send an SMS. Here
can uncover personal These included that his for a year. are the steps involved:
information, and which shares in Google were worth Singh, who has worked Menu > Messages > Text
raised questions about what $1.5 billion (almost Rs 6,525 in technology news for more Messages > Create Message >
information Google collects crore), that he lived in than two decades, said he Add Number > [Number
about its users. Atherton, California, that could not recall a similar selected] > Options > [Option
The article, by Elinor he had been a fund-raiser situation. “Sometimes a 4] Edit Message > Type
Mills, a CNET staff writer, for Al Gore’s presidential company is ticked off and Message > Options > Send.
gave several examples of campaign, and that he was won’t talk to a reporter for a Whew! But there’s another
information about Google’s a pilot. bit,” he said, “but I’ve never way too… scroll down to the
chief executive Schmidt, After the article seen a company not talk to a number you want to send the
which could be gleaned appeared, David Krane, whole news organisation.” message to and then:
Options > [Option 13] Send
Message > [Type Message] >
My Desktop Send. That’s roughly 11 (or
about five) steps to send a
T hink you have the most beautiful,
most innovative desktop around?
E-mail with subject ‘My Desktop’
message. Actually it’s 15 (or 18)
if you count having to scroll to
and your postal address to choose ‘Edit Message’, but we
[email protected], and will be nice!
Digit will publish the most Now, we wonder why
eye-catching of them each month. Nokia went ahead and
messed around with a
perfectly good, fast, intuitive
and easy-to-use menu system
Next and created this monster. Or
month’s was it Reliance’s doing?
winner will Most other Nokia phones
receive (read GSM) allow three-step
EA Cricket access to the message window
(and just one step in some of
2004 Game the new Symbian 60 phones).
There is no winner for this month. The majority of entries we Whoever the culprit, the menu
received used desktop theme packs. This is not allowed! system is just terrible!

142 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 People Who
Changed
Well Receiving Transmission Computing
This month’s winner is
Ravneet Randhawa
House 138, Katari Bagh,
An All-Round
Kochi - 682 004 Genius
Born in Hungary, John Luis
He wins von Neumann was a child
The Unix prodigy. After his early
Programming education in
Environment Budapest, he
by Brian W.
Kernighan &
moved to
Rob Pike Zurich and
Published by later to
Pearson Education Berlin, where
(Singapore) Pte. Ltd. he received
John von degrees in
Neumann chemical
engineering
WIN! and mathematics.
Send in your entry and you could win a Canon Pixma iP 1500 just by sharing an amusing picture with a
Von Neumann was a
tech angle to it. The picture should be shot by you, and should not have been published anywhere
earlier. E-mail your picture with the subject ‘DigiPick’ and your postal address on or before 15th of this brilliant mathematician
month to [email protected]. One prize-winning picture will be published each month. and a staunch supporter of
the stored-program concept.
His first association with
FINALLY! departure from the IBM processors in favour of computers was with the
traditional one-button Intel chips. With the new Harvard Mark I (ASCC)
A Multi- mouse, the Mighty Mouse
looks similar to the other
mouse, Apple is seeking to
tap into the market for
calculator. His greatest
contribution to computing
Buttoned Apple models.
A major difference is the
accessories.
This may be a leap
was the EDVAC in 1945—his
single-handed creation. This
Mac Mouse small scroll ball at the head
of the mouse, which can
forward for Mac users, but
need Windows users pay any
is when the elements of the
stored-program concept
move cursors diagonally, attention? Lara Luepke of were introduced to the

A pple users may possibly

frown at this new,
think-outside-the-box
even up and down across
display screens, and can be
pressed to ‘click’ functions.
ZDNet Australia sums it up
best: “For Apple Mac OS
Tiger users, the
computing world.
The foundations of von
Neumann’s work were laid
offering. It’s just not Since long, Apple has scrollwheeling Mighty out in the “First Draft of a
Apple’s style. It’s a mouse built added functionality to Mouse is worth a look; for Report on the EDVAC” in
with more than one its OSes to accommodate everyone else, better options 1945. It presented the first
button—four, to be precise. multi-button mice. But there are available.” written description of the
And there’s a 360-degree were no Apple mice to take stored-program concept.
scroll ball, one that can advantage of this. We “MIND THE BOMBS” The report organised the
scroll diagonally as well! wonder why Apple took this computer system into four
Apple is calling it the
‘Mighty Mouse’.
long to bring mouse
technology to
Outrage Over main parts: the Central
Arithmetical unit, the
And mighty it is,
compared to the ghastly
the nineties!
Mighty Mouse, which
London Central Control unit, the
Memory, and the Input/
hockey-puck mice that
shipped with the colourful
connects via a USB port, will
retail for $49 (Rs 2,130). It is
Underground Output devices. This is
popularly known as the ‘von
iMacs, and other stubbornly
single-buttoned Apple mice.
PC-compatible, but cannot
move the cursor diagonally
Terror Game Neumann architecture’.
Sounds familiar? It’s this
For some it is Apple’s on Windows. that has become the CPU-
finest mouse ever. Others
call it a Trojan
horse—one of
So, is this the beginning
of the end of the
traditional difference
U K tabloid The Sun
recently discovered an
online game in which
Memory-IO system that all
computers use today!
The Institute of Electrical
several entry between PCs and players have to stop bombs and Electronics Engineers
points into the Macs? A multi- detonating on the London (IEEE) continues to honour
Windows-user button mouse Underground system. von Neumann through the
territory. Another eliminates one of In a sick take on the annual IEEE John von
indication of the important “mind the gap” warning Neumann Medal, “for
popularising Mac differences. (referring to the gap outstanding achievements in
culture amongst Recall that in between the train and computer-related science
Windows users. May, Apple said it platform) that sounds over and technology.”
Although a would cease using the Underground every time

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 143

 Escape
When The Heavens Opened
W hile we were busy in a story idea
meeting, the Rain Gods were releasing
a century of frustration on Mumbai—and we
alarmingly and some cafeteria windows
were broken to let the murky water out.
Then, Raaabo and Vijay decided to brave
had no idea! Mother Nature and headed home at 3 am,
As the warnings started, panic slowly despite pleas, and only reached at 11 am.
Microsoft .NET filled our hearts as water seeped into our
office. While some preferred to stay back,
The rest of us woke up bleary-eyed to
another urgent situation—a homesick
To be honest, .NET is a lot of others were eager to reach home. Preethi, tantrum-throwing Mithun. Finally, we
things. Actually, we know so
little about .NET that we the bravest of us all, firmly wrapped resolved to troop back. Some walked 40 km
were ourselves tempted to herself in her red windcheater and left— for 12 hours through waist-deep—and at
bluff our way through it not knowing that her usual two-hour times neck-deep—water. Avoiding carcasses,
this month! journey was to become a 48-hour ordeal. debris and open manholes, it’s a miracle we
Well, anyway, .NET is People who lived nearby, Ram and our reached home safe and sound.
“software that connects ed Deepak, were home without a fuss. An enforced holiday followed. And now,
information, people, systems, Renuka was lucky too; she reached home in post the rains, our meals are served in a
and devices. It spans clients, an hour, albeit sans footwear. But some of small foyer that has sunlight streaming
servers, and developer us—Ishan, Mithun, Raaabo, Aditya, Vijay and through the glass ceiling. Our café remains
tools”—whatever that Sanket—stayed overnight. We played cricket uninhabitable. Once, when we tried to
means. Just remember to in the corridors using a stress ball—releasing lunch there, it was like sitting on the
use those words when stress. We ordered pizza, watched movies beach… the rain lashed at us through the
talking about .NET!
and slept on the carpeted floor broken windows: surf’s up!
Now, Microsoft .NET (some used the conference And so is our team—back to
consists of many things:
table). Meanwhile, the our schedules and
The .NET Framework water level rose enjoying every moment!
1.1, used for building
and running all kinds
of software a train stops, the game is Remember, a lot of people want to make a baby look
Developer tools, such as called Mind the Bombs! actually died in the exact like an iPod of all things?
Microsoft Visual Studio The game’s Web site same situation— trivialising Anyway, the onesies
.NET 2003 invites you to “do your part it does nothing but hurt. come in three sizes and cost
A set of servers in the war against terrorism: $15.95 (Rs 695 approx). Also
Client software such as e-mail this FREE game to all IPODIFIED BABIES available at the site is a
Windows XP your friends, family and service called iPod My Photo,
Now you at least know associates to enjoy!”
It also declares itself as
Your Baby’s which turns a picture of
your child—or anybody else—
what .NET is. So, what’s the
.NET Framework? Basically, it
is “an integral Windows
“dedicated to the good
people of Britain—
An iPod into a mock iPod ad that can
be transferred on to T-shirts,
component for building and specifically those individuals greeting cards and more.
running the next generation
of software applications and
Web services.”
directly affected by terrorist
activity in London. God save
the Queen”.
S ome people have weird
ideas—like the folks at
ipodmybaby.com. Based on
Ho-hum. Yet another
indicator of how popular
Apple’s portable music
In addition, it is A disclaimer, evidently the idea that some people player is…
composed of the common by creator Keith Fieler to treat their iPods as if they
language runtime (CLR) and a
avoid litigation, states: “This were real babies, this site is GAME STUFF FOR REAL CASH
unified set of class libraries.
game is in no way affiliated selling baby clothes—you can
Pay attention! The CLR is
responsible for run-time
with Transport for London.”
The Sun quoted London
dress babies in them to
make them look like iPods!
Mugged
services such as language
integration, CLR security
enforcement, and memory,
Transport spokesman:
“Passengers on the
At the iPod My Baby Web
site, you can order a pink,
Online!
process, and even Underground and their staff blue, or white baby ‘onesie’
thread management. were faced with horrific emblazoned with the A Chinese exchange student
Here’s how to sound as scenes on July 7. Anybody signature iPod scroll wheel. has been arrested in Japan
though you know about .NET involved in the making or But why? Obviously because on suspicion of an online
programming: just say, “I’m viewing of this game would “the only thing cuter than a mugging spree—he used
currently working on cross- do well to stop and think baby, is an iPodified baby,” software bots to beat up and
language exception about that. We will never as the site states. rob characters in the online
handling. That has a lot to forget those who were killed People hooked on their game Lineage II.
do with strong typing: and and injured in the attacks.” iPods will probably find it The student then sold
runtime binding as well;
.NET makes it easy for
A representative of cute. But the rest of us just the characters for cash, the
me to use class libraries London Transport Users don’t get it—why would you Mainichi Daily News reported
to do the exception handling Committee raged: via New Scientist. The
without having to go “Londoners are just getting audacious stunt
into the intricacies of on with it and we think involved robbing online
Windows Forms.” people should show this gamers of several online
Of course, that doesn’t game the contempt it goods, including the
make any sense, but then deserves. I don’t think ‘Earring of Wisdom’
again, who’ll ever know? anybody will find it very and the ‘Shield of
funny or very pleasant.” Nightmare’.

144 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 E sc ape
whatweretheythinking.com The mugger was an
invincible character
regularly say that every form
of theft and fraud in the real
www.hud-son.com controlled by a software world will eventually be
bot, and the stolen stuff was duplicated in cyberspace.

S eriously… what were they thinking? Hudson Forest Equipment,

as the name suggests, deals in forest equipment. Since the
name hudson.com may have been taken, they’ve chosen
sold on a Japanese auction
site, Lineage II publisher
NCsoft claims. So how was
Perhaps every method of
stealing real money will
eventually be used to steal
hud-son.com. OK, understandable. But one look beneath the the unnamed student able imaginary money, too.”
address bar and you will leap with fear. We did. to do this? Ren Reynolds, a UK-based
The top left of the first frame—yes, there are many frames— The thing is that bots are PC games consultant says,
has a photograph of a forest. Relevant, but it’s hugely under- pretty much invincible in “There’s an ongoing war
exposed and looks tacky. And it gets tackier. The right part of the games of this sort—human between people who make
top frame has links placed one below the other and squeezed. players don’t stand a chance. bots and games companies,”
The second frame is a scroll line that says “Scroll down to view If you’re wondering what Reynolds told New Scientist.
our many products”. Thanks for pointing out the obvious! The next this means, recall that we “And making real money
frame shows a flag of France with a reported in this space about out of virtual worlds is
link—“Our Canadian Office”. Click the game EverQuest, where getting bigger.”
that, and you are taken to page game items can be Reynolds says the
that’s entirely in French, with a link exchanged for cash. growing number of online
to Freetranslation.com. Whatever. How this works is people game players will only
Scrolling down (as advised— play online and try hard to increase the incentive for
remember?), the shock deepens as gather game items. And they scammers. “There’s nothing
seven rows of nearly 40 photos value the items so much exceptional about the virtual
and links appear. These are their that they’re willing to buy world. Wherever there is
products. The background is a and sell them. that sort of money, there’s
www.hud-son.com deep green (the ‘forest’ theme all In other words, the always crime too.”
over again), and there are more players are literally living There are reports that
scrolling marquees saying a bunch of things. online: their online some online scammers are
The real reason we got stuck here was a picture of a newborn experiences are actually using ‘sweatshops’ in China
in the second frame from top. The caption says “New Addition at translating into trade in the and Indonesia, where people
Hud-son: Taylor David Hollenbeck”. Now, the owner’s name is real world. And items can be monitor teams of bots to
Hudson and the company is Hud-son. Assuming Taylor is a new sold, usually online, for generate money while trying
entry to the Hudson family, why should they ever write about a thousands of dollars. to avoid bot traps!
new addition to Hud-son? Unless this is a new tool we don’t know New Scientist quotes Compiled by Aditya Kuber,
about… once more, we suggest, don’t go here. Will you listen? security guru Bruce Schneier Ishan Prakash, Ram Mohan Rao
as noting in his blog: “I and Renuka Rane

Cliques, Clicks, Bullies And Blogs viewed office with two co-workers. This arrangement
http://spaces.msn.com/members/hatefilledchild/ has its disadvantages, but one of the fun things about
it is that one of the said co-workers is quite funny (he
I am the Walrus does a kick-ass Kermit THE frog impression which
I am one of a long list of people, you shall see. never fails to crack me up). He is young and charming
But I will never reveal my true identity. and cute, an advantage to anyone, but what won him a
We bring you another Crack the mystery and you shall win a prize. special place in my wee little heart is that he partakes
eclectic selection of But beware of my most frequent lies.
in email limerick smackdowns with me. We fire emails
The name that though call me upon
blogs this month: is not that, of which my father titled his son. to each other filled with silly limericks composed on
from a bard blogger Some would say that I speak a total of zero the fly. You’d be amazed at how much this relieves
who dares you to Colonel Klink is not fond of my heroes stress, and how much joy it brings me... Feeling
guess his or her You would know who I am by now, emboldened by this, I asked him the other day if he
identity, to an if you’d followed the quest. liked to write double dactyls. He gave me a look. That
office-goer who I hold a golden badge upon my chest. look means you’ve crossed the line from fun, silly,
The very person that I most defame is myself office goofing into pure geekitude. He had no idea WTF
reflects on the Jackson is my name, and I am a shit-dang-woozit- I was talking about. Sigh.
experience of head…..shelf…
e-mailing limericks Or maybe I am none of the above. Naked Conversations
and finally to I may be someone you all hate, http://redcouch.typepad.com/weblog/
funding on RSS in or someone you all love.
Silicon Valley Rest assured my identity will not be found tonight. $100m VC Fund for RSS companies started
So you can all just go and fly a fucking kite. Silicon Valley Reporter’s Tom Foremski reports: Jim
Moore and John Palfrey have launched RSS Investors
Nina Turns 40 with $100m of capital. It is the first VC fund with a
http://ninaturns40.blogs.com/nina_turns_40/ focus on Really Simple Syndication, (RSS), the syndica-
tion technology at the heart of media technologies
light verse geekitude such as blogging and corporate news communication.
I believe I mentioned that we at eVil corp. moved to a
This shows that at least in some sectors, venture
new office suite in June, whereby I lost the perk of my
money is getting smarter after several years of demon-
own private office and now share a bigger, better-
strating it had less vision than Ray Charles.

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 145

 Of Black Ducks c. 1.9 billion pixels
1 Name the mouse with a 360
0
d. 2.5 billion pixels 10 What does the e-border
scrolling ability designed scheme of the UK
specifically by Apple to work with 6 What does LLU stand for? government pertain to?
Mac OS X Tiger. a. Local Loop Unbundling a. A border surveillance
b. Laser Light Unicode programme, it collects biometric
a. Multi-mouse c. Last Leap at UCLA data on visitors to the UK
b. Mighty Mouse d. Local Label Uniform b. It creates a virtual boundary
c. Mac Mouse around all government offices in
d. Major Mouse
7 According to a recent the UK
study by SciVisum, a UK- c. It is a military strategy
2 Identify the correct domain based Web site testing firm, developed for the UK Army
name for Palestine? which department of an d. It rewards citizens who provide
a. .pl b. .ps organisation was held responsible information about infiltration
c. .pt d. .pe for majority of the company’s

3 What are Super Scorpios?

Web site crashes?
a. Human Resources S cript kiddies are
inexperienced crackers, who
download software from the
a. A species of scorpions b. Information Technology
b. A video game c. Marketing Net that automatically
c. Underwater robots used by the d. Logistics performs the cracking.
US Navy It’s a derogatory term for Did You
d. Satellites sent by NASA to Mars those who use scripts and Know?
8 Who are Palamida and programmes developed by
Black Duck?
others to compromise and
4 Kevin Turner, the new COO of a. Mathematicians
launch attacks on computers.
Microsoft, was formerly b. Hackers
employed with which company? c. Software licensing specialists
a. Sun Microsystems d. Cartoon Characters Answers
b. IBM visitors to UK Unbundling
Got an c. Wal Mart 9 What incentive is the collects data on 6. Local Loop
interesting d. McDonalds Scottish government programme, it 5. 2.5 billion pixels
question? offering its adult citizens who surveillance 4. Wal Mart
Send it in with 5 What is the size of the take up IT training? 10. A border US Navy
the answer to world’s largest digital a. A weekend cruise to Hawaii 9. £100 robots used by the
Licensing Specialists 3. Underwater
[email protected] panoramic photo? b. A personal computer 8. Software 2. .ps
Mark ‘TQ’ in the a. 6.5 million pixels c. £100 7. Marketing 1. Mighty Mouse
subject area. b. 8.1 million pixels d. Guaranteed employment

Crossword Send your answers to the crossword

with complete contact details to
Across 15. Common Random Access Memory (abbr) (6) [email protected] on
7. Working at home and communicating through e-mail 17. Unit of electrical power disperses bat wat (6) or before Sep 15.
or fax (13) 18. Category of objects (5)
8. Natural state paper symbol in place of a 21. System base (4)
One lucky participant
character (4,4) will win: The UNIX
9. International Data Encryption Algorithm Programming Environment
(abbr) (4) by Brian Kernighan and Rob Pike Win!
10. Electricity flow (7) published by Pearson Education
12. Representative program that gathers (Singapore) Pvt Ltd
information in the background (5) (Indian branch in New Delhi)
14. Adaptive Differential Pulse-Code
Modulation (abbr) (5) August 2005 Solution
16. Microsoft’s multimedia encyclopedia (7)
19. Short for Any Transport over MPLS (4)
20. Sample shareware or HTML Assistant
Pro? (8)
22. Known as ‘tunneling’ in networking (13)

Down
1. Binary prefix multipliers breaks bite (4)
2. Text title (6)
3. Segments of addresses that specify an
organisation (7)
4. Wireless data transfer widely used in
Japan (1,4)
5. Cord series of alphanumeric characters (6)
6. LANs connected through protocol (8)
11. Changing of data to present day and
time (8)
13. Put a programme onto a computer
system (7) There was no winner for the August 2005
crossword.
Crossword by Nitta Jaggi

146 DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005

 Digit Forum
C’mon, you can win a game!
chinmay_d
Warmed-Up Nerd
Location: Gurgaon, India
Whoa .. articles look nice ... seems I’ll have
to hurry to buy my copy ...
My favourites topics:
Biometrics
30 Days With...
Geek Dreams
A Lossless Compression
Four Marvellous Years Computing Nirvana
Agent001 First of all, kudos for bringing out such a I recently read the editorial on your latest
Tech Critique magnificent tech marvel and congrats for issue of Digit. It really made me think. It
Seems DIGIT is improving. There was no completing four successful years as India’s made me think whether we should be
article which didn’t interest me. best tech magazine. I am a budding geek made numbers or whether we should
and although I am not a subscriber, I keep fight for our own privacy? It is a question
an eye on every issue of Digit and buy the that has been asked since the Internet was
**************************************** best of the issues. created. Man needs both, his personal
ShekharPalash Your 4th anniversary issue was really space and peace of mind.
Digitized! above par but I regret to inform you that I The Net, unfortunately, cannot
Location: Toyland v8.0 BETA was unable to enjoy it fully since the provide both. We have to learn to
Was little excited when I saw the DVD had a corrupted compromise if we are to get anywhere. In
*BIOMETRICS* on cover... I thought this time structure... the real world, do people mark us as
DIGIT covered lot of articles on Biometrics... I I hope in future numbers? Do they come up to us and ask
thot *A Biometrics Special Isue*... wow! you will not give me us what we have been doing every 10
Unfortunately, It wasn’t. Article was good, a chance to complain. minutes? No. But, in the digital world,
but kind of small :( I bought your July this will happen soon enough.
Thanx for PDFs... as I forgot my last issue too, which was As you so rightly stated, all Net users
month’s issue in the train! Lol... this month I excellent; especially the will be classified by numbers and will
realized tht CD & DVD contents are different article on gadgets was have neither a real identity nor privacy.
for the last couple of months... lol... I used to awesome. Hope you will All they’ll have is a false sense of security.
ignore CDs thinking it’s all n DVD... !! keep bringing such So, no matter what safety precautions
excellent issues and tools through your we take, there will always be those who
DVDs and CDs. will find a way around it. But there is an
**************************************** Rohan Malik old saying, “The darkest hour of the night
QuickFire New Delhi is just before dawn”.
Analogue Novice That is the one sparkle of light and
Location: India Dear Rohan, hope that we must cling on to if we are to
Received my issue tday due to mumbai Please accept our sincere apologies for the make to computing nirvana.
rains. Excellent Cricket 2005 review by damaged DVD. We have forwarded your problem Manik Sinha
Raaabo but c’mon u can win a game easily. to the Help Desk and you should have heard from Via E-mail
Its not that difficult. The Q&A and other them by now. Thank you very much for your kind
regular sections are good. Yet to go words and we assure we will do our best to Dear Manik,
through all the contents but overall looks continue providing you the very best. Well said. Nirvana is “the state of being which
ok. The editor’s post abt improvement in —Editor follows the state of happiness in the growth of
quality of digit is not correct. Maybe the self”. Like Nirvana in real life, computing
quantatively, digit has improved. I Am Now Tech Savvy! Nirvana can also be achieved only through self
More contents due to that Fast Track I had been suffering from a phobia of discipline and the state of happiness preceding it
booklet and I appreciate that but quality computer jargon till I started reading can only be achieved through self knowledge.
needs a lot of improvement. Even the paper Digit. Earlier, I used to see the huge packet Before I sermonise any more, suffice to say that
quality of last couple of issues is not upto of Digit with CDs and wonder how people knowledge is the biggest step on the way to
the mark. I think you people should come read this hi-fi magazine… I would just Nirvana and educating yourself the only way to it!
up with more interesting articles! console myself saying “they must have —Editor
born with extraordinary brains”.
****************************************
But thanks to Digit, now even I am The Price Hike Is Justified.
comfortable with most of the Or Is It?
Biplav terminologies and am now considered I am a regular reader and a subscriber of
In-House Geekc among the tech-savvy people in my Digit. To me, it is like ‘a drug for my life’!
Location: U REALLY WANNA KNOW??? college! I hope Digit will keep on injecting Each month I wait for my Digit and the
I must say the Fast track was superb this the technological fuel in me! first week of each month is very crucial
time round. Although I had a Vineet Gaurava time for me for I must get my issue before
fair bit of knowlegde in most of the things Bangalore the 7th or 8th of each month!
written down; but then the “fair bit” was One thing I would like to tell all
enhanced like hell!!!. Make no mistake Dear Vineet, readers is that the rise in the price from
about it, this was an awesome read. It is our pleasure to have been able to turn you Rs 100 to Rs 125 was not too much
i read the entire thing on my journey in the into a ‘tech savvy’ geek! And no, you don’t need considering all the things provided by
train. The Magazine was good (although I to have extraordinary brains to understand Digit. Digit, which includes a DVD, a CD, Fast
am not interested in MFDs and printers). That’s our whole aim: Make technology Track and not to forget Digit itself.
Another thing: has the magazines paper understandable. Keep reading! Regardless of what others pay for the
quality reduced??? — Editor magazine, I get my copy at Rs 66.66 per
All in All hats of to the Fast Track Writers month because ‘wise men subscribe when

158 To post your comments on Digit Forum,

visit www.thinkdigit.com/forum
 Write to the Editor Digit will publish the best letters on these pages.
Letters may be edited for clarity. You must include
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send an e-mail to [email protected]

Inbox
the time is ripe. The unwise keep waiting Is Backup Legal? successfully contested in the US apex
for a better offer that may never come’! court by the Hollywood studios recently,
Shalabh Agarwal Recently, a senior citizen had written to or so I heard. I have no problem with
Lucknow Digit sharing his experience, which that, but what about an old-to-new
prompted me to write as well. I am sure trans-format backup? I have no clue!
I am a student of class XII. I am reading that like me, many of your regular Nobody talks clearly about the
this magazine for a long time now. I really readers are senior citizens. I was legality of backing up one’s collection of
like the contents. But I am unhappy with working in the R&D department in a analogue audio/video content to digital
the price hike. Students like me who are multinational prior to retirement. media, although suggestions (and even
interested in technology and are from a I have been a regular reader of Digit step-by-step instructions) for such
middle class family find it tough to shell since inception and a subscriber since activities abound in highly
out Rs 125 every month. Last month, when March 2004. I am a very choosy person respected publications: “Rip
I saw the price, I thought of not buying it. in every aspect of life and, therefore, my Your Records: If you miss
But after a few days, I could not resist. loyalty as a Digit reader over the years those tunes, here’s the
This magazine has become an could not have been sustained without good news: You can
Letter
essential commodity to serve the hunger some powerful reasons—reasons that I easily make clean digital of the
of knowledge. Now that we are obliged to regularly see in the words of other copies of them”, “So now Month
bow our heads to such blackmailing, I readers, month after month, in the you can easily backup to
think we have the right to ask for “Inbox” column-words that I mostly CDs all your treasured
something more. I think one (or more) agree with and am, therefore, not going music on those old vinyls that
page (s) could be added to deal with career to repeat. you have held on to for so many years”,
guidance in this field for all students. I As for the context of this letter, or something to that effect!
would also like to see some part-time jobs suffice to say that articles covering However, is such an activity strictly
being offered for students. various IT-related technical as well as legal? The situation is even hazier for
Anindya Sadhu legal issues published in Digit have video. For example: “So where does that
Kolkata inspired me to raise a related issue that leave that pile of old VHS videocassettes
has not been addressed clearly so far. I you have up in the attic? Fortunately,
I have been a reader of Digit ever since I am talking about the question of converting your old tapes to digital form
came to India seven years ago. Now I am a possible copyright violation by innocent allows you to... output them to DVD,
subscriber and I wear the tag proudly. In PC enthusiasts trying to backup their preserving them for the future”, so goes
fact, I have even bought a CD album to collection of old audio/video material an article (Not in Digit).
preserve the CD/DVDs I get every month. currently on media that are becoming That brings me to the issue of trans-
A couple of things I wanted to say: why obsolete and/or are fast deteriorating format backup. I have a large collection
are people cribbing about a mere Rs 25 with age. of my favourite Indian music on LPs, EPs
hike in the price? For crying out loud, it’s As for analogue to analogue backup and analogue cassette tapes, and an
just Rs 25. Even a litre of fuel costs more. of audio/video content, my even larger collection of video
Thought number 2: you guys have the understanding is that if one makes a recordings on old VHS cassettes (movies
best sense of time and punctuality I have single instance (backup) copy of a as well as other programs of my
known ever since I came to India. Even copyrighted material (that was legally interest), either on original, legally
when ‘Mumbhai’ went underworld (pun procured), solely for one’s own use and purchased cassettes, or recorded off the
intended), you said, you would deliver does not share the copy with anyone cable. Many of these audio/video
your copies within the 15th and you did. else (not to speak of selling!), or use it contents are not available on digital
Matt for any profit making purpose (public media and many are not available in any
Bangalore shows, for instance), there is no format today.
Dear Shalabh, Anindya and Matt, violation of any law. That is only the My quandary is very obvious: Would
What can I say? Two of you support the price hike, basic principle, however. it be a violation of existing copyright
while Anindya is opposed to it. One glaring Possibly, that is exactly where the laws if I backup (to CDs and DVDs) any
difference here is that Shalabh and Matt are trouble lies! The law was simpler and of the following from my collection:
subscribers and hence, were not hit by the price straightforward in the analogue era. (1) Recorded from live broadcasts
hike. Anindya, I thank you for your unflinching Things began to change with the advent (2) (Legal editions) purchased from the
support but the price hike was inevitable. Prices of the digital era. For a common IT open market?
of raw materials and all other aspects involved enthusiast, the situation is becoming If the answer to any of the above is “Yes
have gone up and for the magazine to survive, we progressively restrictive vis-à-vis the that would be illegal”, does the answer
had to take this rather difficult decision. entertainment industry, particularly change if such audio/video content is
All I can say is I hope we continue to have you with the availability of mass-marketed not available in the digital format, or is
with us. May I suggest going in for a subscription? DVD recorders and PVR solutions. no longer available in the market in any
It would bring down your per copy cost. On the Although creating a backup of one’s format at all? Answering this may just
whole, though, thank you all for your support and legally procured commercial software is help dispel the confusion among many
your suggestions have been noted and we will act still allowed, the right of the consumer other Digit readers too.
on them ASAP. to make a “backup copy” of his/her Subhendu Joardar
—Editor (commercial) DVD movie has been Via e-mail

DIGIT SEPTEMBER 2005 159

 Rowling’s Howler
J K Rowling, author of the
billionaire Harry Potter
series, has been called a
“Luddite fool” for inadvertently
encouraging fans to pirate the
latest Harry Potter book only
hours after its official release.
The sixth instalment of the
popular series was released on
July 16 and is expected to
People And Events That Grabbed Headlines—For Better Or For Worse further enhance what has
become a multibillion-dollar

Time To
publishing phenomenon. But
within hours, Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince had been
scanned and put online by an
underground collection of fans

Roll Over
capitalising on Rowling’s
decision not to release an
official e-book version.
By midnight of July 16th, book’s 672 pages into a home-
hundreds of users were already brew digital copy—now available
reading the book thanks to on most file-sharing networks.
Potter fans who organised over Just 11 hours, and all the
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to scan secrecy maintained for months
and distribute the book. went down the drains of the
Potter fans co-ordinated a Internet! Wonder if Harry has
worldwide effort to turn the any tricks to stop these muggles!

Death Becomes Him!

I
n weird goings-on at eBay put up his corpse for sale as
this month, we have two well. Beutin claimed to be in
cases of corpses being put good health, and said he
up for sale. Not just any old “didn’t have any reason to
corpse, but the bidders’ expect his demise any time in
own corpses. the near future.” But he cited
A UK man called Daniel some of his “dangerous” habits
O’Dee put up a listing where he in his item description:
offered his own corpse for sale. “You are bidding for the
Bikini wearers now need not fear getting sunburnt—thanks to the timer Such auctions are usually sole right to advertise on my
pulled down quickly by eBay, corpse... as soon as my corpse

A
swimwear manufacturer company hopes to find a large but often this happens a little is discovered and otherwise
in Britain has come up enough market for the £20 (Rs too late. In this case, a response legally available to you. As
with an innovative idea 1,500 approx) bikini. got to O’Dee from a German the winning bidder, you will
to give you an even tan—a The bikini will be available who called himself ‘Donnie, have the right to advertise on
bikini that reminds sunbathers at the New Look stores, the Hannover cannibal’. my corpse, definitely during
to turn over so they don’t Britain’s third-largest women’s Donnie said he’d pay the funeral. You are welcome
get sunburnt. clothes retailer. A New Look £2,000 (Rs 1,60,000) if O’Dee to photograph the ad after it
The Tan-Timer Bikini has spokeswoman said a male could get him a “fresh corpse.” is finished as well as attend
an electronic timer that beeps version is likely to be designed O’Dee later got a death threat the funeral.”
every 15 minutes to remind its and launched in the near after he failed to reply to this That got all of us
wearer to roll over or seek future. Imagine wearing a message. Talk about bringing wondering who would bid on
shade, depending on the timer in your boxers or briefs! trouble upon oneself... this ‘item’. GoldenPalace.com is
settings. With research The next time you walk But that’s not all in the a likely candidate. This, as you
revealing that 59 per cent of past a sunbathing beach eBay department this month. may remember, is the company
the beachgoers in the United beauty in Goa or Kerala and 24-year-old Andrew Beutin, a that had the winning bid to
Kingdom have a tendency to hear a beep, it would probably “dangerous-sports fanatic with advertise using a tattoo on a
fall asleep in the sun, the be the timer going off... a morbid sense of humour”, girl’s forehead.

160
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