Posts filed under 'Technology'
My 802.11g wireless router came in this week. I actually wanted to buy a Linksys router, but got a very good deal on D-Link AirPlus™ G DI-524 Wireless Router. Got it for around $9 after mail-in rebates from eCost.com. But the final price was around $17 after shipping & Handling fees, which is still much lower compared to Linksys price. Will go for Linksys in future if there is a need.
It took around 30 mins for me to setup the router. And around 15 to 20 mins to setup a secured network.
So, now its fun browsing without the wires!
|
February 18th, 2006 at 03:15am
Skype 2 Beta with video support was launched recently. And, it rocks!. At least as of now, I think its the best video conferencing software which can be used without any major investment. All you need is a decent web cam, and at least 256kbps broadband connection.
My wife too has a basic web cam now, and now we have video calls! The quality of the video is really amazing. Its a lot better then yahoo messenger or other software. Even the voice quality is very good. gTalk comes close.
So, do try it out! But, be warned that…video conversation is a bandwidth hungry affair. Just to give you an Idea, we had a 1 hr video call today, with bidirectional video and audio. And, we ended up with 100MB upload, and 100MB download. So, 200MB bandwidth used up in one hour!. So, if you are on a connection which has bandwidth limit/cap, keep this in mind! Else you might end up getting billed like crazy!
I use the Home 999 plan from Airtel, which does not have any restrictions on the bandwidth used!.
|
January 15th, 2006 at 12:53am
Bought a new hard disk and a webcam today!
I already have a 160 GB Maxtor hard disk, but I always wanted a second hard disk after I lost my previous hard disk in an ant attack. So, bought a 80 GB Seagate hard disk - 7200 RPM. Yet to install it. The idea is to make my Maxtor hard disk a pure storage volume and use this new one as a system disk. Also, it would be very convenient for me to plug out the 160GB maxtor whenever I want to! Moving data/music/videos etc would be much easier :)
I paid Rs. 2650 for the hard disk. (A 40 GB hard disk was available for Rs. 2350). Bought it from my local vendor. What say?
Also bought a Intex webcam. Its has a pretty decent feature set. Here are the key features…
- 350,000 pixels resolution(max. 500,000 pixels), the frame rate up to 30 fps
- 3X digital zoom function
- Adjustable lens for accurate image shooting
- Night view function without any daylight
- Automatically controls the brightness of night lights
|
 |
Cost : Rs. 900. There was Logitech available too, and I was all set to buy it, but the vendor suggested that this has got better features and that he as got better feedback about Intex from the users. Let me see how good it is. Else, I think I will ask him for a replacement. BTW, logitech was priced at around Rs. 1100. Intex has some lights (6 LEDs), which are automatically lit up in low light conditions and are pretty bright.
Next I need to install Skype 2, which is out of beta and has video support!
|
January 7th, 2006 at 04:51pm
The world is getting faster by the day and USB is no exception. All the new USB devices are moving towards USB 2.0. With USB 2.0, the data is transferred at the rate of 480 Mbps (that’s Mega bits per second). Where as the earlier versions i.e., USB 1.1 (and 1.0), transferred data at the rate of mere 12 Mbps. And, 12 Mbps is way too slow.My motherboard at home, ASUS A7N266-VM has support for only USB 1.1. So, around a year back, I decided to go for a PCI to USB card, which would give me USB 2.0 ports. My vendor gave me a PCI to USB card which had a ALi chipset. I installed the card, but I never managed to get USB 2.0 working. No matter what I tried, it acted like USB 1.1. I tried reinstalling the drivers and tried all possible workarounds. But no matter what I did, the ports worked as if they were 1.1 ports. So, whenever I used to plug-in a USB 2.0 device (like my Sandisk Pen drive), windows would warn me that I have plugged in a Hi-speed device to a Low Speed port. :(. In fact, the problem continued after reinstalling windows (after the
ants attack).
Finally, I posted this problem on one of the USB forums. And to my surprise, found that the ALi chipset cards are not very reliable, and are prone to problems!. The folks at the forum suggested that I replace the card with one that has NEC chipset. So, next, called up my vendor, and told him about this problem. Luckily, he offered me a replacement card. This time, it was a Intex PCI to USB card, with 4 (+1 internal) USB 2.0 ports. The Intex card was based on the VIA chipset. My vendor did not have any cards with NEC chipset.
I took this new Intex card home, removed my old card off the PCI slot, and plugged this card in (after clearing up the old drivers etc). Booted the machine. Windows detected the new card correctly (thanks to PnP!), and automatically installed some standard Microsoft drivers. And now…I have USB 2.0 ports. Now the data transfers are blazing fast!
Just to give you and Idea. .. Earlier it used to take around 12 to 14 mins to transfer 1 GB of data from PC to my Sandisk Pen drive using USB 1.1 ports. Now, the same process takes around 1.5 mins!!
Sigh!!
|
December 27th, 2005 at 01:58pm
Bought Canon PowerShot A610 this week. This would be our second camera. I still love my Digital Rebel (EOS 300D). But the problem is, others feel its too complex for them to handle it. :) I can’t give it to my parents/relatives to use it. They find the Rebel it something big and that its meant only for professional photographers. It actually looks like that!. But, A610 is relatively small, and would easily fit inside a shirt pocket. So, this would be kind of a Backup Camera. The reviews for this camera are pretty impressive.
Front View
Top View
Back View
Front View - With the flip screen open
PowerShot A610 Features:
- 5.0 Mega-pixel CCD imager for up to 2592×1944 pixel images
- Postcard (1600×1200) mode with 3:2 ratio for making 4×6″ prints
- 4x optical 35-140mm f/2.8-4.1 zoom, 4x digital zoom
- 2.0″ vari-angle color LCD with up to 10x playback zoom
- Advanced TTL AiAF 9-point autofocus system
- Program AE, Shutter-speed priority, Aperture priority and Manual modes
- Pre-programmed creative scene modes for beginners
- Movie mode w/sound, 640×480 30fps up to 1GB
- 1.9fps Continuous burst capture of Large/Fine images
- Evaluative metering on focus point, Center-weighted or Spot options
- Stitch Assist mode for perfect panoramas
- Exposure compensation: +/-2EV in 1/3-step increments
- White Balance: Auto, 5 presets or Custom
- Orientation sensor that automatically detects vertical or horizontal shooting
- Low-light focus assist illuminator
- Light-guide zoom flash, angle changes with focal length
- Shutter speeds of 15 seconds to 1/2500 second
- Selectable ISO settings from 50 to 400
- Built-in microphone and speaker
- Powered by four standard AA type batteries
- USB 2.0 high-speed connectivity for PC and Mac
- Secure Digital/MMC memory cards, 16MB supplied
- Optional wide angle and telephoto lens adapters
- Optional High-Power Flash HF-DC1
Bought it over eBay. Got a pretty decent deal along with 1 GB Secure Digital Card.
|
December 15th, 2005 at 12:01pm
“The world changes this week“! This is what Jonathan Schwartz — President and COO of Sun Microsystems said in his personal blog couple of days back (oct 01, 2005)!
If I were a betting man, I’d bet the world was about to change. And that what just happened in Massachusetts, when a state government made what was to me a very rational statement - we will pick an open standard to protect the right of our citizens to access data and services; we will then buy from vendors that support standards - will be a shot heard ’round the world.
And today, Google Inc’s Eric Schmidt and Sun Microsystem’s Scott McNealy are giving a news conference, announcing some form of collaboration between their companies! [Web Cast Link]
Its going to be a very exciting day!
Microsoft office 12 suddenly seems to be in deep trouble.
According to slashdot, we can expect it to be an AJAX version of OpenOffice.. wow!. I am super excited!
|
October 4th, 2005 at 10:09pm
Lot of buzz over the net about the scratch problem with iPod nano. My iPod nano so far has no major scratches as such. I haven’t yet removed the protective cover which came with the packing.
Basically, there are two problems..
1. Problem with scratches.
2. LCD cracking/braking.
Problem with scratches is the one that is more prominent, and the LCD cracking is a remote possibility, and apple has admitted that its a problem.
Solution to iPod nano scratching problem
- If you have the scratch problem with you iPod, don’t forget to check this post on how a $4 can of brasso can make your iPod nano look brand new!
- Create a home made iPod nano cover!. Download, print.. and your cover is ready. Click here for more info.
I think iPod nano is quite sturdy gadget. After the arstechnica’s endurance test on the nano a couple of days back, today, I came across this story titled “iPod nano vs Washing machine“! - Interesting.
Btw, lot of buzz about apple releasing new version of iPods (5th generation) in october.
Updated : On Oct 12th, apple is planning on a special event titled “One more thing”. We might see a Video iPod soon! (Check this link for a leaked photo!)
|
October 4th, 2005 at 06:22pm
Like I had mentioned earlier, we are supposed to take up the MCAD certification exams. I have already cleared one of the exams (70-305 - Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic® .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio® .NET), and now its time to take up the next set of exams. So, back to bootcamps again.
Today we stared with the bootcamp for the 70-229 elective exam (Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 Enterprise Edition ). The boot camp goes for two days.
The next bootcamp is for 70-310 exam (Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework ), and is planned for Monday.
So, 4 days back to back in classrooms. So, in a couple of weeks, I would be MCAD certified.
|
September 29th, 2005 at 05:21pm
| Got my iPod today, and I am super excited about it!. 2GB of pure beauty. Got it via a colleague of ours who traveled back from Cupertino, USA.Its amazingly small. Or, like apple says it, its impossibly small and weights nearly nothing!. The display is crisp and clear.
Was lucky to get a black colored one!. Looks damn cool.
Will go straight home and start exploring it! |
|
|
September 20th, 2005 at 06:59pm
How many different types of vending machines have you seen ?
I came across this site while browsing through digg.com, which has photos of Japanese vending machine starting from eggs, photo printers, toilet papers, toys, fried foods, Beetles (yes, beetles) to… porn… to…batteries to Kerosene and what not!
Check the site out : PhotoMann Images of Japanese Vending Machines
What is a vending machine ? - Find more about it at wikipedia.
|
August 31st, 2005 at 11:00pm
Next Posts
Previous Posts