Transparent Phone

Window Phone - concept phone On one hand, clear conceptual phones already, so this is not just the first, but on the other, the so-called Window Phone has one impressive feature - its transparent housing varies depending on the weather! Thus, in the sunny days, the screen will be completely transparent, on a rainy day it will appear «virtual» drop, but it is covered with frost frost. Ie translucent screen will look like as well as present a window into a variety of weather. I do not know how it will be practical, but at least, very original! :)

Microsoft, Nokia alliance Wednesday

New York - Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, and Nokia, the biggest mobile phone maker globally, were to announce a partnership Wednesday that would enable Microsoft Office to run on Nokia phones, US media reports said.

Details of the alliance were announced at 1500 GMT Wed, 08/12/2009 by Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft's business division, and Kai Oistamo, executive vice president for Nokia Devices, according to a statement from Microsoft.

Last month, Microsoft unveiled new details of its Office 2010 productivity tools, which will feature a free online program to counter similar programs already available from Google and other competitors. The final version of Office 2010 is due next year.

Sales of Office software are a mainstay of Microsoft. The Office division has earned profits of over 9 billion dollars in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2009, on sales of 14.3 billion dollars.

Microsoft has said that Office 2010 documents have the ability to be displayed on a variety of mobile phones, CNET news reported, expanding the company's reach from the traditional PC market to the internet and mobile devices.

BSNL WiMax in India Soon

The BSNL WiMAX tender has been cancelled. According to telecoms.com sources, India’s state-owned fixed and mobile operator is now looking at putting in place new terms and conditions for another tender.

The original tender was dogged by controversy with BSNL facing allegations of non-transparency in the bidding process to select its WiMAX franchisee partners.

More than 20 companies made a bid earlier this year to act as a WiMAX partner to BSNL in a number of ‘circles’ (or regions) across India. Five of the companies believed to have made the BSNL shortlist, however, were said to be ‘fake’ in that they were not really individual entities at all. Each, for example, had identical corporate details, including the same date of incorporation and even the same email contact address. The five companies in question were: WiExpert Communications, SV Telecom Systems, Digitelco Communications, Spectrus Communications and Technotial Infoways.

Moreover, according to local reports, each of the five companies was floated by Sanjay Kapoor, who is said to be a ‘confidant’ of A. Raja. Raja was India’s telecoms minister prior to the country’s federal elections last month. The five companies were also believed to be staffed, in part, by relatives of Kapoor.

Kuldeep Goyal, CMD of publicly-owned BSNL, announced last month that the WiMAX franchisee tender was still under evaluation by the original designated panel. “There is therefore no question of any allocation to any franchisee yet,” he said. “The panel will examine all aspects before selecting the franchisees and if there is found to be any discrepancy it will be taken care of. We will maintain [the] highest standard of transparency.”

But Goyal’s reassurances failed to quell the controversy surrounding the tender. There is also some speculation that the abolition of the WiMAX tender would be a necessary pre-conditions if Raja were to resume his role as telecoms minister.

BSNL is already using US-headquartered Soma Networks as a Mobile WiMAX franchisee in the three lucrative circles of Gujarat, Maharashtra (including Goa) and Andhra Pradesh. Under the franchise arrangement, Soma pays for the WiMAX kit in exchange for access to BSNL infrastructure (such as tower sites and backhaul facilities) and a revenue-sharing deal on WiMAX services. Soma struck a 70-30 revenue sharing deal with BSNL in the kit-maker’s favour, although BSNL is reportedly considering a 75-25 revenue-sharing arrangement with franchisees in other circles.

In February this year, Soma and BSNL launched their WiMAX services in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and has reportedly acquired more 1,000 customers in the enterprise segment.

Critics of the Soma award point out that BSNL did not issue a tender or EOI (expressions of interest) in the three circles Soma won its WIMAX concession. Soma, meanwhile, has put in a bid to act as WiMAX franchisee in other regions as part of the BSNL tender.

BSNL has a 20MHz chunk of pan-Indian BWA (broadband wireless access) spectrum in the 2.5GHz frequency band. Unlike privately-owned operators, state-owned BSNL (and MTNL) does not have to wait until the BWA auctions take place before launching commercial service. While the BWA spectrum auctions are not expected to take place until the end of this year at the earliest, the controversy surrounding the BSNL WIMAX tender means the state-owned operator’s time-to-market WIMAX advantage has diminished.

A total of 40MHz of spectrum in 2.5GHz and 40MHz in 2.3GHz band is to be made available for BWA deployment-frequency bands to which the WiMAX Forum, along with 3.5GHz, has developed global standards for WiMAX equipment.

Although 20MHz has already been put aside for state operators at 2.5GHz, another three private operators are allowed to bid for a total of 20MHz each in the remaining 60MHz of BWA spectrum made available. BSNL and MTNL have to match the highest winning bid of the three BWA licence holders to pay for their spectrum.

Faster and more secure: The benefits of switching to Windows 7

Berlin - Windows 7 won't be available in stores until October 22, but Microsoft has already announced various pre-ordering options for the replacement to Vista. To lure users into making the jump, the company is promising that anyone who buys a new computer now with Windows Vista versions Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate will receive a copy of Windows 7 in the fall. The offer is valid until January 31, 2010.

Those interested in acquiring the upgrades must buy a computer during the promotion from a manufacturer participating in the upgrade program. Purchasers must register online with the PC's manufacturer to take advantage of the upgrade option. Customers must also be prepared to pay a processing fee of around 30 dollars.

Users should be aware that Windows 7, including the "upgrade" versions, cannot be installed over an existing Windows Vista system. "A complete new installation of the operating system is required," says Niels Held from Germany's Chip magazine. Microsoft requires that step to meet the legal requirements placed upon it to ship Windows 7 packages without Internet Explorer pre-installed. Users are advised to back up their data before installation.

Held sees no good reason to wait to make the switch. "The operating system has been subjected to long and extensive testing," he says. Windows 7 also offers firm benefits over its predecessor. The system runs significantly quicker than Windows Vista. It is also much better equipped with features and security functions.

Windows 7 is also less demanding in terms of hardware than its predecessor. "The new Windows runs without problems on devices a year or two old, faster than Windows Vista no less," Held says.

Microsoft is offering owners of older systems an affordable update program, as well: starting on July 15 and running through mid August, the Windows 7 Home Premium E operating system can be ordered for about 49 dollars - as long as supplies last. Those supplies were indeed run through quickly for many online dealers.

Consumers unable to reel in a copy from online dealers can still try to find a reduced price copy of Windows 7 at a bricks-and-mortar dealer.

Microsoft has indicated that it will be offering discounted versions of its new operating system even after the promotion ends. Between October 22 and December 31, the full product will be offered at the price normally associated with upgrades.

Windows 7 Home Premium is priced at nearly 120 dollars, while the Professional version can be had from 285 dollars. The Ultimate edition costs 299 dollars. Just how much the operating system will cost after January 2010 is not yet clear.

Scientists come a step closer towards building a practical quantum computer

Washington, August 10 : Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), US, have demonstrated sustained, reliable information processing operations on electrically charged atoms (ions), thus raising prospects for building a practical quantum computer.

The new work overcomes significant hurdles in scaling up ion-trapping technology from small demonstrations to larger quantum processors.

In the new demonstration, NIST researchers repeatedly performed a combined sequence of five quantum logic operations and ten transport operations while reliably maintaining the 0s and 1s of the binary data stored in the ions, which serve as quantum bits (qubits) for a hypothetical quantum computer, and retaining the ability to subsequently manipulate this information.

Previously, scientists at NIST and elsewhere have been unable to coax any qubit technology into performing a complete set of quantum logic operations while transporting information, without disturbances degrading the later processes.

"The significant advance is that we can keep on computing, despite the fact we're doing a lot of qubit transport," said first author Jonathan Home, a NIST post-doctoral researcher.

The NIST group performed some of the earliest experiments on quantum information processing and has previously demonstrated many basic components needed for computing with trapped ions.

The new research combines previous advances with two crucial solutions to previously chronic vulnerabilities: cooling of ions after transport so their fragile quantum properties can be used for subsequent logic operations, and storing data values in special states of ions that are resistant to unwanted alterations by stray magnetic fields.

As a result, the NIST researchers have now demonstrated on a small scale all the generally recognized requirements for a large-scale ion-based quantum processor.

Through its use of ions, the NIST experiment showcases one promising architecture for a quantum computer, a potentially powerful machine that theoretically could solve some problems that are currently intractable, such as breaking today's most widely used encryption codes. (ANI)

CASID G555 - - Wrist Watch

Check out the CASID G555+, it is a watchphone that comes with 1.2 inch display screen, 1.3-megapixel camera, integrated audio and video player, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD slot and a compass. The watch is removable from the band. It also has the basic functions such as calculator, calendar, memo and alarm. The CASID G555+ is running on GSM 900 / 1800 MHz and it is available at $145.28. More pictures after the break