First Look: Dreamweaver CS4 Beta

The public beta of Dreamweaver released by Adobe Tuesday delivers significant changes to the 10-year old Web design and development tool. Not only does Dreamweaver CS4 offer a complete overhaul of the user interface, it adds many new features aimed at the "professional" Web developer. In addition, the beta expands on the powerful (and easy-to-use) Spry toolset introduced in last year's Dreamweaver CS3 release.
Integration with the Creative Suite
The most obvious change to the program is Dreamweaver CS4's new user interface. The old Macromedia look-and-feel has finally been replaced with an interface that matches the other applications in Adobe's Creative Suite. (Dreamweaver was among the Macromedia products absorbed by Adobe when it bought its one-time rival three years ago.)
While this change will take a while for long-time Dreamweaver users to get used to, the new interface significantly improves the usability of the program. Panels and windows mesh together well, are easier to organize, move and hide, and the new interface provides the flexibility to create a working environment that's comfortable whether you're working on a 17-inch monitor or a 30-inch Cinema Display.
In addition, the program has taken its first step toward supporting a feature that's been in the other Creative Suite programs for years--SmartObjects. Dreamweaver CS4 now offers support for PhotoShop SmartObjects--you can drag a PSD file into a Web page within Dreamweaver, optimize the image for the Web, and even resize it. If you later update the original PSD file, a red arrow will appear on the image inside Dreamweaver indicating that the source file has changed. You can then click an "update from original" button in the Property inspector, and a new version of the image is created.
A professional Web developer tool
Dreamweaver has always been a powerful tool that has attracted both Web novices and Web veterans. This latest version offers a slew of new features aimed directly at those that feel at home working in raw HTML, CSS and JavaScript as much as they do working with Dreamweaver's visual, dialog-driven tools. In fact, many of the new features promote a workflow that involves working in code view alongside the visual design view.
The new related files bar, which appears between the document toolbar and the document itself, lists all CSS and JavaScript files linked to the page. (If you're using a server-side programming language like PHP, you'll see included server-side files listed as well.) By clicking one of the related files in this bar, you immediately jump to the code in that file. In this way, you can open a single Web page and immediately have access to other files the page references: quickly jump to the page's CSS file, make some changes and jump back to the Web page file to see the changes.
The related files bar really shines when combined with another new addition: vertical split view. Now you can see side-by-side, a page's raw HTML code and its visual design. Make a change in the visual view and see the code immediately updated or vice-versa. When viewing a page that has related files (for example, an attached external style sheet), you can see the visual design of the page on one side, and a related file in the other. This lets you edit the CSS code and see the changes take place visually on the Web page.
A new "code navigator" (which is really more like a "CSS navigator") lets you view a list of CSS styles that affect the current selection: you can view all of the properties set for that style and even jump directly to the CSS code for that style. While earlier versions of Dreamweaver provide similar tools through the CSS Styles Panel, this streamlined method makes for a more efficient workflow.
Dreamweaver CS4 offers many new features for HTML, CSS and JavaScript code warriors, including the related files bar, a new vertical split view, and live view to see the page as it actually looks (and works) in a Web browser. In addition, you can view the "live" code (which Dreamweaver displays with a yellow background) to see any HTML produced by JavaScript or server-side programming.If you have ever been dismayed that Dreamweaver doesn't provide a real WYSIWYG view of your Web pages, you'll be happy with the new Live View option. The Dreamweaver CS4 beta embeds the WebKit rendering image (the same as used in Safari), so by clicking a live view button you can actually see the page as it's rendered in a Web browser: you can even interact with the page and view JavaScript effects like rollovers, drop-down menus and tooltip pop-ups without having to switch from Dreamweaver to a Web browser.
The complementary Live Code view shows the HTML--a useful addition for pages that use JavaScript to manipulate the appearance and content of a page, or for dynamic server-side pages that require additional information from a database to display correctly.
Within live view, you can "pause" any JavaScript effects--for example freeze a drop-down navigation menu--then use the code navigator to quickly identify the CSS styles that affect the menu.
More than just code
But not all of the new features in the beta are aimed at those Web professionals who know how to code with one hand tied behind their backs. Several features will be a boon to less-experienced Web designers as well.
The revamped Property inspector reduces the risk of making errors when adding HTML and CSS for text. In earlier versions of Dreamweaver, you would sometimes add HTML to the page and sometimes create CSS styles, depending on which buttons you clicked in the Property inspector. This frequently led to a messy mix of strangely named styles, like Style1, Style2, and so on. Now the two functions--adding HTML and creating styles--are separated into two different views of the Property inspector.
The Dreamweaver CS4 beta also expands on the JavaScript-based Spry Tools introduced in Dreamweaver CS3. Dreamweaver's Spry features make it easy for non-programmers to add sophisticated JavaScript-based user interface elements like drop-down navigation bars, tabbed interfaces, and user-friendly form validation. The new Spry tooltip commands lets you add pop-up information bubbles to links.
Dreamweaver CS4 also includes three new form validation widgets. The password validation widget lets you enforce rules for passwords (such as "this password must be 10 characters long and contain at least 2 numbers"). The password confirm widget forces a user to confirm the password he already entered. The radio group validation widget lets you make sure that a radio button is checked before a form is submitted.
Finally, a new HTML dataset tool lets you treat a regular HTML file like a small database system. For example, you can create a HTML table full of rows and columns of data, and use Dreamweaver to import that table into another Web page (using JavaScript and Spry). There you can present that data in a variety of different ways such as a "Master/Detail" page that lets a user view a master summary of rows from the table, click an item in the list and instantly see all of the details for that table row.
See for yourself
The Dreamweaver CS4 beta is available now from Adobe Labs. It requires either a PowerPC G5- or Intel-based Mac and OS X 10.4.11 or 10.5. The beta expires after two days unless you have an Adobe CS3 serial number. With that serial number, the beta will remain unlocked until the next version of the beta becomes available

Why Apple Will Sell 10 Million IPhones

Every now and then, I read something that makes me fall off my chair in shock. In this case, the text in question is in a New York Times article, "The Guessing Game Has Begun on the Next iPhone" (hat tip to John Gruber for the link).
The Times story is largely what you'd expect: an attempt to discuss the anticipation about the next-generation iPhone we're all sure is coming next month, but about which there's precious little actual information. But its focus on Apple's repeatedly stated goal of selling 10 million iPhones during calendar-year 2008 steers it desperately off course and into crazyland:
After almost a year of strong sales... the iPhone has settled down to a less-than-spectacular pace: roughly 600,000 units a month, according to the company. Apple... sold just 1.7 million phones in the first three months of this year, meaning it must sell more than 8 million phones to reach Mr. Jobs's publicly stated goal of selling 10 million iPhones in 2008.
"They're going to have a difficult time" hitting that number, said Edward Snyder, an analyst at Charter Equity Research. He said that Nokia, the world's largest maker of cellphones, sells more phones every week than Apple has sold since the iPhone's introduction.
Here's the thing. I've stared at Apple's iPhone sales figures repeatedly over the last few months, and I can't see any reasonable way that the company can't sell 10 million phones this year.
First, let's take the idea that iPhone sales have "settled down." Yes, in the first three months of the year Apple claims to have sold 1.7 million phones, an average of 568,000 a month. However, in the months of July, August, and September of 2007--the first full quarter of the iPhone's availability--Apple sold 1.1 million iPhones. Which means, despite all of that iPhone launch hype and all the pent-up demand for the iPhone, sales between those two quarters grew by 52 percent.
In between those quarters was Apple's financial first quarter of 2008, a quarter known for its wild holiday sales figures for iPods. And last winter the iPhone proved to be a part of the holiday bump as well: Apple sold 2.3 million iPhones during the holiday season.
So let's run the numbers. Let's assume that iPhone sales will be up slightly between April and June of this year. I'll estimate 2 million phones sold, up roughly 18 percent from the previous quarter. That puts Apple at 3.7 million of its estimated 10 million phones sold for the year. Mark my words, when Apple reports its sales figures, a chorus of people will claim the company is nowhere near the pace required to meet its goals.
But let's move on. The third calendar quarter of 2008 will presumably see the release of a shiny new iPhone model as well as a boatload of new iPhone software, from Apple and from independent developers. It'll also presumably coincide with the rolling out of iPhones into numerous new international markets. As a result, I think it's safe to conclude that sales of iPhones in July, August, and September of 2008 will be strong. I'll pencil in a 25 percent sales boost to 2.5 million. That means with three months to go, Apple will have sold 6.2 million iPhones, still nearly 40 percent short of its goal. Sakes alive! They're not going to make it, are they?
Relax. Because next up is the first financial quarter of 2009, that massive holiday quarter Apple has each and every year. And I'm confident that the iPhone will once again benefit from a massive holiday sales spike, similar to the one the iPod receives each year. Last year, iPhone sales doubled in the holiday quarter. But let's be conservative and estimate that Apple will sell four million phones in that quarter.
There we are. In my back-of-the-envelope exercise, Apple sells 10.2 million iPhones in calendar year 2008. And I stress, these are extremely conservative numbers. If I had to place a bet, I'd probably say that Apple will sell more like 2.2 million phones in the current quarter, more like 3 million in the following quarter, and five million in the holiday quarter. That guess adds up to almost 12 million iPhones in calendar year 2008.
Let's not forget, Apple is not a company to make predictions lightly. And despite being bitten by one previous prediction regarding the speed of PowerPC chips -- a failure that precipitated Apple's move to Intel processors -- Apple still made this iPhone prediction. It made the prediction with full knowledge of its forthcoming iPhone models, international product roll-out, and traditional holiday-quarter sales surge.
Apple's supremely confident about selling 10 million iPhones this year. And you know what? I'm confident that it'll do it, too

Indian Company Develops Contextual Search Technology

An Indian company, Sobha Renaissance Information Technology (SRIT), has developed contextual search technology that can plug into any basic search engine, including those of Yahoo and Google. Indian companies were until now mainly focused on the outsourced services market. An increasing number of companies are now attempting to develop technologies that they can commercialize globally. The search technology from SRIT is currently being tested on SRIT's iCognue search engine, which is designed as a search of encyclopaedias on the Web, said Syed Yasin, the architect of the technology, on Tuesday. A search for an item throws up search results from encyclopaedias as well as a "search within topic" list to help the user refine the search, he said. The company plans to expand the scope of iCognue later to offer contextual search of the entire Web, according to Yasin. The revenue source for the company would be from advertising, he added. The iCognue search currently runs on the open source Lucene basic text search engine. SRIT is also testing its contextual search algorithm, called LMai (Latent Metonymical Analysis and Indexing), on other search engines.

Delicious Library 2.0 Adds Dozens of Features

Delicious Monster has released Delicious Library 2.0, a major upgrade to their cataloging software for Mac OS X. Priced at US$40, it's a free upgrade for registered users.
Delicious Library helps you maintain an up-to-date catalog of CDs, DVDs, books, video games and other material. It can read barcodes from packages, either by using a barcode scanner (sold separately) or using an iSight camera or other webcam, if connected. You can also input the information manually, if you need to. The software connects to Amazon.com to get bookshelf information, but keeps it all stored locally in its own database.
Version 2.0 adds dozens of new features, such as one-click Web publishing to .Mac and connectivity with Transmit; many new categories; rules-based "Smart Shelves;" better performance for large libraries and fast graphics with Mac OS X v10.5.3; export to iPhone; Bonjour sharing; improved iSight scanning; auto-pair and auto-connect for Bluetooth scanners; autocomplete improvements; currency conversion; new cover graphics; new fields for items and many other changes.
System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.3 or later -- certain features now depend on Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard," and some new graphic features require Mac OS X v10.5.3, which had not yet been released as Macworld posted this article.

The Apple of the Future

During the last several weeks, I've been rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from start to finish. While the TV show has held up well for the most part in the 15 years since it premiered, I was struck by a peculiar thought when I recently watched a time travel episode that saw several characters transported to Earth in the year 2024. Technology that was--from the perspective of TV show writers in 1995--futuristic ended up looking, well, primitive compared to what we take for granted today. That's how much things have changed in just over a decade.
It's not that surprising, either. Our vision of the future is constantly in flux, informed by our perception of the present. In the 1950s, the future was full of jet packs and flying cars. In the 1990s, we thought everything in 2024 would be LEDs and CRT monitors.
So I'm guessing that Forrester Research's recent report painting a picture of the Apple of 2013 will look just as archaic five years from now. The 14-page document lays out one possible future for the company, extrapolated from Apple's recent developments and current direction. I'm not saying that there isn't s."some accuracy in what the analysts predict, but let's put it this way: if it was so easy to figure out what Apple will do in the future, then we probably wouldn't all be so in awe of what Steve Jobs and company manage to accomplish on a regular basis.
Also, we would all be filthy stinking rich.
Of course, we at Macworld have done our own fair-share of peering into the crystal ball. Late last year I was asked for some prognostications about 2008, and I obliged. While two out of the three have already come true (and the third looks to be fulfilled in the next couple weeks), they're not exactly what you might call "bold predictions." Actually, they're about one step above guessing that Steve Jobs is going to wear a black turtleneck and jeans to the next keynote event. I know: my powers of clairvoyance often amaze even myself.
Forrester's somewhat more ambitious report describes several "pillars" of what they see as Apple's 2013 existence, most of which focus on the idea of the digital home--a wheel of networked devices with Apple at its hub. Steve has spoken of the digital hub for years now and the philosophy has informed Apple's forays into music, video, photos, and the Web.
But the report seems to largely make two kinds of predictions: those that are, to we who follow Apple closely anyway, blindingly obvious (the iTunes Store evolving to handle other sorts of contents, or the Apple TV gaining more features) and those that veer more towards the ridiculous end of the spectrum (Apple moving into the home installation market or starting to make digital picture frames and clock radios).
In terms of a future full of Apple devices, look at the moves Apple has made into the home so far. Its attempt at creating an iPod speaker system, the iPod Hi-Fi, never managed to rise above the crowd of competing devices, and even Steve Jobs conceded that the first version of the Apple TV was a failure. And I disagree with Forrester's assessment that Apple will incorporate Blu-ray or a DVR into the Apple TV because I think Steve Jobs views the future of television as video you download from the iTunes Store--no extra media or cables required.
But more generally, think of the design trends of the Mac mini, Airport Extreme, and Apple TV: small boxes that aren't covered with buttons or distracting lights and are designed to be stacked out of sight. Filling your home with a network of digital picture frames and clock radios doesn't seem to me to be the Apple way.
Forrester also suggests that providing an in-house installation team is the logical extension of Apple's Genius Bar customer support, which I find difficult to believe. Again, it's a matter of simplicity: Apple has always made a point of creating technology that is easy for everyone to set up. Think of the original iMac (take it out of the box, plug it in, turn it on) or the fact that you can activate your iPhone via iTunes. The whole point of Apple's technology is that you don't need anybody to help you, because it would be like asking someone to help you turn on your TV or open your window.
I keep coming back to this--Steve Jobs's Thoreau-esque tendency towards simplification. Where Forrester sees a proliferation of "clock radio" and digital picture frame devices, I can't help but think that Jobsian approach is more about technology not being ostentatious. This picture of Steve from 1982 sums it up for me. While I'm sure his life is hardly as uncluttered now as it was then, Steve hasn't abandoned his tenets of simplicity and elegance. Apple continues to be about creating technology that's so easy you don't even notice you're using it.
Forrester's report--like any prognostication really--is somewhere between right and wrong. Predicting the future is not an exact science--heck, it's not any kind of science. In a world where the weatherman often can't give a simple yes or no answer to a question like "Is it going to rain tomorrow?" the idea of guessing what a company--a notoriously unpredictable company, at that--will look like five years from now is an exercise in futility.
Could Apple do the things that Forrester suggests? Almost certainly: in fact, many of the things that the report predicts are well within the company's reach today. But when it comes to Apple, the interesting questions never begin with "could they...", but rather with "would they...". Apple likes to choose its battles carefully, and it likes to make things that delight and surprise people. Would anyone in 2002 have predicted that Apple would make the iPhone--much less the subtle nuances of how it works or what it would look like? I doubt it. So, don't be too surprised when the next big thing out of Apple is something that nobody predicted. After all, that's just the way we like it.

Patent: iPhone to Give Alert Before Dropping Call

AppleInsider has found an Apple patent filing describing a method of providing iPhone or iPod touch users with an "out of range" warning that includes an estimate of the amount of time remaining until the device is out of network range, thus presenting the users with an opportunity to take corrective measures if they so desire. Apple said such warnings can take many forms, such as a vibratory warning, audible warning, or visual warning. More interesting, however, is that in the context of iPhone on a cellular network, the concept would aim to warn users when it appears as if a call is likely to be dropped and allow them reposition themselves to prevent a disconnection. "If the estimated amount of time until the wireless device projected to be out of range is less than [a] threshold, a tangible warning is issued to that effect," Apple said. "In this way, warnings are only issued for those situations where the loss of signal would affect the user in the here and now and thereby prevent unnecessary (and potentially annoying) warnings being issued."

QuarkXPress 8 Released

Today Quark announced QuarkXPress 8, the next major release of the industry standard page-layout and design software that revolutionized publishing more than 20 years ago. QuarkXPress 8 delivers superior design power through a new, intuitive interface developed purposefully for the creation of high-end page layout; print, Web and Flash authoring tools; design-driven typography; and global publishing capabilities — all of which enable designers to push creativity to its limits with confidence and control. Enhanced Design Experience QuarkXPress 8 offers users an enhanced design experience so they can work faster and smarter by quickly and easily accessing the tools they need. The new, intuitive interface delivers updates that allow for more design with fewer clicks. For example: -- Picture Content Tool: Allows users to grab, rotate, and scale images in real-time without typing in numbers or switching from tool to tool. -- Item Tool and Text Content Tool: Smart behavior within these tools allows for less switching between tools, even for rotation and managing multiple items. -- New Bézier Pen Tools: Draw illustrations directly in QuarkXPress 8 with the redefined Bézier Pen tool. -- Workspace Enhancements: Include new buttons for instant access to master pages and exporting to PDF, EPS, SWF, and HTML— plus new split-view buttons, enhanced contextual menus, and customizable active pasteboards. -- Measurements Palette: Further enhanced to make even more functions easily accessible, including new clickable controls for on-the-fly drop-shadow modification. -- Drag-and-Drop: Drag text and pictures from the desktop, Adobe® Bridge, iPhoto®, or any other application that supports drag and drop. Alternatively, drag content from QuarkXPress to Photoshop®, Illustrator®, Microsoft® Word, and other applications for direct editing. The new interface and design experience QuarkXPress 8 brings is already receiving positive reviews from industry experts. Analyst and consultant Andreas Pfeiffer is the author of many productivity reports for the design and publishing industry and specializes in benchmarking creative software. He notes, “QuarkXPress 8 manages one of the most difficult tasks in software development: to rethink the user interface to make it more efficient, more productive, and more enjoyable, without alienating the experienced user. The potential productivity gains of the new release should be considerable.” David Carson, world-renowned designer who's first book, The End of Print, is the top-selling graphic design book of all time, said, "In QuarkXPress 8 you can see Quark has really paid attention to how designers work. The new user interface is fluid and uncluttered, which is exactly the environment I like to design in. I love the new picture box features that enable mouse-driven manipulation of the images to scale, rotate and especially the live cropping previews. It means I no longer have to spend time switching tools or typing in numbers and the new drag and drop capabilities should make working between applications and my desktop even easier." Designer-driven Typography QuarkXPress has always had a reputation for precise typographic control, and QuarkXPress 8 delivers powerful and advanced text features in a way that puts even more control in the hands of the designer. It is the first page-layout application to offer hanging characters with paragraph-by-paragraph control, multiple and easy-to-use presets, and the freedom for users to create and share their own hanging character settings. QuarkXPress 8 also offers unprecedented control over baseline grid settings, the ability to apply unique grid settings to individual boxes, and a Grid Styles feature that can keep even complex documents consistent. Design Across Media QuarkXPress 8 allows for synchronized and simultaneous design across print, Web, and Flash. Users can incorporate sound, video, animation, and interactivity into their layouts through a built-in, designer-friendly interactive layout tool that was previously available as Quark Interactive Designer. Without any programming skills, designers and creative professionals can share print content on the Web and in Flash format without purchasing multiple applications or learning code. This functionality enables QuarkXPress users to create fully integrated print, Web, and Flash campaigns with shared images, text, styles, and more. Global Publishing With QuarkXPress 8, one global file format supports advanced eastern and western typography for more than 30 languages. All editions of QuarkXPress 8 share the same dictionaries, include hyphenation functionality, and support the import, formatting, and output of East Asian text. American and European users can switch the language of their user interface to fit their needs and all users can open and print a file created in any edition of QuarkXPress 8 without experiencing reflow. The QuarkXPress 8 Plus Edition is built for users who require in-depth features for the formatting of East Asian text. The Plus Edition includes access to dozens of enhanced East Asian features, such as more than 20 additional OpenType® font features, a user-friendly character spacing feature, a true ideographic grid with character count, and the ability to apply grid styles that can be applied at the page and box level. Work Faster and Smarter QuarkXPress 8 users will work faster and smarter with a range of updates to commonly-used features. This includes native Illustrator file import to complement the existing native Photoshop® support, WYSIWYG font rendering, advanced guide management with Guide Manager Pro, Item Styles to enable simultaneous control of formatting for multiple items, support for importing PDF version 1.7 and earlier, and Ghent PDF Workgroup (GWG) based Output Styles and GWG-based Job Jackets® support. “QuarkXPress 8 demonstrates our understanding of the way designers work today, and underscores Quark’s commitment to continually providing innovative software that pushes the design experience forward,” said Tim Banister, General Manager of Desktop Technology for Quark. “We have combined highly intuitive software with the design control elements that are critical in the creative process, and as a result believe QuarkXPress 8 will not only be a seamless upgrade for existing QuarkXPress users, but the most accessible professional page-layout software for new users to learn as well.” Availability and Further Information QuarkXPress 8 will be available to purchase directly from Quark and through Quark resellers worldwide within the next 60 days. For further information on QuarkXPress 8 and the latest information on availability, please visit 8.quark.com.

Hi-Tech CEOs Offer Yahoo, Microsoft Merger Advice

Microsoft Corp and Yahoo Inc seem to hang out in all the same places but somehow keep missing each other.
That's turned speculation over what it will take to get the two of them together into something of a CEO parlor game.
Media magnate Rupert Murdoch said this week he is "mystified" the two have not come to terms. E-commerce mogul Barry Diller said Microsoft should never have fired a hostile shot at Yahoo if they didn't plan to stick it out.
Yahoo board member Bobby Kotick joked that he had tried to get top executives from Microsoft and Yahoo together to play Guitar Hero 4, the hit video game from the company he runs, Activision Inc.
In separate appearances at the D: Conference this week, the top executives of Microsoft and Yahoo said no progress had been made on a merger, though they were discussing lesser deals.
The two had held abortive takeover talks over a three-month period that ended May 3, Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock has said.
Microsoft walked away from a proposal to buy Yahoo for $47.5 billion, or $33 a share, after Yahoo rebuffed it, saying it wanted $37 a share. Then in mid-May, the companies said they had begun talks on an unspecified deal short of a merger.
On Wednesday, Yahoo's co-founder and chief executive, Jerry Yang, threw cold water on speculation that they might be edging back into merger discussions.
"Microsoft is no longer interested in buying the company, and we are talking about other things. We definitely have to understand what they're proposing ... they clearly have an interest in Yahoo, and we need to understand more," he said.
In an on-stage interview at the conference, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said talks had broken down largely over price. Appearing with Yang, Yahoo President Susan Decker agreed price had always been the biggest barrier to reaching a deal.
Diller, who runs the company behind rival Ask.com, believes a merger of Microsoft and Yahoo is necessary to gain the scale to take on Google in Web search and advertising.
Diller expressed surprise at Microsoft's decision to withdraw its offer and "move on" after pursuing Yahoo at regular intervals over the past two years.
"It seems to me if you fire a gun in a hostile offer, the bullet has to land in the heart," he said in his own on-stage appearance at the conference on Wednesday. "Otherwise, I can't imagining firing at all."
Murdoch agreed, saying that given the original 62 percent premium Microsoft was willing to pay for Yahoo, Ballmer should be more patient.
"You aim the gun and you fire," Murdoch said, echoing Diller. "They are not used to big deals, so they backed off."
Murdoch's News Corp has gotten nowhere in its own efforts to talk to both sides in recent months about alternative deal arrangements involving his MySpace Web business.
The wily 77-year-old deal-maker ruled out prospects for an alternative deal between Yahoo and Google Inc to succeed, saying regulatory issues would likely derail it.
And he dismissed activist investor Carl Icahn's campaign to replace the Yahoo board in a proxy fight at the company's July annual shareholder meeting as "helpful noise" to Microsoft and a threat that Yahoo shouldn't bother worrying about.
"That is not serious," Murdoch said of Icahn. "Look, he wants to make a few hundred-million dollars for himself."
Murdoch's conclusion is that Microsoft and Yahoo need to lock themselves in a room and put their last respective offers on the table and settle on a deal.
Speaking as if he were one of the negotiators, Murdoch said "Look, if it is complicated, we will clean it up afterward."
Anticipating the flood of free advice from other executives, Yahoo made up its own joke video in which Yang and Decker are seen being inundated with unsolicited advice from top technology industry CEOs, investors and media pundits.
Warren Buffett's advice to Yang? "Buy low, sell high."

The iPhone patent: Steven P. Jobs, inventor

The US Patent and Trademark Office has revealed a mammoth document that can only be described as The iPhone Patent, a 371-page spectacular that covers Apple's handheld multi-touch UI paradigm in excruciating detail. Many of the mocked-up screen shots depicted in the paperwork are dead ringers for screens that we're well acquainted with in the production phone, while others represent ideas that either haven't finished cooking or eventually found their way into the Cupertino circular file (follow the break for a picture of a home screen with dedicated "Blog" and dictionary apps, for instance). The application also mentions "modules" for video conferencing, GPS, and other currently non-existent (though widely expected) functionality. And in case there's any doubt over who was responsible for this compendium of legalese, industrial design, and technical diagrams, one only need look at the header of page 1: "Jobs et al." Yep, Steve himself wasn't the least bit shy about taking credit atop an entire column of company A-listers for inventing the iPhone's trademark user interface, which we're guessing came about from a mix of equal parts truth, ego, and ass-kissing from the legal department down the hall. Seriously though, if you're Scott Forstall down there at number two on the Inventors list, what are you going to do -- go boardroom showdown all John Sculley-style?

O2 Fires Staff After iPhone Discount Scam

O2 has fired half a dozen employees for purchasing iPhones at staff discount and then selling them for profit. After using generous discounts of 20% or more, staff have sold on the phones on eBay, according to a company source. 'It is actually nothing new that staff in mobile phone shops have supplemented income with this abusive perk,' said one industry source. 'What is fresh is that O2 is cracking down on the practice in a sign that mobile firms are no longer prepared to turn a blind eye. The iPhone is an iconic product for O2 and it makes sense to start there, but I predict that we will see this spread across the sector. The days when this kind of scam could be ignored are over.' Twenty more staff members are believed to be under investigation.

Adobe Unveils Acrobat 9 Software

Adobe introduced Adobe Acrobat 9 software, a significant upgrade that will transform the process of creating and sharing electronic documents. Acrobat 9 delivers native support for Adobe Flash® technology, the ability to unify a wide range of content in rich PDF Portfolios, and access to real-time capabilities for co-navigating a PDF document with colleagues. “The expectations organizations and individuals have for communicating and collaborating in the workplace continues to grow significantly,” said Rob Tarkoff, senior vice president, Business Productivity Business Unit. “The ability to break through and communicate a message in a compelling way has never been at a greater premium. Acrobat 9 is a response to this environment and is poised to fundamentally change how professionals communicate and collaborate using electronic documents.” For the first time, Acrobat 9 provides deep support for Adobe Flash technology, enabling users to include Adobe Flash Player compatible video and application files in PDF documents. Recipients simply need free Adobe Reader® 9 software to consume the content. Now, static documents can come to life as dynamic communications. Acrobat 9 also includes the ability to unify a wide range of content into a single document with the new concept of PDF Portfolios. PDF Portfolios enable business professionals to assemble multiple media types, such as documents, video, audio, and even 3D objects, into one, compressed PDF file. Users can then choose among several professional layouts—or create their own—to quickly integrate content, define navigation, and add polish and branding. As a result, communications such as sales proposals, legal documents, and product collateral can become far more customized and compelling. In addition, Acrobat 9 provides access to capabilities for collaborating live within a PDF document—enabled by working with Acrobat.com, a new suite of hosted services Adobe introduced as public beta today. For example, a salesperson could use Acrobat 9 to send a lengthy contract to clients. The sales professional, or any of the recipients using Adobe Reader1, can then drive the group’s navigation through the PDF document in real-time working with Acrobat.com. This helps ensure everyone is literally, and figuratively, on the same page. Additionally, Acrobat 9 users can access Acrobat.com for storing and sharing files, use it as a central location for collecting data as part of a forms process, and to gather comments in a shared document review. Acrobat.com includes other services, such as Adobe ConnectNow, personal Web conferencing that provides desktop sharing, video and voice conferencing, and integrated chat; and Adobe Buzzword®, an elegant, Web-based word processor that can be used to easily co-author and share documents for comment and review, creating high-quality print results.

Ifbyphone Enhances Communications for iPhone

Ifbyphone, the telephone application platform company, today announced the new Ifbyphone Voice Broadcast application for Apple iPhones. Ifbyphone's Voice Broadcast application for iPhones enables users to send recorded messages to as many recipients as they wish without using any of the users' calling-plan minutes. The Ifbyphone telephone application platform delivers the broadcasts either immediately, or at a future scheduled time. The new Ifbyphone application will work with any iPhone running the v2 software, both the original iPhones and the highly anticipated new version. In addition, the Voice Broadcast feature will also work with the iPod(R) touch, providing access and capability to a wider audience. "Sales professionals and others are sure to find this new capability invaluable," said Ifbyphone CEO Irv Shapiro. "For example, a sales manager who is leaving town can now schedule a voice broadcast to go out to his or her sales team while away. What's more, this is an ideal application for Mom or Dad. With a couple of clicks, they can send messages to everyone in the family." After installing the Ifbyphone broadcast application, which will be available via iTunes distribution, the voice broadcast message is then created through a few fast and easy steps: -- Select the Ifbyphone Voice Broadcast application on the iPhone. -- Select the group of recipients from the iPhone's Address Book and enter the delivery date and time. -- The Ifbyphone service then calls out to the iPhone so the message can be recorded. The call-back recording feature allows users to schedule messages even if they are outside of Wi-Fi range, since the voice message is recorded on the voice side of the network. On the iPod touch, the user will select the phone number of a phone he or she wants to be called on to record the message with Ifbyphone. "Since the voice broadcasts are delivered by the Ifbyphone telephone application platform, no iPhone calling-plan minutes are used, nor is there any requirement for the iPhone or iPod touch user to be online at the scheduled delivery time," Shapiro said. The Ifbyphone iPhone Voice Broadcast application and the enhanced Ifbyphone Voice Broadcast API (Application Programming Interface) will be available to users and developers starting July 1. The application is free, but requires an active Ifbyphone

How Android Will Change Your Shopping Experience Forever

Android application scan finds pricing and metadata for anything with a barcode. You will be able to source detailed reviews, search online/offline stores for better prices, get directions to other local stores, preview cd's (yes people still buy cd's unbelievably!) and check for books in the local library. Scan is an Android application that finds pricing and metadata for anything with a barcode. Here are some key features that make Scan stand out: * Automatic barcode recognition using onboard phone camera using ZXing library * Shows CD, DVD, or book cover along with detailed reviews from Amazon.com * Searches over a dozen stores, both online and brick+mortar o Highlights brick+mortar stores that are nearby, with option to call the store or get directions o Links to online storefronts to buy online from the phone * Tracklisting for CDs, along with option to play sample tracks right on phone

Android will be 100% open source, says Google

Contrary to some reports, everything that makes Android “Android”, including all the core platform components and libraries needed to port Android to new devices will be open sourced under commonly used, industry standard licenses, says Google.

What is open

I confirmed with three different Google employees at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco that the core Android platform will be 100% open source. Even multimedia codecs, which historically are held close to the vest will be open. Except where noted, everything will use the Apache software license (ASL v2). This is the same open source license used by projects like the Apache HTTP server, Tomcat, Harmony, and many other large projects in the open source community.
There are two exceptions to the Apache license rule:

• Software that is already covered by by a free/open source license will continue to use that license. Most notably, this includes Google’s enhancements to the Linux kernel. Linux uses the GNU Public License (GPL v2) so enhancements to the kernel will use the same license.
• Any software that touches Eclipse, for example the Eclipse Android Development Tools plug-in (ADT) will be licensed under the Eclipse Public License (EPL), because that’s what Eclipse uses.

What is not

Google chose the Apache license because it gives carriers, OEMs, and application developers the freedom to use whatever license they want for their own software. While Google encourages everyone to make their own code open if possible, it’s not required by the license. Even Google plans to make a few of their applications closed-source, including their GMail application. These programs are not part of the core Android system, even though they may be bundled with Android phones.
A Google employee I talked to felt the need to apologize for this. “We’re not holding it back for any nefarious purpose,” says Dick Wall on the Android team. “We’re simply not ready to publish the API that talks to the back end server.” This makes sense given Google’s extreme reluctance to be “stuck” with a poorly thought out API that they can’t support forever. This doesn’t preclude the company from opening up the source to those apps later.
Remember that up to now, all the software on your typical cell phone has been proprietary. With Android, carriers like Sprint and Cingular are free to use either open or closed source for any custom applications they install on their new Android phones. And of course, third party programs (like the ones you write) can be open or closed. It wouldn’t surprise me to see completely free/open distributions of Android which eschew any proprietary add-ons in favor of open source alternatives.

Microsoft's Dynamics AX 2009 Now Generally Available

The latest version of Microsoft's ERP (enterprise resource planning) software for upper-midmarket customers is now generally available, Microsoft announced Monday.
Major new components of Dynamics AX 2009 include a centralized "compliance center" that Microsoft has characterized as a "one-stop shop" for compliance-related information, and "self-service" BI (business intelligence), which enables users to access KPIs (key performance indicators) directly from the client.
"We're really trying to bring BI to the masses," said Kees Hertogh, director of product management.
Also, a workflow engine allows users to set internal rules around common processes, such as setting the maximum cost of a hotel room reimbursement on an employee's expense sheet, Hertogh explained during a product demo.
In addition, the release features a series of role-based interfaces, which present different views of information depending on a user's job; and support for complying with legal regulations in 36 countries.
Overall, the look and feel of the software -- as well as the rest of the Dynamics line -- evokes Microsoft Office. The company is seeking to blur the line "between the Office and ERP experience," Hertogh said.
But one thing Microsoft is not looking to change, at least for now, is the way it sells the product.
While the company recently launched an on-demand CRM (customer relationship management) application, it has no similar plans to announce for Dynamics AX, and it will continue to be sold through partners, according to Hertogh.
The AX 2009 release will be available in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the U.K. and the U.S., according to the company.
Notable omissions from the list are the emerging economic superpowers, China and Russia.
Support for those countries and others will come in either a second release wave later this year, or in a third scheduled for early 2009, according to Hertogh.
A recent Forrester Research report on Dynamics called AX "Microsoft's enterprise play for the future," but noted that Microsoft will have to beef up supporting capabilities such as human resources and MDM (master data management) before it can "move to larger enterprises with full-suite requirements."
But in the meantime, there is still opportunity for it to land business in the biggest companies, said Ray Wang, one of the report's authors.
"People are really looking at alternatives right now, especially as they go through this [ERP] upgrade cycle," Wang said. "We've had big oil and gas companies come to us and say, 'Hey, can we run Dynamics in our subsidiaries?' "
However, Microsoft will have to compete for those seats with the likes of Workday, Epicor and a host of other competitors, he noted.

Sci-fi Writers: New Tech Will Bring More Security Challenges

If IT security professionals think they have challenges now, they should wait until new technologies such as quantum computing and devices embedded in skin arrive in the not-so-distant future, three science-fiction writers said Monday.
The writers envisioned a near future where quantum computing, and its foundations in parallel states, could mean attacks coming from parallel worlds. Theories dealing with quantum computing would suggest parallel universes exit, said Greg Bear, author of more than 30 science-fiction and fantasy books.
"Let's get really paranoid now," said Bear, during a roundtable at the Gartner IT Security Summit near Washington, D.C. "Consider you could be hacked by people not of your universe."
Perhaps a more likely scenario is that quantum computing, with its theoretical ability to work on a million computations at once, could destroy current encryption methods, said Robert Sawyer, a futurist and sci-fi author. "Does that mean that the notion of secure communication, secure transactions, is going to crumble around us in the next one to two decades?" he said.
Bear agreed, suggesting quantum computing might usher in a world beyond security. "You'll have to assume someone out there is going to understand what you're doing, or have access to what you're doing," he said.
Bear also suggested that computing devices will eventually become so small that they will be embedded or painted onto the skin. People will be able to exchange information by shaking hands, he said. As that happens, there will be constant attempts to hack into the embedded devices, steal information and insert information such as advertisements, he said.
He also predicted new computing models based on biology and genomics. The study of the use of biological matter in computing devices is virtually untapped, he said.
Sawyer asked the other writers what will happen to the World Wide Web.
"It's just an interim product like everything else," Bear said.
Arlan Andrews, founder of the Sigma science-fiction think tank, suggested that there will be thousands of interconnected virtual worlds, some on the Web and some using other technology. "You'll be able to switch in and out of all the virtual worlds by blinking your eye or something like that," he said.
There will be private virtual worlds for some transactions, but many of the worlds will be open to anyone, he predicted. There will be virtual organized crime.
The problem for IT security will be how to decipher what's genuine and what's not in these virtual worlds, he said. "Truth-telling technology is going to be very important," he said.
One audience member asked what IT security workers and other security experts can learn from science fiction about assessing risks.
Bear noted that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has asked the Sigma think tank to look for unexpected risks. "The bullet you don't hear is the one that gets you," he said.
Sawyer blamed "Star Trek" and its swashbuckling Captain James Kirk for some of the failures in the U.S. space program, including the Challenger explosion.
"A whole generation of NASA engineers inspired by 'Star Trek' learned the lesson of Captain Kirk, that is when your engineer says, 'Captain, the engines can't take any more,' the gutsy, manly, winning strategy is to say, 'there are tolerances beyond what the engineer knows about,'" he said. "The winning strategy is to ignore the risk. 'Star Trek' and science fiction in general, again and again and again, has said ... take the gutsy move, and you'll get to meet the Orion slave girl."

QuarkXPress 8 Takes on InDesign

It's a different game for Quark these days. Once, its flagship QuarkXPress was far and away the leading software for professional print publishing; but its market share has eroded in recent years, faced with tough competition from upstart rival Adobe InDesign.
Quark isn't taking the challenge lying down. On Thursday it announced QuarkXPress 8, a new version that adds intriguing new features to the venerable publishing platform. The question that remains is whether this new release will be enough to push Quark back into the limelight, or whether past mistakes have cost it the crown for good.
Among the new features for QuarkXPress 8 are Bézier pen tools for quick drawing directly onto a page, better interoperability with image-editing software (including Adobe's), improved typographic controls, WYSIWYG font rendering, and a redesigned user interface.
What's more, Quark has redoubled its focus on the Web -- arguably the hottest segment of today's publishing industry -- with a number of new tools. In addition to supporting export to HTML and PDF, QuarkXPress 8 now offers native Flash authoring, right from within the program. Designers can publish simultaneously to print, PDF, and the Web, including Flash movies.
But let's face it: A slim feature set was never Quark's problem. Longtime QuarkXPress users who jumped ship to InDesign will remember how long it took Quark to release a version for Mac OS X, not to mention playing catch-up with Adobe. (Even some of the new features in QuarkXPress 8 have been available in some form since early versions of InDesign.) And other long-suffering print designers I've met have expressed an almost pathological hatred of Quark over some of its past business practices, such as charging for tech support.
If you're a print publishing professional yourself, are you willing to let bygones be bygones? Is Quark still your tool of choice, and is this latest version a welcome upgrade? Or are you moving ahead with InDesign, even if that means submitting to an Adobe monoculture in the graphic design software market? Sound of in the PC World Community Forums.

Windows 7 to Have Touch-screen Interface

Microsoft demonstrated its multitouch interface for its upcoming Windows 7 operating system on Tuesday. The interface provides a touch-screen input for users to interact with their computers.
Multitouch uses Surface technology, introduced last year by Microsoft, which harnesses touch and multitouch capabilities to provide users with a more natural way to interact directly with computing devices. Expect to see the table-like Surface devices in hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and public entertainment venues, Chris Flores, a director at Microsoft working on the Windows Client Communications Team, said in the Windows Vista Team blog on Tuesday.
In a demo to the Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital conference, Julie Larson-Green, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Windows experience program management, showed a number of applications that could use the multitouch technology, including photography applications that enable a user to handle photos on the screen more easily. The user can drag and drop snaps, zoom in, and rotate snaps with his fingers. The musically inclined can play with their fingers on an on-screen piano keyboard.
In a blog entry on Tuesday, Flores said that the long-term architectural investments Microsoft introduced in Windows Vista and then refined for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 will carry forward in Windows 7. Contrary to some speculation, Microsoft is not creating a new kernel for Windows 7, he said. One of the design goals for Windows 7 is that it will run on the recommended hardware specified for Windows Vista and that the applications and devices that work with Windows Vista will be compatible with Windows 7, Flores added.

Windows 7 Testing Must Start ASAP, Microsoft Warns Hardware Makers

Hardware makers that don't comply with the edict won't qualify for Microsoft's Windows Logo certified compatibility program for Windows 7 or Windows Vista. In an effort to avoid a repeat of the compatibility problems that plagued the launch of its Windows Vista operating system last year, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has ordered computer and other hardware makers to begin testing their devices on the forthcoming Windows 7 OS as soon as the first beta version becomes available.
Hardware makers that don't comply with the edict won't qualify for Microsoft's Windows Logo certified compatibility program for Windows 7 or Windows Vista. "Beginning with the first beta of Windows 7 all Windows Vista submissions must include a complete CPK with tests logs from Windows 7," Microsoft said in a 61-page bulletin to its hardware partners last week. CPK refers to a process control method used in software development.
Microsoft has not publicly disclosed when it expects to release a beta version of Windows 7. Given the company's customary timetables, however, it's likely the company will deliver the first Windows 7 beta sometime over the next couple of months. Microsoft has said it hopes to ship a final version of Windows 7 in late 2009 or early 2010.
Microsoft is likely taking the hard line in order to ensure that Windows 7 is compatible with the bulk of major hardware products out of the gate. The company was widely criticized upon Windows Vista's release last year for not doing a better job of ensuring hardware and application compatibility.
More than a year after its release, compatibility problems continue to plague Vista.
PCs from Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Gateway, Lenovo, and other major computer makers that contain a widely used Intel (NSDQ: INTC) chipset can't be upgraded to Windows Vista Service Pack 1 if they're running certain drivers.
The affected chipset is Intel's 945G Express series, which is used in computers from virtually all major system vendors. It's also found on standalone motherboards sold by Asus. The 945G Express chipset driver versions between numbers 7.14.10.1322 and 7.14.10.1403 won't work with Vista SP1, according to Microsoft.
Chipsets provide a connection point for all key subsystems within a PC.
As a result of those glitches and others, many businesses have said they will delay, or bypass altogether, upgrading their PCs from Windows XP to Windows Vista and will wait for Windows 7.

Microsoft boss Bill Gates signals end of the computer mouse

Microsoft is developing a new touch screen operating system that could mean the end of the computer mouse, Bill Gates has announced. Windows 7 aims to build on the success of the touch screen systems developed by Microsoft's rival Apple's iPhone. Microsoft users will issue commands by touching the screen rather than by the traditional keyboard and mouse combination, which has dominated since the 1970s. Windows 7 is due to be released in 2010 and is Microsoft's attempt to catch-up with Apple, whose handheld iPhone has proved exceptionally popular. Windows 7 aims to build on the success of the touch screen systems developed by Microsoft's rival Apple's iPhone. Microsoft users will issue commands by touching the screen rather than by the traditional keyboard and mouse combination, which has dominated since the 1970s. Windows 7 is due to be released in 2010 and is Microsoft's attempt to catch-up with Apple, whose handheld iPhone has proved exceptionally popular.

Apple gives $45 Battery Credit to Canadian iPod Users

Canadian residents will be happy to get this news directly from Apple. The company has announced to offer $45 credits to those iPod users, who have bought the portable media player before 24th June 2004. This settlement is also applicable on a new first-, second- or third-generation iPod. Moreover, the proposed settlement also states that Apple has to pay the legal fees too.
This decision is considered to be carried forward due to the lawsuit, which was filed in Montreal and Toronto that blamed Apple’s iPods to not deliver a battery life that was up to the mark. Two Canadian owners of iPod sued Apple for its lifetime iPod batteries that were less than half that advertised (eight hours). In the second year of use, the rechargeable batteries of iPod conked out after merely three hours of playback between single charges.
Around 80,000 Canadians, including 11,310 Quebecers, said Montreal lawyer Philippe Trudel, who represented Lenzi are expected to be eligible for the credit.
In addition, one more lawsuit has been filed, which is still pending, mentioning that iPod Nano has 7.45 GB of storage, instead of 8GB. Montreal law student David Bitton, the man behind the lawsuit, claims to get a 7.5 % refund of purchase price.

France Telecom talks to Apple for 3G iPhone Price Cut

The most hyped phone in the world - the iPhone, is in the news again. In most of the countries, the price of the revolutionary handset has slashed down. We had reported about O2 reducing the iPhone’s price soon after T-Mobile announced the iPhone price cut in Germany. Last year, within 3 months of the iPhone’s debut in the US, Apple dropped the price of the device.
After a long journey, Apple is now facing yet another problem of price cut, but this time it’s in France. Orange, the mobile phone and Internet access division of France Télécom, is discussing with Apple to lower the price of the iPhone.
Currently, the iPod-cum-iPhone device’s sells for EUR 399 (8GB version), which is quite expensive as compared to other smartphones in the market. The 16GB model carries a price tag of EUR 499. Till date, the French network operator has noticed a sales figure of approximately 100,000 units.
However, the telecom company, who has exclusive rights to distribute the iPhone for three years, is not planning to change the iPhone pricing policy at present. They want the next-generation models to be affordable to the masses. On the other hand, Apple is forcing Orange to adopt the European policy moving to a subsidized model.
The iPhone uses EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) networks and does not employ the higher speeds of 3G (third-generation) mobile networks or the more advanced HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) networks that are available in some markets.
Next month is the rumored release of the Apple 3G iPhone. After the official launch, we can comment on France’s scenario.

Jasper GPU for Xbox 360 Gaming Console, to be Introduced Soon

Microsoft is stern on its decision to increase its sales. And to reach that path, the company has planned to upgrade the GPU of the Xbox 360. After the August launch of a Falcom 65-nm CPU and a 90-nm GPU, a revamped GPU that would replace the 90-nm GPU is set to release. This latest version will be come under the codename Jasper.
The Xbox 360 gaming console is expected to consume less power thanks to the 65nm manufacturing process. It is said that the enhanced hardware also checks into the so-called red ring of death matter that defuncts the 360. The main reason is overheating.
According to BetaNews, the 65-nm Xenon microprocessors, which are used in the Xbox 360 are packaged and tested by IBM, whereas the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and the northbridge (memory controller hub) are developed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).
Meanwhile, Microsoft will apparently roll out Pegatron’s Blu-ray equipped Xbox 360 gaming console very soon. The company boasts to achieve over 60 percent of GTA IV games sold in the first week.
The new GPU Jasper is slated to unveil by August.

Camera on Stolen Laptop assists Owner to Catch Thieves

A computer-savvy White Plains woman named Kait Duplaga, who works at an Apple store in The Westchester mall, caught hold of the thieves through her stolen laptop’s in-built camera.
The victim, who stays with two roommates in an apartment, has proudly solved the crime herself by logging into her stolen Macintosh laptop and clicked a photograph of the suspect via the integrated camera. Here goes the motivational story.
On 27th April, three roommates entered their apartment and noticed that their home had been ransacked. Very useful and costly technology products, such as two laptops, two flat-screen televisions, two iPods, gaming consoles, DVDs and computer games were missing.
Few days later, the victim’s friend saw her online through his computer. And to re-check whether it was her who is using the internet or somebody else, the friend informed Kait.
As she was not online, she signed onto another computer and took advantage of the “Back to My Mac” program that helps to determine the stolen Macintosh laptop. She found that her laptop was indeed signed onto the Web and the thief is using it to shop online.
Smartly she activated the stolen computer’s camera that enables her to view who is in front of the Macintosh. Initially, she couldn’t see anybody. After sometime a man was seen. She immediately took the photograph of that person. She was also able to get the other thief’s picture with the same technique.
The photographs were shown to her roommates and they recognized them as Edmon Shahikian and Ian Frias, who are victim’s friend’s friend. They had come at their apartment for a get-together few weeks ago. These photographs were given to the police and the culprits were soon arrested.
This is an ideal situation that informs people to not panic and act intelligently to punish the guilty parties.

Olympus TP-7 Telephone Recording Device rolled out

Olympus has launched a stunning telephone recording device called Olympus TP-7. This is a perfect device to record cell-phone interviews that the traditional telephone voice recorder set ups for landline cannot.
This Olympus microphone plugs into a recorder and your ear. On plugging, it records whatever it hears. It’s perfect for journalists, lawyers, students etc. The sound quality is as good as hearing it through the cell phone directly.
Olympus TP-7 has a sensitive microphone for recording phone conversations. It does wonders with both cell phone and landline. It also includes all necessary adapters. It records both sides of the conversation directly to the voice recorder. This could prove to be an amazing device in the customer service industry for recording calls.
Weighing one pound, its frequency varies from 50 to 20000Hz. Its connector is a 3.5 mm mini plug. It is priced at $18 and is presently being shipped only within U.S.

Dell’s Three Slim Inspiron Notebooks - 1435, 1535 and 1735, Leaked

Seems Dell is getting ready to launch its slim laptops. Dell is expected to introduce three Inspirons laptops namely 1435, 1535 and 1735.
Dell’s upcoming Inspiron notebooks are similar in design but the thickness ranges between 1.0 to 1.5-inches, while the screen size varies between 14 to 17 inches depending on the model. The numbering of the models is in line with other Inspiron models.
Specifications can vary but you may come across a Core 2Duo 2 16 GHz processor, multi format card reader, optional 3G connectivity and slot- loading Blu-ray drives. 1535 is rumored to go on sale from 26 May, followed by 1735 in June and 1435 later in October. These features are enough to judge the intensity of competition faced by its rivals like Macbook.
The leaked pictures reveal the tapering design that stretches from around 38mm at the thickest and 25mm at the thinnest. The side hinges look as if they have come straight from the XPS 1330 and 1530.
Dell is the largest mid-range laptop manufacturer that provides cheap, affordable solutions to everyone looking for a laptop. They surely know what people look for and have come up with these laptops that are thinner than the usual Inspiron.

C300 and X530, two new entry-level Handsets unveiled by Samsung Telecommunications India

Samsung Telecommunications India has just launched two entry level slide-up phones, namely the C300 and the X530 mobile phones in the Indian market.

The C300 slide-up handset is around 18.8mm thick and weights just 94g. This phone features a 4.5cm, 65K color LCD screen, WAP 1.2 for easy access to the Internet and an embedded speakerphone. What is more, this entry level phone has a 1000 phone book entry, a good set of polyphonic ringtones, and a voice memo for message recording.

The Samsung X530 slide-up phone has been designed for advanced multimedia entertainment. Weighing just 75.5g and measuring 17.9mm thick, this handset features a VGA camera with 4x digital zoom and multi-shot functions.

The X530 handset features a large, 1.9-inch, 65k TFT color LCD screen. It also comes loaded with refined poly ring tones, a speakerphone, IrDA, WAP and GPRS functions.

The best part about the C300 and the X530 entry-level handsets is that they are packed with advanced security features such as Mobile Tracker. This feature significantly increases a user’s chances of recovering lost or stolen phones, and Emergency SOS Messaging that sends instant alerts to key contacts informing them about emergency situations.

The Samsung C300 handset comes in a ‘Noble Black’ color and is priced at Rs.4,199, while the X530 handset which comes in Golden Brown and Silver colors is priced at Rs.6,499.

LG KG 288 and KG 285 Entry-Level Mobile Phones Unveiled in India

LG Electronics India Pvt. Limited (LGEIL), has launched two new mobile phones, named KG 288 and KG 285.

These feature-rich, fully loaded phones extend the company’s entry portfolio and have been developed for customers who prefer stylish color phones. The unique feature of the handsets is anti-theft tracker.

Anil Arora, Business Group Head, GSM said, “LG has always been on the forefront in launching new technology and wrapping it up with the style quotient. In our latest offering, we have continued with this trend by providing the customer attractive features at unbeatable prices.”

Both the entry-level mobile phones feature a TFT 65K Color Display; 300 entries in the phone book memory and 100 SMS memory. They also come with an excellent quality speaker, stopwatch, calendar and dual band.

Featuring FM stereo radio with a hot key for the FM radio, the LG KG 288 has the ability to play FM on speakers. It also sports an inbox headset for FM listening.

Boasting the best keypads in the class, KG 288 and KG 285 are available in deep blue color and carry a retail cost of Rs. 1949 and Rs.1649 respectively.

LG KF 510, KP 320 and KP 110 Mobile Phones Unveiled in India

Targeting at an array of Indian consumers, LG has rolled out three new mobile phones in the country. Called, KF 510 slim slider phone, KP 320 camera phone and KP 110 music phone, these handsets range from the budget-conscious to the high-level communication medium.

With their individual rich features, KP 320 extends the Dynamite series and KP 110 enhances the Bullet series, while KF 510 is a stand-alone device maintaining its own pride.

“We are very excited about the launch of these three handsets and expect tremendous response for consumers. KF510 is an exceptionally slim slider phone; KP320 comes with advanced features and is economically priced; and KP110 is a fully loaded music phone. These handsets have been launched to delight our consumers across various consumer segments suiting every budget requirement,” explained Anil Arora, Business Group Head, GSM, LGEIL.

Housed in a dark grey metal casing, the KF 510 comes in a dynamic touchpad, an interactive touch lighting and emotional animation and scratch resistant tempered glass. Designed for fashion-oriented masses, the 10.9 mm thick slider handset is termed as Touch Lighting Phone. It features a 2.2-inch display with 240×320 pixel resolution, 3 megapixel camera with a startup time of about one second, image stabilization, LED flash and red eye reduction. The included light sensor ensures automatic adjustment of screen brightness according to ambient lighting condition. Moreover, the slider phone also sports an MP3 & MPEG-4 player, FM radio, WAP, GPRS and EDGE connectivity along with the QVGA video support for recording and playback.

The 3 megapixel camera KP 320 phone sports an auto focus, video-recording, music player and TV out function to view pictures. As a value addition, the phone features 90MB of memory, up to 4GB with MicroSD memory cards, 2-inch 262k colors TFT display with a 240×320 pixels resolution, Bluetooth, USB, Internet and email capabilities, document viewer and speakerphone. The latest Dynamite series handset runs on a 900 mAh Li-Ion battery and is enclosed in a stylish leather finish body. The dimensions of the KP320 are 107×46x13.5 mm and it weighs just 81g.

The KP 110 music phone is an addition to the Bullet series. This lightweight device is equipped with FM Radio and MP3 playback, up to 500 phone numbers and 500 SMS messages storage ability as well as up to 2GB of microSD memory card slot. It is compliant with GPRS and WAP connectivity along with hands-free speaker, flight mode vibration alert and an anti theft mobile tracker. Users can enjoy a battery life of up to 4 hrs of talk time and 400 hours of standby time.

Interested consumers can purchase the LG KF510 for Rs. 12,250, LG KP 320 for Rs. 7,990 and LG KP 110 for Rs. 2,899.

Samsung’s guru 200 excites the users

Samsung’s recent launch of its new entry level phone handset Guru 200 in India has excited the prospective users. The multi-utility features that the company has incorporated in the telephone handset is rarely available in handsets that are available in the market. And they simply lack in handsets with a similar price tag. The Guru 200 is priced just Rs 3000/ and has host of features that make it hot. The best thing about the handset is its long battery time. For Indian consumers for whom electricity outages is normal it gives them 9 hours of talk time without charging. The phone also allows the users to record FM radio for several minutes. The record can be sawed as ring tone as well. It features multimedia services such as speaker phones and MP3 ring tone facility. Added features include Java games (Cricket and Sudoku), emergency SMS, and nine hours of talk time. The handset displays local holidays and its database enables users to communicate in a blend of Hindi and English .The Call Time Limit feature allows users to personally set a talk time limit per month, in order to put a cap on their talk time. A Smamsung official says "Guru 200 offers a strong value proposition to consumers at the entry level mobile phone segment. True to our 'Next is what' campaign, this phone offers FM recording as the 'Next' key feature in its latest Guru series of handsets."

New Yahoo Tool

Bangalore: Separating wheat from the chaff during Internet searches can be a challenge: major search engines tend to substitute quantity for quality, returning many thousand results few users have the time to go through.

When it guesses that the user might be looking for more in-depth information, a new Yahoo tool provides, a lot of additional material — mostly visual — to provide an encyclopaedia-like page of multimedia reference material. It is called Yahoo Glue Pages — and it was substantially developed at the Bangalore end of Yahoo’s R&D labs.

Interestingly, the initial or beta release, of Glue Pages, is limited to India — and to the www.yahoo.in portal. “This is the first time that Yahoo India is launching a product ahead of the rest of the world,” explained Tapan Bhat, Yahoo’s U.S.-based senior vice-president.

While a normal Yahoo search at Yahoo.com, on “Aishwarya Rai” sees a list of conventional links; the same search if done at the ‘glued’ Yahoo.in site, brings up videos of her interview on American late night David Letterman Show; a clip of her Miss Universe triumph from You Tube; music tracks from her films; a portfolio of photos from the Flickr photo sharing site — as well as leads to related terms.

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology refers broadly to a field of applied science and technology whose unifying theme is the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, generally 100 nanometers or smaller, and the fabrication of devices with critical dimensions that lie within that size range. It is a highly multidisciplinary field, drawing from fields such as applied physics, materials science, interface and colloid science, device physics, supramolecular chemistry (which refers to the area of chemistry that focuses on the noncovalent bonding interactions of molecules), self-replicating machines and robotics, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, biological engineering, and electrical engineering. Much speculation exists as to what may result from these lines of research. Nanotechnology can be seen as an extension of existing sciences into the nanoscale, or as a recasting of existing sciences using a newer, more modern term.
Two main approaches are used in nanotechnology. In the "bottom-up" approach, materials and devices are built from molecular components which assemble themselves chemically by principles of molecular recognition. In the "top-down" approach, nano-objects are constructed from larger entities without atomic-level control. The impetus for nanotechnology comes from a renewed interest in Interface and Colloid Science, coupled with a new generation of analytical tools such as the atomic force microscope (AFM), and the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Combined with refined processes such as electron beam lithography and molecular beam epitaxy, these instruments allow the deliberate manipulation of nanostructures, and led to the observation of novel phenomena.
Examples of nanotechnology in modern use are the manufacture of polymers based on molecular structure, and the design of computer chip layouts based on surface science. Despite the great promise of numerous nanotechnologies such as quantum dots and nanotubes, real commercial applications have mainly used the advantages of colloidal nanoparticles in bulk form, such as suntan lotion, cosmetics, protective coatings, drug delivery and stain resistant clothing.

Origins

The first use of the concepts in 'nano-technology' (but predating use of that name) was in "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," a talk given by physicist Richard Feynman at an American Physical Society meeting at Caltech on December 29, 1959. Feynman described a process by which the ability to manipulate individual atoms and molecules might be developed, using one set of precise tools to build and operate another proportionally smaller set, so on down to the needed scale. In the course of this, he noted, scaling issues would arise from the changing magnitude of various physical phenomena: gravity would become less important, surface tension and Van der Waals attraction would become more important, etc. This basic idea appears plausible, and exponential assembly enhances it with parallelism to produce a useful quantity of end products. The term "nanotechnology" was defined by Tokyo Science University Professor Norio Taniguchi in a 1974 paper (N. Taniguchi, "On the Basic Concept of 'Nano-Technology'," Proc. Intl. Conf. Prod. London, Part II, British Society of Precision Engineering, 1974.) as follows: "'Nano-technology' mainly consists of the processing of, separation, consolidation, and deformation of materials by one atom or by one molecule." In the 1980s the basic idea of this definition was explored in much more depth by Dr. K. Eric Drexler, who promoted the technological significance of nano-scale phenomena and devices through speeches and the books Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology (1986) and Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation, and so the term acquired its current sense. Nanotechnology and nanoscience got started in the early 1980s with two major developments; the birth of cluster science and the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). This development led to the discovery of fullerenes in 1986 and carbon nanotubes a few years later. In another development, the synthesis and properties of semiconductor nanocrystals was studied; This led to a fast increasing number of metal oxide nanoparticles of quantum dots. The atomic force microscope was invented six years after the STM was invented.

Fundamental Concepts

One nanometer (nm) is one billionth, or 10-9 of a meter. For comparison, typical carbon-carbon bond lengths, or the spacing between these atoms in a molecule, are in the range .12-.15 nm, and a DNA double-helix has a diameter around 2 nm. On the other hand, the smallest cellular lifeforms, the bacteria of the genus Mycoplasma, are around 200 nm in length. To put that scale in to context the comparative size of a nanometer to a meter is the same as that of a marble to the size of the earth. Or another way of putting it: a nanometer is the amount a man's beard grows in the time it takes him to raise the razor to his face.

Larger to smaller: a materials perspective
A number of physical phenomena become noticeably pronounced as the size of the system decreases. These include statistical mechanical effects, as well as quantum mechanical effects, for example the “quantum size effect” where the electronic properties of solids are altered with great reductions in particle size. This effect does not come into play by going from macro to micro dimensions. However, it becomes dominant when the nanometer size range is reached. Additionally, a number of physical (mechanical, electrical, optical, etc.) properties change when compared to macroscopic systems. One example is the increase in surface area to volume ratio altering mechanical, thermal and catalytic properties of materials. Novel mechanical properties of nanosystems are of interest in the nanomechanics research. The catalytic activity of nanomaterials also opens potential risks in their interaction with biomaterials.
Materials reduced to the nanoscale can suddenly show very different properties compared to what they exhibit on a macroscale, enabling unique applications. For instance, opaque substances become transparent (copper); inert materials become catalysts (platinum); stable materials turn combustible (aluminum); solids turn into liquids at room temperature (gold); insulators become conductors (silicon). A material such as gold, which is chemically inert at normal scales, can serve as a potent chemical catalyst at nanoscales. Much of the fascination with nanotechnology stems from these unique quantum and surface phenomena that matter exhibits at the nanoscale.

Simple to complex: a molecular perspective
Modern synthetic chemistry has reached the point where it is possible to prepare small molecules to almost any structure. These methods are used today to produce a wide variety of useful chemicals such as pharmaceuticals or commercial polymers. This ability raises the question of extending this kind of control to the next-larger level, seeking methods to assemble these single molecules into supramolecular assemblies consisting of many molecules arranged in a well defined manner.
These approaches utilize the concepts of molecular self-assembly and/or supramolecular chemistry to automatically arrange themselves into some useful conformation through a bottom-up approach. The concept of molecular recognition is especially important: molecules can be designed so that a specific conformation or arrangement is favored due to non-covalent intermolecular forces. The Watson-Crick basepairing rules are a direct result of this, as is the specificity of an enzyme being targeted to a single substrate, or the specific folding of the protein itself. Thus, two or more components can be designed to be complementary and mutually attractive so that they make a more complex and useful whole. Such bottom-up approaches should, broadly speaking, be able to produce devices in parallel and much cheaper than top-down methods, but could potentially be overwhelmed as the size and complexity of the desired assembly increases. Most useful structures require complex and thermodynamically unlikely arrangements of atoms. Nevertheless, there are many examples of self-assembly based on molecular recognition in biology, most notably Watson-Crick basepairing and enzyme-substrate interactions. The challenge for nanotechnology is whether these principles can be used to engineer novel constructs in addition to natural ones.

Molecular nanotechnology: a long-term view
Molecular nanotechnology, sometimes called molecular manufacturing, is a term given to the concept of engineered nanosystems (nanoscale machines) operating on the molecular scale. It is especially associated with the concept of a molecular assembler, a machine that can produce a desired structure or device atom-by-atom using the principles of mechanosynthesis. Manufacturing in the context of productive nanosystems is not related to, and should be clearly distinguished from, the conventional technologies used to manufacture nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles.
When the term "nanotechnology" was independently coined and popularized by Eric Drexler (who at the time was unaware of an earlier usage by Norio Taniguchi) it referred to a future manufacturing technology based on molecular machine systems. The premise was that molecular-scale biological analogies of traditional machine components demonstrated molecular machines were possible: by the countless examples found in biology, it is known that sophisticated, stochastically optimised biological machines can be produced

Cureent Research

Space-filling model of the nanocar on a surface, using fullerenes as wheels.
Graphical representation of a rotaxane, useful as a molecular switch.
This device transfers energy from nano-thin layers of quantum wells to nanocrystals above them, causing the nanocrystals to emit visible light.

Nanomaterials
This includes subfields which develop or study materials having unique properties arising from their nanoscale dimensions. Interface and Colloid Science has given rise to many materials which may be useful in nanotechnology, such as carbon nanotubes and other fullerenes, and various nanoparticles and nanorods. Nanoscale materials can also be used for bulk applications; most present commercial applications of nanotechnology are of this flavor.
Progress has been made in using these materials for medical applications; see Nanomedicine

Bottom-up approaches
These seek to arrange smaller components into more complex assemblies. DNA nanotechnology utilizes the specificity of Watson-Crick basepairing to construct well-defined structures out of DNA and other nucleic acids. Approaches from the field of "classical" chemical synthesis also aim at designing molecules with well-defined shape.
More generally, molecular self-assembly seeks to use concepts of supramolecular chemistry, and molecular recognition in particular, to cause single-molecule components to automatically arrange themselves into some useful conformation.

Top-down approaches
These seek to create smaller devices by using larger ones to direct their assembly. Many technologies descended from conventional solid-state silicon methods for fabricating microprocessors are now capable of creating features smaller than 100 nm, falling under the definition of nanotechnology. Giant magnetoresistance-based hard drives already on the market fit this description, as do atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. Peter Grünberg and Albert Fert received Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of Giant magnetoresistance and contributions to the field of spintronics in 2007. Solid-state techniques can also be used to create devices known as nanoelectromechanical systems or NEMS, which are related to microelectromechanical systems or MEMS.
Atomic force microscope tips can be used as a nanoscale "write head" to deposit a chemical upon a surface in a desired pattern in a process called dip pen nanolithography. This fits into the larger subfield of nanolithography.

Functional approaches
These seek to develop components of a desired functionality without regard to how they might be assembled.
Molecular electronics seeks to develop molecules with useful electronic properties. These could then be used as single-molecule components in a nanoelectronic device. Synthetic chemical methods can also be used to create synthetic molecular motors, such as in a so-called nanocar.

Speculative
These subfields seek to anticipate what inventions nanotechnology might yield, or attempt to propose an agenda along which inquiry might progress. These often take a big-picture view of nanotechnology, with more emphasis on its societal implications than the details of how such inventions could actually be created.
Molecular nanotechnology is a proposed approach which involves manipulating single molecules in finely controlled, deterministic ways. This is more theoretical than the other subfields and is beyond current capabilities. Nanorobotics centers on self-sufficient machines of some functionality operating at the nanoscale. There are hopes for applying nanorobots in medicine, but it may not be easy to do such a thing because of several drawbacks of such devices. Nevertheless, progress on innovative materials and methodologies has been demonstrated with some patents granted about new nanomanufacturing devices for future commercial applications, which also progressively helps in the development towards nanorobots with the use of embedded nanobioelectronics concept.
Programmable matter based on artificial atoms seeks to design materials whose properties can be easily and reversibly externally controlled. Due to the popularity and media exposure of the term nanotechnology, the words picotechnology and femtotechnology have been coined in analogy to it, although these are only used rarely and informally.