Sony Unveils New iPhone, iPod Dock

Designed for bedrooms, studio apartments or college dorm rooms, Sony has unveiled its latest clock radio with a dock for the iPod and iPhone. The device features a wireless remote with full access to the iPod and iPhone devices' menus (the iPhone handset must be in iPod mode), as well as to alarm clocks, radio tuning and volume functions. It also charges the device while docked. An adjustable backstop mechanism ensures that most devices fit snugly and securely in the clock radio's cradle. It's also compatible with the smaller iPod players. Because of its supplied cable and line-in jack, other digital music players can be easily connected to the unit.

Sony's ICF-ClipMK2 clock radio also has a full-function alarm clock. Users can choose to wake up or fall asleep to music, the radio or a buzzer. When first powered on, the Automatic Time Set (ATS) feature will display the correct time (formats and time can be changed to other time zones as well). The unit also has automatic Daylight Savings Time adjustment. Adjustable brightness control over the LCD display provides easy readability.

The ICF-ClipMK2 clock radio comes in both black and white designs. It will be available in May for about Rs. 3,996 ($100) at Sony Style stores and at authorized dealers in the US.

LG Shine Now in Titanium

Following the success of the LG Shine handset within the Black Label Series, LG has unveiled a new addition - the LG Shine Titanium color variant in bar and Slider form factors. LG Shine Titanium boasts of being the only phone in the market sporting a Titanium finish metal body. It incorporates the same features as the original LG Shine handset.

Anil Arora, Business Group Head, GSM said, “The new colours of Shine Slider will extend our success of the Shine series and will appeal to consumers who want their phone to say something about their personality. LG Shine color variants will magnify the modern style and chic image of the consumers, while the forthcoming premium handsets with unique design variations promise to be even more desirable, adding technology enhancements to unbeatable design.”

The LG Shine with new color variants has a 2 mega-pixel auto focus camera certified by Schneider Kreuznach and an expandable memory up to 1 GB with microSD cards. Access to Shine’s menu system is by an easy-to-use multi-function scroll key. It has a wide 2.2-inch mirror LCD screen and supports GPRS and EDGE network compatibility, Bluetooth with A2DP and USB connectivity. It also has applications like Yogasanas for health conscious people, E2E dictionary, E-mail and Document Viewer.

LG Shine Titanium Shine Bar will be available for Rs. 8,290 and the slider variant will be available for Rs. 12,490. Also the shine silver bar variant is now available for Rs. 7,990 and silver slider for Rs. 11,990.

Gigabyte Introduces Powersaving G31 Motherboards

GIGABYTE has announced the launch of the G31 Series of motherboards based on the Intel G31 chipset. These motherboards use the Dynamic Energy Saver technology and deliver huge power savings and better power efficiency to computers. Two models will be available in this series – GA-EG31M-S2 and GA-EG31MF-S2.

"GIGABYTE Dynamic Energy Saver Series Motherboards are able to provide exceptional power savings of up to 70% improved power efficiency without sacrificing computing performance, our entry model GA-EG31M-S2 is DES compliant", said Rajan Sharma, General Manager – MB and VGA BU – Gigabyte India.

The motherboards from the G31 Series are compatible with high-end processors including Intel Core 2 multi-core and 45nm processors and come equipped with a dual Channel DDR2 800 memory which gives performance to the most demanding applications on your PC. It also has the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 that supports Microsoft DirectX 9.0 and Windows Vista Aero experience, which improves realism and delivers excellent graphics performance. The EG31M-S2 Series also has the Ultra Durable2 design for its CPU VRM (Voltage Regulator Module). This ensures better cooling, lower power loss and longer lifespan for computers in daily operation, and boosts system stability under extreme conditions.

The Gigabyte GA-EG31M-S2 is priced at Rs. 5500 while the GA-EG31MF-S2 is priced at Rs. 6000. The motherboards are distributed by Avnet (India), Ingram Micro and Redington.

Samsung Adds Soul to Ultra Mobile Range

Samsung’s new handset – the Soul, or Spirit Of Ultra – is the latest addition to its Ultra Series. This 3G, HSDPA-enabled, quadband slider is just 12.9mm thick and has a stylish metallic finish. It’s equipped with Magical Touch by DaCP, which is a unique navigation panel under the 2.2 inch QVGA, 16 million color screen.

Magical Touch navigation is essentially a miniature display panel that adapts in sync with the function you’ve selected. The icons change according to the function. For instance, if you have a video playing on the screen, the icons would depict functions like Rewind, Forward, Play and Pause, using the universal symbols for the same.

Other features include a 5 megapixel camera with face detection, image stabilizer and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), Bluetooth with A2DP profile, integrated FM radio and a nifty music player that incorporates Bang & Olfusen’s ICEpower digital power amplification technology.

The GUI has undergone a bit of an upgrade in terms of look and feel, and now comes with themes that are more customizable. External memory is supported via microSD cards.

There’s no word on the official price yet, but the Soul should be available in Europe from April. Let’s hope it doesn’t take too long to show up in our part of the world.

Samsung Launches Another Music Phone

Samsung and Symbian seem a great combo. The two companies have decided it’s time they worked with each other, and have announced the tie-up in the latest Samsung SGH i450 mobile phone.

This is a music phone that runs on Symbian OS, v9.2 and S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1. The i450 is a dual slider phone that’s well equipped for audio playback as well as high speed Internet browsing (3.6 Mbps) though HSDPA.

The keypad slides out from the bottom of the i450 and a set of metallic speakers slide out from the top. The i450 is equipped with a touch-sensitive arch-like half-wheel that can be utilized for navigation when the phone is in landscape mode.

Once again, Bang & Olufsen have contributed their bit to Samsung’s music phone range with their ICEpower amplifier. The i450 may have just 35MB of internal memory, but this can be extended using microSD cards(up to 4GB).

The i450 is equipped with a 2 megapixel camera at the rear and a secondary VGA camera in front above the 2.4 inch LCD display (240 x 320 pixel resolution) for video calling.

The i450 was on display at the Symbian Smartphone Show in London on October 16 and 17. Price and availability are yet to be revealed.

Nokia Launches 2 New XpressMusic Handsets

Nokia has added two more devices to its music range of handsets: the 5220 and the 5320 XpressMusic.

"Today's additions to the XpressMusic range up the ante with new ways for consumers to access their media, as well as interact and share content with friends and communities anytime, anywhere," said Jo Harlow, Vice President, LIVE category, Nokia.

The 5320 features 3G social entertainment capabilities with Web 2.0 access. A new voice-controlled Say and Play feature lets you say the name of an artist or song to play it. Like other XpressMusic handsets, the 5320 also has dedicated music keys, and thankfully a 3.5mm audio jack. According to Nokia, the handset can deliver up to 24 hours of playback time.

Other features include an audio chip for hi-fi sound quality, extendable memory up to 8GB, HS-USB for fast music transfer, and HSDPA for fast access to data. This loaded handset has a full-featured Internet browser, access to Ovi, and Nokia Search 4.1, which allows users to find and share media content and information. It also allows for N-Gage gaming in the convenient landscape mode.

The other handset (Nokia 5220 XpressMusic) seems to have a bit of a lopsided design. No, it’s not your eyes playing tricks; the phone is actually designed that way. It has a built-in lanyard that makes it easy to carry around. Other features include dedicated XpressMusic keys, a 3.5mm audio jack, and support for external memory via microSD cards.

These handsets are equipped with 2 megapixel cameras and FM radios. Both are compatible with the recently launched Nokia Music Store, where consumers can choose from more than 2 million tracks and browse, download, stream and sync, either to a PC or side-load directly to a mobile device.

Nokia 5320 and 5220 XpressMusic are expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 with estimated retail prices of Rs 13,980 (€220) and Rs 10,166 (€160) respectively, before taxes and subsidies.

Nokia Launches N81

Nokia's recently launched N81 and N81 8GB multimedia phones are now available globally. Designed specifically for music and gaming, these devices come with dedicated music and game keys and are loaded with memory so you can store more and play more.

The 3D Multimedia Menu introduced in these devices is the first step to bringing a new user interface to the Nokia Nseries range.

"Accessing your portable music and games collection is not enough anymore," said Jonas Geust, vice president, Multimedia, Nokia. "Today people want to be more in control of how and where they consume their digital entertainment. They want to discover new favorites and share them without being confined to one location – and it's devices like the Nokia N81 that facilitate this."

The Nokia N81 and Nokia N81 8GB also offer access to songs through the Nokia Music Store. And with their integrated Nokia Music Players, creating playlists and managing music collections on the move is simple. For enhanced sound quality, compatible high-quality headphones or speakers can be used with the standard 3.5mm headphone connector.

A preview of the N-Gage games service is also available in the devices, including playable demos of EA Sports FIFA 07, Asphalt 3: Street Rules, and Space Impact Light. After the launch of the N-Gage later this year, the full N-Gage application will be available for download. Players can then sample all N-Gage games for free and buy the ones they want.

The estimated retail price of the Nokia N81 is 360 Euro before subsidies or taxes. The 8GB version is expected to retail for 430 Euro before subsidies or taxes.

Motorola and Kodak Handset Seems to be Real

I mentioned a while back that Motorola and Kodak were planning on launching a 5 megapixel camera phone sometime soon and although it’s not yet completely official a few images of the device have been leaked and according to the grapevine the handset is going to be called the ZN5.

Apart from the obvious camera of 5 megapixels (auto-focus natch) it would also have a Xenon flash and a secondary LED for video. This cameraphone would also be able to capture images in RAW format, which is not something to sneeze at. The ZN5 is also said to be quite a slim handset at about 11.8mm thick and will come equipped with a 3.5mm earphone socket, TV out and USB (hopefully not proprietary in any way) slot. It will run on a Linux based OS probably like the MING and should also have a keypad similar to the ROKR E8 which changes according to the features.

There's still no pricing or official release date for the handset, so stay tuned.

Microsoft, Sony Ericsson Enter Alliance

Sony Ericsson on Sunday announced a new premium handset aimed at capturing the web convergence market, blending multimedia with mobile web communication in its first product using Microsoft Corp.'s operating system.


The Xperia X1 will launch in the second half of 2008 and will be sold worldwide, including in the United States.

It marks the first time Sony Ericsson is using Microsoft Windows Mobile in a departure from its collaboration with Symbian, an open operating system that's partly owned by Sony Ericsson.

Executives said their focus was on the user experience, not the operating system, and said that many Sony Ericsson signature features, including a patented nine-panel interface, had been built on top of the Windows operating system.

Sony Ericsson executive Steve Walker said Microsoft Mobile was the "ideal" platform for the X1.

"In the case of the X1, Microsoft gives us an opportunity to build on," Walker said. But he said that did not necessarily mean that subsequent handsets in the Xperia sub-brand would be based on Microsoft.

The handset features an arc sliding mechanism with a 3-inch-wide DVD-quality video display, a full keyboard alongside a touchscreen, and optical device for navigation.

Sony Ericsson executives declined to give pricing on the handset or say how many it plans to ship.

The partnership was announced on the eve of the Mobile World Congress, the largest wireless industry conference bringing together more than 50,000 industry executives from some 1,300 companies.

"With Sony Ericsson we are now working with the top five handset makers around the world," Microsoft product manager John Starkweather said in an interview before the Barcelona wireless conference.

Samsung, Motorola Inc. and LG all ship cell phones with Microsoft Mobile, while Nokia Corp., the largest handset maker by volume, incorporates some Microsoft technology, including Windows Media Player.

Microsoft expects to ship 20 million new phones using Windows Mobile in the fiscal year that ends June 30, Starkweather said.

List of computer hardware manufacturers

Cases / Chassis
List of computer case manufacturers:

Akasa
Antec
AOpen
AplusCase
Arctic Cooling
ASUS
Chassis Plans
Chieftec
Cooler Master
Enermax
Foxconn
Gigabyte Technology
HEC Compucase
Intel
Lian Li
NZXT
IXIUM
RAIDMax
SilverStone Technology
Sunbeam Tech
Supermicro
Thermaltake
Ultra Products
Zalman




CD/DVD
AOpen
ASUS
Philips-Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS) (PBDS before Lite-On's acquisition of BenQ's optical drive division)
Hewlett-Packard
Hitachi-LG Electronics Data Storage (HLDS)
Panasonic
Pioneer
Plextor
TEAC
Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology (TSST)
Sony-NEC (Sony NEC Optiarc)




Central processing units
List of x86 central processing unit manufacturers:

AMD
Intel
VIA Technologies
Other architectures:

ARM Limited (ARM)
IBM (POWER)
Marvell Technology Group (ARM)
Sun Microsystems (SPARC)
Texas Instruments (ARM)




Controller cards
3ware
Adaptec
Areca
HighPoint Technologies
Promise Technology
Supermicro
Tekram




Digital video interface
AJA Video Systems
BlueFish444
DELTACAST




Display screens
List of computer display manufacturers:

3M
Apple Inc.
Acer
AG Neovo
ASUS
BenQ
BTC Korea Co., Ltd. (brand name NFren)
Chassis Plans
Chi Mei
Dell
Eizo
Hewlett Packard
IC Power
LG Electronics
NEC
Philips
Samsung
Sharp
Sony
ViewSonic
Westinghouse




Graphics cards
AOpen
ASUS
ATI Technologies
BFG Technologies
Chaintech
Club 3D
Colorful
eVGA
EPoX
Foxconn
Gainward
Gigabyte Technology
HIS
Inno3D
Jetway
Leadtek
Matrox
MSI
Palit
PNY Technologies
Point of View
PowerColor
Sapphire Technology
Sensoray
Universal abit
XFX



Graphics chipsets
ATI Technologies
NVIDIA
S3 Graphics
Intel
Silicon Integrated Systems



Hard disks
List of hard disk manufacturers:

ExcelStor Technology
Fujitsu
Hitachi GST
Samsung
Seagate Technology (also Maxtor)
Toshiba
Vantec hard disk enclosure
Western Digital
List of defunct hard disk manufacturers




Keyboards
List of keyboard manufacturers:

Alps
A4Tech
BTC
Chassis Plans
Cherry
Chicony
Fujitsu Siemens Computers
Genius
Ideazon (Zboard)
Key Tronic
KeyScan
Labtec
Samsung
Logitech
Microsoft
Mitsumi
mahendra Ltd
Saitek



Loudspeakers
List of computer speaker manufacturers:

Altec Lansing
Bose
Creative Labs
Edifier
Harman Kardon
JBL
Klipsch
Logitech
Midiland (out of business?)
Trust



Mice
List of mouse manufacturers:

A4Tech
Creative Technology
i-ball
Logitech
Microsoft
Mikomi
Mitsumi
OCZ Technology
Razer USA Ltd
Trust




Modems
List of modem manufacturers:

3Com
Aopen
Agere (formerly Lucent)
Motorola
Rosewill
U.S. Robotics
ZyXEL




Motherboards
List of motherboard manufacturers:

Abit
AOpen
Arima (Flextronics)
ASUS
ASRock
Advansus (Industrial Motherboards)
BFG Technologies
Biostar
Chassis Plans
Chaintech Ceased manufacturing motherboards.
DFI
ECS (also PCChips)
EPoX
eVGA
FIC
Foxconn, manufacturer of Intel motherboards
Gigabyte
Intel
Jetway
Magic-Pro
MSI
Sapphire Technology
Shuttle
Soyo
Supermicro
Tyan
Universal abit (ABIT)
VIA
XFX



Network cards
List of network card manufacturers:

3Com
Belkin
Broadcom (chipset maker)
CNet Technology
D-Link
Intel
Linksys
Netgear
Realtek (chipset maker)
SMC Networks
Via Technologies (chipset maker)
Zoom Technologies
Aztech




Pendrives
List of USB flash drive manufacturers:

AMKETTE
SanDisk
Kingston
Sony
Transcend
IBALL
TREK
ORCHID
PQI
SENSEI
VERICO
Seagate
Quantum
Umax



Power supplies
List of power supply unit manufacturers:

Akasa
Antec
Channel Well Technology
Chieftec
Codegen Technology
Cooltek
Cooler Master
Corsair Memory
Enermax [1]
FSP Group (Fortron Source brand)
Gigabyte
HEC Compucase
Hiper
LC-Power
linkworld
Mushkin
NesteQ
Nexus
OCZ Technology Computer Memory
PC Power and Cooling Power Supplies
Rosewill
Seasonic
Seventeam
SilverStone Technology
Tacens
Tagan Technology
Thermaltake
Trust
Tuncmatik Iyi Elektrik
Vantec
Xilence
Zalman



Printers
List of printer manufacturers:

Brother
Canon
Olivetti
Epson
HP
Lexmark
OKI
Dell
Samsung
Konica Minolta
Xerox
TVS| TVS Dot Matrix Printers



RAM
List of RAM manufacturers:

Apacer
Adata
Centon Electronics
Corsair Memory
Elpida Memory
Fujitsu
G.Skill
Hynix
Hyundai
Infineon
Kingston Technology
Kyocera
Micron Technology - Manufacturer of Avant, Crucial, K-Byte & Spectek brands
Mushkin
Novatech Solutions
OCZ Technology
Patriot
PQI
Qimonda
Rambus
Renesas Technology
Samsung
Sony
Supertalent
Toshiba
Transcend
Tyan



Solid-state drives
Adata
BiTMICRO
Fusion io
HyperOS Systems
Lexar
Memoright
Mtron
PNY
PQI
Samsung Electronics
SanDisk
STEC, Inc.
Super Talent Technology
Transcend



Scanners
List of Image scanner manufacturers:

Canon
Epson
Fujitsu
HP
Microtek
Mustek Systems
Ricoh
Umax
KeyScan



Sound cards
List of sound card manufacturers:

ASUS
C-Media
Creative Technology
E-MU Systems
M-Audio
Razer USA Ltd
RME
TerraTec
Turtle Beach Systems
VIA Technologies



TV tuner cards
List of TV tuner card manufacturers:

ASUS
AVerMedia Technologies
Elgato
Hauppauge
TerraTec
TechnoTrend AG
KWorld Computer
Leadtek
LifeView
Pinnacle Systems
Prolink Microsystems



Webcams
List of webcam manufacturers:

Creative Technology
Genius
Intel
Labtec
Logitech
Microsoft
Philips
Trust

LG Officially Launches the KF510 Globally

We said it would be out in March and here it is, LG’s KF510 has been launched globally today, but don’t expect it on shelves so soon. With it’s dazzling color gradations of Stardust Dark Gray and Sunset Red on the full metal exterior, smooth slider and of course gleaming LED lights of the navigation touchpad.




This slim slider is just 10.9mm thin. It has a 2.2 inch TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 256k colors. Its other features include a 3 megapixel autofocus camera with a flash and image stabilizer technology, Bluetooth with an A2DP profile, a media player for audio and video and an FM radio. It also supports external memory via microSD cards and supports EDGE and GPRS.

What makes this phone really stand out are the LED lights on the touch sensitive navigation pad. The KF510 uses a new ‘Interactive Touch Lighting’ system that is animated in sequence to the features being used on the phone. The handset also has an Auto Luminance Control (ALC), which self-adjusts to the brightness of the LED screen.




"With its sleek aesthetic and superior technology, it will appeal to many discerning consumers that value both style and substance." said Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

LG-KF510 will be available at most major mobile retailers in regions including Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, from April. Sadly no price tag seems to have been disclosed yet.

HardCopy IT

HardCopy IT – 1:2 Portable, HDD Duplicator



HDD capacities are increasing, thus, HDD imaging needs are increasing. Keep up the pace with VOOM’s state-of-the-art technology that breaks the speed barrier. Perfect for porting to new drives, HDD back-up, PC roll-outs, secure wipe of confidential data, and more. The HardCopy IT provides professional-class duplication/wipe capabilities at entry-level pricing.



Lightweight and easy to use, the HardCopy IT clones HDDs at up to 5.5 GB/min., requiring minimal training; designed with 2-line LCD instructions/status and VOOM’s renown 3-button interface. SmartImage feature allows even faster imaging – duplicates file system and files only (works with NTFS and FAT). Includes wipe feature that can be set for entire drive wipe or post-clone wipe.



This quality-engineered product is based on VOOM’s proven HardCopy forensic technology, trusted worldwide in the computer forensics market – the most demanding HDD imaging market. VOOM IT! with confidence . . . and do what you do best, even better.



[HardCopy IT Brochure]

HardCopy IT Capabilities

Image ATA drives at up to 5.5 GB per minute
Clone – exact block for block duplicate
Smart Image – copies only file system and files/ works with NTFS or FAT
Complete wipe – speed up to 5.5 GB/min
Post-clone image wipe – if destination drives(s) are larger than source, set to wipe remaining blocks
Benefits

Cut your imaging time in half
Very light weight less than a pound, plus the laptop style power supply
Manual is included, but it is so easy to use that most users never open the manual
Designed and built with Voom’s proven HardCopyTM forensic technology already in use worldwide for safe, fast and secure duplication

Sony to Sell Golf Ball-sized Speakers

The new speakers from Sony are as tiny as golf balls but deliver the big, robust sound of a top-notch home-theater sound system.

The roughly cube-shaped speakers, to go on sale in Japan next month, measure just 1.7 inches on each side, Sony Corp. spokeswoman Eiko Sato said Thursday.

The 90,000 yen ($870) system includes five golf ball-sized speakers as well as a bigger, 17 inches tall box for the amplifier and subwoofer, a feature for producing bass sounds.

The Home Theater System HT-IS100 will go on sale in North America and Europe, but pricing and dates aren't decided yet. The technology for achieving the miniature size cannot be disclosed, Sato said.

The system connects to TVs, Blu-ray disc recorders, Sony's PlayStation 3 video game consoles and other gadgets, according to Sony.

Free Dynamic and Static DNS Services and Domain Name Servers

List on this page are free DNS services that provide your site with nameservers, whether your site has a static IP address or whether it has a dynamic IP address.

If you need reliable DNS services and don't want to rely on free services, or you need more sophisticated DNS services for load balancing, you might want to check out a commercial service like EasyDNS. Besides the more advanced DNS services provided, commercial DNS services typically also have numerous redundant name servers located in separate locations, thus potentially making the service more reliable.
What are Static/Dynamic DNS and Why Do I Want Them?

When you host your website on a commercial or free web host, you usually get a static IP address for your website - that is, an IP address that doesn't change. (IP addresses are the like street addresses on the Internet.) Although web hosts typically provide the name servers for your domain name hosted on their servers, you may sometimes want to outsource your DNS so that you can freely manage your own domain names (such as when you want the freedom to create new subdomain names that reside on different web hosts). Some people outsource their DNS because they have numerous servers in diverse locations answering to the same domain name (for load balancing) - they have more sophisticated DNS needs than the typical site (in this case, they may want something known as round robin DNS). Still others simply don't want to put all their eggs in one basket.

Dynamic IP addresses usually occur when a website is hosted on someone's personal computer, and that computer is only connected to the Internet when the owner connects to his/her ISP. The ISP gives that computer an IP address that is different everytime it connects. If this is your situation, you will need a dynamic DNS service that will update their nameservers with your new IP address each time you log on.

Another use for free DNS services like those listed below is when you have registered your own domain name in order to reserve it for future use, but don't have a website to point it to (yet). Some of the free DNS services allow you to park your domain at any of your existing websites.
Related Pages

* Free Web / URL Redirection Services
* How to Register Your Own Domain Name
* Tips on Choosing Your Own Domain Name
* How to Install and Configure the Apache Web Server on Windows
* How to Install and Configure PHP 4 on Apache for Windows
* How to Add CGI Script Support to Apache on Windows

Disclaimer

The information provided on this page comes without any warranty whatsoever. Use it at your own risk. Just because a program, book, document or service is listed here or has a good review does not mean that I endorse or approve of the program or of any of its contents. All the other standard disclaimers also apply.
Free DNS Services and DNS Servers for Static and Dynamic IP Addresses

FreeDNS - Free DNS, Dynamic DNS, Static DNS New

FreeDNS provides free dynamic and static DNS. You can create DNS entries for an unlimited number of domains and up to 20 subdomains per account. Subdomain names from your domain, unfortunately, are also free for others to use for their websites. If you set your status to "Private", others will still be able to use subdomains from your domain name, but you'll be allowed to screen them. Note though, even before you accept or reject the application, that website will be "live" on the Internet. This service also provides web redirection, including URL cloaking.
The Public DNS Service

This is one of the oldest and longest running free DNS services providing 2 name servers for your website. If you need a name server or two for your site, and don't wish to use your web host's name servers or pay for commercial DNS services, try this one. Managing your domain records require some expertise though, since they do not provide you an easy interface like some of the other free and commercial DNS servers. However, you really get to control nearly every aspect of your domain records. You can add A records, CNAME records, MX records and nearly everything else that can go into the name server records for your domain You can have unlimited number of domains here. Note: they rely on donor hardware and connectivity for their name servers.
Mydomain and MyDNS Domain Name Services

They provide free DNS services for your domain name, free email forwarding, free URL redirection for your domain (with or without cloaking/stealth, with path forwarding), free parking, the ability to change your MX records, A records, SOA records, etc.
EveryDNS

EveryDNS provides static DNS services, dynamic DNS resolution, redirection of your domain name to an existing URL, etc. Although the service is free, they solicit donations to support their services.
DYNU Dynamic DNS Service

This dynamic DNS service will allow you to host your own website, FTP, email, telnet, chat server on your own machine. You get a subdomain name (yourname.dynu.com) and a small program which will inform the DNS server whenever you're online as to which IP address you're at.
Yi.org Dynamic DNS and Web Redirection

Want dynamic DNS or web redirection? You get subdomains like yourname.whyi.org, yourname.yi.org, yourname.weedns.org, yourname.b0b.com which you can point to any IP address you like, and a URL (eg, yi.org/yourname/) which you can redirect to any URL.
DynDNS

You can get up to 5 subdomain names like yourname.dyndns.org which you can redirect to either a static or dynamic IP address. Alternatively, they also provide URL or web redirection where you can get hostnames (subdomains of domain names like doesntexist.org, webhop.net, webhop.org, etc) that are redirected to your actual URL. I'm not sure if there are any advertisements imposed on your site when you use their web redirection service.
ZoneEdit

ZoneEdit allows you to get free DNS services for 5 domains, provided your domains do not get a lot of traffic (according to their FAQ, "a lot" means something like a million hits per year or 200MB worth of traffic per domain; note this is 200MB worth of DNS queries, not the bandwidth used by your web pages). You can also forward your email, park your domains, and run websites on your own computer with their dynamic DNS services.
No-IP Dynamic DNS, Static DNS for your Dynamic IP

No-IP offers you Dynamic DNS so that you can run your websites from your own computer. They also provide you with a short hostnames (like yourname.hopto.org) that you can redirect to your existing website, ie, URL redirection. They also redirect email sent to you@yoursite.no-ip.com to up to three email servers/addresses of your choosing. You can have up to a maximum of 5 subdomain names here.

Fly SX100

Slim and sleek mobiles rule the roost these days when it comes to making fashion statements. Though manufacturers may design some really cool-looking and stylish handsets, it remains to be seen how well they work. The SX100 is one such handset, and I put it through its paces to see if it lives up to expectations.

Form Factor
The SX100 is a looker all right. It has a sleek, elegant appearance and feel. At just 11mm thick it’s slim enough to carry in a credit card compartment in your wallet. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I’m sure some of you would get that impression too. It has a decently sized 1.7 inch display with a 220 x 176 pixel resolution. The keys may seem a bit thin, but it’s not a problem even for those with plump digits. The five-way nav-pad is great for navigating menus.


On one side is a proprietary USB/handsfree slot. Thankfully, the Fly has provided a converter to 3.5mm so you can use your own earphones... and it does make quite a difference using your own earphones. A dedicated camera key that activates the 2 megapixel camera with an LED flash is located on the same side at the bottom. On the other side are the volume/zoom keys.


The SX100 supports external memory and although the compartment for the microSD card may not be accessible from the outside, you won’t need to remove the battery to get to it as it’s just under the cover. Happily, even the SIM can be removed without touching the battery.

Features and Performance
The SX100 is a decently loaded phone. It has easy-to-navigate menus and a clear interface. The menu styling can be customized and selecting items form various sub-menus is quick. All the regular features of a basic phone are intact, including a calendar for keeping dates and memos as reminders, and a separate to-do List option.


Other features include an alarm, world clock, calculator, unit converter, stopwatch and even a health feature to calculate BMI and bio-rhythm (not that anyone would use these functions, but hey, they’re there just in case). It also has a flight mode and a file manager option for locating data. Video and picture caller ID are supported.


From the media angle there's a music player with nine EQ presets and a repeat and shuffle mode. As for the quality, well, using your own earphones makes a difference. The sound is adequately loud but not spectacular. It sounds a bit like you’re in a large hall, on any setting. The bundled video player is okay. What I was quite unhappy about was the FM radio's pick-up – I was unable to get a clear signal during much of my commute, and the AMR recordings from radio were quite inaudible. There's a voice recorder and melody composer for making ringtones, apart from a few games. The loud speakerphone is a plus

CeBIT 2008: SE Unveils Stylish Slider

Sony Ericsson has unveiled the T303, an attractive phone that is small with a high-end feel as it has a mirrored screen, metal housing and chrome finish. This slider has features that include Bluetooth and USB connectivity, Sony’s TrackID feature and an integrated FM radio. It also supports GPRS. The T303 is equipped with a 1.8 inch display that has a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to support any external memory.




"The T303 is a great addition to the Sony Ericsson T-line of products, combining premium finish and materials with a good feature-set to deliver ‘style with substance’." said Lykke Tærsbøl, Senior Designer at the Sony Ericsson Creative Design Center. "Our aim was to create a phone that would function equally as a daily companion as well as something to show off on a night out."

The T303 will be available in selected markets from mid 2008, though there's no mention of any pricing yet.

Spice Corp Launches $20 Mobile Phone

Indian telecom company Spice Corp Ltd (SCL) has unveiled a no-frills mobile phone that will retail at about Rs 800 ($20) early April, the company's chairman said.

"Though we have taken various measures to reduce the cost price for the end user, it will be a technologically advanced instrument," claimed SCL Chairman BK Modi.

He said this product will prove that India is not only equipped to give the best of technology but even the cheapest at most competitive prices. Also, he didn't rule out the possibility of prices of such phones going down further.

The new voice-only phone was exhibited at a global expo in Barcelona in Spain Monday and evoked tremendous interest among mobile service providers from around the world, Modi said.

The phone does not offer a screen but will provide excellent voice clarity. An audio programme would announce the digits that are dialled to prevent errors. A Braille version will also be simultaneously introduced to benefit visually challenged users.

"Spice got nearly 40 MSPs inquiring about it at the expo itself. We have tied up with one Indian MSP to provide the phone as a package deal."

The service provider's name will be announced along with the phone launch in April this year.

Designed in India by Spice Corp Ltd, the new phone is being manufactured in China in partnership with Spice's Chinese partner.

Available in a range of attractive colours and compact and lightweight design, the phone will be compatible with all types of SIM cards currently available in the market and function on most connection types.

Within a year of launch, Modi was confident of selling between five to 10 million pieces. "Initially, we are targeting the entire Middle East, SAARC and ASEAN group of countries. Then we shall explore other markets."

He said that presently there is only 20 percent mobile penetration in India. "The remaining population has never set eyes on a mobile phone."

Worldwide, cheap mobile phones make up for nearly 20 percent of the total market. But more than half the world's population has never used a phone, so the demand potential is immense, Modi said.

The $1-billion Bombay Stock Exchange-listed SCL is an upcoming telecom company currently operating in two telecom circles – Karnataka and Punjab – and has applied for licences in other circles.

Logitech G51 5.1 Speaker System

Any product that comes into the Tech2.0 lab in bubble wrap gets a bonus point! Actually I wish it were that simple. If it's a familiar brand like Logitech we kinda know what we’re in for, especially when it comes to multimedia speaker systems.

We were aware that Logitech had released its G51 5.1 speaker system, which is specially targeted at gamers and PC users. Naturally, it was only a matter of time (a few days) since its release before we got our greedy paws on it...


Design and Features
Logitech's speaker aesthetics are in step with the times and, more importantly, so is their functionality. The system comprises five metallic-finish satellite speakers with slight bulges housing the lower driver. The exterior is black with a faint metallic luster, and with a chrome-colored plate on the bulge. The face bears the Logitech logo.

On opening the black cloth grilles, the satellite drivers are exposed – looking rather like alien eyes, straight out of some new-age RPG. These are dual 2-inch drivers, which Logitech refers to as ‘laser tuned’. The sub is all-black, with a downward firing 5.25 inch woofer. I like downward firing subs because of the increased ‘kickbutt’ factor.

The main part of the system is a control pod, typically available with all Logitech systems, though this one looks different; it's a bit like video game controller, again in black-and-chrome. It has a mute buttons, I/O for mics and phones, plus a largish round dial in the center to switch modes and control volume etc.

A 'Matrix' switch does the task of converting stereo to 5.1 surround, though if you want authentic surround-sound your soundcard must support 6 channel out, and of course the game should have surround-sound tracks.

The subwoofer has all the needed inputs/outputs, in a vertical array lined up on the left side of the back panel. The power rating of the system is 155 watts.

Intel Launches 3 New Motherboards

Intel has launched three new motherboards – the Intel Desktop Board DX48BT2 Extreme Series (formerly codenamed ‘Bone Trail 2’), the Intel Desktop Board DG35EC Classic Series (formerly codenamed ‘Eva Cove’), and the Intel Desktop Board D945GCLF Essential Series (formerly codenamed ‘Little Falls’).




According to Intel, the DX48BT2 Extreme Series board is designed for extreme gaming performance, and therefore unleashes the fastest native 1600 MHz front side bus and memory support. This helps it in providing powerful performance and extreme overclockability. This board supports Intel Core2 Extreme processors featuring quad or dual-core processing and a faster 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz FSB and is built with the Intel X48 Express Chipset with ICH9R. There are two DIMM sockets designed to support up to 4 GB of DDR3 1600 MHz memory or an option of four DIMM sockets designed to support up to 8 GB of DDR3 1333/1066/800 MHz memory. The board has 2 IEEE 1394a ports and 12 USB 2.0 ports, dual full-speed PCIe 2.0 slots + x4/x16 PCIe slot and 2 PCI expansion slots, and 6 SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports. Further included in the DX48BT2 board are Intel Matrix Storage Technology, and the Dolby Home Theater.

For mainstream users, the Intel Desktop Board DG35EC Classic Series board is built with performing integrated graphics supported on Intel architecture. Based on GMA X3500 integrated graphics, the board supports a range of processors including Intel Core 2 Quad and Intel Core 2 Duo processors. The integrated graphics and connectors meet a variety of digital needs including 1080p video playback for movie clips, media streams and the latest generation of HD videocameras, without the need for an add-in video card.

The final product release is aimed at a new category of computers called Nettops - a new family of affordable desktop computing devices purpose-built for Internet-centric usage models. The Intel Desktop Board D945GCLF integrates a microprocessor, chipset, motherboard, and heat sink into a single unit. The Intel Desktop Board D945GCLF will use the new Intel Atom Processor and will be available towards the second-half of the year.

Transcend Introduces 4GB aXeRam DDR2-1066

Transcend has introduced its 4GB aXeRam Extreme Performance DDR2-1066+ dual-channel memory kit designed specifically for overclocking in the Indian market. This kit includes a matching pair of 1066MHz tested and verified 2GB DDR2-1066+ modules, which provide dual-channel memory bandwidth of up to 17GB/s. The 240-pin unbuffered DIMMs included in the kit are each made of 16 high-quality 128Mx8 DDR2 DRAM chips.




This new product also includes support for Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP), which allow users to automatically configure EPP-enabled motherboards with aggressive memory settings for better memory and system performance, especially when using dual video cards.

Austin Huang, Regional Head - Sales, SAARC & AP, Transcend said, "We are responsive to our customer's evolving needs. Gamers, animators, and all power users have a strong appetite for powerful memory resulting in enhanced performance. Transcend's aXeRam memory will deliver amazing overclocking performance while maintaining rock-solid system stability."

The Extreme Performance kit carries a 3 year warranty. However the price of the product is not known as of right now. We will update it as soon as we have more information.