Harris Bank Online Banking was down for maintenance at midday on Monday, May 3, 2010.

The web site of Chicago-based Harris Bank was down for maintenance at midday on Monday, causing a spike in Internet search activity pertaining to the institution.


Visitors to the Harris Bank homepage are getting a message saying the main site is down for maintenance but that Harris Online Services are still available. Harris is a subsidiary of Bank of Montreal (BMO).

The outage may be especially disconcerting for former customers of Amcore Bank, which was recently acquired by Harris after it failed on April 24 along with six other banks in the Chicago area.

A Bank of Montreal spokesperson was unable to comment immediately about the status of Harris Bank's online banking operations. A spokesperson from Harris Bank provided this statement: "Yes we are having some issues with the Harris Bank website, but there is no impact to the Amcore websites or to our Amcore customers."

Bank of Montreal shares were up 1.2% to $62.75 in afternoon trades

Source: www.thestreet.com

Twitter Adverts: Twitter to deliver advertising in mix of tweets.

By Michelle Kessler

Advertising is finally coming to Twitter, the microblogging service long famous for not even trying to make money.

"Promoted Tweets" will now show up at the top of some Twitter.com search pages, company co-founder Biz Stone says in a blog post this morning.   Early advertisers willing to pay for this top placement include Best Buy, Bravo, Red Bull, Sony Pictures, Starbucks, and Virgin America.

The service sounds similar to the "Sponsored Links" featured on Google and Yahoo search pages.  "Promoted Tweets will be clearly labeled as "promoted" when an advertiser is paying, but in every other respect they will first exist as regular Tweets," Stone writes. "It's non-traditional, it's easy, and it makes a ton of sense for Twitter."

Until now, Stone and co-founder Evan Williams have mainly focused on growing Twitter's user base, instead of trying to turn a profit.  "Believe me, when your name is Biz and you're a co-founder of Twitter, it also means putting yourself at the mercy of folks like Stephen Colbert who hit home runs with lines like, 'So, I assume that 'Biz' in 'Biz Stone' does not stand for 'Business Model,''" Stone jokes in his post.

Source: www.usatoday.com

10 ways to optimize your Google Search experience

By Simon Mackie

1. Use the “site:” operator to limit searches to a particular site. I use this one all the time, and it’s particularly handy because many site’s built-in search tools don’t return the results you’re looking for (and some sites don’t even have a search feature). If I’m looking for WWD posts about GTD, for example, I could try this search: GTD site:webworkerdaily.com.

2. Use Google as a spelling aid. As Rob Hacker — the WWD reader I profiled last week — pointed out, entering a word into Google is a quick way to see if you have the right spelling. If it’s incorrect, Google will suggest the correct spelling instead. Additionally, if you want to get a definition of a word, you can use the “define:” operator to return definitions from various dictionaries (for example, define: parasympathetic).

3. Use Google as a calculator. Google has a built-in calculator — try entering a calculation like 110 * (654/8 + 3). Yes, your computer also has a calculator, but if you spend most of your day inside a browser, typing your calculation into the browser’s search box is quicker than firing up your calculator app.

4. Find out what time it is anywhere in the world. This one’s really handy if you want to make sure that you’re not phoning someone in the middle of the night. Just search for “time” and then the name of the city. For example, try: time San Francisco

5. Get quick currency conversions. Google can also do currency conversion, for example: 100 pounds in dollars. If you would like to convert minor currencies, be sure to be specific about the country. So, if you want to find out how many nuevos soles your dollars might buy, you could try: 100 dollars in Peruvian nuevos soles.

6. Use the OR operator. This can be useful if you’re looking at researching a topic but you’re not sure which keywords will return the information you need. It can be particularly handy in conjunction with the “site:” operator. For example, you could try this search: GTD OR “getting things done” site:webworkerdaily.com

7. Exclude specific terms with the – operator. You can narrow your searches using this operator. For example, if you’re looking for information about American Idol but don’t want anything about Simon Cowell, you could try: “american idol” -cowell

8. Search for specific document types. Google can search the web for specific types of files using the “filetype:” operator. If you’re looking for PowerPoint files about GTD, for example, you could try: GTD filetype:ppt

9. Search within numerical ranges using the .. operator. Say, for example, you want to look for information about Olympic events that took place in the 1950’s, you could use this search: Olympics 1950..1960

10. Area code lookup. Need to know where a phone number is located? Google will let you know where it is, and show you a map of the area, too. For example: 415

Source: www.GigaOm

LanSchool Technologies Offers Free iPad App for Classroom Management

By Dian Schaffhauser

LanSchool Technologies has developed a free iPad application that allows teachers to manage computer activities in the classroom from Apple's new device. The company has also released a new software development kit (SDK) and certification logo called EdApp Certified for iPad/iPod/iPhone app developers.
The Teacher's Assistant allows teachers to blank screens, limit applications, limit Internet access, and send a message to students. It also includes a built-in classroom response system called Voting. The Teacher's Assistant app pairs with an existing LanSchool teacher console. It works with both LanSchool Lite, which is free to K-12 and post-secondary educators, and the paid version of LanSchool version 7.4. The app can pair with either Mac OS X or Windows LanSchool teacher consoles.

"The Teacher's Assistant is just the beginning for our support of the iPad, iPod, and iPhone devices." said President Dana Doggett. "Very soon we'll release the Teacher's Assistant on the iPod touch and iPhone, and a student app for all of the devices. We are committed to helping schools adopt these platforms by allowing teachers to monitor, manage, and increase collaboration with students."

Although the LanSchool Teacher's Assistant is available as a free app from the iTunes App Store, in order to manage students, a valid LanSchool version 7.4 license is required. The Teacher's Assistant will work with LanSchool Lite, which is free to K-12 and post-secondary educators.

The free LanSchool EdApp Student SDK allows developers to embed classroom management features into their apps. The EdApp certification program identifies apps that allow users to perform the following functions:

• Discover and monitor student devices;
• View the current EdApp and last visited URL;
• Monitor student progress through an app or see a final score;
• See students' requests for help; and
• Monitor battery status of devices.

With the paid version of LanSchool teachers can also assess student understanding with a built-in classroom response system and send students messages.

LanSchool will publish a list of EdApp Certified apps on its Web site and allow app developers to use the EdApp certified logo in the marketing materials.

Source: www.thejournal.com

Man who found iPhone prototype identified

Twenty-one-year-old Redwood City, California, resident Brian J. Hogan, the man identified by Wired.com as the guy who found — and later sold — Apple's missing iPhone in a bar last month, has a message for Apple, the engineer who originally lost the precious gadget, and the tech world at large: Sorry about that.

Following a trail of "clues" on social-networking sites and confirming his ID with a source "involved in the iPhone find," Wired named Hoganon Thursday as the bar patron who made off with Apple's top-secret iPhone prototype and then sold it to Gizmodo for $5,000 after an Apple software engineer left the precious phone on a bar stool.

Up until now, Hogan's identity has been a mystery to the public, but the 21-year-old college student (or at least, he was a college student as of 2008) may have sensed that he was in trouble after all the hoopla over Gizmodo's gigantic iPhone scoop last week and the subsequent fallout, including a raid on Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's house by San Mateo sheriff's deputies armed with a search warrant.

Hogan has now lawyered up, and in a statement released through his attorney, the young man says he "regrets his mistake in not doing more to return the phone," and that he thought his $5,000 deal with Gizmodo was only "so that they could review the phone," Wired reports.

According to Hogan's attorney's statement, Hogan didn't see the lost iPhone until another patron at theRedwood City bar came up and asked him if it was his; Hogan apparently then asked a few other patrons if they'd lost the device before heading out, iPhone in hand, according to Wired.

Initial reports had it that the man who'd taken the iPhone tried repeatedly to call the Apple Care support line to return the phone, but according to the statement in the Wired story, Hogan never personally called Apple, although a friend of his offered to. The owners of the bar where the iPhone was lost also told Wired that Hogan never bothered to call them about the lost hardware, although the anguished Apple engineer who mislaid the iPhone "returned several times" to see if it had turned up.

Meanwhile, CNET is reporting that Hogan had help in finding a buyer for the lost iPhone. The "go-between," according to CNET: 27-year-old Sage Robert Wallower, a UC Berkeley student who "contacted technology sites" about the handset. Wallower told CNET that he "didn't see it or touch it in any manner" but knows "who found it," adding, "I need to speak to a lawyer ... I think I have said too much."

No one has been charged yet in the case of the lost iPhone, but a deputy district attorney for San Mateo County tells Wired that Hogan is "very definitely ... being looked at as a suspect in theft." (In California, finding a piece of lost property isn't a case of "finders keepers"; if you find a lost item and keep it without making "reasonable" efforts to find the real owner, you could be charged with a crime.)

Gizmodo's Jason Chen also has yet to be charged; law-enforcement officials have reportedly said they'll hold off on searching the computers and servers seized from Chen's house until they decide whether California's shield law for journalists applies to him.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) says acquisition Palm Is About Future, Not Phones.

By Quentin Hardy

Hewlett-Packard's $1.2 billion purchase of Palm means several things--but the most important ones are not about phones.

Yes, new life for Palm devices means there will be real competition in smartphones, with HP alone pushing operating systems from Google ( GOOG - news - people ), Microsoft ( MSFT - news - people ) and now Palm (and facing competition from Apple ( AAPL - news - people ) and Nokia ( NOK - news - people )). The companies will aim for different market segments, like business, consumer and specialty purposes. Longer term, however, among the phones the fight will be in consumer devices.

But so-called "connected devices," more than just phones, are the future of hardware, as voice becomes one more asset. Already HP Senior Vice President Todd Bradley is talking about phones, tablets, slates and other kinds of hardware that guarantee Internet connectivity. Voice calls themselves may be disappearing into the Internet, to the consternation of the Verizons, AT&Ts and Sprints, which prefer revenues from separate voice minutes rather than connection charges.

Palm's backer Elevation Partners championed Palm's webOS as something that would start in phones but move into all kinds of Internet devices. The first consumer products were the Pre and the Pixi, which were nicely reviewed but had insufficient consumer uptake to get Palm the cash to build more. HP, with $13.5 billion in cash and distribution channels of all sorts, in 170 countries, is not so constrained. (Disclosure: Elevation Partners, which has a stake in Palm, ( PALM - news - people ) is also a shareholder in Forbes Media.)

"Smartphones are a part of this, but this is really about the Web operating system," Shane Robison, HP's chief strategy and technology officer, told Forbes. "It's a change in our business model to a connected device model." HP, he said, is assuming a world in which almost everything needs at least the potential to connect to the Internet.

Michael Gartenberg, a partner with the Altimer Group, noted that HP's ownership of its own OS, on several devices, should worry HP's competitors. The others "have to rely on other people's platforms to drive their business forward," he said. "It allows HP to leverage webOS and tie it back to its enterprise and consumer

The acquisition is also another great test of HP's ability to make tech dreams come true--in this case, Palm's dream of its operating system inside all kinds of machines.

Doubtless there are plans for all kinds of new nonphone Internet connection devices inside Palm, and HP's technologists and manufacturers will have at them at first chance. In his call to analysts Wednesday, Bradley identified vertical markets like health care and education in which devices might soon appear, sold through HP's partners.

HP will also try to do what Palm could not: excite a global community of software developers for the webOS. While Bradley said Palm has 2,000 applications now, it was unable to get the kind of response from developers that Google has received for its Android OS or that Apple has received for its iPhone and iPad.

Source: www.forbes.com

Nokia N8 specs revealed‎

The much expected Nokia N8 has been officially launched just now and here is the press release ! The N8 looks really interesting and is the first 12 MP Camera phone from Nokia and the World’s first Symbian^3 Device . Price is just 370 EUR or Rs.22000 approx before taxes.

Nokia N8. Connect. Create. Entertain.

Espoo, Finland – The Nokia N8, Nokia’s latest smartphone, intuitively connects to the people, places and services that matter most. With the Nokia N8, people can create compelling content, connect to their favorite social networks and enjoy on-demand Web TV programs and Ovi Store apps. Available in select markets during the third quarter of 2010, the estimated retail price of the Nokia N8 is EUR 370, before applicable taxes or subsidies.

The Nokia N8 introduces a 12 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash and a large sensor that rivals those found in compact digital cameras. Additionally, the Nokia N8 offers the ability to make HD-quality videos and edit them with an intuitive built-in editing suite. Doubling as a portable entertainment centerentertainment center, people can enjoy HD-quality video with Dolby DigitalDolby Digital Plus surround sound by plugging into their home theatre systemhome theatre system. The Nokia N8 enables access to Web TV services that deliver programs, news and entertainment from channels like CNN, E! Entertainment, Paramount and National Geographic. Additional local Web TV content is also available from the Ovi Store.

Social networking is second nature to the Nokia N8. People can update their status, share location and photos, and view live feeds from Facebook and Twitter in a single app directly on the home screenhome screen. Calendar events from social networks can also be transferred to the device calendar.

The Nokia N8 comes with free global Ovi MapsOvi Maps walk and drive navigation, guiding people to places and points of interestpoints of interest in more than 70 countries worldwide.

Symbian^3 in action

Powering the Nokia N8 is Symbian ^3, the latest edition of the world’s most used smartphone software, which introduces several major advances, including support for gestures such as multi touch, flick scrolling and pinch-zoom. The Nokia N8 also offers multiple, personalizable homescreens which can be loaded with apps and widgets. The new 2D and 3D graphics architecture in the platform takes full advantage of the Nokia N8’s hardware acceleration to deliver a faster and more responsive user interface.  Symbian^3 also raises the bar in performance by delivering greater memory management allowing more applications to run in parallel for a faster multi-tasking experience.

Getting Qt for Developers

The Nokia N8 is Nokia’s first device to be integrated with Qt, a software development environment that simplifies the development and makes it possible to build applications once and deploy across Symbian and other software platformssoftware platforms.  Nokia has also made the powerful and simple to use Nokia Qt SDK available, in its initial beta, to enable developers to start realizing the potential of Qt.

BlackBerry Pearl 8100

As smartphones go, the original BlackBerry Pearl 8100 series' longevity is nothing short of astounding -- with some minor tweaks, the phone has lasted essentially unchanged for well over three years.

Needless to say, it's time for the granddaddy of consumer-grade BlackBerrys to start collecting pension, so it's an awfully good thing that RIM has chosen its WES conference this week to announce the all-new Pearl 3G.

Rumored as the Pearl 9100, the phone becomes RIM's very first with 802.11n WiFi support (in addition to 802.11b and g, naturally) and features a 3.2 megapixel camera, 256MB of internal storage with microSD expansion up to 32GB, GPS, triband HSDPA with quadband GSM / EDGE, and a 360 x 400 display.

RIM is making the Pearl 3G available in "several lustrous colors" and two different keypad configurations -- numeric 14-key and the more traditional SurePress 20-key -- though there's no indication that the rumored QWERTY version will make it to retail (at least, not yet) or that the company intends for users to be able to swap modules themselves. Expect the phone to launch with "various carriers" in May -- and considering that they've got both AWS and 850 / 1900MHz 3G versions in the mix, we'd expect to see it launch on AT&T and T-Mobile alike.

Source: www.engadget.com

BlackBerry Pearl 3G: Key Features

By Rosa Golijan

Key features of the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone include:

• Elegant candybar design measuring 4.25" x 1.96" x 0.52" (108mm x 50 mm x 13.3 mm) and weighing only 3.3 oz (93 grams)
• 624 Mhz processor with 256 MB Flash memory
• 360x400 sharp-resolution display (238 ppi)
• Optical trackpad that makes navigation fast and smooth, plus a comfortable keyboard that enables quick and accurate typing
• Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 30 hours), plus dedicated media keys integrated along top of the handset
• 3.2 MP camera with zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording*
• Built-in GPS for location-based applications such as BlackBerry® Maps, as well as photo geotagging
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) - first BlackBerry smartphone to support 'n'
• microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards
• Premium phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including systems that support the emerging Bluetooth Message Access Profile standard) and other Bluetooth accessories
• Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications
• developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
• Support for BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone**
• BlackBerry® OS 5
• Support for tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
• Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks

The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone will be available in two models and several lustrous colors. The 9100 model features a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard and the 9105 model features a 14-key traditional phone keyboard. Both models include SureType® software that can complete words as the user types, making texting fast and accurate. The BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is expected to launch with various carriers beginning in May. Check with individual carriers for details about availability and pricing. For more information visit www.blackberry.com/pearl3G.

Source: www.gizmodo.com

BlackBerry Bold 9650

BlackBerry Bold 9650 will be sold through Sprint  and will have a 3.2MP camera, GPS, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and yep, that trackpad.

Is Gizmodo In Legal Trouble Over iPhone 4G Phone?

Silicon Valley police are investigating allegations of theft after reports that a prototype of Apple's iPhone 4G which had been found in a bar was sold to popular tech site Gizmodo for thousands of dollars.

The New York Times reports that the chief deputy district attorney of San Mateo County in California could potentially decide to prosecute on the grounds that Gizmodo had purchased stolen goods.

The prototype, which had been a carefully guarded secret of the Cupertino-based company, was being stored in a iPhone 3G box.

It was reportedly left behind at a bar in Redwood City during field testing. Gizmodo caused a storm of controversy by outing Apple employee Gray Powell as the man responsible.

The iPhone 4G eventually resurfaced on Gizmodo, which posted a detailed account of the device, along with the software and hardware components.

According to the report, the unidentified person who found the coveted device repeatedly tried to contact Apple before turning to the web site.

Gizmodo was reported to have paid $5,000 to the finder when he turned to them after failing to get a response from the iPad maker.

The investigation into the iPhone's disappearance is being headed by the computer crime task force of the Santa Clara county District Attorney. Apple has not yet decided to file charges.

Source: www.itproportal.com

Princeton and George Washington University have started imposing ban on iPad from campuses

Posted by Rachel King

 Not just countries are nervous over iPad performance standards, but now even some of America’s top universities have said that their campuses are not ready for this device.

 According to the Wall Street Journal, both Princeton and George Washington University have banned the iPad from their networks, after wireless security and connectivity issues were reported. Cornell seems ready to prohibit the tablet computer as well.

 Given that the iPad has been touted as an excellent education tool and perfect for college students, this must be a huge blow for Apple. It’s not likely to slow down Apple’s sales anytime soon, especially with the upcoming release of the 3G edition, but this is not good news when one of the target demographics is blocked from using their new gadgets in one of their most common settings. It sounds like Apple should come out with a firmware update to resolve this issue soon - unless a recall is necessary.

Did Apple rush this product out too fast without testing it enough? Or do the universities need to step up their Wi-Fi networks to handle growing traffic?

  Related Posts:

• Princeton University bans iPad
• iPad Ban at Universities Mostly Hype

iPad Ban at Universities Mostly Hype

By Lina Berezovska

iPad bans in universities have recently been written about in major media, following Israel blocking iPads entering the country last week, concerned that the wireless transmitters in the devices are too powerful.

Yet this may all be hype. Princeton University did issue a technical alert stating that the iPad causes network disruptions on campus. But the university provided a temporary solution, warning only that some iPads may need to be blocked if they continue to make the network unstable. Cornell is also experiencing network bandwith overload, while University of George Washington was never apple mobile product-friendly in terms of network support, The Wall Street Journal noticed in its article on the topic.

But not all schools are having issues. The Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania is integrating the iPad into its new Griffin Technology Advantage program, The Chronicle wrote. Students for an additional fee of $500 per semester can enjoy an iPad in a wireless campus with recently quadrupled bandwith.

University of George Fox in Oregon are also going for the iPad in the start of the fall, as part of its Connected Across Campus program, the school wrote in its newsletter. Each student will have a choice between an iPad or a MacBook. While the university is still uncertain how the iPad will affect its campus, George Fox is planning to expand the WiFi coverage into its dormitories, the newsletter revealed.

With over 500,000 iPads sold by Apple, how Universities will adapt to the device remains to be seen. Some are already facing networking issues while others are integrating the device into the classrooms. While the final picture is unclear, it might all come down to universities' choice to push for more advanced technology on campus to keep up with the fast paced hi-tech world.

Source: www.theepochtimes.com

Related Posts:

• Princeton University bans iPad
• Princeton and George Washington University have started imposing ban on iPad from campuses

Princeton University bans iPad

By Chris Gaylord

 Technical problems have led Princeton University to ban some iPad tablets from its network.

  If you're keeping score, here's the current tally: Israel has banned the iPad. Norway's prime minister thinks it's "excellent." Reviewers gushed about the new device. And now we hear that the IT team at Princeton University is shaking its fists at Apple's tablet computer.

 Why? The iPad has been messing up its network.

 When an iPad wants to connect to Princeton's Wi-Fi network, the device asks for permission from the university's Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) system. The school's Wi-Fi basically replies with, "Of course you can use our network. Here's your temporary IP address, which you'll need to get around the Internet. You're free to use this IP address for the next few hours. But, Mr. iPad, please let us know if you'd like to keep it for longer. If you don't renew it, we'll give the IP address to another computer so that they can use our Wi-Fi."

 It's common for these temporary IP addresses to change hands every six hours. But some iPads seem to keep using their assigned numbers without renewing them.

 "The iPad owner is often unaware of any problem," writes Princeton's computer staff. "Nevertheless, it is an issue because it can interfere with service to other devices. Once the iPad has allowed its DHCP lease to expire, the DHCP server may lease the same IP address to another client."

When these overlaps occurs, they can confuse the Wi-Fi system, the iPad, and the next computer that checks out the IP address. Princeton says about half of the iPads using Princeton's network have malfunctioned in this way.

"When an individual iPad malfunctioned, we would contact the owner to advise him or her of the problem," the university says. "When the same iPad malfunctioned a second time, we would block that device from using our network, and contact the owner again."

 While Princeton banished certain iPads from its network, it has not banned the device, as Israel has. In fact, the school has since figured out a workaround and has been communicating with Apple to solve the problem permanently.

This sounds like a classic case of first-generation woes. Apple – and every other computer company for that matter – always needs to iron out the wrinkles that come with new devices and services. Perhaps its a good time to remind readers of the Monitor's appeal for patience in an era of "buy, buy, buy!"

Source: www.theepochtimes.com

Related Posts:

• iPad Ban at Universities Mostly Hype
• Princeton and George and Washington University have started imposing ban on iPad from campuses

New Nokia Phones with awesome technology Capabilities and features.

The Nokia 1661 

(Basic features)

Weight (grams): 82g

Weight (ounces): 2.9 oz

Dimensions (mm): 108 x 45 x 13.55 mm

Dimensions (inches): 4.25 x 1.80 x 0.53

Stand-by Time: 480 hours

Talk Time: 252 minutes

Memory: 8 GB

Special keys: Camera Key, Game Keys, Media Keys

Camera resolution: 8-megapixel

Special features: Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, FM Transmitter, Internal Antenna

The Nokia 1661 is rather lightweight, weighing only 2.9 ounces. The Nokia 1661 is Bluetooth-equipped, which will allow you to use it with a Bluetooth hands-free kit. Here is a list of its other specifications and features.

The Nokia 2720

(Basic features)

Weight (grams): 90 g

Weight (ounces): 3.19 oz

Dimensions (mm): 93 x 46 x 17.8 mm

Dimensions (inches): 3.66 x 1.81 x 0.78

Form Factor: Flop

Stand-by Time: 300 hours

Talk Time: 246 minutes

Memory: 10 MB

Operating system (OS): Series 40

Camera resolution: 1.3 megapixel

Special features: Bluetooth, Internal Antenna

The Nokia 2720 has an average size. It weighs 3.19 ounces. The Nokia 2720 is Bluetooth-equipped, which allows you to use it with a Bluetooth hands-free kit. If your car is also Bluetooth-compatible, you can make the Nokia 2720 use your car's built-in hands-free system.

The Nokia X6

(Basic features)

Weight (grams): 122 g

Weight (ounces): 4.3 oz

Dimensions (mm): 111 x 51 x 13.8 mm

Dimensions (inches): 4.37\" x 2.01\" x 0.54\"

Form Factor :   Bar

Full Keyboard:QWERTY

SAR Rating (Ear):1.31 W/Kg

SAR Rating (Body):1.13 W/Kg

Stand-by Time: 420 hours

Talk Time: 690 minutes

Memory: 16000MB (some versions only)

Special keys: camera key

Operating system (OS): Series 60

Camera resolution: 5 MP

Special features: Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, Accelerometer, Internal Antenna, Proximity sensor, Video Sharing

The Nokia X6 isn't one of the lightest phones. It is Bluetooth-compatible, which will allow you to use it with wireless earphones

The Nokia 7610 Supernova

(Basic features)

Weight (grams): 99 g

Weight (ounces): 3.49 ounces

Dimensions (inches): 3.86 x 1.89 x .59

Memory: 64MB

Special keys: camera key, music key

Operating system (OS): Symbian

Camera resolution: 3.2 megapixel

Special features: Bluetooth,

The Nokia 7610 Supernova has an average size and weight. It weighs 3.49 ounces. It is Bluetooth-compatible, which lets you use it with wireless earphones. If your car is also Bluetooth-compatible, you can make the Nokia 7610 Supernova use your car's built-in hands-free system.

Offered by: O2 UK

The Nokia N97 32GB

(Basic features)

Weight (ounces): 5.29 ounces

Dimensions (inches): 4.61 x 2.18 x .63

Stand-by Time: 430 hours

Talk Time: 570 minutes

Memory: 32000

Operating system (OS): S60

Camera resolution: 5-megapixel

Included accessories: USB Cable, Head Set, Cleaning Cloth

Special features: Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, FM Transmitter, Brightness control, Video sharing, Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Internal antenna

The Nokia N97 32GB isn't very lightweight. It sports Bluetooth, which will let you use it with wireless hands-free kits. The package also contains these accessories: USB Cable, Head Set, Cleaning Cloth.

Offered by: Vodafone UK

The Nokia 2730

(Basic features)

Weight (grams): 87.7 grams

Weight (ounces): 3.09 ounces

Dimensions (mm): 109.6 x 46.9 x 14.4 mm

Stand-by Time: 360 hours

Talk Time: 420 minutes

Memory: 30MB

Operating system (OS): Series 40

Camera resolution: 2.0-megapixel

Included accessories: 1 GB microSD Card, Connectivity Cable, Stereo Headset

Special features: Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi,

The Nokia 2730 is average in size and weight. It weighs 3.09 ounces. It is Bluetooth-compatible, which will let you use it with wireless earphones. It comes with these accessories: 1 GB microSD Card, Connectivity Cable, Stereo Headset.

Offered by Bell Canada

The Nokia E71x

(Basic features)

Weight (ounces): 4.44 ounces

Dimensions (inches): 4.45 x 2.25 x 0.39

Stand-by Time: 410 hours

Talk Time: 300 minutes

Memory: 130MB

Operating system (OS): S60

Camera resolution: 3.2-megapixel

Included accessories: USB Cable

Special features: Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, Intelligent input with auto-completion, auto-correction and learning capability

The Nokia E71x isn't very lightweight. It sports Bluetooth, which lets you use it with wireless hands-free kits. It is also compatible with built-in Bluetooth car kits. The package also contains the following accessories: USB Cable.

Offered by AT&T

Related Posts:

Apple's iPad's not allowed in Israel

Israel has banned imports of Apple Inc.'s hottest new product, the iPad, citing concerns the powerful gadget consumes too much capacity on wireless networks and could disrupt other devices.

Customs officials said Thursday they have already confiscated about 10 of the lightweight tablet computers since Israel announced the new regulations this week. The ban prevents anyone -- even tourists -- from bringing iPads into Israel until officials certify that they comply with local transmitter standards.

"If you operate equipment in a frequency band which is different from the others that operate on that frequency band, then there will be interference," said Nati Schubert, a senior deputy director for the Communications Ministry. "We don't care where people buy their equipment. ... But without regulation, you would have chaos."

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission allows Wi-Fi broadcasting at higher power levels than are allowed in Europe and Israel -- meaning that the iPad's stronger signal could throw off others' wireless connections, Schubert said.

The iPad combines the features of a notebook computer with the touch-pad functions of the iPod. It went on sale in the U.S. on April 3. Apple this week delayed its international launch until May 10, citing heavy sales in the U.S.

Israeli officials said the ban has nothing to do with trade and is simply a precaution to assure that the iPad doesn't affect wireless devices already in use in Israel.

Although Israeli standards are similar to those in many European nations, Israel is the only country so far to officially ban imports.

Schubert said he expects the problem to be resolved as Apple moves closer to the international release.

In the meantime, confiscated iPads will be held by customs -- for a daily storage fee -- until their owners depart the country or ship the gadgets back to the U.S. at their own expense.

Apple's chief distributor in Israel, iDigital, declined to comment on the Communications Ministry's decision, and a message left at Apple's headquarters in California was not immediately returned.

Source: AP

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13 Glaring iPad Shortcomings

Ker Than and Robert Roy Britt
The iPad shows great promise. It's thin and sleek and not like any other gadget out there. It was also more hyped than any new device in recent memory. But is it worth buying?

Given the cost, and a slew of drawbacks, the answer boils down to how much you're willing to pay for a toy.

We've been testing both a low-end and top-end iPad all weekend, also letting family members age 9 to 59 try it out and offer their reactions, and our overall conclusion is that while the iPad is fun to play with, it's hard to figure out what role it fills that some other device doesn't do much better. Here are the most severe problems we see:

It's Awkward

You can't carry it on your hip like a phone, so it presents the same portability issues as any laptop - you'll need a case of some sort to protect it and carry the power cable. Even around the house, there's no simple way to carry the iPad. It's too thin, heavy, slippery and expensive to put under your arm. Several of our testers were seen carrying it like a dinner tray, as a butler would, to go from the kitchen table to the couch. Portability, shmortability.

It's heavy

To be sure, at 1.5 pounds and with all this functionality, the iPad is an impressive feat of engineering. But it's simply not light enough (a Kindle ebook reader is about 10 ounces) and that heft adds to the awkwardness. Holding the iPad in one hand for more than a few minutes to watch a movie or read an ebook results in tired wrists. Even holding it with two hands to read an ebook is tiring. Reading an ebook on a smartphone is ergonomically much more practical.

It's slippery

We might ignore the awkward size and weight, but the iPad is also slippery, and its aluminum back is ever-so-slightly slightly concave. You feel as though it'd slip right out if you try to hold it under your arm. And on the kitchen counter, it slides and twirls as you try to type or swipe the screen (required for navigating). It needs rubber feet, but of course then it won't be near as cool.

The screen has too much glare

The iPad has the same glossy screen as Apple's Macbook Pro laptops and iMac desktops. Unless you're reading in a very dim room, the glare will be noticeable and can be distracting. Outdoors, even in the shade, the glare is really annoying.

Forget reading in the sun

If you thought to take your iPad along for an outing in Central Park or at the beach, forget about it. While bright and contrasty indoors, the iPad's screen looks washed out and is almost impossible to view in bright sunlight. The Kindle's non-glossy e-ink display fares much better outdoors than the iPad's screen.

Fingerprints are annoying

Once you've used the iPad for a few minutes, among the most glaring shortcomings (besides the screen glare) are the fingerprints on the screen. With a smartphone, you can wipe the screen on your shirt or pants. The iPad is too big for that. We're wondering what exactly to clean it with and where we'll keep the cleaning supplies.

It does not multitask

The iPad runs the same operating system as the iPhone, and as a result has all of the iPhone's limitations. The most obvious of these is the inability to multitask - or do multiple things simultaneously. The iPad can't run more than one app at a time (with the exception of a few Apple apps, such as iPod, the iPad's music playing app). While this is may be acceptable in a smartphone, it's a major handicap in a device that Apple expects people to spend hours at a time on. (11 iPhone Tips That Also Work on the iPad )

The browser is limited

The iPad also uses the same limited Safari browser that's found on the iPhone. While much fuss has been made about the iPad's inability to play Flash video, there are other things it can't do as well. For example, Safari on iPad can't be used to create Google Documents, only to view them.

The virtual keyboard stinks

While the virtual keyboard on the iPad is much larger than the iPhone, it's still awkward to type on glass. Even those who've used tiny, cramped netbook keyboards will be disappointed by the lack of real keys and likely reduced to one-finger typing. The iPad can be paired with a physical keyboard, but even this is awkward, because the actions normally done with a mouse or a trackpad on a desktop or laptop have to be done with your finger on the iPad.

There's no USB port

The lack of even one USB port - the universal means of connecting just about everything these days - means you can't connect the device to a printer or other computer peripherals, such as an external hard drive. The iPad can be connected to cameras, but it requires the purchase of a separate accessory from Apple.

iPhone-only apps look horrible

Apple boasts that many of the 150,000 apps already available on the iPhone will also work on the iPad. What the company doesn't tell you is that when enlarged to fit on the iPad's screen, these iPhone apps look horrible, with images and text very pixelated. For this reason, many people will opt to buy apps that are made specifically for the iPad, which tend to be more expensive than their iPhone counterparts.

The price is just too high

$499 is just the beginning, a low-memory model that will fill up too quickly for anyone with a big music library and/or an appetite for video. Toss in ample memory and a 2-year, $280 "we'll replace it even if you drop it" warranty at Best Buy, and you're out $1,000. Given the iPad's weight, awkwardness and slipperiness, we think the warranty is smart.

It doesn't replace anything

The iPad will not replace your smartphone. Unless you can't type, it won't replace your laptop. If you love books, you could argue it's a great e-book reader, but let's see what your wrists say after a few days. The Kindle is a better e-reader. Frankly, we're not sure what need the iPad fills, other than the desire to be cool by owning a device that is in a class all its own.

Source: Livescience.com

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Apple says it sold 300,000 iPads on Day One
iPad Features

Apple says it sold 300,000 iPads on Day One

Here's the big question on the Monday after any big Apple launch: How many iThings were sold? This time around it was the iPad, and the official sales figures for launch day — about 300,000 — were impressive, although not nearly as stellar as some amped-up analysts had expected.
In a press release Monday morning, Apple crowed that its figure of 300,000 iPads sold as of midnight Saturday included pre-orders, sales at Apple stores, and shipments to "channel partners" like Best Buy. Apple also said that iPad users downloaded more than a million apps Saturday, along with a quarter-million volumes from the new iBookstore.

 

Impressive numbers, no doubt, especially when you consider that it took Apple about 2½ months to sell a million first-generation iPhones back in summer 2007. But Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, for one, had predicted a whopping 600,000 to 700,000 total for Saturday — having on Sunday upped his initial estimate based on head counts of iPad lines from coast to coast. (As it happens, his first estimate was much closer to reality — 200,000 to 300,000.) Oops.

 

Despite the big crowds at many Apple and Best Buy locations Saturday, a healthy inventory of iPads appears to be available. The Wall Street Journal noted Monday that "few stock outages were reported."

 

That's in stark contrast with previous iPhone launches, particularly the iPhone 3G in the summer of 2008. Back then, the lines for the iPhone 3G stretched on and on for weeks (in part because of the headaches involved in activating the phones on AT&T's cellular network), with Apple stores selling out left and right. Meanwhile, as the Associated Press notes, the iPhone 3G's follow-up, the iPhone 3GS, managed to sell more than a million units in its first weekend last year. (Of course, that takes into account worldwide sales; the iPad won't go on sale in Europe until later this year.)

 

But the iPhone 3G and 3GS are second- and third-generation products. As with the iPad, sales for the original iPhone weren't exactly blistering, in part because of all the criticism about the first iPhone's lack of 3G and GPS support. The iPhone 3G, of course, added both those features and became a runaway hit, and it's quite probable that the inevitable second-generation iPad will add features missing in the current version, such as a built-in camera and multitasking support.

 

Those sentiments are echoed by Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu, who told the AP that sales of the original iPhone, while "somewhat of a disappointment" at first, began to "really take off" once later iPhones "got more refined, with more apps, better software, not to mention better prices. … We think the iPad is similar."

 

In any case, as the AP notes, sales for the iPad seem to be at least on par with that of the first iPhone, with Piper Jaffray's Munster (yes, the same big iPad over estimator) claiming that the iPad's first-day sales "exceeded those of the original iPhone in 2007." Also enthusiastic, according to the AP: Broadpoint Amtech analyst Brian Marshall, who called the iPad's showing over the weekend "fantastic," if not quite up to his estimate of a stellar $20 billion in annual sales for the current iPhone.

 

So, who exactly were all those people who waited in line for an iPad on launch day? Big surprise: It appears many of them were MacHeads. A survey in New York and Minneapolis (which was issued, as reported by Fortune's Apple 2.0 blogger Philip Elmer-DeWitt, by Piper Jaffray's Munster) found that about three-quarters of them were Mac users, and two-thirds owned an iPhone. Also interesting: Only 4 percent planned to replace their desktops and/or laptops with the iPad. Seventy-four percent planned to use the iPad for Web surfing; just 34 percent said they'd use it for e-mail (perhaps leery of the iPad's on-screen keypad).

 

The big question is whether iPad sales will hold up in the ensuing days, weeks, and months. Shortly after the iPad was announced, Wall Street predicted Apple might sell about a million iPads in 12 months; as the hype began to grow, though, so did the predictions, with estimates now (according to the Journal) ranging from 3 million to 5 million in a year. Apple is off to a solid start, but whether iPad sales will remain at lofty levels remains to be seen.

 

As for me, yes, I've got my own iPad right here, and I'm still tinkering with it. Keep your eyes peeled for a review once I've given it a thorough test drive.

 

What do you think: Is the iPad a hit? A flop? Somewhere in between?

 

Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

 

Source: Yahoo News

 

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• 13 Glaring iPad Shortcomings
• iPad Features

Nigerian scientists develop ‘fuelless’ generator

A team of Nigerian scientists has developed a generator, which does not use fuel and made with almost 100 per cent locally sourced materials.
The device, known as “Fuel-less Electricity Generator,” was demonstrated at a one- day workshop in Osogbo on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised by M-K Technology Nig. Ltd, Ibadan.

One of the organisers of the workshop, Akinyefa Ajibola, a computer scientist, said he and other scientists developed the machine.

He said there had been some efforts in the past to develop the machine but the team only had a breakthrough in December 2009.

According to him, it is a feat by the scientists aimed at tackling the problem of electricity supply in the country.

Ajibola called for a positive response from the government to enhance the mass production of the machine.

‘‘Unlike the existing electricity generating sets the device has no side effects. It does not fume and is noiseless.

‘‘It can also be used 24 hours non-stop, using dry cell batteries but it needs some rest once in a while to enhance its lifespan,’’ he said.

On the marketing, Ajibola said the company would need some capital to enable it to begin standard packaging of the product for public use.

‘‘We don’t sell the product now, we only train people to do it themselves but we may manufacture it for commercial purposes if the capital is there,’’ he said.

Two participants at the workshop, Messrs Babatope Lawal and Adeyemi Olu, lauded the initiative and advised the government to encourage the scientists.

Source: www.independentngonline.com

Google accused over China censorship

By John Oates

The Chinese government has reacted angrily to Google's decision to stop censoring search engine results in the country.

From last night visitors to Google.cn found themselves redirected to Google.com.hk, based in Hong Kong, and a less-censored selection of search results - more details on the move here. The company has been reconsidering business in China since January, when it accused the Chinese government of backing hacking attacks.

But official Chinese media said the accusation of government support for hackers was groundless and said Google was "politicalizing itself".

An official from the Internet Bureau of the State Council Information Office said: "Google has violated its written promise it made when entering the Chinese market by stopping filtering its searching service and blaming China in insinuation for alleged hacker attacks. This is totally wrong. We're uncompromisingly opposed to the politicization of commercial issues, and express our discontent and indignation to Google for its unreasonable accusations and conducts."

An opinion piece on Xihuanet noted that regulation of the internet was a matter for sovereign states - all countries censor aspects of internet content and activity.

It said: "It is unfair for Google to impose its own value and yardsticks on Internet regulation to China, which has its own time-honored tradition, culture and value."

Google has also set up a site to monitor which services are available in mainland China - at the time of writing YouTube and Blogger remain blocked and there are restrictions on Google Docs, Picasa and Groups.

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