Free Download: Google Earth 5.0 Ocean Edition

The amazing Google Earth software has just got even better, Google has released a new version of Google

Earth having capabilities of going underwater, it will let you dive beneath the surface and witness underwater terrains that would otherwise would not be possible for a average human. It even sports a historical imagery feature by which you go back in time to see changes taking place on the Earth over time because of human influences, It also has a touring feature by which you can record your actions and places you visit to play them later.

The new version is called Google Earth for Oceans and ocean feature is turned on by default, zooming in on Ocean surface will let you dive beneath the surface where you can navigate 3D underwater sea floor terrain. It has 20 layers of content information contributed by ocean explorers, scientists and researchers having photos, videos and information that i am sure will surprise you.

Hewlett Packard (HP) has for a long time been associated with devices that integrate SIM support and they have however for a long time been stuck to their Pocket PC’s with large touch sensitive screens. Recently the company has decided to venture into the field of mobile phones and they have launched the Hewlett Packard iPAQ 514 Voice Messenger.

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The iPAQ 514 Voice Messenger is a smartphone primarily for business users, and not a phone aimed at those who are more concerned with the entertainment features on their phones. The phone runs on Windows Mobile 6 making the phone somewhat user friendly something that Microsoft has been able to achieve in all its software packages.
HP has focused on the business individuals and they have decided to keep the cost down by putting a 1.3 megapixel camera which is rather low and a display that measures just two diagonal inches and displays just 176 x 220 pixels.
The phone comes with an 802.11 b/g onboard as well as Bluetooth and other connections. The phone allows you to use VolP applications over Wi-Fi. The phone has some interesting features such as the WM6 which is a voice commander which recognizes voice commands and can make calls, launch an application or start music playback. The phone also allows you to read e-mails.

The following is a list of the features the HP iPAQ 514:

• 2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• Dimensions: 107 x 48.6 x 16.3 mm
• Weight: 102g
• Display: TFT 65K colors, 176 x 220 pixels, 2.0 inches
• Ringtones: polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, AAC
• Phonebook: unlimited access both entries and fields, photocall
• Card slot: microSD (TransFlash), 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM, TI OMAP 850 200MHz processor
• GPRS: Class 10 (4+ 1/3 +2 slots), 32-48 kbps
• EDGE: Class 10, 236.8 kbps
• WLAN: WI-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth v 1.2
• Mini USB
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Instant messaging
• Browser: WAP 2.0 / xHTML, HTML (PocketIE)
• Color: Black
• Camera: 1.3MP, 1280 x 1024 pixels, video
• Pocket Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Media Player)
• Java MIDP 2.0
• Video Audio album
• Built in handsfree
• Voice memo
• Standard Li-Ion 1100 mAh
• Up to 188 hours standby time
• Up to 6 hours 30 minutes talk time
  

Microsoft Gives Zune Solution

Microsoft has come up with a solution for those 30GB Zune players that have mysteriously failed for no obvious reason.

Microsoft has come up with the reason – and a solution – for the mysterious failure of so many 30GB Zune players yesterday. The problem was caused by a bug in the driver of the Zune 30 that caused it to improperly handle the final day of a leap year, meaning all Zune 30 devices were potentially affected.

Yesterday the company released the following statement that explains the problem – and also the solution:

"Early this morning we were alerted by our customers that there was a widespread issue affecting our 2006 model Zune 30GB devices (a large number of which are still actively being used). The technical team jumped on the problem immediately and isolated the issue: a bug in the internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year. That being the case, the issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009. We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on. If you're a Zune Pass subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device."

AMD Writes Down ATI...Again

A year ago - and last summer - AMD wrote down the value of its over $5 billion acquisition of ATI. Now, AMD is doing it again.

Back in 2006, heads turned when chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices plunked down about $5.4 billion to acquire graphics developer ATI…but things haven't quite worked out like AMD planned. A year ago, AMD was forced to write down some $1.7 billion of the "goodwill" value of ATI—essentially, admit it overpaid for the business—and back in July AMD wrote off another $880 million, citing ATI's underperforming mobile graphics and digital television technologies…which it sold to Broadcom in August for just under $193 million. All told, AMD had eaten about half the $5.4 billion it had sunk into the graphics developer…and now, in a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company admits it will have to write down the value of ATI by an unspecified amount that will have a "material" impact on the company's financials.

AMD cites the long-term financial outlook for the company, given the current global economic climate, as one reason for the write-down, along with AMD's own decline in stock price and reduced market capitalization. The company says it will not have to spend any money as a result of these "goodwill impairments," but has also announced the layoffs of some 600 employes, 100 more than it announced it would cut loose last month. Those job cuts come after AMD cut 10 percent of its workforce earlier this year, eliminating some 1,600 positions.

AMD shed its CEO Hector Ruiz and other top execs earlier this year, and has recently entered a $6 billion manufacturing partnership with Abu Dhabi investors to create the Foundry Company, which will essentially convert AMD into a fabless chip designer.

How to List your Business in Google Maps using Local Business Center

If you are having a full fledged offline business then you can get it listed using Google Maps under the -Local Business Center. This is a service by google which allows you to put your business details on the google maps for free. You normally get a PIN for this delivered directly by google or else you can request for one at the Local Business Center here

If you dont have a Pin and business listing on google then click here and fill the whole form. Your listing will appear to the right. This is just a first step. After this has been completed, you will be able to upload photos and videos, specify categories, payment options and business hours and much more.

Once you fill in the whole form with all the required details, you will be asked to validate your listing - By Phone, By SMS or By Postcard which can take upto 2-3 weeks time. You can select the Phone option to instantly verify your listing. If you are selecting the phone option you would be given 2 option to offer you a call instantly or after 5 minutes with a ‘Verification PIN’ which you need for validation.

Once you complete the verification call you will find a message of ‘Thank you! We’ve confirmed your PIN and validated your listing.
Your listing should appear on Google Maps within one day. We appreciate your patience. ‘ which means that you have completed this process.

Nokia OVI Mail Beta Is Live Now

If you are one of the 110 million Nokia phone users around the world, now you can set up your Ovi email account directly on your Nokia phone using the recently announced ‘Mail on OVI’ Beta.

Mail on Ovi, the free email account from Nokia, is now ‘live’ and can be set up directly on Nokia phones without requiring a PC to get started. People who use Nokia Series 40 devices can create their own email address directly on their mobile phones. The Ovi email account gives a person all the features and functionalities of a typical PC-based email account. During the Beta period, consumers will be able to choose from 12 languages based on the settings of their device, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Hindi, Bengali, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia.

Mobile phone users from India, Malaysia and the Philippines have been able to use the Beta service since November, with extremely encouraging results, and the availablity is now being extended to the rest of the world.