Google Gadgets: Simplifying Life – Send SMS everywhere

Google has always been innovative and trendy. Either it's gmail or blogger or youtube, it has brought revolution in virtual community. Even though some of it's programs are later bought, but google has made it more fashionable. I am not going to talk here about gmail or any of it's other service but of it's gadgets. Have you used google desktop or google personalised page? Then you might have brought world in your desktop but have you used free text gadget? Using this, you can SMS to everyone here in Kathmandu to in San Francisco.

If you haven't used it, go to google.com/ig, sign in there with your Google ID, and when your personalized page come, click at add stuffs.

There are hundreds of stuffs, so might get lost so click on communication and add Free text message. Now go to homepage and you will see free text message gadget. Now click on edit of free text(Edit menu means traingle sign) and select worldwide. Give any international number and try to SMS. It will give one message saying either click on edit and give your ID or click here for account. Click there, another page will open.

Click on "Upgrade To The Newest Version……" then another page will open.

Find there other option and click on Google gadget and wait for sometime. After some time, you can see call wave's gadget in your personalized page, insert your mobile number and email address.Few minutes later, it will send your verification code. Fill the code and you are done.


Now start sending SMS everywhere, anywhere you want. You can send SMS to NTC and Mero Mobile too.

Microsoft: Woes Continues on Security System

Was just passing through the sites i found this news regarding Microsoft's plan to fight against vulnerabilities. Experts have been involved in discussions over Microsoft's (MS) new system Window's Vista which have motto of "Wow" but it seems, we really need to say WOW. Wondered why, MS delayed it's product by almost 3 years stating it needs to work on security to make it most protected system ever, but ops! it seems there have been many loopholes. Worked so hard and still problems? Who don't say "Wow! Still problem? Great Job Hacker." Reports have been that many crackers have already cracked it's strong holds. On February 1, 2007 MicroSoft admitted it had loopholes.It admitted that speech recognition features in Vista could be hijacked so that a PC tells itself to delete files or folders. Vista can respond to vocal commands and concern has been raised about malicious audio on websites or sent via e-mail. In one scenario outlined by users an MP3 file of voice instructions was used to tell the PC to delete documents. Microsoft said the exploit was "technically possible" but there was no need to worry.

To add more pain, now there have been other problems for Windows XP/2000 users also. See the news below taken from BBC.

Windows users are being urged to install Microsoft's February security update which contains 12 patches for 20 vulnerabilities. The bumper package includes fixes for loopholes that malicious hackers are known to be already exploiting.

Another vulnerability is in the program Microsoft designed to spot viruses and spyware that has infected PCs. Half of the patches in the update have been rated as critical; criminals exploiting these could take over a PC.

Hijack trick

The fixes were issued as part of Microsoft's regular monthly security update that falls on the second Tuesday of every month. Loopholes in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer and Microsoft's Malware Protection Engine are closed by the updates in the patch. Versions of these programs used on Windows 2000 and XP could have these loopholes.

Users worried that they are at risk are being encouraged to check information about which programs are vulnerable via Microsoft's security site. Some of the loopholes, particularly those in Word, have been actively exploited by malicious hackers for several weeks.

Many Windows XP owners are likely to get the patches automatically, but any user can download the patches from the Windows Update site. The "critical" rating usually means that a cyber criminal exploiting such a vulnerability could take over a PC via a booby-trapped webpage or by tricking a user into opening an attachment on an e-mail. None of the patches affected Vista - the newest version of the Windows operating system which was released on 30 January.

Source: BBC NEWS

Trying to define Web 2.0

Web 2.0 or simply web2 hasn’t caught the hype in our country but is the next big thing in developed nations. In the yesteryears the concept of websites flowed like this, one information provider and many information consumers. But it is a different setting in the present circumstance, now there are many information producers/providers and many information consumers which create a many to many information sharing base.

Web 2.0 may seem like a very technical word trying to specify the version 2 of the current web infrastructure that is becoming a part of our high tech life. But it is not, Web 2.0 is a word coined by O'Reilly Media in the year 2004, that refers to the supposed second-generation of Internet-based services that let people collaborate and share information online in perceived new ways such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies. So Web 2.0 is straightforward and clear concept that advocates the websites should be a platform where all the visitors can actively participate.

It is quite clear that Web 2.0 primarily focuses on open content and is supportive to open source. Giving emphasis on community, it is encouraging collaborative works. Hence eventually Web 2.0 tries to achieve information for the people & by the people, so as to parting the traditional Web 1.0 environment where content provider was only one and information consumers were many. In Web 2.0 the numbers of information provides and consumers will be almost same. Web 2.0 is a concept that persuades website viewers to participate and feel the belongingness to the website or the web application.

So you might be asking what are the concrete differences in the new concept Web 2.0 and the earlier one? The answers unfold here, earlier we used to peruse through the Britannica Online encyclopedia where one who is reading if s/he finds new things on that topic is directly not able to add or alter any content but in Wikipedia it is easily possible. In any topic by collaborative effort we get great articles from wikipedia that also at no cost and no legal difficulties. Previously people used to have personal websites, now it is the era of blogging. A weblog, which is usually shortened to blog, is a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), displayed in a reverse chronological order. Thus, personal websites have now turned in to blogs the personal web diary of people.

Commercially, people paid for advertisement or other pages on the basis of page view but now in web 2.0 the cost is charged on the basis of cost per click. Earlier it was the concept of publishing and not letting anyone comment on it or even copy it. But now in web 2.0 the concept of participation has prevailed. In web 1.0 there used to be directories or taxonomy of the links and all other things but now it’s the age of tagging or folksonomy with a community effort. The lacking social aspect in the websites has been incredibly stressed in the new concept of web 2.0.

As the websites based on the web 2.0 concept look forward for the participation of all the interested people so it focuses on simple design but rich features. The feature rich interface will give the even novice web users their space to participate in the website. One Nepali website that is totally based on web 2.0 and provides features like blogging, commenting on the text etc etc is http://fossnepal.org. If you know about Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) it is a must see for you, if you don’t know about FOSS then it is a compulsory visit for you.

Eagerly let’s hope that all the websites and webmasters will get the concept of Web 2.0 in near future. Going to Web 2.0 does not mean that you just add a guest book and it’s done. I’m not even advising that all website should follow web 2.0 as a company websites need not follow web 2.0. But if the webmasters transform their Web 1.0 websites to the new Web 2.0 it will be beneficial to both parties the developers and the website visitors.

Geshan Manandhar

About 700 Words

Published in In your face Magazine Feb 2007 Issue , Our blog is also a great example of web 2.0 consider my last post which has a dozen comments.....

Wireless Charging !

Are you tired of your mobile's batteries dying out when you are in the middle of an important phone call, or the batteries of your mp3 player going dead when you are listening to your favorite song, or your camera giving up on you just when you are about to take that all important picture just because you forgot to charge the batteries last night? Well if you are than this might be the thing for you. Scientists are perfecting a new method of powering devices without the need of wires or wirelessly.

The idea of beaming power through the air has been around for almost two centuries. It is used in some extent today to power some Radio frequency Identification (RFID) tags. The phenomenon which makes this possible is known as electromagnetic induction or also as inductive coupling and occurs when electric current passes through wires like in a RFID tag.

When current flows through a wire it creates a magnetic field just like around a magnet, this field in turn can induce current in nearby wires. This has a limited range however and is not suitable to power a roomful of devices, but scientists have developed methods by which this induced current can be boosted and can successfully power devices like a battery charger.

Automotive supplier Visteon has already announced a wireless charging device that can charge batteries on mobile phones, mp3 players or handheld computers without the need of an adapter. They claim that this wireless charger can charge a device with the same speed as a conventional charger.

The new visteon wireless charging concept that allows users to charge an ipod,cellular phone or a PDA or any other compatible devices.

This sound to be a great idea, and could change our lifestyle. But, will people use it? That remains to be seen given concerns over cell phone radiations and other power line radiations. The developers might have a problem convincing the people that it’s safe.

OLPC, is it a distant dream?

Imagine a day when Nepali school kids will ask their mothers to recharge the battery for their laptops. This seems to an over statement in current milieu but it may not be distant dream.

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) association is a U.S. based non-profit organization set up to oversee “The Children's Machine” project and the construction of the 2B1 (laptop model) "$100 laptop" converts to around 7 thousand 5 hundred NC. Both the project and the organization were announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2005. The organization gained its most attention after Nicholas Negroponte (the founding chairman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab) and Kofi Annan unveiled a working prototype of the ‘CM1’ (another laptop model) in November 2005 at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis, Tunisia. The whole project is the brain child of Mr. Negroponte.

This novel plan to develop a 100 dollar laptop and distribution to millions of school children of developing countries has caught the interest of governments and attention of many computer industry heavyweights. Some heavyweights supporting this praiseworthy causer are Google, Red Hat, AMD, Brightstar Corporation, News Corporation and Nortel Networks. Each company has donated two million dollars. The MIT Media Lab is also involved in the project.

So, what is OLPC then? OLPC is a program to enable all children, everywhere, to have the best education possible. Creating and distributing inexpensive laptops will allow students to become more active and creative, letting them take their learning beyond the walls of their schools and off the pages of textbooks. These $100 laptops will serve as libraries, music studios, art galleries and communications devices, using an open-source software platform that the students can customize and expand as their learning needs and programming skills grow. These machines will permit students to move beyond static, information-centric views of computing and learning by providing a vehicle for experimentation and collaboration. All in all it will teach students how to learn from a wider perspective.

Although no contracts with governments have been signed, Mr. Negroponte says current plans call for producing five to ten million units beginning in late 2006 or early 2007, with tens of millions more a year later. As from the map in the official website (http://laptop.org) Nepal lies in yellow category that specifies those countries which are currently seeking government support. Therefore in the context of Nepal we can encourage this project as it will uplift the education status of the whole nation.

The Nepali localization of the OLPC project is “Mero Sanu Sathi”. Mero Sanu Sathi is the name given to the laptop that may be distributed to the school children of Nepal. It is not a technical project but an educational project which is of the child not for the child. This is the best way to revitalize and revolutionize our education system that runs at the pace of a tortoise. It does not teach the child but make them learn learning. We haven’t seen any government interest in this topic till date but some NGO’s and INGOs are warming up for this worthy initiative. Interested organizations in Nepal for implementation of this project include FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) Nepal Communtiy, Nepal Engineering College (NEC), UNDP, United Mission to Nepal, Education Network Nepal, Bellanet Asia/SAP International, Curriculum Development Center, IT- Resource Nepal (For More see http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Nepal) . But in these sorts of project government help and support is critical. The non government and private organization cannot make this kind of project reality. So I urge government and all concerned parties to support this noble cause.

So may be in five to ten years the children going to school in Nepal may be saying “Mummy mero saanu sathi ko battery sakiyo, charge garidinu na hai.”

Geshan Manandhar

About 650 Words

Official Website of OLPC is http://www.laptop.org

MOre news on OLPC at http://www.olpcnews.com

This also has been published in Showbiz Magazine, Nov-Dec 06 ISSue.

Younnovaters might be thinking, Geshan is not comming up with something new and unheard of. Here is an exclusive writeup for younnovation blog titled : "My Jal-ful experience of the interview with Jal and Goher." It will be a real contribution, If I get the pics or not I'll post it on 31st Dec 06, wait for it it will be worth it. Hope to get lots of comments on this OLPC article if you read it don't forget to comment on it.

GPRS or EDGE

GPRS and EDGE

You as Mero Mobile user, may have surfed the internet via your GPRS (Global Packet Radio Service) enabled mobile handsets. But have you wondered what GPRS is?

GPRS (Global Packet Radio Service) is a mobile data service available to users of GSM (Global System for Mobile) mobile phones. It is often described as "2.5G", that is, a technology between the second (2G) and third (3G) generations of mobile telephony. It provides moderate speed data transfer, by using unused TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) channels in the GSM network. GPRS is a mobile data service which utilizes packet switching. It means that multiple users share the same transmission channel, only transmitting when they have data to send. This means that the total available bandwidth can be immediately dedicated to those users who are actually sending at any given moment, providing higher utilization where users only send or receive data intermittently. Web browsing, receiving e-mails as they arrive and instant messaging are examples of uses that require intermittent data transfers, which benefit from sharing the available bandwidth. Usually, GPRS data are billed per kilobytes of information transceived. Mero mobile (Spice Nepal) charges Rs 0.20 for every 10 Kb traffic.

GPRS is a connectivity solution based on Internet Protocols that supports a wide range of enterprise and consumer applications. With throughput rates of up to 40 kbit/s, users have a similar access speed to a dial-up modem, but with the convenience of being able to connect from anywhere. In addition to the IP (Internet Protocol), GPRS supports X.25, a packet-based protocol that is used mainly in Europe. GPRS is an evolutionary step toward EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Service). Almost all the new cell phone models support GPRS; some models that support GPRS are Nokia 6100, Sony Eriksson 300i, Samsung D500, LG D2100.

EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment), a faster version of the GSM wireless service, is designed to deliver data at rates up to 384 Kbps and enable the delivery of multimedia and other broadband applications to mobile phone. The EDGE standard is built on the existing GSM standard, using the same TDMA frame structure and existing cell arrangements. The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) states that, as of April 2006, there were 139 commercial GSM/EDGE networks in 78 countries, out of a total of 192 EDGE deployments in 102 countries. The regional breakdown of commercial EDGE networks is 59 in Europe, 45 in the Americas and Caribbean, 21 in Asia, and 14 in Africa and the Middle East. GPRS is the present and EDGE may be the future, let's hope we would also step up to EDGE some day.

By Geshan Manandhar

About 450 Words

This has been published in In Your Face Magazine July 06 Issue but I want it to be my 1st Contribution to this innovative blog.