Bookmark management comes to Google Chrome

Google has released a new developer-oriented version of Chrome that brings better bookmark management to the Web browser. People could import bookmarks to the earlier versions of the browser, but version 0.4.154.18 adds the a bookmark manager. "You can search bookmarks, create folders, and drag and drop bookmarks to new locations," said Chrome Program Manager Mark Larson in an e-mail announcement It's a developer release, so only those who've subscribed to the Chrome developer channel will get the new version. Another change comes to the browser's pop-up blocker. Previously, it "just minimized pop-up windows to the lower-right corner of the browser window," with a window for each pop-up. Now there's a notification number and a menu to open a specific pop-up window if desired. A "moderate" security issue also is fixed in which "downloaded HTML files (could) read other files on your computer and send them to sites on the Internet," Google said.

Spam declines after hosting company shut-down

Internet hosting site McColo disappeared on Tuesday. Along with it went thousands of pieces of spam, thanks, in part, to investigative work by Washington Post reporter Brian Krebs. For about four months, security experts have been collecting data about McColo Corp., a San Jose, Calif.-based Web hosting service that may have been used by by the cyber underground, according to the The Washington Post. Krebs said that the McColo hosting company had been responsible for up to 75 percent of all spam spent. Security vendor MXLogic said it was seeing about a 50 percent decline in spam volume as a result on Wednesday. Jose Nazario of Arbor Networks, a company that monitors botnet activity, speculated that McColo vanished at around 9 a.m. Eastern time on November 10. Botnets are frequently used to relay spam, and McColo may have hosted some of the command and control servers necessary to coordinate spam campaigns. Adam O'Donnell, writing on theZDNet Zero Day blog, speculates that the spammers might regroup in Eastern Europe. The Post credits Benny Ng, director of marketing for Hurricane Electric, an upstream provider for McColo, for pulling the plug on the company. Another provider, Global Crossing, declined to comment, telling Krebs the company "communicates and cooperates fully with law enforcement, their peers, and security researchers to address malicious activity."

Google shares close at $291, Yahoo just above $10

In a bad day for publicly traded tech companies, Google's stock shares closed at $291 on Wednesday, marking the first time since 2005 that the Mountain View, Calif., dot-com's stock price has slipped below the $300 mark. The $291 is a 6.57 percent drop for the stock. A parade of negative reports and estimates about ad spending in 2009 have led Wall Street analysts to cut their earnings estimates for Google, which can credit its explosive market valuation to its pioneering search-advertising technology. Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney characterized expectations for the fourth quarter of 2008 as "the weakest they have ever experienced," trimming his estimates for Google's earnings by 3 percent. Also weighing on Google is the report that cell phone giant Verizon may be close to ditching Google as its default mobile-search provider in favor of Microsoft. It was just more than a year ago, on November 1, 2007, that Google's stock price climbed above $700 for the first time, reaching a high of $741 later that month and leading some analysts and bloggers to speculate that it could hit $1,000 in due time. But by mid-January, the once-unsinkable stock had fallen below $600 and has not yet recovered. Meanwhile, fellow Valley stalwart Yahoo is in danger of seeing its stock price dip below $10 for the first time since 2003, when the industry was still recovering from the aftermath of the tech bubble pop. Yahoo's stock closed at $10.34, with a low point of $10.02. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings recently revealed that the company has a $73 million bill resulting from failed negotiations with Microsoft over its acquisition bid, corporate raider Carl Icahn over his board takeover, and Google over a proposed search-ad deal. The Google-Yahoo search deal dissolved at Google's behest, when antitrust regulators threatened legal action, and the company said "pressing ahead risked not only a protracted legal battle but also damage to relationships, with valued partners." A jilted Yahoo publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the decision. Microsoft had offered to buy Yahoo in a deal that ultimately would have valued the company at $33 per share. Yahoo rebuffed the offer, and, according to some, it may very well regret doing so now.

Transcend 128 GB 2.5″ SSD Enters the Indian Market

Transcend has rolled out its latest 128 GB high speed 2.5-inch Solid State Disk (SSD) in the Indian market. The MLC-supported disk offers a powerful new controller, virtually non-existent (0.2ms) latency and promises to provide outstanding sustained reading speed of up to 145 Mbps and writing speed of 92Mbps, irrespective of file size. Austin Huang, Regional Head - Sales, SAARC & APAC, Transcend, said, “With the ever-increasing popularity of compact notebooks and high-end portable devices, the demand for solid-state disks (SSD) is greater than ever. Transcend is poised at the forefront of this new solid-state revolution, offering a new all-new high-speed range of SSD products with a fresh new look and phenomenal read/write speeds.” The RoHS-compliant SSD ensures faster and smooth access to software applications and games. It is based on the industry-standard SATA-II interface and 2.5″ form factor that helps in easy and straightforward user installation for notebooks and conventional PCs. Supporting reliable NAND flash memory, the SSD contains no moving parts, resulting in no mechanical failure due to vibration, shock and heat. The built-in ECC (Error Correction Code) functionality and wear-leveling algorithm ensures highly reliable transfer and durability of data. The Transcend 2.5″ Solid State Disk is available in both SATA-II and IDE versions. Transcend offers a variety of storage capacities, ranging from 8 GB to 128 GB. Backed by a two-year warranty, the Transcend 128 GB 2.5” SSD has hit the Indian shores for Rs. 20,000 through Supertron Electronics and Mediaman Infotech.

Logitech diNovo Keyboard Mac Edition Announced

Logitech unveils its latest addition to the diNovo keyboards, a Logitech diNovo Keyboard Mac Edition. Apart from Logitech’s PerfectStroke key system, this cordless Keyboard also offers a 3-year battery life and an integrated number pad. “With the recently released diNovo Edge, Mac Edition, and now this diNovo Keyboard, Mac Edition, Logitech is giving people more options when it comes to choosing a keyboard that perfectly complements the Mac design,” said Denis Pavillard, vice president of product marketing for Logitech’s keyboards and desktops. “While the diNovo Edge keyboard is rechargeable and includes a TouchDisc and touch-sensitive volume control, our newest diNovo keyboard has a full-size layout and nineteen shortcut keys that provide quick access to Safari, iTunes , Expose , iChat and much more.” The diNovo Keyboard Mac Edition adorns the classic diNovo design. It is .87 inches sleek with high-gloss, semi-translucent Plexiglas frame, sharp angles and built-in brushed-aluminum palm. It equips 2.4 GHz wireless technology. This diNovo keyboard allows one-touch access to Mail, Safari, iTunes, Exposé, Cover Flow, Dashboard, QuickLook and Spaces while the media controls are further simplified with play, pause, mute and volume buttons. (Some features require the Logitech Control Center software installation). It is compatible all Mac computers including MacBook Air, iMac, MacBook or MacBook Pro. The Logitech diNovo Keyboard, Mac Edition is expected to hit the US and Europe markets for a suggested retail price of $99.99 (approx Rs. 4,814).

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Sony PSP 3000 Launched in India

At the recent PlayStation Expo held at Mumbai, Atindriya Bose, country manager, Sony Computer Entertainment, announced PlayStation Portable 3000 for Indian Market just one month after it was announced in Japan. Also plans to introduced 80GB PlayStation 3 console were shared. The Sony PSP has been in news recently for its bright and antiglare screen but same battery life as of PSP Slim and Lite (PSP 2000). Gaming community also refers PSP 3000 as PSP Brite due to its crisper screen. Priced at Rs. 9470, the gaming device features new PSP button replacing the HOME key and in-built microphone for Skype support. The handheld comes without any games and features TV-out but the cables aren't bundled.

Gmail Chat With Voice And Video Support

Google has added voice and video support to the Gmail chat application within the browser. Previously, only voice support was available through the GTalk application-the standalone GTalk client. With this addition, Google has finally provided a much needed feature. The two functions can be added by installing a plug-in. To install the plug-in, select any contact and then click on the "Video & More" option. After installation, you can initiate voice or video chat by clicking on the "Video & More" link. Your friend at the other end will receive a ring, with an option to accept or deny the chat request. The remaining functions are similar to that existing in the earlier Gmail chat application. You have the option to open the chat in a separate window as well as increase or decrease its size. Justin Uberti, a Google software engineer, in Blog Post says, "The video function was designed via open standards, which means that third-party applications and networks can choose to interoperate with Gmail voice and video chat. The offering was developed by Google teams in the U.S. and Sweden, so collaborating across continents and time zones is a fact of life for us, and it sure is easier (and greener) to click 'Start Video Chat' than to get on a plane!" Voice and video chat is available on Macs running Mac OS X v10.4 or later versions and PCs running Windows XP or later versions.

iPhone Firmware 2.2: On November 21?

It's rumor time again. A Greek site has reported, on the basis of information from 'reliable sources,' that iPhone's much awaited firmware v2.2 will be out sooner than expected. According to them, the destined date is November 21. Although the list of updates is still unconfirmed, a few notable additions expected are over-the-air podcast downloads, Google Street View, revamped App Store, and the ability to turn off the auto-correction feature.

Apple Plans To Use Carbon Fiber In MacBook Air?

When Apple came out with MacBook Air, they claimed that it was the thinnest and lightest notebook. The new MacBook Air has a unibody enclosure made from a single aluminum block, which is similar to those of the new MacBook and MacBook Pro. However, the company is planning to reduce MacBook Air's weight to less than three pounds. AppleInsider reported that Apple may adopt carbon fiber to produce MacBook Air's enclosure. Carbon fiber is extremely lightweight. Microscopic crystals are aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber to form strong composites. Aerospace, sports, and racing car sectors use carbon fiber to build the outer body and other components of products. Only the bottom cover and the top cover (with the Apple logo) of MacBook Air might be built with carbon fiber. A pre-production unit made with carbon fiber, in native black, was said to resemble Air's current bottom cover. The dissection experts at iFixit have given out the weights of different components. The unibody chassis weighs 260 grams, while the combined weight of the top and bottom cover is 363 grams (211 grams + 152 grams), and the heaviest component is the battery, weighing 287 grams. You can check out the weight of various components in the image. Kyle Wiens, iFixit chief executive, said, "The current machines feel extremely solid. Apple wouldn't want to sacrifice that at all, hence the willingness to spend more on carbon fiber." Since the newly introduced MacBooks are solid and sturdy, it's unlikely that Apple might move to carbon fiber in the near future. HP's VooDoo PC also plans to roll out lighter and thinner notebooks. Technology innovates at a rapid pace. Adoption of carbon fiber might be Apple's plan in the long run.

DoT Fixes License Fee For Indian 3G Operators

The Telecom Commission has recommended the imposition of a license fee of three percent of the average gross revenue on mobile operators who will provide standalone 3G mobile services in the future. Current 2.5G operators like Airtel and Vodafone will have to pay one percent over and above their present fee when they start offering 3G services. Apart from this, the commission has also recommended an increase of one percent for slabs up to 8 Mhz and two percent for slabs above 8 Mhz. The decision on imposing a one-time spectrum enhancement fee on the 6.2 Mhz slab has been deferred. The new announcement also sees the introduction of a three-year lock-in period on stake sales and the issuing of a special dividend during the three years.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Gets Cloned

Even though the world awaits Nokia's first touchscreen phone the 5800 XpressMusic Chinese have already come up with a clone. The phone dubbed as Li 5800, looks very much like the Nokia 5800 but surely falls behind in features. Unlike the Nokia 5800's 3.2-inch touchscreen, the Chinese handset has a 3-inch screen with 240 x 400 pixels resolution. On features front, the Li 5800 comes with a camera, video playback support, FM radio, video recorder, 256MB internal memory and support for TF memory cards of up to 2GB. There is no word on the pricing and also even if it will be available anywhere else in the world besides China! So, let's wait and lay our hands on the original which has been competitively priced by Nokia.

Contact with extraterrestrial life by 2025?

If you're one of the many people who doubt there's intelligent life anywhere else in the universe, or even someone who thinks there is but that it will take centuries to find it, get ready to be surprised. "We'll find E.T. within two dozen years," senior SETI astronomer Seth Shostak said Tuesday night at an event held at Yahoo's Brickhouse here. That is, he said, if the assumptions of many researchers within the SETI Institute are correct, assumptions that are based on a collision of computing power under Moore's Law and the distance into space we can look with new instruments that will be available to researchers in the years to come. Shostak's talk was largely theoretical and was a quick recap of the history of the SETI project. He explained that it had originally been a NASA project, but that it had been canceled in the 1990s by a Nevada senator unhappy with its lack of success. Now a private nonprofit based in Mountain View, Calif., SETI is the primary organization looking for intelligent life in outer space. And Shostak estimated that if the assumptions about computing power and the strength of forthcoming research instruments are correct, we should be able to search as far out as 500 light years into space by 2025, a distance he predicted would be enough--based on scientist Frank Drake's estimate of there being 10,000 civilizations in our galaxy alone capable of creating radio transmitters--to find evidence of life intelligent enough to broadcast its existence. The main tool for this research, he added, could be the Allen Telescope Array, a project funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and run by the UC Berkeley radio astronomy lab (RAL) and SETI. The array, made from dozens of small antennas, could become strong enough by 2025, Shostek said, to look deep enough into space to achieve what mankind has been attempting almost as long as we've been curious enough to look into the sky.