Amazing Micromax Android Smart Stick

The new product Smart Stick, launched today by Micromax can convert your ordinary TV into an Android based smartTV. Dongles, which convert ordinary TV into an Android device are a recent phenomenon and players like Amkette, Razer Bee and Portronics have already launched them as smart TV boxes in India. But none of them could launch dongles as small as that of Micromax Smart Stick.

The basic idea behind the launch of the Smart Stick is very commendable since the device will allow users to watch not just TV programs but also to surf the net, play games and everything else that can be done on an Android tablet including downloading and using all the apps on Google Play store on TV screens.

With the launch of Smart Stick dongle, Micromax has ventured into a new segment to increase its user base. Smart Stick dongle is a small device that converts an ordinary TV with HDMI port into a large Android tablet.

Micromax Smart Stick after being plugged into a TV with HDMI slot converts the ordinary TV into an Android tablets where it uses the TV's screen as display. But one has to connect the dongle to a power socket as it doesn't have an internal battery.

At the first glance, the tagged price of Rs 4,990 seems to be a bit high for a Smart Stick dongle which doesn't have a screen of its own or even an internal battery. But looking at the features and the remote possibility of price down with time, this still seems to be a good buy.

Google to develop map apps for apple devices

People pining for a Google Maps app on their Apple devices will get one eventually, but likely not for another couple months or so.

Google is developing a maps application for iPhone and iPad that it is seeking to finish by the end of the year, according to people involved with the effort who declined to be named because of the nature of their work. There has been widespread speculation about whether and when Google would release a maps application for Apple devices since Apple released a new version of its iOS operating system with an Apple-made maps service.

One reason that it will take Google some time to build the iPhone app: it expected the app with Google’s maps to remain on the iPhone for some time, based on the contract between the two companies, and was caught off guard when Apple decided to build a new application to replace the old one.

Apple’s service has been widely ridiculed for inaccuracies in addresses, mislabeled landmarks and other mistakes. It has been compared unfavorably to Google Maps, which previously supplied mapping services to iOS users through an app Apple bundled with the devices. Apple has said its new service will improve over time.

Publicly, Google has been cagey about whether it will provide Google Maps for iOS devices as an app, beyond saying that it wants to provide its maps to users on any device they use. On Tuesday in Tokyo, Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, said the company had made no move to submit a Google Maps app for the iPhone.

But Google does intend to build a Google Maps app for iOS, according to people who have been involved in an effort to create the app. There are several complicating factors to Google’s development of the app. Google’s contract with Apple to keep the maps app on the iPhone had more time remaining, and Google did not know that Apple had changed its mind until Apple said publicly in June that it would replace the app with its new maps app, according to two people briefed on the decision. Google is now navigating business relationships with Apple that grow more tricky by the day.

Another complication, according to a person with knowledge of Google Maps: Google would likely prefer to release a maps app that includes 3-D imagery so it is comparable to Apple’s. But Google has 3-D images in Google Earth, which is a separate app with a separate code base from Google Maps, so it would take some time to combine the two.

A handy solution to "USB device not detected"

Problem:
This is a very common problem people face while using their pen drive with the computer. A most common problem with students as well as professionals :

• Windows XP does not recognize USB Mass Storage Drives OR
•  Device is detected and listed with an exclamation mark in Device Manager

After a lot of experiments, this is what I found to be most accurate and simple steps to resolve this with a sure shot. Hope you all will find this useful

Solution:
Please follow these steps to get rid of this problem :

1. Delete following file: C:\Windows\inf\infcache.1

2. Go to windows\inf folder and see if you have read/write permissions for following files:

• usbstor.inf
• usbstor.pnf

If not, open security settings for above files and add your username for read/write access.

3. Open registry editor and delete following keys:
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB\ <read all keys and delete all those saying USB Mass Storage Driver>

Add following keys:
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Usb. Add a new DWoRD Value and name it "DisableSelectiveSuspend". Give it value 1

4. Make sure you have USBSTOR.SYS file in your windows\system32\drivers folder. If it is not there google it and download it and place it at the said location.

If your problem still persists (there are very few chances), then post your exact problem. :)

Laser system that can show what lies behind the walls

According to a research led by an Indian-origin scientist. you can now see what's behind walls using a laser system which recreates 3-D images of the hidden objects. The researchers were inspired by the erratic behavior of photons zooming around and bouncing off objects and walls inside a room and they combine this with advanced optics to enable people “see” what’s hidden around the corners or even behind the walls.

As per Otkrist Gupta, MIT graduate student who led the study, photon particles keep bouncing right off the walls and down a corridor and around a corner. The particles that hit an object are reflected back and when this happens, the data about the time they take to move around and bounce back can be used to get information about its geometry. Using advanced optics, with this concept, in the form of an ultra-fast laser and a 2-D specialized camera, the team exploited being able to capture billions of images per second to demonstrate the technology’s ability to “see” objects by analyzing the light moving around a corner or through water bottle.

There is no doubt that this technique, developed by the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Harvard, Wisconsin and Rice Universities, may prove invaluable in disaster recovery situations, as well as in non-invasive biomedical imaging applications.

Imagine a house collapsing situation where we have to rescue people trapped inside, the technology can be conveniently used and save a number of lives. It is also ideal for use in fire disaster situation, in which you need to find out what’s going on inside and around corners-but don’t want to risk sending someone inside because of dangerous or hazardous conditions. You could use this technology to greatly reduce risking rescue workers’ lives.

As per Gupta, the technology is likely to take at least another five to 10 years before it becomes commercially available.

Karbonn unveils world's first JellyBean tablet

Being an Indian, I personally feel great with the way two companies namely Micromax and Karbonn are bringing out tech gadgets to the market specially the most popular android smartphones and tablets.

Micromax, was not even known to people for first few years after its inception in 1991. Few years back, in 2008, company entered the smartphone market in India and since then it never turned back. At the same time another India company Karbonn mobiles was founded in March 2009 and since then it has always been committed to bring revolutionary technology to the Indian technological eco-sphere.

Today, with the launch of Smart Tab I tablet, Karbonn mobiles became the first company to present the world's first Smart Tab loaded with the revolutionary Android 'Jelly Bean' technology which is an industry-first in itself. According to Karbonn, the tablet will be available for pre-booking on the Karbonn home site. The company will provide a free upgrade to the consumers from their pre-loaded Android 4.0.3 ( Ice Cream Sandwich) platform to Android 4.1 ( Jelly Bean) platform.

The tablet has a 17.8 cm 5-point touch screen, powered by a 3,700 mAh battery. The device, priced at Rs 6990 runs on a 1.2 GHz processor and is said to feature a 3D gravity sensor, Wi-Fi and 3G support through USB dongle. The tablet has a 2MP front camera and pre-embedded applications such as the Karbonn Smart Browser and Karbonn Smart games, local apps including the Times of India and Economic Times app, Facebook.