Thursday, April 8, 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 Throws Down Google Gauntlet

Microsoft Office 2010 Throws Down Google Gauntlet


SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Next month, Microsoft Corp. will release Office 2010 into an IT world that Google Inc. has been reshaping as use of its Google Apps services has spread to organizations like the Los Angeles city government and Genentech Inc.

With its release of Office 2010 on May 12, Microsoft will complete an effort to move its extensive portfolio of applications to the cloud, offering its business and government customers a new way to deliver services to users.

But while Microsoft has a vast installed base of customers who use its Office suite of products heavily, its mindshare is clearly declining as more and more users embrace Google Apps.

Google moved early to make this a contest over which company offers the best contract terms and legal protections in cloud environments. The city of Los Angeles, which may be Google's marquee government user, has been frank in disclosing details of its agreement. By the end of June, Los Angeles expects to complete a transition of some 30,000 employees to Google Apps.

In a sense, Kevin Crawford, Los Angeles assistant director of IT, is Google's de facto public sector evangelist. He doesn't market Google directly, but he answers questions from many other local government and state officials who want specifics about the city's deal with Google. Indeed, at the SaaScon conference on cloud computing and software as a service here this week, Crawford has been peppered with questions about the contract terms.

Los Angeles has been frank about the contract, which includes unlimited damages for a data breach, provisions allowing audits, guarantees that the data remain in the contiguous 48 states, and penalties if Google's services are unavailable for any longer than five minutes a month.

The contract also gives the city the right to cancel its contract with Google "for convenience," Crawford said.

Contract terms aside, Tim O'Brien, the senior director of the platform strategy group at Microsoft, believes that his company has an advantage in the cloud business because of its experience in the enterprise market.

"We know a lot more than potentially any vendor in the industry about the types of questions [business customers] have because we have been through the enterprise software discussion before," O'Brien said in an interview here.

O'Brien argues that Microsoft's 15 years of experience with cloud-based services, which began with its acquisition of Hotmail in 1998, gives it particular strength in this environment.


Google's DNA is "primarily consumer Web," said O'Brien, noting that when the vendor agreed to allow Los Angeles to make a quick migration to another provider, it might not have considered the problems associated with such a move and the switching costs involved.

A major issue in cloud services is avoiding vendor lock-in by having application and data portability. There are no established means of accomplishing that, and O'Brien doesn't see agreements for them arriving quickly.

"There isn't one single center of gravity for cloud standards in the industry today," said O'Brien, who nonetheless says that Microsoft would embrace portability "because it levels the playing the field with vendors."

Genentech, a South San Francisco-based biotechnology company, adopted Google Apps for its 16,000 corporate users in 2007 but let the users decide whether they wanted to move to Google Docs. About 8,000 now use Docs.

The company's IT approach is give its users choices where possible, said Todd Pierce, senior vice president of IT at Genentech. "People will choose things that will really work for them," he said.


Sunday, April 4, 2010

iPad is now selling – and it’s got touchable Gmail, remote wipe and external display mode



iPad is now selling – and it's got touchable Gmail, remote wipe and external display mode

Google rolled out iPad optimized versions of their services with tablet-oriented interface. In other news a new application allows you to use your iPad-ish or iPhone-ish device as an additional multi-touch monitor to your iMac/MacBook.

main1 iPad is now selling   and its got touchable Gmail, remote wipe and external display mode

Thanks to iDisplay app you can use your iPad or iPhone as a second monitor for your iMac or MacBook. The connection works both directions via Wi-Fi or 3G and you will be able to use your Apple gadget as an input device too.

The iDisplay costs $4.99 for iPad/iPhone and is already available into the AppStore. The Mac OS X software corresponding with the mobile app is also called iDisplay and you can get it from here.

The whole thing works over a simple remote desktop VNC protocol and according to first user reports, it works quite sluggish though it's "mousable".

Meanwhile the Google services have been optimized for iPad use. Browsing Gmail from your tablet will surprise you with HTML5-based interface organized into two touch-optimized panes. The new interface is still experimental and will undergo more changes.

main iPad is now selling   and its got touchable Gmail, remote wipe and external display mode

If you don't own the new Apple gadget, but you are still curious to try the new tablet-oriented interface – there is a way. You need to use Mozilla Firefox and follow this guide. Just remember this is not intended for desktop usage.

New hi-res versions of Maps and YouTube apps for iPad are also available.

Finally, the new iPads are able to use the MobileMe security service. As usual it costs $99 per year but will make sure you can remotely erase all data on your lost or stolen device the moment it's connected to a 3G or Wi-Fi network.

And just before the end of this article, I present you the iPad – naked!

gsmarena 001 iPad is now selling   and its got touchable Gmail, remote wipe and external display modegsmarena 002 iPad is now selling   and its got touchable Gmail, remote wipe and external display modegsmarena 003 iPad is now selling   and its got touchable Gmail, remote wipe and external display modegsmarena 004 iPad is now selling   and its got touchable Gmail, remote wipe and external display mode


--
Ganesh Muthiah

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

This is attitude




 

This is attitude

IF AN EGG IS BROKEN BY AN OUTSIDE FORCE..A LIFE ENDS.

IF AN EGG BREAKS FROM WITHIN...... .LIFE BEGINS.

GREAT THINGS ALWAYS BEGIN FROM WITHIN .

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

This is attitude

 

IT'S BETTER TO LOSE YOUR EGO TO THE ONE YOU LOVE.

THAN TO LOSE THE ONE YOU LOVE ....... BECAUSE OF EGO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  This is attitude

 

WHY WE HAVE SO MANY TEMPLES,   IF GOD IS EVERYWHERE ?


A  WISE MAN SAID :
AIR IS EVERYWHERE,

BUT WE STILL NEED A FAN  TO FEEL IT .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This is attitude

 

WHEN YOU TRUST SOMEONE TRUST HIM COMPLETELY WITHOUT
ANY DOUBT....... AT THE END YOU WOULD GET ONE OF THE TWO :

EITHER A LESSON FOR YOUR LIFE OR A VERY GOOD PERSON

(Hillary and Tensing in picture)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  This is attitude

 

LIFE IS NOT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ACT TRUE TO YOUR   FACE ........


IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO REMAIN TRUE BEHIND   YOUR BACK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  This is attitude

 

SOLDIER : SIR WE ARE SURROUNDED FROM ALL SIDES BY ENEMIES ,


MAJOR : EXCELLENT ! WE CAN ATTACK IN ANY DIRECTION.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  This is attitude

 

THE WORST IN LIFE IS "ATTACHMENT " IT HURTS WHEN YOU LOSE IT. THE BEST THING IN LIFE IS " LONELINESS " 

BECAUSE IT TEACHES YOU EVERYTHING AND, WHEN YOU LOSE IT, YOU GET EVERYTHING.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  This is attitude

 

"You never conquer a mountain. You stand on the summit a few moments; then the wind blows your footprints away."
-Arlene Blum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  This is attitude

 

 

"I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand."
Chinese proverb

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This is attitude

 

"The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become."
Ben Herbste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


--
Ganesh Muthiah

Monday, March 1, 2010

http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,82764/description.html

Everybody has a favorite method for launching programs. If you haven't found yours yet, though, download Krento (also available in a 64-bit version). It creates a slick, rotating 3D circle of up to 12 of your favorite apps (and it supports multiple circles if you want to categorize them). You can also skin Krento, invoke it using a variety of mouse/keyboard methods, and add favorites by dragging and dropping.

Give your desktop a complete overhaul with Rainmeter (also available in a 64-bit version), a beautiful display complete with resource monitors, news feeds, a to-do list, and more--all seamlessly embedded on your desktop and completely customizable. It works with Windows XP, Vista, and 7.

The concept of "stacks" is familiar to any Mac user, and now Windows users can have them, too. StandaloneStack 2 creates eye-pleasing animated shortcuts--stacks--for the contents of any folder on your system. Such a function usually requires a desktop dock program, but this download gets you straight to the good stuff.

Forget minimizing programs to the Windows taskbar where you can't see what they're up to. T3Desk minimizes them to the desktop, shrinking each one to the size, transparency, and 3D viewing angle of your choice. All it takes to bring any window back to the forefront is a single click.

Vinnaithandi Varuvaya

Vinnaithandi Varuvaya Movie Review


Vinnaithandi Varuvaya - Lengthy Love story

‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’, (VTV) and you know what its like to cross the sky and get into another dimension called love. ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ is a popular lyric from the ‘Vennilave Vennilave’ song from ‘Minsara Kanavu’ directed by Rajeev Menon and all of you know that. So director Goutham Vasudev Menon has rightly acknowledged Rajeev Menon in the first card of the Titles. How humble!

Right from the time, the word ‘action’ was told, the film has been creating the ripples of expectation among director Goutham’s fans. He has surely tried his maximum to live up to the expectations. Captain Goutham and his team- comprising of editor Antony, art director Rajeevan, director of photography Manoj Paramahamsa and music by A R Rahman, just look at that combination, have always given us that feeling of modern cinema.

Well technically, the movie is made with high values- Exceptional music, background score, re-recording, classy camera work, foreign locations, etc. All the technicians involved must receive that imperative appreciation for they have done their work with much finesse.

The first in the list of technicians who have to be appreciated would be, undoubtedly, A R Rahman. Man! Isn’t he a creative genius! His 1st movie after the Oscar phenomenon. His music is one of the main reasons to the much acclaimed hype. The re-recording and the background score are really amazing. If you’ve listened to his songs in your personal stereo, then its only half of the magic you have experienced.

The picturisation of the songs is simply remarkable and they complete the magic. God knows how Goutham gets his ideas and the eye of Manoj Paramahamsa who’s done ‘Eeram’ before, not just his eye that thought of those exotic locations but his ‘lens eye’ as well that caught all those beautiful locales. Watch those videos even with half opened eyes and you’ll realize he hasn’t used a camera but a paint brush with the palette of colours from Mother Nature. The colour tones in the movie have been brought out quite amazingly. The songs especially, ‘Hosana’ and ‘Omanna Penne’ shot at Malta, are worth the watch at the cinemas. Songs get major attention in the movie and the other technician we are going to talk about is Rajeevan and his art-work in the sets of a few songs is fascinating. The D.O.P (director of photography) Manoj has used minimal artificial lighting in the movie, showing his signature style.

We’ll come back to the people behind the camera a little later. Now is the time for the people in front of the camera. Trisha and Silambarasan as the lead pair, and quite a few veterans in the movie like Kitty as Silambarasan’s father and Bob Antony as Trisha’s father. All artists have done well especially Ganesh, also one of the producers, who plays Silambarasan’s friend, has acted well, and his dialogue delivery must be appreciated. Lets talk about- Silambarasan! We’ve seen him as a college student, as a mass character and we’ve seen him dance in the middle of the road, typical Chennai style, but can you imagine Silambarasan in formals, as a simple, regular guy-next door, decent and at his best behaviour? Well, he has proved he is not just the normal run-off-the-mill commercial hero but an actor who will mould himself into any character that a story demands. He’s come out of that commercial image with VTV. All were apprehensive about the fact that Silambarasan working with a classy director like Goutham. But the director has been persistent about Silambarasan and he hasn’t let the director down. Silambarasan has been in front of the camera since he was a kid and such a role as ‘Karthik’ in this movie is really not demanding or impossible to him. He hasn’t acted in this movie, but has been himself. His dialogue delivery appeared to be simple, just like how he would talk to anyone in his real life. He is an ambitious and aspiring film maker in the movie and in real life, he really is.

Opposite Silambarasan is pretty lass Trisha. Trisha as Jessie has portrayed her character brilliantly, she hasn’t over acted or under acted, and she’s done it perfectly. Director of Photography, Manoj has prettified Trisha, and she looks prettier than her previous appearances. Saree clad in most of the movie, Trisha has pulled off a terrific performance. Nalini Sriram’s costumes might start a cult with the ladies from now on.

Now we’re moving in to the ‘story, screenplay and dialogues’, by Goutham. Don’t expect us to be spoilsport and reveal the storyline and the cute screenplay of the movie. The first half till the interval will grab your attention as it has been nicely written and well taken. Some cute scenes between Silambarasan and Trisha look really candid and the camera man has managed to capture that cheeky chemistry between the two. According to the film promos, theatrical trailers, etc ‘VTV’ is a love story ‘with a difference’. There wasn’t anything particularly different to talk about, except for Simbu being younger to Trisha by one year, and the screenplay that won’t tell you till the end if they’ve fall in love and live happily ever after?

Silambarasan wooing Trisha, their second pairing after ‘Alai’, is not at all impractical and you can relate their characters to real life. Their chemistry is enticing and they actually appear a cute pair. Silambarasan’s attitude in the movie is straight forward while Trisha is homely and conservative. The one thing you can’t relate to life or even agree is the hero meeting the heroine at her house, at his will without anyone noticing. Cinema has grown of age, or have people!?

The screenplay in the first half is slow and cute but the screenplay in the second half is even slower.

A faster screenplay might spoil the feel of a romantic movie. Back to technicians, Editor Antony has done a decent job but could have advised his Captain to chop off a few reels. Some of the audience thought the movie got over and they got off their seats when a song was being played! but the movie continued for 10 more minutes after that.

Silambarasan, we all know fights well and dances amazingly. There is just one stunt sequence in the movie and that’s designed by Shiva who’s handled the fight scenes very well and Silambarasan is the demi-god we know, sustains not a single scratch on him. Silambarasan’s dance is admirable. Keeping in mind that most of the songs are not dance numbers, you’ll still see him sway to those tunes convincingly.

Dialogues in the movie and especially Silambarasan’s dialogue delivery is worth mentioning. The dialogues make you giggle at times, and sometimes they make you feel- how one can be so romantic.

Director Goutham has tried something ‘different’ but the audience is perplexed at the end. You wouldn’t know how to react after the climax. Weird! If you’ve been following all his movies and know his style of film making, then you would appreciate his work. There were rumours about two climaxes to the movie. The version the audience saw on the first day is not really lively.

Finally a disclaimer: If and only if, you have all the time in the world, and you like the slow romantic genre, you’ll enjoy this one.

VTV- a feel (long) 'good' film!

HTC HD2 doesn't qualify for a Windows Phone 7 upgrade

HTC HD2 doesn't qualify for a Windows Phone 7 upgrade


Bad news for the HTC HD2 owners: your beloved WinMo smartphones does not qualify for a Windows Phone 7 upgrade. The reason is more than ridiculous but you can't do anything to change the situation: the HD2 packs five hardware buttons instead of only 3.

Yeap, the HTC HD2 has a zippy 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a huge capacitive touchscreen display of high resolution and lots of other goodies but according to a Microsoft representative the HD2 "doesn't qualify because it doesn't have the three buttons [layout]".

According to another MS spokesman, the reason for HD2 to skip the upgrade to Microsoft's latest OS for mobile devices is actually the lack of some hardware components.

Well, Microsoft remain silent on the actual full hardware requirements for Windows Phone 7 OS so speculations are abundant.


Sunday, February 28, 2010

Budget leaves much to be desired: NRIs

Budget leaves much to be desired: NRIs
MUSCAT Non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the Sultanate have welcomed India's annual budget terming it positive for the country but were disappointed over its failure to address the concerns of overseas Indians.

"Overall it is a growth-oriented budget. But the government of India has ignored the welfare and protection of Gulf-based Indian workers. There is no mention about the exclusive fund for NRI returnees, who lost their jobs in the wake of the economic recession," members of the expatriate Indian community said.

Oman Tribune spoke to a cross-section of the community to seek their views.

Excerpts:

VT Saileswaran, managing director, Apollo Medical Centre (AMC), Muscat: Overall, the budget is positive. It will encourage NRIs to invest in India. The stable government and strong economic policies will propel the growth. The government's move to introduce new slabs on personal income tax is certain to benefit a large section of tax-payers who would now have to pay less income tax.

Sridhar Chinnasami, general manager, Shanfari Readymix: It is a growth-oriented budget which has a conventional approach, increasing duties for luxury items like ACs, luxury cars and so on. On the other hand, education and infrastructure projects like power and road construction at 20km per day are quite intriguing. Reduced home loan rates will definitely encourage the middle class to get a roof of their own. Specific importance on reducing import duties on magnetron components, used in microwave ovens, has taken me by surprise after noticing the major power shortage. However, the rising food price issue has not been fully addressed. The decision to not increase the passenger fares in the railway budget is a welcome step. The stock market has reacted positively and the growth trend in all segments is expected to continue. The unorganised sector will certainly benefit from public fund contributions that give help to social security benefits.

Dr Anchan CK, Towell Solutions: Perhaps, it would be better to call it an 'OK budget'. The expectations from the people in India as well as the NRIs had been very high. But considering the difficult circumstances and the state of the global economy, one could say that it is OK. I strongly feel that there should have been more focus on manufacturing industry. Rural development, particularly agriculture, would have gone a long way in the creation of more wealth and more employment opportunities. The other aspect is the higher cost of doing business, which of course will affect the consumers.

Rajiv Ahuja, head, corporate communications, Khimjis: Judging from past budgets, I must say that whenever there was an increase in petroleum prices, marginal or otherwise, it has always had a spiralling effect on prices. This spiralling effect in the long run always affects the common man. From that point of view, this is definitely an anti-populist budget, which perhaps may not augur well for the Indian government. In fact, this could prove to be risky and politically damaging. The Indian government is looking at growth, but has not taken stock of the ground realities.

Mohammed Sajid Khan, country manager-Oman, ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants): I think the budget is realistic and judiciously balanced. The focus on fiscal consolidation is good in the long run. It is good to see continued focus on infrastructure. There have been steps to increase spending in healthcare, schools, infrastructure, roads and  rural power sector. The focus on renewable energy as well as the fund for developing technology in clean energy are all encouraging. With thrust on infrastructure in rural areas and focus on agricultural growth, the farm sector may witness a growth of 6-7 per cent next year and add one per cent to the GDP in FY-II.

It remains to be seen what happens to the direct tax code, which had created a lot of uncertainty. In addition, the amount of divestment that is being talked about is also good as it brings in more retail money to capital markets. While the revised tax slabs will leave more money with the consumers, on the other hand they might end up paying more with the hike in fuel prices leading to overall price hike. With the rise in the price of petroleum products, the prices of all commodities will rise further.

Madhusudhanan EG, senior marketing manager, Decorstone International: The budget has good and bad recommendations for the common man. The government has focused on disinvestment. This is a welcome step. However, to increase its revenue, the government should have taken some more steps to collect taxes, which are not being collected. In terms of tax slabs, the budget is really good. If the government can ensure the collection of taxes from all, it will definitely increase the revenue of the government, which could be spent on development works.

The increase in oil prices in the international market should not be used as a tool to increase the fuel price.

Ratheesan K, administration manager, Hassan Ali Engineering Consultancy: The budget is disappointing for the NRIs. The expatriates have been ignored totally. The government, which has been talking of an exclusive fund for NRI returnees, who had lost their employment in the wake of the global recession, has left out the issue completely from the budget.

PJ Mani, business development manager, Modern Velocity Infotech:

The budget is a good one. It has taken care of the salaried taxpayers by increasing the income tax limit. It has allocated more funds for infrastructure development, which is very essential so that in the coming years India will have a good infrastructure in comparison with other countries. The funds allocated for school education also has got an increase. This is a welcome sign. The increase in excise duty only by two per cent is a positive factor and higher excise duty on tobacco products is indirect way of asking people to stop smoking. It is advisable to increase excise duty to higher levels on tobacco products in such a way that people would be wary in buying cigarette and other tobacco-based products.

Overall, the budget is good with a deficit target of 5.5 per cent of the GDP.

(Inputs by Oommen John P, David Solomon and Faizul Haque)


--
Ganesh Muthiah