Toshiba India, expands its product offerings to the Indian customers with the introduction of 11 new laptops models. This new range of products, under its Satellite and Satellite Pro brands, will offer affordable quality as well as stylish designs, to meet the varying needs of Home Users, SOHO and SMB. 

                                              

Strontium has unleashed three new series of USB flash drives, the Key, Spin and Hulk. All three USB Series are compatible with USB 2.0 Technology with the data transfer rate of up to 480MB/sec. These are available in 2GB to 128GB storage capacities. They are truly plug and play devices which can be plugged into any USB port and it will automatically get detected by the computer as a removable drive. All three models support Windows, Mac & Linux OS.

The pricings are as follows:

Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, introduces two new notebook lines as well as a specialized netbook designed specifically with the business user in mind. The two new notebook lines – P80 Premium series and P30 Essential series – and the new NB30 Pro netbook provide a range of connectivity, security, durability and design-based computing options for professionals in the office and while on the road.

P80 Premium Series
The P80 Premium series notebooks are designed to meet a wide range of business needs and include a powerful Intel Core i5 processor, a docking station connector that provides a "single click" connection and easy access to wide array of ports, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity option and 320 GB hard drive. The notebooks are available in two HD LED backlit screen sizes – 14-inch (P480) and 15-inch (P580) – with a matte finish ideal for image work as well as documents, spreadsheets and presentations. With a built-in Webcam and integrated microphone, the P80 series can be used for video conferencing and virtual presentations.
The P80 series will be available for sale through Samsung resellers beginning late May for an MSRP of $999.

P30 Essential Series
Samsung's P30 Essential series includes features business users expect in a notebook including a scratch resistant exterior texture. The P430 (14-inch) and P530 (15-inch) also contain the Intel® Core i3 processor, 250 GB of hard drive space and a 6-cell battery that boasts up to a 4.5 hour battery life. Weighing 5.5 and 4.9 pounds, respectively, these notebooks are light enough to be carried every day, while packing the computing power a small office or home office user needs to run a business.

The P30 series will be available for sale through Samsung resellers beginning late May for an MSRP of $849.

NB30 Pro Specialized Netbook
The Samsung NB30 Pro specialized netbook has been adapted from the NB30 consumer model launched earlier this year. The rugged durability of the original model has been enhanced with features designed for the business user including Windows 7 Professional OS and increased memory size. It maintains the free-fall sensor which automatically parks the HDD spindle, helping avoid damage to the hard drive if the netbook is dropped, a specially-designed durable casing, and the water resistant keyboard to prevent potential damage from contact with up to 50cc of spilled liquid. These are all ideal features for the business traveler looking for the portability of a netbook and added durability to match a busy lifestyle.

The NB30 Pro will be available in late May through Samsung resellers for an MSRP of $519.

With the telecommunication in India having paved path for the entry of 3G in the Indian spectrum, experts from telecommunications industry from across the country gathered at a conference organized by Indian Merchants’ Chamber to discuss the “Impact of 3G & BWA on Mobile VAS”.  The conference highlighted key topics of importance for the Mobile value added services in India and how 3G will open the door to innovative value added services which will bring everything to just one convergent device.

The conference addressed the topic on the evolution, challenges, opportunities, and trends in Mobile Value Added Services (MVAS). Discussion revolved around 3G applications, the role of Handset Manufacturers to complete the Ecosystem of being ready for 3G, value proposition for the operator and the expectations of the content developers from 3G. The spotlight was on the mobile TV services as well as the impact of 3G on mobile gaming and streamlining of innovative ideas to create casual gamers.

  

“Third generation mobile subscriber base in India is expected to reach 90 million by 2013. With the onset of 3G technology, there will be high data transfer rates over longer distances, efficient bandwidth use, map and positioning services and multiplayer gaming. Mobile services include both voice and VAS. The mobile services market which is estimated to be close to Rs 95,000 crore by 2010 and over Rs 1,30,000 crore by the end of 2015, is witnessing decline in average revenue per user, it is VAS that will provide impetus to the market. While 3G will change the face of telecommunications as entertainment, infotainment and voice communications will be available in just one convergent device, it will also pose challenge to content providers. The focus should be on introducing content which is not only innovative but also affordable in order to encourage mass adaptability”, said Mr. Nitish Mittersain, Chairman, IMC and CEO, Nazara Technologies.

Mr. Gul Kripalani, President, IMC said, “3G is now set to revolutionize mobile communications by introducing high speed connectivity and infotainment to Indians. Besides, 3G will further improve the level of tele-density and broadband penetration which will in turn have a direct effect on the overall economic growth of the county. However, the key drivers for MVAS in India in wake of 3G will be innovative content, improved customer services, and increased affordability of handsets as well as VAS. In times to come, major chunk of subscribers will come mainly from rural areas and for 3G as a technology to flourish in India it would be imperative to carve a strong hold on the rural sections of the country.”

3G is bringing a technology revolution in the country which will change the future of telecommunications in India. According to various estimates, the number of mobile handsets users will reach nearly 800 million in next 4 years, and 3G will change the way we communicate. With the mobile value added services (VAS) market pegged at around $45 billion, the latest trends which are currently doing the rounds are 3G spectrum which is going to create a paradigm shift in the VAS market  in india. With the onset of 3G technology, there will be high data transfer rates over longer distances, efficient bandwidth use, map and positioning services and multiplayer gaming.

Asus has launched the newest variant of their Eee PC range, the Eee PC 1201T.

The latest netbook from the Eee PC Seashell Series features AMD MV-40 CPU and RS780MN chipset, supports 1080p HD video experience and has a 12.1" widescreen display with HD (1366x768) resolution. Stylishly designed incorporating cues of the Eee PC Seashell series; it also has a large ergonomic chiclet keyboard. 

Stanley Wu – Country Product Head – System Business, Asus (India) said, "The Eee PC 1201T is our latest 12" netbook that is feature rich and packs in a powerful configuration. Featuring the AMD MV40 processor, 2 GB RAM and 320 GB hard disk, this netbook is aimed at users who want more processing power and storage capacity from their netbooks. The build quality and finish is top notch and we hope that it appeals to the users looking for a more powerful netbook than those available in the market at the moment.” He further added, “If you see the evolution of the Eee PC which can be heralded as the first netbook ever, what began as a basic 7” netbook has today transformed into a 12” feature rich multimedia device and this is largely a result of the demand in the market for such products."

The Eee PC 1201T features the 2nd Generation AMD Ultrathin platform, which provides balanced performance across a myriad of applications. It draws its inspiration from seashells and its opalescent and glossy exterior is crafted by the innovative in-Mold Roller technology.

The Eee PC 1201T comes preinstalled with ArcSoft SimHD, which up scales standard definition video content to high definition. SimHD, a plug-in for ArcSoft TotalMedia Theater, enhances the quality of images and supports a wide range of file formats.

With the exclusive Asus Super Hybrid Engine's increased power efficiency, the Eee PC can deliver a long battery lifespan - eliminating worries about power while on-the-go and easily keeps users connected for full day.

The Eee PC Seashell costs Rs. 21,490 excluding taxes and comes with a one year warranty.

Samsung Electronics has announced the launch of its new Samsung MystEco Series of TFT Monitors available in 15.6”, 18.5”, 20” and 21.5” screen sizes.  

The salient feature of the new MystEco Series TFT monitors is its power saving capabilities. The MystEco provides consumers the option of power saving with the help of one hot key through which the power consumption can be set at 100% /75%/50% .The MystEco series uses least power in standby mode (0.3W) and comes with a stylish , high glossy cabinet;  slim neck and an elegant design with rear wave pattern. Some of the superior performance features that make the viewing experience truly delightful include, a dynamic contrast ratio of 70000:1, lateral plug-in and a 16:9 wide format panel that is ideal for multimedia contents. The series is HD ready .

Announcing the launch of MystEco series in India, Ranjeet Yadav, Director-Mobile and IT, Samsung India said, “At Samsung, we place a lot of emphasis on creating products that are environment friendly and contribute towards a greener planet. The MystEco series represents an optimal combination of eco friendly and superior performance features.”

The series boasts of features like “Magic Angle” - which is a 3 step angle management process where the screen does not lose clarity, even when it is being from different viewing angels. The screen appears as if viewed at face angle, even when seen lying down or below. The “Magic Return” feature in the MystEco series is optimized for Windows 7 and in case of dual monitor usage allows automatic content movement from one monitor to another in case one of the monitors is switched off. The entire MystEco range is wall mountable  offering consumers convenient space management options.

The new Samsung MystEco Monitor models that have been launched, include: B1630N (15.6”), B1930N (18.5”), B2030N (20”) and B2230N (21.5”) and are priced at Rs. 6350, Rs. 8300, Rs. 8700 and Rs. 11000 respectively.

Militant groups, foreign states and criminal organizations pose a growing threat to U.S. security as they target government and private computer networks, FBI Director Robert Mueller said on Thursday.

In a speech to an Internet security conference, Mueller said militant groups like al Qaeda had primarily used the Internet to recruit members and plan attacks, but had made clear they also see it as a target. "Terrorists have shown a clear interest in pursuing hacking skills and they will either train their own recruits or hire outsiders with an eye toward combining physical attacks with cyber attacks," Mueller said. He noted a cyberattack could have the same impact as a "well-placed bomb." Mueller added that some foreign governments, which he did not identify, also posed a threat by seeking to use the Internet for espionage. "Apart from the terrorist threat, nation-states may use the Internet as a means of attack for political ends," he said. "Nation-state hackers or mercenaries for hire" as well as rogue hackers or international criminal syndicates are targeting government networks, Mueller added. "They seek our technology, our intelligence, our intellectual property, even our military weapons and strategies." The comments came in the wake of several international Internet security incidents. In January, Google Inc , the world's No. 1 Internet search engine, said it had detected a sophisticated online attack on its systems that originated in China and said it believed at least 20 other companies had been targeted.

According to Google, one of the primary goals of the attacks was accessing the personal e-mail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Earlier this week, Spanish police arrested three men accused of masterminding one of the largest computer crimes to date, in which more than 13 million PCs were infected with a virus that stole credit card numbers and data. Mueller said international cooperation was essential to combating online crime like the so-called Mariposa botnet incident in Spain. He added the FBI had 60 "attache" offices around the world as well as special agents embedded with police forces in countries such as Romania, Estonia and the Netherlands. He urged businesses targeted in cyberattacks to come forward to help track down the perpetrators, saying the FBI was attuned to the delicate nature of the situation for corporations. "We will minimize the disruption to your business, we will safeguard your privacy and your data and where necessary we will seek protective orders to preserve trade secrets and business confidentiality," he said. 

Microsoft said on Friday it will stick to its development strategy for the china internet search market regardless of the outcome of Google's high-profile spat with Beijing.

Microsoft has kept a relatively low profile in China since Google announced its decision to potentially withdraw from the market over censorship issues and following an attack on its systems that it believes originated in China. Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer previously said his company had no plans to pull out of China, indicating it was unlikely to follow Google's lead in challenging a Chinese system that forces Internet firms to self censor their sites on sensitive topics. "Regardless of whether or not Google stays, we will aggressively promote our search and cloud computing (in China)," Zhang Yaqin, chairman of Microsoft's Asia-Pacific R&D Group, told Reuters on Friday on the sidelines of the opening of the National People's Congress in Beijing. Zhang added that Microsoft plans to spend about $500 million on research and development in China this year, and another $150 million on outsourced projects. 

Bangalore city traffic police is moving into a 'paperless regime of enforcement' with officers being provided with hi-tech "blackberry and bluetooth'- supported printers from today.

Project "Black Berry assisted Traffic Enforcement" that was initiated by city traffic police in 2008 has finally reached its final stage, state Home Minister V S Acharya said.

Launching the second phase of BlackBerry plan here, he said "with all traffic officers upto the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector getting BlackBerry and Bluetooth-supported printers today, city traffic police will move into a paperless regime of enforcement".

The technology would be implemented throughout Karnataka, Acharya said, without specifying any time frame for it.

WD has introduced its new My Passport Studio portable drives for Macs featuring FireWire 800 interface and a customizable e-label that’s visible, even when the drive is unplugged. Sporting a sleek design, the high-performance My Passport Studio drives are formatted for Mac computers, compatible with Apple TimeMachine software, and feature automatic and continuous backup with WD SmartWare software, and 256-bit hardware-based encryption. Available now at select retailers, the new My Passport Studio drives are offered in capacities of 320 GB, 500 GB and 640 GB

WD’s My Passport Studio drives are designed for creative professionals and Mac enthusiasts. Their production and use of many large files require the fast transfers from computer to My Passport Studio drives that FireWire 800 provides. Professionals such as photographers also benefit from the e-labeling system to effectively organize their work.

The e-label smart display on the front of the My Passport drives can be changed as often as desired using the included WD SmartWare software. Users can easily create a label to personalize their drive or remind themselves of its contents. The e-label also shows available capacity and whether the drive is locked. Utilizing e-paper technology, the information on the display remains clearly visible, even when the drive is unplugged.

“Many of our customers store their content on multiple external drives, making it difficult to know what content is on each drive,” said Sushil Bandi, Country Manager - India, Western Digital. “The e-label smart display is an elegant and practical solution for organizing and keeping track of one’s digital life and work. WD SmartWare software makes it easy for users to protect their valuable content with automatic and continuous backup and encryption.”

The new My Passport Studio is fully compatible with Apple TimeMachine software for easy backup of your most important files.  It also offers the option of the simple and intuitive WD SmartWare software, with automatic continuous backup and real-time visual interface, giving users a view of their backup as it happens. After the first backup, users’ files are backed up automatically every time they change or add a file.

My Passport Studio drives also feature user-selected password protection combined with 256-bit hardware-based encryption, which scrambles files before they are stored.

MSRP for the My Passport Studio drives is Rs. 9,600 for 500GB and Rs. 10,750 for 640GB and they come with a 3-year warranty.

Logitech has announced the Laptop Speaker Z205 - a lightweight speaker with a clip-on design to attach it to a laptop.

“While people love the portability of their laptop computer, they are often missing out on the immersive listening experience that external speakers provide,” said Mark Schneider, vice president and general manager of Logitech’s audio business unit. “When designing the Logitech Laptop Speaker Z205, we wanted to help people get better audio while enjoying their favorite shows or music without sacrificing portability. The Laptop Speaker Z205 is tiny enough to toss in your bag, but delivers big sound.”

The Logitech Laptop Speaker Z205 attaches to the top of most laptop screens. It is approximately 1.35 inches thick and 2.5 inches tall and comes with a carry case that protects the speaker while inside a briefcase or backpack.

The speaker features full stereo sound thanks to two high-performance drivers, a built-in amplifier and an acoustically tuned enclosure. Volume can be adjusted using the buttons located on the top of the speaker. The included USB cable is all thats is required for power and audio - no need for an External power supply - so it's basically plug and play.

The Logitech Laptop Speaker Z205 is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe for a suggested retail price of $39.99 (U.S.) beginning in March.

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, who is set to cross the 200,000 mark in Twitter ollowers, visited the headquarter of the micro-blogging website in San Francisco after being especially invited there.

Priyanka tweeted about her visit to the headquarter where she met Biz Stone, Twitter co-founder.

"My day was really interesting because I was invited to Twitter headquarter in San Francisco! Had a great time. Thanks Biz and team for the wonderful hospitality," she posted.

The 27-year-old, who has been shooting in US for Sajid Nadiadwala's "Anjaana Anjaani", is going to cross the 200,000 mark as far as her followers on Twitter are concerned. At present, she leads the Bollywood bandwagon on the site with 196,903 followers and has left stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Shahid Kapoor far behind.

Google Inc has developed a prototype for a new mirror technology thart could cut by half the cost of building a solar thermal plant, the company's green energy czar said on Friday.

Bill Weihl said that if development and testing go well, he could see the product being ready in one to three years. "Things have progressed," Weihl said in an interview. "We have an internal prototype." Google has been looking at unusual materials for the mirror's reflective surface and the substrate on which the mirror is mounted. In solar thermal technology, the sun's energy is used to heat a substance that produces steam to run a turbine. Mirrors focus the sun's rays on the heated substance. The Internet search engine company, which has been investing in companies and doing research of its own to produce affordable renewable energy, wants to cut the cost of making heliostats, the fields of mirrors that track the sun. "There is a decent chance that in a small number of years, we could have a 2-X reduction in cost," he said. Global companies are increasingly investing in green technology as the world grapples with global warming and governments strive to implement regulations that could limit greenhouse gas emissions. Google has invested in two solar thermal companies, eSolar and BrightSource, with which it has discussed the new mirror technology, Weihl said. He said the technology was not at a stage where it could be tested externally, but he added that both eSolar and BrightSource were interested in it. "If it works, it would absolutely be something they would use," he said.

First announced at CES with Panasonic and LG TVs, Skype will now come embedded on Samsung's LED 7000 and 8000 series models of high-definition telivisions. The embedded skype software allows Skype users to make video and voice calls through the TVs.

Samsung, the global market leader in televisions, will begin shipping TVs with Skype software in the Korean market today, and worldwide in the first half of 2010.

“Our consumers want their televisions to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for entertainment and communication delivered with the highest quality,” said Kevin Kyungshik Lee, Vice President of Visual Display at Samsung Electronics. “Including Skype on our TVs meets that expectation perfectly. We’re thrilled that Samsung’s consumers can now use our TVs to experience the rich video and voice communication that hundreds of millions of Skype users worldwide enjoy.”

The debut of Samsung’s Skype-enabled televisions reinforces Skype’s commitment to making its video and voice calling capabilities available on a full range of Internet-connected devices, including TVs.

The Samsung LED 7000 and 8000 series televisions include Samsung’s free Internet@TV service, which allows access to select online content. Consumers who connect the TVs to the Internet can easily attach a FreeTalk TV Camera for Samsung provided by In Store Solutions (ISS), available at www.skype.com/store, making it possible to place and receive voice calls and High Quality Video calls. Voice calls will use Skype’s SILK audio codec, which enables super-wideband audio quality.

Using the TVs’ remote controls, consumers can create free Skype accounts, log into their existing accounts and navigate via a simple Skype interface accessible on the televisions’ screens. Skype video calls will be free, as will voice calls between Skype users.

SanDisk has begun shipping its 64 GB Ultra SDXC card, the company’s highest capacity SD card. 

With its 64GB capacity, up to 15MB/sec read speed and Class 4 speed rating, the new card is based on the new SD 3.0 specification, that helps consumers record long-duration HD videos. The 64GB SanDisk Ultra SDXC card can store more than eight hours of such video with recording speed of 9 Mbps (HD standard).

"SDXC is the successor to the popular SDHC card format" said Susan Park, director, retail product marketing, SanDisk. "The 64GB SanDisk Ultra SDXC card delivers the speed and capacity consumers need for extended HD video recording and improved rapid shooting of still images. The card is an ideal complement for recently-announced SDXC-compatible cameras and camcoders "

Since the SD 3.0 specification was recently released, only a handful of devices may be immediately available that support SDXC cards. However, the pace of new camera model introduction supporting the SDXC format is accelerating. Canon announced at CES that all of its new VIXIA camcorder models and PowerShot cameras are compatible with SDXC cards. Widespread adoption of SDXC is expected to occur across a range of consumer electronics products including HDTVs, Blu-ray recorders/players, camcorders, cameras, mobile phones, navigation systems and computers. SanDisk ImageMate memory card readers are compatible with SDXC cards if the connected PC uses an operating system that supports exFAT.

The 64GB SanDisk Ultra SDXC card comes with a lifetime limited warranty. The card is available immediately at www.sandisk.com via the U.S. e-commerce site with a price of $349.99, and will be available at SanDisk locations around the world soon after.

Cyber attacks on Facebook pages set up to pay tribute to two murdered Australian children have prompted calls for the social networking site to be more accountable for its users. 

Social Media experts say it is natural that people who use sites such as Facebook or MySpace as a major form of communication should turn to these sites with personal tragedies. These memorial sites often attract thousands of friends and well-wishers, as in the case of the pages set up after the deaths this month of Elliott Fletcher, 12, and Trinity Bates, 8. Students from Brisbane College in the state of Queensland flocked to a memorial site set up after Fletcher was stabbed in a schoolyard fight two weeks ago, but it was defaced with offensive comments and images including child pornography and bestiality. The same happened to a site set up in memory of Bates who was taken from her bed in Bundaberg, Queensland, with her body found in a nearby storm drain on Monday. A teenager accused of her murder was also revealed to be a Facebook friend of her parents. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has appealed to the owners of U.S.-based Facebook to find ways to stop a recurrence of these types of "sickening incidents".

"To have these things happen to Facebook pages set up for the sole purpose of helping these communities pay tribute to young lives lost in the most horrible ways adds to the grief already being experienced," Bligh wrote in a letter to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg which was released to the media. "I seek your advice about whether Facebook can do anything to prevent a recurrence of these types of sickening incidents." A spokesman for Bligh said the premier had yet to receive a response from Zuckerberg. But Facebook spokeswoman Debbie Frost said the site had rules to check content and reviewers were quick to respond to any reports of hate or threats against an individual, pornography, or violent photos or videos, and would remove the content, and either warn or disable the accounts of those responsible. "Facebook is highly self-regulating, and users can and do report content that they find questionable or offensive," Frost said in a statement. She said in the tragic case of Elliott Fletcher, Facebook responded to reports of vandalism from others users and the police by removing the groups and disabling the accounts of the people responsible but that was about all the action possible. "It is simply not possible to 'prevent' a person with a sinister agenda from undertaking offensive activity anywhere on the Internet where people can post content. Nor is it really possible in real life," Frost added. Detective Superintendent Peter Crawford of Queensland police said people should think twice before setting up such social networking groups. As well as memorial sites, Facebook pages popped up vilifying the man accused of murdering Bates. "I would say anybody thinking about putting these sites up in the future need to realise that they're going to attract these kinds of people," Crawford told radio station Fairfax Radio 4BC. "The reality is once you open these sites up to open access to anyone on the Internet, you are going to attract unsavoury people and clearly that's occurred again."

Transcend has launched its new RDP7 multi-card reader that features an integrated USB hub. With the addition of USB 2.0 ports, this high-speed 3-slot card reader can accommodate up to three USB peripherals in addition to reading most memory card formats available on the market.

The new RDP7 multi-card reader sports a stylish, handy design with clearly labeled slots and a bright LED for indicating card insertion and data transfer. Measuring 88mm X 54mm X 10.6mm, the RDP7 is easy to carry around.

Austin Huang, Regional Head - Sales, SAARC & APAC, Transcend, said, “All Transcend card readers come with a free download of Photo Recovery Tool, and the RDP7 is no exception. This useful software features a quick and easy user interface that shows thumbnail previews of recoverable data. With Transcend's Photo Recovery Tool, lost, deleted or formatted files are just a click away! Currently available in black or white, the RDP7 is the ideal choice for accessing data stored on memory cards as well as USB devices.”

Combining a multi-card reader with a 3-port USB hub, the dual-purpose RDP7 bridges the gap between PCs and memory card-equipped electronic gadgets like mobile phones, digital cameras or MP3 players, and allows users to connect multiple peripherals, such as a USB mouse, flash drive, webcam or printer to their computer. Fully hot-pluggable and USB powered, the RDP7 requires no external power source and features a built-in USB cable that snaps into its chassis for extra portable convenience.

Fully USB 2.0 compliant, the multi-card reader accepts today's most popular memory cards, including SD, SDHC, microSDHC, microSD, TransFlash, MMC, MMCplus, RS-MMC, mmcMobile, MS, MS PRO, MS Duo, MS Pro Duo, MS PRO-HG Duo and M2. With an adapter, the RDP7 can also support MMCmicro, miniSD and miniSDHC cards.

The RDP7 mulit-card reader is priced at Rs. 1,025 and comes with a two year warranty.

ViewSonic has announced the commercial availability of its first ULV notebook – the VNB131 ViewBook Pro.

ViewSonic's 13.3" VNB131 ViewBook Pro notebook offers  the latest ULV SU7300 Intel C2D Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. At an inch thick, the notebook packs a 320GB hard drive, 2GB internal memory and a removable DVD RW Super Multi ODD into a sleek and modern looking aluminum alloy casing.

In addition to offering a multi-touch keypad for enlarging screen content, scrolling, rotating and selecting items all without a mouse, this notebook features integrated 802.11b/g/n wireless, two USB 2.0 ports, a 7-in-1 card reader, HDMI and VGA connections. The VNB131 has a 6 cell battery for up to eight hours of computing at a time, plus an extra 3 cell battery that can be interchanged with the removable DVD ODD for an additional four hours of battery life – for a total of up to 12 hours.

The ViewSonic VNB131 ViewBook Pro is currently available for an MSRP of $949. Additional ULV notebook and netbook solutions ranging in size and functionality are scheduled to be available in Q2 2010.

Xerox Corp has sued Google Inc and Yahoo Inc, accusing them of infringing the document management company's patents related to Internet search.

In a lawsuit filed last Friday in the U.S. District Court in Delaware, Xerox said Google's Web-based services such as Google Maps, YouTube and AdSense Advertising Software, as well as Web tools including Yahoo Shopping, infringe patents granted as far back as 2001. Xerox seeks compensation for past infringement and asked the court to halt the companies from further using the technology. Xerox's patents cover such technology as a system for generating queries for information related to a document, and methods for integrating information from documents and other data, Xerox said in a court filing. A Yahoo spokeswoman said the company does not believe it is infringing the patents, and that it plans to fight the case. Google Senior Litigation Counsel Catherine Lacavera said in an emailed statement that the claims are entirely without merit and that the company will "defend against them vigorously." 

India, China and other developing countries face "the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains" unless they step up action to collect and recycle e-waste, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned.

As sales of electronic products in India, China and other developing countries are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years, these "e-waste mountains" would have "serious consequences for the environment and public health", said a report released here during UNEP's governing council meeting.

The report, "Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources", used data from 11 developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation - which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and television sets.

The report estimates e-waste generation in India now at over 100,000 tonnes a year from refrigerators, 275,000 tonnes from TVs, 56,300 tonnes from personal computers, 4,700 tonnes from printers and 1,700 tonnes from mobile phones

Electronic waste from old computers will jump 500 percent in India, and between 200 and 400 percent in South Africa and China by 2020, the report predicts.

By that same year in India, e-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about 18 times higher than 2007 levels and, in China, seven times higher.

By 2020, e-waste from televisions will be 1.5 to 2 times higher in China and India while in India e-waste from discarded refrigerators will double or triple.

Most e-waste in India is incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold -- practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities.

UNEP Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner said: "India, Brazil, Mexico and others may face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector."

The report was co-authored by the Swiss EMPA, Umicore and the United Nations University (UNU), part of the global think tank StEP (Solving the E-waste Problem).

The report says:

Illegal Internet pharmacies are thriving in India and they are increasingly becoming a source of pharmaceutical drug buse across the globe, a report released by the United Nations office of Drugs and Crime said Wednesday.

"India has emerged as one of the main sources of drugs sold through illegal Internet pharmacies, where orders placed abroad are dispatched to buyers using couriers and postal services, which have become a common means of smuggling drugs abroad," the annual International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) report released here said.

The international report said that pharma drug abuse n Bhutan and Bangladesh are also gradually picking up.

It said seizures of amphetamine-type stimulants show that trafficking of these substances may be increasing in South Asia and it has also become a location for their manufacture.

"A number of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories have been discovered in India in recent years," the report said.

"We have busted nine major cases of Internet pharmacy in the past few years. We are taking a lot of steps to control the menace but to monitor the Internet is a huge task," Ish Kumar, deputy director general of India's Narcotic Control Bureau, told IANS.

Kumar said they have sensitised several parcel service providers to curb the menace and get hold of the rackets involved in the process. "We are following a system of controlled delivery, which has given us some positive results so far," Kumar added.

"The widespread abuse of pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs, example Codeine, is an ongoing problem in Bangladesh. Pharmaceutical preparations containing Benzodiazepines are among the most widely abused in Bhutan," the global body said.

Olympus is launching its 'Olympus Zone' in Mumbai and an exclusive store in Delhi.

The highlight of the launch event will be an exhibition of some of the best works of John Isaac, a renowned photographer of international repute, who will also inaugurate the stores.

Olympus has identified India as a key market, and aims to make its products widely available to photography aficionados. The Olympus Zone in Mumbai store is at Dr D.N. Road, Fort, and the New Delhi store is in Palika Bazaar.

Olympus Zones will be offering photography professionals/enthusiasts and the general consumers at large, an opportunity to experience their wide range of cameras under one proof

Yahoo Inc plans to integrate Twitter into its collection of websites, as the company seeks to enhance the appeal of its online properties with popular Social Networking features.

The partnership will allow web surfers to view the short, 140-character messages created by Twitter users, dubbed Tweets, directly within Yahoo sites as well as to publish their own Twitter messages without leaving Yahoo. The move, which Yahoo announced late on Tuesday, comes a couple of months after Yahoo announced a similar deal with Facebook, the world's No.1 social networking site. Earlier this month, Google Inc unveiled a new service dubbed Google Buzz that replicated many of the social networking features that have made services like Twitter and Facebook Internet success stories. Facebook and Twitter - which said on Monday that users of its service generate more than 50 million Tweets every day - pose an increasing threat to established Internet giants like Yahoo and Google whose businesses depend on selling online ads to large audiences. In January, Facebook overtook Yahoo to become the second most visited website in the United States, according to a recent report by web analytics firm Compete. A separate study by comScore showed Yahoo maintaining its No.2 rank with roughly 164 million unique U.S. visitors, while Facebook was the No.4 site with 112 visitors, behind third-ranked Microsoft Corp.

Yahoo said that beginning on Tuesday its Internet search engine results will display up-to-the-second Tweets about various topics, matching the so-called "real time search" capabilities that Google and Microsoft announced in their own respective deals with Twitter last year. Yahoo also plans to display a live stream of Tweets within other online properties including its email service and sites devoted to sports, entertainment and finance later this year. Yahoo executives said that the company was looking at ways to make Twitter messages relevant to each property, such as by customizing the selection of messages that appear alongside an article about a particular sporting event, for example. "We believe that the content and context side of things is very unique," Yahoo Vice President of Communities Jim Stoneham told Reuters in an interview. Yahoo would not comment on any financial terms involved in the deal with Twitter. According to some media reports, Microsoft and Google paid a combined $25 million for the right to include Twitter data in their search results.

Intel Corp said it faced a "sophisticated" hacker attack in January about the same time as the recently publicized Chinese hacker attacks on Google Inc, but noted no clear link between the two events.

Google would not comment on whether Intel was one of the roughly 20 unnamed companies that the world's No. 1 Internet search engine said had been similarly targeted in attacks that originated in China. The attack was just one of what the world's largest chipmakers said were regular attempts on its computer systems, Intel said in a filing under a heading about potential theft or misuse of the company's intellectual property. "The only connection is timing," Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said, declining to elaborate.

The company first publicized the attack and pointed out the similarity in timing to the move on Google in an annual filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Now that Google has publicly admitted to being successfully attacked without much damage to their reputation, analysts said other companies are rethinking their typically tight-lipped approach to security breaches. Recent changes to disclosure laws and increased awareness of cyber-security may also have prompted Intel to come clean, analysts say. But Intel did not say who was behind the attacks, from where in the world they originated, or what information, if any, had been taken. Asked whether Intel had spoken or worked with Google on this issue, Mulloy said: "Our security folks work very closely and collaboratively throughout the industry." "Companies are facing these threats and attacks all the time," Fred Pinkett, vice president of product management for Core Security Technologies, said. In targeting companies like Intel, which have one of the largest intellectual property portfolios in the world, hackers may have been looking for bragging rights. "Very rarely are they really trying to commit industrial espionage, because it's really hard to do that without getting caught," said Todd Feinman, chief executive of Identity Finder. The reason Intel probably publicized the hack attempts was to minimize the company's legal risks, he added. "The advantage is that you're protecting yourself for when it finally does happen and something really bad occurs, because you can say 'we disclosed this information on our 10-K.'"