Tech
New Features for Next-Gen iPod Touch
Rumors about the new features of the next-generation iPod Touch have been circulating. High speed 802.11n WiFi capability is one and another is FM radio transmission. The FM transmit will enable users to stream music directly from their iPod Touch to the car stereo or home theatre system without having to use a special adapter or cables.
In addition, it’s been revealed that there will be an addition of stereo Bluetooth-audio streaming in the Apple iPhone/iPod Touch 3.0 OS. Second-generation iPhone/iPod Touch owners will be able to activate this functionality with this latest upcoming OS.
These will definitely be great additional features for the new iPod Touch. I’m thinking about selling my old one and get the new one when it’s out. Hmm.
Photo Credit: bizmac
Free Long Distance Calls Within Canada
Did you know that you could call long distance for free within Canada? Using your cell or your land line, that is. Yup, you read that right! And you don’t need to use a computer nor install any software or hardware. This is only applicable to certain cities though.
I haven’t tried using it yet, but it’s good to know that this is available, just in case. Oh actually, I have tried calling the Toronto access number, but I haven’t made any calls yet. You listen to a short ad at the start, then all you need to do is just dial the number you want to call right after, and that’s about it.
As of this writing, long distance calls can be made from the following cities (thanks to zerocents.ca) by dialing the corresponding access number from your cell or land line:
- Calgary 403-450-3474
- Guelph 519-341-6093
- Halifax 902-482-9710
- Kingston 613-344-1392
- Niagara Falls 289-932-2220
- Oshawa 289-634-1100
- Ottawa 613-688-3733
- Peterborough 705-536-0659
- St. Catharines 289-438-2220
- Toronto 416-644-3733
- Victoria 250-412-8092
- Windsor 226-946-1946
For the list of cities covered to where you could call for free, check the list at zerocents.ca. If you’re calling from your cell, however, regular outgoing call rates still apply. It’s just that you wouldn’t be charged for long distance rates.
How, you ask, is this possibly free? They are using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service for this. Voice signals are converted into digital signals that travel through the internet. The signal, then, is converted back to a regular telephone (analog) signal before it reaches the called destination. I do not have any idea, however, why these nice guys (whoever they are) are providing this service for free.
VoIP is also used by the different companies that offer cheaper long distance phone card rates. This is what allows them to charge for a lower price than regular long distance calls.
Thank goodness for latest technologies and the guys behind zerocents.ca, eh?
Update as of 2010: This free long distance service is no longer available. The above mentioned website will redirect you to another site offering paid VoIP service.
Netbooks… I Want One, Too.
The Netbook, a small version of the notebook computer, has been quite popular lately. Especially now that the economy has been suffering, some people are turning to buy these less-expensive (~$200-$400ish) small-sized computers instead of the regular laptop. If what you mostly need is just to be able to use email, surf the web, and create documents, then a netbook would surely suffice.
It was Asus who first released the netbook called the Asus Eee PC in 2007. However, the roots of the netbook can be traced to Psion’s discontinued netBook line, the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project and the Palm Foleo.
After Asus, other computer manufacturers followed suit, including Everex, MSI, Acer, Dell, and HP. Initially, it was only the Linux operating system which was used, but now, Windows XP based models have also been released.
The Top 10 Netbooks listed by PC World on March 6th, 2009 are as follows:
- Asus Eee PC 1000HE
- Acer Aspire ONE AOD150
- Lenovo Ideapad S10
- Acer Aspire ONE
- Asus Eee PC 1000 XP
- HP Mini 2140
- Asus N10Jc
- HP Mini 1000
- Dell Inspiron Mini 9
- MSI Wind U100
Ever since the Asus Eee PC was released, I’ve always thought of getting one (the pink one specifically) so I could use it on the go. And now, I’m glad I have more options. Unfortunately, I don’t have the money to spare right now. I just love gadgets and this would surely be a lovely addition, as soon as I have the extra bucks. I can’t really make it a priority right now though. [Sigh]
Photo Credit: zieak
Google’s April Fool’s Hoaxes
I find Google’s April Fool’s hoaxes quite funny. They’ve started this tradition of theirs since 2000. I have only come across their hoaxes last year though. Three of these many hoaxes they have had I will share with you.
Okay, have you ever wanted or wished you could go to the moon? Apparently in 2004, Google had an open job opportunity to actually work in the moon! “Google Copernicus Center is hiring.” How cool could that be? Well unfortunately, this turned out to be a hoax.
They did not and are not going to build “a fully integrated research, development and technology facility at which Google will be conducting experiments in entropized information filtering, high-density high-delivery hosting (HiDeHiDeHo) and de-oxygenated cubicle dwelling” like they said on the Google Job Opportunities page.
Another one is Virgle. Last year (2008), Google announced a joint project with Virgin Group to establish a permanent settlement on Mars. The announcement included videos of the founders of both Virgin Group and Google.
They had this online application form with some sort of serious questions but with some choices that were a bit funny. After submitting the application, the site notifies the user that he/she is not fit for space, or that the application is fine and “all you have to do is submit your video” [as a response to their video on YouTube].
Third. As more and more everyday communication takes place over email, lots of people have complained about how hard it is to read and respond to every message. So Google introduced this year the Gmail Autopilot to help users reply to emails easily.
They said that it could actually match your personal style in writing as it sends autopilot responses. The more Gmail messages Autopilot can sample, the better. That means with fewer than 100 messages, there may not be enough data to calibrate Autopilot effectively. Really quite funny concept, isn’t it? Again, it’s purely another hoax.
So did you fall for any of those pranks by Google? [Laughing]
Conficker.C Activates on Schedule Quietly
Here are some excerpts on the latest about the Conficker Worm from ars technica and PC World:
Conficker.C appears on schedule, but only as a whisper. It’s April 1—do you know where Conficker is? The worm’s reactivation date has passed relatively quietly, but security researchers warn that the worst could still be coming. Keep your scanners updated, and watch your network traffic.
The Conficker worm today has begun to phone home for instructions but has done little else. Conficker was programmed to today begin actively visiting 500 out of 50,000 randomly generated web addresses to receive new instructions on how to behave. Conficker has begun to do this, according to security company F-Secure, but so far no doomsday scenarios have emerged.
April 1, thus far, is pretty clean. Let’s see what happens over the next few weeks before we draw a final judgment on the success or failure of the anti-Conficker associations. Hopefully the new detection scanners (and a comprehensive report just released by Leder and Werner) will turn the tide and begin to shut the worm down.
This will probably be my last post on Conficker for now, unless something major really does happen. On to other topics for the next posts!
Photo Credit: Andrew Scott
Tech-Life in Pink 