Generation Next Gadgets

DataInherit.com, the online bank for private password and document storage has announced the launch of its free iPhone app, DataInherit Password Safe. The app gives individuals around the world the ability to manage and access their passwords anywhere and anytime. In addition, it offers high security and unique emergency protection through built-in data inheritance features.
In contrast to other apps DataInherit stores passwords centrally in its Swiss banking data centers. Centralized storage makes a difference as customers only need to enter or change a password once and then they can access it anytime and from all devices. The central data center also offers highest protection against loss as well as providing long-term preservation of customer data.
Developed by Swiss online banking security experts, all DataInherit online safes from DSwiss Ltd contain the irrevocable technical feature that ensure that DSwiss and any third parties are unable to view or access customer passwords or documents.
“We received numerous requests from customers to provide the DataInherit Password Safe on the iPhone. They have become comfortable with using our service online but they wanted the added convenience of the service on their mobile phone. We have put an emphasis on making it simple and have focussed the app on what it’s all about: Passwords available quickly when you need them,” said Andreas Jacob, Director of Customer Business at DSwiss.
Existing DataInherit customers can download the DataInherit app from the iTunes store.
New customers can open a free account on http://www.datainherit.com in less than a minute and will be able to use the iPhone app immediately.

Intel Corp released its newest server chips on Tuesday, as it seeks to maintain its dominance over rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc, and prepare for an expected rise in demand.
The new microprocessors, designed to power both servers and high-end desktop PCs, are the first of Intel’s server chips featuring smaller transistors that have helped the company’s laptop and desktop chips push stronger performance while eking out better energy efficiency. Intel also built in security features the company says can encode and decipher files much faster, effectively removing the “encryption tax” or computer performance lost due to protecting files. The chips will be released under the Xeon product line for servers, and Core i7 for desktop computers, which Intel hopes will gain traction particularly with the entertainment and video game markets. But the biggest opportunity rests with servers, said Intel’s general manager of server marketing, Boyd Davis, where an estimated one-third of the market is running on chips made more than four years ago.
Although roughly nine out of 10 of the world’s servers contain an Intel brain according to IDC, they are not the only ones vying for those potential server sales. Patrick Patla, general manager of AMD’s server division, said the company’s newest chips will also offer increases in speed pushed by a dramatic redesign. “There will be no single bigger performance jump in the history of Opteron than the jump we are going to take from 2009 to 2010,” he said, referring to the server chip’s product name. AMD’s newest chips are due in the next few weeks. It remains to be seen how they will match up against Intel’s latest chips.

Digital libraries, audio-visual presentations and films could soon be the new educational tools for students in 14 government and private colleges in Chandigarh as the authorities hope to take learning beyond the conventional textbook experience.
Apart from introduction of latest technology, the `Vision 2010 document’ of the higher education department, circulated among colleges, focuses on promoting learning through exposure to real-life situations.
“Our aim is to widen the awareness canvas and expose students to real-life situations. Vision 2010 document rolls out a road map for bringing various reforms in the college education,” Ajoy Sharma, Chandigarh’s director of higher education, said Monday.
“Our focus is on overall development of students. Student societies will be formed for promotion of environment awareness, preservation of heritage, community hygiene and sanitation, drug de-addiction, AIDS awareness, public health and gender equality in college campuses,” he said.
The document talks about improving infrastructure, proposes industry-community-based interaction, skill development and use of audio-visual aids, movies and documentaries for teaching in smart classrooms equipped with master CDs of eminent scholars.
“We will procure master CDs of eminent scholars in various disciplines. A digital library will be created in each department of the college. Besides, an effective feedback mechanism will be developed,” Sharma said.

The pen just can’t be written off. Branded fountain and ballpoint pens have no dearth of takers in India and sales are rising despite high prices and the growing use of computers, cell phones and the internet.
“The luxury pen segment in India is growing and a good brand or a designer pen is a latest must have. Consumers falling into the 51 years and above age bracket buy the highest number of such pens,” Nikhil Ranjan, CEO, William Penn, told IANS.
William Penn - The World Pen Store is India’s only multi-brand retail store chain housing premium fine writing instruments manufactured the world over.
“Brand awareness of luxury pens is 88 percent,” Ranjan added.
According to a 2007 Technopak Advisors study, the Indian luxury pen market is gearing up for action. The total market spend on premium pens in India is Rs.479.3 crore (Rs. Rs.4.793 billion), with a category engagement of 79 percent.
High-end pens fall under different categories. The luxury pens cost anywhere between Rs.15,000 and Rs.40,000. Some limited edition pens cost up to Rs.1 crore (Rs.10 million).
The highest number of premium pens are purchased in south India — four times a year. In the north and the west, the frequency of purchase is about twice a year.
In recent years, several international luxury pen makers have come in to grab a share of the market, which is growing at nine percent annually.
Finest brands like Mont Blanc (Germany), S.T Dupont (France), Cross (USA), Sailor (Japan), Caran d’Ache (Switzerland), Conway Stewart (Britain) and Sheaffer (US) are now available in the country.
“India is the second fastest developing economy in the world after China. Plus, it has a promising luxury pen market thanks to the growing consumer base with disposable income and a strong aspiration for luxury brands,” said Dominique Lesueur, export director, S.T Dupont.
Echoing him, Chris Reed, sales manager, Sailor, told IANS: “We started our operations in India in April 2006 because we identified the market potential for top quality writing instruments in the country.”
So hasn’t the growing use of digital media affected the sales of luxury pens?
“We have not seen any reduction in sales that could be specifically attributed to technology; rather, we have seen growth in many markets,” said Jasmine Jones, regional manager, Sheaffer.
Ranjan further added: “One can’t do away with a pen. You will definitely put your signature when you sign a cheque, a contract, a merger. By far a luxury pen is one of the best gifts. Also luxury pens are a collectors item. They are a delight for pen connoisseurs.”

SatNav Technologies has launched a mascot for a range of products and services based on GPS technology. The idea behind the “SatGuide” mascot was to create an image for SatNav Technologies and its many GPS based products and services.
“India has a potential to become the leading destination for multinational GPS companies in Asia, but there is clearly a lack of awareness about the technology and this is proving to be a deterrent. We believe that the “SatGuide” mascot is an initiative that will provide a greater connect with our consumers with better awareness about GPS technology and its applications,” said Amit Prasad, Founder and CEO, SatNav Technologies.
SatNav Technologies is a pioneer in GPS technology in India and offers a wide range of products and services. Over the years, SatGuide (www.satguide.in) has introduced various navigation products like PND, PDA, mobile software and laptop/desktop software, SatTracx Locator services and loggers under the brand name SatGuide.
Major cities are constantly updated by survey and customer feedback, and an additional 200 cities have been added since the previous version of maps. The points of interest are arranged in 42 different categories like airlines, airports, ATMs, among others, for the convenience of the user.

Transcend, a leading storage and multimedia products manufacturer, unveiled its Ultimate 600X and Premium 400X CompactFlash cards. The company boasts of offering blazing fast transfer rates and enormous storage capacity.
The Ultimate series 600X CompactFlash cards operate in quad-channel configuration and transfer data using Ultra DMA (UDMA) mode 6, the fastest speed available for flash cards. These high-speed memory cards raise the bar with read and write speeds of up to 90MB/s. In addition, these cards can store extremely high-resolution image data.
In the Premium series, for instance, the 64GB 400X CompactFlash cards allows users to capture more than 13,000 still images (with a 10 megapixel camera) and record over three hours of full HD video (1920×1080 at 38.6Mbps). Fully compliant with CompactFlash 4.1 specifications, the 400X CF cards deliver transfer speeds of up to 90MB/s read and 60MB/s write with full support for UDMA mode 6.
Transcend’s CF cards are manufactured using only the most advanced Flash controllers and premium quality NAND Flash memory chips. Additionally, each card features built-in ECC (Error Correction Code) that automatically detects and corrects any errors that might occur during data transfer. The 600X CF cards are offered in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities, while the 400X CF cards are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. All CompactFlash cards carry Transcend’s renowned lifetime warranty.

After the release of Asus O! Play Air the two months back, the company has come out with a brand new O Play HD2 player with USB 3.0 ports. This new device, which claims to be the first in the world to have USB 3.0 ports, was announced at the ongoing CeBIT 2010 in Hanover, Germany. Bearing the same glossy looks of Asus O Play family, HD2 has a number of connectivity options to offer. However, to our dismay, Asus hasn’t released any specifications of this media player.
The asus O Play Air HDP-R1 and HDP-R3, the new HD2 digital media player is capable of full 1080p HD playback. Apart from offering USB 3.0 for connectivity, this new media player is backward compatible so one can hooking old USB 2.0 flash, portable or external hard drives. To experience the blazing fast USB 3.0 speeds, you will need peripherals that have USB 3.0 ports. Other connectivity options include HDMI out, eSATA and three slots for multi-media memory cards.
Since the most recent model O! Play HDP-R3 had Wi-Fi (802.11n), we can expect HD2 to carry on the same legacy. We are expecting more details about this digital media player to be out soon and will update them here as soon as we receive them.
The Remote of O! Play Air is rather big. I mean for a device of its kind it really does not need a big remote and more so because there aren’t many buttons as well. Overall, I have to stretch my fingers to reach the playback buttons and so for people with smaller hands it will get a bit tougher. The sizes of the buttons could have been large. Since the remote is huge, large buttons could have made things easier. Apart from all the design faults, it is nice to see a few additional buttons in the functionality side. There is a button for subtitles and another for audio.
The Asus O! Play Air has a great option of File Copy. In this mode you can copy files from either one of the devices or the memory cards, or even the network to any of the devices connected to the player. Among other things, the one that caught my attention is the very quick Fast-Forward. You can scan through an entire 90min movie in no more than a minute with 32x FF.

The Kingston MobileLiteG2 is arguably one of the smallest memory card readers and it comes with a 4 GB SD HC card.The memory card reader comes bundled with a short USB extension cable to facilitate using it with a USB port in congested places. It also comes with a lanyard cable fastened to it. A Kingston 4 GB SD HC memory card is also part of the standard accessories with this product, allowing you to start using it out of the box.
The Kingston MobileLiteG2 reader is probably the smallest memory card reader around, and is barely larger than the SD HC memory card that comes with it. The black and silver polymer body is quite ruggedly built.The reader has retractable covers for the USB port as well as for the memory cards. The cover for the USB port protects the USB port when it is not being used. The cover for the memory card shields it when it is inserted in the reader, thus preventing accidental damage. The retractable covers have a nice honeycomb pattern on it.
The card reader can read up to 9 types of memory card formats. The different media card formats supported include: SD, SDHC, microSD, microSDHC, Memory Stick Micro (M2), Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo. You can also read miniSD/SDHC cards but by using an adapter. This covers pretty much every popular format in use today, except CF, which is usually limited to professional SLR cameras. If you may be wondering as to how the device can read 9 types of cards when there are only two visible card slots, a closer inspection will disclose the secret. A single card slot can read multiple types of cards, thanks to an ingenious arrangement of internal leads.
It plugs directly into a free USB port and since it is Plug’n Play, you can directly start using it without need for any drivers. If the adjacent USB ports are occupied and it is not possible to insert this due to its thickness, you can use the provided USB extension cable.
There is a blue activity LED on the MobileLiteG2, which glows during data transfer activity or even if a memory card is inserted. Without any memory card inserted, the reader does not show up in the Windows Explorer. You can read two different memory cards inserted in the two slots simultaneously, thus allowing you to transfer contents from one card to another. USB 2.0 speed is supported, but it is also compatible with the older USB 1.1 standards.
The Kingston MobileLiteG2 + 4 GB memory card reader can read up to 9 memory card formats and is a decent performer. It serves as a one point access for all popular memory card formats used today. Probably the only notable missing format is CF, in which case you need to look elsewhere. It is one of the smallest memory card readers we have tested and also has a sturdy build. The retractable covers protect the USB plug as well as the inserted memory card.

Indian enterprises are more wary of cyber attacks to their IT infrastructure than perceived threats from terrorism and natural disasters, a study by global security solutions provider Symantec said Tuesday.
A study ‘On the State of Enterprise Security’ conducted in January revealed that Indian enterprises suffered an average revenue loss of Rs.5.8 million due to cyber attacks by elusive hackers in 2009.
“Security has become a main concern to Indian enterprises as cyber attacks are posing a greater threat than terrorism, natural disasters and conventional crimes,” Symantec India managing director Vishal Dhupar told IANS.
Cyber attack is a malicious activity of the IT underworld deployed to steal sensitive information, confidential data and proprietary material for monetary gain. Hackers gain access to the IT infrastructure of enterprises, spanning servers, storage and multiple devices through the internet and browsers.
The study found that 66 percent of the surveyed Indian enterprises faced cyber attacks from external and internal sources in the last 12 months causing loss of confidential data and productivity.
“Securing enterprises and protecting information are more challenging due to understaffing, new IT initiatives and compliance issues. A security blueprint that protects infrastructure as well as information, enforces IT policies and manages systems efficiently can increase the competitive edge of businesses in an information-driven world,” Dhupar said referring to the findings of the study.
The study showed that managing business risk emanating from use of IT will be a key focus area in 2010 for over 80 percent of enterprises though IT security budgets are projected to remain at the 2009 level.
“Each cyber attack mounted had a financial impact on enterprises, besides loss of customer trust and damage to reputation. About 90 percent enterprises face a cost to prevent such attacks and to comply with regulations, as financial loss in productivity was on average Rs. 8.4 million in 2009,” Dhupar said.
Another factor impacting enterprise security spanning networks, endpoints, web and data protection is understaffing.
“Providing security is becoming more complex due to new offerings by IT enterprises such as infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service, server and endpoint virtualisation and software-as-a-service.”
The study noted that enterprises have to protect their IT infrastructure by securing endpoints, messaging and web environments.
“Enterprises need to develop and enforce IT policies and automate their compliance processes. By prioritising risks and defining policies that span across all locations, customers can identify threats and remediate incidents as they occur or anticipate them before they happen,” the study said in its recommendations.

In a major move towards energy conservation, the capital’s main civic agency Tuesday launched the country’s first remote-controlled street lights that can be switched on and off using an internet-enabled main server located in the heart of the city.
The first phase of this street light upgradation project, under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), will become operational Tuesday and will cover a distance of 101 km on 52 roads.
These include main roads like Lodhi Road, Bhishma Pitah Marg and Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. In the first phase, 2,235 light poles have been erected.
“The system is based on global satellite monitoring (GSM) and general packet radio service (GPRS) on which the mobiles work. While the system eliminates manual or timer based operation of street lights, the lights are automatically turned on and off according to the sunrise and sunset time. This conserves energy and reduces carbon dioxide emissions,” said MCD Commissioner K.S. Mehra who inaugurated the project Tuesday.
The central server will be located at MCD’s Civic Centre office on Minto Road here.
The project is being implemented by a consortium of companies — Phillips Electronics Ltd, BP Project Pvt Ltd and Sweka Power-Tech Engineers Pvt Ltd. Delhi-based Sweka is responsible for developing software and related technology.
MCD’s supervising engineer D.K. Sugan, who is in charge of the project, told IANS that the second phase of the project covering an additional 157 km and 107 roads is slated to finish by May this year.
“The unique system has not been used in India before. Some European cities have used the same system. The main objective of using it here is to ensure that energy is saved. In event of any fault or a power theft from a feeder pillar, the alarm will go off in the main server and an SMS will be sent to the area’s maintenance staff for correction,” he explained.
The system server will provide a report of operative and non-operative street lights also.
Each feeder pillar, powering approximately 70-80 lights, will be controlled by a device which has a SIM card with GPRS connectivity. The new system also facilitates auto-remote metering of energy consumption and can monitor power quality such as low or high voltage or frequency. The lights can be simultaneously turned on or off during bad weather or traffic conditions.
The MCD has spent Rs.3.2 million on the project.
Once the second phase is completed, the status of the lights on individual roads shall be available to the public on the MCD’s website - www.mcdonline.gov.in.