Microsoft Introduces the Arc Touch Mouse

Microsoft, the worldwide leader in computer technology has taken the mouse to a whole new level with the launch of their Arc Touch mouse. PC owners now will no longer have to envy the Magic Mouse by Apple for the reason that this stylishly designed mouse by Microsoft has all the same features and a few more



The Arc Touch mouse is bundled with a variety of very interesting features which consist of its flexible design where it can be curved for comfort and flattened up when not in use. The aforementioned characteristic also acts as a power on / off feature for the mouse. Microsoft added another feature to this mouse with BlueTrack Technology in which it is able to work on a range of surfaces. Other facets of the Arc Touch are its 15 mm thickness, a strip for scrolling, a nano transceiver at the bottom and the ability to use the mouse with either hand.


At the Microsoft Arc Touch launch in India, Mr. Satish Parreddi, Senior Category Manager, Microsoft Hardware, said, “As the computing landscape evolves to offer new ways of interacting, such as touch screens and touch pads, the mouse is also evolving but holds true to its core purpose: providing comfort and precision to users when navigating the PC. Although, the computer mouse has become more accurate over the years, there has been little change in the style of this common computer component. The inspiration for the Arc Touch came from wanting to better understand the refined and modern lifestyle of our customers and offers as much substance as style.”


The Arc Touch Mouse will be available at an estimated retail price of Rs. 3,600 at close to 100 retail outlets across 10 major cities in India. The mouse is backed by a worldwide three year warranty. Customers can also log on to www.microsoftstore.co.in to purchase the product online

ISRO Launches PSLV C-16

We've been following the progress on ISRO's latest launch. Following a few failures last year, ISRO successfully put three satellites into orbit using its PSLV C-16 rocket. The PSLV C-16 launched from the ISRO launchpad in Sriharikota at 10:12am this morning. The craft reached orbit within 20 minutes of take off. The total payload of the satellites was a massive 1,404 kg. The mission was powered by a mix of liquid propellant as well as solid rocket boosters.




One of the satellites onboard the PSLV C-16 was the Resourcesat-2, which will be responsible for mapping natural resources. The other satellites to be launched the Youthsat, which would built with collaboration with Russia. The third satellite called X-SAT was built by Singapore that was designed to demonstrate remote sensing and image processing capabilities. The Resourcesat-2 replaces the Resourcesat-1 and has a operating life of five years. The Youthsat will operate for the next two years.

Sophos Issues an Open Letter to Facebook

IT security and data protection firm, Sophos has issued an open letter to the popular social networking site, Facebook. The networking site has off late garnered a lot of criticism from data protection firms like these owing to its faulty security settings.




Intending to safeguard the personal data of over 500 million Facebook users, Sophos has issued its concerns in this letter. Sophos has in its letter, labeled the issues under three broad categories – privacy by default, vetted app developers, https for everything. The privacy by default issue pertains to the habit of the social networking site to express personal details of the user without him or her agreeing to do so. Sophos has asked Facebook to curb this activity, and instead should ask the user if he wishes to do so, or otherwise. For the vetted app developers, Sophos added that only third party app developers who’re vetted and approved, be allowed to introduce apps on Facebook. This feature, according to the data security firm is essential because otherwise it would be an invitation to fake, roguish app developers. As a step towards ensuring more security, Facebook opened up the https doorway. However, the glitch here was that it was kept off, by default. Facebook should instead keep it on by default to safeguard information.

It now remains to be seen Facebook’s course of action post reading Sophos’s three-point plan letter.

Apparent Nokia C-Series Touch and Type Dual SIM Slider in the Works

We’ve known for a while that Nokia is planning on getting into the Dual SIM (GSM) market for sometime now. From the leaks going around, it seems like a slick looking Dual SIM smartphone just might be in the works already from the Finns. A site called Hackintosh-India has posted leaked images of a new C-Series slider handset that might also be categorised as Nokia Touch and Type device.




Nokia’s Touch and Type series are gaining ground as low end devices that offer users a little more than just basic functionality in sleek forms. The X3-02 and C3-01 seem to be faring quite well in the Indian market.

The leaked images reveal a standard mobile phone alphanumeric keypad and

•a 2.8-inch (I’m guessing) resistive touchscreen display. This should keep the price down a bit.
•EDGE/GPRS (no 3G or Wi-Fi, according to the source)
•Bluetooth
•2MP camera




The handset that could very well be called the C2-06, since the reports state it showed up as the handset’s Bluetooth id, would most likely run on a Symbian Series 40 6th Edition OS.

There’s no official word of such a handset from the company, so naturally there are no details about when we can expect it or what kind of price tag it would bare. If I had to guess, I’d estimate it would be in the Rs. 5,000 to 7,000 price range.

Canon EOS 600D Launched in India

Canon’s latest mid-range DSLR camera for enthusiasts is finally here, in India after being launched in international markets recently. Like the previous update, where the lower-end EOS 500D model was launched, there is bound to be a higher-end EOS 650D model. Like most of the DSLRs today, the 3-inch screen on this new DSLR can be tilted.



The resolution of the screen now matches the EOS 550D, as well. Canon has used a larger sensor like the one on the previous EOS 550D model. There have been additions to the white balance and auto exposure bracketing, which should give more control to the user. The Liveview feature makes focusing and shooting much simpler than using the eyepiece. The Canon EOS 600D body is priced at Rs. 46,990.

Some of the specifications of the Canon EOS 600D are mentioned below:

•Sensor resolution: 18 MP (5184 x 3456)
•Image types supported: JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG
•Autofocus: 9 points
•Burst speed: 3.7 fps
•Video recording: 1920 x 1080 at 29.97 fps
•Screen size: 3-inch
•Dimensions: 133.1 x 99.5 x 79.7 mm
•Weight: 515 g (body only)

Dual-Core Smartphones in 2012, by Samsung

Looking at the way smartphones have been evolving, this shouldn’t surprise you. We have already seen dual-core processors for smartphones clocking at 1.2 GHz, but now they might go up another level and reach 2 GHz.



According to sources, an unnamed Samsung official said that the company will be launching dual-core processors that will clock up to 2 GHz, for smartphones. It’s quite obvious that at these clock speeds, your favorite smartphone will have the ability to process data like an entry-level desktop PC. News going around also say that the processor will launch under the Exynos processor brand, which Samsung launched sometime in February.

While that was the good part, what sounds better is that Samsung will also spread the goodness of such high speed processors with other mobile manufacturers, as well. Under their Exynos brand, Samsung also plans to sell these processors to other smartphone makers.

So in time to come, we can expect smartphones with higher processing speeds, which sums up to better and faster handling of tasks.

YouTube to Live Stream the Royal Wedding

If the trends on Google in this week are to be believed then the Royal Wedding is the single most highlighted event.



Google’s popular video streaming service has taken a cue from these trends and has decided to go live with the wedding celebrations. So, if you’re among the many who would love to witness the wedding of Britain’s Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton then your venue might as well be YouTube, with the world in the guest list.

This comes as an update to Google’s initial participation in the wedding showcase via its 3D map service, wherein it planned to give the users worldwide a “Royals’-eye” view of the wedding procession. With the royal household giving a nod to the live-streaming of the royal wedding on their official YouTube channel, (www.youtube.com/theroyalchannel), a one of its kind spectacle is in the making.

The live streaming is scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm IST, 10:00 am BST (9:00 am GMT, 2:00 am PT, and 5:00 am ET) on Friday, April 29. The sequence of events would include the wedding procession, marriage ceremony at Westminster Abbey and balcony kiss. YouTube also plans to include a blog commentary running side by side it’s live-streaming. The commentary would basically have all the updates on the day as it unfolds. Time zone issues have also been taken care of, as well. The wedding video will be reshown, as well as preserved for later viewing. A video guestbook, too, will be made available for the users to post in their comments, wishes for the royal couple.

With almost the whole world awaiting this spectacle, the royal wedding got to be a spectacle to remember.