1.Blu-ray: This next-gen optical disk format stores large amounts of data and boasts better quality and sound. It looks just like any other CD but has five times the storage capacity of a standard DVD. Used for storing games and high-definition movies. Blu-ray players or gadgets that support Blu-ray can also “upscale” DVDs to a higher resolution so that they look better than before.
2. Internet banking: still standing in queue being bheja-fried by droopy public-sector bank officials who start their afternoon siesta at 10am? Enter the era of Net banking. Account-to-account transfer, loan application, paying of bills, getting a bank statement-it’s all just click away. Get savvy, save time and experience the can’t-remember-the-last-time-I’ve –been-to-a-bank feeling. It’s heavenly.
3. Portable hard discs: and we mean beyond the pen drive and the CD. Extended hard discs start at 120GB goes up to 1 terabyte, which is enough to store your life’s work and play! If only there were virtual wardrobes, life would be so much more spacious! A 120GB hard discs comes for around Rs4, 000.The use of SSD memory cards for laptops has also picked up in recent times but there is scope for plenty more.
4. File-sharing: Receive or send digital files over a network. File-sharing is important, particularly when large-sized files need to be shared. Most sites like Google Talk or Skype have file-sharing options. Social networking site Face book also has this cool FreeDrive application by which files can be shared online and kept private or public. There’s also Lime Wire, KaZaA, eMule, BitTorrent and Filehippo MobileMe is another cool applications introduced by Apple which gives users a virtual and personal 20GB hard disk on its iDisk-and for a change you don’t have to own a Mac 1! All you need is Safari 3 or Firefox 2 for the Mac, plus Internet Explorer 7 for Windows.
5. M-payment (mobile payment): Simply put, it is the payment of bills through one’s mobile phone. Not satisfies your landline, the mobile phone has long had its eyes on replacing the wallet. Leading service providers have options that allow one to pay the mobile bill by just making a call and entering one’s credit card details through an automated menu. It saves you the time and hassle of the trip to the nearest store.
Elsewhere in the world, mobile phone manufacturers are making phones that can be used as a payment device by simply swiping it across a reader. Imagine paying the restaurant bill directly from the table without having to use sign language to let your waiter know that you want the cheque. All you would need to do is to connect to the restaurant’s cash register wirelessly.
6. Online shopping: Why shop at flowers chocolates? Pile up your virtual shopping cart with almost anything imaginable as you make your way through cyberspace. Tech tools sell the most on sites like eBay India but its listed price is Rs36,000 and an additional 2,000. Not a good bargain. Moral of the story? Do some research before you buy. Or to make some cash instead of spending it, E-commerce has become a secondary source of income for housewives and students on sites like Rediff and futurebazaar.com.
7. Mobile features: Someone once said that mobile phone is like a Swiss army knife, except without the sharp edges. when was the last time you used your constant handheld companion for anything apart from dialling, texting or at the very most, emailing? And you aren’t alone;apparently only 10 per cent of mobile phone users utilize all the phone’s facilities. Here are five most ignored mobile features.
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· GPRS: it is all but guarantees access to the Internet anytime, anyplace. Your service provider will set it up on your mobile at the nearest store. It is practically free if you use GPRS only to check mail. For downloading, it costs some more. You can also share the connection with your laptop. Plus once India has 3G technology, it will get better.
· USB cable: a genius wire that connects the PC or printer to the mobile. If not for creating a back-up of contacts, use it to transfer MP3
Ringtones stored on your computer’s hard drive, free!
· Mobile blogging: It took Aamir Khan, Big B, and Karan Johar to turn online blogging into a rage. And mobile blogging makes it so much more
fun, making possible minutes by minutes updates. Upload and share a picture as soon as you click it. It can’t get even faster than this. You will
need GPRS.
· RSS reader: Get up to date news on your cellphone. They use small file sizes and consume less bandwidth.
· Conference calling: Even if your phone does not support it, most cell service providers do.
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