Sleek Mac

It’s a real museum piece. It has cutting-edge looks and technology. Apple has shown that it not only makes shiny white or black devices that fit into your pocket but that CEO Steve Jobs knows what people want even before we know it ourselves.

Yes, I am talking about the brand new iMac, Apple’s flagship product that has been long due for a makeover. Built from aluminium and glass, the iMac is just a monitor with a keyboard and mouse. There is no CPU. It is all in the monitor, including the hard disk. This three-piece unit is a delight without the clutter of wires that you find in all PCs. The overall look of the iMac resembles that of an LCD television you might have in your room. The glossy display and slim design are bound to sweep you off your feet.

This all-in-one new iMac desktop will take care of all your digital needs. It is priced between Rs 65,000 and Rs 94,000, depending on the model and configuration. Currently, it comes in two sizes — with 20- and 24-inch screens — and 1 GB memory. This memory is expandable to 4 GB. The 20-inch model has a 250GB hard drive. The 24-inch one has 320GB. Since it has an Intel-based processor, you can run Windows too.

If your budget permits, I would suggest you get one of these iMacs. They can even be mounted on a wall. This is ideal for watching movies. You can control the unit with the remote that comes with the desktop. If you want to see a live demonstration of this, just visit Imagine, the Apple shop at the Salt Lake City Centre, Calcutta.

Accompanying the new machines are overhauled versions of the company’s consumer software suites, iLife 08 and iWork 08, including — among other new features — a spreadsheet program called Numbers designed to lure users from Microsoft’s Excel. I find Keynote particularly easy to use. It is equivalent to PowerPoint in Windows computers. And of course, there is Pages, a word processor just as good as Microsoft Word.

One of the best things about the iMac is the keyboard. It has been radically redesigned. It uses the same type of keys as does the MacBook, but they are placed atop a thin aluminium piece that matches the iMac’s body. The keyboard’s thin design gives it a sleek and modern look. It has a built-in USB 2.0 port on the side.

The new iMac has a new iSight camera that blends into the black screen border of the monitor. The camera — with a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels — provides fairly good video and still photographs. The microphone is also at the top of the monitor and is very good in picking up sound. You will never face a problem during a video chat.

The back of the monitor, too, is very interesting. For one, it looks good in matte black with a shiny black Apple logo. Then there are the ports. There is an analog and digital audio output port, an analog and digital audio input port, three USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire 800 port, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a mini-DVI connector.

The new iMacs have the latest Intel Core2 Duo processors with speeds varying from 2GHz to 2.4GHz, depending on the model you choose. There is an option to upgrade this to 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo Extreme should you want a more powerful model.

When you buy a Mac, make sure you become a member of .Mac. For around Rs 4000, you will get 10GB of storage online and the ability to save large

files online from office, which you can later pluck from the net with your iMac. Other new .Mac features include Web Gallery — which enables immediate sharing of photos and movies from iLife with Mac, PC or iPhone owners; and the ability to incorporate live web widgets, such as Google Maps, into websites created

using iWeb.

For me, with its lower price, the new 24-inch model is the real winner. The larger screen makes all the difference.

Marvelous Blackberry

When BlackBerry’s service goes down for several hours in the US, over five million people were struck by a curious malaise. The symptoms ranged from feelings of isolation and rage to severe longing, something very similar to drugs withdrawal. It just showed that people had become so thoroughly dependent — professionally — on their cherished wireless email that they even reacted emotionally, and some with paranoia, when deprived of this service. A woman even said it was easier to quit smoking than to be without a BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry phenomenon seems to have taken the world by storm. Earlier, many had avoided even looking at this mobile phone because of its clunky looks. But with the advent of the super slim BlackBerry Pearl, reactions changed overnight. The Canadian company, Research In Motion, which makes these phones, sold over 6.4 million sets in less than a year.

So what is it that makes the BlackBerry so captivating and addictive? It only has a 1.3 megapixel camera, which can’t even record videos. It, however, does have a decent video player. Its music player is basic, but with good sound quality. But the feature that gets you hooked to the device is its email. You can configure upto seven email accounts and synchronise with your company’s mail server. Those without a company email can subscribe to a BlackBerry account. It was this BlackBerry email blackout that caused heartburn across the world.

As you get to use this stylish and slim BlackBerry Pearl, you will find yourself constantly checking and sending email messages. Most people nowadays keep two phones — one for their calls and the Blackberry for email. Composing mails is fast with the QWERTY keyboard and SureType. SureType is much like T9 in other cell phones.

The Pearl with its EDGE connectivity lets you surf the Internet at a very good speed. A glowing trackball set just below the screen makes navigation a breeze. You can scroll vertically and horizontally smoothly without making a dent on your thumb which happens with other cell phones. Here are a few little-used shortcuts that you could use to enhance your BlackBerry experience.

Common shortcuts

In most applications in the phone you can use the following:

Move up: Press 3 to move up the screen.

Move down: Press 9 to move down the screen.

Top of page: Press 1 to move to the top of the page.

Bottom of page: Press 7 to go to the bottom of the page.

Home: To return to the Home screen, press the End key: The End key is the red coloured phone icon on your right beside the trackball.

Lock: To lock the keyboard, from the Home screen, hold the asterisk ( * )

key.

Unlock: To unlock the keyboard, hold the Send key and press the asterisk ( * ) key. Type your password. The Send key is the one with the green coloured phone icon.

Silent: To switch between the default and vibrate profiles, from the Home screen hold the pound ( # ) key.

Phone shortcuts

Put on hold: To place an active phone call on hold and answer a second incoming call, press Send.

Contacts: To view the contact list, hold the Send key.

Plus sign: To insert a plus sign ( + ) when typing a phone number, hold 0.

Message shortcuts

Compose: To compose a message from the message list, press comma ( , ).

Reply: To reply to a message, press the exclamation ( ! ) mark key.

Reply all: To reply to all, hit the question mark ( ? ) key.

Forward: To forward a message, hit the full stop ( . ) key.

Received: To view only received messages, hold Alt and press 3. The Alt key is the one on the bottom row extreme left.

SMS: To view SMSes only, hold Alt and press the question mark ( ? ) key.

All messages: To view your message list again, press Escape. The Escape or back key is just below the screen.

Typing shortcuts

Full stop: To insert a full stop, press the Space key twice. The next letter will be in capitals.

Numbers on: To type numbers only, hold the Shift key and press the Alt key. The Shift key is on the bottom row marked with a # sign.

Numbers off: To turn off NUM lock, press Alt.

@ sign: To insert an at sign ( @ ) in an email address field, press the Space key.

Select text: To select a line of text, press Shift and roll the trackball.

Cut: To cut selected text, hold Shift and press Delete.

Copy: To copy selected text, press Alt and click the trackball.

Paste: To paste the text, press Shift and click the trackball.

Windows Service Pack 3

I have been waiting for it for ages and finally, it’s here. Windows XP Service Pack 3 has arrived. Vista was a non-starter from the very beginning. Everyone I spoke to has had nothing but remorse for upgrading to Vista.Windows 7 is in its infancy. I would certainly upgrade to this costly version when I am sure of its capability.

Windows XP with SP3 is much faster than Vista on the same hardware configuration and you can get by with much less RAM and hard disk space. For Vista Ultimate you needed at least 4GB of RAM. Vista’s Service Pack 1 was pathetic, but XP on SP3 makes your Windows run much smoother. For one, you will find Internet Explorer crashes less often.

Windows XP SP3 is available from Microsoft Windows Update (www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com) or from the Windows Download Centre.

Your PC must meet some minimum requirements before you can download XP’s SP3. Microsoft recommends installation of SP2 before SP3. The Windows XP SP2 website is at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=26347. Here is how you prepare your PC so that your installation of XP SP3 is perfect.

Start your computer and log on as an administrator. Administrators have unrestricted access to the operating system and its settings. To determine which group a user is set up for, click Start, click Control Panel, and then open User Accounts.

If your computer is running on battery power, plug it in so that your computer does not lose power during the installation. If you use Fast User Switching, make sure everyone else is logged off. As a precaution, back up your files on an external hard disk, DVD, CD, USB flash drive or network folder. You can use the Backup and Restore Wizard to back up documents, pictures and other files.

Close all open programs. This includes your Internet Security Suite or anti-virus and anti-spyware software. This is absolutely necessary because these virus protection programs prevent system files from being changed.

Now go to the Windows Update site and follow the wizard that appears on the screen. The download is around 70MB and installation will take around 30-45 minutes. My installation went without a hitch, including on an old PC that had been similarly updated to SP2. I was even able to update the Windows in my iMac that came with Boot Camp, although I was foxed for a while. A word of caution, though, if SP3 does not work for you remove it from Add Remove programs in the Control Panel.

You will not see any dramatic change in your computer's interface after you update. SP3 is the final one for XP. Hang onto to it up to 2010 till Windows 7 appears. The pack comprises a collection of previously released fixes and product enhancements, as well as a few new features that are unique to this release. You can apply SP3 to Windows XP Home Edition, Professional Edition, Tablet PC Edition (any version) or Media Centre Edition.

So what should you expect to see in SP3? Well, some basic features are upgraded, such as Microsoft Management Console to 3.0 and WPA (WiFi Protected Access) to 2, but Internet Explorer is not upgraded to version 7. You have to upgrade your Internet Explorer separately. Also added are two new features which help network administrators and another which ensures that data flow smoothly into your computer through routers.

Macs with Boot Camp

If you are running Windows XP SP2 on a Mac with Boot Camp you will not be able to install SP3 just like that. Go to http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/bootcampupdate21forwindowsxp.html first. You will find an update for Boot Camp here. Installation of Boot Camp 2.1 is required before installing Windows XP SP3. The update also addresses issues and improves compatibility with Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Vista running on a Mac computer using Boot Camp. It is highly recommended for all Boot Camp users.

Those running Windows on Parallels on a Mac should not have any problem. If you do, download the disk image of the SP3 file. It is a very long url so I will not mention it here. Just search for “Windows XP Service Pack 3 — ISO-9660 CD Image File” in Google and you will find the link. Download the file and proceed with the installation by double clicking on it.

Disc Boot Failure

How many of you have received the dreaded Disk Boot Failure notice the moment you open your personal computer? You could shut down and restart your PC, and everything suddenly seems to be all right. But the very next day you get palpitations when you see the same message. If by some stroke of luck your machine boots, you can run system diagnostics, but I assure you this will rarely find the root cause of the problem.

To rectify the problem, get into your BIOS settings. For this press F2, Delete or F10 as soon as you power on your PC. For older machines, it is usually the Delete key. For newer PCs, it is F2. For some others, it is F10.


Once you are in BIOS settings, I suggest you ensure that it is recognising each drive correctly on startup. The best way to do this is to restore everything to their default settings. Look around your BIOS settings to find out where you can do this. Once you find it, do not forget to save before exiting.


Boot failures can also occur owing to faulty cables. Shut down your PC completely. Remove the side of the case so that you get access to the drives and start with reinserting the cable to the drive and to the controller which plugs into the motherboard. It would help a great deal if you could get hold of a different IDE cable to see where the fault lies — with the cable or the drive itself.


Often boot failure could be because of a bad hard disk. Make sure you have at least a year’s warranty when you buy a disk. Formatting will rarely solve the problem because the disk could be damaged and full of bad sectors. If you are under warranty just get it replaced. Most vendors and manufacturers will tell you to only format the drive. Don’t believe them. If anything, formatting removes the chances of recovering your data from the drive.


Another reason for boot failure could be the power supply. Try replacing your power supply — maybe it is defective. Power loss to a hard disk also displays disk boot failure and the system hangs from time to time. Even if you format your disk several times, your problem will not disappear if the power supply is defective.


Guide to filenames


When you are deleting files from your computer using Windows Explorer, there are certain files you should never delete. Files with any of the following extensions must be retained: EXE, DLL, DRV, VXD, COM, INI, 386, CPL, INF, OCX, SYS and some others. The exceptions are the installation files. Once you install a program, you can delete the downloaded installer file.


Help files usually have the extension HLP or CHM. It is a good idea to keep the help files; you never know when you might need them. The other files you should keep are your fonts files which are usually kept in the Fonts folder. They have extensions like TTF, TTC, FON or OTF. Those that are elsewhere — that is, not in the Fonts folder — are not available. Delete them or place them in the Fonts folder.


Files with the extension ICO or ICL are usually icons or a library of icons. I prefer to keep them.


Files that can be safely deleted all come with the extension TMP (temporary) or DMP (Dump). Some DMP files, however, may be useful for debugging. You can blindly delete the contents of a Temp or TMP folder. Always make it a point to delete the contents of your Temporary Internet Files folder.


Delete all BAT files and INI files if the size is more than 64 kilobytes. By definition, they must be less than 64K. INI files have the same mandatory size limitation. Files that come with the extension LOG can also be safely wiped out. Open them in Notepad and see their contents. If you think you need them keep them; otherwise just trash them. Do not forget to empty your Recycle Bin after you have cleared the trash from your computer.

G-Mail Tips And Tricks

Gmail

Users can enable or disable each new feature in Labs


Google is experimenting at a furious pace. Its most popular product, Gmail, has gone back to the lab for further improvements even before most of you could discover its fantastic hidden features. Here are some little-known features that will help to keep your inbox clutter free.


Skip inbox: This is a great way to filter your incoming messages. Click on Settings and then on Filter. At the bottom you will find ‘Create a new Filter’. Say, you want all your Facebook messages to be organised outside your Inbox. So, under ‘From’ put in Facebook and go to the next step. Tick ‘Skip the Inbox (Archive it)’. Next, tick ‘Apply Label’ and create a new label called Facebook. Finally, click on ‘Create Filter’ and apply it to all the previous emails you have received from Facebook. The next time you open your inbox, you will find all your messages from Facebook under Labels.

Labels is a very useful way to quickly get to mails that you regularly receive from certain friends or organisations. You will find the Labels tab under Settings.

Manage multiple accounts: Did you know you could use Gmail to send messages from your other email addresses? You do not have to leave Gmail and go to Yahoo mail, for instance, to send a message from there. You can do it from Gmail itself. This feature makes it easier to manage multiple accounts from the Gmail interface.

Click Settings along the top of any page, and open the ‘Accounts’ tab. Under ‘Send mail as’, click ‘Add another email address’. In the ‘Name’ field, enter your full name. In the ‘Email address’ field, enter the mail address you would like to send from.

When someone replies to your message using a custom ‘From:’ address, the reply will be delivered to the ‘From:’ address rather than your Gmail address. If you want replies to be delivered to Gmail or a third account, you will need to enter a ‘reply-to’ address. To do this, click ‘Specify a different reply-to address’ and enter the desired email address.

Click Next Step and then click Send Verification. Gmail will send a verification message to your other email address to confirm that you own it.

Open your other account and either click the link in the message Gmail sent or enter the confirmation code in the Accounts section of your Gmail settings.


POP3 Messages: To be able to receive your mails from Gmail in Outlook or Outlook Express, you will have to enable this by going to Settings and clicking on ‘Forwarding POP/IMAP’. Enable the relevant parts. You will find the Outlook and Outlook Express configuration instructions on this page too.

What is in the Lab? When you log in to your Gmail account, you will see a blue icon. Click on it. Among the new features introduced are:


• A quick-link tool that lets you bookmark specific Gmail messages. It adds a box to the left column that gives you one-click access to anything that you have bookmarked in Gmail. You can also use it for saving searches and important messages.


• You could always put a star on a mail, but now you can insert Superstars, by successive clicks of the mouse.


• The “e-mail addict” tool that lets you lock yourself out of your email account for 15 minutes.


• A fixed-width font option view adds a dropdown menu that lets you view a message in a fixed width font.


• Mouse gestures that let you take actions based on mouse movements. However, this works best in Windows. Don’t try it on a Mac.


• A ‘Signature tweak’ and a ‘Quoted signature’. The first lets you put a signature above the quoted reply and the second puts quotations at random. However, you cannot use both at the same time


• The option to upload your picture so that people can see who they are chatting with.


If you encounter any problems with your account while using labs there is an escape hatch type in http://mail.google.com/ mail/?labs=0